text:
Q: Maintaining initial source_node -> end_node in traversal method - Postgres I have a custom postgres traversal function that returns a set list of parent_nodes from an initial starting point. I'd like to modify the traversal function to take a list of starting points, and maintain the relationship between starting point -> destination nodes within the result set but am failing to find a way to do this.
The Table SchemaL
links
    child_id
    parent_id
    link_type

Function:
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION public.reverse_link_traversal(source_id bigint, link_types text[], depth_count integer)
RETURNS TABLE(parent_id bigint)
LANGUAGE plpgsql
AS $function$
    begin
        if
            depth_count > 0 and EXISTS(
                select parent_id
                from links
                where child_id = source_id and link_type = ANY(link_types)
            )
        then
            return query
            select parent_id
            from links
            where child_id = source_id and link_type = ANY(link_types)
            union select * from reverse_link_traversal(
                (
                    select parent_id
                    from links
                    where child_id = source_id and link_type = ANY(link_types)
                ),
                link_types,
            );
        else
            return query
            select parent_id
            from links
            where child_id = source_id and link_type = ANY(link_types);
        end if;
    end if;
end $function$;

The goal would be to update source_id bigint to source_ids bigint[], and use this result set to traverse multiple starting nodes of the tree at once.
As an example:
Lets say I have the following data
child_id | parent_id | link_type
1 - 4 - x
4 - 5 - x
2 - 6 - x
6 - 7 - x

Current Version:
(child_id = 1) as source_id
returns (parent_ids = [4, 5]

(child_id = 2) as source_id
returns (parent_ids = [6, 7])

New Version would:
(child_id = [1, 2]) as source_id
returns (parent_ids = [(1,4), (1,5), (2,6), (2,7)]

but I'm failing to see a way to maintain the initial set as you move along the tree. One idea was to include a path variable at each level, something like this:
ARRAY[parent_id] as path  -- initial node
path || parent_id as path  -- add to at each point

but that still lacks a way to group together to produce the final result set. Does anyone know of a better way for link traversal that produces these results?
Thanks!


A local production company is hoping to share Spider Mable's incredible story. Director Kelly Wolfert tells us about the movie.
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text:
Q: How to import BigIntegerWritable in Reducer? I'm writting a reducer and the value for each key could be very large number (larger than the range of long value). I planned to use BigInteger as the value's type and I noticed there's a class BigIntegerWritable defined in pig. However, I use the library pig-0.11.0.jar or pig-0.11.0-withouthadoop.jar to compile. It couldn't find the BigIntegerWritable.
Here's the command I use to compile:
javac -classpath /var/hadoop/hadoop-core-1.0.4.jar:/var/pig/pig-0.11.0.jar wordcount.java wordcountReducer.java wordcountMapper.java

Here's the error message:
wordcountReducer.java:8: error: cannot find symbol
import org.apache.pig.backend.hadoop.BigIntegerWritable;
                                ^
symbol:   class BigIntegerWritable
location: package org.apache.pig.backend.hadoop
wordcountReducer.java:18: error: cannot find symbol
implements Reducer<Text, LongWritable, Text, BigIntegerWritable> {
                                           ^
symbol: class BigIntegerWritable
wordcountReducer.java:21: error: cannot find symbol
OutputCollector<Text, BigIntegerWritable> output, Reporter reporter)
                        ^
symbol:   class BigIntegerWritable
location: class wordcountReducer
wordcountReducer.java:28: error: cannot find symbol
output.collect(key, new BigIntegerWritable(wordNumber));
                        ^
symbol:   class BigIntegerWritable
location: class wordcountReducer
4 errors

A: I am fairly certain BigIntegerWritable became a thing in Pig 0.12 as seen here. So you would need that version. Even still, I don't think it is really appropriate to include Pig here just to get a class to help your reducer.
I think you are better off writing your own BigIntegerWritable. It wouldn't be too hard since it already has methods to go to and from byte[]. Just use IntWritable as a model.

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Top events around San Diego this weekend include the San Diego Sake Festival, GI Film Festival, MCAS Miramar Air Show and the start of local Oktoberfests.
Series star and creator of Everybody Loves Raymond, Phil Rosenthal, will be center stage for a talk after a screening of the show's Tel Aviv episode. Puesto will be on hand serving up Israeli-inspired Mexican dishes to the masses.
Ahead of the main October Fashion Week San Diego event, JSix is spicing things up with a five-course food and cocktail experience where proceeds benefit FAB Authority, a nonprofit that supports entrepreneurs in the art and creative industries.
Forgo the sake bombs and take time to sip your way through this event, which includes the "Kagami biraki," a traditional cedar sake barrel opening ceremony, and more than 20 different types to try.


text:
Hoofdnavigatie EN
Highlights of The Hague
Discover The Hague
Check the agenda!
More today Upcoming week
Staying the night in The Hague
Around The Hague
The Hague by the sea
Zuiderstrand
Cort van der Lindenpad, 2554 GR Den Haag
Westduinpark (West Dune Park) between Scheveningen and Kijkduin is one of the largest nature reserves in The Hague. The conservation dune park near Zuiderstrand has a highly diverse landscape with dense forests and open spaces, wet dune valleys and high dune tops, bunker ruins from World War II and Scottish Highland cows that roam about freely. Thanks to the many hiking, cycling and riding paths Westduinpark is the ideal nature reserve for catching a breath of fresh sea air.
Westduinpark consists of relatively young dunes that formed in the 12th century. As part of the South Holland dunes, the area was once part of the hunting domain of the House of Orange. As a result of quarrying, dumping waste and the many day trippers, the Westduinen were not in very good shape at the beginning of the 20th century. Around 1930 the area therefore underwent improvement and the park was created: the dunes were reinforced, young trees were planted that would normally not grow there and hiking paths were created.
During World War II the Germans built an extensive system of bunkers and underground passageways as part of the Atlantic Wall. Although most of the bunkers were closed off after the war, they are still visible in the dune landscape which they have also shaped.
Over the years, the war and previous transformation into a park resulted in serious erosion of the unique dune biotope. To combat this, major nature restoration work was carried out between 2011 and 2013: trees and shrubs not native to the dune landscape were partly removed, drift dunes were created and Scottish Highland cows were introduced to keep Westduinpark open.
Thanks to its diverse landscape, Westduinpark has a large variety of flora and fauna. On the white dunes of the sand bar directly on the coast you will find totally different animals and plants than in the inner dunes. The conservation dune area is a natural habitat for sand lizards and foxes. There are also many species of birds, including the nightingale, lark and buzzard. Various plants thrive on the nutrient-poor sand and blossom in abundance. Plants such as ragwort, mullein and evening primrose give Westduinpark a yellow colour every summer.
Scottish Highland cows
To keep the dune landscape open and varied a herd of Scottish Highland cows has been introduced to the Westduinpark. The shaggy haired cows walk about freely, which means that you can encounter them anywhere on the nature reserve. The Scottish Highland cows are easily approachable, but you are recommended to keep at least 25 metres away, especially when there are young calves in the herd.
The Westduinpark has a diverse range of cycling and hiking paths. Cyclists can follow the LF1 long-distance path between Scheveningen and Kijkduin, which runs straight through the dune landscape parallel to the coast. Hikers can use long-distance hiking path 5, the Dutch Coastal Path which also runs between Scheveningen and Kijkduin. In addition, there are many other small paths for hikers that run through dune valleys and over dune tops. The latter gives you a magnificent view over the city and sea.
Dogs are permitted in West Dune Park. You are required to keep your dog on a leash to protect the nature and to throw any dog waste into a bin. Dogs are allowed to roam freely closer to residential areas. Westduinpark also provides access to the Zuiderstrand, where dogs are welcome during the winter. In the summer months, dogs are also welcome at beach entrance 9 (Kwartellaan) all day.
From Westduinpark you can walk straight onto the panoramic Zuiderstrand. Local inhabitants also refer to it as the peaceful beach, and rightly so. This is the peaceful and secret alternative between Scheveningen and Kijkduin, located immediately behind the dunes and for anyone who loves the sea and beach. During the summer, Zuiderstrand is the perfect spot for relaxing at one of the authentic beach pavilions with an open view of the magnificent sunset. In the winter months Zuiderstrand is completely empty and visitors can enjoy an uninterrupted view from Scheveningen along to the Hook of Holland.
Directions to Westduinpark
Westduinpark is located between the North Sea and the residential areas of Duindorp, Vogelwijk, Bohemen and Kijkduin. The dune area has various entrances that are accessible on foot, by bike and on horseback. These entrances are located at Wieringsestraat, Duivelandsestraat, Laan van Poot, Savornin Lohmanlaan and Kijkduinsestraat. You can get here on public transport by taking tram 12 or bus 22 to Duindorp, or buses 23, 24 or 26 to Kijkduin. By car it is best to drive to Kijkduin where you can park free of charge. This is also the most convenient entrance for people with disabilities. Cyclists can ride into the nature reserve on North Sea Route LF1 or on one of the entrances in Vogelwijk. Bike parking is available at the various beach entrances in Westduinpark.
Westduinpark Westduinpark (West Dune Park) between Schevenin...
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text:
Our Top Ten Favourite Winter-Set Horror Films
In anticipation of our first feature-length film, COLD WIND BLOWING, we decided to post a countdown of our favourite Winter-set horror films. There really isn't any season more inherently spooky than the haunting danger that a brisk winter night presents, and each of the below films relish in the atmosphere that a sprinkling of drifting snow provides. Take a look below to see Dionne and I's ten favourite Winter horror films!
10) FROZEN (Dir. Adam Green)
Having skied my whole life, this film brings to life a nightmare I've had on several occasions. Stuck on a chairlift at the end of the ski season, three friends are forced to find a way off the mountain—and then a pack of wolves shows up. This film works for its likeable group of characters, who are forced to make increasingly risky and unfortunate decisions as the night drags on. The performances and cinematography really work to make the audience feel the blistering cold of the mountain air, and it's because of that tangible Winter atmosphere that this film opens our list.
9) MISERY (Dir. Rob Reiner)
Kathy Bates is amazing as the villain in one of the rare times that the film adaptation may have outdid the original book. Like most films on this list, the central action is reserved to one location out in the winter wilderness, and the exterior cold is only one of many obstacles preventing our hero's escape. Rob Reiner is perhaps the reigning king of King adaptations, and Misery is possibly the best filmed version of a King horror story. ("I wouldn't go that far, my choice would be Carrie!" -Dionne)
8) I SAW THE DEVIL (Dir. Kim Jee-woon)
This might be the best that snow has ever looked on camera, with the Winter setting so integral to the film's style that just watching the film makes you feel cold. The serial killer plot turned cat and mouse game is also more fresh and thrilling here than it has been in most films post-Silence of the Lambs, albeit this leads to an incredibly dark film that requires space between rewatches.
7) TALES FROM THE CRYPT: AND ALL THROUGH THE HOUSE (Season 1, Episode 2 – Dir. Robert Zemeckis)
"Although not a movie, my love for Tales from the Crypt runs deep and I couldn't, in good conscience, leave this episode off the list of my favourite winter set scares. A simple premise, a woman murders her husband on Christmas Eve, all the while an escaped maniac in a Santa costume stalks her around her property trying to get into the house and at her young daughter. It's a fun 22 minutes of stalking and slashing punctuated by the Crypt Keeper's signature puns and if you're looking for something to whet your appetite for the Holiday Horror season, I recommend starting off with this to get you in festive spirits." -Dionne
6) PONTYPOOL (Dir. Bruce McDonald)
The most creative take on the zombie film in its post-genre revival, this one-location Canadian horror story follows one night in the studio with a radio disc jockey as unknowable events begin to occur outside. Although it's entirely interiors, the space of the station still feels hauntingly cold and isolated, with an atmosphere so suffocating that you feel like you're trapped there with the characters. It's chilling isolationist Canadian horror done in the way that only us Canadians know how.
5) THE THING (Dir. John Carpenter)
The reason that The Thing works so damn well is the time that Carpenter takes to familiarize the audience with his characters before all hell breaks loose. The first portion of the film is made up of small moments in which the limited cast of characters waste time against the backdrop of a timeless eternal Winter. You like pretty much everyone in this movie, which makes each surprising death all the more painful and the isolation of the arctic that much more vast. The body horror effects are also obviously unmatched by any other film, although it's Carpenter's subtle directorial touches and the memorable characters that have made it a lasting classic.
4) WOLF'S CHALET (Dir. Věra Chytilová)
A group of ten teenage students are invited to a retreat at a remote mountain chalet, but eleven students arrive at the peak of the mountain. What progresses is a psychological onslaught of adolescent torment as the chalet's supervisors tell the students to out the intruder. The film only gets crazier from there, and the cinematography relishes in the bitterly cold environment that the unfortunate students find themselves in. Not entirely unlike a revisioning of The Thing but with teenagers, underrated master of Czech cinema Věra Chytilová presents a chilling tale of paranoia and isolation that is an unknown gem of Winter-set horror cinema.
3) GINGER SNAPS 2: UNLEASHED (Dir. Brett Sullivan)
A follow-up to my favourite Canadian horror film, Ginger Snaps, in some ways the sequel delivers better horror than the original. The atmosphere is more fully realized as Emily Perkins' character finds herself locked in an institution and forced to come up with creative and deeply unsettling solutions to her lycanthropy problem. Katherine Isabelle even returns to mock our hero's attempts, while a young Tatiana Maslany plays a haunted teenager with a disturbing backstory. The film eventually leads to a freezing cold Straw Dogs with werewolves, which is the best possible climax for a creature feature.
2) WENDIGO (Dir. Larry Fessenden)
"If it were not for the sentimentality I hold for Black Christmas, then Wendigo would be number one on my list. This is a master class in film-as-character study, with incredible performances and superb writing. This is far and away the most atmospheric film on the list and a film I force everyone I know to watch when they come over to my house (then I judge them on whether or not they cried). It's also filled to the brim with stylistic flourishes, and as a filmmaker I'm left shaking my head at how they could have pulled off some of the unforgettable shots in this film. Larry Fessenden is the master of all things Wendigo and this film, for me, cements his place as a horror auteur, with his ability to evoke emotion and terror without relying on shocks to tell a story." -Dionne
1) BLACK CHRISTMAS (Dir. Bob Clark)
"My best friend, Jessoa, and I have been celebrating our own Christmas since we were eleven years old on every December 23rd. We binge on snacks, exchange gifts, and watch horror movies (sometimes we get food poisoning and fall asleep on the bathroom floor, but only if we're really lucky). In 2007, I brought a copy of the original Black Christmas for us to enjoy. As seasoned horror fans, there's very little that scares us, but this was an exception that made us scream out loud and sleep with the lights on, not to mention every single year we forget that Billy is hiding behind the door. The sound design is superb, including the haunting use of Christmas music to invoke terror. This is also the best example of the classic 'the calls are coming from inside the house' plot (see the clip below for the first phone call). Black Christmas is also a brilliant Canadian-set female-lead story, making it not only my number one Winter-set film, but my favourite film of all time." -Dionne
Tags: winter, horror, movie, horror movies, cold wind blowing, top ten, list, top ten horror, top 10, wendigo, i saw the devil, ginger snaps, ginger snaps 2 unleashed, black christmas, frozen, wolf's chalet, the thing, pontypool
October 20, 2017 by Turner Stewart


text:
import json
import logging
import time

import click
import unicodecsv as csv

from colorama import Fore

from twittrscrapr import TimelineScrapr, TweetScrapr, ProfileScrapr
from twittrscrapr.writers import CsvFileWriter

logging.basicConfig(
    level=logging.DEBUG,
    format='%(asctime)s %(name)-24s %(levelname)-8s %(message)s',
    datefmt='%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S'
)
logging.getLogger("requests").setLevel(logging.WARNING)
logger = logging.getLogger("twittrscrapr")

@click.command()
@click.argument('infile', type=click.Path(exists=True))
@click.argument('keys', type=click.Path(exists=True))
@click.option('--no-header', '-d', is_flag=True, default=False)
@click.option('--outfile-base', '-o', default='twitter_scrape_results')
@click.option('--verbose', '-v', count=True, default=0)
def scrape_profile_data(infile, keys, outfile_base, no_header, verbose):
    logger.info('Running user profile data scraper operation')
    logger.debug('Invoked with options {}'.format(json.dumps(locals())))

    fname = outfile_base + '_{}.csv'.format(time.strftime("%Y%m%d%H%M%S"))
    logger.debug('User data will be written to file {}'.format(fname))

    scraper = ProfileScrapr(keys, CsvFileWriter(fname))
    scraper.initialize_queue_from_file(infile, skip_header=not no_header)

    if scraper.search_type == 'screenname':
        logger.warn(Fore.YELLOW + "Screen names are not a global unique identifier on Twitter." + Fore.RESET)
        logger.warn(Fore.YELLOW + "Future attempts to scrape data for these users should use the user id strings returned by this script" + Fore.RESET)

    # pull data from twitter and write it to the output file
    scraper.fetch_user_profiles()

@click.command()
@click.argument('infile', type=click.Path(exists=True))
@click.argument('keys', type=click.Path(exists=True))
@click.option('--no-header', '-d', is_flag=True, default=False)
@click.option('--outfile-base', '-o', default='twitter_scrape_results')
def scrape_user_timeline(infile, keys, no_header, outfile_base):
    logger.info('Running user profile data scraper operation')
    logger.debug('Invoked with options {}'.format(json.dumps(locals())))

    fname = outfile_base + '_{}.csv'.format(time.strftime("%Y%m%d%H%M%S"))
    logger.debug('Scraped statuses will be written to file {}'.format(fname))

    scraper = TimelineScrapr(keys, CsvFileWriter(fname))

    scraper.initialize_queue_from_file(infile, skip_header=no_header)
    if scraper.search_type == 'screenname':
        click.echo(
            Fore.YELLOW + "WARNING: Screen names are not a global unique identifier on Twitter. \nFuture attempts to  "
            "scrape data for these users should use the user id strings returned by this script" + Fore.RESET
        )

    # set up file to hold results
    fp = open(fname, 'wb')

    writer = csv.DictWriter(fp, ['user_id', 'screen_name', 'tweet_id', 'date', 'text', 'user_mentions', 'hashtags', 'source'])
    writer.writeheader()

    # TODO - fix from here down
    # pull data from twitter and write it to the output file
    scraper.fetch_user_statuses(writer)
    fp.close()

@click.command()
@click.argument('infile', type=click.Path(exists=True))
@click.argument('keys', type=click.Path(exists=True))
@click.option('--no-header', '-d', is_flag=True, default=False)
@click.option('--outfile-base', '-o', default='twitter_scrape_results')
@click.option('--verbose', '-v', count=True, default=0)
def scrape_tweets(infile, keys, outfile_base, no_header):
    scraper = TweetScrapr(keys)

    scraper.initialize_queue_from_file(infile, skip_header=no_header)
    if scraper.search_type == 'screenname':
        click.echo(Fore.YELLOW + "WARNING: Screen names are not a global unique identifier on Twitter. \nFuture attempts to scrape data for these users should use the user id strings returned by this script" + Fore.RESET)

    # set up file to hold results
    fname = outfile_base + '_{}.csv'.format(time.strftime("%Y%m%d%H%M%S"))
    fp = open(fname, 'wb')

    writer = csv.DictWriter(fp, ['user_id', 'screen_name', 'tweet_id', 'date', 'text', 'user_mentions', 'hashtags', 'source'])
    writer.writeheader()

    # TODO - fix from here down
    sys.exit()
    # pull data from twitter and write it to the output file
    scraper.fetch_user_statuses(writer)
    fp.close()

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Originally discovered in muscle by Kölliker in 1857, mitochondria are the "powerhouses" of the cell and the location where respiration occurs at the cellular level. These cytoplasmic organelles also contain their own DNA (mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA) that has been originally inherited only from the oocyte (maternal inheritance). The spermatozoa (paternal) mitochondria, required for energy for fertilization motility, can enter the oocyte but are generally destroyed during the first mitotic cell divisions. This pattern of inheritance has important implications for a variety of mitochondrial associated diseases, usually occurring in tissues requiring lots of energy (muscle, brain) and in the pathogenesis of common late-onset disorders. Recent experiments have employed swapping maternal mitochondrial DNA in mammalian oocytes, in order to overcome mitochondrial inherited diseases, raising both scientific and ethical discussion on mitochondrial donation.
Segregation of mitochondrial DNA heteroplasmy through a developmental genetic bottleneck in human embryos "Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations cause inherited diseases and are implicated in the pathogenesis of common late-onset disorders, but how they arise is not clear. Here we show that mtDNA mutations are present in primordial germ cells (PGCs) within healthy female human embryos. Isolated PGCs have a profound reduction in mtDNA content, with discrete mitochondria containing ~5 mtDNA molecules. Single-cell deep mtDNA sequencing of in vivo human female PGCs showed rare variants reaching higher heteroplasmy levels in late PGCs, consistent with the observed genetic bottleneck. We also saw the signature of selection against non-synonymous protein-coding, tRNA gene and D-loop variants, concomitant with a progressive upregulation of genes involving mtDNA replication and transcription, and linked to a transition from glycolytic to oxidative metabolism. The associated metabolic shift would expose deleterious mutations to selection during early germ cell development, preventing the relentless accumulation of mtDNA mutations in the human population predicted by Muller's ratchet. Mutations escaping this mechanism will show shifts in heteroplasmy levels within one human generation, explaining the extreme phenotypic variation seen in human pedigrees with inherited mtDNA disorders."
Obesity-exposed oocytes accumulate and transmit damaged mitochondria due to an inability to activate mitophagy "Mitochondria are the most prominent organelle in the oocyte. Somatic cells maintain a healthy population of mitochondria by degrading damaged mitochondria via mitophagy, a specialized autophagy pathway. However, evidence from previous work investigating the more general macroautophagy pathway in oocytes suggests that mitophagy may not be active in the oocyte. This would leave the vast numbers of mitochondria - poised to be inherited by the offspring - vulnerable to damage. Here we test the hypothesis that inactive mitophagy in the oocyte underlies maternal transmission of dysfunctional mitochondria. To determine whether oocytes can complete mitophagy, we used either CCCP or AntimycinA to depolarize mitochondria and trigger mitophagy. After depolarization, we did not detect co-localization of mitochondria with autophagosomes and mitochondrial DNA copy number remained unchanged, indicating the non-functional mitochondrial population was not removed. To investigate the impact of an absence of mitophagy in oocytes with damaged mitochondria on offspring mitochondrial function, we utilized in vitro fertilization of high fat high sugar (HF/HS)-exposed oocytes, which have lower mitochondrial membrane potential and damaged mitochondria. Here, we demonstrate that blastocysts generated from HF/HS oocytes have decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, lower metabolites involved in ATP generation, and accumulation of PINK1, a mitophagy marker protein. This mitochondrial phenotype in the blastocyst mirrors the phenotype we show in HF/HS exposed oocytes. Taken together, these data suggest that the mechanisms governing oocyte mitophagy are fundamentally distinct from those governing somatic cell mitophagy and that the absence of mitophagy in the setting of HF/HS exposure contributes to the oocyte-to-blastocyst transmission of dysfunctional mitochondria."
Unique insights into maternal mitochondrial inheritance in mice. "In animals, mtDNA is always transmitted through the female and this is termed "maternal inheritance." Recently, autophagy was reported to be involved in maternal inheritance by elimination of paternal mitochondria and mtDNA in Caenorhabditis elegant. ...However, by using two transgenic mouse strains, one bearing GFP-labeled autophagosomes and the other bearing red fluorescent protein-labeled mitochondria, we demonstrated that autophagy did not participate in the postfertilization elimination of sperm mitochondria in mice. Based on these results, we conclude that, in mice, maternal inheritance of mtDNA is not an active process of sperm mitochondrial and mtDNA elimination achieved through autophagy in early embryos, but may be a passive process as a result of prefertilization sperm mtDNA elimination and uneven mitochondrial distribution in embryos."
Recurrent tissue-specific mtDNA mutations are common in humans "Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation can affect phenotypic variation; therefore, knowing its distribution within and among individuals is of importance to understanding many human diseases. Intra-individual mtDNA variation (heteroplasmy) has been generally assumed to be random. We used massively parallel sequencing to assess heteroplasmy across ten tissues and demonstrate that in unrelated individuals there are tissue-specific, recurrent mutations. Certain tissues, notably kidney, liver and skeletal muscle, displayed the identical recurrent mutations that were undetectable in other tissues in the same individuals. ...The most parsimonious explanation of the data is that these frequently repeated mutations experience tissue-specific positive selection, probably through replication advantage."
Heteroplasmy of mouse mtDNA is genetically unstable and results in altered behavior and cognition "Maternal inheritance of mtDNA is the rule in most animals, but the reasons for this pattern remain unclear. To investigate the consequence of overriding uniparental inheritance, we generated mice containing an admixture (heteroplasmy) of NZB and 129S6 mtDNAs in the presence of a congenic C57BL/6J nuclear background. Analysis of the segregation of the two mtDNAs across subsequent maternal generations revealed that proportion of NZB mtDNA was preferentially reduced. Ultimately, this segregation process produced NZB-129 heteroplasmic mice and their NZB or 129 mtDNA homoplasmic counterparts. Phenotypic comparison of these three mtDNA lines demonstrated that the NZB-129 heteroplasmic mice, but neither homoplasmic counterpart, had reduced activity, food intake, respiratory exchange ratio; accentuated stress response; and cognitive impairment. Therefore, admixture of two normal but different mouse mtDNAs can be genetically unstable and can produce adverse physiological effects, factors that may explain the advantage of uniparental inheritance of mtDNA."
worm - (C. elegans) suggest ubiquitination occurs followed by autophagy.
mouse - suggest a more passive process, prefertilization sperm mtDNA elimination and uneven mitochondrial distribution in embryos.
Spermatozoa organelles, including mitochondria, are destroyed in some species by the process of autophagy following fertilisation.
Recent studies in mice suggest that additional mechanisms may be used in paternal mitochondrial elimination.
progressive increase in mitochondrial activity in oocytes from the pre-antral to the large antral follicles.
Another study of obesity-exposed oocytes, show that they accumulate and transmit damaged mitochondria due to an inability to activate mitophagy. Mitophagy is a term used for the selective degradation of mitochondria by autophagy.
There has been recent discussion on the use of specialised Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) techniques to allow replacement of maternal mitochondria with genetic abnormalities with a healthy donor mitochondria.
Table based on Annex D, UK Mitochondrial Donation 2014.
↑ Craven L, Murphy J, Turnbull DM, Taylor RW, Gorman GS & McFarland R. (2018). Scientific and Ethical Issues in Mitochondrial Donation. New Bioeth , 24, 57-73. PMID: 29529980 DOI.
↑ 2.0 2.1 Shoubridge EA. (2009). Developmental biology: Asexual healing. Nature , 461, 354-5. PMID: 19759608 DOI.
↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Luo SM, Ge ZJ, Wang ZW, Jiang ZZ, Wang ZB, Ouyang YC, Hou Y, Schatten H & Sun QY. (2013). Unique insights into maternal mitochondrial inheritance in mice. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. , 110, 13038-43. PMID: 23878233 DOI.
↑ Floros VI, Pyle A, Dietmann S, Wei W, Tang WCW, Irie N, Payne B, Capalbo A, Noli L, Coxhead J, Hudson G, Crosier M, Strahl H, Khalaf Y, Saitou M, Ilic D, Surani MA & Chinnery PF. (2018). Segregation of mitochondrial DNA heteroplasmy through a developmental genetic bottleneck in human embryos. Nat. Cell Biol. , 20, 144-151. PMID: 29335530 DOI.
↑ 5.0 5.1 Boudoures AL, Saben J, Drury A, Scheaffer S, Modi Z, Zhang W & Moley KH. (2017). Obesity-exposed oocytes accumulate and transmit damaged mitochondria due to an inability to activate mitophagy. Dev. Biol. , 426, 126-138. PMID: 28438607 DOI.
↑ Samuels DC, Li C, Li B, Song Z, Torstenson E, Boyd Clay H, Rokas A, Thornton-Wells TA, Moore JH, Hughes TM, Hoffman RD, Haines JL, Murdock DG, Mortlock DP & Williams SM. (2013). Recurrent tissue-specific mtDNA mutations are common in humans. PLoS Genet. , 9, e1003929. PMID: 24244193 DOI.
↑ Sharpley MS, Marciniak C, Eckel-Mahan K, McManus M, Crimi M, Waymire K, Lin CS, Masubuchi S, Friend N, Koike M, Chalkia D, MacGregor G, Sassone-Corsi P & Wallace DC. (2012). Heteroplasmy of mouse mtDNA is genetically unstable and results in altered behavior and cognition. Cell , 151, 333-343. PMID: 23063123 DOI.
↑ Hajjar C, Sampuda KM & Boyd L. (2014). Dual roles for ubiquitination in the processing of sperm organelles after fertilization. BMC Dev. Biol. , 14, 6. PMID: 24528894 DOI.
↑ Al Rawi S, Louvet-Vallée S, Djeddi A, Sachse M, Culetto E, Hajjar C, Boyd L, Legouis R & Galy V. (2011). Postfertilization autophagy of sperm organelles prevents paternal mitochondrial DNA transmission. Science , 334, 1144-7. PMID: 22033522 DOI.
Lima A, Burgstaller J, Sanchez-Nieto JM & Rodríguez TA. (2018). The Mitochondria and the Regulation of Cell Fitness During Early Mammalian Development. Curr. Top. Dev. Biol. , 128, 339-363. PMID: 29477168 DOI.
Floros VI, Pyle A, Dietmann S, Wei W, Tang WCW, Irie N, Payne B, Capalbo A, Noli L, Coxhead J, Hudson G, Crosier M, Strahl H, Khalaf Y, Saitou M, Ilic D, Surani MA & Chinnery PF. (2018). Segregation of mitochondrial DNA heteroplasmy through a developmental genetic bottleneck in human embryos. Nat. Cell Biol. , 20, 144-151. PMID: 29335530 DOI.
Boudoures AL, Saben J, Drury A, Scheaffer S, Modi Z, Zhang W & Moley KH. (2017). Obesity-exposed oocytes accumulate and transmit damaged mitochondria due to an inability to activate mitophagy. Dev. Biol. , 426, 126-138. PMID: 28438607 DOI.
maternal spindle transfer - (MST) An Assisted Reproductive Technology term. The "maternal spindle" is the group of maternal chromosomes within the oocyte, which are shaped in a spindle. The transfer technique involves removing the spindle from the mother's oocyte before it is fertilised by the father's spermatozoa. The spindle is then placed into a donor oocyte with healthy mitochondria, from which the donor's spindle, and therefore her nuclear material, has been removed.
Pro-nuclear transfer - (PNT) An Assisted Reproductive Technology term. The pro-nucleus is the nucleus of either a spermatozoa or an oocyte during the process of fertilisation after the sperm enters the egg, but before they fuse. Transfer involves removing the pro-nuclei from a newly fertilized oocyte that has unhealthy mitochondria. The pro-nuclei are then transferred into a donated embryo, with healthy mitochondria, that has had its own, original pro-nuclei removed.
This page was last modified on 7 May 2018, at 13:42.


Baseball trainers will lead campers in individual and small group instruction that emphasizes proper technique in all facets of the game. Athletes will receive instruction in hitting, fielding, pitching, and situational strategies.
This camp is set up to complement the first baseball camp. It is geared toward the more advanced and experienced player. The camp will include individual instruction and game-related drills used by the varsity staff in practice. It will allow players to work on new skills in game situations.


American public schools reflect diversity only in their student populations, not in their teaching force. Despite efforts by some school districts to hire minority teachers, most have faculties that are overwhelmingly white. Most districts still fail to hire minority teachers proportional to the increasing number of minority students in schools. This minority teacher shortage becomes more acute each year.
With 40 percent minority students and 5 percent minority teachers predicted for early in the next century, a critical shortage of education workers and role models may be at hand that could contribute to a worsening urban plight. Indeed, such a crisis could lead to a failure of all American students to learn the academic, personal, and social skills they need in the multicultural workplace of the future.
The National Education Association believes that multiracial teaching staffs are essential to the operation of schools. The Association deplores the current trend of diminishing numbers of ethnic minority educators.
The Association urges local and state affiliates and appropriate governing bodies and agencies to work to increase the number of ethnic-minority teachers and administrators to a percentage at least equal to, but not limited to, the percentage of the ethnic minorities in the general population. The Association further urges U.S. Department of Defense Schools to actively recruit and hire ethnic-minority educators.
Demographically, a region, state, or school district contains few minorities locally available for its teacher pool.
Burn out and frustration are caused by on-the-job hazards, such as poor working conditions, discipline problems, spreading school violence, and a lack of support from colleagues.
Inadequate schooling leaves some minority students ill-prepared and unmotivated for higher education. Standardized tests often have cutoff scores that exclude minority students from higher education, teacher training, and teacher certification programs.
Licensure tests screen out minorities disproportionately.
Salaries are low for teachers compared to salaries for other professionals, which lowers the prestige and social value of a career in teaching for many potential minority teachers.
Minority students find more career opportunities outside of teaching.
The declining numbers of Black and Hispanic students majoring in education is steeper than the overall decline in education majors.
Minority teachers leave teaching at higher rates than white teachers do.
Early prospective teacher identification initiatives through secondary school surveys, counseling, motivational workshops, summer college preparatory courses, courses in educational theory and practice, and promise of financial aid.
Aggressive recruitment activities, such as holding orientations, recruiting transfer students from two-year colleges, sponsoring future teachers clubs, organizing media campaigns in minority communities, and recruiting minorities to teaching from business and the military sectors.
Financial aid, including fellowships, scholarships, and forgivable loans, targeted to minority students who intend to teach.
Social and economic support, including improving test-taking skills and providing academic counseling and tutoring.
Mentoring in the school setting.
The NEA Student Program promotes minority teacher recruitment by means of its Community Learning through America's SchoolS (CLASS) Program. Registered with the NEA Student Program, all CLASS projects are locally designed and cooperatively offered by NEA student locals, NEA K-12 or higher education affiliates, or NEA-Retired members.
NEA Teaching and Learning, with assistance from NEA Human and Civil Rights, coordinates NEA's Recruitment and Retention of Educators (RRE) Program, which is designed to meet the challenges posed by the growing teacher shortage in Americas public schools.
Among the issues targeted by the NEA Recruitment and Retention of Educators Program are ethnic minority teacher shortages; teacher shortages in various subject areas, such as math and science; teacher shortages related to gender, such as the proportionately low numbers of males in elementary education; and the retention of educators already in the teaching profession.
To deal with these issues, the RRE Program establishes and maintains key networks and collaborative activities with NEA affiliates and other organizations, conducts a national forum on the issue of educator recruitment and retention, collects and distributes information on recruitment and retention initiatives, and maintains a database with key NEA affiliates and national and community organizations. Through this program, financial assistance is provided to NEA local affiliates to support their collaborative initiatives with school districts and community groups working to recruit prospective teachers and retain experienced educators.
NEA's Teacher Quality department, through its Recruitment and Retention of Eduators Program, provides financial grants to local affiliates through their state associations. These grants support partnership activities with school districts and community organizations working to recruit prospective teachers, retain experienced educators, and encourage students (from the high school level to college) to become teachers.
But the RRE program is not only involved with initiatives that seek to deal with the teacher shortage issue quantitatively. To raise the level of teacher quality, the RRE Program provides training and counseling that help educators to meet the various professional standards and certification requirements of their states.
The RRE Program works to establish networks that bring together NEA affiliates, school districts, community organizations, and members of the business sector. Networks and coalitions with other organizations are integral to the success of the RRE Program. These networks have the power to reach into communities and target prospective teachers. They can also serve as conduits, facilitators, and valuable resources for association affiliates working to recruit and retain teachers.
Each year NEA's RRE Program conducts a national forum to acknowledge the cooperative efforts of NEA affiliates, local school districts, and community organizations grappling with the teacher shortage issue. Participating affiliates, network representatives, teacher educators, and experts are invited to attend, make presentations on innovative strategies, and share information on their progress and success.
NEA's RRE Program serves as an information clearinghouse for NEA affiliates and organizations working in the area of recruiting and retaining educators by maintaining a database and collecting and distributing information materials. Included in the information distributed by the RRE Program are fact sheets, resource guides, program models, and a compendium of on-going projects for use by affiliates. The RRE Program also conducts workshops and provides training when necessary. Currently, the RRE Program is in the process of developing a computerized interactive system that will allow NEA affiliates involved in recruitment and retention efforts to share data, solve problems, and launch initiatives together.
Organizing and pooling interests. Identify local organizations having an interest in minority teachers. Include community and ethnic minority groups, local teachers clubs, department of education offices, and targeted high schools and colleges.
Conducting research. List the minority teacher recruitment programs and activities in your area and determine the percentage of minorities who teach in your area school system.
Identifying a cadre of teachers. Prepare a roster of teachers to serve as mentors, recruiters, counselors, workshop facilitators, and assistants in functions sponsored by high school or college teacher recruitment programs.
Recognizing minority teacher achievement. Profile or reward outstanding minority teachers or prospective minority teachers to acknowledge their service, increase their self-esteem, and build the professions prestige. In local Association activities, feature ethnic minority teacher recruitment information from this directory.


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The Regupol® AktivPro high-performance Sports and Fitness tile surface is GreenCircle Certified, and can help qualify your facility for LEED credits.
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The Arena Club in Bel Air, Maryland is a top notch Family Fitness Center. The center provides an impressive number of weekly group fitness classes, an indoor turf field, a salt water therapy pool, a large weight training area, and unparalleled personal training services.
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The Red Sox have only made one move so far this off season. That would be the trade for Padres and Braves closer Craig Kimbrell. He is exactly what they needed in the bull pen. He came "cheaper" than Chapman, in terms of players going in the other direction, and will belong to the Red Sox for more than one season (Chapman will be free agent after the 2016 season). He was pricey in that they lost 4 lower level prospects with tons of upside. Potential is not always realized, however. There have been plenty of prospects that don't pan out like everyone hoped. This is not the dealing away of Jeff Bagwell for a rental who doesn't even get you into the playoffs. But he didn't cost them their best and most electrifying prospects: Moncada, Devers, and Benintendi. Or the guys read;y to make the jump to the big leagues: Owens, and Johnson.
The Kimbrell trade gives you an elite closer who throws high 90's heat. The coveted power arm at the back end of the bullpen. This takes the pressure off of Koji, who has struggled with injuries the last 2 seasons and is 40 years old. Koji doesn't need to close, and can provide protection as well as a dependable guy to pitch in the 8th. This creates bullpen depth they sorely lacked last year. Tazawa is pushed to the 7th.
This also means that Joe Kelly remains in the rotation. He showed great improvement after returning from the DL. If he can be THAT guy, the rotation will be much better and save the bullpen unlike last year. The lousy starts by Kelly and Porcello, and occasionally Miley, devastated the bullpen.
The main question is who will the Red Sox sign to be the ace. Finishing in last the previous 2 seasons sent a strong message to John Henry about the need for an ace ASAP. E Rod may be an ace one day. Maybe. Or he could be the 2nd coming of Felix Doubrant whom we thought would be the 2nd coming of Jon Lester by finally figuring a few things out so he could go deep in game. Nope. Felix was not in the majors last I knew. He just got worse.
Clay has ace caliber stuff, but can't stay healthy. I pity the fool who relies on Buchholz Available aces tend to be older, unless you want to pay the king's ransom for them. It worked for Pedro. But most young guys like Grey are not available, or their teams are greedy. A few are untouchable, only a few. But guys like Owens and Johnson and Shaw won't get a trade done. Besides Shaw may end up playing first in 2017, and will back up the increasingly fragile Hanley Ramirez as he takes over first base (crossing fingers).
Dombrowski indicates that they will most likely get that #1 starter in free agency. This leaves us to consider Price, Cueto, Greinke and Jordan Zimmerman. These are the guys, and even Zimmerman is borderline as the #3 pitcher on the Nationals. He also had a lousy free agent year. Health, pressure, lack of confidence? I'm not sure I want to spend ace money on Zimmerman. Or give him ace responsibilities. With Porcello at $20 million they could quickly have an over-priced and under-performing rotation.
As Owens and Johnson develop and prove they can perform in the big leagues, they can force the Red Sox to trade Miley (he's on a good contract and is probably the most tradable of Porcello, Kelly and Miley).
So, we are down to Price, Cueto and Greinke. The first 2 were traded during the season, so they were not eligible for qualifying offers. This means that only Greinke will cost them a draft pick. A 12th pick, kind of draft pick.
This is a high price. However, it may be worth paying. Greinke has dealt with his social anxiety issues. He is a thinking man's pitcher. He is big on advanced analytics, and got Bannister, now a Red Sox employee, into them while they both pitched for Kansas City. The connection with Bannister may be important. Not being a a power pitcher may mean that Zach is able to dominate longer, much lack Maddox. He may be the best value over the life of the his contract. He has pitched in the AL, obviously, though it has been awhile. He has seemed to resolve his post season issues.
All the "experts" and GMs believe that the Red Sox will sign Price. Earlier they all though he'd head to the Cubs to be reunited with Maddon rather than pursue a reunion with Dombrowski. I'm sure he could play with Ortiz for a season, but I'm not sure he wants to play for Red Sox fans who have been a bit hard on him. While his post season record is pretty lousy, that doesn't mean he hasn't pitched well. His WHIP is slightly higher, which doesn't quite explain the significantly higher ERA. Oh, the joys of a smaller sample size and the vagaries of post season play. He has pitched most of his career in the AL East when it was one of the best divisions in baseball. He can pitch in the division.
Price is more of a power pitcher, which means that unless he's Nolan Ryan, he will not live up to the last years of what looks to be a huge contract. He is likely to be the guy John Henry fears or feared.
Cueto has that Luis Tiant odd delivery thing going for him. What he doesn't seem to have going for him is a bum elbow. There are some serious questions about that elbow. He does seem to be a good leader, talking pitching with other starters on the bench during games. He's the alpha dog type you want. He may be cheaper due to the question about the elbow. You could try the John Lackey maneuver with him- add a year at league minimum if he has surgery on that arm.
I am glad I'm not Dumbrowski, and I don't have to make that choice, and live with the consequences.
Update: Zimmerman signed with the Tigers for about $22 million a year for 5 years.
The D'Backs are pushing hard for Cueto.
2014 didn't go well for the Red Sox. After going from last to first, and the World Series where they beat the Cardinals, they returned to last place. There were a number of issues. Lester and Lackey were solid, but the rest of the rotation pretty much stunk. Buchholz was still trying to fix the bad mechanics he picked up when he was hurt in the latter part of 2013. Eventually they gave up on Jake Peavy's streak of futility and Doubrant's inability to do just about anything.
Their attempts to replace Ellsbury failed. Sizemore couldn't maintain his hot spring, and Jackie Bradley Jr. couldn't hit- period. With Victorino on the DL much of the year this resulted in a horribly under-producing outfield for the first half of the season. Relying on Jonny Gomes full-time isn't a good idea.
Their infield plan of Bogaerts and Middlebrooks just didn't work as Xander pressed after the Red Sox brought Stephen Drew back when Middlebrooks got hurt- again. Napoli was never the same after an injury, and A.J. was a cancer behind the plate.
The rebuild started mid-season as they traded or cut every starter but Buchholz and traded Gomes away. They took a chance on Allen Craig's track record, hoping 2014 was an injury-induce aberration. They signed Rusney Castillo for the future. Out of desperation they put Mookie Betts in the outfield where he flourished on his third call up.
In the off season they got the Panda for third, making the perpetually injured Will Middlebrooks unnecessary. They also picked up Hanley Ramirez to play outfield and added Wade Miley, Rick Porcello and Justin Masterson to Clay and Joe Kelly to replace the under-performing Webster, De La Rosa and Ranaudo.
So … they entered Spring Training with a glut of outfielders: Betts, Ramirez, Castillo, Nava, Craig, Bradley and the surgically-repaired Victorino. They also didn't have a clear cut ace, and a suspect bullpen.
They left Spring Training with projected starting catcher Christian Vazquez in need of Tommy John surgery, their closer Koji Uehara and Joe Kelly on the DL. The excess in the outfield has Castillo and Bradley in AAA at least until there is an injury to either Victorino or Ramirez, or a trade of either Craig or Victorino. Did you get all that?
Much is made about a $72 million dollar player being in AAA. Well, that is over 6 years so $12 million average, just over $10 million this year. Victorino is making $13 million. So the money is not the issue here. Particularly when we realize Betts played his way into center. Castillo is in the big leagues long term. Next year at the very latest, but most likely earlier particularly if Victorino struggles, gets hurt or traded. Victorino has lots of rust and injury echo to shake off. He is historically not very concerned about spring training. Let's see if Shane can show up and play every night. Unfortunately the only guys with options were Castillo, Betts and Bradley.
They want to go from last to first again. It might happen, largely because of the offense. This could be a devastating offense. Off-season surgery may have enabled Pedroia to return to being the Destroya, and Napoli to stay awake by actually sleeping at night. Napoli has been killing the ball. Betts has been getting on base and while not as dangerous as the Tiger's line up it should be a gigantic improvement over last year's anemic offense.
Fortunately they are in a division with a bunch of flawed teams. They have a chance to take the division. But there is also a good chance they won't. This is like a return to the old Red Sox formula: all hitting and decent pitching. It may get them to the playoffs, but I don't think it will get them a World Series. The good news for them is that Bogaerts, Betts, Castillo and the Panda will be around for awhile. Next winter they can get some of the elite pitchers who look to be heading into free agency. Or bring up some of their top pitching prospects. They have moved in the right direction, but probably not far enough (yet) to add another title.
With the 2014 Red Sox still under .500, the Boston sports media has a new hobby. They keep talking about who should get traded from these Red Sox since, they think, this team's season is over.
I can understand some of the push to trade players come July. I am in favor of that if they aren't in the race. It would potentially give some of the younger players time to get used to life in the Big Leagues.
My problem is the guys they think we should trade. I hear about Lester, Lackey and Uehara. These guys make the least sense when you are talking about trades. Why? There is no one in the system who can replace them.
Jon Lester is a home-grown guy. Apart from his battle with cancer years ago he has been healthy as the workhorse he is. He is a known commodity who gives you 200+ innings every year and most of the time has a sub-.400 ERA. He has proven post-season dominance. Proven in the harsh environment of Boston with the media and demanding fans. Unlike Kirk Minihane, no one knows if Lester is leaving our not after this season. He likes it here. The Red Sox did seem to make a tactical error with a low offer. They do want to continue discussions. I can understand why they didn't open the money bags for Ellsbury, but he's not Ellsbury. Jacoby was often hurt and Jon hasn't been hurt. They had a comparable player in the minors ready to take his place, and the hitting should eventually get there as it has at every other level along the way. But while there are some MLB worthy pitchers in the system, it is doubtful they will be as dominant as Lester in the next 5 years. They should pay him. They can't control if he chases the money, and would get a compensatory pick. But trading him, unless you get a similar pitcher is crazy. And that pitcher has to fit in Boston. Scherzer is available this off season. But he finally pitched a complete game, and while in a good baseball city hasn't had to pitch in Boston for a whole season. In other words, he is far more of a gamble than Lester's health!
Lackey is also a top of rotation pitcher. He has no immediate replacement in the system. You don't need replacements for Ortiz, Napoli, Pedroia, Bogaerts or Bradley. Nava has regained his swing and should produce again (is producing again). So what do you get, and is that worth trading a 1/2 starter? Not in my book.
I can't find the article advocating a trade for Koji, at the peak of his value. Who closes for you? That's all I ask? Miller and Tazawa have not proven capable of closing when they have had the opportunity. Does anyone remember how hard it was to get a closer after Papelbon left? Yes, he's at high value right now. So … you have to replace him.
These are players who make up your core moving forward. They are not your problem, and can't fix your problem. Trading them creates a new problem. In other words, such a trade normally makes a "big splash" (which the media likes) but tends to keep a team non-competitive. You just have new problems.
Most projections I've read for guys like Owens, Webster, Ranaudo etc. have been 3/4 in the rotation. Not aces. Hopefully we'll be pleasantly surprised.
Trades at this point for the Red Sox seem to be more about enabling the future to happen than re-stocking. You want to get rid of guys who open the door for people young pitchers or catchers. The guys you trade are people like Peavy or AJ. They won't get you a treasure trove of prospects or MLB players, but to a desperate contender you will get more than what they are worth. They allow you to bring up (or keep up) Workman, Vazquez etc. You also have time to wait for Betts and Cecchini (or Middlebrooks).
Media guys don't have the best interest of the team in mind. Often fans don't either. Let's leave it to the professionals to figure all that out.
Many Boston Red Sox fans, self included, are still on a World Series championship high. It was an off-season that had a bit of drama as Jacoby Ellsbury left to don pinstripes, Jerrod Saltalamacchia went home to the Marlins, and Stephen Drew entered the nether world after turning down the Red Sox' qualifying offer. They retained Mike Napoli, took a flyer on Grady Sizemore and signed some more arms for the bullpen.
Spring Training itself was relatively quiet. Ryan Dempster, for whom they overpaid in the previous off season, decided to sit out the season with a variety of injuries and a desire to spend more time with family. It was a bit of a shock that solved one of the Red Sox' "problems" since they had 6 pro level starters. We should have seen the Big Papi drama coming. He craves security, as well as the spotlight. They ended up signing him to an extension that should result in Ortiz retiring as a member of the Red Sox. I have no problem with the deal since he is still one of the best hitters in the big leagues. The option years have benchmarks that should mean they don't end up in a Yankee's like situation of paying a nearly useless player lots of money. The other storyline of importance (Peavy's injury wasn't much of a distraction when it was all said and done) was about who would play centerfield: Bradley or Sizemore. This was prompted by Sizemore's amazing return to health and a level of play reminiscent of his days as an All-Star for the Indians. Bradley's offensive struggles didn't help his cause. Proving that he can play 4 days in a row, at a high level, sealed the deal and Sizemore has been named the opening day centerfielder.
In the last 2 seasons the Boston Red Sox have not lived up to expectations. Before the 2011 season some proclaimed the "best team in baseball". They certainly had talent, but winning baseball games is about more than having talent. The 2011 and 2012 seasons were painful lessons illustrating this.
Heading into the current season, most analysts and fans were down on the Red Sox. They looked at the Blue Jays' acquisitions (forgetting the lessons they should have learned from the '11 Sox and '12 Angels) and anticipated the Rays and O's to continue to play well thereby giving the Red Sox a snowball's chance in Hades.
I, and a few others, were not so negative. I saw a number of positive things- particularly a return to the plate approach that had made them successful in the past. Others talked about how they wouldn't score runs. I begged to differ. So far I am right. They have one of the most productive offenses in baseball.
What is amazing is that this has happened without Middlebrooks being a middle of the line up bat. Or even productive. Or even in the majors. Big Papi has picked up where he left off with a new plate approach gained from conversations with A-Gon(e). There was a tangible benefit from that trade for Alex Gonzalez: the new and improved David Ortiz. He has simply been great the last 2 seasons. When on the field. This was a major concern after missing the last third of '12 and all of Spring Training. But he has not had any problems with the foot. He has even stolen bases. This is a great sign.
Napoli started the season like a man on a mission. But it is a season, not a month. He struggled in June. As July has come on he has pulled out of his slump and shown a resurgence of power. He still strikes out more than you'd like but he drives in lots of runs and sees lots of pitches. He has also been more than serviceable in the field. He's not a Gold Glove candidate but he's not an error-machine either. With Pedrioa's steady and often spectacular defense, the Red Sox have had a consistently good right side of the infield. Dustin has been spectacular. He has made so many amazing and crucial plays it is uncanny. While his power numbers have been down, he is still doing his job at the plate. I can't fathom why he was only 3rd in AL All-Star voting for 2nd. Apparently no one is watching the Destroyer play. When you consider he's playing with a completely torn ligament in his thumb, it is even more amazing. Petey is just amazing and we need to enjoy the greatness while it remains.
By all accounts, most Red Sox fans are supposed to be depressed, disappointed by the free agent signings this winter.
Count me as one of the minority. I did not want them do what they had in the past, and the Punto trade freed them from: long term deals. That deal gave them 2 young pitchers for the future. They have a few prospects, particularly in the outfield that are going to be ready soon. Locking up Hamilton and another outfielder just didn't make sense to me.
One thing I noticed is that they addressed one of the issues that plagued them last season. They signed players who have a solid approach at the plate, work the count and get walks (here is a great article about plate approach). This slipped away from them last season. It allows them to wear down pitchers, allow other guys to get a good look at a pitcher's stuff increase the odds of getting a pitch you can drive. The guys they signed also have swings suited for the confines of Fenway Park. Last year, their offense didn't dominate at home. They seem to have fixed that too.
Napoli, despite his hip condition, has hit the ball well. Yes, it is only Spring Training (just insert this often). And he has defended well. This is a good sign. Defense matters too! While I don't expect him to win a gold glove, it looks like he'll at least be adequate.
The same can't really be said for Johnny Gomes in left field. It gets ugly out there. Hopefully his offense will make up for it. He seems a better candidate to fill in at DH when Big Papi is on the DL, which will happen to start the season but hopefully won't start a trend. Gomes can hit. But he was also part of transforming the club house. Victorino will play solid defense in right (or center if Ellsbury gets hurt, again). But how he'll hit is still a mystery. They want loose guys and these guys seem to fit that bill. The 2004 Sox had Millar, Damon and Pedro to take the pressure off when the team was struggling. That is what was missing in September 2011. And last year.
Drew hasn't done much thanks to a concussion. There is just something about Drews and Boston. But thankfully Iglesias' visit to Pedroia this winter paid off in a better approach at the plate. His swing is much better and he's making more contact and better contact (6 extra base hits so far (3/16)). This may give them the opportunity to trade Drew to the Cards now that Furcal is hurt. Time will tell.


A lot of things change in YouTube every now and then. YouTube tests various features before rolling it out for all. Similarly, end screens was first tested by giving access to only few creators. After successful test, YouTube has finally made it available for all the creators.
In this post, we will discuss various features of end screens and how to drive more traffic to YouTube videos using it. Earlier when end screens was not there, creators used cards and annotations for user's engagement. However, end screens looks more decent.
There are few primary conditions which you have to follow while using end screens. You can not use end screens and annotations together in a video. You will have to disable one in order to use another one. Next, you can add end screens to the last part of the video for 20 seconds or less.
Step 1: Go to creator studio.
Step 2: Edit any video and move to "End screens & Annotations" section.
Step 3: Select the portion from the last 20 seconds by moving the slider.
Step 4: Add element inside the grid. You can either add it manually or choose a template.
Step 5: Preview it and save it.
The different elements that can be added are playlist or video, another channel, subscribe button and link. However, one video can not have more than four elements in the end screen.
So to drive more traffic, you will have to choose the elements wisely. As far as possible use less of "approved website" because it will take away user from YouTube. Use it only if its required for your brand.
You can allow YouTube to choose any video or playlist for the video element. However, to drive more traffic, it is recommended that you choose the video from the playlist. As a creator, you must be knowing better than YouTube that which next video or playlist is more relevant to the current video.
This will bring more engagement and also user's overall experience in browsing YouTube would be better. If users will be served with more relevant content then they will spend more time on your channel.
You should have at least one "video" element in order to use end screens. However, I suggest you to put more than one relevant video to drive more traffic to YouTube videos.
You can play around these elements and check your reports regularly. Yes, YouTube provides end screens metrics at two places. One is under Audience retention report and another one is only End screens report. You can find both under your YouTube Analytics tab.
You can check these reports to know which elements are working best for you. Based on how many end screens elements were clicked, you can rearrange their position.
Lastly, while creating a video, leave enough space for end screens. Make sure that you leave at least 5 seconds. Users should be able to see end screen elements so that they can click. Don't keep it for only fractions of seconds as it doesn't make any sense.
If you follow such technique in using end screens then it should definitely improve watch time on your channel.


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VICTORIA MEDIA – UKRAINE EDITION
Part of Victoria Media – Further Edition
Statement on Russia's War on Ukraine & International Sport
Posted on March 8, 2022 by kerttuvali
Russia's unprovoked and unjustifiable war of choice against Ukraine, enabled by the Belarusian government, is abhorrent and a flagrant breach of its international obligations. Respect for human rights and peaceful relations between nations form the foundation of international sport. We, as a collective of like-minded nations, affirm our support for international sport organizations' position that:…
Russian sailors suspended from international sailing competition
Today World Sailing joined the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and global sports organisations in taking the decision to suspend participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials in World Sailing owned and sanctioned competitions and events until further notice. By implementing these measures, World Sailing is supporting a united and coordinated approach within the global…
IFF SUSPENDS THE NATIONAL FLOORBALL FEDERATION OF RUSSIA AND THE FLOORBALL FEDERATION OF BELARUS
The IFF has announced today the decision to suspend the National Floorball Federation of Russia (NFFR) and the Floorball Federation of Belarus with immediate effect. Both Floorball Federations are suspended from all International Floorball activity for an indefinite time. There will be no floorball related events organised in the Russian Federation and Belarus during the time of the…
ISU Statement on the Ukrainian crisis – Participation in international competitions of Skaters and Officials from Russia and Belarus
The ISU Council reiterates its solidarity with all those affected by the conflict in Ukraine and our thoughts are with the entire Ukrainian people and country. The ISU Council reaffirms its full solidarity with the ISU Members in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Speed Skating Federation and the Ukrainian Figure Skating Federation. The ISU Council will evaluate…
Ukrainian children brought to England for cancer treatment
Mikhail Khodorkovsky: Putin is the enemy of humankind
Every day SSU eliminates enemy agent networks, detects spies and saboteurs – Security Service of Ukraine.
UN Welcomes and Supports Initiative to Fast-track Transfer of People Fleeing Ukraine to Romania Through Moldova
Impact of Russian invasion on Swedish companies and foreign trade
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Amongst quite possibly the most typical electrical wiring thoughts is regarding how to wire a swap. Although making use of switches at your home is kind of straightforward, wiring just one may not be that uncomplicated for everyone. An ON-OFF switch is in fact quite simple to wire. There are actually different kinds of switches, but for this instance, let's say you happen to be setting up a single-pole toggle switch, an exceptionally typical switch (as well as most straightforward).
You will discover a few colors of wires within a common single-pole toggle switch: black, white, and environmentally friendly. Splice the black wire in two and hook up them on the terminal screws - a person on top as well as other about the base screw of your change. The white wire serves as being a resource of uninterrupted power which is usually connected to your light-weight coloured terminal screw (e.g., silver). Join the inexperienced wire on the ground screw of your switch.
These actions would generally be enough to create a normal swap function without having a issue. Then again, if you are not assured that you can execute the undertaking thoroughly and safely and securely you superior permit the professionals do it as an alternative. Soon after all, there's a rationale why this task is without doubt one of the most common electrical wiring inquiries questioned by the majority of people.
For many explanation, how to wire a ceiling fan can be one of essentially the most frequent electrical wiring thoughts. To simplify this activity, you can utilize an individual change for any single ceiling fan. To wire the enthusiast, it really is merely a make any difference of connecting the black wire of the ceiling fan into the black wire of your switch. If there is a light-weight, the blue wire needs to be linked into the black wire with the swap likewise.
There are explanations why these are typically one of the most normally questioned electrical wiring inquiries. A person, several feel it really is basic to do, and two, they are the widespread electrical duties at home. But then you really should not set your security in danger within your intention to save cash. The stakes could even be a lot bigger in the event you try to save cash and do an electrical wiring work without having enough expertise or experience.


The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) from 2002 to 2003 left a profound mark on southern China, where the disease affected thousands of people and killed hundreds. The crisis forced major policy changes to respond better to emergencies, and has influenced new hospital design. The colossal new 3-million square foot First People's Hospital in Shunde, China was completed in late 2017, and features the latest infection control measures and the ability to handle a large influx of patients. The hospital consists of a 2,000-bed inpatient tower, 6,000 outpatients per day ambulatory care center, cancer center, and medical research and infectious disease buildings. Using sustainable design strategies to optimize the hospital's building performance was also a priority for our client, and a relatively new concept for the entire region's medical centers.
HMC partnered with Shunde Architectural Design Institute to win this international design competition, which challenged us to design a hospital that combined western healthcare innovations with local Chinese practices. The design also called for integrated sustainable design strategies—a relatively new concept for the region's medical centers. Our solution organizes a series of buildings around a dynamic, curved spine to create an "eco-atrium" that has the capacity to handle 6,000 outpatient visits per day while minimizing infection risks. To address cooling needs for this hot and humid climate, air is dehumidified through natural ventilation, stack effect and chilled beams, vastly exceeding local energy regulations by more than 60 percent. In addition to solar fins, the hospital's facade incorporates one of the largest installation of Building Integrated Photovoltaic System in China, which reduces the facility's overall energy consumption. With a public plaza that celebrates Shunde's tradition of waterways and terracotta manufacturing, the result is an open, welcoming, green space that the surrounding community can use. With the design's innovative approach to create a sustainable micro-climatic condition, the hospital's energy performance vastly exceeded local energy regulations. As a result, the hospital was selected as the official pilot green hospital for development of China's green guide for hospital design. In addition to numerous accolades, the (then unbuilt) project was recognized with a national AIA American College of Healthcare Architects (ACHA) design award in 2011.


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Crowd2Fund Continues Exponential Growth
As the first IFISA regulated platform, and now having completed its second full year of operating the Innovative Finance ISA (IFISA), Crowd2Fund is rapidly establishing itself as the market leader. This is best indicated by the amount of IFISA funds held on the platform increasing 83% year-on-year by the end of the 2017/2018 tax year.
As the first IFISA regulated platform, and now having completed its second full year of operating the Innovative Finance ISA.
Crowd2Fund is rapidly establishing itself as the market leader. This is best indicated by the amount of IFISA funds held on the platform increasing 83% year-on-year by the end of the 2017/2018 tax year.
Picked as the first platform to be approved by the Government to roll out the IFISA, and who have never traded without being regulated, Crowd2Fund are able to share further impressive statistics into how the IFISA is being adopted by individual investors.
For example, the number of businesses to fund on the platform has increased by 145% in the same period, and more than 250 businesses and entrepreneurs have received fundraising via the platform.
Alongside these growth statistics, the company now has a clear proposition differentiated from IFISA competitors: they allow investors to directly choose the businesses they lend to, as opposed to applying the more common pooled funds approach. In addition, they also allow investors to access funds via the Exchange and give investors the chance to get rewards from the businesses they invest in.
IFISA Funds Up By 83%
Total IFISA funds held on the platform increased 83% year on year. Whilst 2016/17 was a relatively slow start for the entire IFISA market, it is encouraging to see an uplift in funds held being close to 100%.
This indicates that there is still a latent demand for the IFISA, which will likely increase in time due to the low returns offered by Cash ISAs and a volatile stock market, making Stocks and Shares ISAs less appealing.
IFISA Accounts Held
The total number of IFISA accounts held at the end of the 2017/18 tax year increased by 70%. This is inclusive of accounts held at the end of the 2016/17 tax year.
As this percentage increase of IFISA accounts held is slightly lower than the uplift in the Pound value of total IFISA funds (83% as detailed above), this suggests that account holders are investing more in their individual IFISA accounts.
This could represent investors being more optimistic at the prospect of returns from peer to peer investments on Crowd2Fund, and also due to zero defaults occurring during its first year of the product being offered.
Clear Rates of Return
Now that the platform has been established for more than three years, the returns are much clearer. Over 250 businesses have been funded with only one default, resulting in an average APR of 9.8% tax-free before fees and bad debt. Detailed figures of the Crowd2Fund loan book are due to published on the website soon.
An Explosion Of Activity On The Exchange
One of Crowd2Fund's key differentiators is The Exchange, a secondary marketplace which allows buyers and sellers to transact IFISA qualifying loan parts with one another.
This allows for greater liquidity, meaning that IFISA investors have greater choice over the investments they make within their tax wrapper, as well as allowing the potential to sell some of their loans at a profit.
In 2017/18, activity on the Exchange increased by a staggering 750%. Investors are clearly seeing the benefit of being able to diversify their individual portfolios, alongside having the flexibility to pick from a wider range of businesses.
Exceeding Expectations With The APR
The average APR (before fees and bad debts) for all IFISA qualifying businesses in 2017/18 was 10.27%. This outstrips the average 9.32% APR from 2016/7, plus our advertised estimated APR of 8.7%.
This level of return is a testament to both the quality of businesses who fund on the platform, and the effectiveness of the due diligence procedures by the team.
Additionally, this level of return is higher than most other platforms because Crowd2Fund does not use institutional funds to help campaigns raise. As campaigns are not underwritten by these institutional investors, individual investors benefit.
Funded Businesses
During 2017/18, 113 IFISA qualifying businesses funded, a year-on-year increase of 145%.The number of IFISA investment opportunities covered a range of sectors including hospitality, media, and retail.
Campaigns on the platform included well-known brands (Ruroc and Planks) returning, as well as exciting consumer-facing businesses, such as Cubana, that funded for the first time.
The increasing range of primary IFISA opportunities on the platform is enabling investors to further diversify and build their portfolios.
The Crowd and the IPO
Posted: 12th November 2018
With the introduction of legislation and new players in the market, this innovative form of finance...
The Autumn Budget
In the first autumn budget (an annual replacement of the event traditional held in April), the Chanc...
Confidence in SMEs reach a new high
Posted: 19th September 2014
UK's small businesses have had a knock in confidence for a long time but it appears this perception...


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2014-2015. My first production project. Great times, fantastic crew.
The birth of the Microlino
The project started back in 2014 as a collaboration between Designwerk, Micro and Zurich faculty ZHAW. The ZHAWs students' assignment was to design a battery-electric substructure for a new type of cabin scooter. Simoltaneously, I was in charge of designing the bodywork. Micro CEO Wim Ouboter's briefing was straightforward: it had to be retro and chic, modern but unmistakably a cabin scooter - with a front door, obviously.
I started with a white sheet of paper and quickly went on to building a 3D model, which was finally printed in 1:4-scale. Nobody was thinking about serial production at this stage.
My approach was as follows:
1. The vehicle should be about 120mm wider, longer and taller than its predecessor from the Fifties.
2. The rear track should be significantly wider to ensure better driving stability.
3. The body and the greenhouse should be one visual entity, separated by an undercut
4. From anti-wedge to wedge
5. The DLO should wrap around the body seamlessly. A and B pillars painted in black.
Prototype N1
While the enthusiasm for the project increased among the team, Micro decided to have a functional prototype of the car built. The company made capital of its long-time manufacturing experience in the far east and got in touch with a Chinese prototype producer. The quite rudimentary first full-scale model of the vehicle was an approximation to the final design and was hand-crafted in a relatively short time. The complete prototype served initially for test purposes, especially ergonomics and performance. It was exhibited at various motor shows, including GIMS Swiss. The construction was largely based on the package developed by the ZHAW students. A member of the team, Pascal Studerus, was taken over by Micro and supervised the project in China and in the further course of development.
The Pre-Series
After a successful world premiere in Geneva in 2016 and over 1,000 reservations in just two weeks, Micro went in quest for finding a manufacturer. In order to level up the vehicle to production maturity, a cooperation with Tazzari was established. The Italian carmaker specializes in small electric vehicle and builds engine parts for italian performance car brands.
In January 2018, Micro presented the first pre-series Microlinos, with an official European homologation as L7e vehicle. To date (Feb 2020) a total of 30 pre-series Microlinos are being tested, while the number of reservations amounts to approximately 16,000. Production is scheduled to start in 2021 with a facelifted version.
To stay true to the original, ingress is through the front while the steering wheel retracts with the door. Microlino is considered a light vehicle in the L7e class and is not constraint to meet prevailing crash tests. The vehicle offers features such as heating, a Bluetooth audio system, wipers and opening windows.
With its compact dimensions of LxWxH 2435mm x 1500mm x 1469mm, the Microlino is agile and conveys pure driving pleasure.The short overall length enables it to park at right angles to the direction of travel. The fabric folding roof creates a Mediterranean flair and also serves as an emergency exit. The Microlino accelerates to 50 in 5 seconds, has a top speed of 90km / h and is available in two battery options with 125km / 200km of range.
The cargo area is accessible through a glass trunk and has a capacity of 220 liters. In order to reduce the number of components, the headlight module also houses the side mirror. The interior is dominated by a two-seat bench. The dashboard consists of a body-color part and dispenses of anything but a speedometer and an instrument panel.
marco brunori


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musings on womens health
Reflections on 40 years as a doctor in Women's Health
July 17, 2017 by gozzter
The Unheard Problem with Noise
Life in the city can be noisy. That's not where I live, so I find my occasionally unavoidable forays into its bowels almost unbearable.
"How can you live like this?" I asked a friend as we sat on the patio of a coffee shop on a downtown street as an ambulance screamed by.
"What do you mean?" she answered, looking at me with puzzled eyes, her coffee on it's way to her mouth undisturbed.
The noise had been so obviously intrusive and irritating, that words failed me for a moment. I raised my arm and pointed along the busy, cacophonous street.
"All the people, you mean?" She smiled innocently and shrugged. "It's near lunch time, I guess," she said, and picked up her coffee for another sip.
I rested my hands on the table to steady them before I made an attempt to lift my own cup. "Don't you find it rather…" I paused as I searched for the proper word to describe my angst. "… turbulent?" It was probably not the best description, but I still felt agitated.
The smile wavered for a moment as she tried to decipher my question. Then she sighed –or at least seemed to sigh –I couldn't hear her soft intake of air in the din that vibrated and careened around us as if we were sitting in the middle of a traffic jam at rush hour. "You've been away too long, my friend," she said, shaking her head sadly.
I attempted to return her smile, but I think my lips were quivering too much for it to become the answer she expected. "Doesn't all the noise bother you Janet?"
She blinked her eyes slowly in reply. It might have been seductive in another setting, but here it only seemed like a rebuke. "You learn to block it out. It's an urban adaptation…" Her face softened at my obvious discomfort. "To tell you the truth, I don't think I even hear it anymore unless it's so loud it scares me…"
That seemed counterproductive to me, but I didn't say so at the time. Warning signals are surely just that: alarms that are meant to alert those in the vicinity to potential risks. They're supposed to provoke a reaction. In my case it probably heightened my awareness of the risks of signal fatigue. Of crying wolf too often. Perhaps it also sensitized me to research that recognized this and attempted novel technological solutions: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20170714-the-brain-hacking-sound-thats-impossible-to-ignore
The alerting signal the article discussed 'was inspired by neuroscience research on sounds that affect the emotion-processing centres of the brain.' It was originally used in Malawi, Africa, 'To alert Malawi locals to HIV tests and health checks from a mobile clinic […].'
The problem there, as here, was the brain's tendency to adapt to frequently discordant and unpleasant ambient noise –blocking it from conscious awareness, in effect. It 'was inspired by the neuroscience research of Luc Arnal at the University of Geneva. Arnal had investigated what neural connections are activated when humans hear a sound that is particularly difficult to ignore: screaming. Scans revealed that, when we hear the characteristically rough, distressing sound of a scream, the amygdala – which processes fear reactions – is activated in our brains. "What I found is that this roughness doesn't go through the same neural pathways used by speech," he says.
It means that screams don't just get our attention, they immediately prompt us to react in some way. We're stimulated to actually do something. […] Arnal had previously suggested that this insight could be used to design better alarms and sirens that don't just make us freeze when we hear them, but actually invoke a more constructive reaction.'
An American artist, Jake Harper, had previously recorded the music of a local band in Malawi and edited it into a form that 'sounds like nothing you'd recognise from a street elsewhere in the world. Strangely unlike a conventional emergency services siren, instead it is a discordant mashup of musical fragments and intermittent white noise.'
'Harper spent months experimenting with audio software to try and come up with a noise that sounded man-made enough to distinguish it from human or animal voices in the bush, but which was also not overly harsh or distressing. Getting the balance right – appealing to the emotion-processing parts of the brain without inducing fear or shock – was tough. The results were encouraging. Harper says that on average, a mobile clinic would test 40 people per day for HIV. "During the trial we had 160 people come to get tested," he says.'
For Arnal, 'that succeeds in meeting the three key goals here: produce a sound that grabs people's attention; avoid distressing them; make sure it is distinguishable from non-manmade sounds in the environment.'
'Our understanding of how audio influences human psychology has evolved greatly in recent years, according to Annett Schirmer at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. For example, studies have shown that people's neural activity can be co-ordinated with the help of external rhythms. This is exactly the sort of effect you would expect from, say, factory or farm labourers working in time to a song – or the effect of cohesion observed in musicians performing together.
"Music stimulation entrains certain mental processes and aligns them between individuals […]" However, she warns there is also a dark side to using music to alter behaviour.
"Shops use music to make customers stay longer or increase the likelihood that they purchase things," she notes.'
This is exciting stuff for sure. As Arnal observes, 'In the future, sound that provokes responses deep in our brains could be more thoughtfully designed into the built environment.' But we humans are an adaptive lot. We quickly learn to ignore sounds that might have been initially distressing when we first heard them. Apart from the morbid curiosity aroused by it, an ambulance wailing past soon loses its relevance if there is no one nearby who needs it. And if it becomes a too frequent and unwelcome guest, surely the doors to our ears would quickly become unwilling to allow it entrance. I'm not advocating for the Luddites, though, just for an appreciation of Darwin.
Or, perhaps, for the sentiment of Oliver Wendell Holmes as he observed in one of his poems: And silence, like a poultice, comes to heal the blows of sound.
This entry was tagged alert fatigue, ambient noise, amygdala, Annett Schirmer, audio, BBC Future, brain, Chinese University of Hong Kong, entrainment, fear, HIV testing, Jake Harper, Luc Arnal, Malawi, music, neural circuits, Noise, Oliver Wendell Holmes, rhythm, screams, signal fatigue, sounds, speech, University of Geneva, white noise.
Comfort like cold porridge
Fake lies?
Counterfactualities?
Imagination bodies forth the forms of things unknown


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Sleepy Book Dragon
All views expressed on this site are those of the user ONLY!
Tag Archives: Sam Highfield
by SleepyDragon1320
Rivers of London Rap Video
Remember the Rivers of London rap I posted a few months ago? For those that don't, it is rap song based on the Peter Grant book series by Ben Aaronovitch, which starts with Rivers of London. There is now a video to go with the song, executive produced by Aaronovitch himself!
Watch it for yourself here:
Lyrics and Performed by: Ben Bailey Smith
Director: Matt Bloom
Producer and Composer: Mikis Michaelides
Visual FX: Sam Highfield
Executive Producer: Ben Aaronovitch
What do you reckon to Ben Bailey Smith? A good Peter Grant? Would you like someone else? Who would you cast as the other characters in the books if the series ever became a TV series or film? Comment below!
Rivers of London Rap: https://sleepybookdragon.wordpress.com/2013/12/03/rivers-of-london-rap/
New Artwork for Rivers of London: https://sleepybookdragon.wordpress.com/2014/02/25/new-artwork-for-rivers-of-london/
Rivers of London Review: https://sleepybookdragon.wordpress.com/2013/05/11/goodreads-review-rivers-of-london-by-ben-aaronovitch/
Moon Over Soho Review: https://sleepybookdragon.wordpress.com/2013/05/11/goodreads-moon-over-soho-by-ben-aaronovitch/
Whispers Under Ground Review: https://sleepybookdragon.wordpress.com/2013/05/11/goodreads-review-whispers-under-ground-by-ben-aaronovitch/
Broken Homes Review: https://sleepybookdragon.wordpress.com/2013/07/18/book-review-broken-homes-by-ben-aaronovitch/
Google Maps for Rivers of London, Moon Over Soho and Whispers Under Ground: https://sleepybookdragon.wordpress.com/2013/07/04/google-map-for-ben-aaronovitchs-moon-over-soho/, https://sleepybookdragon.wordpress.com/2013/10/07/whispers-under-ground-google-map-by-ben-aaronovitch/
Standard | Posted in Books, News	| Tagged Aaronovitch, Ben Aaronovitch, Ben Bailey Smith, Book, books, Broken Homes, Fantasy, Fiction, Google Maps, literature, London, Matt Bloom, Mikis Michaelides, Moon Over Soho, Music, Nightingale, Peter Grant, Peter Grant book series, Rivers of London, Rivers of London rap, Sam Highfield, Thomas Nightingale, video, Whispers Under Ground, YouTube	| 1 Comment
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I found out about this great Fall Giveaway from Jay Companies and you should enter because we both win. Make sure you click the contest page link at the bottom and while you're there, check out some of their awesome fine and casual dinnerware, crystal stemware and giftware, table charger plates and decorative accessories.
Grand prize winner will receive a gift certificate worth $500 to spend at JayCompanies.com on anything their hearts desires. The first prize winner will receive a combination of stemware for 8, dinnerware for 8, and charger plate for 8. Two second prize winners will receive a beverage dispenser and customer's choice of dinnerware set. Three 3rd place winners will receive a canister set, tray, and Jewellery Box.


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Female Filmmaker Friday: Mattie Do, First Female to Direct a Lao Film
Features 06/01/2018 in Features by Maureen McGuirk
"I really want for a new generation of filmmakers, who are very indie, to be able to say, 'I only have $5000...if she can make a film, so can I.'"
Mattie Do is a Lao director who became the first female to direct a Lao film. Born in Los Angeles, California to immigrants from Lao, Mattie Do never aspired to be a part of films. As a young girl, she wanted to be a dancer. To pay for her classes, she moonlighted as a makeup artist, thus introducing herself to the world of storytelling and film.
Being inspired by indie filmmakers she saw at film festivals, Do made her first film for less than $5,000. Her directorial debut, Chanthaly, is the first horror film written in Laos and to be screened outside of Southeast Asia, at Luang Prabang Film Festival in 2012 and Fantastic Fest in 2013.
In 2014, Do's second feature, Dearest Sister, was screened at Cannes Film Festival. At the 90th Academy Awards, the film was picked as the Laotian entry for Best Foreign Language Film. It was the first time Laos submitted a film in this category.
Still only at the beginning of her career, Do is hopeful she will be able to reach a larger audience with her work. She continues to be inspired by independent, as well as mainstream, filmmakers around her and feels optimistic about the future of filmmaking.
Listen to Mattie Do speaks about what keeps her going as a filmmaker, even with low budgets: