UPDATE 2014-03-28: Newer versions of org have the org-html-checkbox-type variable, which you can set to unicode. Use M-x customize-variable org-html-checkbox-type to see if you have it.
This snippet turns - [X] into ☑ and - [ ] into ☐.
To find this code, I searched ox-html.el for [. Eventually I found org-html-checkbox, which is directly called by org-html-format-list-item instead of being a function variable that you can change. So that meant I needed to override the behaviour of org-html-checkbox through defadvice. You can see above how I wrap advice around org-html-checkbox and replace the return value with my own function. For more about advice, read the Emacs Lisp Intro manual.
To find the hex codes for the UTF-8 characters, I searched Google for UTF-8 checkbox and found BALLOT BOX WITH CHECK. I used the hex code so that I didn't have to worry about encoding issues. I tested it by updating one of my weekly reviews. Tada!
Inspired by Grant from Wisdom and Wonder.
One of the things that Ramon Williamson shared in our podcast on Helpers Help Out Episode 8: The Art of Copywriting for Google Helpouts is picking the one thing you're going to be known for and focusing on it. It makes sense that he emphasizes it so much, since another thing he likes saying is that your mess is your message, and focus is one of the things he's been working on.
It reminds me of the saying about the fox and the hedgehog: The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing (Archilocus). It turns out that Isaiah Berlin wrote an essay called The Hedgehog and the Fox about how Tolstoy was more of a fox but really, really thought that he should be a hedgehog, and how messed up that was. I'm basing this on Wikipedia's summary–it's on the Internet, so it must be true–since I'm still waiting for the library copy to arrive. It sounds fascinating.
Anyway. We are mostly told that we should be hedgehogs. Focus. Pick a niche. That's the only way you're going to be great.
Of course, I can totally hand-wave and say that Improvement is the key organizing principle unifying all the things I'm interested in. Learning is improving the way you improve. Coding is simply an idea frozen in a form the computer can understand. Delegation is about improving processes. Writing and drawing is about helping others improve. Rationality is about improving decision-making. But being interested in improvement is like saying you're creative or motivated–so generic that it doesn't say anything. I might as well 'fess up to the fact that sometimes I'm curious just because I am.
If you are also a fox, a wide-ranging learner, maybe we can swap strategies and tips. For example, it helps that my interests tend to build on each other. (I'd use the word "synergistically", but that's so 1980s.) Taking notes helps me pick things up again, and it also lets me share along the way. Systems help me keep things going even when my attention is elsewhere. Self-acceptance makes a big difference – when you're not fighting yourself, you have more energy for going forward.
My learning tends to be shaped by a strategy of picking low-hanging fruit. Things that require low effort/risk and give high rewards are easy choices. Do them first. For the next step, I like focusing on things that require low effort/risk (even if they give low rewards) over things that require more effort/risk with the promise of more rewards. I think it's because the accumulation of these baby steps often brings you surprisingly close to where you want to go, making things that were previously difficult much more doable. Knowing this inclination, I break high effort, high reward tasks down into things that take less effort.
One of the interesting and challenging things about learning like a fox is that you're a beginner over and over again. It can feel a little discouraging to struggle with learning something new while hedgehogs around you are comfortably settled in their expertise. It's worth it, though. I love that moment when things start to snap together, when your knowledge starts to mesh, and then you can take advantage of more and more connections and then what you're learning becomes part of the way you think. You become fluent. Maybe not Pulitzer-prize-winning fluent, but "I can say what I mean" fluent, which feels awesome.
This journey never ends, actually, since there's always more to learn, always another plateau of mediocrity to get through. But it's still so much fun. I'm working on getting even better at being a beginner so that I can get to that fluency faster. So that's part of the reason I learn like a fox: I like the challenge of a new topic, and I love the ways ideas connect with previous knowledge.
What are the things I'm relatively fluent in, and what am I working on building fluency in these days? It's good to celebrate how how far you've come, and it helps to be aware of what you want to learn so that you can deliberately learn. Hedgehog-me would probably have focused on programming, but fox-me has picked up lots of other interesting things, and I don't mind the trade-offs. In my teens, I used to feel insecure about not being a Super Awesome Geek (e.g. Linux kernel hacker or Emacs core contributor), but actually, adding writing and drawing and tracking worked out really well, and the things I'm learning now will add even more to this life.
What are you building fluency in?
Books tend to be better-organized and more in-depth, but these days, I get more current information and insights from blogs. Reading lots of blogs can take time, though. Worse, it's easy to get distracted by the interesting links and ideas you'll come across. Next thing you know, it's two hours later and you haven't even started working on your project.
Here are the tools and strategies I use to read blogs. I hope they help!
I subscribe to blogs I regularly read, and I read them using a feed reader. Some blogs are great for inspiration and serendipity. Other blogs are written by people I'd like to learn more about, and I don't want them to disappear in my forgetfulness. Instead of subscribing by e-mail, I use a feed reader to organize the blogs I want to read in different folders, so I can prioritize which folder I want to read first.
You might not have come across feed readers yet, or you may already be using one without knowing what it's called. Feed readers (also known as aggregators) are tools that go to all the blogs you've subscribed to and get a special version of the blog updates formatted so that computers can easily understand it. The tool then displays the information in a form you can easily read.
Many feed readers allow you to organize your subscriptions into folders. For example, I have an "AA Skill Development" folder for professional development blogs that I skim when I find myself with a moment of time. I add "AA" to the beginning of folders that I'd like to see first in the list, since the folders are alphabetically sorted. Organizing your subscriptions into folders is great because that allows you to quickly read through lots of similar topics together.
I read most blog posts on my phone, quickly paging through headlines and excerpts. I rarely read blogs when I'm at my computer. After all, I could be doing something more productive instead, and I don't want to get distracted by the links. The Feedly app isgreat for this because it can synchronize across devices. Many feed readers even let you read while you're offline, which is great for learning things when I'm on the subway. Lately I've been skimming through everything, newest posts first. It doesn't take me a lot of time to do so, and it means that I don't forget to read the folders down the list.
You don't have to read everything. You don't even have to skim through everything. Feel free to use the Mark all as read feature, or to ignore the unread count.
Most feed readers can autodetect the feed for the site you want to subscribe to. For example, if you want to add this site to your Feedly, you can try putting in http://sachachua.com/blog and it should show you the recent posts. I write about a lot of different topics, so if you want, you can subscribe to just one category. For example, if you only want my learning-related posts, you can subscribe to http://sachachua.com/blog/category/learning/feed .
I like using the free Feedly reader, and there are many other options out there. I hope you find something that works for you!


text:
Q: How to stream a video file from an s3 presigned url using videojs I am currently trying to stream a small video file from an s3 bucket. The size of my video file on s3 bucket is 23.5 Mb and its format is video/quicktime. I am using the following code in jQuery to retrieve the presigned URL
 const video = await fetch('http://localhost/getUrl', {
    method: "POST",
    body: "key",
    headers: {
        'Content-Type': 'application/json'
    }
})
const result = await video.text();

The result variable returns a presigned url which when clicked downloads the video file.
My html code is the following
<video id="vid1" class="video-js " controls preload="auto" width="640" height="265">
</video>

After That I am setting my src in id vid1 as the following
if (result){
    videojs("vid1").src([
        { type: 'video/quicktime', src: result }
      ]);
}

However the file is not playing back and I recieve the following error
video.min.js:1 VIDEOJS: ERROR: (CODE:4 MEDIA_ERR_SRC_NOT_SUPPORTED) The media could not be loaded, either because the server or network failed or because the format is not supported. st {code: 4, message: "The media could not be loaded, either because the …rk failed or because the format is not supported."}.

How would I use videojs with presigned urls to stream a video file from an s3 bucket

A: It won't play because the browser can't play video/quicktime. mov is not a format for HTML5 video. Try using an mp4 with h264/acc and the video/mp4 type.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


This is large Kalamazoo horizontal bandsaw. It has a 12" x 20" cutting capacity. The model # is 1220-WC and the Serial # is LW1853. It has a 2 HP motor and is presently wired 460 volts, 3 phase. By changing the motor wiring and the transformer taps, it can be wired 220 volt, 3 phase. The saw has an internal transformer which feeds 110 volts to the coolant pump. The pump cycles on and off with the saw.
If you are in the Kansas City area, feel free to come by and see this saw under power.
Contact gloria-mcintyre@dfwind.com (Gloria Mcintyre) for more information. All emails will be forwarded to the poster's actual email address.


Situated at the base of the Rampart Range, about halfway between Denver and Colorado Springs, Franktown offers small town rural lifestyle while still offering easy access to the two biggest cities in Colorado. With its wide open spaces and stunning views, Monument is an ideal place to live if you're looking for a bit of peace and quiet in your life. Living in such a beautiful area, why not enjoy the magnificent views? With a wide variety of different styles and materials, the Colorado Window Company is sure to help you find the perfect windows for your Monument home. From budget-friendly vinyl replacement windows to grandiose arched wood windows, our knowledgeable staff can help you design the windows of your dreams. Contact us today to get started!


Location: East of a lane which leaves the B5437 to the N on the W side of the Maesafallen estate, 1km approx. N of Corwen.
The farmstead may be C17 or early C18 in origin, with later extensions and alterations.
The main group of buildings comprises the farmhouse with attached farmbuildings, and a small cottage (added in the early C19) adjoining the house on its SW corner. House and cottage are built of very roughly coursed rubble, limewashed to front and side elevations; slate roofs, Front wall of attached farmbuildings is painted brick, suggesting a reconstruction of an earlier range, since the rear wall is rough boulder rubble; corrugated iron roof covering.
The house is a small 2-unit dwelling of one and a half storeys, with off-centre doorway: a plank door beneath small porch gable. Flanking windows are iron mullioned and transomed lights, with similar windows forming dormers to first floor. End wall stacks, the left hand chimney built out from the gable end. Outshut to rear, largely below ground level, and with 2 gabled dormer windows.
The farmbuilding range that adjoins the house is partially obscured to front elevation by later corrugated iron sheds, but an upper loft entry is visible. Rear elevation has doorway and gabled loft entry, both into upper level, since the building is built into a bank.
Small cottage adjoins the farmhouse to the SW: it is a single unit, low 2-storeyed building with gable end stack. Central windows (the lower window enlarged to form a doorway), the original entrance probably against the right hand gable (but now obscured by later additions).
A small vernacular farmstead which is of special interest for its plan form in which a group of buildings (farmhouse, cottage and farmbuildings) have been developed to form a single range.
On the B5437 lane from Carrog to Clawdd Poncen, on the N side of the River Dee, 2km approx. NE of Corwen.
Adjoins the Harp Hotel at the W end of the broad section of the High Street.
Adjoins the Central Hotel towards the centre of the terrace in the broad section of the High Street.
At the W end of the broad section of High Street, adjoining the National Westminster Bank.


text:
Henry 'Mzili' Mujunga
b.1971
Henry's works reference his immediate environment ( both natural and man-made) to construct scenarios of heroism that seek to champion human strength and empathy. Mzili's works feature numerous, seemingly disparate objects brought together into a single frame. They are set in intimate spaces where highly personal interactions take place – often combining several such spaces into one – with titles that describe the interactions within the paintings themselves, and at the same time allude to external associations. Mzili's gathering of objects, spaces, and the existing associations with these objects mimics the processes of identity-making that he observes in his native Uganda. Individuals often rely on their outward appearance, their possessions, even their environments (and their interactions within them) to communicate their own vision of themselves. At the same time, these very things are looked upon by others to identify those around them. Ultimately, through these information-packed autobiographical compositions, Mzili is interested in 'awing' and 'pleasuring' through colour and subject.
This renowned painter and printmaker is an indigenous expressionist: making reference to his intuition, childhood memories and learned practice to create artworks.
In 1996 he graduated with honours from Margaret Trowel School of Industrial Fine Art (MTSIFA) of Makerere University. He is also a holder of a Postgraduate Diploma in Education of the same University.
In 2003, Mzili was a winner of the Royal Overseas League (ROSL) Art Scholarship. His work is in several prestigious collections and has been exhibited globally including 1:54 Art fair new york 2019, Cape Town Art Fair 2017/18, Joburg Art fair 2016.
The latest work from this artist.
Red blanket and Divine
Bro power
Warrior with orange background 2
Afro art glory
The future is blinding bright
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Site Name: Purchase
Location: Waynesville (Purchase Rd), NC
Reporting: False, Located: True
Current AQI: None
Waynesville (Purchase Rd) NC, US: 35.587144, -83.074156
Nov. 4, 2020, 6 p.m. N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 44.0 ppb (41) N/A N/A N/A 41.0
Nov. 4, 2020, noon N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 47.0 ppb (44) N/A N/A N/A 44.0
Nov. 4, 2020, 11 a.m. N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 48.0 ppb (45) N/A N/A N/A 45.0
Nov. 4, 2020, 9 a.m. N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 48.0 ppb (45) N/A N/A N/A 45.0
Nov. 4, 2020, midnight N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 44.0 ppb (41) N/A N/A N/A 41.0
Nov. 3, 2020, 11 p.m. N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 45.0 ppb (42) N/A N/A N/A 42.0
Oct. 31, 2020, 11 p.m. N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 30.0 ppb (28) N/A N/A N/A 28.0
Oct. 31, 2020, 9 p.m. N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 31.0 ppb (29) N/A N/A N/A 29.0
Oct. 31, 2020, noon N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 30.0 ppb (28) N/A N/A N/A 28.0
Oct. 31, 2020, 11 a.m. N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 32.0 ppb (30) N/A N/A N/A 30.0
Oct. 31, 2020, 9 a.m. N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 35.0 ppb (33) N/A N/A N/A 33.0
Oct. 31, 2020, midnight N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 26.0 ppb (25) N/A N/A N/A 25.0


SHO-ME® MEGA 240W LED SCENE LIGHT. Ideal for utility, construction, fire, police, off-road and agricultural vehicles, semi trucks, RVs and boats.
Eighty long-lasting white LEDs. (40) are 30° spot, (40) are 60° flood.
Low current draw converves battery life.


Our network of professional creatives work hard as a team, benefiting from each others experience.
Check out our open positions or send your contact details and relevant experience to jobs@thamescollective.co.uk for future opportunities – we're always on the lookout for talented and passionate people to join our growing team.
Copyright © 2016 Thames Collective.


text:
package org.apereo.cas.support.saml.metadata.resolver;

import org.apereo.cas.support.saml.BaseJpaSamlMetadataTests;
import org.apereo.cas.support.saml.services.SamlRegisteredService;
import org.apereo.cas.support.saml.services.idp.metadata.SamlMetadataDocument;

import lombok.val;
import org.apache.commons.io.IOUtils;
import org.junit.Test;
import org.springframework.core.io.ClassPathResource;
import org.springframework.test.context.TestPropertySource;

import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;

import static org.junit.Assert.*;

/**
 * This is {@link JpaSamlRegisteredServiceMetadataResolverTests}.
 *
 * @author Misagh Moayyed
 * @since 5.2.0
 */
@TestPropertySource(properties = "cas.authn.samlIdp.metadata.location=file:/tmp")
public class JpaSamlRegisteredServiceMetadataResolverTests extends BaseJpaSamlMetadataTests {

    @Test
    public void verifyResolver() throws Exception {
        val res = new ClassPathResource("samlsp-metadata.xml");
        val md = new SamlMetadataDocument();
        md.setName("SP");
        md.setValue(IOUtils.toString(res.getInputStream(), StandardCharsets.UTF_8));
        resolver.saveOrUpdate(md);

        val service = new SamlRegisteredService();
        service.setName("SAML Service");
        service.setServiceId("https://carmenwiki.osu.edu/shibboleth");
        service.setDescription("Testing");
        service.setMetadataLocation("jdbc://");
        assertTrue(resolver.supports(service));
        val resolvers = resolver.resolve(service);
        assertTrue(resolvers.size() == 1);
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
hollywood wrap
'Beauty and the Beast' comes to life on the big screen
By George Pennacchio
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Emma Watson plays Belle in Disney's newest adaptation of "Beauty and the Beast."
Paige O'Hara, who played the original voice of Belle in the animated classic, said she likes the casting.
As for the beast, he's played by Dan Stevens. Filmmakers used motion capture technology to work their magic on his face and body to transform him into the beast.
To learn more about the cast and how Disney's magic brought the movie to life, watch George Pennacchio's video above.
The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of ABC7.
arts & entertainmentmoviesmovie theatermovie newsdisneyhollywood wrap
'Parasite' director in the spotlight after Oscar Best Picture nod
Actor Edd Byrnes, known for "Grease," dies at 87, family says
'Knives Out' is a sharp, comic whodunit
Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel honored with stars on Walk of Fame


text:
Q: polynomial over a finite field Show that in a finite field $F$ there exists $p(x)\in F[X]$ s.t $p(f)\neq 0\;\;\forall f\in F$
Any ideas how to prove it?

A: Let $p(x)=1$, you win. Here's a less stupid example with the same flavor. If $|F|=q$, then consider $x^q-x+1$. Can you figure out why you still win?

A: Take some element $\alpha_1\in F$
Then consider $f_1(x)=(x-\alpha_1)+1$.. What would be $f_1(\alpha_1)$?
Soon you will see that $f(\alpha_1)$ is non zero but may probably for some $\alpha_2$ we have $f_1(\alpha_2)=0$
Because of this i would now try to include $(x-\alpha_2)$ in $f_1(x)$ to make it
$f_2(x)=(x-\alpha_1)(x-\alpha_2)+1$.. What would be $f_1(\alpha_1),f
_2(\alpha_2)$?
keep doing this until you believe that resultant function does not have a root in $F$.
You have two simple questions :

*

*will the resultant be a polynomial in general if you repeat this steps.

*How do you make sure that no element in field is a root of resultant

A: Consider counting the total number of monic polynomials with roots, for fixed degree : say for degree $3$ , you can have $(x-r_1)(x-r_2)(x-r_3)$ (notice that you need to
consider that different permutations of $r_1,r_2,r_3$ will generate the same polynomial). And the overall number of monic polynomials will be $x^3+ax^2+bx+c$ , where (hint) $(a,b,c)$ is in $\mathbb F^3$.
EDIT: The identity I had in mind was: for degree q<|$\mathbb F$| , there are $\mathbb FCq$ ways of having all different roots, then, for having 1 repeat....1 way of having
all roots equal, compared with |$\mathbb F^3$|. Even for $q=2$, we have $\mathbb FC2$+|$\mathbb F$| , versus |$\mathbb F^2$|, where the $C$ means "choose".


Jakarta: Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Darmin Nasution attended the Indonesian Wood Panel Association (Apkindo) National Congress at Four Season Hotel, Jalan Jenderal Gatot Subroto, Jakarta on Monday, November 26, 2018.
"I want to give you motivation. We need to revive our wood panel industry," the former Bank Indonesia governor said.
"We must not only fulfill domestic demands. We must also increase exports," he said.


Fun place to watch taffy being made. Fudge is good too! Also some delicious chocolate. Hands down, the best salt water taffy anywhere. About 113 years old. More related articles..
Shipping, save, now, details: No promo code required. Coffee is one of the most commonly consumed foods in the world. More, you might also like these great coupons. I will be shopping with SupplyMe d..
for a dresseven before he pops the question! Warning: This is much more complicated and more difficult to do well than Facebook Ads, so please invest in PPC training or hire someone to help you. Be there online when they start the hunt for the perfect wedding venue. Get Offer, sAVE, see More Details, verified - Used 16 Times in the Last Month. Consequently, its the #1 question asked in the chat rooms and the #1 search done online.
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Our favorite 33 books co discount code software platform is, event Temple. This is a sponsored post that contains affiliate links. They sell for 139.99 at Men's Wearhouse. Promote your venue on every local online hot spot and youll book more weddings. If you target wedding businesses like these who work with similar clients in your budget range, youll get extremely warm leads delivered right to your door. Get Offer, expires 08/20/18, get, jos. Write a guest blog post for them in exchange for a link to your website.


DUE TO A late departure from Brisbane, we decided to meet up with the run-goers at the first stop for the day, the Tara Hotel. Even though the numbers were down from last year, because of the miserable weather, we arrived at the Tara Hotel to find everyone in high spirits. All the usual suspects were there and we received a warm welcome from the Chinchilla crowd and the familiar faces from the previous year's run.
After about half an hour, we were back on the road and headed for the second stop of the day, the Kogan Hotel. Kogan is another one of those out-of-way country towns which, in its heyday, boasted seven thriving saw-mills and was a major stop-over for the good old Cobb and Co. delivery drivers of days gone by.
We were kicking back with a few dust settlers, when the absence of one of the back-up vehicles was first noticed. Turns out, that old Falcon utes run a whole lot better and longer when the engine's inner working components are being lubricated with an age old additive called 'oil'. No oil, no go, and that was the case for poor Steve who was left stranded on the old Tara-Kogan road. A good Samaritan picked Steve up and delivered him to the Kogan Hotel safely before he perished in Australia's harsh outback. Sorry bro, I had to put that in. What the hell were you doing driving a Ford without a working mobile phone anyway?
The last leg of the run was a blast through some good old fashioned country roads before arriving back at the Odin's clubhouse in Chinchilla. The compound behind the clubhouse quickly filled with bikes and a bloke could have been killed in the stampede as the thirsty run-goers stormed up the ramp for a place at the bar and a few refreshing, post-run drinks.
As usual the club really laid out the welcome mat for all involved with a free after-run barbie. The usual road tales were related over some well earned drinks and the party hit hyperdrive when the night's band, No Drama, took the stage and got the old shed jumping off its weather worn stumps.
In between sets the raffles were drawn, as were the winners of the poker hands. Young Sarah, all of sweet sixteen, won best hand and the $250. This was Sarah's 3rd poker run, and the second with the OWMC, riding pillion aboard her mum's bike. No one claimed the cash for worst hand so it was thrown on the bar for a few free drinks for the stayers.
Moo and Bianca were busy all night behind the bar serving up the coldest booze in Chinchilla, with the help of Ben and Steve. Things got a little warm as the night progressed which prompted the girls to shed some of their otherwise 'worldly garments' and opt for a more stream-lined approach as far as alcohol supply was concerned! The blokes loved it as did a few of the girls! Hmm…? The ladies wanted a piece of the action as well and my new mate Steve (the 'oil free' back-up driver) was also unceremoniously stripped of his upper attire, much to the crowd's female contingent's delight.
There's a few pubs and an RSL in Chinchilla but, as is the norm in these parts, the locals know where to go to have a full on party and the clubhouse was choc-a-block with revellers until the early hours of Sunday morning.
It was a great day and an even better night. You can see by the pics that a good time was had by all.
The OWMC Chinchilla would like to thank their sponsors, Tara Mini Storage, and the riders who braved the elements to take part in the run. I'd like to thank Skeeta and the Chinchilla crew for another great weekend. I'm already hanging out for their tattoo show—another wild weekend in the wild, wild west.


Acme H3-208FR storage server, 2U rackmount, Black Color.
This system is good performance multi-function/ storage system for email, database and VM applications. This will be a high performance storage server.
2U case with 720W redundant power supply, Platinum level 80+.
8 of 3.5" HDD bays ( w/ backplane, hot-swap), option to add a SAS controller if need more than 6 drives for this system.
1 Slim DVD option, 2 internal HDD bays.
Width: 17.2 in. Height: 3.5 in. Depth: 24.8 inch.
* * Good to add a 8-port SAS RAID controller.


The Employee designated as the driver of the vehicle must be certified to drive state vehicles. For information on the certification process contact the MGA Office of Risk Management at 478.471.2506.
Please contact Ryan Greene (ryan.greene1@mga.edu) to request a bus driver for trips.


More Oona-insight, from Wanett at Sown Brooklyn!
Today is the third and last of my get-to-know-Oona interviews with NYC bloggers. Today we've got the seriously kind-hearted, creative and passionate Wanett from Sown Brooklyn. I love following her Instagram feed, because it's a constant stream of art, social critique, awesome family art projects, killer daily fashion and of course, sewing! Clearly I'm not her only admirer, because Heather Lou from Closet Case Files named her Nettie body suit after Wanett!
Oona in three words: delightful, kind, colorful.
Classic Oona: Oona's style is all about print, pattern, color and textures. In large doses and in as many combos as possible in the one outfit ;o) In my mind, she is so connected with those elements of style that I instantly think of her when I see certain looks. Usually, it's how she would rock it with more flair than the current representative. Despite knowing her well and appreciating her unique sense of style, her combos still surprise me. Fabric shopping with her is never, ever dull.
Borrow from Oona: This one is tough! Because she has made some seriously, amazing and awesome stuff! Choosing just one isn't the only hard part, imagining anyone but her in her makes is near impossible. If forced, if pushed, if cajooled into choosing one thing…this her By Hand London maxi length Victoria coat. oonaballoona: seen through the eyes of iris….Majorly stunning!! So much so, I'm inspired to use cuss to adequately express my admiration (and I would, if I were posting on my blog ;D)!
On a side note, I want to say how important I think it is that the sewing community is celebrating itself and each other with things like the Nettie Bodysuit, or the Sew Dolly Clackett challenge for Rosin's wedding this spring. We ARE awesome, both as a team and individuals, and I dream of our community being confident and caring enough that we can celebrate inspiring individuals without making anyone feel lesser in comparison. I want us to be brave enough to say "Yes, I AM good at that!" and "Yes, I AM particularly talented at something!" I really admire Wanette, Roisin, and Oona for letting the community celebrate them, and for supporting people who are taking joy in their inspiration. That's not easy to do, but it gives the rest of us an chance to experiment and helps build the community stronger. So thank you, awesome people, for being awesome. Whether or not we have a month or a pattern named after us or not, we are awesome, unique, talented and important. Let's celebrate that together.
A little (more) Oona insight… from Jennifer of the Workroom Social!
Want to write for the Sewcialists?
wanett, you beautiful (expletive deleted) woman. i just might have to let you borrow that coat for an extended period.
gillian, as always, perfectly said!


text:
"Azerbaijanism"
Azerbaijan's post-Soviet memory politics are great at uniting society. Too bad it's against external enemies. Русский
Сабир Ахундов
Azerbaijan's Neft Dashlari oil field has been active since the 1950s. (c) Sergei Grits / AP / Press Association Images. All rights reserved.The first four days of April 2016 saw a short conflict between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh, supported by Armenian forces. The result was inconclusive, but it revealed the extent of polarisation in Azerbaijan and how unequal forces in the opposing camps are in this country.
Few people in Azerbaijan dared to suggest that both sides might bear some responsibility for the clashes. Those who did faced a solid wall of national-patriotic fervour, which included even people who had previously called themselves liberals and human rights advocates. To find yourself beyond the borders of this patriotic front was riskier than just losing your voice in the crowd.
But where did this wave of popular euphoria at the possibility of even a small victory (won at great cost) come from?
Mythologising instead of modernisation
The origins of the present situation go back to the first days and months of Azerbaijan's status as an independent state after the collapse of the USSR.
Just like other freshly post-Soviet countries, Azerbaijan's new elite had to find news sources of legitimacy and select geopolitical allies. Political decisions had to be backed up by ideology, culture and education, and this ideological imperative defined the route taken towards establishing a new nation — mythologisation instead of modernisation.
After the collapse of the USSR, the ethno-nationalism developed in the Soviet period became the dominant ideology of its former republics
Creating new mythological constructs was easy enough: they were based on primordialist concepts of the unity of ethnic groups and nationalities, created in the Soviet period, whereby the dominant ethnic group in any area gave its name to that area and enjoyed a monopoly on ownership of its land.
So, the borders of Azerbaijan, like those of other former Soviet republics, were defined by Soviet ethnic and nationality policies. Indeed, Soviet nationalities policy was considered the main reason for the failure of Azerbaijan's first stage of independence and an explanation for initial external hostility. The past and present were thus lumped together, and consumers of government propaganda were fed a tale of a predetermined future as well as a clear, unshakable division of others into friends and enemies.
After the collapse of the USSR, the ethno-nationalism fostered in the Soviet period became the dominant ideology of its former republics. Each of the sides in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict appealed to the past, accusing the Soviet leadership of favouritism and aiding the enemy. Given the total propaganda immersion in both Armenia and Azerbaijan, there was no chance of any compromise — any concessions would be seen as a betrayal of national interests.
January 1990: residents of Baku gather in Kirov park with black banners to honour the more than 200 citizens who died in a storming of the city by Soviet troops. (c) AP / Press Association Images. All rights reserved.The status quo following the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict of the early 1990s has also determined today's politics of memory. Past defeat becomes a source of victory in the future and a means of uniting the nation to achieve this crucial task.
As a result, any dissent from official government policy is the equivalent of wanting your people to be defeated or a call to come to terms with the present and forget past glory. It's no wonder that April 2016 saw many people in Azerbaijan, from small children to pensioners, repeating the same slogan: "Our homeland is indivisible, the martyrs are immortal!"
The portrait of an enemy: Russia and Armenia
The lack of a positive outcome to Nagorno-Karabakh and the conflict's tragic events have led to a situation where Azerbaijan's new national ideology can present the entire population as victims. It is no longer just a question of countless and endless attacks by "insidious neighbouring peoples" and the misfortunes they bring. One key element in this vision is Azerbaijan's crucial role in preventing geopolitical map changing "in favour of the Christian world", accompanied by recognition of the glorious and heroic history of its people's noble and powerful forefathers.
Azerbaijan's inability to defeat external aggression is thus the result of the number of Azerbaijan's enemies and the lack of unity in its people. The past provides an excuse for the present: "we have always been under pressure, but we have never stopped fighting". And given that the territory of today's Azerbaijan was home to powerful states in the past, the loss of Nagorno-Karabakh will inevitably lead to victory in the future. The defeats of the past can be explained by Azerbaijan's status as a victim, while the glorification and splendid history of their forefathers gives them hope for the future.
Within this narrative, everything is fixed down to the last detail and everything is known in advance. Anything that doesn't fit the reconstructed picture of the past is either tweaked or just ignored and rejected.
By drawing a line between "us" and "them", nationalism points its finger straight at the source of all misfortune — the eternal external enemy
The loss of a former identity, military defeat and the disappearance of an earlier settled way of life have led to widespread depression, despair and feelings of hopelessness among Azerbaijanis. This mood has been carefully manipulated by the political elites to further the nationalist discourse they inherited from the Soviet years. Nationalism has allowed them to unite pro-government and opposition forces for whom playing the nationalist card is a sure winner.
By drawing a line between "us" and "them", nationalism points its finger straight at the source of all misfortune — the eternal external enemy. The disparity between the glorious past and recent humiliating defeat has created a certain cognitive dissonance, but nationalism has found another enemy, without whose help its opponents would have been defeated.
This is, of course, the military support given by Russia to Armenia and the Armenians. It happened this year over Nagorno-Karabakh; it happened in 1918. So a clear link is established between these two events, and we have an alliance of sworn and implacable enemies, Russia (i.e. ethnic Russians) and Armenia.
In the official narrative, the scale of century-old hostility and Azerbaijan's human loss has been gradually inflated until it reached the level of genocide — which is precisely the case with the Azeri-Armenian clashes of the early 20th century.
What genocide, and whose?
Central to the creation of this narrative were the tragic events of late March and early April 1918, when thousands of peaceful civilians, mostly Muslims, died during clashes between Bolsheviks, units of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) and the local Musavat (Equality) Party.
History books usually refer to these events as the "March clashes" or the "March massacre", but in Azerbaijan they are known as the "March genocide". This definition implies — and official figures stress this — that it was one of several acts of genocide, and the Azerbaijan government's main task was to represent it as the pivotal one.
These events were thus to serve as a demonstration of the bloodthirstiness and unscrupulousness of Armenians, and all possible resources were directed to that end. Various methods were used. Selected extracts from police interrogations of the time, with details of the atrocities supposedly committed by Bolshevik-ARF units, published in huge print runs.
This Iranian postcard shows victims of the March Days in a Baku courtyard. From "March 1918" by Solmaz Rustamova / Wikipedia. Some rights reserved.Photos of Azerbaijani victims were also published — these images loom large in the secondary school history curriculum. There were articles, books, documentaries, TV programmes, all of them discussing not alternative viewpoints, but established truths.
"On the Azerbaijani Genocide", a directive signed by former Azerbaijan president Heydar Aliyev on 26 March 1998, played a major role in the commemoration of the Karabakh conflict as part of a centuries-old enmity between Armenians and Azerbaijanis, and it was this document that definitively confirmed the "genocide" as an important element in official ideology. The effective inclusion of the concept of an Azerbaijani genocide in the political lexicon was an important additional pointer for future historical research in this sphere and enabled its total ideologisation.
But why did the subject of "genocide" arise in 1998? One reason was lack of ideological stability among the country's rulers. 1998 should have been a presidential election year. It was still a long time before the "oil rain", and Azerbaijan's leadership didn't have complete control over the republic's political life. And opposition parties hadn't yet lost their moral authority and credibility with the public.
Heydar Aliyev took a number of steps to improve his image as a democrat and supporter of liberal values, both at home and abroad
Heydar Aliyev took a number of steps to improve his image as a democrat and supporter of liberal values, both at home and abroad. Amongst other reforms, he abolished censorship and the death penalty, created a Constitutional Court and passed laws on civil and human rights and freedoms, including freedom of religion and assembly and the right to leave and enter the country at will.
Among these changes, the directive "On the Azerbaijani Genocide" was first and foremost intended for internal consumption. The popularity of Aliyev, the man who had revitalised the heroic history of the Azeri people, full of suffering and deprivation, skyrocketed. The ideology of Azerbaijani nationalism, better known as "Azerbaijanism", was a trump card in his internal political game.
It was also important to choose the events of March 1918 as a key instance of genocide, rather than the clashes of 1905-1906. The latter had lasted longer, but were less well researched and less interesting — no one knows, for example, the number of fatalities, which are usually represented as a vague "thousands and thousands". By contrast, it had been clearly established that a minimum of 12,000 people died in the tragedy of 1918.
There are no figures for Armenian and Russian victims of the clashes, which once again highlights the emphasis placed on the one sided nature of the event and bolsters the "genocide" verdict. The quoted minimum is based on estimates made by the leaders of the "Musavat" Azeri nationalist party and the report drawn up by the Emergency Committee created in the summer of 1918 to investigate the March events.
More figures have come to light since 1998, and are much higher than was then thought. There are now known figures for the capital Baku itself (12,000) and for the Baku region (20,000), although these figures are often confused. The history textbook for senior secondary school classes now gives an overall figure of 50,000 for all the regions affected by massacres of the Muslim population, but in 2010 Djabi Bairamov, deputy head of the Historical Institute of Azerbaijan's Academy of Sciences, put forward a new, huge figure of 700,000.
Yet another reason for concentrating on the events of 1918 is the calendar. The closeness of the dates has allowed people in both Azerbaijan and elsewhere in the world to mark the anniversary of March 1918 not long before 24 April, when the Armenian genocide is annually commemorated. Thus, events organised by the Azerbaijani diaspora around the world stress the fact that they were victims of centuries-old Armenian aggression.
The success of this Azerbaijani propaganda would even seem to cast the Armenian genocide into doubt. Speaking in Ankara on the 75th anniversary of the Turkish Republic in 1999, Heydar Aliyev stated that it was the Armenians who massacred the Turks, and not the other way around.
Collective memory: renewal and reboot
Over the years, the concept of the genocide has been modified by historians, politicians and political writers. It is no longer just a question of the extermination of Azerbaijani Turks in 1918: we now talk in terms of a poly-ethnic genocide of Tatars, Lezgins and Jews.
The reasons why Armenians are supposed to hate people of these ethnicities is, however, never discussed. There is talk of more than 3,000 Jewish victims. A major role in collecting and propagating such information is played by Israel's Azeri diaspora, especially the Azerbaijan-Israel International Association, which openly supports the Azeri government. The mention of Jews as being among the victims of the bloody events of 1918 is probably designed to elicit understanding from Israel, which is jealous of any attempt to equate any such tragic events with the Holocaust. In this context, it is also worth noting that Azerbaijan and Israel enjoy close military cooperation with one another.
The most important element in the commemoration of mass tragedies is the creation of "places of memory". The main place where the victims of March 1918 are remembered is Baku's Avenue of the Martyrs (Shehidler Khiyabani), which is visited by thousands of people. The avenue accumulates the memory of several fateful periods. Here are buried the victims of the tragic night of 20 January 1990 and those who died in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The Avenue of Martyrs, Baku. Public Domain: Interfase / Wikipedia. It is believed that those massacred in March 1918 were also buried here, but the cemetery was demolished in the Soviet years to make way for a park. So the Avenue of the Martyrs brings together the memories of all victims under one name.
The use of the Islamic term "Shahid" is intended to reflect the idea that all these people did not die in vain, but were sacrificed on the altar of independence and freedom and represent a single cultural, social and historical memory of these events. The only dead excluded from the term are those who died during 1941-1945.
The Azerbaijani government is very much in tune with the mood of its population and deliberately uses the term Shahid to play on people's piety
The Azerbaijani government is very much in tune with the mood of its population and deliberately uses the term Shahid to play on people's piety. By drip-feeding them religious rhetoric, it has aimed to speed up the desecularisation of the country and in doing so, strengthen its own hold on power — and the policy has been effective. Russians and Armenians are no longer just ethnic enemies, but part of an alien Christian world.
In September 2013, another place of memory, the Guba Genocide Memorial Complex, was created and has also become a pilgrimage site in northern Azerbaijan. In 2007, a mass burial was discovered in the area, and although initially Makhmud Kerimov, president of Azerbaijan's Academy of Sciences, warned against jumping to conclusions, suggesting that it could have been the result of an epidemic, the government propaganda machine rushed to exploit the news.
Researchers, it was announced, had discovered not only the victims' racial profiles, but their ethnicity. It was clear that they were local Azeri Muslims, Lezgins and Jews. The Prosecutor General's office announced that it had conducted a survey of people in the Guba area, who on the basis of stories they had been told by elderly relatives believed that the bodies were of victims of a massacre carried out by an Armenian punitive detachment that had attacked the town of Guba in May 1918. The general conclusion has been that this was part of the genocide carried out by Armenians that year.
The Guba Genocide Memorial Complex has been designed as a transparent and dramatic expose of Armenian brutality. This is how new memories are created, with a defining and indisputable image of the enemy at their centre. This is the feeling of shared loss and collective grief that is so essential for the unity of a nation. And anyone who fails to go along with it challenges the values and interest of their people.
The new generation on the right road
The Guba events are included in the history textbook used for the fifth year of Azerbaijan's schools, e.g. 11-12 year olds. In one chapter, its authors write about an elderly woman visiting the burial site with her granddaughter and finding the skeleton of her sister, which she recognised by a medallion that had belonged to her.
From the reaction of some pupils, one can say that the story's main aim — to act on the children's still unformed consciousness — was successful. The youngsters recalled that reading the story brought tears to their eyes; not tears of anger or a desire for revenge, but of pity, pain, compassion and unfairness.
The same idea lies behind a school ritual followed every 31 March, Genocide Day. As on other dates connected with tragic events, 20 January (the "Black January" of 1990) and 26 February (the murder of innocent residents of Khojali by Armenian and CIS forces during the Nagorno-Karabakh war in 1992), this usually takes a theatrical form, with pupils dressed in mourning reading poetry, as well as competitions for drawings on the theme of war.
This state propaganda, disguised as education, is designed to produce a generation for whom ethno-nationalism, with its stress on the tragic, and at the same time glorious history of their country, will be central to their world view
In this way, children learn about their country's national tragedy, absorb it and form memories of it. They then create their own historical narrative, transmuted by their own fantasy and imagination, relate it to themselves and each other and in this process gain a solid cultural and social memory of these events.
This is how the image of victimhood is consolidated in the child's mind, as is the parallel image of the Enemy, who will with each year loom ever larger and more terrifying. The pupils must understand that Armenia's hostility has lasted for centuries, is still strong and will continue in the future.
This growing generation will never even consider any possibility of peaceful coexistence. The chapter on 'The Division of Azerbaijan' in the fifth year Azerbaijan History textbook states: "On 21 March 1828, the day of Novruz [New Year], a fictitious 'Armenian province' was set up in the area of Nakhchivan and Yerevan, thus rewarding the Armenians for their treachery against our people".
And in the same textbook, in the chapter on the March 1918 massacres, we read that: "the Armenians went berserk and burned men, women and old people. Children were impaled on bayonets. These maddened Armenian executioners then collected copies of our sacred book, the Quran, made bonfires of them and threw Muslims, bound hand and foot, into them". And as for the chapter on Stalin's Terror of 1937, schoolchildren discover that most victims were persecuted thanks to the Armenians, in a continuation of their dastardly genocide policy.
We can summarise the rest of the narrative in one passage from the eleventh year textbook (for 18 year olds): "A prominent role in the organisation of the Terror was played by… Armenians, genetic enemies of the Turkic peoples, who held senior posts in the police and security services".
This state propaganda, disguised as education, is designed to produce a generation for whom ethno-nationalism, with its stress on the tragic, and at the same time glorious, history of their country, will be central to their world view. After all, in countries which lack a developed civil society, governments monopolise and regulate all aspects of public life, and no inappropriate questions may be asked.
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The proposed high-speed rail link between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore has to avoid multiple bends if it is to live up to the promise of a 90-minute journey. A similar arrow-straight approach must guide the planning, execution and running of the system.
Policy twists and turns, political manoeuvring and corporate jinking for profit can derail the best-laid plans, as many nations have learnt. For example, the lack of symmetry of purpose was one reason why a soaring bridge to replace the Causeway morphed into a crooked bridge and was - thankfully - scuttled eight years ago.
Much has changed since then, of course, and the Joint Ministerial Committee tasked with the rail project, mooted by Malaysian premier Najib Razak, has been able to achieve momentum from healthy bilateral relations and the strong backing of both prime ministers. Even so, the complexities are not being underestimated. As PM Lee Hsien Loong noted: "Officials have been working hard and there are many items here to discuss and settle: the design, the financing, the governance, the operations, the security and immigration requirements, the legal arrangements."
A strategic development set to be a game-changer calls for a different cast of mind. It has to be viewed as a benefit for both present-day citizens and a legacy for future generations with an unswerving focus on enhanced connectivity, affordability of trips and overall viability. Ensuring that safe, speedy and seamless travel remains a hallmark of the system will call for close cooperation that must endure over the terms of many leaders and administrators in the years to come.
The best assurance of that is when core purposes and agreed modalities are institutionalised and not subject to the vagaries of politics over time. For example, if ground pressure later mounts for more stops to be added to the line, this would not just dilute the time advantage offered but also the energy efficiency of the system. Further delays might result if inefficiencies creep into an envisaged single border checkpoint. If intolerable, there is a risk of ridership levels dipping and affecting economic sustainability. To guard against this, one should crystallise and uphold foundational values and public expectations linked to this potentially transformative rail connection.
Decisions taken now will have an impact on outcomes at various stages. Hence, the importance of properly communicating details of technical assessments, projected costs, financing plans, operational standards and the economic and social benefits offered. Doing so will help bolster the case for clearing roadblocks that might arise along the way and help ensure that the project remains on the fast track.
This article was published on April 11 in The Straits Times.


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How the UK Biobank is Revolutionizing Precision Medicine
Posted on Lab Informatics. 17 October, 2019
In the last decade, there has been a paradigm shift in the development of gene sequencing diagnostics. This revolution has occurred mainly due to the development of ultra-high throughput next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology that allows a human genome to be sequenced in just a few days. Combined with clinical data, readily accessible genomic data is also accelerating the development of personalized, targeted treatments in a medical model known as Precision Medicine. The UK Biobank Project is on the forefront of this initiative.
In order to develop the genetic diagnostics and personalized treatments characteristic of Precision Medicine, scientists must sift through and effectively analyze immense data sets. This necessity has led to the rapid growth of a new engineering field known as bioinformatics – an interdisciplinary field of scientific research that utilizes biology, computer science, data engineering, mathematics and statistics to increase our understanding of biological processes. Bioinformatics has played a major supportive role in the emergence and continued development of precision medicine.
Bioinformatics scientists need access to the health and genetics data of large cohorts so that the influence of genetics on disease states can be sussed out and incorporated into tailored treatments. In order to facilitate access to the large amounts of biological and health data that bioinformatics scientists need, many nations have launched biobank projects, including the United States, United Kingdom, China, Austria, Qatar, Estonia, Japan, Canada and Finland.
The United Kingdom's Biobank (UKB) project recently released a vast collection of genetic data to health researchers around the world, offering an unparalleled resource to enhance our understanding of human biology and aid in the advancement of precision medicine. In this blog, we will discuss the types of data made available by the UK Biobank project, along with the details on how scientists can access this important data.
UK Biobank Project
Initially proposed by an expert panel in 2000, the UKB project began in earnest in 2006 with the intention to collect genetic, physical and clinical data from a large cohort of individuals in the United Kingdom. Over a four-year period from 2006 to 2010, the project enrolled approximately 500,000 people between the ages of 40 and 69 via the UK's National Health Service (NHS), as following this age group enables scientists to focus on diseases of middle and/or old age. Those who enrolled had their blood and urine sampled and were examined for more than 2400 different traits or phenotypes, including aspects of their social lives, habits, cognitive state, lifestyle, and physical health. The project follows participants by accessing their health records and national registries, including those for deaths and cancer diagnoses.
What really sets the UKB apart from other biobank projects is the crowdsourcing spirit of the project. Other biobanks have comparably rich health data, and some are even bigger (e.g., 23andMe DNA testing company in the US), but in these cases you must collaborate with the database creators to access the data. With UKB, the intention from the beginning has been to democratize the accumulated data to help enhance understanding of human biology and accelerate therapeutic discovery. Rory Collins, an epidemiologist at the University of Oxford who has been with the project from the beginning, summed up UKB's open access spirit in an interview with Science Magazine earlier this year when he said, "By making data available to 100 people around the world, we can get a lot more research done than if I sit here and do one study a year with the data."
To date, the UKB has an impressive record of following through on its data sharing intentions by releasing data to approved researchers.
2015: Genetic data, which included genotyping and imputed data, on 150,000 anonymized participants was made publicly available.
2017: Genetic data for the full cohort was released.
2019: Exome sequence data of 50,000 participants was released that is linked to detailed health records, imaging and other health-related data for participants.
2020: Complete exome sequencing of the remaining 450,000 UK Biobank participants is scheduled for release by the end of 2020. Additionally, about half of the participants' primary care data, including clinical data and prescriptions, should become available in 2020.
In addition to exome sequencing, whole genome sequencing of 50,000 participants funded by the UK Research and Innovation as part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund is currently under way. The UKB has also done MRI scans of the brains, hearts, and abdomens of 25,000 participants, and plans to scan 100,000.
How Researchers are Using the Data
Within days of the UKB genetic data on the full cohort in 2017, researchers at the Broad Institute had linked more than 120,000 genetic markers to more than 2000 diseases and traits, effectively doubling the 60,000 genetic markers that had been tied to diseases up until that point. As of early 2019, about 7000 researchers were registered to use UKB data on 1400 projects, and nearly 600 papers had been published. While some studies simply link behaviors with disease (e.g., drinking more coffee can reduce mortality), others perform genome-wide associations studies to zero in on genes that influence a particular attribute or disease. Dozens of papers have now been published using UKB data that add to our knowledge of what genes contribute to heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's, and other conditions. Some of these studies have also highlighted genes' role in shaping traits like personality, depression, birth weight, insomnia, and others. Some studies have even delved into controversial areas linking DNA markers to human behavior.
While these genetic links are suggestive correlations, establishing cause and effect will take more work and research. By combining UKB data with other databases (i.e., pharmaceutical company internal data, other biobank data, etc.), researchers can work to flush out some of the more subtle effects of gene variants (single nucleotide polymorphisms, frequently called SNPs). The goal is to increase our understanding of human biology, reveal new disease pathways, discover new drug targets, and ultimately new effective drugs.
Some of the many ways in which scientists can use the anonymized UKB data include:
Investigate whether particular changes in inherited DNA are associated with particular diseases.
Undertake more sophisticated analyses of genes in order to identify the causes of disease and ways to intervene that will improve health.
Investigate how particular SNPs may be involved in different diseases.
Research how genetic and lifestyle factors influence health.
Develop polygenetic risk scores, which calculate a person's disease risk by combining different genetic markers.
Investigate how genetic risk factors interact with diet, lifestyles, environment, and other aspects of health.
A list of genetics-based papers that have been generated through the use of the UKB database can be found here.
How to Access the Data
Since the UK Biobank Project first allowed open access to its database in March 2012, there have been over 8,000 approved registrations, and over 800 formally registered projects are now under way. A step by step guide to help researchers apply for access to UK Biobank data can be found here. FAQs and other helpful information about working with the UKB database can be found here. Note: users will pay a relatively modest fee of $2,500 and agree to return their raw data, results, and code to the UKB after publishing. Users also sign a legal agreement confirming that they will not attempt to identify any participants.
The UK Biobank has generously made anonymized data sets of genetic, physical and clinical data from a large cohort of individuals in the UK, as well as all results from studies conducted by researchers using this data, available to researchers around the world. This massive data set is revolutionizing the field of precision medicine. Every few days now, a new paper is published using UK Biobank Project data to link particular gene variants to a disease or trait.
Yet working with large and complex data sets in R&D laboratories requires a well-thought out and integrated laboratory informatics architecture and ecosystem. Many leading-edge companies are now applying artificial intelligence and virtual modeling in an effort analyze big data sets more efficiently and accelerate the discovery process. The bottom line: Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies engaged in genomic research must develop the computing infrastructure and skills to manage, store, analyze and interpret massive quantities of highly complex data.
Astrix Technology Group has over 20 years of experience facilitating success in implementing laboratory informatics projects in pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Our experienced professionals can help you implement innovative informatics solutions that will turn data into knowledge, increase organizational efficiency, improve quality and facilitate regulatory compliance. If you would like to discuss how to optimize your overall laboratory informatics strategy with an Astrix expert, please contact us for a free, no obligations consultation.
About Dale Curtis
Dale Curtis Jr. is the President of Astrix Technology Group. Dale is a leader in providing innovative laboratory informatics solutions to the scientific community. With over 21 years of proven success, his business approach delivers deep scientific insight with the understanding of how technology and people will impact scientific industries. Dale's strategy focuses on issues related to value engineered solutions, on demand resource and domain requirements, flexible and scalable operating and business models that help Astrix's clients find future value and growth in a scientific world.
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John Lasseter Taking Leave of Absence from Disney-Pixar as Misconduct Allegations Emerge
By Marissa Martinelli
Nov 21, 20174:48 PM
John Lasseter arrives at the premiere of Disney Pixar's Coco.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
John Lasseter, the head of Walt Disney Animation Studios, overseer of Pixar Animation Studios, and a giant in the industry, is taking a leave of absence as anonymous sources allege that he engaged in inappropriate behavior.
The news of Lasseter's sabbatical came just minutes before a new Hollywood Reporter story broke in which multiple unnamed "former Pixar insiders as well as sources in the animation community" accuse Lasseter of a pattern of misconduct. One "longtime Pixar employee" reportedly said that Lasseter made a habit of "grabbing, kissing, making comments about physical attributes" and drinks heavily at social events and premieres. Others in the story allege that women at Pixar would routinely turn their heads to avoid a kiss from Lasseter and that Lasseter would touch women inappropriately at meetings and company functions.
The Hollywood Reporter story also cites anonymous sources who claim that an unwanted advance from Lasseter is the reason that Rashida Jones and writing partner Will McCormack stopped working on Toy Story 4. Jones and McCormack have denied this to the New York Times in a joint statement, attributing their departure to an environment they say is unfair to women and minorities:
The breakneck speed at which journalists have been naming the next perpetrator renders some reporting irresponsible, and, in fact, counterproductive for the people who do want to tell their stories. The Hollywood Reporter does not speak for us. We did not leave Pixar because of unwanted advances. That is untrue. We parted ways because of creative and, more importantly, philosophical differences. There is so much talent at Pixar, and we remain enormous fans of their films. However, it is also a culture where women and people of color do not have an equal creative voice.
Disney declined to comment on the story to the Hollywood Reporter, but in an internal staff memo obtained by THR and confirmed by Variety, Lasseter announced that he would be taking a leave of absence, writing that he recently had "a number of difficult conversations" and referring to unspecified "missteps."
The memo continues:
It's been brought to my attention that I have made some of you feel disrespected or uncomfortable. That was never my intent. Collectively, you mean the world to me, and I deeply apologize if I have let you down. I especially want to apologize to anyone who has ever been on the receiving end of an unwanted hug or any other gesture they felt crossed the line in any way, shape, or form. No matter how benign my intent, everyone has the right to set their own boundaries and have them respected.
Lasseter also wrote that he would be taking a six-month sabbatical to "start taking better care of myself, to recharge and be inspired, and ultimately return with the insight and perspective I need to be the leader you deserve."
Update, Nov. 21, 9:15 p.m.: This post has been updated with Rashida Jones and Will McCormack's statement to the New York Times.


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Thomas Bachmann is New Chief Executive Officer of the Eppendorf Group
Read Time:
Following the departure of Eppendorf's previous CEO, the company's Chief Financial Officer, Detmar Ammermann, had exercised the function of Spokesman of the Management Board on an interim basis in addition to his responsibilities as CFO.
Bachmann, who has been a member of the Eppendorf Supervisory Board since 2013, came to Eppendorf from his position as President of the Bruker BioSpin Group. He has been active in the life science sector since 2005, when he took on the overall management of the globally active Tecan Group, which is headquartered in Switzerland.
"We are very pleased that we have been able to win Thomas Bachmann as our Chief Executive Officer," said Klaus Fink, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Eppendorf Group. "He has demonstrated his expertise and his strategic foresight in many ways during more than 25 years of experience in international management positions."
Bachmann explains: "Eppendorf is an innovative, customer-oriented company with a strong, well-known brand and a global orientation, and it succeeds again and again in making important contributions to analytic, medical, diagnostic and life science laboratories. I am looking forward to working with Eppendorf's very competent and committed global management to develop the company sustainably and successfully in the years to come."
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This movement needs your help.
Alongside the many local groups working to end the war on drugs and reform American drug policy, the following organizations are engaged in the issues at a national level. From service providers to advocates to information outlets, these groups are invested in shaping more sensible drug policies and need your engagement and support.
360 Degrees – Broadcasting stories about individuals and communities who have been affected by incarceration.
A New PATH – Working to educate the public about addiction, expand access to treatment services, and end discriminatory drug policies.
ACLU National Center for Justice – Focused on the problems in the U.S. criminal justice system, including policies of over-incarceration.
Alternet.org – Inspiring citizen action on the environment, human rights and civil liberties, social justice, media, and health care issues.
American Association for Medical Cannabis – Patient advocacy, patient rights, clinical research and educating decision makers.
Americans for Safe Access – National Office – Organization of patients, scientists, and concerned citizens promoting safe and legal access to cannabis for therapeutic use and research.
Americans for Tax Reform – Opposes all tax increases as a matter of principle and in doing so ending ineffective programs such as the Drug War.
Brennan Center for Justice – Non-partisan public policy and law institute that focuses on the fundamental issues of democracy and justice.
Cato Institute – Dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets and peace.
Center for Social Justice – Resource center for those committed to addressing human rights and working towards a more just society.
Change the Climate – Campaign to educate the public about the tremendous waste of our tax dollars for the "war on marijuana".
Citizens against Government Waste – Working to eliminate waste, mismanagement, and inefficiency in the federal government
Coalition for Higher Education Act Reform – Seeking to repeal the Drug Provision of the Higher Education Act also known as the "AID Elimination Penalty".
Common Sense for Drug Policy – Dedicated to reforming drug policy and expanding harm reduction.
Council on Spiritual Practices – A collaboration dedicated to bringing the insights, grace, and joy that arise from direct perception of the divine into their daily lives.
Criminal Justice Policy Foundation – Educating the public about the impacts of drug policy and problems with the criminal justice system.
DanceSafe – Harm-reduction organization promoting health and safety within the rave and nightclub community.
Drug Policy Alliance – Promoting alternatives to current drug policy that are grounded in science, compassion, health and human rights.
Drug Reform Coordination Network – Raising awareness of the consequences of prohibition.
Drug Truth Network – Reporting the unvarnished truth about the drug war.
DrugSense – Working to inform citizens and encourage involvement in drug policy reform.
Faces and Voices of Recovery – Organizing and including those affected by drug and alcohol problems in the public policy debate.
Families Against Mandatory Minimums – Fighting for fair and proportionate sentencing laws that allow judicial discretion while maintaining public safety.
Flex Your Rights – Educating the public about their basic constitutional rights.
Formerly Incarcerated and Convicted People's Movement – Working to change the criminal justice system and find alternatives to incarceration.
Harm Reduction Coalition – Committed to drug user rights and advancing harm reduction policies, practices and programs that address the adverse effects of drug use.
High Times – Advocating for marijuana legalization.
Institute for Policy Studies – Multi-issue DC think tank that promotes peace, justice, and the environment.
Institute of the Black World, 21st Century – Committed to building the capacity of Black communities to improve quality of life for all marginalized people.
Is My Medicine Legal YET? – Patient and care provider group dedicated to furthering access, public education and research regarding the therapeutic uses of cannabis.
Justice Policy Institute – Conducting research aimed at reducing reliance on incarceration
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition – A coalition of law enforcement members in favor of regulation instead of prohibition.
Malcolm X Grassroots Movement – National – Working to defend human rights and promote self-determination in African-American communities.
Moms United to End the War on Drugs – A movement to stop the violence, mass incarceration and overdose deaths resulting from punitive and discriminatory drug policies.
Marijuana Policy Project – Working towards decriminalizing and de-stigmatizing marijuana.
Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies – research organization that develops medical, legal, and cultural contexts for the careful use of psychedelics and marijuana
NAACP – Working to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination.
National Advocates for Pregnant Women – Advocating human and civil rights, health and welfare for all women, particularly pregnant and parenting women.
National Alliance of Methadone Advocates / National Alliance for Medication Assisted Recovery – Advocating for patients in treatment by de-stigmatizing and empowering medication assisted treatment.
National Association for Public Health Policy / Council on Illicit Drugs – Developing health policy, initiating legislation, and strengthening public health services.
National Center on Institutions and Alternatives – Services and care for those who come into contact with a correctional system.
National Council on Crime and Delinquency – Applying research to policy and practice in criminal justice, juvenile justice, and child welfare.
National Juvenile Justice Network – Dedicated to preventing youth from becoming involved in the courts and upholding the highest standards of care for youth in the criminal justice system.
National Lawyers Guild Drug Policy Committee – A group of lawyers and law students advocating for policies that reduce the harms of the drug war.
Open Society Institute – Nurturing the development of a society that allows all people to participate equitably in political, economic, and cultural life.
Patients Out of Time – Science-based education on cannabis.
NORML – Changing public opinion to repeal marijuana prohibition.
Prison Policy Institute / Prison Policy Initiative – Improving criminal justice policy and empowering new voices to end mass incarceration.
American Friends Service Committee – Promoting alternative, community-based systems of criminal justice that promote healing.
Protestants for the Common Good – An education and advocacy organization, advancing justice in public life.
Reason Foundation – Advancing a free society by developing promoting libertarian principles, including individual liberty, free markets, and the rule of law.
Reclaiming Futures – Helping juveniles with drug and alcohol problems to overcome addiction.
Restorative Justice Ministry Network of North America – Promoting restorative justice instead of retributive justice.
SAFER Choice – Education about marijuana vs. alcohol.
Schaffer Library of Drug Policy – A resource devoted to sharing materials on drug policy and the drug war.
Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Inc. – African Americans engaging social justice issues via faith communities.
Students for Sensible Drug Policy – An international network of students dedicated to ending the war on drugs.
Southern Poverty Law Center – Dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry, and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of society.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration – Working to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America's communities and treat addiction with health care.
The Center for Community Alternatives – Working towards community based alternatives to incarceration.
Prison Fellowship Ministries – A faith based organization supporting prisoners and their families.
The Justice Fellowship – Grassroots activism to reform public policy to a model of "restorative justice".
The National Cannabis Industry Association – Trade association of professionals working in the cannabis industry.
The November Coalition – Working to educate the public about over incarceration due to current drug laws.
The Sentencing Project – Working for a fair and effective U.S. criminal justice system by promoting reforms in sentencing policy and advocating for alternatives to incarceration.
Vera Institute for Justice – Using combined expertise to help leaders in government and civil society improve the systems people rely on for justice and safety
Veterans for Medical Marijuana Access – Veterans for Medical Cannabis Access is committed to protecting the rights of veteran patients and health care professionals by advocating for safe and legal access to therapeutic cannabis.
Vote Hemp – Dedicated to the acceptance of a free market for industrial hemp and legislation allowing U.S. farmers to grow the crop.
William C. Velazquez Institute – Working to inform the Latino leadership and public about the impact of public policies on Latinos


Contemporary Starting from the ground up, I want to build a contemporary label and I want to do it my way. Just like I did in my pro cycling career. Being part of the pro peloton for over a decade gave me deep insight into what does and does not work on the road. I use this knowledge extensively throughout every aspect of the design process. But most importantly, I believe that technical function must not inhibit style. My mission is to bring together performance, innovation and contemporary fashion. And I will give everything I have to design the perfect garment or accessory. Equality Men and women are different in many ways, but on the bike we have the same goal: we want to feel great. Just as I have an equal consideration for performance and style, I design with equal consideration for the needs of men and women. Unique The best feeling is to break away from the peloton and ride your own race. We are all cyclists and we are all unique. That's why all my collections are limited editions and all handmade accessories are one of a kind. Iris Slappendel For discerning riders who dare to choose their own route.


The Optimum Planting Date for Winter Wheat map can be found in the Downloads section of the Resources page.
The OCCC Operating Procedures for Variety Registration hav been revised as of November 2018 and are available on the Procedures page.
The 2019 Spring Cereals Infosheet in PDF format is now available in the Downloads panel on the right.
The 2018 Winter Wheat Tables are now posted on the Performance page.


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Hail the New-age Hands-on Dad – Being involved in your child's life changes you both
Billy Ng with son, Jia Jian
In the midst of our busy work schedule after our marriage, my wife Peggy and I put in much effort to start a family. Eventually, to our great joy, my son Jia Jian came along.
He was born premature, at seven-and-a-half months, with chronic lung problems. In those stressful five months immediately after his birth, I had to shuttle between work, home and the hospital on an almost daily basis.
Twice, Jia Jian was warded in the Intensive Care Unit and we nearly lost him. It was a very difficult time for us.
The experience of sitting helplessly in the hospital with my son as he struggled to breathe in the incubator strengthened my resolve to be a dad who would always actively be there in his life, so that I would not miss out on anything.
It is much easier to be a hands-on father when the children are in their pre-primary years. Be it changing diapers or bathing my son, I think I did quite well sharing the joys of parenthood with Peggy.
But when Jia Jian was due for primary school, I thought at first that the best father would be the one who made sure he studied for his spelling tests and taught him how to solve challenging mathematics problems.
Then I joined the Parent Support Group at Tampines Primary School (TPS) – and it opened a whole new world of fatherhood to me. Organising weekend activities like sleepovers at school and CCA bazaars showed me the many different ways that fathers can be there for their kids.
Later, I was nominated to head the team to run TPS Fathers@Schools group. Fathers@Schools is a programme under the National Family Council's Dads for Life movement.
Dads for a New Age
One of the first events I organised for the dads at TPS was a viewing of Father's Love, a skit by theVoice, which touched on how the values and traditions of fathering are passed down from generation to generation.
From my own experience, the reality is that, while many fathers want to be good fathers, we are quite clueless about how to go about it.
From our own fathers, we learn that dads are meant to be the disciplinarians and sole breadwinners. But fatherhood of the past may not be enough in this day and age.
While many mothers bone up on knowledge from motherhood websites and magazines, there is a lot less literature out there for fathers to learn from. The staging of Father's Love demonstrated this.
One appreciative dad afterwards wrote to me sharing how the skit had helped bridge the distance between him and his Primary 2 daughter. She had never had much to share with him, he told me, and they seldom spoke beyond talking about what to have for dinner and how she did in her school tests.
But after watching the play, when his young daughter took the initiative to have simple chats with him about her school life, he began to put in a concerted effort to give her his time and build their relationship.
Then there was John (not his real name), a Primary 4 student known for being mischievous in class.
When his dad joined him in a Father-Child Experiential Camp, we saw an immediate change in him. And after his father became more involved in his school life, John's teachers reported an improvement in his conduct in class as well.
The Twinkle in My Son's Eye
Certainly, being involved in my son's school has helped me understand him much better. While helping him with his schoolwork is still largely Peggy's area of expertise, I'm glad to say that I help him build character and confidence by passing on some of my life lessons, including time management, focus and self-sufficiency.
One of the big things I look forward to on the weekends is when we sit down to discuss his aims for the week and how much time he should spend on achieving them.
Balancing my involvement in TPS and my job has not been easy. I'm glad to say that my immediate supervisor and peers are very understanding of what I do for the school.
Peggy has also benefited from my active fatherhood. It has allowed her to take time out to attend personal development classes as she aims to re-enter the working world. I believe our shared parenting responsibility gives her the assurance that this is a partnership and not just a journey she makes alone.
My biggest motivator is Jia Jian. I often overhear him telling his classmates about how I am involved in organising a particular school event. Recently at a camp at The Float@Marina, he said that, although his father was busy, he always made an effort to sit and talk with him, and that made him happy.
To me, the twinkle in my son's eyes when we take part in activities together is the best reward and what really counts in my fatherhood journey.
This article, Hail the New-age Hands-on Dad -Being involved in your child's life changes you both, was first published in TODAY on 20 May 2012 and is reproduced with permission.
About the Author: Billy Ng, father of one, was appointed Fathers@Schools Ambassador, along with 20 other volunteers, to help schools set up their own fathers' groups and to spread the message of active fatherhood.


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