School uniforms have been part of the private school setting for a number of years. Over the last decade we have found that many public schools are now adopting school uniforms as well. There are many arguments both for and against school uniforms. Today we will take a look at a few of the arguments from both sides to try and give a little more insight into the issue of school uniforms.
Uniformity – for many years now school administrators have tried to set dress codes that were appropriate and fair but still allowed students to expression their own individuality. This has become increasingly difficult with popular trends in clothing showing more and more skin and insignia on clothing becoming more vulgar and suggestive.
Save money – fashion can become so important to a teenager that a family will spend more than they can afford just trying to keep up.
Stop dress-identified cliques – many gangs or other cliques will choose clothing as a way of signifying that they belong to a certain group.
Community spirit – wearing a school uniform can help make everyone feel like they are part of something significant.
Reduce crime – if everyone is wearing the same clothing it is much less likely that students will steal clothing from other students. Also victims that became targets because of their clothing will be eliminated.
Reduce intruders – if everyone in the school dresses the same, anyone at the school that does not belong will be easily identified.
Recognizing individual talents – having everyone dressed the same forces teachers and peers alike to look further than one's clothing to determine who that person really is. In this way everyone is given a fair chance to prove who they are.
Lack of self-expression – it may be more difficult for an individual to feel like they can express their personality if they have to dress the same as everyone else.
Expense – some feel that purchasing school uniforms is more than their budget can afford.
Exertion of power – some think that school uniforms are just a way for school administrators to show their power over their students.
Doesn't prevent cliques or gangs – while they may not use clothing to show they are part of a gang or clique, having school uniforms does not prevent these groups from forming.
Negative expression – if teenagers are not allowed to show self-expression in how they dress, they may find other, inappropriate, ways to express themselves.
Self-image – some uniforms are very unflattering and students may develop a very negative self-image if they are forced to wear something that they do not look good in.
Differences – forcing everyone to dress the same can take away opportunities for children and teens to learn tolerance and skills for dealing with people they find different or unappealing.
Conformity – some feel that uniforms send the message that conformity is the way to prevent conflict and that this is not an appropriate message for schools to teach.
Both the arguments for and the arguments against school uniforms have some validity. With the increase in crime and behavioral issues in public schools over the past decade, many schools are choosing to adopt a school uniform in an effort to help stop these problems. Find more information and statistics regarding public school uniforms here.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged against school uniforms, for school uniforms, public school, school uniform statistics, school uniforms on November 4, 2010 by admin.
If you have been on the site recently, you may have noticed that educationbug.org has undergone a major upgrade. We took a look at all the categories and organization that had slowly evolved from the site's early days in the first half of 2006, and rethought everything. When we were done, we had created a new hierarchy and organization that we hope will make our education articles easier to locate.
There are two main parts to the hierarchy. In the first section, all articles of every type are sorted by topic. This section is called "Article Topics," and it has 11 top-level categories.
In the second section, articles related to specific types of schools and written for specific audiences are categorized by the schools and the audiences. This section is called "Finding Articles for Special Interests, and it has two top-level categories.
Each top-level category has two or more subcategories. Each article is placed in every sub-category in which it fits. For example, the article "Public School Uniform Debate" is filed under Other Education Issues and also in Public Schools, while the article "What Is Peer Pressure?" is filed under Safety and Parents.
The new hierarchy is shown below, to help you get the gist of the site's new organization.
Comments on our new system are welcome!
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged education articles, education bug, homeschool, private school, public school, school articles on September 29, 2010 by admin.
LunarPages, an award-winning web host, offers a program of free web site hosting for K-12 public schools in the United States.
The program can be accessed by an administrator at the district or school level, a classroom teacher, or a PTA representative.The account must be used for educational purposes.
See the LunarPages Education webpage for more information.
Those who do not meet these criteria might still be interested in the low-cost starter plan.
You can also find the Best Web Hosting at besthosting101.com or find bluehost coupons at bluehost101.com.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged education web hosting, free resources, Internet access, public school on August 26, 2010 by admin.
Alternative education can be defined as any form or method of education that is not traditional. This would include home education (homeschool), charter school, alternative schools, independent schools and more. Typically these education methods consist of small class sizes and good relationship between students and teachers.
Different scholars and philosophers have very contrasting ideas in what type of education is right. For example Ralph Wald Emerson and Henry David Thoreau (to name a few) were proponents of progressive education which is based in the belief that humans learn most when doing real-life activities. Educational innovators such as Maria Montessori believe that education is more of an emotional, physical, psychological and spiritual cultivation. There there are Anarchists such as Tolstoy who think education is a means to political endeavors like the eliminations of social classes.
There are many more theories that we could talk about but the bottom line is that there are many alternatives. Luckily, education is not one size fits all and most methods have some merit and can be great for students. This belief is on the rise and is evident in the fact that some districts let their be "school choice". For example, public schools can have magnet schools which focus in one particular area like performing arts or science.
Many alternative school methods were brought about in the 1970's to give options rather than traditional public school. Since then these alternative schools (many but not all of them) have become accredited schools with transferable credits. Some of these are for troubled teens that have had discipline or legal problems. In these particular schools they can offer more structure, sometimes in a residential fashion with strict rules and consequences for actions. There are times when teens are court ordered to attend such schools.
It is believed that with different options comes a higher retention rate which means fewer drop outs. The fact that schools can be varied as to meet the needs of the students benefits society as a whole.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged alternative schools, education, progressive education, public school on November 5, 2009 by admin.
In today's education world the options are without limits. There is something for everyone. With K-12 there are private schools, public schools, charter schools, homeschool and probably something else. Then there are boarding schools and military schools. For colleges and vocational schools you can go to a campus or you can get most of your education online.
While all of these options are fantastic for the general public it does raise some concerns. Parents with children in Kindergarten through high school need to be very careful that their child is going to get a high school diploma and credits from a source that is recognized as they enter college and/or the work force. The same goes with continuing education. You would hate to waste time getting a masters degree or other degree just to find out that no one would recognize your work.
Students cannot receive federal aid or other funding if the school that you choose is not accredited. The key is to make sure you ask smart questions when you are choosing a school. Make sure that you ask if the school is accredited and even if they say that they are make sure you ask who they are accredited with and do your homework on that organization.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged private school, public school, school accreditation on September 12, 2009 by admin.
Year round school is not a new issue in education. It has been contemplated, even tried in different places. There are some schools that currently use this system. In the traditional school year there are 180 days of school and breaks for holidays and other necessary days. One way of doing year round school is a 45-15 schedule. Students go to public school or private school for 45 days and then have 15 off.
The opinions about year round school vary. Parents who have experienced both have their own opinion but it is often based on the specific needs of their family. For example, if both parents work outside of the home and they have students on different year round schedules have problems finding day care for their children and trying to keep all the schedules straight. Other families may love having the time together every 45 days to take vacations throughout the year.
Here is an overview of the pros and cons of year round school.
– Children retain information better, there is no long period of time between one year ending and another school year starting.
– The 15 day period of time can be used for extra curricular activities that enhance what the child is learning in school and therefore reinforce what the child learns.
– Kids don't get bored with a long summer break and they like having breaks to look forward to every few weeks.
– Other countries use this system successfully.
– With staggering the scheduling, school buildings can be used for more students which is more economical and efficient.
– Families with children on different scheduling tracks have a difficult time.
– Certain school clubs and groups like sports, cheerleading, band, theatre, could have difficulty in planning and practicing when there are frequent breaks.
– Schools have to be equipped for year round weather to accommodate year round schooling.
– Community programs and private industries that provide youth camps and such activities suffer but now entirely, it just has to be scheduled right. However, if you have schools in the district on staggered schedules it is hard to get an influx in kids for these programs.
– Teachers may spend more time reviewing information than with a traditional year because even in two weeks, kids tend to forget. This may not be entirely negative as it helps students keep reviewing information and therefore, keeping it fresh in their minds.
Studies regarding both schedules have been inconclusive as to which is better for students. It is always good for schools to try new ways of doing things because when they find something great the students benefit. It pays to have a willingness to try something new as long as it doesn't do any harm to the student.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged private school, pros and cons of year round school, public school, year round school on August 25, 2009 by admin.
When getting involved in school fundraisers you may want to keep in mind that the goal is to make the community aware of your need and that you also want to make the community aware of your school and what it offers the community. Getting the community actively involved in your school is a great idea and everyone benefits.
Organizing fundraisers can be complicated and intimidating. In this post we hope to give you ideas on how to stay organized, choose the right school fundraiser, and more.
1. Make sure everyone involved (in your school or after school program) knows what the goal of the fundraiser is. You may want to have a catch phrase or a single sentence that clarifies exactly what you are out to accomplish and then get the whole group to memorize this catch phrase.
3. Make sure you have the help that you need. Don't just assume that everyone in your group or school will come to help out with your fundraiser. You need to assign people to specific tasks and get them to commit. Then you need to make sure that you have enough people for each task. Make lists with names and phone numbers so that if you end up short handed you can call people and round up some help or just remind the people that are committed to your cause.
1. Any salesperson will tell you that the key to making a sale is to get people emotionally involved in your product. In this case, get people emotionally involved in your fundraiser and it will be successful. You will get sponsors, customers and help that you need to make your fundraiser successful if you can get people to relate to the cause and to clearly identify how the cause directly affects the community and individuals.
2. Everyone in the group has to share the excitement. Every person in a group makes a huge difference. Don't sign up for a school fundraiser that you can't get a lot of people to back you up with.
The best advice we have heard about fundraising is that you don't sell yourself, you sell your organization. If you can get people to believe in your organization they will come back time and again to support you in your endeavors. Whether you are doing fundraising for your public school or for your private school keep in mind that it brings a community together to take part in these events.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged after schoolo programs, fundraisers, fundraising, private school, public school, school fundraisers, school groups on August 20, 2009 by admin.


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Episode 91: Prince Kong
The Overthinkers tackle geekery: comics, gaming, and time travel.
Matthew Wrather hosts with Matthew Belinkie, Peter Fenzel, Mark Lee, Josh McNeil, and Jordan Stokes to overthink comic adaptations we'd like to see, the aesthetic problems of representing role playing games, the current state of Magic the Gathering, and why the critical consensus on Hot Tub Time Machine is wrong.
→ Download Episode 91 (MP3)
Don't miss the podcast recording livestream on the Overthinking It Podcast Ustream Channel every Sunday at 9:15pm ET (6:15pm PT).
Or read more from… Overthinking It Podcast, magic, pax east, RPGs, time travel
12 Comments on "Episode 91: Prince Kong"
Perich Mar 29th 2010 12:31 pm #
I saw HTTM with my family this weekend – part of the reason I couldn't podcast, though it sounds like you had enough people – and I had a lot more fun with it. I wouldn't say it's great by any stretch, though.
HTTM is the latest in a trend that's starting to bother me more: getting a bunch of funny people together, turning the camera on and telling them to just "go at it." You can tell it was largely – if not mostly – improvised. If more 50% of what we saw on screen in the theatrical release of HTTM was in the original screenplay, I will eat the DVD.
This bothers me because I like cinematic narratives a lot. And while there are a lot of talented comic improvisers in Hollywood, there aren't very many talented narrative improvisers – what we would call "longform improv," or people capable of improvising a coherent story. It's real easy to goof off; it's hard to tell a story with an arc and conflict and growth and such. So when you turn more and more of the movie over to comic improv, you get a less structured narrative.
In HTTM it's really obvious. There are a lot of scenes that start without any transition whatsoever. At one point the characters are panicking that they're in the 80s; at the next, they're ransacking their rooms, looking for clues as to what happened; in the next, they're sitting around the suite's living room, debating what they should do. The scene changes are very abrupt and start very artlessly, usually with one character announcing what's at stake: "Okay, so what are we supposed to do?" This is the sort of thing that happens when you turn the camera on and let people go wild without having a clear vision.
It's funny, but the snobby critic in me doesn't think much of it.
stabbim Mar 29th 2010 1:01 pm #
Comic property that I think should be turned into a film:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman:_Secret_Identity
A beatiful story about heroism, mortality, and pop culture metathinking. It would be a great way to either cleanse the moviegoing public's palate for the inevitable reboot of the character, or put a nice period on the end of the Superman sentence.
Bob Mar 29th 2010 2:45 pm #
Love the Podcast everyone:
Opening Question – I think Maus would make an excellent dramatic movie. I could joke and call it 'Shindler's List for Mice', but it did win a Pulitzer and was very wel written. On the joking front, I think a movie staring Jennifer Annison and Brad Pitt about 'Love is' is long overdue!
Y-The Last Man – Until Transformers 2 did so well, Shia LaBeouf was going to star in the dualogy. Personally, I think this could be good.
Movie's within Movies – I can't believe no one brought up 'Last Action Hero' where there was no Arnold Schwarzenegger doesn't exist, but his movies do – all staring Sylvester Stallone.
@Perich – I agree that if done incorrectly, improve comics can be a bad thing. But I think some of the highlights of the 2000's were improve. The 'Do you know how I know you're gay' in 40 Year Old Virgin was a genius look at two friends just sitting around and ribbing each other. Anchorman had so much extra footage, they made a 'Sequel' out of the extra footage.
HTTM, Meta and Back to the Future – One reason why 'Back to the Future' is such a great movie, in my opinion, was because it was made in the 80's but it was done in a way that made it look like it was made in the teens, fondly looking back at the 80's, fondly looking back at the 50's. In my opinion, Robert Zemeckis looked at the ridiculousness of the 80's and decided to highlight it. The pure genius is that 1) it came at a time before irony and 2) it was a love letter about the fond memories of the 50's while making it as 80's as possible, so children of the 80's can say "Here is what it was like when I was a kid AND when Grandma/grandpa were kids" Just my opinion.
lee OTI Staff Mar 29th 2010 2:48 pm #
I just remembered: I have a much better example of a comic property that should be turned into a movie than "Calvin & Hobbes" (though they really should make that a movie as well):
"The Escapist," or rather, "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay," the Michael Chabon novel that contains the fictional comic series "The Escapist." Oh, and you'd get "The Golem" in that movie as well. That would be rad.
Edvamp Mar 29th 2010 9:21 pm #
With the success of Sin City and 300 the next movie comic fans are looking to is Dark Knight Returns (although the title would be confusing thanks to the last Batman movie).
I would very much like to have a real Judge Dredd movie, with the last one being so horribly bad and not touching on any of the elements that makes the comic so much fun.
I agree a Thanos movie involving the Infinity Gauntlet storyline would be pretty trippy. A lot of the Marvel cosmic storylines would make for good drug movies.
Sandman would probably be my choice, and I have heard rumors of a Death: The High Cost of Living movie.
In the first Stakeout movie, Emilio Estevez and Richard Dreyfuss are playing a movie quote game. Emilio uses the quote "This was not a boating accident!" which Lecce, played by Dreyfuss (who says the line in Jaws) doesn't recognize.
Gab Mar 30th 2010 12:43 pm #
I'd like to see a series of a few movies adapting _The Sandman_, for serious, but Lee took my fun, don't-take-it-seriously one. (Of course, that one could actually get really deep and sad, sort of like what happened with _Where the Wild Things Are_, if done from the perspective of a child growing up and leaving behind their innocence, etc.) I was thinking of _Bone_, too, and declined because of the cartoony thing, actually, Stokes. I'm afraid the non-human characters would look like the ghosts in the Casper movies.
Re: RPing- As a RP-er but non-actor in the traditional sense, I'm not sure how valuable this is, BUT, I would agree with Stokes that comparing it to traditional acting is a little off, but for different reasons. I think part of what allows for the lifestyle modifications, the marrying within the campaigns and such, occurs because in RPing is, well, a campaign. When a person acts in a movie, it's a one-time thing, or the character has a certain arc to fill and that gets complete- and it's scripted, pre-determined, etc. In a role-playing game, if its campaign-based, it's in a story that doesn't necessarily have a difinitive ending- it just ends when it ends, so any development the character does is in response to the campaign itself. Even if the DM has a plot in mind, they can't control how the character is changed by that plot, even when they railroad the players.
Re: Magic: The Gathering- I haven't played much since '08, and I haven't bought any new cards since '07. I *did* really enjoy Coldsnap, an edition that kind of brought back a bunch of old ones. But I'd usually play just to have fun and didn't care much about mechanics (which sometimes got on the nerves of my companions… ahem…). I did notice different people I played with had different ways of asserting their actions: "I'm going to attack you with ___," versus, "___ is going to attack you," versus, "I'm attacking you ::points at monster::" when using a monster. The separation between taking on a role (of, I guess you could say general) and going through the motions is pretty non-existent since the ultimate target is always the person in charge of the deck- the typical win condition is getting your PLAYER OPPONENT down to zero hit-points, not their creatures or walls. But sometimes, players take upon the roles of their soldiers, too, and whether it's the semantics of language or actual adoption of a role is probably something to be determined on a case-by-case basis. I dunno, I could babble more, but I've kind of lost my train of thought, here…
If Jim Carey is the new Phil Hartman, I'd shoot myself. He *can* be good, but he's pretty bad a lot, too, or so I feel. (_The Number 23_ was a badly-written attempt at a mindf*ck.) But I guess Carey has picked enough roles that just bug the crap out of me that comparing him to Phil Hartman kind of kicks me in the gut.
Dan from Canada Mar 30th 2010 9:10 pm #
Ooh gamer podcast. Being a pretty hardcore gamer myself, I'm super interested. I'll just leave the text box open here and comment as I listen:
Opening question, before everyone answers and maybe steals it, absolutely Calvin and Hobbes needs to be made into a movie. CGI "real" Hobbes, frequent digressions into the worlds of Spaceman Spiff, Captain Stupendous etc, and just follow him through some storyline perhaps involving a new cardboard-box device. Only problem of course being that Bill Watterson has really never lisenced…DAMN YOU PERICH YOU STOLE MY ANSWER…Anyway, the problem with C&H is that beyond the books, and a calendar or two, Watterson has never lisenced the franchise at all.
Funny Sin City story…I saw it in threatres the first week it came out, and there was someone who very obviously had NO IDEA what Film Noir was, or what Sin City was because during the scene where Bruce Willis' character does that thing that he does towards the end of his presence in the film (Trying not to spoil) someone at the front of the theatre yells out "What?! What the f**k?! This is Bulls***!" and stormed right out of the theatre. It was HILARIOUS.
As we get into the D&D/Gaming area, I want to get in and log that there are -many- gamers in their late 20s through mid 30s and who still thoroughly enjoy the experience.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was HORRIBLE, far far too much of the text was the original text of the Austen, and the zombie content was shoehorned in, in a way that really annoyed me. It's one of the few books I simply couldn't finish. It read pretty much entirely like someone who thought he was very clever taking advantage of open domain writing to make an easy buck.
Re: M:tG They absolutely needed to pare down the background and simplify the creature type base, and so those changes are helpful. Though a few of their choices still annoy me (Like deciding that the blue iconic were Sphinxes)
MaRo's psychographics always entertained me, and Timmy, Johnny and Spike also had sub-names to indicate what they enjoyed. Timmy, Power Gamer; Johnny Combo Player, and Spike, Tournament player. I don't think I'd come across the "experience/express/prove" method of description, and I REALLY like that.
One thing that you missed though in that description was a brilliant article written by the guy who used to to the "Taste the Magic" article for WotC where he characterizes a 4th type of Magic player, that he names Vorthos, whose primary motivating factor is the flavour and theme of the game.
He describes a Vorthos as the kind of player who thinks it's just -wrong- to have more than one copy of a legendary card in your deck, or that you can't use bows in your knight deck because knights just didn't use bows.
These are players who buy and read all the set books, and who make decks less for their effectiveness and more for their theme.
Dan Mar 30th 2010 10:12 pm #
Can I vote for Man Eating Cow?
Gab Mar 31st 2010 2:12 am #
@Dan: Oh, I was all about the "themes" in my own decks. I'd play with pre-constructed decks sometimes (I was actually introduced to the game that way, and I think that made learning a lot easier, since those cards helped each other…), but often with ones I constructed myself- and, really, I wouldn't know how to construct a deck that *wasn't* themed, I don't think. Anyhoo, if I was "into" the theme enough, I'd sometimes refuse to take it apart, even if it didn't "work" (as in I could never win a bloody game). I'm still really fond of a griffin deck I made once, for example, even though I could never get the right balance of mana v. non-mana in there (since griffins are expensive and predominantly white, and white doesn't really produce mana or reduce casting costs). (If I wasn't on vacation at the moment, I'd so get it out to look at… Oi…) Some "themes" function better on their own without much thought to them, though. Like slivers. God, those are annoying to play against but OHsofun to play with.
I did know a number of players in college that were *really* hardcore with the themes, though, to the point where they'd do things like you described in terms of what they'd include in their decks- and they'd call out others that were a bit looser with it. They'd even argue with the pre-con decks sometimes about what "should" be there. Amusing, both at the time and now. But I get it. Every hobby has "purists." Like the renaissance faire crowd: it ranges from people that just like to do stuff related to Shakespeare and wear garb sometimes to "period Nazis" that freak out if your shoes have a buckle. Constant exchange I've heard/participated in: "That's not period." "So?"
I'll stop babbling now.
perich OTI Staff Mar 31st 2010 9:26 am #
@Dan from Canada: if you hated P&P&Z, then you'll love (i.e., hate):
http://periscopedepth.wordpress.com/2010/03/11/abraham-lincoln-vampire-hunter/
RiderIon Apr 1st 2010 9:26 am #
For the question of the week, I'd love to see either Kingdom Come or Marvels adapted. Both lend ithemselves to a film adaptation because of Alex Ross' phenominal photorealistic art style. I'd rather have the former than the later because when I always enjoy it when Captain Marvel kicks the crap out of Superman.
To the subject of Magic: The Gathering, I picked the worst possible time in recent memory to start playing: Mirrodin block. I snapped up a few 8th Edition precons, a box of Onslaught and three boxes of Mirrodin to build my first deck. Thankfully, I had a friend and his dad who had played since '95 to help me along and explain some of the finer points of the game (mainly the mana cost to effect/creature size ratio). I grasped it pretty quickly but I imagine my 4 years or so of playing and judging major tournaments of Yu-Gi-Oh helped with that.
As for what I played using MaRo's psychoanalysis, I was a combination of Timmy and Johnny. I like big creatures and big flashy effects but I also like it when my deck does something cool. My first deck I built was Tooth and Nail (back when no one played it) which had a big flashy spell which let me put 2 big creatures into play. It was fantastic and fun if a bit slow. However, Darksteel happened and (as the say) ruined Magic FOREVER. I played up through Betrayers of Kamigawa but I keep reading the storyline novels they put out.
inmate Apr 1st 2010 10:25 pm #
Really, I don't think Calvin and Hobbes should be made into a movie for the same reasons Watterson never really licensed the property: Definition of the character. Daniel Radcliffe is now Harry Potter and Harry Potter is now Daniel Radcliffe. I for one never want anyone but Calvin to be Calvin.
There is a lot to be said for what each person believes about a character. My parents introduced me to C&H when I was about six, so I felt that Calvin spoke with the same voice that I hear in my head or the voice of whichever parent was reading to me at the time. The only character to come close to the perception of the character I held was Richard Harris as Dumbledore. Also, where would you find a forest sufficient for a long philosophical walk with an anthropomorphic tiger?
I have my issues with the Watchmen movie (not the least of which is the sex scene) but it was generally competent in portraying the comic.
And Preacher FTW.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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COVID19 Food News
The Staten Island Bar, which had publicly violated COVID rules, was closed
ByDolores Lloyd
Specialists shut down an "independent" Staten Island bar for ridiculing the city's social distancing rules — starting a strained deadlock with parched supporters, authorities said Wednesday.
The New York City Sheriff's Office sent secret officials into Mac's Public House on Lincoln Ave. in Grant City on Tuesday evening to discover the bar, which is in Staten Island's "orange zone," permitting clients to eat and drink inside.
Cafés in Staten Island's orange zone are as of now permitted to do take out as it were.
However, the proprietors of Mac's Public House transparently resisted the request, pronouncing the bar an "self-ruling zone" that didn't perceive the state's social removing rules.
The State Liquor Authority yanked the bar's alcohol permit yet the bar disobediently stayed open. In the course of the most recent week, the city has gotten "various objections for indoor feasting in an Orange Zone and working past the 10 p.m. check in time forced by the Governor's Executive Order," Sheriff Joseph Fucito said.
The covert officials were permitted to buy food and drink for a "obligatory gift" of $40, authorities said.
"Throughout the span of the following hour, representative sheriffs noticed different benefactors entering and staying in the reason," Fucito said.
At the point when sheriff representatives at last went in about 5:40 p.m., 14 benefactors were feasting inside.
"A larger part were noticed eating and devouring mixed drinks while situated inside," Fucito said.
Bar proprietor Daniel Presti was removed in binds, accused of block of government organization. He was given a work area appearance pass to show up in court sometime in the not too distant future.
Israel behind the assassination of Iranian scientist; U.S. officials
A consortium of historical-watchdog groups is suing for the documents
By Dolores Lloyd


MAGGIE VAULTS OVER THE MOON–MORE THAN A TEEN SPORTS NOVEL!
Grant Overstake's novel, Maggie Vaults Over the Moon, has been endorsed by National Schools of Character as a story with a "positive character-building message for young people." A former athlete and Miami Herald sportswriter, Grant has the experience needed to bring Maggie's journey to life. Through pole vaulting, Maggie achieves both a physical and symbolic triumph over gravity. Set in Grain Valley, Kansas, this sports-related book has a depth people of all ages can relate to. Without a doubt, readers are sure to enjoy Grant's novel of courage.
Former Miami Herald Sports Writer, Grant Overstake, is a lifelong participant in the sport of track and field who competed in the decathlon for the University of Kansas Jayhawks. A multiple award winner for excellence in journalism, Maggie Vaults Over the Moon is the author's premiere work of sports fiction. Read more about his upcoming booksigning at Watermark Books and check out his website.
Earlier, Keyhole Conversations featured a series on Authors and their art. Then we noticed writers with other creative outlets and discovered a link between writers whose passions extended to creative cooking, so we decided to do a series on writers who cook.
H. B. Berlow, a prolific fiction writer, dreams up his own recipes. His energy is contagious and his talents are many. He creates his own book trailers, book covers, and he loves to blog about his two favorite passions, writing and cooking.
His kitchen is a shrine for his passion, right down to the special sink he uses. He credits the extremely artistic and talented contractor, Mark Anderson, of Persona Kitchen and Bath Solutions in Wichita, Kansas, for his dream-come-true kitchen.
This is one cooking vlog you don't want to miss.
(1) Dredge chicken breasts in flour with salt and pepper. Place into a skillet where butter and olive oil have started to slowly melt on low heat.
(2) Turn heat to medium. Cook until golden brown on both sides and cooked through. Do not overcook or turn heat up beyond medium.
(3) Lower heat. Remove chicken to warming platter. Add the piccata sauce (wine/lemon juice/capers) and turn heat back up to medium.
(4) Deglaze the pan (i.e. scrape up brown bits left over) and then turn up heat and reduce (i.e. bring to a light boil until some of the liquid has evaporated).
(5) Return chicken to pan. Reduce heat. Turn the chicken over to coat. Put chicken on plate. Cover with sauce. Sprinkle on chopped parsley.
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text:
\section{Introduction} \label{intro:sec}

   The nature of the finite temperature electroweak phase transition remains
an important and elusive problem in particle physics.  The possibility of
electroweak scale baryogenesis, which has helped generate new interest in
this subject \cite{baryogenreview}, requires the transition to be strongly
first order; only then does the universe depart from thermal equilibrium,
satisfying the third of Sakharov's requirements for baryogenesis and
avoiding the washing out of any generated baryon asymmetry.
This paper investigates the electroweak phase transition when the
symmetry-breaking sector involves strong interactions, such as technicolor.
We use an effective scalar theory to describe these interactions,
and find that the transition is first order if this sector exhibits a
$U(N)_L\times U(N)_R$ global symmetry.  When the interactions are relatively
strong, the transition is strongly first order:  the discontinuity in the
order parameter at the critical temperature is of the order of the zero
temperature expectation value $v$.

   To set the stage, we briefly review what is known about the electroweak
phase transition in the minimal standard model.  A variety of studies of
the finite temperature effective potential have addressed this problem,
using methods including the $\epsilon$ expansion, Wilson-effective-action
and ``average action'' renormalization group techniques, or graphical
summation schemes with names such as daisy and superdaisy
\cite{priorSM,ArnoldEspinosa}.  They allow improved treatments of the
infrared problems \cite{WeinbergIR} that can arise near phase transitions.
The transition appears to be first order when the Higgs boson is lighter
than the $W$ and $Z$, but at most rather weakly so for an experimentally
acceptable Higgs boson mass.  As that mass increases, corresponding to stronger
scalar coupling, the strength of the transition decreases \cite{latticeSU2}.
When the Higgs boson is much heavier than the $W$ and $Z$, it is reasonable
to neglect the gauge and Yukawa interactions when studying the transition.
In that approximation the minimal standard model is the $O(4)$ linear sigma
model, and the chiral transition in $O(N)$ models seems to be second order
or at most weakly first order \cite{phi4order2,Jain,Ginsparg3d}.

   Beyond the minimal standard model, less is known about the nature of the
electroweak phase transition, especially if the symmetry-breaking sector is
strongly interacting, as in a technicolor theory.
Lattice studies \cite{latticegauge} of QCD-like gauge theories indicate that
with two light fermions, corresponding to an $SU(2)_L\times SU(2)_R \sim O(4)$
global symmetry, the transition is second order, whereas with more light
fermions and a larger global symmetry, the transition is first order.
This suggests that technicolor theories, which often do have more than two
technifermions, might lead to a first order transition.  To complement the
lattice results, we analyze the strongly coupled symmetry-breaking problem
using an effective scalar theory, which is partly amenable to analytic
treatment and avoids some of the uncertainties associated with lattice
techniques.

\section{The Linear Sigma Model} \label{model:sec}

   The properties of the phase transition depend on the dynamics of the
electroweak order parameter.  We assign it to transform under a global
$U(N)_L\times U(N)_R$ chiral symmetry, motivated by technicolor theories,
in which the order parameter is a condensate of fermion bilinears.
A one family technicolor model for example corresponds to $N=8$ flavors,
large enough to suggest utility of the large $N$ expansion in the analysis.
The most economical effective scalar theory of electroweak interactions is
of course the nonlinear chiral Lagrangian.
To allow for the existence of a phase transition above which the order
parameter vanishes, however, we must go beyond the nonlinear theory
\cite{NonlinearChiralPhase}.  Accordingly, we will use an effective linear
sigma model to describe the symmetry-breaking sector
\cite{PisarskiWilczek,otherlinear}.  Neglecting standard model gauge and
fermion interactions in comparison to this sector's strong interactions,
we take the Lagrangian to be
\begin{equation} \label{sigmalagrangian}
 {\cal L} = {\rm Tr}\left( \partial_{\mu}\Sigma^\dagger \partial^\mu \Sigma
    \right)
  - \mu^2 {\rm Tr}\left( \Sigma^\dagger \Sigma \right)
  - {\lambda_1\over{4N^2}}\left({\rm Tr}\, \Sigma^\dagger \Sigma \right)^2
  - {\lambda_2 \over{4N}}{\rm Tr}\, {\cal O}_2^2 \ .
\end{equation}
Here we have defined the traceless operator
${\cal O}_2 \equiv \Sigma^\dagger \Sigma - ({\cal I}/N)
 \ {\rm Tr}\, (\Sigma^\dagger \Sigma)$, where
\begin{equation} \label{sigmacomponent}
  \Sigma = (\sigma_a + i\pi_a)\ T^a \qquad (a = 0,1,\ldots , N^2 - 1)\ ,
\end{equation}
with generator matrix normalization $2\ {\rm Tr}\, (T^a T^b) = \delta^{ab}$
and $T^0 = {\cal I}/\sqrt{2N}$.  Higher-dimensional (nonrenormalizable)
interactions could also be included in the effective theory, but we
argue in section~\ref{conclusions:sec} that their omission does not
qualitatively affect our conclusions.

   In order that the tree level potential be bounded below we must have
$\lambda_1 > 0$, and either $\lambda_2 > 0$, or $\lambda_2 < 0$ with
$\lambda_1 > (N-1) |\lambda_2|$.  Spontaneous symmetry-breaking then occurs
for negative $\mu^2$.  We do not consider the $\lambda_2 < 0$ case, in which
$U(N)_L\times U(N)_R$ breaks to
$[U(N-1)\times U(1)]_L \times [U(N-1)\times U(1)]_R$.  For $\lambda_2 > 0$
the breaking pattern is $U(N)_L\times U(N)_R \rightarrow U(N)_V$, and the
tree level potential at zero temperature is minimized by a vacuum expectation
value $\langle\Omega|\Sigma|\Omega\rangle$ that can be taken, after a
$U(N)_L\times U(N)_R$ transformation, to be real and proportional to
the identity matrix:
\begin{eqnarray} \label{treevev}
  &\langle\Omega|\sigma_0|\Omega\rangle^2 =& {4N^2\over\lambda_1} |\mu^2|
 \ ,\nonumber\\
  &\langle\Omega|\sigma_a|\Omega\rangle =& 0\qquad (a = 1,\ldots , N^2 -1)
 \ ,\nonumber\\
  &\langle\Omega|\pi_a|\Omega\rangle =& 0\qquad (a = 0,\ldots , N^2 -1) \ .
\end{eqnarray}
The $\lambda_2$ independence of $\langle\Omega|\sigma_0|\Omega\rangle$
follows from the definition of ${\cal O}_2$.  The $W$ mass is given by
${1\over 2} g \langle\sigma_0\rangle$, so that
$\langle\Omega|\sigma_0|\Omega\rangle\ = v \equiv 250$ GeV.
The $2N^2$ degrees of freedom described by the $\Sigma$ fields correspond
to $N^2$ Nambu--Goldstone scalars $\pi_a$, and $N^2$ scalars ($\sigma_a,
\sigma_0$) that describe the massive fluctuations of the order parameter.
Their masses
\begin{equation} \label{vacmasses}
  m^2_{\pi_a}= 0\ ,\ \
  m^2_{\sigma_a} = {\lambda_2 \over {2N^2}} v^2\ ,\ \
  m^2_{\sigma_0} = {{\lambda_1 + \lambda_2} \over {2N^2}} v^2
\end{equation}
scale as $1/N$ relative to $v = 250$ GeV.

   Among the $N^2$ Nambu--Goldstone scalars, three become the longitudinal
$W^\pm$ and $Z$, the $\pi_0$ gains mass via anomalous breaking of the axial
$U(1)$, and the remaining $(N^2 -4)$ are pseudo-Nambu--Goldstone bosons,
all of which gain small masses from neglected standard model and other
(Extended Technicolor) interactions.
We neglect these pseudo-Nambu--Goldstone masses.
The anomaly-generated $\pi_0$ mass could also be implemented in our effective
Lagrangian, by adding a nonrenormalizable (for $N > 4$) determinantal
interaction \cite{PisarskiWilczek,otherlinear,DetTerm}, but omission of
this term affects the masslessness of only one mode and will not change
our conclusions.
In the limit $\lambda_2 = 0$, the symmetry of the theory increases from
$U(N)\times U(N)$ to $O(2N^2)$ and the spontaneous breaking produces
$(2N^2 -1)$ Nambu--Goldstone bosons, with only the $\sigma_0$ massive.

   The factors of $N$ in Eq.~(\ref{sigmalagrangian}) allow a nontrivial
large $N$ expansion holding $\lambda_1$ and $\lambda_2$ fixed.
In the $\lambda_2 = 0$ limit, the leading $1/N$ approximation is tractable,
corresponding to the familiar linear bubble sum.  With $\lambda_2$ nonzero,
on the other hand, all planar diagrams involving the $\lambda_2$ interaction
contribute at leading order.  For both interactions, the strong coupling
limit sets in at $\lambda_i /16 \pi^2 \sim 1$, when higher loops are as
large as lower order contributions.  In this limit the scalar masses of
Eq.~(\ref{vacmasses}) saturate the bound $4\pi v/N$ \cite{SoldateSundrum}.

   Symmetry-breaking aspects of the $U(N)\times U(N)$ linear sigma model at
zero temperature in various spatial dimensions have previously been examined
using the $\epsilon$ expansion \cite{PisarskiWilczek} combined with the
effective potential \cite{Paterson}, and with lattice methods \cite{YueShen}.
These investigations found Coleman--Weinberg \cite{CW} behavior:
broken symmetry when $\mu^2$ is tuned to zero.  The $\epsilon$ expansion
analysis, using renormalization group flow in $d = 4 - \epsilon$ spatial
dimensions, shows that a second order transition is not self-consistent for
$N > 2$ \cite{PisarskiWilczek}.  However, studying the transition as a
function of Lagrangian parameters
at $T = 0$ is not the same as studying it as a function of temperature.
Since effective three-dimensional theories apply to finite temperature only
by assuming decoupling of nonstatic modes (discussed below), they are limited
to the second order or very weakly first order cases.  The same is true of
analyses of the transition strength using renormalization group flow ``time''
\cite{RGflowstrength}.  Furthermore, the $\epsilon$ expansion may break down
before $\epsilon = 1$ or miss IR fixed points.  Nevertheless, the above work
does hint that a full finite temperature calculation might find a first order
phase transition.

\section{Computing the Effective Potential} \label{computing:sec}

   We analyze the phase transition with the finite temperature effective
potential defined in Euclidean periodic time, which describes the system
in thermal equilibrium \cite{DolanJackiw}.  Matsubara frequencies
$k^0 = (2\pi n\, T)$, where $n = 0,\pm 1, \pm 2,\ldots$, then appear in
propagators.  If the relevant momentum scales were much smaller than
$2\pi\, T$ (e.g.\ the high temperature limit), all but the $n = 0$
modes would decouple, leaving an effective three-dimensional theory.
This is not true at a strongly first order phase transition,
where we shall see that relevant scales are of order $2\pi\, T$.
(The transition temperature will be of order $v/N$, while in the strongly
coupled case the masses in Eq.~(\ref{vacmasses}) approach $4\pi\, v/N$.)
We will therefore retain the full four-dimensional dynamics; we will also
avoid the relative simplicity of the high temperature expansion, relying
below on numerical integration for explicit results.

   We can obtain the finite temperature effective potential as the sum of
one-particle-irreducible vacuum graphs in a background field \cite{Jackiw}.
For the linear sigma model of interest here, the calculation is conveniently
implemented using the auxiliary field method \cite{auxfield,CarenaWagner}
to eliminate the $\lambda_1$ interaction in favor of a nonpropagating
dimension-two field $\chi$.  The auxiliary field facilitates resummation
to all orders in $\lambda_1$, at each order in $1/N$.
It consists of adding to the Lagrangian a perfect square, which yields an
irrelevant constant factor upon path integration over the auxiliary field:
\begin{equation} \label{auxlagrangian}
  {\cal L} \rightarrow {\cal L} + {4N^2\over \lambda_1}
   \left(\chi - \mu^2 - {\lambda_1\over {4N^2}}\,
   {\rm Tr}\, (\Sigma^\dagger \Sigma)\right)^2 \ .
\end{equation}

   Before presenting results for the full theory, it is useful to review
the nature of the phase transition in the $\lambda_2 = 0$ theory ($O(2N^2)$
symmetry).  Analyses using the $1/N$ expansion show that the high temperature
phase transition here is second order \cite{Jain,CarenaWagner,TetradisLargeN}.
The leading order computation of the effective potential corresponds to the
``superdaisy'' approximation \cite{DolanJackiw,Fendley,BBHsu}, which can
therefore be justified in the context of the $1/N$ expansion.  Without
superdaisy resummation, on the other hand, a one-loop computation using
the Lagrangian of Eq.~(\ref{sigmalagrangian}) with $\lambda_2 = 0$ gives
a first order result \cite{ArnoldEspinosa,EQZ}.  This is unreliable,
since the theory's infrared behavior is controlled by the effective
loop expansion parameter, of order $(\lambda_1/16\pi^2)\ T/m(\sigma)$.
Here $m^2(\sigma) \equiv \mu^2 + (\lambda_1/4) \sigma^2$ is the effective
mass of the lightest excitations, in the quantum state $|\Psi\rangle$ with
amplitude peaked at the classical background field
$\langle\Psi|\sigma_0|\Psi\rangle \equiv N\sigma$.  This mass vanishes for
Nambu--Goldstone bosons at a symmetry-breaking minimum of the effective
potential, so the perturbative expansion breaks down due to infrared
divergences, in some $\sigma$ neighborhood of the minimum.  The $1/N$
expansion avoids this perturbative problem by a summation of graphs at
each order in $1/N$.

   To leading order in $1/N$, the $O(2N^2)$ computation involves only a single
loop of the $2N^2 - 1$ Nambu--Goldstone bosons in the presence of background
$\chi$ and $\sigma$ fields, using the Lagrangian of Eq.~(\ref{auxlagrangian}).
Because the $\chi$ field is nondynamical, it can be eliminated in favor of
$\sigma$ using the saddle-point equation of motion.  This procedure reveals
the second order behavior.  It is equivalent to using the Lagrangian of
Eq.~(\ref{sigmalagrangian}) and solving a momentum-independent Schwinger--Dyson
equation for the Nambu--Goldstone boson effective mass, whose solution is
inserted into the single loop of Nambu--Goldstone bosons.

   The effective potential computed in this way becomes complex for $\sigma$
between the symmetry-breaking minimum (where the Nambu--Goldstone boson mass
vanishes) and the origin.  This occurs for $\lambda_2 \neq 0$ as well;
in either case, the imaginary part may be interpreted \cite{WeinWu} as
the transition amplitude for leaving an unstable configuration, into which
a classical external source cannot force the system.  One may define a real
quantity by a Maxwell construction:  the ``convex effective potential''
(the convex envelope of the real part of the above effective potential)
\cite{convex}.  Although the convex effective potential approximately
describes the lowest energy quantum state for a given $\sigma$, if a local
minimum remains at the origin then the system is likely to supercool,
remaining in the quantum state peaked at $\sigma = 0$ even below the
temperature $T_c$ where the symmetry-breaking minimum falls to a lower
energy than the symmetric one \cite{falsevacuum}.  The phase transition
is thus controlled by the appearance and location of minima in the nonconvex
potential as computed here.

   Turning now to the general case with $\lambda_2 \neq 0$, the computation
is complicated by the fact that planar graphs to all orders in $\lambda_2$
contribute at leading order in the $1/N$ expansion.  Auxiliary fields could
also be introduced to replace the $\lambda_2$ interaction, but not very
usefully since an infinite class of graphs would still contribute at each
order in $1/N$.  We instead use the Lagrangian with only the auxiliary
$\chi$ field, Eq.~(\ref{auxlagrangian}), and compute the effective potential
as we did in the $\lambda_2 = 0$ case:  one loop of $(2N^2 - 1)$ quanta in
background $\chi$ and $\sigma$ fields (Fig.~\ref{graphsin}), after which the
auxiliary $\chi$ field is eliminated using its equation of motion.
This approximation sums all orders in $\lambda_1$ to leading order in $1/N$.
It also includes the (tree-level) contribution of the $\lambda_2$ interaction
to the effective masses of the $(2N^2 -1)$ quanta in the loop, lifting the
degeneracy between the $N^2$ Nambu--Goldstone $\pi_a$ modes and the $(N^2 - 1)$
$\sigma_a$ modes which are Nambu--Goldstone bosons only in the
$\lambda_2\rightarrow 0$ limit.
This approximation to the $U(N)\times U(N)$ theory should provide a reliable
qualitative guide to the nature of the phase transition, even without
contributions like those of Fig.~\ref{graphsout}.

\begin{figure}[hbt]
\hfil{
 \epsfysize = 0.8in
 \epsfbox{graphsin.eps}
 }\hfil
\caption{Feynman graphs included in our computation of $V_{\rm eff}$.
 The vacuum loops of $(N^2)$ flavors of $\pi_a$ and $(N^2 -1)$ of
 $\sigma_a$ propagate in background $\sigma_0$ and $\chi$ fields.}
\label{graphsin}
\end{figure}

\begin{figure}[hbt]
\hfil{
 \epsfxsize = 5in
 \epsfbox{graphsout.eps}
 }\hfil
\caption{Some neglected graphs.  One-loop graphs subleading in $1/N$; and
 higher order graphs suppressed by powers of $1/N$ or $\lambda_2$ or both.
 Dashed lines are diagonalized $\chi$ field propagators, solid lines are
 diagonalized $\sigma$ and $\pi$ fields.}
\label{graphsout}
\end{figure}

   The computation requires renormalization counterterms which we define
conventionally at zero temperature.  Diagonalizing the propagators then
gives the one-loop result for the finite temperature effective potential
as a function of $\sigma \equiv\ \langle\Psi|\sigma_0/N|\Psi\rangle$ and
$\chi \equiv \langle\Psi|\chi|\Psi\rangle$:
\begin{eqnarray} \label{logdet}
 N^{-2}V(\sigma,\chi) &=& {1\over 2}\chi\sigma^2 +
  2{\mu^2\chi\over\lambda_1} - {\chi^2\over\lambda_1}
 \nonumber\\ &+&\ {1\over 2}\int_T{\ln{(k^2+\chi)}} +\
  {1\over 2}\int_T{\ln{(k^2+\chi+{\lambda_2\over 2}\sigma^2)}}
 \nonumber\\ &-&\ (T=0\ {\rm counterterms})
\end{eqnarray}
where $k^0 = (2\pi n T)$ and
$\int_T \equiv T\int (2\pi)^{-3}d^3k \sum_{n=-\infty}^{n=\infty}$.
The first integral corresponds to the loop of $\pi_a$ (Nambu--Goldstone)
scalars whose effective mass is $\chi$; the second integral corresponds
to the loop of $\sigma_a$ scalars whose effective mass is
$\chi+(\lambda_2/2)\sigma^2$.  The subtracted counterterms are
\begin{eqnarray} \label{counterterms}
  \int_0 \ln k^2 + \int_0
  {{\chi+{\lambda_2\over 2N^2}{\rm Tr}\,(\Sigma^{\dagger}\Sigma)}\over k^2}
  - {1\over 4}\int_0 {{\chi^2 + \left[
   \chi+{\lambda_2\over N^2}{\rm Tr}\,(\Sigma^{\dagger}\Sigma)\right]^2}
  \over (k^2 + M_r^2)^2} \nonumber\\
 =\ \int_0 \ln k^2 \ +\ \int_0 {{\chi+{\lambda_2\over 4}\sigma^2}\over k^2}
 \ -\ {1\over 4}\int_0
    {{\chi^2 + (\chi+{\lambda_2\over 2}\sigma^2)^2}\over (k^2 + M_r^2)^2}\ ,
\end{eqnarray}
where the subscript $0$ on the integrals refers to zero temperature.
The first term is an unobservable vacuum energy and the second corresponds
to renormalization of $\mu^2$.  In the final term, which corresponds to
$\mu^2$ and $\lambda_1$ renormalization, we have inserted a renormalization
scale in the form of an infrared cutoff on the integral.  Physical results
are not sensitive to details of the renormalization scheme.

   The renormalization of $\lambda_1$ to leading order in $1/N$ includes all
$\lambda_1$-dependent corrections, and a subset of the $\lambda_2$-dependent
corrections.  There is no $\lambda_2$ renormalization in our approximation
(with a purely $\sigma_0$ background).  The corrections to $\lambda_1$ lead
to a Landau pole at a sufficiently high scale, reflected in a corresponding
pathology in the effective potential at a sufficiently high value of $\sigma$.
We avoid this problem by taking $\lambda_1$ to be somewhat less than the
strong coupling limit at the scale $M_r$, which in turn we take to lie
just above the momentum scales relevant in the effective potential.
Thus the Landau pole is safely out of range at the scales of interest.

   Carrying out the summation in Eq.~(\ref{logdet}) gives
\begin{eqnarray} \label{effpotential}
 N^{-2}V(\sigma,\chi) &=& {1\over 2}\chi\sigma^2
  + {2\mu^2\chi\over\lambda_1} - {\chi^2\over\lambda_1} +
  {\chi^2\over{64\pi^2}}\left( \ln{\chi\over M_r^2} - {3\over 2} \right)
\nonumber\\ &+& {T^4\over{2\pi^2}} \int_0^\infty x^2 dx
 \ln{\left(1 - \exp{\left[-\sqrt{x^2 + \chi/T^2}\right]}\right)}
\nonumber\\ &+&
 {(\chi+{\lambda_2\sigma^2\over 2})^2\over{64\pi^2}}
 \left(\ln{(\chi+{\lambda_2\sigma^2\over 2})\over M_r^2}-{3\over 2}\right)
\nonumber\\ &+& {T^4\over{2\pi^2}} \int_0^\infty x^2 dx
 \ln{\left(1 - \exp{\left[-\sqrt{x^2 +
 { {(\chi+{\lambda_2\sigma^2\over 2})}\over{T^2} }}\right]}\right)} .
\end{eqnarray}
The auxiliary field is eliminated by solving its equation of motion
\begin{equation} \label{dvdchi}
 \left({\partial V(\sigma,\chi)\over\partial\chi}\right)_\sigma = 0\ .
\end{equation}
This transcendental equation, which we solve numerically, is equivalent
to a single Schwinger--Dyson equation for the scalar masses.  Had we
introduced another auxiliary field to resum the $\lambda_2$ interaction,
we would have coupled Schwinger--Dyson equations for the scalar masses.
Substituting the solution $\chi(\sigma)$ into $V(\sigma,\chi)$ gives
the finite temperature effective potential as a function of $\sigma$ alone:
$V(\chi(\sigma),\sigma) \equiv U(\sigma)$.  We have carried out numerical
computations of $U(\sigma)$ for a range of coupling strengths and temperatures.

   In Fig.~\ref{plotU} we present numerical results for the choice of couplings
$\lambda_1(M_r)/16\pi^2 = \lambda_2/16\pi^2 \approx 0.25$, where we have taken
$M_r \approx 4.5 v/N$.  This value for the loop expansion parameters is large,
but still in a range that keeps the scalar masses, Eq.~(\ref{vacmasses}),
somewhat below $4\pi v/N$, and the Landau pole above the momentum range
relevant to the problem.  For various temperatures, we plot
$N^{-2} U(\sigma) + (\pi^2/45)\ T^4$
for a $\sigma$ range over which $U$ is real.
The purely temperature-dependent second term merely shifts the curves onto
the same scale, preserving their shapes and ordering.

\begin{figure}[hbt]
\hfil{
 \epsfysize = 3in
 \epsfbox{plotU.eps}
 }\hfil
\caption{The effective potential $N^{-2}U(\sigma)$ for several temperatures,
 shifted by $(\pi^2/45)\ T^4$ for clarity,  with all dimensionful quantities
 measured in units of $v/N$.  A first order phase transition must occur below
 the temperature $T_{\rm inflect} = 1.93 v/N$ where the potential
 maximum and minimum coincide.  The field strength discontinuity is at least
 $0.7\ v/N$ here, with parameters $\lambda_1(M_r = 4.54 v/N)= 40 =\lambda_2$.}
\label{plotU}
\end{figure}

   For $\sigma$ values somewhat smaller than those shown in the curves,
below where the Nambu--Goldstone propagator mass $\chi$ vanishes,
$U(\sigma)$ develops a complex part just as in the $O(2N^2)$ case.
However, with $\lambda_2 \neq 0$ the propagator masses in our approximation
do not include all terms of higher order in $\lambda_2$ at leading order in
$1/N$.  Goldstone's theorem, applied at a minimum of the {\it effective}
potential, refers not to such propagator masses calculated at lower order,
but instead to second derivatives in symmetry directions.  Thus $\chi$ can
vanish closer to the origin than the symmetry-breaking minimum.  With the
parameters of Fig.~\ref{plotU}, $T/{\sqrt\chi}$ is close to unity over the
$\sigma$ range shown; we thus avoid infrared divergences at the minimum.

   The strongly first order character of the phase transition is apparent
 from the curves, in which the symmetry-breaking local minimum first
appears at a field value $\sigma_{\rm min}\approx 0.7 v/N$, at temperature
$T_{\rm inflect}$ just below $2 v/N$.  With decreasing temperature
the minimum evolves to larger field values until it becomes the usual $T=0$
symmetry-breaking vacuum with $\sigma_{\rm min} = v/N$.  We have checked
that as $\lambda_2$ decreases, $\sigma_{\rm min}(T_{\rm inflect})$
also decreases, with $T_{\rm inflect}$ varying only slightly.
This behavior is consistent with the second order nature of the phase
transition in the $\lambda_2 = 0$ limit.

   We can gain some qualitative insight into the origin of first order
behavior in the $\lambda_2 \neq 0$ theory by contrasting it with the
$\lambda_2 = 0$ theory.  There, all but one of the degrees of freedom are
Nambu--Goldstone modes, whose mass $\chi$ vanishes at the potential minimum
$\sigma_{\rm min}$.  The vanishing of $\chi$ leaves Eq.~(\ref{dvdchi}) at
$\sigma_{\rm min}$ in the simple form
$\sigma_{\rm min}^2 - (v/N)^2 + T^2/6 = 0$, clearly showing second order
behavior at $T = T_c \equiv {\sqrt 6} v/N$.  The relatively small masses
generated by standard model gauge interactions would in fact turn these
modes into pseudo-Nambu--Goldstone bosons, but such small perturbations
induce at most weakly first order behavior.  Even without those interactions,
for small nonzero $\lambda_2$ the $(N^2 - 1)\ \sigma_a$ modes may be thought
of as pseudo-Nambu--Goldstone bosons of the $O(2N^2)$ theory, and their
masses do not vanish with the $\pi_a$ mass.  For large $\lambda_2$, however,
this is a large perturbation, preventing the equation for $\sigma_{\rm min}$
from taking on the simple second order form above.  The full transcendental
equation in our case leads to strongly first order behavior.

\section{Conclusions} \label{conclusions:sec}

   We have argued using an effective linear sigma model that the high
temperature electroweak phase transition, in the presence of a strongly
interacting symmetry-breaking sector, is strongly first order.
With the global symmetry of this sector taken to be $U(N)\times U(N)$,
the effective linear theory contains two dimensionless coupling constants
$\lambda_1$ and $\lambda_2$, which are taken to approach the strong coupling
limit.  The range of couplings considered avoids the Landau pole problem,
and corrections to the linear theory, represented by higher-dimensional
operators, should be relatively small.  Equivalently, a finite ultraviolet
cutoff on the theory can be taken to lie above the momentum range of interest.
When the strong coupling limit is reached (loop expansion parameters equal
unity), higher-dimensional operators are not obviously suppressed and the
scalars described by the linear model are not obviously lighter than other
new physics.  Nevertheless, the strongly first order character of the
transition as the couplings of the linear theory approach unit strength
provides evidence that a theory such as technicolor will indeed give rise
to a strongly first order electroweak phase transition.

   A $1/N$ expansion provides the framework for the computation.
To leading order in $1/N$, all contributions from the $\lambda_1$
interaction can be summed.  With respect to $\lambda_2$, all planar
graphs contribute to leading order in $1/N$, and only a restricted
set of contributions were summed.  We argued that this is adequate to
determine the strongly first order character of the phase transition.
The strength of the transition decreases with $\lambda_2$, consistent
with a second order transition in the $O(2N^2)$ theory.

   The momentum scales in the strongly first order case are such that there
is no reason to expect that a high temperature expansion should be reliable,
or that the phase transition should be governed by an effective
three-dimensional theory.  Our results are nevertheless consistent with the
hints provided by analysis of such theories \cite{PisarskiWilczek,Paterson}.

   This work may be relevant to the problem of electroweak baryogenesis.
More detailed calculations will be necessary to study the dynamics of
departure from thermal equilibrium during the transition, but our strongly
first order transition provides at least a necessary condition for baryon
number generation.  Furthermore, the sphaleron mass in our model is the
same as the minimal standard model formula \cite{msphaleron},
$m_{\rm sphaleron} = (4\pi\, K/g)\langle\sigma_0\rangle$,
where $K\sim 3$ is a function of the scalar couplings.
Since $T_c$ is of order $2 v/N$, a strongly first order phase transition
to a broken phase with $\langle\sigma_0\rangle/v \sim 1$ ensures Boltzmann
suppression of baryon number destruction during and after the phase
transition.

\vskip 1.0cm
\begin{flushleft}{\Large\bf Acknowledgments}\end{flushleft}

   We thank Peter Arnold, Sekhar Chivukula, Andy Cohen, Nick Evans,
Stephen Hsu, Krishna Rajagopal, Yue Shen, John Terning, and Larry Yaffe
for useful discussions and criticism.
T.W.A.\ and S.B.S.\ thank the Aspen Center for Physics for its hospitality
and productive research setting.
This work was supported in part under U.S.\ Department of Energy contract
No.\ DE-AC02-ERU3075.

\newpage

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


text:
AUTHOR, Book Review, F, Fiction, Read in 2009, READING CHALLENGES 2008
REVIEW: The Piper's Sons by Bruce Chandler Fergusson
August 8, 2009 Tara
The Piper's Sons
by Bruce Chandler Fergusson
Read: Aug. 1-8, 2009
Challenge: 2009 100+ Reading Challenge; A Well-Rounded Challenge; RYOB 2009; Random Reading Challenge
Yearly Count: 40
First Line: Would I have gone after the girl if my own daughter, Emma, were still alive?
Paul Sinclair is a haunted man. His brother disappeared many years before. His daughter, Emma, died years ago. But there's more … there's a terrible secret in his family. It's a secret that he will only begin to scratch the surface of, starting with the unexpected death of his father. In his family history is a man called the Pied Piper – a brutal killer who was never caught and was presumed dead. But is he? He seems to be getting closer to Paul and his wife and son. And it's Paul who is determined to find exactly what is in his past, even if it means losing his family in the process.
Okay, so this was really a strange book. It started out great and had me hooked from the first page. Then I got to the middle and it kind of lulled. Then it picked up again and I was really starting to see what Paul was seeing. But then, in the last 100 pages it hit another lull and I felt bogged down by a lot of unimportant descriptions that seemed more like filler to me than anything of real importance. I just don't know what to think about this book. I mean, it wasn't bad, but it was definitely kind of weird. I had a lot of issues with the way Fergusson kept changing who was talking, I had trouble keeping up sometimes. Now I will say this, I hadn't expected the ending. I was surprised by who the Pied Piper ended up being, but after I finished the last sentence and set the book down and tried to make sense of everything that happened in the last third of the book, I will admit – I was confused. I must have missed something because I never did see how he ended up with the ending he did. But overall it was an okay book, just a little weird that's all.


Use the filter to the left to refine your search and click on any heading to re-arrange the results.
Unlined Greyboard now available in bundles from stock. Please contact the sales office for more information.


Shimla: The intense cold conditions in Himachal Pradesh brought the mercury in minus in major towns across Himachal while icy-cold winds affected normal life forcing people to stay indoors.
Keylong in Lahaul Spiti and Kalpa in Kinnuar were at minus three degree Celsius each followed by Solan at minus 0.6 degrees and Sunder Nagar at minus 0.3 degrees, Buntar IN Kullu was at zero degrees.
Minimum temperature at Shimla recorded was 2.7 degrees, Una 3.7 degrees, Dharamshala and Palampur 4 degrees each and Nahan 6 degrees respectively.
The Met office forecast mainly dry weather in the state during next 24 hrs.


Approximately 12x14x7mm antique pewter plated base metal open-style tube bails (connector bails), 2-2.5mm loop (inner diameter). Fits up to 4.5mm cord or chain. Use jump rings to attach pendants or dangles. Lead-free zinc alloy. Antiqued pewter plating closely matches "white" plate. Measurements include loops.


text:
See all Opinion
Telegraph View
Ivor Guest, dance historian – obituary
Ivor Guest
Telegraph Obituaries
17 April 2018 • 7:56pm
Ivor Guest, who has died aged 97, was the most influential British dance scholar of the past half century, the official historian to the Paris Opera Ballet, and the author of dozens of books about early ballet and ballerinas.
Alongside a career as a solicitor, Guest developed an amateur's passion for ballet into such fine scholarship that he was largely responsible for opening up 19th-century ballet history in Britain and France as a respected modern academic subject.
Ivor Guest in front of Annigoni's portrait of Margot Fonteyn Credit: Mike Davis/Dancing times collection
He described his researches as "a labour of love", for as he reconstructed long-dead ballerinas' lives and careers, he said he fell under their spell, as if a man in love. His 30 books, full of period detail, mapped out a century and a half of ballet that had had little literary attention, from 1750 to the 20th century, and unearthed a busy cross-Channel traffic of ballets and star ballerinas between Paris and London in classical ballet's formative days.
Guest's interest was first sparked by discovering that the exiled French king Napoleon III had died in his own home village, Chislehurst, Kent. While writing a book about the episode, he became fascinated by the goings on in dance of the time.
Already a balletomane, he began to spend time off and holidays in Paris archives, becoming absorbed in producing a two-volume history, The Ballet of the Second Empire, in 1953-55, from which he evolved a special expertise in the Paris ballet over the 19th century that led to the French asking him to write the official history, The Paris Opéra Ballet (1976).
Guest became fascinated by the legendary but ill-recorded ballerinas of the 19th century, stars such as Marie Taglioni, Fanny Cerrito, Fanny Elssler and Virginia Zucchi, on whose brilliant skills and artistry the formative French choreographers had invented the new art form of ballet on pointe.
He wrote enjoyable biographies of the last three, working through archives in France, Italy, Russia and Britain to reconstruct long-lost lives and theatrical events. One tribute to his work held that "because of him lamps burn again on stages long dark, and the old ballerinas dance again."
The Romantic Ballet in England
Ivor Forbes Guest was born on April 14 1920, the elder son of Cecil Marmaduke and Christian Forbes Guest (née Tweedie). His father was from Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, a newspaperman's son who had been gassed while serving in the South African Scottish regiment in France and was invalided to Britain, where he met his wife, a solicitor's daughter from Kent.
After Lancing College and Trinity College, Cambridge, Guest joined his maternal grandfather's firm, AF & RW Tweedie (later Tweedie & Prideaux) of Lincoln's Inn Fields, rising to senior partner. His brother, John, became a dress designer.
After his first book in 1952, Napoleon III in England, Guest's writing proceeded at a phenomenal rate of a book a year, with The Ballet of the Second Empire and The Romantic Ballet in England (1954) quickly marking him out as a rare popular historian of a neglected era.
He became an active agent in dance and theatre research events, and brought large quantities of forgotten research materials to light, enabling the establishing of proper methodologies. He wrote several books about British developments in music-hall ballet, such as The Victorian Ballet Girl (1957) and Ballet in Leicester Square (1992), rich with detail from newspaper cuttings, illustrations, scenarios and invaluable notes about music scores and costumes.
It was as the result of Guest's knowledge of old boxes in the Paris Opera that Frederick Ashton, the Royal Ballet choreographer, was able to climax his 1960 ballet La Fille mal gardée with a brilliant pas de deux inspired by one performed 123 years earlier by the Austrian star Fanny Elssler.
Aside from his writing, Guest was the linchpin of a growing network of outcrops of dance research and publication, including the Theatre Museum, the Early Dance Society, the scholarly Dance Research journal, the Radcliffe Trust, the Dancing Times magazine, to which he was editorial adviser, and above all the Royal Academy of Dancing, of which he was chairman for 24 years, a fellow and its vice-president from 1993.
The Paris Opera Ballet
A tall and charming man whose books were imbued with the spectator's pleasure at the ingenuities and personalities of dance through the ages, he was awarded the RAD's highest honour, the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award, in 1992. He also held an honorary doctorate from the University of Surrey.
In 1962 Ivor Guest married the American dance scholar Ann Hutchinson, and they became an invaluable partnership, nurturing dance history as an authentic academic research topic. His wife survives him; there were no children.
Ivor Guest, born April 14 1920, died March 30 2018
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Christopher Little, literary agent who steered JK Rowling and Harry Potter to global success – obituary
Osian Ellis, harpist known for his association with Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears – obituary
Robin Jackman, Surrey and England bowler held back by links with South Africa – obituary
The Most Rev Philip Tartaglia, Archbishop of Glasgow popular among ordinary Catholics – obituary
Alex Olmedo, Peruvian tennis star who won Wimbledon in 1959 – obituary
Gerry Cottle, celebrated circus impresario who brought drama and razzmatazz to his shows – obituary
Eve Branson, mother of Richard, West End dancer, air hostess and 'whirlwind of energy' – obituary
Jim McLean, brilliant but ferocious manager of Dundee United – obituary
Jim Haynes, counterculture trailblazer and co-founder of Edinburgh's avant-garde Traverse Theatre – obituary
Sir David Barclay, Telegraph owner who with his twin Frederick built a vast business empire – obituary
John Georgiadis, star violinist who led the LSO under Previn and Abbado – obituary
The Very Reverend Christopher Campling, liberal-minded Dean of Ripon – obituary
Frank Horvat, photojournalist and fashion photographer – obituary
Flight Lieutenant Bill Eames, RAF observer who survived D-Day and was wounded in the Arnhem raid – obituary
Kay Ullrich, Scottish Nationalist MSP and mentor to Nicola Sturgeon – obituary
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Katharine Whitehorn, crusading journalist who explored the role of women in society – obituary


text:
Q: Calculate the latest wave name The following SQL retrieved the latest wave name based on the number suffix.
This is a wave name structure:XXX_XXX_XXXXXXXXXX.XXXX_< incremented number >
Example: XXX_XXX_XXXXXXXXXX.XXXX_1 , XXX_XXX_XXXXXXXXXX.XXXX_2, XXX_XXX_XXXXXXXXXX.XXXX_3
select  top 1 wave
from Outbound co WHERE Program = :Program
order by CAST(SUBSTRING(SUBSTRING(Wave, CHARINDEX('.', Wave)+ 1, len(wave)), PATINDEX('%[_]%',
SUBSTRING(Wave, CHARINDEX('.', Wave)+ 1, len(wave)))+ 1, LEN(SUBSTRING(Wave, CHARINDEX('.', Wave)+ 1, len(wave)))) AS INT)  desc;

Lately, I notice that the wave name structure changed, there for the current SQL logic will not be applicable with the new format.
New format: XXXX_XXXXXX_XXX.XXXXXXXXX_XXXX_XXXX__< incremented number > _< monthyear >
Example: XXXX_XXXXXX_XXX.XXXXXXXXX_XXXX_XXXX_81_042122, XXXX_XXXXXX_XXX.XXXXXXXXX_XXXX_XXXX_80_032122
I would like to extend the current SQL logic to handle both scenarios in one SQL.
Any advice on how?
Thanks

A: Perhaps a little cleaner approach would be to apply a bit of JSON
Declare @YourTable table (wave varchar(100))
Insert Into @YourTable values
 ('XXX_XXX_XXXXXXXXXX.XXXX_1')
,('XXX_XXX_XXXXXXXXXX.XXXX_2')
,('XXXX_XXXXXX_XXX.XXXXXXXXX_XXXX_XXXX_81_042122')
,('XXXX_XXXXXX_XXX.XXXXXXXXX_XXXX_XXXX_80_032122')

Select Wave
      ,Pos1 = IsNull(JSON_VALUE(JS,'$[5]'),JSON_VALUE(JS,'$[3]'))
 From  @YourTable
 Cross Apply (values ('["'+replace(string_escape(wave,'json'),'_','","')+'"]') ) B(JS)

Results

Note:  Depending on your actual data, the string_escape() may not be necessary.

A: I used common table expressions and incorporated the "nth occurrence" code provided by Alex K.
declare @Outbound table (
  Program varchar(50),
  wave varchar(50)
)

insert @Outbound
values
  ('a', 'XXX_XXX_XXXXXXXXXX.XXXX_1')
, ('a', 'XXX_XXX_XXXXXXXXXX.XXXX_2')
, ('a', 'XXX_XXX_XXXXXXXXXX.XXXX_3')
, ('a', 'XXXX_XXXXXX_XXX.XXXXXXXXX_XXXX_XXXX_81_042122')
, ('a', 'XXXX_XXXXXX_XXX.XXXXXXXXX_XXXX_XXXX_80_032122')

;
with a as (
  select wave
  ,  SUBSTRING(
        Wave,
        CHARINDEX('.', Wave) + 1,
        len(wave)
      ) as expression
  , case
    when CHARINDEX('_', Wave) = 4
        then '1'
    when CHARINDEX('_', Wave) = 5
        then '2'
    else 'unknown'
    end as 'Wave Name Structure Version'
  from @Outbound co

  WHERE Program = 'a'
),
T(
    wave
  , expression
  , starts
  , pos
  , [Wave Name Structure Version]
) as (
  select wave
  , expression
  , 1
  , charindex('_', expression)
  , [Wave Name Structure Version]
  from a
  union all
  select wave
  , expression
  , pos + 1
  , charindex('_', expression, pos + 1)
  , [Wave Name Structure Version]
  from t
  where pos > 0
),
b as (
  select wave
  , [Wave Name Structure Version]
  , substring(expression, starts, case when pos > 0 then pos - starts else len(expression) end) WaveNumber
  , ROW_NUMBER() over (partition by expression order by starts) as instance
  from T
)

select top 1 wave

from b

where instance =
  case
    when [Wave Name Structure Version] = '1'
      then 2
    when [Wave Name Structure Version] = '2'
      then 4
  end

order by WaveNumber desc

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
HomeNewsFlight Electronics Ban | Turkey Wants Exception from U.S. and U.K.
Flight Electronics Ban | Turkey Wants Exception from U.S. and U.K.
March 27, 2017 holidayweekly News 0
Reuters reports that Turkey is "urging the U.S. and Britain to lift the flight electronics ban," although the body of the story makes it sound more like Turkey is negotiating an exemption for its own flights.
ANKARA: Turkey is in talks with the United States and Britain to exclude Turkish Airlines and Istanbul's main Ataturk airport from a ban on passengers carrying electronics larger than cell phones, Turkey's foreign ministry spokesman said on Thursday.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said on Tuesday passengers traveling from specific airports, including Istanbul, could not bring into the main cabin devices larger than a mobile phone such as tablets, laptops and cameras.
The foreign ministry spokesman, Huseyin Muftuoglu, made the comments at a news conference in Ankara.
Turkish Airlines acknowledged it was part of the American ban on Tuesday in a fairly anodyne statement that said, "It has been decided by the relevant authorities that electronic devices larger than cell phones or smart phones should not be allowed inside the cabin."
A Nasdaq report on Thursday said some in Turkey see the ban as "a ploy to undermine their aviation industry." The report notes that Turkey has been working for years to build up the Istanbul airport as a major international hub, but the electronics ban would reduce its appeal to travelers. The newest airport in Istanbul is scheduled to open in 2018 with capacity for 90 million passengers and eventually double that traffic.
Some media houses see this electronics ban as a conspiracy to sabotage the Turkish airline industry, with claims that U.S. air carriers lobbied for the ban to undermine competition from Turkey and Gulf State carriers.
Switzerland of Pakistan | Heavenly Swat is a Major Tourist Attraction. Ghafoor
Virtual Reality Seat Maps? Next Revolution in Airline Retailing
Damaging Open Sky Policy | PIA Seeks Govt. Help in Price War
March 27, 2017 holidayweekly 0
KARACHI: Mr. Bernd Hildenbrand, CEO Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is calling for help from the government in fighting a price war with revenue wise very strong Gulf airlines; including putting restrictions on the number of flights, […]
Singapore's Airport Wins | Routes Asia 2017 Marketing Awards
Singapore's Changi Airport was announced as the overall winner of the Routes Asia 2017 Marketing Awards at a ceremony on 20 March in Okinawa, Japan. The annual Routes Asia Marketing Awards recognise excellence in airport […]
SAIDU SHARIF: Swat valley is one of the major tourist attractions of Pakistan. It is known as the Switzerland of Pakistan and has one of the oldest civilizations and one of the beautiful scenery one […]
Cyan Looks Confident | PIA Is On Path of Recovery; CEO
Spreading on CAS Sky | Flydubai Launches Flights To Tashkent
World's Highest Mountain | China New Law Protects Surrounding Environment
PIA Head Office | Govt Plans To Relocate
DESTINATION Muzaffarabad-AJK | By Ch. Faisal Mahmood


Ontario's finance minister says the province will move ahead with an expansion of beer and wine sales into corner stores, big box stores, and more grocery stores.
Vic Fedeli says the Progressive Conservative government will make good on a pledge made during last spring's election to offer consumers more choice when it comes to where they can purchase booze.
He gave no timeline for the move but said it will drive down prices on beer and wine and ensure that the government does not need to privatize assets to increase availability of products.
The Tories have previously said they are not planning to privatize Liquor Control Board of Ontario stores despite receiving a report last fall that recommended consideration of the sale of some government assets.
Fedeli says Ontario currently has the lowest density of retail outlets selling beer, wine, cider and spirits in Canada, with less than 3,000 outlets selling alcohol compared to Quebec's approximately 8,000.
His comments came during a speech to a business audience in Toronto delivered ahead of his first provincial budget on April 11.


When Ash is around twelve years old, her mother dies and her father dies soon after. But not before marrying a woman with two daughters of her own. Even with a stepmother and two stepsisters, Ash is all alone, for her stepfamily treats her very unkindly and like a servant. And always, always Ash feels the loss of her mother.


On December 18, 2015, a friend and I embarked on a long trip of several hundred miles to pick up a two-year old Buff Orpington hen at an animal shelter where she had been brought after a neighbor discovered her all alone and the rest of her flock dead. The owner apparently had moved and abandoned his chickens to fend for themselves. I named her Edith.
I knew it wasn't going to be a stroll on a sunny beach integrating this strange hen into my flock. Chickens wrote the book on xenophobia. I wasn't concerned about quarantine since she had been thoroughly examined by a vet, wormed, and observed over almost a week in the shelter before I got her. So upon arriving at her new home, she was installed in a large wire dog crate situated in the middle of the run.
The flock crowded around the crate, mobbed it is a better description, actually, and proceeded to stab at Edith through the bars of the cage with their beaks. They conveyed to her that she was definitely not welcome. I figured she was safe enough, and I left her with food and water to begin the long process of becoming a member of her new flock.
That first night I threw a blanket over the crate and let her sleep there, instead of putting her in the coop with the others.
The next day all but a couple of young hens had lost interest in the stranger among them. But the ones still hanging around her crate had managed to bloody her comb and some of the blood had smeared her golden breast. Well, this cage isn't going to keep her safe with these vicious beasts, I decided.
So I moved Edith and her provisions into the "jail" pen, a much larger enclosure than the crate, so she would be able to get far enough away from stabbing beaks to avoid further injury. That worked splendidly, and the integration proceeded from there without further incident.
On the second night with the flock, after the others had settled in for the night, I took Edith out of her pen and placed her on the roosting perch at the far end away from all the others. No problems at all.
On the morning of the third day, I took her right off her perch and placed her back in her safe pen with breakfast and fresh water. The day passed without incident. However, that night I was late getting out to the run, all the chickens had gone in to roost, and Edith had flown out of the pen enclosure and was perched on a ledge over the coop entrance, obviously at a loss as to where she was supposed to sleep. I felt just awful for letting her down. Everything had been going so well, too.
It turned out not to be a big deal. I picked her off the ledge and deposited her on the roosting perch inside the coop, and she settled right down for the night. The others left her alone.
Over the next week, Edith was waiting for me in the coop to carry her to her safe pen. It seemed we had already established a bond. But before the end of the first week, I thought it was crucial to begin exposing Edith to the pecking order. After she ate, I opened her pen, and she spent the rest of the day mingling with the flock, getting pecked and chased. She needed to learn who was going to leave her alone, and who she needed to watch out for.
During that first month, I made sure she was fed twice a day in her safe pen so she would get enough to eat. If the pecking order was stressing her out too much, I let her "vacation" in her safe pen, and it was obvious she appreciated the rest. I also began adding the two youngest pullets in her pen to keep her company. Aside from the obligatory peck on the head to let her know she was ranked last, they got along peacefully.
By week two, Edith was free-ranging with the flock, and by week three, dirt bathing with other older hens. The bond between Edith and the youngest pullets was also growing, and they were roosting together and loafing together.
Today, Edith is fully accepted by the flock, although she's still at the very bottom of the pecking order. She moves freely around the run, goes in and out of the coop, and roosts with very little fuss from the others. She has developed the self confidence to boldly attempt to eat from the feeder, until she gets pecked, that is. But undaunted, she just keeps coming back and manages to get what she needs.
Best of all, Edith has become very cuddly and affectionate and enjoys hugs and snuggling. She even participates in group hugs with little to no jealous pecking from the others.
While it's a difficult undertaking, it's not impossible to integrate a new single hen into your flock. Integrating this single hen into my flock was worth it and proved to be a very rewarding experience. I just wanted to share this story with the community to let you all know it can be done successfully. In a surprisingly short period of time, a single hen can be fully accepted into the flock.
ChickenMoM2619, townchicks, Chickenaddition and 60 others like this.
I loved reading this article! How wonderful of you to save poor abandoned Edith. I'm sure she's happier than she'd ever been before.
What a wonderful blend of instruction combined with story telling. Such an informative post, but a pleasurable read, as well. Thank you for sharing!
"Great strategy to integrate a lone chicken"
nice article, well written. I have added a single adult hen to an established flock in a similar fashion. See but no touch after quarantine, adding chicken to the roost when it's dark and mingling with the flock under supervision works ( at least for me) well. Few scuffles but no war, takes a little time but well worth it!
What a touching story. Congratulations for a job well done!
Very nice; thank you for rescuing! As stated above, make sure the wires of the cage you use doesn't allow the others to peck the captive bird. Also, put the cage in a corner with a cover over the top so the frightened bird has SOME corner she can feel less terrified in. Being in the center, surrounded by angry birds, would be terribly stressful!
Thanks for sharing some great advice. I'm trying to re-home my little "Stinky" -- now an orphan -- and hope someone will take her and show such care introducing her to new friends. She's very lonely and naps outside my kitchen sliding door because she can see her reflection in it and thinks she's not alone.
Thanks for sharing the story of Edith's integration!
What about putting in a new rooster I have one chick that will not let him get close to the food. I have had the rooster for about a week.
I would treat the new rooster the same as introducing a new hen. It's only after considerable time that a rooster moves up into the higher ranks of trust. He needs the same protections as a hen until he adjusts to the new flock, and they adjust to him.
I have 5 week old Golden Sexlink chicks, who look pretty much like Edith!
Read my article on outdoor brooding. Look for it under my articles on my profile page. It has everything you're looking to know.
Coop next to the rest. She cries and whines at night because all she wants to do is snuggle with the others but 2 of my older chicks just won't let up on her. It hurts me so bad, don't know what to do. I don't want to keep her separate from the rest of the flock but for her safety I have to.
Are there low-ranking birds you could put in with her, to develop their own separate flock?
Glad it worked out for Edith and you!
Found this VERY INTERESTING since just today I'm debating if I should get this single white AM pullet (6 mos) & attempt my first integration to my "flock" of 4 Buffs (16wks). The person that has the AM separated it from her flock as it's been pecked on, neck feathers missing.
I thought of putting it in a wire crate in the middle of my enclosure during the day, then securing the cage on the corner roost (highest) at night. My buffs roost on the lowest on the other end of the enclosure, or I could also bring the lone girl in as my "brooder" is huge with roosts.
Please give her a corner, and a top on the cage. Imagine what it would be like to be dropped into a maximum security prison yard, protected by only a bit of wire and surrounded by big angry people wanting to hurt you. Terrifying.
I just got 8 hens 7 of them are about 8 weeks old and the other is about 12 weeks. I found some more hens to get, a 5 or 6 week old legbar and two 13 week old ameraucanas. i figure the ameraucanas will be bonded becasue they are both coming from the same place. im more worried about the legbar since she will be younger then the rest and new. i also dont have a cage but i have two coops and one run. but i will need to put two of the other hens in with the three new arrivals. my first idea was to put my faverolles and my australarp in with them but im a little afraid that the ameraucanas will pick on them, i then could put my wyandotte and sussex with them but im afraid the legbar will get picked on. I currently have a barred rock, sussex, wyandotte, easter egger (the older one, 12 weeks), faverolles, golden comet, australarp, brahma. which two should i put in with the new arrivals?
She's adorable. I'm glad you were able to save her!
What a GREAT story about that beautiful bird. I love a good rescue story too. Edith. I think everybody should have an Edith.
Thank you for sharing this! Excellent!
Congratulations on getting Edith integrated into the flock. I usually only have chicks who are raised by my broody hen. When it comes time to integrate them into the flock. Stella (my broody) takes care of any hen trying to peck her chicks.
Good job! I followed a similar approach with two pullets two years ago. They are now treated like long-lost flock members.
Edith is gorgeous by the way!
Help! What do my chicks have?
I am in desperate need of help, 3 chicks have died from some illness, they are not coughing, but are having breathing issues, their wings have been fluffed out.
How to make your feathered friends happy and healthy!
How to deal with dem bad free-range chooks!
A quick blow-by-low on how to keep free-range chickens slightly under control.


text:
Q: Cannot ping anything from tun interface I'm setting up a VPN server using OpenVPN server 2.4. The client connects to the server, but I can not seem to be able to ping any other host except the server or other clients on the VPN subnet. The server can be pinged by the local network address or the VPN server address.
Details:

*

*Local network: 192.168.1.0/24

*VPN network: 10.8.0.0/24

*Server IP: 192.168.1.7

*Server IP (VPN side): 10.8.0.1

I tried to ping some hosts from my server directly (with the tun0 interface), but cannot seem to ping any host whatsoever, not even the loopback address.
ping -I tun0 216.58.208.163
returns:
PING 216.58.208.163 (216.58.208.163) from 10.8.0.1 tun0: 56(84) bytes of data.
^C
--- 216.58.208.163 ping statistics ---
3 packets transmitted, 0 received, 100% packet loss, time 2041ms

This does the same for any other IP address. I have also tried to use traceroute on the tun0 interface, but that just returns asterisks.
I am also using a UFW firewall, with the following rules:
(/etc/ufw/before.rules):
*nat
:POSTROUTING ACCEPT [0:0]
# Allow traffic from OpenVPN client to eno0
-A POSTROUTING -s 10.8.0.0/24 -o eno0 -j MASQUERADE
COMMIT

ufw allow out on tun0
output of route:
Kernel IP routing table
Destination     Gateway         Genmask         Flags Metric Ref    Use Iface
default         192.168.1.1     0.0.0.0         UG    0      0        0 eno1
10.8.0.0        10.8.0.2        255.255.255.0   UG    0      0        0 tun0
10.8.0.2        0.0.0.0         255.255.255.255 UH    0      0        0 tun0
192.168.1.0     0.0.0.0         255.255.255.0   U     0      0        0 eno1

When trying to ping, ufw.log outputs:
Apr  8 20:41:19 bester kernel: [5276818.036375] [UFW AUDIT] IN= OUT=tun0 SRC=10.8.0.1 DST=216.58.208.163 LEN=84 TOS=0x00 PREC=0x00 TTL=64 ID=14804 DF PROTO=ICMP TYPE=8 CODE=0 ID=3815 SEQ=2

What am I doing wrong with my UFW rules or routing rules?