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White Cat by Holly Black; Review
by Madeleine Rex
Title: White Cat
Published: January 1st, 2010
Cassel comes from a family of curse workers — people who have the power to change your emotions, your memories, your luck, by the slightest touch of their hands. And since curse work is illegal, they're all mobsters, or con artists. Except for Cassel. He hasn't got the magic touch, so he's an outsider, the straight kid in a crooked family. You just have to ignore one small detail — he killed his best friend, Lila, three years ago.
Ever since, Cassel has carefully built up a façade of normalcy, blending into the crowd. But his façade starts crumbling when he starts sleepwalking, propelled into the night by terrifying dreams about a white cat that wants to tell him something. He's noticing other disturbing things, too, including the strange behavior of his two brothers. They are keeping secrets from him, caught up in a mysterious plot. As Cassel begins to suspect he's part of a huge con game, he also wonders what really happened to Lila. Could she still be alive? To find that out, Cassel will have to out-con the conmen.
Holly Black has created a gripping tale of mobsters and dark magic where a single touch can bring love — or death — and your dreams might be more real than your memories. [From Goodreads]
And if I wanted to kill myself, I wouldn't throw myself off a roof. And if I was going to throw myself off a roof, I would put on some pants before I did it.
*Note: I wrote this back at the beginning of April!
I am thrilled to report that I'll be attending an event of both Cassandra Clare's and Holly Black's next Wednesday. I've known they're close friends for a long time but have never gotten around to reading one of Holly's books, despite how much I adore Cassie's. I am so glad I checked White Cat out! I'm a million times more excited to meet the two of them! It's remarkable how similar Holly Blacks' style and voice are to Cassandra Clare's (a feeling that was increased by the fact that the font and design of the book is nearly identical to Cassie's). It's no wonder they get along well!
White Cat is a very well-executed and fun book about cunning characters. I loved the "mobster" families and ever-present feeling of foreboding. You couldn't trust anyone, including Cassel's (the main character) family. His mother, for instance, is an emotional worker. No, she doesn't start crying whenever she writes on post-its or giggling when she makes photo-copies – she has the ability to change a person's emotions with a simple touch of her hand.
Because of the potential danger posed by workers around the world and people's general disinterest in being manipulated (imagine that!), everyone is required to wear gloves – workers and non-workers alike. Though being a worker isn't the best situation for a family (the government takes a bit too much of an interest in them), Cassel can't help but feel cheated. He's the only member of his family without any sort of power. Coming from a family of workers, Cassel doesn't fit in with the public. It seems he doesn't belong anywhere – he's the odd one out at home and the mysterious, well, weirdo at school. His social status takes a bigger hit when he's suspended from school after getting stranded on a roof and having no recollection of how he got there.
All he remembers is his dream about a white cat biting off his tongue and running away with it.
Cassel's adventure with the white cat only accelerates from there, the risks building up like block Lego towers in a pediatrician's waiting room (ignore the oddness of that metaphor). Not only were betrayals and the wacky plans of conniving people being unveiled right and left, but Cassel himself kept me, as a reader, alert. He's certainly a gifted conman, and his own clever plots left me in the dust more than once. I'd have to pause and take a moment to catch up with his train of thought. I love it when a main character is intelligent, even if that intelligence is often used to pull of cons – particularly if that intelligence is used to pull of cons.
Not only is Cassel smart, but he's a genuinely nice guy. I'm sorry if I'm losing you. You're probably thinking: "Didn't she just explain how fabulous he is at deceiving people? What sort of people does Madeleine hang out with?" I don't usually select thieves as friends, and if I did, they would likely (and unfortunately) be lacking magical powers. However, Cassel really does surprise you. It was soon clear to me that the biggest difference between him and the workers in his family is that he sympathizes. Though many people around him would consider it a weakness, Cassel can't resist feeling for the people around him – including the people he's conning. His voice is the sort that I connect to immediately. He's reluctantly honest with himself at all times, and that adds a quality to his character that makes him all the more real.
There are so many colorful people in this book! His family is so hectic and insane that I couldn't possible stop talking about them if I started, so I'll do you a favor and only discuss his friends, namely Sam, Daneca, and Lila. Cassel had known Lila his whole life up to a specific and tragic moment that I'll leave for you to read. It's evident from the memories he has of her that she loved him, not necessarily in a romantic sort of way, but I knew she thought he was just as adorable as I did. She's rowdy and rough around the edges, but an irresistible person all the same. Daneca and Sam are Cassel's, um, "friend interests". They're not technically in any sort of real relationship to begin with, but possible candidates. They're quirky and entertaining, and Cassel soon finds there's more to them than he thought before.
I think that's true of the entire book, actually. There's more to everything than originally appears – even Cassel. As Holly Black's intricate story unravels, layer upon layer is revealed. This book and the characters within it are like an onion. Or an ogre. I encourage everyone who is a fan of a blissfully relatable voice and suspenseful, crafty plots to peel it (unless you choose the ogre simile over the onion, in which case I advise conversation over peeling).
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Q: Black screen while trying to stream IP camera in android I'm developping an android app to monitor some IP cameras.
I'm using the MjpegView Class to stream the video.
I've three cameras.

* - Camera 1: A public camera i found  on internet, without user/password.

* - Camera 2: A public camera but this one require username/password.

* - Camera 3: The camera I'm going to use finally in my app. It will also ask for credentials.

The code in my main activity is the following:
public class MainActivity extends Activity {
    private MjpegView mv;

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);

        //Camera 1
        String URL = "http://216.62.222.101/mjpg/video.mjpg";

        //Camera 2
        // String URL = "http://user:user@iprobocam.marmitek.com/cgi/mjpg/mjpg.cgi";

        //Camera 3
        // String URL = "http://MyIp:MyPort/mjpg/video.mjpg";

        requestWindowFeature(Window.FEATURE_NO_TITLE);
        getWindow().setFlags(WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_FULLSCREEN, WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_FULLSCREEN);
        mv = new MjpegView(this);
        setContentView(mv);
        mv.setSource(MjpegInputStream.read(URL));
        mv.setDisplayMode(MjpegView.SIZE_BEST_FIT);
        mv.showFps(true);
    }

    public void onPause() {
        super.onPause();
        mv.stopPlayback();
}

I can stream the camera 1 without problems. When I run the app with the cameras 2 or 3 there are no errors neither warnings but the most I get is a black screen. I thougth it was a problem with the authentification but if I remove it from my camera I get the same result, the black screen.
What is the difference between the cameras that makes some of them work but not others?
Thanks in advance for any help.
--- EDIT ---
I've found something weird while running the app with the camera 2.
I catch an exception in MjpegView class when it calls the method MjpegInputStream.readMjpegFrame.
Looking deeper I notice that the method getEndOfSeqeunce always return 1 while Camera 1 (the one which works well) return higher values (between 66 and 68).
I hope this can give someone an idea of what is happening here...

A: Finally I solved it!
I don't know why it didn't work the first time I tried to stream this camera removing the Authentication. But today I've tried again and now it works.
So now the problem was in the Authentication. It's not possible to add the credentials in the URL like in a browser.
I just modified the MjpegInputStream to set the credentials in the HTTPClient:
DefaultHttpClient httpclient = new DefaultHttpClient();
httpclient.getCredentialsProvider().setCredentials(new AuthScope(host, AuthScope.ANY_PORT), new UsernamePasswordCredentials(username, password));
res = httpclient.execute(new HttpGet(URI.create(url)));

And yes, finally it's working

A: This works too if you don't want to enter hostname.
CredentialsProvider provider = new BasicCredentialsProvider();
UsernamePasswordCredentials credentials = new UsernamePasswordCredentials("username", "password");
provider.setCredentials(AuthScope.ANY, credentials);
DefaultHttpClient httpclient = new DefaultHttpClient();
httpclient.setCredentialsProvider(provider);
res = httpclient.execute(new HttpGet(URI.create(url)));

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Based in a converted village pub, a shop and exhibition space, with occasional workshops and events. Large room to hire for parties, meetings, music and dance. There are 7 resident artists studios running a range of creative businesses that you are welcome to visit but best to check for individual opening times Also sell coffee.
The Running Fox is a small and friendly Coffee Shop and Artisan Bakery. Serves a lovely range of hand crafted sour dough breads, scones, cakes, pies and quiches by the river in Felton - and temptingly near - my Studio is just a stroll away!
Helen is a glass artist creating beautiful unique stained and fused glass work. Commissions and workshops.
A beautiful Bar and Restaurant with Rooms by the River Coquet. Situated approximately one mile from the A1, perfectly positioned for direct access North & South. The Northumberland Arms was built in the 1820's by Hugh Percy, 3rd Duke of Northumberland as a Coaching Inn and has now been fully renovated to an extremely high standard.
The gardens at Howick are deliberately aimed at garden lovers with the extensive grounds offering a wide variety of plants throughout the year and are open from early February until mid November.


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Home/Books/ON BOOKS: 'The Damage Done' depicts the duality of mankind
ON BOOKS: 'The Damage Done' depicts the duality of mankind
Why is it so much easier to write a sad story than a happy one?
The simplest answer is that happy people are more likely to be out and about, getting on with their lives, instead of being holed up in some warren writing stories. Happiness is its own reward, but a lousy motivator.
There's also the distressing notion that there is something in our nature dismissing happy endings as insipid and unrealistic. Happiness is seen as simple and bland, while emotional turmoil is complex, deep, rich, and therefore more interesting to explore.
At the beginning of "Anna Karenina," Leo Tolstoy wrote: "All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."
It's important to note that Tolstoy didn't imply that happy families were more common than unhappy ones; only that happy families share a common set of attributes that lead them to be happy. And unhappy families are unhappy for any number of reasons. Happiness depends on a kind of perfection, and anything short of perfection can result in interesting unhappiness.
I thought about this so-called Anna Karenina Principle when reading Michael Landweber's fantasy novel "The Damage Done" (Crooked Lane, $27.99). While dystopian fantasy and science fiction novels abound, you rarely see the opposite — a utopian novel that explores what might happen if something good actually happened to mankind.
I know next to nothing about the world of fantasy writing, and I probably would have passed on "The Damage Done" had I not noticed a back-cover blurb by Kevin Brockmeier, the Arkansas novelist whose work I admire and who, if you' re prone to sorting things into genre bins, might be said to write fantasy novels. I don't think of Kevin's work that way, but when I saw he had good things to say about "The Damage Done," I thought maybe I'd try out a fantasy novel.
And "The Damage Done" is a very high-concept book. It is about the end of violence — or at least the end of person-on-person physical violence. In Landweber's otherwise grounded universe, some mysterious force has made it impossible for us to hurt one another.
A bully goes to punch the bullied and the fist loses velocity and gently grazes the intended victim. Bullets hang in the air, little constellations of lead never reaching their target. The Pope wonders if "Thou Shalt Not Kill" is an obsolete commandment.
The politicians wonder how they might continue to make war.
The book lights on a series of intertwined characters. There's Marcus, a Black teenager whose brother Malcolm was the last victim of gun violence in America. Richard was Malcolm's professor, himself a survivor of gun violence, alert to the special anxiety of raising Black sons in America. Ann is a social worker and battered wife who works at an institution run by a billionaire who endowed the "Down to Gown" program that made it possible for Marcus to attend college.
The Murderer finds that the words he means to say to the parole board are suddenly congruent with reality. He will not kill again, even though he always enjoyed it before. A couple of anti-Semitic terrorists find their plans to shoot up a synagogue thwarted. A Salvadoran refugee traveling to the US in a caravan is saved from gang rape when her would-be attackers find their flesh unwilling to cooperate.
The Empty Shell, a dissident writer imprisoned in an unnamed country for his diatribes against Dear Leader, finds his torturers impotent.
Questions abound, and Landweber wisely answers only a few of them. Self-harm is still possible, as a dictator and his son demonstrate. There are nonviolent forms of torture. And while something — a never-revealed deus ex machina — has rendered violence against others impossible, the human heart is still capable of racism, hate and selfishness. We can wish violence on one another; we can't execute it. In some ways, the end of violence reveals the bottomless capacity of human beings for cruelty.
We can still get our feelings hurt, we can still cause each other emotional pain, even when we lack intent. Marcus feels victimized by a society bent on turning his brother into a symbol. We can spew slurs, we can steal and destroy property. We are ingenious; take away our violence and we come up with other tools.
But in the end, thanks in part to a "10 years later" coda, Landweber's vision is ultimately an optimism one, with lots of good days. He manages a rare trick, a happy song that doesn't feel silly or Pollyanna-ish, that embraces the entire animal complexity of our kind, and acknowledges both our habit of fear and our aptitude for hope.
Cinque libri con menti e ricordi caricati
10 migliori come disegnare libri per bambini
Hempfield Area continues debate on change to curriculum review of challenged books
Il libro YA di Jodi Picoult con la figlia aprirà come musical off-Broadway
Puoi solo apprezzare le cose

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Tokyo, Dec 7, 2011 – – Hays Specialist Recruitment Japan K.K. today announces the appointment of Jonathan Sampson as Regional Director. In this senior management role he is responsible for supporting Hays' continuing growth in Japan.


Unhealthiness of New Houses.—The unhealthiness of new houses is due to the presence of moisture in their walls. This moisture may be held either mechanically, as by capillary attraction in the bricks, mortar, and plaster; or chemically, in the hydrate of lime. Moisture held mechanically is removable by air and warmth; chemically-held moisture is removed gradually by the action of carbonic acid contained in the air. A writer in the English Mechanic suggests the use of a dew-point thermometer as a means of determining whether a house is sufficiently free from moisture to be inhabitable. If we take a reading of this in the open air, in the shade, and protected from wind, we have the actual atmospheric conditions. If we now transfer the instrument to a room in the house which has been closed for a few hours and without artificial heating, we find the internal conditions. If the dry thermometer is lowered, we may conclude that the walls are cold, and so absorb heat. If the difference between the wet and dry bulbs is lessened, we know the evaporation conditions are lessened; that is, that the internal atmosphere is overcharged with moisture. The two together will prove that the walls are damp, and that the house is disadvantageous to health.
New Tanning Process.—An exhibition was recently given at Havre, France, of Montoison's process of tanning. A variety of skins were experimented on, from the fresh skin of a calf, to the old skins of sheep and goats burnt and hardened by a tropical sun; more time of course was required to unhair the latter than the former. The skins were first soaked in hot water, then they received two coats of a pasty liquid on the inside, and were piled up, inside to inside, to undergo the action of the composition. After the skins had been soaked for a short time, the wool and hair came from them absolutely intact. The manner in which the wool came away from the skin by a touch of the hand created considerable astonishment in the minds of those who witnessed the experiments. In a few seconds the skins were dipped in two special baths to neutralize the unhairing composition, and the afternoon was devoted to tanning experiments, which proved the invention to be a complete success. Experienced tanners, who were present, declared the leather produced to be, to all appearance, fully equal to that produced by the tedious methods in common use.
The Economy of Vegetarianism.—A writer in the Quarterly Journal of Science makes a trenchant criticism of the arguments usually employed by vegetarians in support of their system of diet. The author considers the question from the economic, the moral, and the hygienic points of view, but we have not space to give more than an epitome of his remarks on the first of these topics. One hundred acres of good land, say the vegetarians, will support a greater amount of human life if planted with wheat, potatoes, or other crops directly consumed by man, than if laid out in pasture or set with vegetables intended for the food of cattle. This is true, but all land is not good; in every country there is abundance of land that is unfit for tillage, and which, nevertheless, yields excellent pasture. Under a vegetarian régime such lands would cease to supply the food-market. So too the produce of the forest and moor—game—would cease. More serious still, the waters would no longer contribute their share. It might be said that poor lands could still be used for pasture, and the produce of flocks and herds (wool, butter, cheese, milk) utilized. But if the grazer cannot sell the meat, it would be unprofitable to keep animals, unless he could get, for the products above named, prices a hundredfold higher than he gets now. Besides, the use of milk, butter, and cheese, is inconsistent with vegetarian principles. In a strictly vegetarian country, tallow, hides, and hair, could scarcely be procured. Again, the refuse of the fisheries is rising into importance as a manure fully equal to Peruvian guano. But, if fish might no longer be captured, the supply of this fertilizer would be cut off, unless indeed the destruction of animal life for purposes other than food received an exceptional sanction. Even then the cost of the raw material would be greatly enhanced.
Ancient American Civilization.—In the "Congress of Americanists," held last July at Nancy, France, a very learned paper was read by Prof. Foucaux, of the Collége de France, in favor of the theory that the ancient civilization of America is the work of Buddhist missionaries. The theory was hotly attacked by several of the distinguished men present, among them by Friedrich von Hellwald. The latter compared the story of Huei-shen to that of the sea-serpent. Dr. Hellwald is of the opinion that this theory received its death-blow at the Congress. Two other theories were also very badly damaged, namely, those of a lost continent of Atlantis and of Phœnician settlements in America. M. Léon de Rosny delivered a masterly address on the Maya hieroglyphics. The Maya was the sacred language of the ancient inhabitants of Yucatan, and the monuments of that country bear a number of inscriptions in a hieroglyph which has been only very partially deciphered as yet. M. de Rosny first critically analyzed the attempts at decipherment made by his predecessors, the Abbé Brasseur de Bourbourg and H. de Charencey. The Bishop Diego de Landa first discovered a clew to the meaning of these hieroglyphs; he made out the meaning of seventy-one signs, and the number has been increased to one hundred and thirty-two by De Rosny. The latter has also determined the order in which these signs should be read. As a rule, they run from left to right, but in exceptional cases from right to left. M. Oscar Coraettant, of Paris, a musician and composer, attended the Congress expressly for the purpose of reading a deeply interesting paper on "Music in America before its Discovery by Columbus." The author described the Peruvian flute, and, to give the audience an idea of ancient" Indian music, had a few simple native Peruvian melodies performed by members of the garrison band. The effect was very pleasing. A comparison of this music with that of China shows that the two are in no respect alike. Here was a new and unexpected argument against the truth of the Huei-shen story. The next meeting of the "Congress of Americanists" will be held in 1877, in the city of Luxembourg.
Climatology of New Zealand.—The two large islands of the New Zealand group, North and South Island, are both very mountainous. In the North Island the mountains occupy about one-tenth of the surface, and in the South nearly four-fifths. The rivers are very numerous, and of large size in proportion to the area of the country; but few of them, however, are navigable. The greatest height of the main range in North Island is 6,000 feet; but in the South Island there are peaks from 10,000 to 14,000 feet in height. The changes of weather and temperature in New Zealand are very sudden; calms and gales, rain and sunshine, heat and cold, alternate so frequently and suddenly as to defy previous calculation, so that there is no uniformly dry or wet season in the year. But, though these changes are sudden and frequent, they are confined within very narrow limits, the extremes of daily temperature varying throughout the year by an average of 20° only, while in Europe, at Rome, and other places of corresponding latitude with New Zealand, the same variation is 30° or more. In respect to temperature, New Zealand may be compared either with England or Italy; but London is 7° colder than the North, and 4° colder than the South Island, and is less moist. Strong winds are prevalent, and particularly in the straits. Rain falls frequently, but seldom in such excessive quantity, or for such long periods, as in Australia. The rainfall, in 1871, was 54½ inches; that of New York City in 1873 was 42½.
Science-Teaching for the Young.—The master of a school for young boys gives an account in Nature of his method of teaching his young pupils science. For the purposes of scientific instruction, the pupils are divided into three classes, the lowest of which contains about twenty boys, whose average age is nine years. Class II. is composed of ten boys, of an average age of twelve years, while the first class contains twelve boys, of an average age of twelve and a half years. The time weekly devoted to science-instruction is, for Class III., two lessons in botany of three-quarters of an hour each, and one hour's lesson in physical geography. The pupils are taught to distinguish the parts of a flower, and, by the aid of a chart, to discover the order to which any plant belongs. The second class gives two and a half hours per week to botany. The standard of knowledge aimed at is such as is contained in Prof. Oliver's books, and the boys are expected to be able to find out any given plant in Bentham's "British Flora." The boys in the first class study chemistry, and spend one afternoon of an hour and a half at practical work in the laboratory. Another afternoon is employed in listening to a lecture founded upon a chapter in a text-book of chemistry. The boys, after the lecture, study up its subject-matter in the text-book, so as to be able to answer questions on it at the beginning of the next lesson. The standard aimed at is the power to discover a simple acid and base, and an acquaintance with the text-book. "These sciences," continues the author, "were chosen less as subjects of study than as instruments of training in order to cultivate the powers of observation, and to encourage a habit of inductive reasoning. If the teaching of science in its early stages is thus regarded more as a means than as an end, there is no child, who has begun to learn anything at all, who may not be taught some branch of it with advantage." The attempt was at first made to teach the children science without making them learn anything by heart. The result was, that they did not know what to do with the facts they had collected, and lost them as fast as they picked them up. "But, since the botany boys have been set to learn the chart by heart, and since the chemistry boys have been using a text-book, the progress made has been far more satisfactory. A young child's reasoning powers are so feeble that he needs to be constantly guided in the use of them, and, before being set to observe, he requires to be furnished with a cadre in which to arrange his battalions of facts."
Fishing for Glass-Sponges.—The mode of fishing for the Euplectella, or "Venus's Flower-basket," on the coast of Zebu, one of the Philippines, is described as follows in the journal of a member of the Challenger Expedition: "The natives use an ingeniously-contrived instrument in taking the sponges. Two long strips of bamboo meet at an angle of 45°, and are fixed in that position by an elaborate system of stays of bamboo, which are attached to a piece of wood running back from the angle, between the two arms or wings of the machine. The piece of wood is weighted with stones, and a line is attached to it, so that the machine is pulled along on the bottom, with the angle in advance, and the two wings sloping backward. The outer edge of each of the bamboo rods is armed with between thirty and forty large fish-hooks, with their barbs set forward. The regederas, as the Spaniards call the euplectellas, are found at a depth of about a hundred fathoms. The Indian lets down the machine with a strong fine line of Manila hemp, and pulls it slowly over the ground. Every now and then he feels a slight tug, and at the end of an hour or so he pulls it in, with usually from five to ten regederas on the hooks. Euplectella has a very different appearance, under these circumstances, from the cones of glassy network so well known under that name. Its silver beard is clogged with the dark-gray mud in which it lives buried to about one-third of its height, and the network of the remainder of the tube is covered with a pall of yellowish sarcode.
Congress of German Anthropologists.—The Congress of Anthropologists held its sessions for 1875 in Munich, in the early part of August. The president, Prof. Virchow, reviewed the history of the German Anthropological Society since its origin, sixteen years ago. Prof. Zittel called the attention of the delegates to the collection of prehistoric relics on exhibition in one of the halls of the Odeon. The collection represented the ancient Kelto-Germanic period of Bavarian history, and was the result of the joint efforts of various historical societies, aided by the Government and by private collectors. "Of Tertiary man," said Prof. Zittel, "no trace is found in Bavaria, any more than in the rest of Germany, nor have we any human memorials from the period of the preglacial Diluvium. Even the Cavern and the Stone age yield but few human remains. Burying-places furnish both dolichocephalous and brachycephalous crania—the latter belonging to Southern Bavaria, the former to the Allemans and Franks. We must not deny to the Bavarian of to-day a Germanic origin on account of his brachycephaly, for even the Frisians are brachycephalic also. In manners and customs Bavaria is as German as any other portion of Germany, and it is not to be dropped out of the German organism. Its post is that of guardian of the southern marches."
The Weddas of Ceylon.—A paper by Mr. B. F. Hartshorne, read at the British Association, gives some interesting particulars of the social condition and habits of the Weddas of Ceylon. The Weddas depend for their subsistence on bows and arrows, and pass their lives in the vast forests of the country without any habitation, and without even the rudest attempt at cultivating the soil. No flint or stone implements are to be found among them, and they produce a flame by rubbing two sticks together. Their intellectual capacity is so small, that they are unable to count or to discriminate colors. They are almost destitute of the religious sentiment, as well as of an appreciation of personal cleanliness, for they habitually eschew ablutions. They abhor theft and lying. But, perhaps the most remarkable trait in the character of the Weddas is the apparent absence of a faculty which is held to be peculiar to the human race that of laughter. It is stated that they regard the expression of mirth by others with surprise and disgust, and that no Wedda has ever been known to laugh.
Lettuce as Food for Silkworms.—A writer in Das Ausland states that, in the summer of 1873, a few silkworms, belonging to his children, were fed with lettuce for some time after being hatched, mulberry-leaves not being obtainable. The caterpillars ate the lettuce ravenously, but, when they were about half-grown, a supply of mulberry-leaves was procured, and this constituted their food for the rest of the season. The moths in due time spun their cocoons as usual, and the next spring the author himself determined to feed the silkworms only on lettuce. The young brood devoured the lettuce in great quantities, care being taken to leave no moisture on the surface of the leaves. The insects grew and went through their metamorphoses in the usual manner; a few only died, and they from carelessness in not wiping the leaves dry. The cocoons were of good quality, and the author intended to exhibit some of them at the Royal Agricultural Hall in Stuttgart. Time alone can determine whether silkworms will degenerate on being fed on lettuce. However this may be, the subject is one that is worthy of investigation.
Dredging for Amber.—According to an official report from Memel, Germany, an establishment has been organized for obtaining amber by dredging in the Kurische Haff, near the village of Schwarzorts, situated about twelve miles south of Memel. It has been known for many years that amber existed in the soil of this place, from the fact that the dredger employed by the Government for clearing away the shallow spots near Schwarzorts, which impeded navigation, brought up pieces of amber, which were duly appropriated by the workmen, and at the time no particular attention was paid to the matter. Some time afterward, however, some speculators associated, and made an offer to the Government not only to do the dredging wherever required at their own expense, but to pay a daily rent, provided the amber which they might find should become their property. This proposal was accepted, and the rent fixed at 15 thalers, and later at 25 thalers, for each working day. The dredging was begun with four machines worked by men, and one worked by horses. Judging from the extended business transactions in this matter, its results must have been extremely profitable. At present, the work is carried on with eighteen steam-dredges and two tug-boats, the whole managed by about 1,000 laborers.
Temperature of Germination.—It is generally supposed that the seeds of plants do not germinate at a temperature lower than 4° or 5° Cent. (40° Fahr.), but certain experiments made by Uloth, and published in the German botanical magazine, Flora, would seem to show that this opinion is erroneous. In Dr. Uloth's experiments the seeds of Acer platanoides and of Triticum germinated at a temperature not exceeding zero C. (32° Fahr.). In the winters of 1871-'72 and 1872-'73, he made the following experiments: He took two boxes and in each had a certain depth of water frozen into a block of ice. In these blocks he made furrows four millimetres deep, in which he sowed seeds of various plants, which were the same for the two boxes. He now covered the boxes with a plate of ice, and stored them away in two separate ice-houses. He then partly filled two boxes with soil, in which he sowed the same kinds of seeds. These boxes he also covered with plates of ice, and stored them in the same ice-houses with the others. Care was taken to have a good thickness of ice (over four feet) surrounding the boxes on every side, so as to provide against any elevation of the temperature. The boxes were placed in the ice-houses in January, 1872, at a temperature of -8° C., and they were taken out on May 15th. In 1873, they were placed in the ice-houses in February, the temperature being -5° C., examined on March 25th, and removed on May 15th. The kinds of seed sown were twenty-five in number. On March 25th, four had germinated, viz., Lepidium ruderale, L. sativum, Sinapis alba and Brassica napus, all Cruciferæ. On May 15th, besides the foregoing, the following seeds had germinated: Arabis alpina, Æthionema saxatile, Brassica nigra, Petroselinum sativum, Cannabis sativa, Ervum lens, Pisum sativum, Avena sativa, Secale cereale, Hordeum vulgare, Triticum vulgare.
Hence it appears that the seed of Cruciferæ and of Gramineæ freely germinate at the temperature of zero C. Of the seeds named above, about an equal number germinated in ice and in earth. The radicles had penetrated the blocks of ice. Those seeds which had not germinated lay rotten on the surface of the ice or of the soil.
Transformation of Species.—An instance of transformation of species is recorded as follows in the Zeitschrift für Wissenschaftliche Zoologie. There are some salt-marshes near Odessa, which in 1871 contained numbers of Artemia salina, a minute crustacean, also known as the brine-worm. At that time, owing to the rupture of a dike, the quantity of salt in the pond was very small, the water marking 8° in the Baumé areometer. The dikes were repaired, and concentration then proceeded rapidly until, in September, 1875, the water marked 25°. As the salt was increased the Artemia salina was modified from generation to generation, so that, by the end of 1874, several individuals had no caudal lobes (see figure of A. salina in No. 20 of the Monthly, December, 1873), and they presented all the specific characters of Artemia Mulhauseni. The changes observed from-year to year are minutely described. They appeared especially in the caudal part, and were accompanied by diminution of size. These observations were confirmed by experiments made on Artemia kept in water of various degrees of softness. In the inverse experiment from a greater to a less softness, A. Mulhauseni returned to the form of A. salina. As the saltness increased or decreased, there was an increase of diminution of the surfaces of the bronchiæ. The writer of the article further gives reasons for thinking that the genus Artemia is only a degraded form of Bronchipus, degraded through the influence of the medium.
Clothing the Young.—"Hygiene of Dress" is the subject of a series of articles in the Sanitary Record. The author's remarks concerning the proper clothing of infants and children are judicious. "Warmth," he says, "is the first requisite for infants, who are very susceptible to cold. The clothing of the infant should be both light and warm. Its purpose is to protect the infant from chills, or rather to prevent too great a loss of heat. It should be ample enough to prevent any pressure on the blood-vessels, which would impede the circulation and hinder the free development of the members. It should be especially easy over the chest, in order to insure the free play of the lungs and heart, and should be equally ample around the stomach and the intestines, in order not to interfere with digestion. The sleeves should be wide, in order that the garment may be easily put on, and to favor the circulation of the blood in the arteries and veins of the arms and legs. The robe should be long enough to preserve the infant from cold, but not so long as to be a burden. The head should not be covered. A cap often tends to favor congestions; sometimes, too, it compresses the head, and certain cerebral affections have been, apparently with good reason, referred to this cause alone.
An Automatic Light-Registering Machine.—Mr. Crookes has made an ingenious application of his radiometer to meteorological purposes. In our present meteorological records we note variations in heat, rainfall, atmospheric pressure, etc., but light, the most important influence, has been neglected hitherto, for the want of a machine for automatically registering its variations. Mr. Crookes has arranged the arms of his radiometer so that they carry round a small magnet suspended beneath them. The amount of light falling on the pith-balls at the extremities of the radiometer arms determines the rate of rotation. Near the magnet, attached to the rotating arms, is suspended another magnet, which oscillates as the attached magnet presents alternately its north and south poles. This oscillation makes and breaks an electric circuit, which, by a wire of any required length, is connected with a recording Morse machine moved by clockwork. Each revolution of the rotating pith-balls is thus recorded by a punch of the Morse on a strip of paper, and so a register is kept of the amount of light falling at any place.
A Mountain of Granite.—The "Stone Mountain" of De Kalb County, Georgia, is described in the American Journal of Science by Mr. E. Hillyer. It is a solid, bald mass of granite, from 1,500 to 2,000 feet in height. The northeast side is perpendicular, unbroken, and smooth; the northwest side is inclined so as to be of easy ascent; while the west and southwest are so steep as to be barely accessible. On the inclined surface the rock breaks off in layers, a few inches to several feet thick, which structure may be due to shrinking in cooling, and to atmospheric influences, together with solar heat. The rock is perfectly homogeneous, with no trace of stratification—a pure whitish granite. There is no doubt that below the surface lamination a piece could be quarried out a quarter of a mile in length, if man could command the means. This granite exists over a wide region of country, and is much used for building-purposes.
Rattlesnakes and their Bites.—In the course of some notes on the rattlesnake, published in Forest and Stream, Dr. J. W. Bailey, of Albany, asserts that this serpent is the most sluggish of the snake family. It never strikes unless in self-defense, excepting just before and after its winter sleep. Of course, the rattlesnake's idea of self defense is rather broad. Thus, if a person step upon it by the purest accident the snake will make no allowance, but strikes the intruder on the spot. To strike, however, it must be in close coil, with its head erect. It is capable of springing only a little more than half its length, unless it be lying on an inclined plane; then, by supporting itself entirely on its tail, it can spring much farther. Hogs attack the rattlesnake with impunity, the effect of the poison being probably neutralized by a thick layer of adipose tissue. Dr. Bailey is able to contradict, from his own experience, the statement that serpents do not move about at night; he has often, when riding by moonlight seen them gliding through the grass. The author says that, when the venom of a serpent has entered the circulation, all remedies are unavailing. He has seen a freshly-killed chicken split open and applied to the wound, with good results. In such cases the flesh of the chicken turns green and putrid where it comes in contact with the virus. The most certain remedy, however, is whiskey or brandy used in large quantities—say a quart—immediately. Intoxication is not exhibited until the poison has been counteracted. Sweet-oil, taken in doses of several ounces, is also effectual. Sportsmen camping in Texas are accustomed, after pitching their tent, to stretch around it a hair lariat. The short hairs irritate the snake's belly as he attempts to cross the lariat, and he retreats.
Cause of Monstrosities.—In the course of a discussion of the subject of "monstrosities," in the Detroit Academy of Medicine, Prof. Armor, of the Long Island Medical College, who was present, presented some ingenious views, which may be briefly stated as follows: Monstrosity is commonly referred to "arrest of development" or to "abnormal development." But what is the true cause? Prof. Armor answers: 1. Something deficient or abnormal in the generative matter from which the fœtus is developed. This generative matter he looked upon as representative; there is not a tissue, structure, or form, that is not represented in it, so that deviation from the normal type may be impressed at the very instant of conception. The next point was the faithful transmission of acquired structural peculiarities, when once fully established. Finally, it was suggested that the discussion of this subject bears directly upon the great question of evolution: the strongest and fittest survive; weak parts of the organism atrophy and die—they cease to be seminally represented. 2. The next cause of monstrosities mentioned was such as operated directly on the fœtus in utero. The generative matter may be perfect and fully representative, but certain morbid influences may act directly on the fœtus. Dr. Armor instanced the experiments made in producing malformations by submitting hens' eggs to various mechanical influences during incubation. In conclusion, he held that all causes of malformation would come under one of two heads: They are either generative or mechanical—sometimes one operating, sometimes the other, sometimes both.
Habitat of the Crocodile.—Till recently the two American species of crocodile, described by Cuvier, have been supposed to be confined to South America and the West Indies. In 1870 Prof. Wyman identified a skull from Florida as belonging to Cuvier's species, Crocodilus acutus. Mr. William T. Hornaday now describes in the American Naturalist two specimens—male and female—of the Crocodilus acutus which he captured last year in the vicinity of Biscayne Bay, on the southeast coast of Florida. The male was fourteen feet in length, and his girth at a point midway between fore and hind legs was five feet two inches. His teeth were large and blunt; his head rugose and knotty, with armor-plates very large and rough. On dissection it was found that during life he had sustained serious bodily injuries, probably in battle. Three of his teeth were shattered; the tibia and fibula of the right hind-leg had been broken in the middle and again united, also one of the metatarsal bones of the same limb; the tail had been docked, and two of the vertebrae had grown together solidly.
The female measured ten feet eight inches. Her head was regular in outline, comparatively smooth, with white, regular, and sharp plates, even in surface and contour, and colors very marked. The entire under-surface of both specimens was pale-yellow, shading gradually darker up the sides with fine irregular streaks and spots of black. The general appearance of the female was decidedly yellowish, while the back and tail of the male showed an almost entire absence of yellow, the prevailing color being a leaden, lustreless black. While in Florida the author saw the skulls or other remains of three other crocodiles. He observes that all the specimens were taken in water that is brackish about half the time.
Effects of Strain on the Magnetism of Soft Iron.—The following account of experiments made by Sir William Thomson, with a view to ascertain the effects of stress upon the magnetism of soft iron, we take from the Telegraphic Journal. Wires of steel and of soft iron, about twenty feet long, were suspended from the roof of the physical laboratory of Glasgow University. An electro-magnetic helix was placed around a few inches of each of the wires, so that the latter could be magnetized when an electric current was passed through the former, the induced current thus produced in a second helix outside the first being indicated by a second galvanometer. With steel wire, the magnetism diminished when weights were attached to the wire, and increased when they were taken off; but with "special" soft-iron wire (wire almost as soft as lead), the magnetism was increased when weights were put on, and diminished when they were taken off. Afterward he discarded the electrical apparatus; and, by suspending a piece of soft wire near the magnetometer, consisting of a needle a small fraction of a grain in weight, with a reflecting mirror attached, the wire was magnetized inductively, simply by the magnetism of the earth, and changes in its magnetism were made by applying weights and strains, the changes being then indicated by the magnetometer.
The Origin of Astronomy.—Like that of many other sciences and arts, the origin of astronomy has been ascribed to various nations of antiquity, and it is very doubtful if any one of these can lay exclusive claim to the credit of having been its founder. The succession of day and night and of the seasons, the phases of the moon, and the motions of the heavenly bodies, must have enlisted the attention of man from the earliest times and in every clime. The result would naturally be a more or less perfect system of astronomy. Some nations, no doubt, from one cause or another, cultivated this science with more success than others, and among these the Assyrians, Babylonians, or Chaldeans, are preëminent. The records of their observations were adopted by the Greeks, and through the latter were transmitted to the Romans. Thus our modern astronomy is really traceable back to the plains of Babylonia. The question arises, Of what race were the founders of Chaldean astronomy? This subject is considered by A. H. Sayce, who, in a communication to Nature, says that they were not Semites, but a people who are now generally termed Accadians, and who spoke an agglutinative language. "They had come from the mountains of Elam or Susiana, on the east, bringing with them the rudiments of writing and civilization. They found a cognate race already settled in Chaldea, and in conjunction with the latter they built the great cities of Babylonia, whose ruins still attest their power and antiquity. Somewhere between 3000 and 4000 b. c., the Semites entered the country from the east, and gradually contrived to conquer the whole of it. It is probable the conquest was completed about 2000 b. c. At all events Accadian became a dead language some two or three centuries later, but, as the Semitic invaders owed almost all the civilization they possessed to their more polished predecessors, it remained the language of literature, like Latin in the middle ages, down to the last days of the Assyrian Empire."
Sounds produced by blowing into a Flame.—Some noteworthy observations have been made by Decharme on the production of sounds by blowing into a flame through a tube. He is of opinion that the air acts rather chemically than mechanically. The sounds, according to him, result from small explosions by the combination of the oxygen of the air with the hydrogen or carbon of the flame, in imperfect combustion. For the sound to occur, the presence of air, or of an inert gas mixed with oxygen, seems necessary. In one of M. Decharme's experiments the white flame from a Bunsen burner, with the lateral apertures closed, gave a very strong sound when blown into with a tube; whereas the blue flame, produced when the apertures are open, gave a very weak one, or none at all. Carbonic acid alone, or nitrogen, or oxygen, or chlorine, blown into a flame of illuminating gas, gave little or no sound; protoxide of nitrogen gave a sound that was weak, but more acute than that obtained from air.
Exploration of Victoria Cave.—Dr. Tiddeman read a report on the exploration of the Victoria Cave, Settle, during the year 1874–'75. The report assigns to the preglacial or the glacial age the lower deposits of this cave, which contain early Pleistocene animal remains associated with a human fibula. The animal bones were nearly all mere fragments, though one was perfect; they represent bears, oxen, deer, goats or sheep, elephants, swans, etc. Attention was called in the report to the great distance of time which separated that age from our own. In the cave Roman times were separated from our own day by deposits sometimes less than a foot thick, but nowhere by more than two feet of talus, the chips which time detached from the cliffs above. The Neolithic age, which antiquaries know was a considerable time before the Roman occupation, is represented in some places at a depth of four or five feet beneath the Roman layer, but at others it runs into it. Then come nine feet of talus without a record of any living thing. Judging by the shallowness of the Roman layer, this must represent an enormous interval of time. Next come the bowlders, the inscribed records of the Glacial period. They must represent a long series of climatic changes during which the ice was waxing and waning, advancing and moving back over the mouth of the cave. Then there is a break in the continuity of the deposits, the bowlders lying on the edges of the older beds, which shows that time was given for changes to take place to allow the district to cool down from a warmth suitable to the hippopotamus and become a fitting pasture for the reindeer. It was in that warm period that the man lived and died whose fibula occurs among the bones in the cave.
Methods of preserving Fresh Meat.—So numerous are the processes devised in modern times for the preservation of food, that a simple catalogue of them would occupy several pages of this magazine. In so far as the preservation of vegetables and of certain fruits is concerned a very fair measure of success has undoubtedly been achieved; but with flesh-meat the case is different. We propose to describe here a few of the chief methods adopted for preserving meats, following for the most part a writer upon this subject in the Journal of the Society of Arts. These methods may all be reduced under the four heads of Desiccation, Refrigeration, Use of Chemical Antiseptics, and Application of Heat. Desiccation or drying has been practised from the earliest times. Charqui, or jerked beef, is an example of fairly successful preservation, but it is immensely inferior to fresh meat. Some years ago the food committee of the London Society of Arts reported favorably upon some specimens of "powdered beef" from Queensland; but the article has been unable to win its way to public favor. The reason of this no doubt is, that animal matter preserved by desiccation loses its flavor and becomes tough and indigestible, the fat becomes rancid, and in damp weather the whole turns mouldy and sour. These difficulties are to some extent obviated by mixing absorbent substances with fatty food, as in "pemmican," where sugar and spice are mixed with dry powdered meat. Meat-biscuit is made on a similar principle. Tellier, of Paris, adopts the following method: He first exhausts the air from a close vessel containing the meat, then fills it with carbonic-acid gas, again exhausts and again fills with the same gas. In this way the air is almost entirely removed. He then absorbs the carbonic acid by the use of a concentrated solution of potash, by which a very near approach to a vacuum is produced. The meat is removed from the vessel after three days, and may be kept sound without further trouble, but it will have lost 20 per cent, of its weight.


Credit - GRASS TorontoFile Photo / © Photabulous!
"As long as animals are treated as things, not beings, we're not going away."
GRASS Toronto, the same group behind 2018's viral Antler restaurant protests, staged another anti-speciesism demonstration on April 13.
"In addition to every single life mattering, in addition to all animals whether at a fast food place or an independent going to the same slaughterhouse, in addition to Toronto being made up of many small businesses, adding up to a lot of exploited animals," the post continues, listing off several stories of successful vegan conversions.


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Grofers raises fresh funds from existing investors, valuation hits $425M
SoftBank has moved Grofers to its $100 billion Vision Fund. The Japanese group had earlier backed the e-grocer through its balance sheet.Alnoor Peermohamed | ETtech | February 28, 2019, 18:22 IST
Grocery delivery startup, Grofers has raised around $60 million in fresh capital from Softbank Vision Fund (SVF), the first tranche of a larger $120-140 million funding round that the company is stitching together.
ET had first reported about the financing round in its October 29, edition last year. As reported at the time, SoftBank has moved Grofers to its $100 billion Vision Fund. The Japanese group had earlier backed the e-grocer through its balance sheet.
The investment comes at a time when competition in the the online grocery delivery space has heated up, with well capitalised firms such as Swiggy making a beeline for a piece of the action. Grofers' bigger rival BigBasket is also in discussions to close a new $150 million round as we reported on February 8, which may value the company at $1 billion.
As for Grofers, with the latest round, its post money valuation has been pushed up to around $425 million, according to estimates from business intelligence platform Paper.vc. The investment from SVF in Grofers was preceded by a $1.8 million infusion from Sequoia Capital and $19 million which came from Tiger Global as part of the same Series F round. Both are existing investors in Grofers.
SVF is expected to invest a further $40 million in Grofers, while the firm is yet to close a deal with a new investor which is expected to pump in the balance cash for the round. According to regulatory filings made in Singapore, the renegotiated shareholders agreement for Grofers also caps Softbank's maximum stake in the company to 49%. Currently SVF holds around 42% stake in the grocery retailer.
Swiggy, which is sitting on a warchest of over $1 billion, recently announced its entry into the grocery delivery space with Swiggy Stores. The company has launched the service in Gurugram first and plans to bring it to other large metro cities over the next one year. Apart from Swiggy, giants Amazon and Flipkart-owned Walmart too are making their own plays in the sector, but all remain relatively small in comparison to leader BigBasket.
After going through a rough patch, Grofers has mounted a comeback with a focus on high-margin private brands for groceries. In the year that ended March 2018, the company reported a loss of ₹258 crore, almost flat from the previous year when it reported a loss of ₹268 crore. At the same time, the company was able to grow its revenue by 58% to ₹53 crore in the same period.
Tags : Internet, Funding, softbank vision fund, Softbank, Online grocery, Grofers


McARTHUR, Ohio — Just like David, the little school did some damage.
The South Gallia track and field programs enjoyed some successes on Tuesday as the Rebels finished third and the Lady Rebels were fifth at the 2017 Vinton County Open Meet held on the campus of VCHS.
The SGHS boys scored 62 total points and earned 10 top-six efforts at the six-team event, which also included seven top-three finishes and a pair of individual championships.
The Rebels finished behind only Athens (206.5) and Unioto (134) in the final team standings, but the Red and Gold did fare better than host VCHS (52), Wellston (22.5) and Athens B (20) on the boys side.
Colton Bowers won the discus title with a throw of 109 feet, 10 inches. Johnny Sheets captured the shot put crown (38-7) and also placed fifth in the long jump with a distance of 15 feet, 1.5 inches.
Kyle Northup was second in the high jump with a leap of 5-6, while Bryceton Folden was the 3200m runner-up with a time of 12:34.5.
Justin Butler was third in the 110m hurdles (19.4) and also placed fifth in the 300m hurdles (52.1) event. Jeffery Sheets was fourth in the shot put with an even toss of 36 feet.
The 4x100m relay team of Folden, both Sheets and Jacob Bircher finished third with a time of 50 seconds even. Butler, Northup, Tristan Janey and Elijah Warner also combined for third place in the 4x800m relay with a mark of 10:19.7.
The Lady Rebels finished fifth — ahead of only Wellston (7) — on the girls side with 14 points and came away with five top-six finishes overall.
Athens won the girls competition with 245 points, with Unioto (114), Vinton County (89) and Athens B (24) rounding out the top four spots.
Jessica Luther had the best SGHS finish after placing third in the 3200m run with a mark of 14:14.8. Olivia Harrison was fifth in the 300m hurdles (1:03.2) and sixth in the 100m hurdles (24.2), while Jaslyn Bowers was sixth in the high jump with a cleared height of 4 feet, 4 inches.
The 4x200m relay team of Harrison, Autumn Norris, Katie Bowling and Alyssa Cremeans also placed fourth with a time of 2:11.7.


My name is Mohamed Yassin. I spent the first eleven years of my life in Abu Dhabi and Cairo. Afterwards, I moved to Tampa, FL, where I currently reside. When I'm not coding, I spend my time either playing an instrument, hiking or longboarding.
I attended Thebes Elementary school in Cairo, Egypt.
A medical supplier company that distributes authentic quality surgical instruments to local and main health corporations and facilities nationwide.
An educational free event on the University of South Florida with an iOS and Android mobile application.
A mass texting application for Android that allows the user to use custom variables in their message.
A web service that determines the likelehood of a message being offensive/harassment.
A mechanical keyboard built completely from scratch.
A note taking application. More info coming soon!
A first responders application and concept. This idea placed 2nd in MinneHack 2016.
This Hackathon's theme was tech that improves in-home health. I built a crowd-sourced first responders Android Application for the 24 hour Hackathon at the University of Minnesota. The idea was that if someone within your area was notified of your emergency, they could assist you before the ambulance came and potentially save your life. More information and pictures coming soon.
I achieved this scholarship for scoring very well on my PSAT in my junior year of Highschool.
About 1.5 million students take the PSAT. Of these juniors, about 16,000 gain scores that qualify them as Semifinalists (that's a little more than 1%). This group is narrowed down to 15,000, who become Finalists. Of this group, about 8,000 are awarded scholarships.
I have programmed applications to perform many small tasks in C# as well as large applications.
I used C when developing my hand-wired keyboard's drivers. I found it very interesting and plan to pursue it in the future. I also took a course on C called Program Design at my University, as well as a course on C++ called Objected-Oriented Design.
For more information, check out my projects.
I have built a mechanical keyboard from scratch, crafting the plate and soldering each individual pin, as well as also hooking it up to a Arduino based micro controller.
I have been playing instruments since sixth grade in Middle school where I picked up the violin and clarinet. I currently play the Guitar as a hobby.
I frequently longboard for fun and tricks. It is not a profession for me, however it is definitely one of my favorite hobbies.
An Android intern at Timeset social media app at RnR Associates, Sarasota, Florida.
I was an I.T administrator for Red Crescent Clinic of Tampa Bay, a local medical clinic which contained over 8 computers and constant maintenance in regards to networking, hardware, and software.
I would help patients sign in and I would scan and add their forms into an online database.
An example would be sending your contacts "Hey fname, you coming to the party?", and it would quickly send Billy McBob a message saying "Hey Billy, you coming to the party?"
Engineering Expo is a two-day open house event across the Universty's campus showcasing Engineering feats. There were approximately 10,000 visitors to this event. My function as a board member is to write a phone application that will assist visitors when navigating the college campus, as well as find show times and any event information.
I built a mechanical keyboard from scratch, using a Dremel, soldering iron, and an Arduino based micro controller. I drilled each hole manually, soldered each connection by hand, and programmed the driver from scratch. This project was not following a course or any group, and was only done for hobby purposes.
The driver was programmed in C using Arduino software.
I created an Android application for the company Citadel Casing Solutions, based in Houston, Texas. This application featured a database, search, a QR reader, and email analytics.
I received this opportunity by winning first place at the company's competition for their mobile application in the University of Houston.
A anti-harassment web service aimed to track harassment and offensive language.
Online harassment has become a pervasive and often vicious problem with real-life repercussions. Today's tech and media leaders have a collective responsibility and capability to identify solutions that can help reduce different forms of online harassment. My goal was to provide a service that companies or anyone can use to test the likelhood of a message being used to harass another user. Potentially tracking these messages and setting up red flags for a moderator to investigate further.
Founded in 2016, Nova Medical Technologies (NMT) is a medical supplier company that distributes authentic quality surgical instruments to local and main health corporations and facilities nationwide. As well as innovations in medical technology. Established with the mindset to improve health care industry with innovative technology, NMT is based in two locations: Silicon Valley, CA (Medical Innovation Technology Division) and Tampa Bay FL (Surgical Instruments Division). All products available are thoroughly inspected, reviewed, and tested for its reliability, durability, and safety. NMT affirms that its products will benefit establishment, health care professionals and the average daily consumers.
I programmed the entire website from the ground up, using Bootstrap and jQuery. I created a Catalog and search capabilities, as well as an Administrator control panel. I architectured and designed the database using Firebase, a noSQL database similar to MongoDB. I set strict security rules and preventative measures, and used good coding conventions in order to protect the companies sensitive data.


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Alexei V. Filippenko
Professor of Astronomy
B.A. (Physics), 1979, University of California, Santa Barbara
Ph.D. (Astronomy), 1984, California Institute of Technology
I am involved primarily in observational studies at optical, ultraviolet, and near-infrared wavelengths. Most of my data are obtained with the Keck 10-meter telescopes, the Lick 3-meter reflector, and the Hubble Space Telescope, though I also utilize the Chandra X-ray Observatory and some other facilities. In addition, my group has developed a 0.8-meter robotic telescope at Lick Observatory (KAIT, the Katzman Automatic Imaging Telescope) that obtains data automatically, every clear night, while we sleep; see http://astron.berkeley.edu/~bait/kait.html.
My collaborators and I have made a concerted effort to determine the nature of the progenitor stars, the explosion mechanisms, and the nucleosynthetic products of different types of supernovae. With KAIT, we conduct the world's most successful search for nearby supernovae, having found over 300 in the past five years. We have spectroscopically classified hundreds of objects, providing a rich data base for individual and statistical studies. Our work shows that there are several physically distinct subclasses of hydrogen-poor (Type I) supernovae; some undergo thermonuclear runaway (Type Ia), while others explode via core collapse and rebound (Types Ib and Ic), as do hydrogen-rich (Type II) supernovae.
One of our group's major activities is to use supernovae as cosmological distance indicators. In 1998, we announced that high-redshift Type Ia supernovae seem to be dimmer (and hence farther away) than expected. This led us to conclude that the expansion of the Universe is accelerating, perhaps due to the cosmic "antigravity" effect of a nonzero vacuum energy density or some other type of "dark energy"! Deemed the top "Science Breakthrough of 1998" by Science magazine, we are now verifying this result through detailed studies of systematic effects such as cosmic evolution of supernovae and intergalactic extinction. We are also using supernovae to determine the equation of state (pressure versus density) of the repulsive dark energy. Our other studies of Type Ia supernovae are leading to improved measurements of Hubble's constant and bulk flows in the Universe. In addition, we are developing Type II supernovae as cosmological probes.
With KAIT, we are obtaining rapid follow-up optical observations of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), in some cases earlier than anyone else in the world. This is leading to a better understanding of the physical nature of GRBs. We are also exploring the connection between GRBs and some types of core-collapse supernovae.
I am also interested in determining the physical properties of quasars and active galactic nuclei. The radiation emitted by a quasar is thought to be produced by matter being swallowed by a supermassive black hole, roughly a hundred million times more massive than the Sun, but the details are still murky. These photons ionize clouds of gas, and the resulting emission lines provide clues to the structure and nature of the central engine. I am especially fond of normal, nearby galaxies whose nuclei harbor activity similar to (but weaker than) that in classical active galaxies; at least some of these objects may have been luminous quasars in the distant past, but they are now accreting very little gas. I am part of a team that is finding supermassive black holes in the nuclei of nearby galaxies, some of which may be the remnants of long-dead quasars.
Another major research area is the search for black holes in X-ray binary star systems. In 1995, my students and I used Keck to find a convincing black hole candidate in our Galaxy; it has a minimum mass of 5 Suns. Since then we have found several others, and we are now searching for additional examples. The results will be used to study the complex evolution of binary star systems, the formation of black holes, and the structure of accretion disks around compact objects. The derived masses of the candidate black holes will be useful for strong-field tests of general relativity. Recently, I have become interested in the possible presence of intermediate-mass black holes (100 to 10,000 solar masses) in a minority of star clusters.
Alex Filippenko
Dept. of Astronomy
601 Campbell Hall
Office: 439 Campbell
Email: alex@astro.berkeley.edu


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Tag "Carson Wentz"
2020 Team Recaps Latest News NFL
Philadelphia Eagles 2020 Season Recap
The Philadelphia Eagles came into the 2020 season with fairly high expectations especially after trading for Darius Slay. But a vast number of injuries, their big contract quarterback struggling, and internal issues did them in as they finished 4-11-1. Carson Wentz was benched for second-round pick Jalen Hurts in the second half of their Week 13 game versus the Packers. Hurts provided the offense with a bit of a spark and he earned his first win in his first NFL start in Week 14 against the Saints.
Latest News NFL
Doug Pederson Should Regret the Timing of Benching Carson Wentz
The Philadelphia Eagles upset the New Orleans Saints on Sunday in Jalen Hurts' first start, but head coach Doug Pederson is likely regretting the timing of the decision to bench Carson Wentz.
Week 13 Recap: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Green Bay Packers
With the amount of history made in Lambeau Field last Sunday evening, Aaron Rodgers decided to continue the train this Sunday afternoon against the Philadelphia Eagles. Rodgers threw his 400th career touchdown pass in the third quarter and became the first quarterback in NFL history to have five seasons of 35 touchdown passes or more. Rodgers also has the fewest interceptions (88) ever for a quarterback hitting the 400th career touchdown pass mark.
Week 13 Preview: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Green Bay Packers
As Aaron Rodgers turns 37, he looks just as good now as he did while winning the first of two MVP awards in 2011. During that 15-1 season for Green Bay, Rodgers completed 68.3 percent of his passes, threw for 4,643 yards, and 45/6 touchdown to interception ratio. In 2020, nine years older, Rodgers on pace for 4,509 yards, 48 touchdowns, six interceptions, and currently has a quarterback rating of 117.6 which is second in his career behind the 2011 season.
Week 12 Preview: Seattle Seahawks vs. Philadelphia Eagles
In this week's Monday Night Football matchup, the 7-3 Seattle Seahawks travel to Philadelphia to take on the 3-6-1 Eagles. The Seahawks have won the previous five meetings, including twice last year, in Week 12 and the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
Fanelli's Fave Five Gambling Latest News NFL
Fanelli's Fave Five Prop Bets for MNF: Seattle Seahawks vs. Philadelphia Eagles
In tonight's game, we have a matchup between the 7-3 Seattle Seahawks against the 3-6-1 Philadelphia Eagles. Despite the difference in their records, both teams are in the race for their respective division titles. Depending on how the rest of the season shakes out, these two teams could meet up in the first round of playoffs, just like they did last season.
Fantasy Football Latest News
Fantasy Sleepers for Week 12
Thanksgiving weekend is already upon us, meaning that Week 12 of the NFL season is here. An abundance of individual players and matchups provides sleeper opportunities across the board. Last week our picks found success once again. Kirk Cousins passed for 314 yards and three touchdowns in the Vikings' loss to the Cowboys while Nyhiem Hines hauled in three receptions for 31 yards in the Colts thrilling overtime victory against the Packers. With only five regular-season games remaining after this week, let's waste no time and dive into this week's picks.
Week 10 Preview: Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants
In this Week 10 matchup, the 3-4-1 Philadelphia Eagles look to sweep the season series over the 2-7 New York Giants for the fourth year in a row. This comes after the Eagles came back to win the first meeting, 22-21, in Week 7. The Eagles are starting to get healthier, so they will look to make easier work of the lowly Giants.
10 Takeaways From Week 8 of the 2020 NFL Season
Week 8 of the NFL season is officially in the books. Here's a weekly look back at the week that was in the NFL.
Week 8 Recap: Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles
It certainly wasn't pretty, but the Philadelphia Eagles took down the Dallas Cowboys, 23-9, on Sunday night. With the victory, they remain in first place in the dumpster fire NFC East at 3-4-1.
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ASAUI
Associazione dei docenti delle università americane in Italia
asaui – association of scholars at american universities in italy
The University of Notre Dame's Rome Global Gateway has been recognized by the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (Ministero dell'Istruzione, dell'Università e della Ricerca) as an Italian research institution. The Rome Global Gateway is now listed as an institute authorized to sponsor researchers from outside the European Union to conduct their work in Italy.
This new designation allows the Gateway to sponsor research visas and permits of stay for a period of over three months. It will therefore give graduate students, faculty, and fellows coming from Notre Dame and beyond, the opportunity to conduct research in Rome for an extended period of time. Additionally, the designation would allow the University to be more competitive when applying for European grants that are also open to non-EU institutions.
Heather Hyde Minor, academic director of the Gateway, said supporting the innovative research of Notre Dame faculty, post-doctoral fellows, and graduate students is one of the key missions of the Gateway and Notre Dame International.
"This designation serves acknowledgement of the tremendous work of the Notre Dame community of scholars here in Italy," said Hyde Minor. "It also opens the door for richer and more sustained research projects."
"The Rome Global Gateway joins the Johns Hopkins University SAIS as the only American universities in Italy to be recognized as research institutions," said Silvia Dall'Olio, executive director of the Gateway. "This is a great acknowledgment of the research footprint that the Gateway has in Rome and one that will concretely make it deeper and more extended, allowing researchers to spend a substantive amount of time in Rome to conduct their work."
The Rome Global Gateway supports the University's international mission by hosting institutes and projects engaged in research and graduate education. The Gateway collaborates with universities, educational foundations and organizations in Italy, Europe, and the Mediterranean, as well as with the Holy See.
Notre Dame International and departments across the University offer funding opportunities for international research that can be used toward work at the Rome Global Gateway. Applications are available for the Global Gateway Faculty research award, the short-term faculty research fellowships, the short-term graduate research fellowships, the Sciola grants and the Biblioteca Ambrosiana research awards.
Research grants are available to faculty, as well as graduate and undergraduate students. Learn more about research opportunities at the Rome Global Gateway.
Contact: Silvia Dall'Olio, executive director, Rome Global Gateway, Notre Dame International
https://rome.nd.edu/news-stories/news/rome-global-gateway-receives-new-designation-as-italian-research-institution/
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Aperitivo ASAUI: giovedì 24 ottobre al Circolo San Niccolò, dalle 18 alle 20,30
Gastrophysics: The new science of eating – Monday, November 11, at 6:25pm at Syracuse U. in Florence


Following releases from Mituo Shiomi/Drum Machine and Takeshi Kouziki, discerning Italian imprint Alley Version is back courtesy of their third release, 'Parallel Journeys'. a split EP that again showcases the Bologna label's shrewd A&R skills. This time about, the label welcomes newcomer Nasty Boy to the fold alongside the label owners, FLML. Another thrilling record that's sure to go down a treat with the heads, this one is full to the brim with discerning dancefloor vibes, the likes of which have arrived at the perfect time of year.
Opening the release is the sounds of Nasty Boy's thrilling 'Give Up'. A dextrous deep house journey that forces parallels with the best work of Theo Parrish and Ron Trent, this is thinking man's house music of the very highest calibre — and is the sort of track that's sure to further push Alley Version into the hearts and minds of the global electronic music scene.
Nasty Boy's other original cut here is 'Touching the void', a more raucous track with a heavy emphasis on drum patterns and sharp, simmering synths. A heavy "banger" if a track that wonderfully showcases his nimble diversity, this one is all about a baseline that just won't quit. Again, it's quite inspired stuff.
The B side kicks off with FLML's 'Oblivion Street'. A classy jam that's designed to tug at the heartstrings, this is another emotional-leaning deep house track that's perfectly suited to these dark, colder nights. An analogue-heavy cut that follows a fairly well-trodden path but nonetheless still manages to captivate, it's very much indicative of a label and an artist worth watching out for.
Culminating matters soon after is FLML's 'Bouncy Dream', a good-time house record whereby piano-laden vibes cause havoc from the get-go. And as the music dies down, the EP's title begins to make perfect sense. An all-round stunning release of great drama and complexity, once more there is a lot to love about Alley Version's latest.


The Uwajimaya gift department is your destination for all things Asian. What started in 1928 as a small selection of dishware and novelty products from Japan has since expanded to hundreds of products from Asia. Today, you will find a unique selection of gifts, kitchenware, rice cookers, dishes, home décor, and the largest selection of Asian health and beauty products from Japan.
Browse our large selection of Japanese tableware including sushi plates, tea and sake sets and beautiful Japanese platters. Discover tools needed for Asian cooking such as woks and sushi supplies and be sure to check out our variety of rice cookers and airpots too. Our home décor section offers shoji screens, lamps and other decorative items that will be sure to bring an Asian flair to your home.
Not only do we carry items for the kitchen and home, but we also carry art supplies, apparel and a large collection of Sanrio® items. Find everything from origami, calligraphy and ikebana supplies to yukatas and slippers.
There is always something new to see and learn in Uwajimaya's gift department. If you're searching for a gift or something special for yourself, Uwajimaya is the place to come.
Unlike the typical beauty masks you slather on your face, these Asian facial masks are made from thin sheets of cotton cut out to fit the shape of your face and infused with a variety of nutrients for your skin. We carry masks for whitening, moisturizing, anti-aging, calming and firming from popular brands like My Beauty Diary, Pure Smile and LuLuLun. Simply place on your face after cleansing and leave on for 10 to 15 minutes, allowing your skin absorb all the wonderful nutrients. Peel off and massage remaining essence into the skin. An easy treat for your skin! If you need any assistance finding the mask that best suits your needs, please ask for assistance.


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Q: Solving an exponential equation without the quadratic formula High school math student here. In my homework I was asked to solve $16^x             +4^{x+1} - 3= 0$  and I used substitution to get $x=\log_4{(-2+\sqrt7)}$. However, this was in the chapter on logarithms. How can I solve this without recourse to the quadratic formula etc, that is, using only logarithms and their properties and exponential functions and their properties? If I can't, how would one prove this is impossible?

A: (Hopefully someone still finds this useful three and a half years later!)
This is the best way I can think to do this problem without the quadratic formula, and I suspect it may be similar to the way in which you did it.
$16^x+4^{x+1}-3=0$ can be rewritten as $(4^x)^2+4(4^x)-3=0$, and we can make the substitution $u=4^x$ to arrive at $u^2+4u-3=0$. Unfortunately, that doesn't factor nicely, so the next best option (assuming we're not allowed to use the quadratic formula) is to complete the square, as Rory Daulton suggested in a comment.
$$\begin{align}u^2+4u-3&=u^2+4u+4-7\\&=(u+2)^2-7\\(u+2)^2-7&=0\\(u+2)^2&=7\\u+2&=\pm\sqrt{7}\\u&=-2\pm\sqrt{7}\end{align}$$
Now we substitute back in: $$\begin{align}4^x&=-2\pm\sqrt{7}\\x&=\log_4(-2+\sqrt{7})\end{align}$$


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SMSC Overview:
At Onslow St Audrey's, the Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSC) guidance is at the heart of everything we do.
We aim to promote fundamental British Values and believe these include a sense of mutual respect and tolerance of differences (whether it be differences based on faith, beliefs, culture or background) within our community and in the wider society in which we live.
The school operates by a set of strong moral principles and we seek to actively promote these whenever we can. We want our students to develop into confident, assured individuals who have a clear sense of right and wrong and respect both the individuals and institutions that they encounter.
SMSC in the Curriculum:
SMSC is embedded within our curriculum through subjects such as PSHME, History, Geography, and Physical Education. For example, in year 11 PSHME they learn about British values and democracy.
Tolerance and respect are core values at Onslow St Audrey's. Students acquire an appreciation of and respect both their own and other cultures and traditions, whilst teaching students about different religions, also encourages students to discuss and explore concepts such and identity, diversity and community cohesion.
SMSC in the Pastoral System:
Beyond the classroom students have numerous opportunities that promote SMSC. A strong school ethos is promoted through regular assemblies and a daily tutor programme which encourages students to engage with issues relating to SMSC.
To promote the Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural development of our students and prepare them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life.
Encourage and guide pupils to:
Be reflective about beliefs, values and more profound aspects of human experiences to enable them to use their imagination and creativity and develop curiosity in their learning.
Develop and Apply an understanding of right and wrong in their OSA academy life and outside the academy.
Take part in a range of activities requiring social skills.
Develop an awareness of, respect towards, diversity in relation to, for example: gender, race, religion and belief, culture, sexual orientation and disability.
Gain a well-informed understanding of the options and challenges facing them as they move through the Academy and on to the next stage of their education and training.
Overcome barriers to learning
Respond positively to a range of artistic, sporting and other cultural opportunities provided by OSA, including for example developing an appreciation for theatre, music and literature.
Develop the skills and attitudes to enable them to participate fully and positively in democratic Britain.
Understand and appreciate the range of different cultures within OSA and further afield as an essential element of their preparation for life
Beliefs, religious or otherwise, which inform pupils' perspective on life and their interest in and respect of, different people's feelings and values. A sense of enjoyment and fascination in learning about themselves, others and the world around them. Use of imagination and creativity in their learning and willingness to reflect on their experiences. A desire and willingness to reflect on their own beliefs, religious or otherwise.
Ability to recognise the difference between right and wrong and the pupils' readiness to apply this understanding in their own lives. Understand the consequences of their actions. Interest in investigating and offering reasoned views about moral and ethical issues. An understanding of the civil and criminal law of England and recognising the legal boundaries that apply to their own lives and actions.
Use of a range of social skills in different contexts, including working and socialising with pupils from different religious, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. Willingness to participate in a variety of social settings, cooperating well with others and being able to resolve conflicts effectively. Interest in, and understanding of, the way communities and societies function at a variety of levels. An understanding of what fundamental British Values may be and an awareness of how they can make a positive contribution to life in modern Britain.
Understanding and having an appreciation of the wide range of cultural influences that have shaped their own heritage. Willingness to participate in, respond to, for example artistic, musical, sporting, mathematical, technological, scientific and cultural opportunities. Interest in exploring, understanding of, and respect of, cultural diversity and the extent to which they understand, accept, respect and celebrate diversity as shown by their attitudes towards different religious, ethnic and socioeconomic groups in the local, national and global communities. Knowledge of British democratic systems, its history and its continuation to develop Britain.


Parnngurr Community School has several layers of strategies for assessing and tracking student learning progress.
Integrated Curriculum; an important strategy is tracking what the teachers are teaching to ensure that students are receiving the right learning opportunities at the right pace. In the Data Room, master maps of the Learning Area curriculum content descriptors are required to be added to twice per term for what has been taught, and discussed as a collaborative staff activity to ensure consistency. Although the school provides a modified curriculum, it is important that students are taught at a pace and breadth appropriate to their language and cultural background without 'dumbing down' the teaching.
Literacy: This is such a vital skill that Literacy deserves fine-grained assessment and tracking. The Fitzroy Readers Series provide the school with a comprehensive suite of tools to enable this.
Phonics; phonic sounds are introduced systematically and synthetically and reinforced through the Fitzroy Readers Word Skills Workbooks. Therefore student progress is easily charted through this series and is on-going on a daily or weekly basis.
In weeks 3 and 6 of each term, staff collaborate to share this data and discuss improvements pedagogy. A live data wall for each student of the Fitzroy Reader phonics and reading is kept in the staff room. Included on this data wall is the ACARA writing age-levels.
All students are also assessed using the EAL/D Progress Maps which directly address the WA English curriculum. These maps are added to once per term in Week 9 and form a part of the student's personal records.
Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are required to participate in the national NPALAN assessments. No other standardised tests are used as they are culturally inappropriate. Assessments in the commercial series for literacy and numeracy are used to show student progress.
Numeracy; the AICS Numeracy Portal provides support, structure and resources for teachers to track student progress and develop appropriate learning experiences from diagnostic assessments.
The Go Maths series has a range of student assessment tools for teachers to track the Mathematics strands additional to the AICS Numeracy Strategy.
The selected Mathematics content descriptors form part of the data wall in the data room and student progress is recorded on a continuous basis here as well as the AICS portal tracking for each student.
Student feedback: Small class sizes allow for students to receive individual and face-to-face feedback on their learning in all learning activities. Each class also has data walls to encourage students to monitor their own progress.


OMAHA, Neb. (BP) — Several hundred Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers are preparing to "put themselves in the offering plate" by responding over the next two months to Midwest floods that have killed four people and displaced thousands from their homes, SBDR national director Sam Porter said.
Southern Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers are poised for major mudout operations when floodwaters recede in several Midwest states. Screen capture from Fox News.