Citrix ADC
Configure a stream identifier
You configure a stream identifier to specify parameters for collecting statistical data from requests identified by a given selector. An identifier specifies the selector to be used, the statistics collection interval, the sample count, and the field on which the records are to be sorted.
The Citrix ADC appliance includes the following built-in stream identifiers for common use cases. All the built-in identifiers specify a sample count of 1 and an interval of 1 minute. Additionally, they sort the data on the REQUESTS attribute. They differ only in being associated with different built-in selectors. Each built-in identifier is associated with a built-in selector of the same name (for example, the built in identifier Top_URL is associated with the built-in selector Top_URL). Following are the built-in identifiers:
 - Top_URL
For more information about the built-in selectors, see Configuring a Selector.
Note: The maximum length for storing string results of selectors (for example, HTTP.REQ.URL) is 60 characters. If the string (for example, URL) is 1000 characters long, of which 50 characters are enough to uniquely identify a string, use an expression to extract only the required 50 characters.
You cannot modify a built-in identifier's configuration. However, you can create an identifier with a configuration of your choice.
To configure a stream identifier by using the command line interface
At the command prompt, type the following commands to configure a stream identifier and verify the configuration:
 - add stream identifier [-interval ] [-SampleCount ] [-sort ]
 - show stream identifier
> add stream identifier myidentifier Top_URL -interval 10 -sampleCount 100
To configure a stream identifier by using the GUI
 1. Navigate to AppExpert > Action Analytics > Stream Identifiers.
 - To create a stream identifier, click Add.
 - To modify a stream identifier, select the identifier, and then click Edit.
 3. In the Configure Stream Identifier page, set the following parameters:
 - Name
 - Selector
 - Interval
 - Sample Count
 - Sort
 4. Click OK, and then click Close.
Configure a stream identifier


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I'm tickled to see that my work on stonefly flight has come up in this discussion. One thing that is worth adding here is that a gills-to-wings transition would require a simultaneous change in gas exchange, since a sophisticated wing is unlikely to also be an effective gill, and the physics and physiology of gas exchange are very different in an aquatic versus a terrestrial environment. My research shows that modern stoneflies may have retained intermediate forms of flight that date back to an evolutionary transition from gills to wings, and therefore perhaps they have retained other traits related to a transition in gas exchange physiology. This line of thinking led me to suggest to Thorsten Burmester, an expert on arthropod gas exchange proteins, that he should check to see if stoneflies have hemocyanin in their blood. This was a pretty far out idea, since blood-based gas exchange is what other arthropods use (including aquatic ones) but was previously thought to be completely absent in insects, which deliver air directly to their tissues via tracheae. Burmester found that stoneflies do indeed have hemocyanin in their blood (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 101: 871-874) that reversibly binds oxygen, and it appears that no other pterygote insects possess this trait. In summary, the developmental evidence that you have presented for a gills-to-wings transition is supported by both a set of mechanically intermediate forms of winged locomotion in stoneflies and molecular evidence that a simultaneous transition occurred in gas exchange physiology.
Jim Marden's homepage at Penn State University with quick time movies from their studies
Hagner-Holler, S., A. Schoen, W. Erker, J.H. Marden, R. Rupprecht, H. Decker, and T. Burmester. 2004. A respiratory hemocyanin from an insect. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 101, 871-874. ( Abstract ),( full text )
Marden, J.H. and M.A. Thomas. 2003. Rowing locomotion by a stonefly that possesses the ancestral pterygote condition of co-occurring wings and abdominal gills. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 79, 341-349 ( Full text )
Thomas, M.A., K.A. Walsh, M.R. Wolf, B.A. McPheron, and J.H. Marden. 2000. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of evolutionary trends in stonefly wing structure and locomotor behavior. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 97:13178-13183 ( full text )
Marden, J.H., B.C. O'Donnell, M.A. Thomas, and J.Y. Bye. 2000. Surface-skimming stoneflies and mayflies: the taxonomic and mechanical diversity of two-dimensional aerodynamic locomotion.Physiological Zoology 73, 751-764. ( abstract ) ( full text )
Marden, J.H. and M.G. Kramer. 1994. Surface-skimming stoneflies: a possible intermediate stage in insect flight evolution. Science 266, 427-430. (abstract)

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


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In the enchanting tapestry of feline fascination, a radiant tale unfolds—the story of cats and the vibrant display of colored lights that adorn the night sky. These luminous spectacles become more than just celestial wonders; they transform into captivating companions for our curious and nocturnal feline friends. Join us as we immerse ourselves in the magical connection between cats and the kaleidoscopic dance of colored lights, revealing the reasons behind their nocturnal enchantment, the behaviors it inspires, and the joy it brings to both cats and their dazzled human companions.
**Nocturnal Reverie: Cats and the Radiant Nighttime Sky**
Cats, natural hunters and crepuscular beings, find themselves captivated by the colorful display of lights that adorns the night sky. From the subtle glow of city lights to the cosmic spectacle of the aurora borealis, the radiant night becomes a canvas of celestial allure for our whiskered friends. The nocturnal reverie of cats under the luminous sky unfolds as a testament to their affinity for the magical dance of colored lights.
**Chasing Rainbows in the Sky: Cats and the Playful Pursuit of Light**
As streaks of colored lights grace the night, cats often engage in playful pursuits, swatting at the ethereal trails with nimble paws. Whether it's the glow of fireflies or the play of laser lights, felines find joy in the chase, turning the nocturnal landscape into an interactive playground of mesmerizing colors. The vibrant lights become the catalyst for spirited and agile feline antics.
**Starry-Eyed Stargazers: Cats and Celestial Light Shows**
Beyond the earthly glow, cats may also be enchanted by celestial light shows, such as meteor showers and lunar phenomena. The twinkling stars and radiant moonbeams become celestial companions for our stargazing feline friends. Their starry-eyed expressions under the cosmic spectacle add a touch of wonder to the shared moments of nocturnal observation.
**Colored Lights in Interior Spaces: Cats and the Indoor Aurora**
For indoor cats, the fascination with colored lights extends to the artificial glow within the home. From string lights adorning a cozy corner to the soft hues of a lava lamp, the indoor environment becomes a playground of enchanting illumination. Cats may find solace in the ambient glow, turning the home into a haven of colored light exploration.
**Photogenic Purr-traits: Cats Amidst the Radiant Palette**
The visual allure of cats amidst the radiant glow of colored lights often leads to photogenic moments that resonate with artistic beauty. The contrast between the feline grace and the kaleidoscopic hues creates compositions that are both striking and evocative. Social media platforms become virtual galleries for sharing these luminous feline portraits, with hashtags like _TAG_ and _TAG_ gaining popularity.
**DIY Indoor Light Displays: Crafting Whimsical Illuminated Spaces**
For creative cat owners, crafting DIY indoor light displays becomes a delightful project. Designing spaces with colorful lights not only enhances the visual appeal of the environment but also provides a stimulating and enchanting atmosphere for feline friends. DIY indoor light displays become whimsical landscapes where cats can immerse themselves in the magical dance of radiant hues.
In conclusion, the enchanting connection between cats and the mesmerizing dance of colored lights unfolds as a story of nocturnal reverie, playful pursuits, and celestial stargazing. As we explore the world where whiskers meet the radiant night sky, we discover the joy, wonder, and sense of enchantment that these luminous connections bring to the lives of both cats and their dazzled human companions. Colored lights become not just visual phenomena but celestial companions in the shared moments of play, observation, and visual poetry between cats and those who appreciate the dazzling charm of their feline friends.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


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U.S. school districts may be flagged as over-identifying students of color as having disabilities when other factors, such as achievement gaps, may explain these disparities, according to new Penn State research published in Exceptional Children.
Federal legislation and regulations require U.S. school districts to monitor whether students of color are overrepresented in special education. School districts reporting overrepresentation that exceeds pre-specified risk ratio thresholds are required to take corrective action including reallocating up to 15 percent of their federal funding for special education. Earlier work led to the belief that U.S. school districts were systemically over-identifying students as having disabilities based on their race or ethnicity.
According to Paul Morgan, Harry and Marion Eberly Fellow, professor of education and demography, and director of Penn State's Center for Educational Disparities, new work is now consistently finding that students of color are less likely, on average, to be identified as having disabilities than similarly situated students who are white.
"We sought to extend this knowledge base by expanding our analysis to include black-to-white and Hispanic-to-white student achievement gaps, as well as other variables measured at the district level for several thousand districts nationwide, as alternative explanatory factors for the reported risk ratios," said Morgan.
The research team used data sets from the U.S. Department of Education, the Civil Rights Data Collection survey on student enrollment, services, and outcomes, and the new Stanford Education Data archive that includes school district–level mathematics and reading achievement scores.
They analyzed about 2,000 districts with black students and white students, and about 2,500 districts with Hispanic students and white students. "In many U.S. school districts, the lack of racial diversity in student enrollment makes it difficult to conduct this type of analysis," said Morgan.
After merging the data sets, the researchers found that the larger a district's black or Hispanic-to-white achievement gap, the larger a district's black or Hispanic-to-white risk ratio. Statistical control for district-level achievement gaps indicated that, on average, black and Hispanic students were less likely to be receiving special education than white students.
"This provides further evidence in the debate regarding whether non-white students are overrepresented in special education due to systemic bias," Morgan said. "While inappropriate over-identification may sometimes be occurring, our analyses of district-level data suggests that the greater representation of black or Hispanic students in special education is largely explained by black or Hispanic students being more likely to experiencing academic difficulties. U.S. school districts may be attempting to provide students experiencing academic difficulties with greater academic supports, including through special education. "
The researchers were able to demonstrate a method that can be used to identify U.S. school districts where significant disproportionality is occurring that is not explained by achievement gaps. This method could be used by state and federal authorities to better monitor for U.S. districts for significant disproportionality based on race or ethnicity.
"Doing so would provide a more methodologically and substantively justifiable method for identifying school districts where significant disproportionality based on race or ethnicity may be occurring, and where further civil rights investigations may be warranted," Morgan said.
StepUp programs specifically target fluency of basic skills: reading decoding, math fact retrieval and handwriting. Achievement gaps, where children are working below grade level, are often seen when children lack fluency in basic skills. For example, children who are slow to retrieve basic math facts may struggle to see the pattern represented by math operations such as subtraction. Targeting fluency of basic skills may help prevent achievement gaps, and may help teachers identify children who struggle with fluency even when they have measurable basic skills. Try it free for 30 days.
Written by Kristie Auman-Bauer and reposted with permission from Penn State.


Hong Kong: One Country, One System
In light of the ongoing 2019-20 Hong Kong protests, China's ceremonial parliament has voted to bypass Hong Kong's Legislative Council to enact dramatic national security legislation. According to the Chinese government, these new laws are intended to crackdown on 'secessionist and subversive activity … terrorism and foreign interference'. Beijing has previously blamed the lack of a national security law for last year's alarming anti-extradition protests. However, activists remain concerned that these laws will undermine civil liberties and bring an end to Hong Kong's unique partial autonomy.
Hong Kong is currently governed under a "one country, two systems" model underpinned by two key documents: The Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law. These established China's rule over Hong Kong – subject to significant caveats including the continuation of British capitalism, maintenance of the common law, protection of civil liberties and an understanding that Beijing would not directly intervene in the city for a period of 50 years from the city's 1997 handover. Significantly, Article 23 of the Basic Law stipulates that Hong Kong shall enact national security legislation "on its own."
While details about the application of these new security laws remain unclear, they clearly encroach upon Hong Kong's existing autonomy from China. The 'crimes' stipulated in the security laws have vague definitions and could potentially include any attempts to voice dissent against the Government. Such laws may also lead to widespread arrests on arbitrary political charges, a crackdown on free speech, and the unleashing of China's security organs, such as the Ministry of State Security and the People's Armed Police. If these reforms are unable to bridge the divide between Hong Kongers and Beijing, then Hong Kong may remain a tinderbox of revolt for years to come.
The enactment of this legislation has prompted wide-spread criticism from international actors such as the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. In the United States, the Trump Administration has announced that it will no longer treat Hong Kong as being autonomous from the Chinese mainland as a result of Beijing's latest intervention. In addition to the political ramifications, Hong Kong's status as a financial hub is now in danger. For businesses, the main value of the city is that its financial and legal systems are more transparent and fair compared to China's. These features make Hong Kong an attractive option for both foreign and Chinese firms looking to prove their credibility in the region. Any erosion of the rule of law and freedom of speech risks undermining this appeal.
Following US President Donald Trump's announcement that he would strip Hong Kong of its special privileges, China's state media have taken aim at the US by comparing _TAG_ protests with the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong. A commentary published in China Daily – a mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party – said US politicians should do their jobs and help solve problems in the US, instead of trying to create new problems and troubles in other countries.
Chinese attempts to equate protesting in some US cities with wide-spread calls for democracy and freedom from China in Hong Kong are disingenuous and politically-motivated. At this critical time, it is important that Western media outlets critically assess China's claims and report them for what they are. Racial tensions in the US and Chinese interventions in Hong Kong are entirely seperate issues. Failure to recognise these clear differences and blind acceptance of CCP rhetoric plays right into Beijing's hand and may cost the people of Hong Kong their freedom.
Mearsheimer got it right
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, John Mearsheimer articulated a bold thesisthe great-power rivalry was not over. While Mearsheimer was ignored, Covid-19 has exposed the intense Sino-American security competition that he predicted.
In The Tragedy of Great Power Politics, Mearsheimer, argued that insecurity and conflict remained inevitable structures of the anarchic international system. Further, Mearsheimer argued that as China increased in power and ambition it would become more assertive in protecting its security and prosperity depended. As the global hegemon, the US would go to great lengths to stop the rising power from dominating Asia.
Two decades ago, Realism the long-standing theory of international relations took a hit following the unexpected end to the Cold War. Theories of Liberalism and Constructivism flourished and analysed what appeared to be a new world entering an era of increased globalisation and interdependency. State rivaries and military power seemed to matter less. The prevailing wisdom was that rapid economic growth ensured the emergence of a democratic polity in China, as it had in Taiwan, South Korea and Japan. China was categorised as a developing country, afforded grace for its communist rule while it "peacefully" progressed and lifted millions out of poverty. It was thought that the more China embraced global capitalism, the more likely it would integrate peacefully in the rules-based international order.
However, Mearsheimer contested such Wilsonian thinking, arguing that the brutal competition of power is a root function of the structure of the international system, a reality which has been true since the time of Thucydides. He called this the "tragic nature of greatpower politics." In an anarchical international community, without a central body to enforce rules and norms, great powers find it impossible to trust each other. The tragedy is that striving for security leads to heightened tensions, a concept known by international scholars as the 'security dilemma.'
For Mearsheimer, the consequences were clear: by growing enchanted with the Chinese market, the world was choosing to play with fire. Far from progressing to become a responsible democratic nation, Beijing was bound to upset the strategic sensibilities of neighbouring states, from Japan and South Korea to India and Vietnam. As a result, Mearsheimer advised the US to pivot strongly in Asia, deepen security ties with its allies and develop new strategic partnerships with old foes.
Alas, after America's Cold War victory, both Democratic and Republican administrations indulged in what Mearsheimer's academic colleague Stephen Walt calls the "hubristic fantasy" of global "liberal hegemony", which both scholars warned would cost the US dearly in prestige and influence. Meanwhile, China's rise continued. The CCP advanced its defence mechanisms, developed persistent cyber-espionage and pushed nationalism supported by wide-spread propaganda. Today, China plans to forcefully takeover Hong Kong alongside its relentless intimidation of Taiwan and aggressive build-up of military islands in the South China Sea. China is now showing every possible sign of seeking to overthrow the US-led security system in the region.
We now have an important and pressing choice to make. Will the United States follow the advice of Mearsheimer and lead a coalition to pursue a containment strategy. Or, adopt an approach of "engaging and constraining" China, as former Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade head Peter Varghese suggests.
Realism and the diverging foreign policy approaches of the United States and China
The COVID pandemic has showcased a proliferation of blame, acrimony and military aggression between the United States and China. Additionally, we have witnessed the fragility of international institutions as the WHO which struggled to balance the strategic interests of China with the health of the global community. Core realist tenants of the anarchical, state-centric international order are proving relevant in the study of modern international relations.
The emergence of the COVID-19 global pandemic has inspired varying international responses from the United States and China. China severely mismanaged the outbreak of the coronavirus through censorship and denial. As precious weeks passed and the seriousness of the outbreak became apparent, officials of the Communist Party of China made extensive preparations to protect their population, while only selectively sharing information with the international community. Amid the global pandemic, the Chinese government has continued to advance its strategic ambitions in the South China Sea and has been accused by the United States government of exploiting the crisis to gain territory. On April 2, Vietnam reported a Chinese military ship deliberating sinking a Vietnamese fishing ship in the disputed territory. In March, the Chinese government commissioned two research stations with defence capabilities on maritime turf claimed by the Philippines. The US international response has differed significantly from China's approach.
America's democratic values and trusted institutions have enabled more accurate reporting of COVID-19 figures, this has allowed epidemiologists to develop policies to 'flatten the curve' and contain the virus. The US Centre for Disease control also continues to publish information that helps American citizens gain access to medical services and minimise community transmission. The US has prioritised holding China accountable for the global spread of the coronavirus and has scaled up its military presence in the South China Sea. In March, the US military conducted live-missile testing in the Philippine Sea, sending a message of deterrence to China. On March 31, President Trump announced the suspension of all US funding to the World Health Organisation (WHO) due to concerns of its mismanagement of the COVID pandemic and "China-centric nature."
Structural realists assert that the architecture of the international system forces states to compete for limited power. For this reason, cooperation within international institutions often proves fragile. The COVID pandemic provides a vivid reminder of the relevance of these realist precepts. States are fearful that cooperation may enable another state to advance their capabilities and gain greater power and influence relative to them. In this case, President Trump declared the suspension of all funds to the World Health Organisation, perceiving the benefits of US cooperation within the WHO to be waning relative to the growing influence of China. Structural realist theory also provides valuable insight into China's behaviour within the WHO. States will engage in international institutions when they perceive opportunities to gain power relative to their competitors. President Xi Jinping of the Chinese Communist Party has established the


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Now Accepting Medicare Part B & Horizon BCBS of New Jersey!
Fort Monmouth Cognitive Speech Pathology
Our cognitive functions enable us to do our day-to-day activities and process the things around us. At some point in our lives, our overall health declines; we slowly become unable to do our daily activities and we struggle to use our cognitive functions properly. Sadly, it may be a part of aging, but it may also be due to some underlying problems that need the attention of a medical professional.
senior speech pathology
The greatest risk factors for cognitive impairment are age, family history, brain injury, exposure to toxins, physical inactivity, and other health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, dementia, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
Cognitive impairments lead to further related concerns, especially if left untreated. One primary function that becomes mostly affected is human speech.
Here at Neurorehab & Speech Healers, LLC, we are dedicated to assisting anyone experiencing cognitive decline and speech problems caused by aging, injury, or other complications. We provide Fort Monmouth cognitive speech pathology treatment plans that properly addresses your personal needs and concerns.
Speech Evaluation and Treatment
adult speech pathologyIf you think you or someone you know is experiencing speech, language, and cognitive problems, do not hesitate to reach out to us here at Neurorehab & Speech Healers, LLC.
We have the best Fort Monmouth speech pathologists, and we offer a wide array of speech pathology services that will help you with your current condition.
Some of the services we offer include:
1. Speech Evaluation and Diagnosis done by American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) certified speech pathologists
2. Speech Therapies which can be done in our clinic, at home, or virtually, depending on the customer's preference
3. LSVT LOUD® Therapy for people suffering from neurological problems
4. Speech and Language Therapy for people with aphasia, apraxia of speech, or dysarthria
5. Cognitive Therapy for people suffering from amnesia and other brain injury complications
6. Swallowing Therapy for people with dysphagia
Our team provides a personalized assessment and selects the best therapies to assist you. We are dedicated to ensuring that you are confident as well as comfortable with our services, so that you and those around you can handle the sessions together.
Benefits of Speech Pathology to Cognitive Decline
medical speech pathology for all ages
Although cognitive decline caused by aging and age-related complications like dementia and Alzheimer's is not reversible nor completely preventable, intervention through speech pathology can help patients cope with the illness better than those who do not get medical assistance.
Speech-language pathologists can explain to patients the stages of their condition and work on ways to compensate with new skills they can use to continue living normally. Speech pathology can also assist caretakers in utilizing new strategies to help patients cope with their condition. As time progresses, speech pathologists adjust the treatment or therapy provided accordingly. Reminders are also given to the patient to properly handle and improve their cognitive function every day.
Speech Therapy Options
Robert Kevlin, speech pathologistAs your trusted Fort Monmouth, NJ speech pathology clinic, our goal is to ensure that our patients get the treatment or therapy they need and get it comfortably.
We serve anyone regardless of their condition, age, and mobility levels. We make sure that all the barriers that are usually stopping patients from getting quality speech therapy are removed and even provide options for getting your treatments.
Our therapy options include:
1. Outpatient speech therapy
2. Virtual speech therapy
3. In-home speech therapy
4. Combined therapy
We can also work with your schedule if you cannot visit our clinics or work with the available schedules. You can also change the treatments you are getting any time you want, with the approval of our speech pathologists.
Experienced Fort Monmouth Speech Pathologist
Robert Kevlin, speech pathologistRobert Kevlin, M.S., CCC-SLP, LSVT LOUD® CERTIFIED, is one of Fort Monmouth's premier speech and language pathologists, and he is the man behind Neurorehab & Speech Healers, LLC.
He established Neurorehab & Speech Healers, LLC to open opportunities for people with speech and language disabilities to get the treatment they need to regain their speech and language skills to live as normal as possible again.
He also takes his time to collaborate with speech pathology experts to devise the best and personalized treatments available to match the needs of patients.
Free Consultation Today
Neurorehab & Speech Healers, LLCAs we age, we experience various challenges that will prevent us from communicating properly and processing the things we need to do daily.
Fortunately, we can get therapies and treatments for these problems by simply reaching out to Neurorehab & Speech Healers, LLC. Our team is always ready to provide complete support and assistance to anyone who has speech and language disorders. We also offer virtual and home therapies if you cannot visit our Fort Monmouth speech pathology clinic.


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TASMANIANS with asthma or respiratory illnesses have been urged to protect themselves against the high levels of smoke in the air.
Parts of southern Tasmania are blanketed in smoke from a bushfire threatening several communities in the Derwent Valley.
Asthma Foundation of Tasmania CEO Cathy Beswick said wood smoke could trigger asthma symptoms including wheezing, coughing, chest tightness or shortness of breath.
People without their blue/grey reliever medication should seek supplies at their local pharmacy. If they experienced an uncontrollable asthma attack, they should call 000.
"Children, the elderly and people with breathing problems, including asthma, are the first to feel the effects of smoke and particle pollution, which means they need to take extra care," Ms Beswick said.
Asthma sufferers have been advised to stay indoors with windows and doors closed.
They should also limit physical activity and set their heat pump or air conditioner at home or in the car to'recycle'.


5/5 (67 votes cast)
Communication via webcam
Communication via Web camera immediately gives the appearance of the exterior of the interlocutor, facial expressions, gestures, hearing voices. In essence, the parties communicate in the real world, only for the "walls" in which a computer performs. Communication takes place in real-time video tracking. You can also learn more with our sex chatroulette blog!
Pros of communicating on the web camera.
1. Appearance. If you've talked to dating sites, you may have noticed that some people use a photo that is clearly different from the reality. There may be different reasons for that: photoshop, different programs for editing photos or person, such as not photogenic (life looks better than in the photo). Webcam smoothest this point and now we can see at a glance the appearance of your interlocutor. Of course, still depends on the quality of the web survey.
2. Web broadcast in real time with accompanying voice communication. Now, once during the broadcast you can communicate through a microphone. This method can replace communication by telephone and immediately communicate in real time.
3. If before there were doubts about the person with whom you correspond on the Internet and could only imagine what he or she is, now everything is transparent and clear.
4. For people who live in different cities and countries and have seen each other only on the pictures, webcam allows you to "meet" online. Let it be a virtual meeting, but this "meeting" would be more benefits than simple correspondence via the Internet.
5. Video presentation. Video presentation is rather a form of message to the public that people often use to tell something about themselves. Video presentation is easy to do via a web camera. Suffice it to record video with a video and place on a dating site. In a video presentation, you can tell yourself: interesting facts, interests, goals. Video presentation gives you an idea of the person who wants to meet you, and you in turn denunciations public information that they will be useful.
6. Dating Web camera. The number of online dating sites on the web camera is not so much as a conventional dating site, but they are. They had a great flourish and are a good way to explore the Internet to know what today is, dating site on the web camera, see separate article that I devoted the topic.
Because of the disadvantages of using a web camera, you can select the following:
1. If you do not have unlimited internet access, and limit, the communication through the web camera will not be advantageous pleasure. Using a web camera picks up a lot of Internet traffic.
2. Another not very significant, but the significant factor is the low speed of the Internet. Today, you need to have high-speed Internet for fast transfer of video.


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Tipster Alexandre Marion sends us a tip about the AutoCAD Block Attribute Manager command, better known as Battman.
"I've found a command called Battman (pretty easy to remember, right?) that lets you reorganize a block the way you want it, without having to enter the Block Editor. This really helps out in situations such as dealing with a block made by someone with no experience."
Notes from Cadalyst Tip Patrol: Battman is the command you want to use in AutoCAD to help you manage the block attributes of a specific block. It doesn't change the information that you put into a block that has attributes; it manages the attribute objects of a block instead.
To use it, type Battman on the Command line. This will bring up the Block Attribute Manager window. Select a block, then edit the settings of the attributes in that block. If you edit a block's attributes, remember to press the Sync button; this will update every instance of that block in your file.


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Simply begin typing or use the editing tools above to add to this article.
Once you are finished and click submit, your modifications will be sent to our editors for review.
aspect of modal logic
...p, to be true without a certain proposition, q, being also true (i.e., if the conjunction of p and not-q is logically impossible), then it is said that p strictly implies q. An alternative equivalent way of explaining the notion of strict implication is by saying that p strictly implies q if and only if it is necessary that...
forms of implication
...an attempt to construct a formal relationship more closely akin to the intuitive notion of implication, Clarence Irving Lewis, known for his conceptual pragmatism, introduced in 1932 the notion of strict implication. Strict implication was defined as ∼♦(A·∼B), in which ♦ means "is possible" or "is not self-contradictory." Thus...
theory of Lewis
In logic, Lewis criticized contemporary formal systems using material implication and proposed an alternative system of logic based upon strict implication. That is, he rejected systems that do not limit themselves strictly to what is implicit in experience. Because concepts arise from experience, in his system no concept is fixed or indispensable, and the abstract categories of traditional...
What made you want to look up "strict implication"? Please share what surprised you most...


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Last name origin & meaning:
Welsh: Anglicized form of Welsh ap Ble(i)ddyn 'son of
Ble(i)ddyn', a byname meaning 'wolf cub', from blaidd
'wolf' + the diminutive suffix -yn. Blaidd was used in
medieval Welsh as a term for a hero, and sometimes for a cruel man or
for an enemy who feigned friendship.
Comments for Blethen


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When you possess a high level of self-awareness you also experience inner peace because, when you know yourself well, you let go of a lot of the noise that gets in the way of feeling great about yourself and living the life you want to. Here are some ways self-awareness leads to inner peace:
- You actively work on healing your hurts so you can feel better about yourself.
- You look deep inside and discover who you really are and then live your life accordingly.
- You become familiar with the things you do well and the things you need to improve so you can be a more effective person.
- You let go of superficial concerns and focus on the things that really matter.
- You attract healthier relationships because you're healthier.
- Each day become an opportunity to learn and grow.
- You feel a sense of calm inside because you are more in tune with who you are.
- You do kind things for yourself and others.
- You make the world a better place for yourself and others.
- Your life is more fulfilling and joyful.
A lot of people never achieve inner peace because they forget to look within. Self-awareness allow you to intimately understand who you are and live life as the real you. When you wake up each day able to enjoy being yourself, your whole existence changes.


The NAS New Testament Greek Lexicon
 Strong's Number: 1586
Original WordWord Origin
eklegomaimiddle voice from (1537) and (3004) (in its primary sense)
Transliterated WordTDNT Entry
Phonetic SpellingParts of Speech
ek-leg'-om-ahee Verb
 1. to pick out, choose, to pick or choose out for one's self
 1. choosing one out of many, i.e. Jesus choosing his disciples
 2. choosing one for an office
 3. of God choosing whom he judged fit to receive his favours and separated from the rest of mankind to be peculiarly his own and to be attended continually by his gracious oversight
 1. i.e. the Israelites
 4. of God the Father choosing Christians, as those whom he set apart from the irreligious multitude as dear unto himself, and whom he has rendered, through faith in Christ, citizens in the Messianic kingdom: (James 2:
 2. so that the ground of the choice lies in Christ and his merits only
 NAS Word Usage - Total: 22
choose 4, chose 7, chosen 8, made a choice 1, picking 1, select 1
NAS Verse Count
1 Corinthians2
Bibliography Information
Thayer and Smith. "Greek Lexicon entry for Eklegomai". "The NAS New Testament Greek Lexicon".. 1999.


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Nellie, there are many walk-in medical clinics opening up at stores, and there's nothing wrong with getting medical care for your children at these clinics. The most important thing is to get medical care for your children when they need it. And convenience is certainly an important factor.
However, some important aspects of medical care at these walk-in clinics should be considered:
- The quality of care is uncertain: The doctor may not have as much expertise in the care of young children as your children's regular doctor. Also, good quality care is based on a trusting relationship and good communication with your doctor, which develops over time.
- They don't have your child's full medical history: When you take your children to a walk-in clinic, they don't have all the information about your child's development, medical conditions, immunizations and screening tests. Sometimes this is crucial in making a proper diagnosis and prescoting the best treatment.
- The focus is generally on treatment rather than prevention: People use these medical clinics when they have an urgent problem, such as an ear infection. However, much of good health care for children focuses on prevention, such as making sure your child's immunizations are current and discussing development, nutrition and injury prevention. This may not be done at the urgent care clinics.
- If lab tests are done, follow-up may not be as reliable: The walk-in clinic may just do tests for the purpose of treating your child at that visit. But follow-up may be necessary. Be sure to get a copy of the record from your visit, including the test results, diagnosis and treatment, and forward this to your child's regular doctor.
Overall, the best medical care for children is provided through a "medical home," a consistent healthcare provider that you take your children to over time. If you're unhappy with the inconvenience or unresponsiveness of your children's current doctor, consider checking out other medical practices to find one that is more convenient and responsive.
Our parenting advice is given as suggestions only. We recommend you also consult your healthcare provider, and urge you to contact them immediately if your question is urgent or about a medical condition.


Personalized whole‐body models integrate metabolism, physiology, and the gut microbiome
msb198982 abs 0001 mImage from: Mol Syst Biol (2020)16:e8982
Comprehensive molecular‐level models of human metabolism have been generated on a cellular level. However, models of whole‐body metabolism have not been established as they require new methodological approaches to integrate molecular and physiological data. We developed a new metabolic network reconstruction approach that used organ‐specific information from literature and omics data to generate two sex‐specific whole‐body metabolic (WBM ) reconstructions. These reconstructions capture the metabolism of 26 organs and six blood cell types. Each WBM reconstruction represents whole‐body organ‐resolved metabolism with over 80,000 biochemical reactions in an anatomically and physiologically consistent manner. We parameterized the WBM reconstructions with physiological, dietary, and metabolomic data. The resulting WBM models could recapitulate known inter‐organ metabolic cycles and energy use. We also illustrate that the WBM models can predict known biomarkers of inherited metabolic diseases in different biofluids. Predictions of basal metabolic rates, by WBM models personalized with physiological data, outperformed current phenomenological models. Finally, integrating microbiome data allowed the exploration of host–microbiome co‐metabolism. Overall, the WBM reconstructions, and their derived computational models, represent an important step toward virtual physiological humans.
News Source:
Journal Reference:
Ines Thiele, Swagatika Sahoo, Almut Heinken, Johannes Hertel, Laurent Heirendt, Maike K Aurich, Ronan MT Fleming
Mol Syst Biol. (2020) 16: e8982
At your Agenda:
8th World Congress on Targeting Microbiota
October 22-23, 2020 - UNESCO, Paris, France


Hence, let's understand our attempted definition of 'factorial' to be part of such a larger expression: 'let' 'factorial match' λ 'n. n' 'in let' 'factorial match' λ 'n. case n of 0 then 1; _ then n * factorial (n - 1) end' 'in factorial 4' This would evaluate to what '4 * factorial 3' does, but with the 'factorial' in the expression bound to the identity function λ 'n. n'. In other words, we'd get the result '12', not the correct answer '24'. For the time being, we will fix this solution by just introducing a special new construction 'letrec' that works the way we want. Now in: 'let' 'factorial match' λ 'n. n' 'in letrec' 'factorial match' λ 'n. case n of 0 then 1; _ then n * factorial (n - 1) end' 'in factorial 4' the initial binding of 'factorial' to the identity function gets ignored, and the 'factorial' in the right-hand side of our definition is interpreted to mean the very same function that we are hereby binding to 'factorial'. Exactly how this works is a deep and exciting topic, that we will be looking at very closely in a few weeks. For the time being, let's just accept that 'letrec' does what we intuitively want when defining functions recursively. **It's important to make sure you say letrec when that's what you want.** You may not *always* want 'letrec', though, if you're ever re-using variables (or doing other things) that rely on the bindings occurring in a specified order. With 'letrec', all the bindings in the construction happen simultaneously. This is why you can say, as Jim did in class: 'letrec' 'even? match' λ 'n. case n of 0 then 'true; _ then odd? (n-1) end' 'odd? match' λ 'n. case n of 0 then 'false; _ then even? (n-1) end' 'in (even?, odd?)' Here neither the 'even?' nor the 'odd?' pattern is matched before the other. They, and also the 'odd?' and the 'even?' variables in their right-hand side expressions, are all bound at once. As we said, this is deep and exciting, and it will make your head spin before we're done examining it. But let's trust 'letrec' to do its job, for now. ### Comparing recursive-style and iterative-style definitions ### Finally, we're in a position to revisit the two definitions of 'length' that Jim presented in class. Here is the first: 'letrec' 'length match' λ 'xs. case xs of [] then 0; _ & ys then 1 + length ys end' 'in length' This function accept a sequence 'xs', and if it's empty returns '0', else it says that its length is '1' plus whatever is the length of its remainder when you take away the first element. In programming circles, this remainder is commonly called the sequence's "tail" (and the first element is its "head"). Thus if we evaluated 'length [10, 20, 30]', that would give the same result as '1 + length [20, 30]', which would give the same result as '1 + (1 + length [30])', which would give the same result as '1 + (1 + (1 + length []))'. But 'length []' is '0', so our original expression evaluates to '1 + (1 + (1 + 0))', or '3'. Here's another way to define the 'length' function: 'letrec' 'aux match' λ '(n, xs). case xs of [] then n; _ & ys then aux (n + 1, ys) end' 'in' λ 'xs. aux (0, xs)' This may be a bit confusing. What we have here is a helper function 'aux' (for "auxiliary") that accepts *two* arguments, the first being a counter of how long we've counted in the sequence so far, and the second argument being how much more of the sequence we have to inspect. If the sequence we have to inspect is empty, then we're finished and we can just return our counter. (Note that we don't return '0'.) If not, then we add '1' to the counter, and proceed to inspect the tail of the sequence, ignoring the sequence's first element. After the 'in', we can't just return the 'aux' function, because it expects two arguments, whereas 'length' should just be a function of a single argument, the sequence whose length we're inquiring about. What we do instead is return a λ-generated function, that expects a single sequence argument 'xs', and then returns the result of calling 'aux' with that sequence together with an initial counter of '0'. So for example, if we evaluated 'length [10, 20, 30]', that would give the same result as 'aux (0, [10, 20, 30])', which would give the same result as 'aux (1, [20, 30])', which would give the same result as 'aux (2, [30])', which would give the same result as 'aux(3, [])', which would give '3'. (This should make it clear why when 'aux' is called with the empty sequence, it returns the result 'n' rather than '0'.) Programmers will sometimes define functions in the second style because it can be evaluated more efficiently than the first style. You don't need to worry about things like efficiency in this seminar. But you should become acquainted with, and comfortable with, both styles of recursive definition. It may be helpful to contrast these recursive-style definitons to the way one would more naturally define the 'length' function in an imperatival language. This uses some constructs we haven't explained yet, but I trust their meaning will be intuitively clear enough. 'let' 'empty? match' λ 'xs.' *this definition left as an exercise*; 'tail match' λ 'xs.' *this definition left as an exercise*; 'length match' λ 'xs. let' 'n := 0;' 'while not (empty? xs) do' 'n := n + 1;' 'xs := tail xs' 'end' 'in n' 'in length' Here there is no recursion. Rather what happens is that we *initialize* the variable 'n' with the value '0', and then so long as our sequence variable 'xs' is non-empty, we *increment* that variable 'n', and *overwrite* the variable 'xs' with the tail of the sequence that it is then bound to, and repeat in a loop (the 'while... do... end' construction). This is similar to what happens in our second definition of 'length', using 'aux', but here it happens using *mutation* or *overwriting* the values of variables, and a special looping construction, whereas in the preceding definitions we achieved the same effect instead with recursion. We will be looking closely at mutation later in the term. For the time being, our focus will instead be on the recursive and *immutable* style of doing things---meaning no variables get overwritten. It's helpful to observe that in expressions like: let x match 0; y match x + 1; x match x + 1; z match 2 * x in (y, z) the variable 'x' has not been *overwritten* (mutated). Rather, we have *two* variables 'x' and its just that the second one is *hiding* the first so long as its scope is in effect. Once its scope expires, the original variable 'x' is still in place, with its orginal binding. A different example should help clarify this. What do you think this: let x match 0; (y, z) match let x match x + 1 in (x, 2*x) in ([y, z], x) evaluates to? Well, consider the right-hand side of the second binding: let x match x + 1 in (x, 2*x) This expression evaluates to '(1, 2)', because it uses the outer binding of 'x' to '0' for the right-hand side of its own binding 'x match x + 1'. That gives us a new binding of 'x' to '1', which is in place when we evaluate '(x, 2*x)'. That's why the whole thing evaluates to '(1, 2)'. So now returning to the outer expression, 'y' gets bound to '1' and 'z' to '2'. But now what is 'x' bound to in the final line,'([y, z], x)'? The binding of 'x' to '1' was in place only until we got to '(x, 2*x)'. After that its scope expired, and the original binding of 'x' to '0


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This paper discusses various alternative definitions of technocracy. It suggests that it is the interaction of particular personnel, institutional, an ideological forces that define technocratic regimes. The paper then suggest that five mechansims help account for the rise of such regimes: complexity, legitimation through performance, institutional autonomy, regime stability, and world systems. The paper finsihes with a pessimistic appraisal of the possibility of a coexistence between technocracy and democracy.
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Economics and Econometrics


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Horse riding is a very exclusive sport discipline gaining more and more popularity. It is, at the same time, one of the most traumatic disciplines. Luckily, the risk of injury can be minimized, and pharmaceuticals available without prescription will help us fight it.
What types of injuries occur while riding a horse?
Contrary to what one might expect, not only the horse is subject to a significant overload, but also the person sitting in the saddle. Injuries are usually the result of:
– lack of experience of the rider,
– avoiding warmup,
– not being prepared for an effort,
– inappropriate ground choice.
Horse riding puts people mainly at the risk of injuries of joints and of the skeletal system. These include injuries of ankle, knee and hip joints. In the saddle we are particularly subject to spinal traumas – of lumbar and cervical spine.
Another group of injuries are muscle injuries. They include:
– muscle strains in the leg area (gastrocnemius muscle, quadriceps, and adductor thigh muscles),
– muscle strains of the whole body,
– muscle spasms.


text: Explore the genius of Alvin Ailey through the eyes of those who knew him in a lecture, technique, and repertory residency. Sylvia Waters, former principal dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and founding artistic director of Ailey II, will guide students through a definitive look into the history of the legacy created by Alvin Ailey—a celebration of the African American heritage and the modern dance tradition. Ms. Waters will present lecture/discussion sessions and teach sections of iconic Ailey repertory, including excerpts of Blues Suite, Streams, and Mr. Ailey's signature masterpiece, Revelations. Master Horton technique instructors Elizabeth Roxas or Ana Marie Forsythe will lead Horton classes that focus on developing range of movement in an anatomically corrective manner. Working closely in tandem, the instructors will enable students to create an interactive discourse about history, theory, and applied practice. Students will showcase their work with an end of semester performance.


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Could a large American retail store produce as much energy as it consumes? Walgreens is going all 'green' to find out.
The company recently announced a plan to erect a 'net-zero' energy store to replace an older one located in Evanston, Illinois. Through thoughtful and innovative design, the prototype store is specially designed to utilize various renewable energies technologies, such as wind, solar, and geothermal, in order to produce as much or potentially even more energy than it actually needs to operate.
Approved last fall by the city council, the plan uses a variety of strategies to achieve net-zero energy status drawn from energy-reducing measures from its own stores and numerous technology vendors.
Built using energy-efficient building materials, the store will implement energy efficient technologies, such as LED lighting and daylight harvesting, along with ultra high-efficiency refrigeration using carbon dioxide refrigerant. Engineers working with Walgreens believe that these efforts will reduce energy use by 40 percent. Furthermore, the store will generate its own energy through the use of two vertical wind turbines from Wing Power Energy in the parking lot, 800+ solar panels on the store's tiered roof, and a geoexchange (geothermal) system that will tap 550 feet into the ground in order to maintain stable temperatures year round.
Other 'green' staples like bike racks/repair station and an electric vehicle charging station will also be installed at the store. For all these great features, the store will cost more to construct than a typical Walgreens store, but the company hopes to make up for that initial cost through energy savings.
Company engineers estimated that the annual energy usage for the store are 200,000 kilowatt hours consumed and 256,000 kilowatt hours produced. While it is intriguing to contemplate whether the store could actually have a surplus of energy up-for-grabs, it's important to keep in mind that Evanston is located on Lake Michigan north of Chicago and can experience some harsh weather year round. Though Chicago's reputation for being the Windy City holds promise for the wind turbines, the area has at least partly cloudy skies during 77 percent of the year, which doesn't bode well for solar power. It is hoped that through the combination of these renewable energies that energy production needs will be sufficient.
As part of its green initiative that seeks to reduce energy usage by 20 percent at all 8,000 locations before the end of the decade, the store is scheduled to be completed by November of this year, which will make it the first net-zero energy retail store in the country, according to the press release. Once in operation, Walgreens has stated that it will seek LEED Platinum status form the U.S. Green Building Council, the most difficult designation to achieve.
Perhaps, the larger motive behind this endeavor is to use the store as a pilot plant for the implementation of these new technologies. In the press release, the VP of Facilities Development Thomas Connolly stated, "We are investing in developing a net-zero store so we can learn the best way to bring these features to our other stores." This can only help the company learn energy savings practices that can translate to other locations as well as help in the design of future stores.
But once the store goes online, the big question will be can it generate more energy than it consumes? Walgreens will be actively monitoring energy usage for a full year before drawing any conclusions.
Other net-zero energy projects are also underway around the world, including an elementary school in New York City and a national stadium in Brazil that will be a venue for the 2014 World Cup. Like the Walgreens store, these projects will be analyzed thoroughly by companies interested in implementing their own green technologies to ensure that they can meet demand and actually lower operating costs.
The company has setup a Facebook page for its Net Zero Campaign for those who are interested in following along with the progress on the store.


Vatican plan to block gay priests
The new Pope faces his first controversy over the direction of the Catholic church after it was revealed that the Vatican has drawn up a religious instruction preventing gay men from being priests.
'Inevitably, such a directive will be met with opposition,' said John Haldane, professor of moral philosophy at the University of St Andrews.
The instruction tries to dampen down the controversy by eschewing a moral line, arguing instead that the presence of homosexuals in seminaries is 'unfair' to both gay and heterosexual priests by subjecting the former to temptation.
'It will be written in a very pastoral mode,' Haldane said. 'It will not be an attack on the gay lifestyle. It will not say "homosexuality is immoral". But it will suggest that admitting gay men into the priesthood places a burden both on those who are homosexual and those they are working alongside who are not.'
The instruction was drawn up as part of the Vatican's response to the sexual abuse scandal that surfaced in the American church three years ago, which has seen hundreds of priests launch lawsuits against superiors whom they accuse of abusing them.
As the former head of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican body charged with looking into the abuse claims, Benedict, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, was made acutely aware of the scale of the problem. He is thought to have made clearing up the scandal one of the key goals of his papacy.
Next month the Vatican will send investigators to the US to gauge the scale of the scandal. More than 100 bishops and seminary staff will visit 220 campuses. They will review documents provided by the schools and seminaries and may interview teachers, students and alumni, then report directly to the Vatican, which could choose to issue the instruction barring homosexuals from entering the priesthood as part of its response.
Studies show that a significant proportion of men who enter seminaries to train for the priesthood are gay. Any move signalling that homosexuals will not be allowed to join the seminaries, even one couched in the arcane language of the Vatican, could reduce the number of recruits to the priesthood.
In a further sign of the instruction's deeply controversial nature, it is expected the document would be signed by a cardinal rather than the Pope himself if the Vatican decides to publish it.
The Vatican has been carefully trying to soften Benedict's image since he was elected earlier this year. In recent weeks he has reached out to the Jewish and Muslim communities as well as young Catholics during the church's World Youth Day. The initiatives have been seen as a significant PR success. A decision to publish an instruction that would underscore his religious conservatism would be detrimental to Benedict's standing as he enjoys his 'honeymoon period' on the world stage.
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Unlocking Shared Buying Power: The Key to Discounted Rates
Maximizing Savings with Collective Purchasing
There is power in numbers, and this concept is particularly relevant when it comes to shared buying power. In today's consumer-driven society, individuals are consistently looking for ways to stretch their hard-earned dollars. One innovative solution that has gained significant traction is collective purchasing, where like-minded individuals join forces to negotiate discounted rates for goods and services. By pooling their resources and leveraging their combined buying power, participants can unlock substantial savings that would otherwise be unattainable as individual buyers.
Creativity in the Corporate World
Forward-thinking companies have recognized the potential of shared buying power and have developed innovative platforms to facilitate collective purchasing. These platforms bring together individuals with similar needs, allowing them to unite their buying power and access exclusive deals. From bulk discounts on everyday essentials to special rates on luxury items, the possibilities are endless. This trend not only benefits consumers but also provides businesses with a unique opportunity to connect with their target audience and build brand loyalty.
Accessing Unparalleled Deals and Discounts
Shared buying power enables consumers to access deals and discounts that are otherwise out of reach. By joining forces, participants can negotiate better rates with vendors and service providers, unlocking bulk discounts and exclusive offers. Whether it's procuring a fleet of vehicles for a rideshare service or collaborating on a group vacation, the savings achieved through collective purchasing can be substantial.
Furthermore, shared buying power extends beyond the realm of physical goods and services. In recent years, there has been a surge in collective purchasing for intangible assets such as digital subscriptions, memberships, and even investments. By pooling their financial resources, individuals can gain access to otherwise unaffordable opportunities, such as exclusive investment funds or premium streaming services.
Empowering Communities through Collaborative Consumption
Shared buying power not only benefits individuals but also paves the way for collaborative consumption within communities. By working together, neighbors, coworkers, and friends can amplify their purchasing potential, creating a ripple effect of savings throughout the community. This collaborative approach not only strengthens social bonds but also fosters economic growth by encouraging local businesses to offer attractive discounts to the collective group. Through collective purchasing, communities can create a win-win situation where everyone benefits.
The Future of Collective Purchasing
As technology continues to advance, the potential for shared buying power is expected to grow exponentially. Emerging platforms and apps are streamlining the process of collective purchasing, making it more accessible and convenient for individuals to join forces and secure discounted rates. Additionally, the rise of social media allows like-minded individuals to connect and collaborate on collective purchasing initiatives, further expanding the reach and impact of this innovative concept.
The future of collective purchasing holds exciting possibilities, with potential applications in various industries. From healthcare cooperatives that negotiate lower medical costs to group insurance schemes that provide affordable coverage to all members, the opportunities are endless. By harnessing the power of shared buying power, individuals can create a more equitable and cost-effective society.
In conclusion, shared buying power is a game-changer in today's consumer landscape. By pooling resources and leveraging collective bargaining, individuals can unlock unparalleled discounts and access exclusive deals. As collaborative consumption gains momentum, the potential savings and benefits for both individuals and communities are limitless. As we look to the future, it is evident that shared buying power will continue to revolutionize the way we shop, offering a gateway to discounted rates and a more economically sustainable society. Dive deeper into the topic and discover new viewpoints using this handpicked external material. what Does Temu stand For.
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Game reviews: Objectivity
In this blog, let's discuss the fine line between subjectivity and objectivity. As discussed, any review will be subjective. We discussed that understanding the reviewer is a key issue behind knowing whether a review is useful or not.
To allow the reader to make own decision behind a subjective opinion, the good reviewer can supply objective facts. This would be an immense task for all views, like "there is too many flags to be found, 1037 total, …" but it would be important for essential opinions from which the overall assessment of a game is made. On some topics, reviewers are generally very good at doing so. Like the length of the campaign in hours is commonly stated together with an assessment of this is satisfying value for money or not. Let's take some illustrative examples of reviews (no pun intended) where the statement formed a key position on the game but that was not backed by any stated facts during the review.
This is a wannabe action film that resents your interference, and punishes you by forcing one horrible quick-time event after another upon you". How many were there? What was game-time versus QTE? That a game leaves a reviewer with a certain feeling is fine, but it should be backed by other elements. This particular game we did some measurements and QTE is really a negligible part of the total time we spent with the controller. For some that was too much (obviously). For others, there were merely a small but non-distracting annoyance. For some, just right. Reading the statement here I would expect a QTE to show up every two minutes or so.
Some well-made reviews discusses the fact that the head character in Dead Space 2 suddenly has a voice. For some, this element crucially impacts the value of the game to them. They also relate to what was the developers original idea and discussed how it worked.
Game reviews: Know the reviewer
As discussed in the last blog, reviews are per definition subjective, and a reader should know enough about the reviewer that (s)he can relate to whether the review is trust-worthy or not. As we also discussed, readers seldom establish a long-term relationship with reviewers since there are so many gamer sites and reviewers out there. What are the key traits then to know whether a reviewers opinion is worth-while or not? Some elements discussed in the following, first focused on the readers perspective but then focused to discussing how a reviewer can provide sufficient background information for its readers. There is a lot of discussion on the Internet that rightfully asks the question of whether any online review can be trusted. What is the intent of the reviewer? Some studies have indicated consistent higher reviewer scores for block buster titles than the actual user scores which of course leads to lots of speculation which is not an area we are going to discuss further here. But what we should discuss is how to make a review credible.
The first question the reader should ask is "who is the reviewer"? Do I even relate to the person? What does the reviewer look for in a game? There are multiple elements that can help. The first obvious one is providing history. E.g. if the reviewer provided overall scores for past games, it would be useful to show those review scores in the current review page. If earlier assessments for games are highly correlated with my experience of the same games, that is strong indication that we like the same things. Given such history is not available, the reviewer can provide a listing of similar games in past that (s)he liked or disliked and for what reasons that was so.
Second question is what is the basis for the review. Understandably many reviewers are just going with the flow to be "early birds" to capture readers to their commercial sites. Some may not be even willing to write the truth that is "I received version of review yesterday", "my review is based on 2 hours with the game", and otherwise "I just state the same as other reviewers but with some personal touch in terms of formulations". Any reviewer that I would trust guiding my purchasing decision, should be able to put forward this information. Which part of the games was tried out? What difficulty? Multiplayer (which is interesting given reviews created on the day of release, one can wonder how that took place)?
Finally, the review itself adds to the credibility of the reviewer. Are there too many personal aspects or is argumentation based on factual observations? Does the reviewer try to get into understanding the game as it "was meant to be played/understood" by the developer or is the game measured entirely against a personal preference? E.g. it would be a fair reviewer assessment that the yet unreleased Dead Space 3's co-op mode would hypothetically take away the whole idea of the player being isolated, alone, and in panic. E.g. a core ingredient of the attraction of the first two games. But as the co-op mode is there it should be evaluated for what it is? Does it make the experience more manageable for players too scared to play DS on higher difficulties? Does the mode provide good fun when playing with a friend? Does the co-op elements work out? Looking at a game from multiple angles helps me as a reader to understand if my use-case for the game is nicely catered for or not. A game that received lots of mixed reviews was the recently published Resident Evil 6. But I found the co-op mechanic well implemented which was my primary use-case for purchasing the game.
As an element to the actual review, is of course the creative writing style. Some reviewers are very good at making pictures in your head that get's you into the players feeling playing a section of the game without having the controller in your hand. While this is the artistic part, it is a way of connecting with the reader, reaching a person on a different level. E.g. "how do you want to feel playing a game, and how does this game makes you feel".
Game reviews: Creating value
So, with an assumption that key purpose of a review is to give the reader "as good as possible" insight into whether a game is worthwhile to play, let's look at what it takes to do so. Even discussing this is subjective but I take the starting point how I look at a review. Later, we will detail the elements to better define what is "a good review".
The starting point is an understanding that a review is subjective. Hence, for a reader it is important to know if (s)he can relate to the reviewer. Do they even think alike? Do they have similar preferences? In movie reviews, I had a favorite reviewer once who I found very useful. He would consistently give movies of certain genres I liked a single score-point below my own perception. E.g. if it was action movie, I would simply add one star and have my own score with 95% confidence. Now, game reviews are made by so many people, and today many reviewers have become "anonymous" because there are just so many gamer sites and so many people contributing reviews. So a good review should give people a quick introduction to the person(s) conducting the actual review. Also, while most reviewers would not be inclined to do so, it would be valuable to know how much time (s)he has actually spent with the game. Too many early-bird reviews out there.
As discussed in the last blog post, it is important that the reviewer relates to quantifiable measures whenever possible. E.g. rather than stating that a game has an "overwhelming amount of QTEs or cut-scenes taking the player out of the action", try to establish some measure as to how often these happen (once per hour, every 5 minutes) and then state whether that felt satisfying or not. For a user that enjoys story-telling buffed with cut-scenes, this may be OK whereas for others it can be a disaster. E.g. for a good review this can be stated as: When possible have an objective measure together with an important subjective opinion. In particular, for those opinions that take a big part of the reviewers overall assessment of the game.
In terms of review, it is important there the reviewer includes/discusses a large set of value elements so that the reader can better relate. E.g. maybe a game has lousy or past-generation graphics but the gameplay itself is just fantastic. For some people this disqualifies the game while for others it is secondary. A reviewer will often bring in her/his own opinion balancing these but the review should allow a separation of the different value elements allowing the reader to do an own "weighting" towards a final score. Defining those "value points" is of course difficult as the complete set of reviewers will look for quite different things. This is not to discourage the reviewer to provide a single overall score on a well-defined scoring system, this is needed for "attention" purposes, but rather to allow the reader to put together an own and personalized assessment of the game as well.
Finally, and relating a bit further to the objective measures, it has always annoyed me when the basic functionalities of the game has not been listed. A good review should provide one-stop access to the information about a game's core functionality. E.g. does the co-op functionality work in split-screen? Or only online? How many players can compete in multiplayer? Which game modes? Do you need pass to access multiplayer (e.g. to judge whether rental is a good idea)? Etc. For some games this can be a deal breaker as to whether the game is useful or not.
As always, let me know your thoughts.
Game reviews: It's purpose?
I have gotten an obsession with "defining" a better way to review in particular video games. I have looked around the Internet and it


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Residential complex of four 5-storey houses supported by a common concrete slab, which also functions as the roof of underground garages. In addition to the heavy load, this slab has additional complications due to non-continuous vertical bearing elements. The building materials were a combination of monolithic concrete and masonry.
"With easy modeling, clear results and wide material design capability, Advance Design presents structural analysis software suitable for everyday practical usage, while working on projects of various types of buildings"– Josef Veselý, HHStatika s.r.o.
- Complex geometry of the building and ground plans which were different for each building
- Combination of concrete and masonry skills required to simulate the behaviour of different building materials
- Many loads acting on the building, including soil pressure and climatic loads
- Easy creation of the structural model from the DXF reference plans and systems of levels to keep the consistent altitude of all members whilst quickly changing the level height
- Export of actions from supports and their import into another model was a simple way to exclude tension effects from masonry walls
- Automatic generators of soil pressure and climatic loads from snow and wind according to Eurocode rules
- Consistent model of the structure
- Increased productivity by intuitive modeling tools
- Time saving by automation of load generator


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Recently I have been playing around with STARTTLS, SMTP & Enforcement of STARTTLS policy. This has led me to make several suggestions for evolutions on the way the sendmail open source MTA should handle this enforcement – I will address this in a future post in a few weeks. For this article I want to address some other observations.
One of the observations I made during my work on this subject was how difficult it can be to setup an enforceable policy when controlling STARTTLS SMTP connections. One of the reasons for this is that the certificates which are being used need to be carefully designed to allow correct identification of the hostnames.
Certificates used for TLS connections adhere to the X.509 standard and they are identified by a Subject and an Issuer using a X.500 notation. For example the certificate hosted on my personal mail server has following data:
- Issuer: C=IL, O=StartCom Ltd., OU=Secure Digital Certificate Signing, CN=StartCom Class 2 Primary Intermediate Server CA
- Subject: description=286542-g0Fq7m73HbBwiIkc, C=GB, ST=Greater London, L=London, O=Christophe Wolfhugel, OU=StartCom Verified Certificate Member, CN=k.wolfhugel.eu/_EMAIL_
The Issuer identifies the authority which did deliver my certificate, and in the above example I got mine from an intermediate authority run by a company called StartCom. The Subject identifies my SMTP server, and you may recognize that an Internet hostname is present in the CN field. This is the canonical hostname of my mail server.
Should my mailserver only be used and known under this single name, k.wolfhugel.eu, everything would be easy but this is not the case: my MX record as published in the DNS is relay.wolfhugel.eu. So unless my certificate also shows this name, validation and verification might be more difficult (i.e. would need manual configuration).
Fortunately the certificates are able to handle X509v3 Extensions and one of particular interest to us: the Subject Alternative Names which can be displayed for my server's certificate as:
X509v3 Subject Alternative Name:
DNS:k.wolfhugel.eu, DNS:wolfhugel.eu, DNS:relay.wolfhugel.eu
RFC-6125 which is quite long and complex gives very detailed explanations on how this should be used, but for messaging users I would summarize this as:
- When you create certificates being used for Email ensure that all valid names which are used (canonical hostname, names appearing in MX records, names appearing in SMTP banners or HELO/EHLO negotiation) are included as DNS values in the X509v3 Subject Alternative Names extension
- It is still advised to have a valid and recognized value (i.e. a hostname) in the CN field of the Subject of your certificate, but RFC-6125 states that if Subject Alternative Names are present, applications should use only these names for identifying the remote party
- It is best that the hostname indicated as the CN is also present as a DNS Subject Alternative Name
So, for example, if your domain name is domain.eu and your MX record mx.domain.eu goes to a load balancer and then two hosts called s1.domain.eu and s2.domain.eu the content of your certificates would be adequate if being:
- for s1: CN=s1.domain.eu, Subject Alternative Names: DNS:mx.domain.eu DNS:s1.domain.eu
- for s2: CN=s2.domain.eu, Subject Alternative Names: DNS:mx.domain.eu DNS:s2.domain.eu
This simple recommendation will make life easier for anyone who wishes to enforce TLS security during SMTP transactions.
In conclusion, don't forget your Subject Alternative Names when creating certificates which are being used for STARTTLS SMTP traffic.


text:
Ethnobotanic: The root of this plant was used by the Iroquois to treat venereal diseases, ulcers, and legs sores. The leaves were smashed and applied as a poultice to treat an abscess at the side of the neck. The plant was used to counteract sickness produced by witchcraft. The Cherokee mashed the roots of Indian tobacco and used them as a poultice for body aches. The leaves were rubbed on sores, aches, stiff necks, and chapped places. The Crow used the plant in religious ceremonies.
Wildlife: Birds are attracted to the nectar, such as hummingbirds. Young seedlings provide browsing for deer and other grazing animals.
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Maintaining Youthfulness In Women
Women Can Stay Young By Following A Mediterranean Diet -study shows.
Women who adhered closely to a Mediterranean diet (emphasizing vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, legumes, fish, and monounsaturated fats, plus moderate alcohol intake) had longer telomeres after adjustment for characteristics likely to influence telomere length, including age, body mass index, smoking history, and exercise.
The authors calculated that the difference in telomere length among women who were more adherent to the Mediterranean diet could translate into an average gain of about 4.5 years of life, roughly comparable to the difference between nonsmokers and smokers or being highly active and less active. "Our results," they conclude, "further support the benefits of adherence to the Mediterranean diet for promoting health and longevity."
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text: Blind source separation (BSS) for convolutive mixtures can be performed efficiently in the frequency domain, where independent component analysis (ICA) is applied separately in each frequency bin. To solve the permutation problem of frequency-domain BSS robustly, information regarding the number of sources is very important. This paper presents a method for estimating the number of sources from convolutive mixtures of sources. The new method estimates the power of each source or noise component by using ICA and a scaling technique to distinguish sources and noises. Also, a reverberant component can be identified by calculating the correlation of component envelopes. Experimental results for up to three sources show that the proposed method worked well in a reverberant condition whose reverberation time was 200 ms.


May 27, 2000
So Whose Words Are They? Susan Sontag Creates a Stir
From "Memories and Impressions of Helena Modjeska"
The legendary actress Helena Modjeska, above, playing Cleopatra in 1901, is the model for the main character in Susan Sontag's new historical novel.
Related Articles
Michiko Kakutani Reviews 'In America' (Feb. 20, 2000)
Sarah Kerr Reviews 'In America' (March 12, 2000)
First Chapter: 'In America'
Featured Author: Susan Sontag
Annie Leibovitz/Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Susan Sontag
Two times more she read through "In America," underlining passages that echoed to her from 30 years of lecturing about Helena Modjeska, the Polish immigrant actress who had inspired Ms. Sontag's historical novel and its main character, Maryna Zalezowska.
By the time she was done, Mrs. Lee had highlighted at least 12 passages in Ms. Sontag's 387-page book that were similar to passages in four other books about Modjeska. They were presented without credit or attribution -- other than a line in the preface expressing a debt to books and articles about Modjeska "for material and anecdotes used (and altered.)" No writers were credited by name in the novel.
The authors were a varied lot, ranging from Willa Cather to Helena Modjeska herself to a Polish Nobel laureate in literature who is also a model for a character in Ms. Sontag's novel. The familiar passages ranged from an elaborate description of Modjeska's rose-colored cashmere robe to Ms. Cather's evocative account of a toast delivered by the actress "looking into the blur of the candlight." In length, they ranged from a sentence or two to eight lines of rhyming verse.
"My first reaction was really bewilderment," recalled Mrs. Lee, a volunteer museum docent who helped found the Helena Modjeska Foundation in Southern California. "Why would a writer of Susan Sontag's stature and prestige use sources without quotation marks and without documentation? And then it occurred to me that maybe the rules have changed and there are different rules for fiction now."
That question is oddly debatable in a literary arena where popular writers have already pushed the limits of artistic license to treat history as a mélange of fact and fiction. But in the case of "In America," the issue is highlighted because in some passages the language itself is taken almost verbatim from other authors.
For Ms. Sontag, whose wide-ranging writing career has encompassed fiction, essays, plays and films, standards have evolved for the historical novel as a form of literature.
She considers it "a work of art" that belongs to a new genre that doesn't require the footnotes of traditional histories.
"All of us who deal with real characters in history transcribe and adopt original sources in the original domain," said Ms. Sontag, who noted that the passages in dispute amounted to fewer than three pages in total. "I've used these sources and I've completely transformed them. I have these books. I've looked at these books. There's a larger argument to be made that all of literature is a series of references and allusions."
In her quest to capture a period with precision, Ms. Sontag offers various explanations for using the language of others -- from indulging in a whimsical inside literary joke, playing with Cather's words, to drawing on the direct words of people she considers primary sources.
"I distinguish between writers and sources," she said. "Willa Cather is a writer, but the others are sources. The sources themselves are working from sources and they are using quotations of actual words. I don't consider Modjeska's memoirs the work of a writer. So what interests me is the transformation. She's the source of my character and you can use a sentence that's exactly the same because it is from her words. Of course, I've used her words to create a completely different character."
Using the writings of Helena Modjeska and the 1905 Nobel laureate, Henryk Sienkiewicz, a Polish journalist and author of "Quo Vadis," Ms. Sontag wove their words into scenes involving her fictional immigrant actress, Maryna Zalezowska, and an imaginary journalist, much like Sienkiewicz, who is called Ryszard Kierulck.
In some passages, it does appear that Ms. Sontag used descriptions, Polish quotations translated into English and verses collected and written by an obscure writer, Marion Moore Coleman, who in 1969 self-published "Fair Rosalind: The American Career of Helena Modjeska." But Ms. Sontag said the similarities arose from her and Mrs. Coleman's use of some of the same original newspaper accounts and letters.
"Fair Rosalind" was a title that Mrs. Lee knew well because she had befriended Mrs. Coleman while she was researching the more than 1,000-page book.
Mrs. Lee started underlining passages after she was approached by an Orange County Register reporter who described some similarities in language but who focused on differences between the facts of Modjeska's life in a home in the Santa Ana foothills in the 1870's and the fictional tale of Ms. Sontag's actress, Maryna.
By the time she was through, Mrs. Lee had collected similar passages from two other books of nonfiction, including Modjeska's 1910 memoirs, "Memories and Impressions," and the translated letters of Sienkiewicz, "Portrait of America."
But the more detailed information and wording came from Mrs. Coleman's biography, which included extensive footnotes.
For example, "In America" contains a lavish description of Maryna Zalezowska's dress that Mrs. Coleman attributes to an 1878 Louisville Courier-Journal report: "Cashmere robe of peach-blossom pink, trimmed with a cascade of lace down the front and one narrow flounce around the bottom, lace ruffles on the elbow sleeves, a lace fraise at the neck and one shell-shaped lace pocket on the left side ornamented with a pink rosette."
Ms. Sontag's description -- with a line eliminated and some minor words changed -- closely parallels Mrs. Coleman's.
Ms. Sontag said: "I have that newspaper account where Marion Coleman got her information. I have all this in my computer. It comes from a newspaper account, I think from Philadephia."
In the same biography, Mrs. Coleman painstakenly chronicles the verses delivered in tribute to Modjeska by various admirers and critics. Some of them are virtually unchanged in Ms. Sontag's novel. For example, Mrs. Coleman's biography described a poem sent with a bouquet to Modjeska by newspaper men.
Hither, unheralded by voice of fame,
Except as a fair foreigner you came:
Light was the welcome that we had prepared
Even our symphathies you scarcely shared:
Not as the artist whom your people knew
As some fresh novice did we look on you.
In Ms. Sontag's novel, the same lines surface in an unsigned note from an admirer to the fictional Maryna with slight changes of wording and a character's interruption.
For Ms. Sontag, the use of such lines reflects a zeal to capture a historical period. In her previous novel, "The Volcano Lover," she said, about 1 or 2 percent of the sentences or phrases came from the written words of her real-life characters, like the letters exchanged between Lady Emma Hamilton and Lord Nelson. "There are phrases and letters, part of a sentence in another sentence, all reworked," she said. "You get very haunted by this question of fact, of making it absolutely right."
Particularly striking to Mrs. Lee was a passage that was clearly borrowed from Cather's own description, in "My Mortal Enemy," of a toast delivered by Modjeska.
Cather wrote: "When Oswald asked her to propose a toast, she put out her long arm, lifted her glass, and looking into the blur of the candlelight with a grave face, said: 'To my coun-n-try!' "
The Sontag version is slightly different: "When asked to propose a toast, she put out her long arm, lifted her glass, and looking into the blur of the candlelight, crooned, 'To my new country!' " "Country," muttered Miss Collingridge. "Not 'coun-n-try.' "
Ms. Sontag said that she had not read "My Mortal Enemy," but that a friend had sent her the description of the toast and she had incorporated Cather's material as a "literary joke."
"It was certainly a reference that I hoped people would pick up," she said, adding that she had transformed the passage because her character delivers a toast to the United States, rather than to Poland, as in the Cather version.
With other similiar passages, Ms. Sontag said, she used the words not of "writers, but sources in the public domain" that inspired similar characters in her novel. For example, she draws on passages from the memoirs of Modjeska, who wrote about her memories of chasing away boredom by killing flies after rummaging through toys and discovering "two tiny little bows." Modjeska continues: "The arrows were simply made of matches, with a needle at the end. We aimed at the drowsy


Things for stay-at-home parents to do now that school's in session
Being a stay-at-home parent is not an easy task. Even though the position is not paid, you are constantly on your feet working, with hardly a moment to take a break. For children's baby and toddler years, stay-at-home moms and dads need to devote a lot of their time and attention to take care of their children. It is certainly a challenging job, but most moms and dads become accustomed to their role tending to their kids' needs at home, and they definitely get plenty of practice day after day.
Once the kids start school however, the whole dynamic of the situation changes. Suddenly, there's a big chunk of the day where the kids don't need to be looked after because they're busy in school. Many stay at home parents find this jarring because they suddenly have more free time than they are used to. For those parents who need something to do to fill the time, here are a couple of things you can do while the kids are at school.
Do something for you
If you've spent a great deal of the past few years putting the majority of your focus on your children, it might be a good time to start doing things for you. Perhaps take up a new hobby or sport, or look for an interesting class to take. You could get a gym membership or learn how to do something you've always wanted to do.
Look for a job in your children's school
One of the best things you can do is try to put in some hours at your kids' school. This has the added benefit of you being able to be there for your kids if they ever need you. Your schedule will also likely sync with theirs, so you'll still be able to spend time with them before and after school. You could consider taking on a role as a teacher's assistant, a bus driver, cafeteria staff, or working in the school office. The possibilities are endless and could provide you with some valuable work experience as well as some extra cash.
Work as a freelance writer
If you have a flair for writing, look into freelance writing for a firm. Freelance writers have the benefit of being able to set their own hours, and you can do it from the comfort of your own home. You'll also make some much needed extra income while polishing your writing skills. All you need is an internet connection and a word processor and you're good to go.
Become a driver or work for a delivery company
Uber, Lyft, Amazon Flex and many more companies have made it very easy for people to earn some extra change on the side with their business models. If you have a car, you can become a driver and make money from the front seat. The best part of this type of work is the flexibility it offers. You only work when you'd like to. This means you can take days off with no consequences if one of your little ones is sick and needs you by their side.