Wildlife and Ecology Prospects, October to December inclusive
Wildflowers - Fungi - Insects
What to look out for late in the year in the Algarve
Stumbling across a wild orchid at this time of the year comes as a great surprise.
Spiranthes spiralis - Autumn Lady's-tresses
Above: Autumn Lady's-tresses flowering beside the Quarteira river close to Paderne in mid-November.
The elusive Algarve autumn-flowering orchid
Most of the Algarve's beautiful wild orchids flower in early spring but there are two exceptions and both are rare and difficult to spot. These two orchids, Summer Lady's-tresses Spiranthes aestivalis and Autumn Lady's-tresses Spiranthes spiralis are closely related. Summer Lady's-tresses flowers in shady margins of rivers and streams in June, and Autumn Lady's-tresses flowers in the same type of habitat but waits until the first rains of autumn to arrive and then pops up along the edges of our water courses or in other moist and shady locations.
Although these orchids look remarkably similar to the casual observer they are easy to tell apart because of their very different flowering times. Close inspection also reveals that the inflorescences are different in appearance too. In the case of Summer Lady's-tresses the small white flowers protrude horizontally from the stem, but with Autumn Lady's-tresses the flowers open in a tight spiral around the very hairy stem.
Summer Lady's-tresses are particularly rare in the region but have been recorded close to Caldas de Monchique. Autumn Lady's-tresses are more widespread (but not easy to find) and are reported from the banks of the River Algibre and lower down in the valley where the Algibre joins the River Quarteira in the area of Paderne. Sand dunes are also a good place to look for Autumn Lady's-tresses and Carrapateira is one of the best. The orchids grow in small pockets at the base of the dunes where they are able to catch moisture which seeps down through the sand during rain and collects, enabling them to commence their growing and flowering cycle.
Ceasar's Mushroom
Caesar's Mushroom - one of the delicious edible species to be found in the Algarve
Safety First - Sue Parker
In the ups and downs of foraging for food, fruitless searches are compensated by those magical moments when you find something very special. That's when hasty harvesters can make ghastly gaffes, the worst of which may prove fatal. 'Caring to inspect before daring to ingest' ensures you enjoy your present find and live to enjoy future ones.
Superficial similarities between something that is delicious and good to eat and something else that is poisonous lure people to their deaths every year. It's not just those who are starving and desperate for food who take such risks. In Europe hundreds die each year as a result of eating fatal fruits or toxic toadstools. What's particularly sad is that the very finest and most abundant of free food is not difficult to identify with certainty; you just have to know how to unmask the fraudsters.
Take Morels, Morchella esculenta, for example – I do, eagerly, any time I am lucky enough to find them. If you are making a mushroom sauce to go with red meat, there is no finer mushroom, but it's crucial to know what False Morels can do, and even more importantly what they look like.
The Algarve is a top destination for those interested in fungi, but water is the vital ingredient required to stimulate their fruiting bodies to appear. Pat O'Reilly reports:
Pat O'Reilly
Pat photographing a Parasol Mushroom in forest near Monchique
There are very few places where fungi cannot grow, but mixed woodlands and unimproved grassland habitats are usually the most productive. In dry weather concentrate on the borders of rivers and streams and the bottoms of slopes. Even the lawns around villas can provide good displays of colourful fungi provided they are regularly waters and not subject to heavy doses of weedkiller or fertiliser.
Here are some special species to look out for:
Multiplication made Deceptively Simple
Fungi in the mycological family Phallaceae go by the common name of stinkhorns. Some members of the family really do stink. Others hardly smell at all (to us, that is, but as I explain below flies and other insects certainly are lured by their pong) but nevertheless from their shape alone they are instantly recognisable as stinkhorn family'members'. This is the case with Mutinus caninus, which is commonly referred to as the Dog Stinkhorn… obviously a male dog!
Mutinus caninus - Dog stinkhorn
Dog Stinkhorn Mutinus caninus
Dog Stinkhorns are found throughout Europe, but it took 15 years of fungi foraying before we stumbled across this distinctive species in the Algarve; it popped up its sticky green head on Christmas Eve 2015 in cork oak woodlands near Monchique. Insects of various kinds soon cluster on the spore-laden sticky gleba that coats the tips of these stinkhorns, and as the bugs consume the olive-green soup so inevitably a few of the fungal spores stick to their feet. Once a fly takes off after lunch and alights elsewhere in the woods, it leaves tiny sticky footprints from which new mycelia (microscopic thread-like fungal networks) can develop. By this harmless deceit, Dog Stinkhorns and their relatives manipulate insects into helping them to 'go forth and multiply' – and no Bitch Stinkhorn is involved!
Here is a link to the Dog Stinkhorn page on our First Nature website…
Clathrus ruber
Above: Red Cage fungus is rare in northern Europe but common in the Algarve. They first appear in November but thereafter they can be found well into the New Year.
The first autumn rains will stimulate more of the region's fungi to appear especially in cooler and damper areas, such as the woodlands up in the hills around Monchique. Resembling a bizarre Christmas decoration, Red Cage Fungus Clathrus ruber, which is a member of the Stinkhorn family of fungi, doesn't smell anywhere near as good as it looks. In fact, the obnoxious smell may be the first thing to tell you that you are close to a fruiting specimen. Taking closeup photographs is not for the faint hearted!
Hygrocybe acutoconica
Persistent Waxcap Hygrocybe acutoconica
As the last of the Algarve's floral fireworks fade, so another paintbox colours the countryside with more than a rainbow of hues and shades. Fungi! Up they pop when the autumn rain arrives, and off to work they go recycling the deadwood of forests and the frazzled plants of pastures and parks, and playing other important and sometimes troublesome roles too.
Many lawn mushrooms are fickle, here-today-gone-tomorrow types, but one group. known as waxcaps, tends to hang around. Most persistent of all is a beautiful yellow-orange conical mushroom known as, er... the Persistent Waxcap. Its scientific name is Hygrocybe acutoconica. The cap of this mushroom always feels damp, and in shape it is acutely conical - there, we have translated that latinised (scientific) name with no great difficulty. They're not always so obvious.
Gymnopilus junonius
Spectacular Rustgill Gymnopilus juonius
Into the woods now, and what have we got here?. Spectacular smooth-capped orange mushrooms sprout from the stumps of felled trees and occasionally from the trunks of living (but poorly) trees. They are very fond of oaks, but if oak trees are not on the menu these hungry mushrooms will make do with pines. Their scientific name is Gymnopilus junonius.
The prefix Gymnmeans bald, while -pilus means a head. It does have a bald (smooth, that is) head or cap, but what about junonius? It is not description; it's a dedication to the Roman goddess Juno. Don't ask why... Until quite recently this spectacular mushroom with rusty-brown gills went by the scientific name of Gymnopilus spectabilis. Much clearer! Oh... its common name is Spectacular Rustgill.
Pisolithus arrhizus
Dye Ball Pisolithus arrihzus
One more for the road... although I hope it doesn't pop up in any road you have to drive along. When it first emerges above ground Pisolithus arrhizus (let's not fret over the meaning of the scientific name!) looks like a ball of horse dung. Inside it are hundreds of white chunks of fungal material looking like grains of rice packed tightly together, and over a month or two they turn olive-green and then reddish-brown until the fungus splits open to reveal (and release) a powdery mass of spores. In the past this fungus was used to dye fabrics - that's why its common name is the Dye Ball - but it has a much more important role nowadays. This is one of the so-called'mycorrhizal' fungi that link up with the roots of trees and supply them with water and nutrients essential for their healthy growth. In return the fungus receives some of the sugar that the tree produces by photosynthesis. The Dyeball fungus is highly valued by foresters because it can


Bahasa Indonesian: Useful words for traveling in Bali and beyond
bahasa indonesia bali travel words
Indonesians are known for their kindness, humility and acceptance of outsiders. And conversing with them in Bahasa is another great way to make a connection. Most Indonesians will smile and help you along when you attempt to speak Bahasa.
In Bali, most of the young people in Kuta, Seminyak and Denpasar know some English. But venture to the north of Bali, or to neighboring Java, Lombok or Sumbawa, and you will need to know some basic Bahasa Indonesian words just to get by.
Besides, if you speak with the locals in Indonesian, they give a better price when bargaining because they understand that you are a savvy traveler. People that speak only English, or some other language, usually get the short end of the stick when it comes to prices.
It's important to understand that Bahasa Indonesian is a relatively "new" and "made up" language. It was developed in the 1940s as a way to unify the country and to stir up nationalism in order to drive out the Dutch administrators.
Indonesian Language Words map
All of the islands in Indonesia have their own vernacular that is spoken as the first language (such as Javanese, Balinese, Sumatran etc.) with Bahasa Indonesia spoken as the second language. It's estimated that there are over 750 languages alive in Indonesia today. For extra brownie points, learn a few words in the native language of the island that you are in.
With that said, here are some important Bahasa Indonesian words to know when traveling.
Greetings in Bahasa Indonesia
Good morning = Selamat pagi (s'lah-mawt pag-jee)
Good day = Selamat siang (s'lah-mawt see-ung)
Good afternoon = Selamat sore (s'lah-mawt sore-eh)
Good night = Selamat malam (s'lah-mawt maw-lahm)
Good bye (to a person leaving) = Selamat Jalan (s'lah-mawt jah-lahn)
Good bye (if you are the person leaving) = Selamat tinggal (s'lah-mawt ting-gahl)
How are you? = Apa Kabar (up-ah kah-barr)
I'm great = baik baik (bike-bike)
Indonesian Pronouns
I = Saya (sigh-ah)
You = Anda (awn-da)
You (sir, to adult man) = Pak (puck)
You (madam, to adult women) = Ibu (ee-boo)
He/she = Dia (dee-ah)
We = kita (kee-tah)
Them/they = Mereka (ma-reck-ah)
Who? = Siapa? (see-up-ah)
What? = Apa? (up-ah)
When? = Kapan? (Kah-pahn)
Where? = Kemana? (k'mah-nah)
Why? = Kenapa? (k'nahp-ah)
How? = Bagaimana? (bug-eye-mah-nah)
How many? = Berapa? (burr-ah-pah)
How much is this? = Berapa ini? (burr-ah-pah in-ee)
How much is that? = Barapa itu? (burr-ah-pah-ee-too)
How long? (time) = Berapa lama? (burr-ah-pah lah-mah)
How far? = Berapa jauh? (burr-ah-pah jow-ooh)
Hold old? = Berapa umur? (burr-ah-pah oo-more)
Please (can I have?) = Minta (min-tah)
Please (help me) = Tolong (toe-long)
Thank you = Terima Kasih (teh-ree-mah kah-see)
You're Welcome = Sama Sama (saw-ma saw-ma)
I'm Sorry = Saya minta ma'af (sigh-ah min-tah mah-uff)
Useful Indonesian Words
Good = Bagus (bah-goos)
Very good = Bagus sekali (bah-goos s'kahlee)
Not good = Tidak bagus (tee-duck bah-goos)
Fine = Baik (bike)
Yes = Ya (yaw)
No = Tidak (tee-duck)
Like = Suka (soo-kah)
Don't Like = Tidak Suka (tee-duck soo-kah_)
I want = Mau (mao)
Don't want (Tidak mau) (tee-duck mao)
Family = Keluarga (k'loo-ah-ga)
Relative = Famili (fa-mee-lee)
Friend = Kawan (kah-wahn)
Lover = Kekasih (K'kah-see)
Married = Nikah (nik-ah)
Husband = Suami (Swah-mee)
Wife = Isteri (Is-t'ree)
Father = Bapak (Bah-puck)
Mother = Ibu (Ee-boo)
Grandmother = Nenek (neh-neck)
Grandfather = Kakek (kah-keck)
Son = Anak laki (ah-nuck lucky)
Daughter = Anak perempuan (ah-nuck purom-pwan)
Child = Anak (ah-nuck)
Older brother = Abang (ah-bahng)
Older sister = Kakak (kah=kak)
Younger sibling = Adik (ah-dick)
Uncle = Paman (pah-mahn)
Aunt = Bibi (bee-bee)
Cousin = Misan (mee-sahn)
Niece/Nephew = Keponakan (k'paw-nahk-ahn)
Numbers and Counting in Indonesian
0 = Nio (noy)
1 = Satu (sah-too)
2 = Dua (doo-ah)
3 = Tiga (tee-gah)
4 = Empat (um-putt)
5 = Lima (lee-mah)
6 = Enam (e-num)
7 = Tujuh (too-joo)
8 = Delapan (d'lup-un)
9 = Sembilan (sem-bee-lun)
10 = Sepuluh (seh-poo-loo)
11 = Sebelas (s'blahs)
12 = Dua belas (doo-ah b'lahs)
13 = Tiga belas (b'lahs)
14 = Empat belas(um-putt b'lahs)
15 = Lima belas (lee-mah b'lahs)
16 = Enam belas (e-num b'lahs)
17 = Tuju belas (too-joo b'lahs)
18 = Delepan belas (d'lup-un b'lahs)
19 = Sembilan belas (sem-bee-lun b'lahs)
20 = Dua puluh (doo-ah poo-looh)
21 = Dua puluh satu (doo-ah poo-looh)
22 = Dua puluh dua (doo-ah poo-look doo-ah)
30 = Tiga puluh
40 = Empat puluh
100 = Seratus (s'rahtoos)
1,000 = Seribu (s'ree-boo)
1,000,000 = Se juta (sir joota)
Balinese Words
Speak a few Balinese words to the locals in a warung and watch their smiles light up.
Sir (to a man older than you) = Pa (Paw)
Ma'am (to a woman older than you) = Me (May)
Older brother (term of endearment) = Beli (b'lee)
Older sister (term of endearment) = m'Bok (m'bok)
Younger brother = Gus (goos)
Younger sister = Geg (gek)
Thank you = Sukseme (sook-sah-Moor)
You're welcome = Mowowli (moh-ow-lee)
Yes = Nggih (ny'gee)
No worries mate! – Sing Ken Ken (sin ken ken blee)
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text:
Powerful laboratory stirrer for high viscous applications and intensive mixing for quantities up to 150 l (H2
O). It automatically adjusts the speed within the range of 0/6 to 2000 min-1
(2 speed ranges) through microprocessor controlled technology. Integrated safety circuits ensure automatic cut-off in an anti-stall or overload conditions. Continuous comparison of shaft to desired speed is performed and variations are adjusted automatically. This ensures constant speed even with changes in viscosities of the sample.
- Digital speed display.
- Infinitely adjustable speed.
- Push-through agitator shafts.
- Overload protection.
- Short-term Overload operation.
- Slim casing.
- Quiet operation.
- Error code display.

source: openbmb/Ultra-FineWeb


text:
Animal Species:Golden-spined Ant
Golden-spined or Golden Ants have a metallic sheen to their body, which is covered in golden hairs.
Golden-spined Ants have a strangely spined thorax, probably used in defence against predators.
8 mm - 11 mm
Golden-spined Ants are found throughout Australia.
Found in urban areas, forests and woodlands, heath, Golden-spined Ants often nest in sand at the base of shrubs and trees.
Many Golden-spined Ants stay in their nest during wet or extremely hot periods.
Feeding and Diet
Golden-spined Ants are omnivores. They collect nectar and pollen from a wide range of plants including eucalypts and acacias. They also collect dew from these plants early in the morning. They forage as individuals and can be seen on food-collecting missions at most times and in most weather conditions.

source: HuggingFaceFW/fineweb-edu


text:
Office 365 is a suite of web-based tools hosted by Microsoft. In addition to email and calendaring features, Office 365 provides multiple online applications such as OneDrive, the Office Suite and additional productivity tools. View complete list of features.
- Integrated email and calendar
- User-friendly web interface
- Reserve your _EMAIL_ email address
- Accessible via a web browser
- Secure authentication
- Downloadable desktop apps
- Individuals must have a UW-Madison NetID and be eligible for email.
- Departments must maintain at least 10 accounts to qualify for a domain.
- Departments who need few accounts can request accounts in the _USER_.wisc.edu domain.
- Departments with accounts in the _USER_.wisc.edu domain will not have the ability to manage accounts via the Wisc Account Administration site.
- All UW-Madison students, faculty and staff are automatically provided with a _EMAIL_ email account and can optionally set a _EMAIL_ email address.
- Departments can request a domain (e.g., _USER_.wisc.edu) in Office 365.
- A domain allows the administrator(s) to create and manage accounts via the Wisc Account Administration site.
- Add a department-specific alternate address (e.g., _EMAIL_) to users' _EMAIL_ account. This option is best for individuals who need a department-specific address, but not a separate mailbox or calendar.
- Create a service account. Service accounts have a mailbox and calendar separate from all _USER_.edu accounts. They are intended for accounts that support a business role (e.g., _EMAIL_) or a specific job like that isn't necessarily associated with a single person (e.g., _EMAIL_).
- Create resource calendars. Resource calendars can be used to schedule meeting rooms or equipment.


text:
Tissue functionality is determined by the characteristics of tissue-resident cells and their interactions within their microenvironment. Imaging Mass Cytometry offers the opportunity to distinguish cell types with high precision and link them to their spatial location in intact tissues at sub-cellular resolution. This technology produces large amounts of spatially-resolved high-dimensional data, which constitutes a serious challenge for the data analysis. We present an interactive visual analysis workflow for the end-to-end analysis of Imaging Mass Cytometry data that was developed in close collaboration with domain expert partners. We implemented the presented workflow in an interactive visual analysis tool; ImaCytE. Our workflow is designed to allow the user to discriminate cell types according to their protein expression profiles and analyze their cellular microenvironments, aiding in the formulation or verification of hypotheses on tissue architecture and function. Finally, we show the effectiveness of our workflow and ImaCytE through a case study performed by a collaborating specialist.
|Number of pages||13|
|Journal||IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics|
|Publication status||Published - 1 Jan 2021|
- Visual analytics
- high-dimensional images
- imaging mass cytometry
- spatial omics data


Daily tips and tricks from the experts at Adafruit!
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beet doping
Here is the straight dope on beet doping.
 1. You do not have to eat beets. Beetroot happens to be very high in nitrates, but so is spinach, celery, arugula and other lettuces.
 2. Study after study suggesst that an increase in nitrates will lead to longer (16%) and faster (3%) performances.
 3. Increased breath holding+30 seconds.
Why do nitrates improve performance so much? Eating nitrate rich foods results in the production of nitric oxide (NO). Nitric oxide improves blood flow and relaxes blood vessels which means more oxygen to muscles.
Issues to keep in mind when beet doping:
 1. Beetroot juice is very intense. As little as half a beet can cause a tightness sensation on the vocal cords and a hoarse voice. Start with small amounts and build up to the 1/2L of juice that was used in studies.
 2. Beetroot juice will sometimes color urine and often in your stools. Don't panic, it just look horrifying for a moment.
 3. Some people experience gastric discomfort. It can cause vomiting, stomach cramps and quickly turn into diarrhea.
Skratch Labs founder Allen Lim has a simple recipe which sounds good:
My goto drink has been beet, carrot, apple, orange and ginger.


text:
Elementary School Students To Learn about Nursing, Nutrition, Exercise and Hygiene
AUSTIN, Texas— Sixth graders from Zavala Elementary School will learn how germs can spread, the value of exercise and watch blood pressure and heart rates being monitored on simulation mannequins during a Jan. 30 event at The University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing.
The program, called the Longhorn School Bus, will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the School of Nursing, 1710 Red River St. Longhorn School Bus won first place last year for the National Student Nurses Association's best breakthrough to nursing project.
The children will rotate through various "Eat Right, Hygiene, Get Fit and Have Fun, Organs and Nurses are No. 1" activities. In Eat Right, the children will learn about nutrition by making ants on a log with celery, apple butter and raisins. They will learn how to properly wash their hands and how germs can spread in the hygiene activity.
The elementary school students also will learn how exercise can be fun and about the different organs of their bodies in an organ toss through "Organ Man," a mannequin with holes cut out of his middle. In Nurses are No.1, the children will learn that anyone can be nurse.
They also will tour the school's simulation laboratory, an environment where nursing students practice and demonstrate nursing skills. The simulation lab has three rooms with six patient units that include equipment such as IV poles, simulated oxygen and suction. Five computerized simulation mannequins, including a newborn infant, have software that provide physiologic responses like change in heart rate, blood pressure, heart tones, murmurs, breath sounds, bowel sounds and full vocalizations.


Quick Answer: How Much CPU Usage Is Normal?
How do I increase CPU usage?
Is 50 CPU usage normal?
How much CPU usage is too much?
What percent should CPU usage be at?
Is 80% CPU usage bad?
The only problems with high CPU usage are a decreased lifespan when the processor is constantly running under full load and potentially overheating, but all modern processors have safeguards to prevent that. As long as the system is adequately cooled, it won't be a problem.
Why is CPU so high?
Is 30 percent CPU usage normal?
Normal CPU usage is 2-4% at idle, 10% to 30% when playing less demanding games, up to 70% for more demanding ones, and up to 100% for rendering work. … There are many factors which determine a "normal CPU usage" for your PC: CPU speed. Apps installed and currently running.
How do I reduce CPU usage?
Disable extraneous processes. Press "Ctrl-Alt-Del" and click "Start Task Manager" to bring up your computer's Task Manager. Scroll down the list and keep an eye out for any processes you don't recognize. Next, click on any processes you wish to disable, then click the "End Process" button.
Is 100 degrees bad for CPU?
Is 40 CPU usage bad?
What should CPU be at idle?
Idle CPU temp refers to the temperature of your desktop computer whenever you leave it idle. A normal temperature for idle PCs clocks in between 30 to 40 degrees C or 86 to 104°F.
What is a good CPU performance?
Is 100 percent GPU usage bad?
Why is my CPU usage at 100%?
How do I fix 100 CPU usage?
Is 100% CPU usage bad for gaming?
How can I improve CPU performance?


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Google Pixel And Pixel XL WiFi Connection Problem
If own the new Google Pixel or the Pixel XL, you may have experienced some of the internet connection issues that a number of users have been reporting. One of the leading reason for this connection issue seem to be the Pixels problem with dropping wifi locations from its memory.
Here we present some quick ideas that you can try if you experience similar connection issues on your Pixel or Pixel XL.
How to Fix Slow WiFi Signals on Your Pixel and Pixel XL
Slow wifi can be a major problem when using social networking apps like Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Whatsapp or Twitter. When connectivity is an issue, the Pixel and Pixel XL can tend to produce images that look distorted or greyish in color, as well as take long periods of time to load them.
At times it can also be possible for your wifi to be showing a great signal, yet you still suffer from lagging and other disturbances. Here are some simple techniques you can try to amend the problem.
Forget a Saved Wi-Fi network
This can help you reboot your internet connection. Follow these steps to delete a saved Wifi network.
 1. Select the setting menu
 2. Find and select Wifi
 3. Find the network that you want to delete
 4. Select the network with a hold press and then select forget. Another option shows that says modify. Uses this option to change the password needed to access your saved wifi networks.
Stop Your Pixel or Pixel XL changing from WiFi to Your Data without Permission
This feature happens because your WLAN to mobile data connection option is on, it can be turned off if you find it in the phone's main settings. This setting is named the "smart network switch" and was implemented to improve the user's constant connectivity to the internet. It can be disruptive if you don't want your Pixel or Pixel XL to use your data automatically as you move from location to location.
How to Disable Smart Network Switch
 1. Turn on the device.
 2. Allow mobile data to connect.
 3. When connected to mobile data go to the main menu.
 4. Go to settings, then go to wireless.
 5. You should see the option for "Smart network switch" near the top of the page.
 6. Select this option to turn it off.
 7. Your Google Pixel or Pixel XL will now refrain from switching to mobile internet on its own.
Turn off WiFi on your Pixel or Pixel XL
It can be common for your Pixel to latch onto a weak wifi and not disconnect without you prompting it to.
The following steps will allow you to turn off wifi at times that you don't need it on or want to try to connect to a stronger network.
 1. Make sure your Pixel or Pixel XL is on.
 2. Go to menu
 3. Go to settings
 4. Go to connections
 5. Go to wifi
 6. there is a slider next to wifi, tap it to switch the slider On or Off.
Wipe Cache Partition To Increase Wifi Speed
Follow these steps to clear your Cache. In most cases this will help boost the internet performance on your Pixel or Pixel XL.
 1. Turn off your Google Pixel XL.
 2. Hold the power button off, increase volume button and home button all together at the same time.
 3. This will engage recovery mode.
 4. A menu will appear. Here you should search for the option to "wipe cache partition". Select it to start.
 5. The process may take several minutes. When it is done, you can start the phone again using the reboot system option.
Technical Support
If your Pixel or Pixel XL is still having weak internet issue after trying the above ideas, you should consider taking it back your contract provider. If it is found to have physical defections, they may offer you a replacement device or to have the phone repaired.
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text:
This "acting Governor-General" is known as the Administrator of the Government.
First in line of succession is the Chief Justice, followed by the next most senior member of the New Zealand judiciary.
The Letters Patent provide for an order of succession if:
- the Office of Governor-General is vacant
- the Governor-General is incapacitated
- the Governor-General is outside the country
- the Governor-General is unable to perform her duties.
The Administrator is required to take an oath similar to the Governor-General and may exercise all of the powers of the Governor-General.


text:
The findings of the study, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and led by Professor Kristian Pollock from the University of Nottingham, are published in Palliative Medicine.
When somebody is seriously ill and dying at home, managing their medications can be a difficult and complex task. This is made more difficult given that the care often needs to be given when patients and their families are tired and emotional. Family members are often assumed to be willing and able to support patients with their medication. However, little is known about what these tasks involve or how families cope with them.
In this study, a team of experts explored the views of patients and families managing medications in their homes. The study reports the outcomes of 21 interviews with bereaved family caregivers and 43 interviews with patients and current family caregivers.
The research found:
- More awareness is needed to understand the ways that managing medications add to the considerable burden of care and work that must be undertaken when someone is seriously ill and dying at home.
- Family caregivers are increasingly expected to undertake complex and technical medication tasks formerly carried out by professionals but with little, if any, training, supervision, or support – this trend has been exacerbated by COVID-19.
- The work of managing medications is critical to enabling patients to remain at home at the end of life.
The findings of the research have implications for practice and policy:
- Health care professionals will benefit from a greater understanding of the complexities of medications management undertaken by patients and families in order to identify and tailor the support they can provide.
- Substantial reduction in the complexity and bureaucracy of Health and Social Care services is needed for them to be navigable for patients and families managing medications at the end of life.
- The lack of presence of community pharmacists in this research suggests there may be a greater role for them in supporting patients and families to manage medications at home.
Dr Eleanor Wilson, from the Nottingham Centre for the Advancement of Palliative and End of Life Care (NCARE) in the School of Health Sciences at the University of Nottingham, worked on the study. She said: 'Our findings show that managing medications at the end of life can be considerable work, including practical and physical work of organising, ordering, and collecting medications; the emotional work of supporting someone to take their medication; and the knowledge-based work of understanding what medications are for, when they should be taken, and what side effects they may cause.
'This medicines' work often needs to be done when patients and families are tired, upset, and under pressure, so health professionals need to be alert to how much they are asking families to do at this time.'
Psychreg is mainly for information purposes only; materials on this website are not intended to be a substitute for professional advice. Don't disregard professional advice or delay in seeking treatment because of what you have read on this website. Read our full disclaimer.


BC Geographical Names
Name Details:
Name: Rivers Inlet
Feature TypeClick here for a list of
Feature Types.
StatusClick here for an explanation of Status.: Official
Name Authority: BC Geographical Names Office
Relative Location: N. of Smith Sound, Range 2, Coast Land District
Latitude-LongitudeClick here for an explanation of Position Type.: 51°36'35''N, 127°32'00''W at the approximate centre of this feature.
DatumClick here for an explanation of Datum.: NAD83
NTS MapClick here for an explanation of NTS Map.: 92M/12
Related MapClick here for an explanation of Related Maps.: 92M/12
 Nearby names within
Origin Notes and History:
Decision in 18th Report, 1924.
Source: Canadian Geographical Names Database, Ottawa
Named by Captain Vancouver after George Pitt, 1st Baron Rivers (1722?-1802), a writer and politician, chiefly famous for the beauty of his wife, Penelope, whom he married in 1746. Horace Walpole described Lady Rivers as "all loveliness within and without" and Lord Rivers as "her brutal and half-mad husband."


text:
Secchi Disk Depth
One of the most commonly used measurements for water clarity is the Secchi disk depth (pronounced she SEHK-ki). The Secchi disk is a simple and inexpensive device used by both citizens and scientists for measuring water clarity.
The device generally consists of a 20-centimeter (8-inch) disk made of wood or plastic. Some are painted with alternating black and white quadrants, or they can be solid white. A non-stretching piece of rope or light chain is attached through the center; the rope is marked in increments of feet or meters. A small weight is attached beneath the disk so that it will sink quickly and the line will remain taught while measurements are being made.
The disk is lowered below the surface until it just disappears from view; that depth is referred to as the Secchi disk depth.


Shy Words and Their Escorts
Random Language or vocabulary Quiz
Can you name the words that complete these phrases in which a given word is rarely used without the other?
Quiz not verified by Sporcle
How to Play
There are certain words that are almost never seen without a certain other word nearby, like an extremely shy person who is afraid to go out in public without their best buddy along to give moral support. For example, you never see a CABOODLE out on its own; it only appears if there's a KIT there to accompany it. In this quiz, each clue contains one of these "shy" words, and the answer is the other word that it wants as an escort.
Score 0/19 Timer 03:00
at one's BECK and ____
_____ and DESIST
a MOTLEY ____
in ____ FETTLE
to ___ and HAW
in ____ DUDGEON
_____ by one's own PETARD
a FIGMENT of one's ___________
KITH and ___
_____ and CRANNIES
mind your P's and ___
_____ SHRIFT
VIM and _____
________ DERVISH
the _____ SHEBANG
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Created Jun 13, 2013ReportNominate
Tags:vocabulary, idiom


Is there a point of Centre of Instantaneous Rotation (CIR) for every type of motion or only for cases of rolling?
 - 2
 $\begingroup$ What do you think, and why? $\endgroup$ – Carl Witthoft Jan 27 '14 at 12:31
 - $\begingroup$ Related post: physics.stackexchange.com/a/88597/392 $\endgroup$ – John Alexiou Jan 27 '14 at 20:35
 - $\begingroup$ In the plane there is a point and in 3D there is a screw axis (see answer below). The point in 2D is where the 3D screw axis intersects the plane of motion. You can get to all the planar relationships from projecting the 3D problem down to a plane. $\endgroup$ – John Alexiou Jan 28 '14 at 15:34
For a 3D rigid body there is always an instantenous screw axis. This consists of a 3D line (with direction) and a pitch. The pitch describes how much parallel translation occurs for each rotation of the rigid body. A pure rotation has zero pitch, whereas a pure translation has an infinite pitch. ( 3D Kinematics Ref. html, University of Pennsylvania Presentation ppt, Screw Theory wiki)
Screw Properties
 1. Given a moving rigid body, a point A located at $\vec{r}_A$ at some instant has linear velocity vector at the same point $\vec{v}_A$ and angular velocity $\vec{\omega}$.
 2. The screw motion axis has direction $$\vec{e} = \frac{\vec{\omega}}{|\vec{\omega}|}$$
 3. The screw motion axis location closest to A is $$\vec{r}_S = \vec{r}_A + \frac{\vec{\omega}\times\vec{v}_A}{|\vec{\omega}|^2}$$
 4. The screw motion pitch is $$h = \frac{\vec{\omega} \cdot \vec{v}_A}{|\vec{\omega}|^2}$$
where $\times$ is the cross product, and $\cdot$ is the dot (scalar) product.
Image point S having a linear velocity $\vec{v}_S$ not necessarily parallel to the rotation axis $\vec{\omega}$. Working backwards (from S to A), the linear velocity of any point A on the rigid body is
$$ \vec{v}_A = \vec{v}_S + \vec\omega \times ( \vec{r}_A-\vec{r}_S) $$
This is used in the screw axis position equation $|\vec{\omega}|^2 (\vec{r}_S-\vec{r}_A) = \vec{\omega} \times \vec{v}_A$ (from above) as
$$ |\vec{\omega}|^2 (\vec{r}_S-\vec{r}_A) = \vec{\omega} \times \vec{v}_S - \vec{\omega} \times \vec\omega \times ( \vec{r}_S-\vec{r}_A)$$ which is expanded using the vector triple product as
$$ |\vec{\omega}|^2 (\vec{r}_S-\vec{r}_A) = \vec{\omega} \times \vec{v}_S - \vec{\omega} (\vec{\omega}\cdot (\vec{r}_S-\vec{r}_A))+ |\vec{\omega}|^2 (\vec{r}_S-\vec{r}_A)$$ $$ \vec{\omega} \times \vec{v}_S = \vec{\omega} (\vec{\omega}\cdot (\vec{r}_S-\vec{r}_A)) =0 $$
since right hand side is always parallel to $\vec{\omega}$ and the left hand side is always perpendicular to $\vec{\omega}$. The only solution to the above is the velocity at the screw axis S to be parallel to the rotation
$$ \vec{v}_S = h \vec{\omega} $$
and the velocity at A becomes
$$ \vec{v}_A = h \vec{\omega} + \vec{\omega} \times (\vec{r}_A-\vec{r}_S) $$
I assume you are talking about a rigid body in motion in a plane.
Consider any two different points on the body, A and B. At any point in time, each one has a velocity vector $\vec{v_A}$ and $\vec{v_B}$ (assuming neither one is, itself, the center).
Consider the line normal to $\vec{v_A}$, call it $n_A$, and likewise $n_B$.
Where these two lines intersect is the instantaneous center. If the two lines are parallel, the motion is pure translation.
If you want to extend it to 3 dimensions, $n_A$ and $n_B$ are planes normal to $\vec{v_A}$ and $\vec{v_B}$. Where they intersect is a line, an "axle" if you like.
 - $\begingroup$ I was confused with why in case of rolling motion the "instantaneous axis of rotation"(IAR) was introduced. Why couldn't we just use axis through the center of mass. Looked for (1) what IAR actually is, (2)should it always be zero (in the case of rolling motion on a surface), and (3)can there exist another such axis rather than the point of contact between the surface and the object for which the answers I were mathematical, so I couldn't get that. Could you help me with that? I didn't post the question separately cause it'd probably be closed as duplicate. $\endgroup$ – suiz Apr 29 '18 at 4:47
 - $\begingroup$ Well, I know what IAR is and based on your answer the third question can be answered; for an object rolling on a surface it is the only instantaneous axis of rotation, and I think for every instant it is at rest. Am I right? $\endgroup$ – suiz Apr 29 '18 at 6:09
 - $\begingroup$ _USER_: I'm not sure I understood your question(s), but the simplest example is a wheel rotating on a roadway. Suppose you take a photograph with very short exposure but not instantaneous. In that short exposure time, every point on the wheel will be seen to be tracing a circular path around the point of rolling contact. Sometimes these things are hard to understand if you haven't yet learned calculus, because in calculus you deal with infinitesimal quantities - quantities that are as small as possible without being zero. $\endgroup$ – Mike Dunlavey Apr 29 '18 at 20:04
Instantaneous rotation axes appear just studying the motion of rigid solid bodies.
Consider a rigid solid body ${\cal B}$ moving in the three space. To study its motion, fix a point $O \in {\cal B}$ and a triple of orthonormal axes ${\bf k}_1$, ${\bf k}_2$, ${\bf k}_3$ at rest with ${\cal B}$ centred at $O$.
We can now describe the motion of ${\cal B}$ with respect to a fixed orthonormal triple of axes ${\bf e}_1$, ${\bf e}_2$, ${\bf e}_3$.
If $P\in {\cal B}$ is a particle of matter of ${\cal B}$ determined by ${\bf x}_P = \sum_{i=1}^3 x_{Pi} {\bf k}_i$, and these components do not change in time just because ${\cal B}$ is a rigid body, its position ${\bf y}_P(t)$ in the space is given by: ${\bf y}_P(t)= {\bf y}_O(t) + {\bf x}_P$ that is, in components: $$y_{Pi}(t) = y_{Oi}(t) + \sum_{j=1}^n R_{ij}(t) x_{Pj}\quad (1)$$
where ${\bf k}_j(t) = \sum_{i=1}^3 R_{ij}(t){\bf e}_i$ and $R(t) \in O(3)$ is a given rotation.
Now consider the $t$-derivative for $t=0$, when ${\bf k}\equiv {\bf e}_i$, of (1). We can fix arbitrarily the instant $t=0$ changing the origin of time so this value does not play any fundamental role and we can re-define the triple of ${\bf e}_i$ in order that ${\bf k}(0)\equiv {\bf e}_i$ is valid for $i=1,2,3$.
$$\frac{dy_{Pi}}{dt}|_{t=0} = \frac{dy_{Oi}}{dt}|_{t=0} + \sum_{j=1}^n \frac{dR_{ij}}{dt}|_{t=0} x_{Pj}\quad (2)\:.$$
This identity can be used to study the first approximation of the motion of the body ${\cal B}$ in a neighbourhood of $t=0$:
$$y_{Pi}(t) = y_{Pi}(0) + \


text:
Facts and figures
The European dairy industry is transforming yearly 135* billion litres of raw milk into a broad range of products, both for consumption and for application in the production of many food, feed and pharma products.
Realising reasonable prices for the raw milk delivered by ca. 1 mln** farms, the dairy industry is essential for the preservation and development of socio-economic structures in rural areas. The dairy industry represents ca. 13% of the turnover for the total food and drink industry in Europe; it employs ca. 10% of people working in the European food and drink industry.
The various dairy products produced by the European dairy industry, such as liquid milk, cheese, fresh dairy products and butter, are an essential and functional contribution to the diet of all consumers in Europe. In other words, the dairy industry is one of the industry sectors that is of main importance for a healthy development of Europe.*source: ZMP, 2009 figures** 2008
European Dairy Association (EDA, aisbl) - 14 rue Montoyer, 1000
Phone: 00 32 2 549 50 40 - Fax: 00 32 2 549 50 49 -


text: ||Admit it, you've been dying to know more about data throughput. Use this TCP/IP protocol monitor to see the exact throughput on both incoming and outgoing data--whether you're using a modem, a cable modem, digital subscriber line, or a local network. See how quickly data goes from your computer to another on the Internet, and discover how many other computers your data goes through to get there. You also get graphs of your system's CPU usage. This program is especially useful in identifying whether your computer or your Internet connection is causing a slowdown.


text:
The do's and don'ts of swim training with a watch.
How can you tell the difference between swimmers and triathletes at the pool?
Look at their wrists. Recent technological advances have made it possible to track your swim data via GPS watch—which means a lot of gear-loving triathletes have started tracking yardage on their wrists. These mini computers can calculate almost everything during your daily activities and training sessions. But can using a data watch make you a better swimmer?
Popular reasons for using a data watch:
- Record laps
- Count strokes
- Keep track of intervals
- Calculate yardage
- Determine pace
- Calculate strokes per lap
- Provide a remote coach with your data
- Compare past performances
Although the reasons for using a data watch are compelling, success in the water is driven by technique and an indefinable "feel for the water." An increase in speed comes from either a reduction in resistance or an increase in forward propulsion. Every swim practice should be as much about improving technique as it is about completing the total yardage or holding a specific pace.
If the watch is responsible for counting the yardage and computing pace, then it has provided an opportunity for improvement by allowing the user to focus on technique and improve their feel of the water. However, if that freedom is spent pushing buttons and looking at data screens, then the opportunity is lost. Don't let the watch distract your attention from body position, stroke technique, breathing, kick and effort level. These are the fundamentals that create faster swimming, none of which are being measured on a watch.
It is not uncommon for an athlete and a coach to live and train on opposite sides of the country. In this scenario, the coach relies heavily on data from the athlete's training sessions to generate future workouts. A data watch will provide the numbers that are important to track and report progress in the pool, especially during time trials or test sets where intervals and paces are created. For the lucky athletes that get to train under the watchful eye of a swim coach at practice, skip the watch and work on applying the stroke improvements provided from the deck.
Open water is primarily where I'm sold on the benefits of a data watch. It can record distance and other helpful data to be reviewed post-swim. A GPS-enabled watch can provide invaluable information regarding how straight you swam between buoys. Other benefits include providing intervals when there is no pace clock and calculating average pace over a long-distance swim.
Just like any other training tool, there are good and bad times to use it in training. Usage must be regulated so you utilize it enough to receive a benefit from the recorded data but not too much that it becomes a crutch or impedes smart training. Here are some examples of when to wear and when not to wear a data watch around water:
When to wear it:
During test sets or time trials
When you are swimming solo
In the open water
During your race
When NOT to wear it:
When a coach is on deck
For easy or recovery swim sessions
During a clinic or technique session


text:
Northeast Boundary Dispute
Northeast Boundary Dispute, controversy between the United States and Great Britain concerning the Maine–New Brunswick boundary. The treaty of 1783 ending the American Revolution had described the northeastern boundary of the United States as running due north from the source of the St. Croix River to the highlands dividing the St. Lawrence River tributaries and the Atlantic Ocean, and along those highlands to the northwesternmost head of the Connecticut River. Disputes over that definition lasted almost 60 years. The identity of the St. Croix was decided (1798) by a commission created by Jay's Treaty (1794). However, as no mountain range existed between the Atlantic and St. Lawrence systems, the question was submitted to arbitration, in accordance with the Treaty of Ghent (1814). The king of the Netherlands, as arbitrator, designated the St. John River as the boundary (1831), but this decision was not accepted by the United States. In 1839 the dispute led to the so-called Aroostook War, a conflict between inhabitants of New Brunswick and Maine, which produced strained relations between the United States and Great Britain. The long-standing controversy was ended with the Webster-Ashburton Treaty (1842), which set the boundary practically according to the line proposed by the king of the Netherlands, with the United States receiving the larger portion of the disputed area.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
More on Northeast Boundary Dispute from Infoplease:
See more Encyclopedia articles on: U.S. History


Atlas Obscura featured Lit@MIT alumnae, Casey Crownhart!
Behold Brine Shrimp, the Livestock of Utah's Great Salt Lake
The otherworldly stars of a thriving industry and endless curiosity could be at risk if the lake continues receding.
WHEN KYLE STONE TRIES TO explain his work, he sometimes compares it to keeping track of cows in a field. His job is to make sure there are enough cows in the pasture to keep it from getting overgrown, but not too many, so there's enough grass to go around.
Except his cows are tiny aquatic creatures called brine shrimp, they eat algae instead of grass, and there are about 17 trillion of them.
The brine shrimp are grazing crustaceans, surviving on a diet of algae that grows in Utah's Great Salt Lake. They reproduce by laying hardy eggs called cysts, which survive over the winter and hatch each spring to restart the population. Brine shrimp cysts have been harvested there for decades—it's a $67 million-a-year industry that supplies food for fish farms around the world—and since 1992, the brine shrimp population in the lake has been closely monitored and managed by Utah's Division of Wildlife Resources. Scientists are watching closely, as the future of the brine shrimp, and the lake overall, is uncertain, with climate change and water use threatening the lake's very existence.
Read more here…


Nutrition Australia submission to the Health Star Rating five year review
The Health Star Rating (HSR) Advisory Committee is undertaking a five year review of the HSR system, which will consider if, and how well, the objectives of the HSR system have been met, and identify options for improvements to and ongoing implementation of the system.
The HSR system is a voluntary front of pack labelling scheme that rates the overall nutritional profile of packaged food and assigns it a rating from ½ a star to 5 stars. It is a joint Australian, state and territory and New Zealand government initiative developed in collaboration with industry, public health and consumer groups. From June 2014, food manufacturers started to apply HSRs to the front of food product packaging.
Nutrition Australia submitted a response to several of the review questions, which is summarised below.
We congratulate the government for establishing the Health Star Rating and for taking feedback at this critical review point. We acknowledge the complexity of the initiative and with further changes it will be a convenient, easy to understand tool to assist consumers to make healthier choices.
Nutrition Australia considers the HSR has considerable potential as a successful public health intervention if:
 - foods and drinks are scored in a way that aligns with the Australian Dietary Guidelines by scoring whole and minimally-processed foods from the five core food groups, higher than foods and drinks which are not recommended for regular consumption.
 The Federal Government's Australian Dietary Guidelines (ADGs) recommend the types and amounts of foods we should aim to eat each day for overall health and wellbeing. This is based on the how many serves we should aim to consume from each of five core food groups each day: fruit; vegetables and legumes/beans; grain (cereal) foods; lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds and legumes/beans; milk, yoghurt cheese and/or alternatives.
 The ADG also categorises energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods and drinks as 'discretionary items' that are not recommended as part of a healthy, balanced diet.
 Nutrition Australia believes that the HSR does not currently score foods in a way that aligns with a recommended heathy diet according to the ADGs.
 It is imperative that any front of pack labelling scheme that aims to improve healthy eating aligns with the Australian Dietary Guidelines. The HSR should support the implementation of the ADG by steering consumerchoices towards foods from the five core food groups, and away from energy-dense, nutrient-poor discretionary items.
 - the HSR was made mandatory, and for all packaged food and drink items including fresh foods (eg, fruits, vegetables and meats), and premade items, such as salads and sandwiches.
 The HSR is currently a voluntary system, and not all items have a rating. As suchthe HSR only allows shoppers to make an informed choice between a limited range of items at present.
 Additionally, some consumers have expressed concern that the HSR appears on the more expensive 'big name' branded items, with limited use on the cheaper/home brand options. This limits shoppers' ability to select healthier cheaper items using the HSR as a guide.
 - the score could be used to judge the relative healthiness of items across food categories, not just within specific categories.
 The HSR allows consumers to compare the relative healthiness of items within the same category, but it doesn't allow consumers to compare items across categories. This isespecially relevant if they are seeking healthier options of any type, such as comparing a muesli bar to a cheese snack.
 Nutrition Australia believes the score should be able to be used as an indicator of relative healthiness compared to ANY other item.
In addition, we made recommendations regarding:
Consumer education
There has been a notable lack of mass communication to educate consumers about the HSR. Nutrition Australia beliesves the implementation of HSR should be one strategy and supported by consumer education across all media, and in partnership with nutrition and health promotion organisations.
Nutrition Australia considers the involvement of food industry in the design and oversight of the HSR a concern. The system aims to reduce the purchase and consumption of unhealthy foods and drinks, and as such, manufacturers of those foods (or their industry representatives) have a conflict of interest in designing such a scheme.
We believe that the food industry should be widely consulted in the development and review of the HSR system, but should be distanced from the final decision making and oversight of this particular, vital, public health initiative.


text:
If you are trying to create a graph depicting the number of items beginning with "A", "B", etc, then you will need to compute those into a chart and create your graph from there.
So let us say you want to count the number of items that begin with the letter "G" in column C. You could use the equation =COUNTIF(C:C,"G*"). This will give you a numerical value for "G" in your chart. Repeat this effort for your other alphabetic values and you will have created a chart for yourself.
I hope I answered your question. Let us know how it goes. Good luck.


By now most public schools in around the Northland have announced their plans for the upcoming school year - with reopening plans dictated largely by the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It's those concerns that will see two less teachers in the Superior school district when students come back in September.
The Superior School Board accepted the resignations of five teachers at their most-recent meeting on August 10 - two of which specifically mentioned their concerns about COVID-19 as the reason behind their decision. The teachers in question are from the Superior High School and Northern Lights Elementary School.
In one case - the teacher from Northern Lights Elementary - the concern was based on the large number of students she comes in contact with throughout the day. Her position was a specialist - teaching music - and she had broad contact with most of the students in the building. The other teacher - at the high school - teaches in the English department. She cited that she worries about getting sick and also getting her family sick.
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All five of the teachers - the two citing COVID-19 and the other three who are leaving for other reasons - are being held liable for liquidated damages. According to news sources, those damages vary between "$750 and $1,500 depending on when they made their resignation request." The concept of liquidated damages is foreign to many outside of the education world, but it has become commonplace at most public school school districts and many private schools. Superior School District Administrator Amy Starzecki explains:
"We added liquidated damages to the contract a few years ago to make up for things that we lost out when a teacher left closer to the start of school. [Those items that the district takes a loss on] include[...] their health savings account contribution, the cost to recruit someone for the position and the cost of a long-term substitute teacher."
The Superior School Board did make adjustments to the liquidated damages assessed to one of the teachers; that teacher asked for "leniency" as a result of the unprecedented times we're going through.
7 Ways People Are Wearing Masks Wrong


Do Bearded Dragons Play Dead? How To React
Do bearded dragons play dead?The worst situation ever is the one in which you come up to your bearded dragon's habitat only to find them in a position indicating they are dead. You begin to worry. You may touch your dragon, in hopes that they will come back to life. But are they really deceased?
Do bearded dragons play dead? Bearded dragons have the ability to hold their breath for a REALLY long period of time. In some cases, the vet may have to intubate because they cannot get the animal to breathe in the anesthesia. If you suspect your dragon may be deceased, wait a while to make sure they are not playing dead.
 Now you know that bearded dragons can play dead. Why do they do this, and what can owners do to help bring them back to their normal way of life? Keep reading to find out.
Why Is My Bearded Dragon Playing Dead?
Stories from around the internet from other bearded dragon owners indicate such instances happening when the dragon is under some sort of stress.
For instance, one owner told a story in which her dragon would do this every time he had to undergo a bath. Another user told a story similar to that in which her dragon opened up an eye as soon as she picked him up again.
In the wild, they do that to escape predators. Some predators lose interest when their prey is dead or they start to relax and don't pay close attention anymore because dead prey can't run away.
As soon as the predator starts to relax and does not pay close attention to the "dead" bearded dragon, the dragon takes advantage of the situation and runs away.
The video below shows a bearded dragon that seems to be very stressed during bath time. As you can see it also plays dead for a while either to "escape" the situation or the water might be too cold.
How To React When Your Bearded Dragon Is Playing Dead
Bearded dragons can hold their breath for ten minutes, so don't jump to conclusions right away if you see your bearded dragon lying motionless. Give it some time and come back to check on the dragon.
However, bearded dragons do not play dead for fun. If you see this behavior in your bearded dragon, you might have done something wrong.
It is very important to reflect on the situation that could have caused that behavior and to do things differently in the future so that your bearded dragons can live stress-free.
Another thing to take into consideration is the possibility of brumation. It is a time in which bearded dragon owners who are inexperienced get nervous about their beardie. Let's learn what it is and how you can know what to expect.
Brumation 101: Know the Signs
Brumation is the reptile version of going into hibernation, which is what bears do during the wintertime.
The metabolism of the bearded dragon slows down and leaves them looking lethargic and lacking in appetite.
The bearded dragon actually has evolved to do this action over the years. It is a response to the seasons changing.
Signs that your bearded dragon is getting ready to begin brumation:
 - They don't want to be handled
 - They don't want to bask
 - They have trouble waking up
 - They lose their appetite
 - They lack energy
 - They bury themselves in their sand
 - They eliminate less and less
Many beardie owners who don't know about these dragons may assume their reptile has contracted a disease or parasite or is impacted.
Dragon owners not in the know may try to force-feed or play with their reptile as a means of waking him up, but don't do this. Brumation is a natural process, and your dragon is just following his instincts.
When Will Brumation Happen?
Brumation depends on whichever hemisphere you reside in. When it comes to beardies that live in the Southern Hemisphere, like Australia, their brumation will start around March or April, and they can stay brumating as late as August.
And then, when THOSE beardies begin waking up, the Northern Hemisphere dragon will start falling into brumation! These include dragons in Canada, the USA, UK, and Europe. You can expect a beardie in these hemispheres to brumate during September to March.
The point? Your bearded dragon will brumate as a way of answering the change in seasons. When temps get low around winter and autumn, you can be sure your dragon will probably start brumating around that time.
It should also be noted that not every bearded dragon who lives in captivity will brumate. It is very possible that your bearded dragon will never brumate, meanwhile others will go through that every year.
You may even see some bearded dragons go into brumation during the spring and summer months, even when they live in the Northern Hemisphere.
During brumation, you should offer a hide, which gives the dragon a place to settle down and stay safe during brumation.
Many dragons enjoy this on the cool side of the tank, so put it there for the best results. These hides come in many sizes to accommodate bearded dragons of all lengths.why do bearded dragons play dead?
How Do I Know If My Dragon Is Sick, Brumating, or Deceased?
In this section, we will take a look at the difference between sick, brumating, and deceased dragons.
Brumation Vs Death
First, don't make any quick decisions or jump to conclusions. Bearded dragons are very good at playing dead. Dead beardies have rigor mortis set in, and they are also very cold to the touch.
Their color will be different, and they may have a foul smell as a result of being deceased.
Here is a test you can do: Lay the dragon on his side and see if he moves. If no movement is spotted, try putting them on their back. A dragon that is alive will try to upright themselves, but if you see no movement, chances are the dragon is deceased.
Brumation Vs Illness
Look at the physical condition of your bearded dragon for the best results.
A dragon that is sick may have fat pads that have been totally depleted, mouth mucus, abnormally colored scales, or sunken in eyes. Mostly, these dragons do not look like themselves at all.
A dragon entering brumation will not display any of these signs. Dragons getting ready for brumation most often change up their behavior patterns as compared to their physical ones.
How To Become Better At Telling If Something Might Be Wrong With Your Bearded Dragon
Seeing a bearded dragon playing dead can be a shock. However, that is not the only behavior that can shock you when it comes to bearded dragons.
Have you ever entered the room, just to see your bearded dragon colored completely black? That can be extremely scary and stressful!
I know that most people are worried about their bearded dragons all the time even if their beardies don't show extreme behavior like that. They are just afraid that they are doing something wrong and their beardie might end up sick.
I totally get that, because I also worried a lot about my reptiles in the past. The good thing is, that you can actually become more confident when it comes to your bearded dragon's behavior.
All you need for that is knowledge.
If you know how to distinguish between a sick bearded dragon and a healthy bearded dragon, or if you know (for example) how to tell by your beardie's body language that the tank is too cold or too hot, you will be a much more confident beardie keeper.
Just because you know how to read your dragon.
To help you with that, we have created the Beardie Behavior 'n' Health ebook.
This ebook will show you how to spot diseases in your beardie and how to help, how to read a bearded dragon's body language, how to care for a beardie during brumation, and much, much more. You can get our ebook here!
Bearded dragons can and will play dead when they feel like it. Often this takes place when they feel afraid or threatened in some way. It is crucial for owners to understand what this looks like, so they know not to jump to conclusions or act in a rash way.
Bearded dragons can hold their breath for ten minutes, so don't worry just yet. If your reptile appears motionless, give him some time to come back. You should also try the test I mentioned earlier where you place the dragon on his side and then his back.
Dragons are great, but they sometimes can alarm us-know what to look for, so you don't end up scared or confused!
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How an American Became a Dutch Author
For subscribers
How an American Became a Dutch Author
(Ethel Portnoy) The Low Countries - 2004, № 12, pp. 98-102
When transsexuals claim they were born in the wrong body, Portnoy can understand how they feel. Growing up in the USA, she felt that she had been born in the wrong place. She had known since childhood that she wanted to be a writer, and since adolescence that Europe was where she rightfully belonged. Everything that interested her seemed to have originated there. Although her parents had come from Europe to the United States, she felt that she must migrate in the opposite direction. That decision turned out to be the luckiest one she ever made. This is the account of an author who exists almost only in translation.
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How to Open Bak File | What is Bak File
Last Updated on July 30, 2020
A file that has been saved as BAK extension is said to be a backup file of an application mainly used to store a copy of files for backup purposes. Most of the BAK files present in a computer system are automatically generated by a program into the system folders. Such BAK files can hold onto anything, starting from the bookmarks of a web browser to files of a software application that needs to be periodically backed up. When an application is said to be saving the recently made changes to the data stored in the computer, it does rename the older file extension BAK with a new one, so that even if the application crashes in one way or another, the lost data can be recollected. This way, minimal data loss can be guaranteed in the first place.
Most of the.bak files that are created and stored automatically are database backups representing the SQL Server databases; yet, other programs such as Word and Excel can also create such backup files. There is no kind of standard program available to import or extract information directly from files that are saved with BAK extension. Restoring the.bak file is the only way to view and edit the content that is backed up through a software application. If you have XLS extension file then you need to use the excel application to open XLS file.
Steps to Open.bak file
As discussed above, the.bak files can either be automatically or manually created by multiple programs and if you have no clue about the file's history, then you need to follow few steps that can help in rightly extracting the information present within the backed up file.
If at all you do know anything regarding the file's history related to the program from which it has been backed up and exported form, then you need to open up the desired program and search for restoring options through them.
Possible ways to open SQL saved BAK file
The following is a set of instructions that you need to follow to open the BAK file that is stored as a backup from SQL Server. To access the information stored as a backup file, it must be restored to its original state. If you try to open.bak saved file using Notepad like text editors, then you can only end up witnesses a list of messed up characters.
 1. Open up SSMS (SQL Server Management Studio).
 2. From the database that you are about to restore BAK file, right-click upon it and then navigate to Tasks and then click Restore and then Database, as mentioned the BAK file
 3. Select 'From Device' option and then click on it to browse and load the.bak file from the destined folder the BAK file
 4. A 'Specify Backup' window shall pop-up, in which you need to click upon the 'Add' button to choose the previously saved file extension BAK.
 file extension BAK
 5. The next screen will hold on the directory of the local drive that is present in your computer system. Navigate to the folder that has the.bak file and select it to start with the restoring process.file extension BAK
 6. Once the file has been selected, click upon the 'OK' button and then again press the 'OK' button to get back to the initial screen.
 7. Make sure to tick upon both 'emptyTransaction Log Backup' and 'Full Database Backup' to successfully restore the file.file extension BAK
 8. Once both these options are selected, press upon the 'OK' button and wait until the below-mentioned window pops up.file extension BAK
Now all the backed-up databases are online and you can easily access them at your convenience.
Renaming the extension:
If you do know the appropriate extension of the program that has created the.bak file, then it can be restored by renaming them to its original extension format. For example, if you are looking forward to opening the BAK file that has been identified as a Word document, then then you must remove the bak extension and rename it using DOC extension.
If the desired file name has been saved as "mydocument.bak", then you need to change the file type by renaming it to "mydocument.doc". After renaming it, you can directly open the file using Microsoft Word and access the saved content. The same process applies for.bak files that are saved as a backup file of a Notepad document. You need to rename the.bak file extension as.txt to view the data saved in them.
Finding the original file format of a backed-up.bak file:
If you are clueless about a.bak file present in your laptop or personal computer, and not able to figure out the exact program that created them, then you need to open it as a text document using text converter software like Best Free Text Editors. By trying to open the BAK file through such text editors, you can find the exact program that has backed up the data in the first instance. All you need to do is to read through the loaded text file and search for the extensions that can indicate the original file extension in one way or another.
For example, if at all the file has been named "file.bak" and said to be found in an odd folder in your hard drive, then you need to open it up using text editor software at first. The below-mentioned image showcases an opened.bak file using Notepad++ text editor. You can witness letters like "ID3" present within the loaded file. If you tend to search online, then you can understand and be clear that it is a metadata container that is widely used in MP3 file formats. Now, all you need to do is to rename the "file.bak" to "file.mp3" to immediately restore and access the BAK file.
open the BAK file
Similarly, if at all the BAK opened in a text editor shows various a bunch of tables or text like elements, then you need to realize that the original file format is said to be CSV. Follow the same renaming process by adding.csv in the place of.bak and then open it using Microsoft Excel to get to know more about the saved data files.


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What are the key entry requirements for exporting fruit & vegetables to Europe?
Europe is providing increasing market opportunities to emerging tropical countries, as it offers a large and stable demand for fresh fruit and vegetables with significant purchasing power. The need for year-round availability and the interest in new exotic produce leads to Europe's continuing dependence on external suppliers.
However, this process is not easy because of the perishable nature of the produce and the financial and technical capacity required. Europe is very demanding when it comes to food safety. Aspects such as quality management are particularly challenging for farmers in developing countries, as meeting stringent standards and regulations require a considerable amount of investment and skills.
But meeting the European requirements is also an opportunity to succeed at a higher level. What are the most common requirements and standards? What are the key recommendations for success in exporting to Europe?
1.Understanding the market: It is important to consider market entry by targeting large consumer countries such as Germany and the United Kingdom. However, it is also important to evaluate big trader countries such as the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain, who are the leading buyers for re-exporting crops to other European countries. Consider also that north European countries have the highest purchasing power, but at the same time have the strictest standards of quality and food safety. Southern countries, such as Italy, are strong producers of fruit and vegetables so the demand for fresh produce is more selective.
Reaching out to business support organizations in your country or internationally can provide valuable information about your sector and its dynamics in Europe. For example, the Centre for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries (CBI) from the Netherlands provides a very complete portal with market information and services available for entrepreneurs in developing countries. Portals such as Fresh Plaza and Fresh Fruit Portal provide good sources of information about the fruit & vegetable sector and the main traders and buyers.
2. Selecting clients: It is important to decide what type of customer you aim to reach, for example, is it large or small international traders and importers, supermarkets or small retailers. It is important to seek buyers according to the type of product and quantities you can supply. According to CBI, "on average, about 75% of all fresh fruit and vegetables in Europe is sold by supermarkets". Supermarkets are the most demanding in terms of quality, but their capacity allows them to maintain prices that are at competitive levels. However, most fresh produce from developing countries is traded via importers that supply to large retail providing an intermediary role between producers and retailers, which can facilitate the entrance into the market.
It is recommended to attend or follow the international fruit & vegetable fairs in Europe, such as Fruit Logistica in Berlin and Fruit Attraction in Madrid, which allows companies to meet the biggest traders of fruit and vegetables in Europe, with the possibility of accessing updated information about international markets.
3. Quality standards: In Europe there are quality and marketing standards that fresh products must comply with in order to export there. The general marketing standard (GMS) establishes the conditions that produce must have, such as pest-free, cleanness, level of maturation, sizing, packaging, and identification etc. For apples, grapes, kiwi, leafy vegetables, peaches, nectarines, pears, strawberries, sweet peppers, and tomatoes, there are more specific standards with which to comply. There are some crops that are not subject to specific standards but they must comply with the applicable UNECE standards. You must also consider that each importer/retailer may have their own standards.
Before exporting, check the marketing standards portal of the European Union or consult with the country's trade agencies or business support organizations such as COLEACP. If you are intending to export to the UK keep in mind that Brexit may affect this, therefore it is recommended to visit the UK trade agency portal.
4. Plant health: Fruit and vegetables exported to the EU must comply with recently updated European legislation on plant health. It presents the requirements to prevent the introduction and spread of organisms harmful to plants and plant products in Europe. The exporters' home country needs to have phytosanitary agreements with the European Union, especially in the issuing of phytosanitary certificates.
The crops that require health inspection and require phytosanitary certificates prior to shipping to Europe are: leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, kumquat, eggplants, persimmon, apples, pears, mangos, passion fruit, plums, guava, currants, blueberries, and other exotic products such as rose apple, guanábana, quince and bitter cucumber.
It is recommended to consult your home country's National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO) to see if there are any changes or new measures. COLEACP provides technical assistance to entrepreneurs and NPPOs with regards to plant health control requirements. You should also check the EU plant health directive to see if there are any changes or any emergency measures taken due to the identification of high-risk pests. Emergency measures carry immediate changes in phytosanitary certificate requirements and generate rejections because declarations can be completed incorrectly. Additionally, check the plant health interception platform to see if shipments from your home country are recurrently rejected.
5. Food safety: European buyers are increasingly demanding that their suppliers be certified by a private food safety standard such as GLOBALGAP, BRC and IFS. A.P.has become the most common certification standard required by supermarkets. It is a set of standards for good agricultural practice that covers the whole agricultural production process up until the final non-processed product. It focuses on food safety as well as the environment, labour conditions and product quality. In addition, BRC Global Standards provides a more extensive set of standards, mostly required in North West European countries. It includes the implementation of HACCP principles (hazard analysis and critical control points), as well as the control of the working environment, products, processes and personnel. Consult with your European buyer about the preferred certification. Start with Global G.A.P as it is the market entrance certification. Look for local certifiers that will help you through the process.
6. Sustainability: As consumers are becoming more aware and interested in how products have been produced and traded, most retailers are requiring suppliers to follow and apply standards regarding the impact on the environment, social and labour conditions, trading practices etc. Some large supermarkets have their own certifications, but there are some sustainability protocols that are privately certified. Some examples are the Global G.A.P. Risk Assessment on Social Practice (GRASP) and Fair Trade. Having any of these certifications allows companies to achieve a significant differentiation in the market.
Main consulted source:
Centre for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries (CBI). Exporting fruit and vegetables to Europe. _URL_


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Sacrifice of Tamar (Ragen) - Discussion Questions
Discussion Questions
1. The social code of the ultra Orthodox world serves not only as the background for The Sacrifice of Tamar, but as one of its most controversial elements. How would you define that code, and in what way is it a catalyst for the behavior of the characters?
2. In discussing this book, the author said portraying Tamar sympathetically was extremely challenging. In what way does Tamar's behavior evoke antagonism in the reader? What events and information does the author supply that help evince sympathy for her decision and her plight?
3. Describe Josh. What do you think his reaction would have been had Tamar told him the truth immediately?
4. Tamar hides the truth. How would the community have reacted had Tamar let the truth about the rape be known? Her family? Was Tamar's sacrifice in vain?
5. Tamar's cousin Zissel appears only briefly in the story. Why is Zissel important to the story?
6. At the beginning of the book, Tamar has the simplistic belief that "God treated you the way you treated others." What happens to this belief by the end of the book? Is it still intact? Has it changed? In what ways?
7. What, exactly, is the sacrifice Tamar makes? Or is it Tamar herself who is sacrificed? What does she gain from her behavior, and what does she lose?
8. The Sacrifice of Tamar has an important racial element. Is Tamar a racist? How does the book portray racism?
9. In Tamar, Jenny, and Hadassah, the book presents three models of religious adherence. What are they? How would you describe the positive and negative role religion plays in each of their lives?
(Questions issued by publisher.)
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Text for image work.gif
work.gif shows the Work screen in a web browser. The Work screen has three main areas, a header, a body and a footer, Each separated by a horizontal line.
The header contains the following elements:
The body has the following elements from the top down:
The footer area acts as the Work screen output area and is blank.
The web browser status line shows the text "Connected as: SYSTEM@cjones2".


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INTRODUCTION: The clinical value of daily routine chest radiographs (CXRs) in critically ill patients is unknown. We conducted this study to evaluate how frequently unexpected predefined major abnormalities are identified with daily routine CXRs, and how often these findings lead to a change in care for intensive care unit (ICU) patients.
METHOD: This was a prospective observational study conducted in a 28-bed, mixed medical-surgical ICU of a university hospital.
RESULTS: Over a 5-month period, 2,457 daily routine CXRs were done in 754 consecutive ICU patients. The majority of these CXRs did not reveal any new predefined major finding. In only 5.8% of daily routine CXRs (14.3% of patients) was one or more new and unexpected abnormality encountered, including large atelectases (24 times in 20 patients), large infiltrates (23 in 22), severe pulmonary congestion (29 in 25), severe pleural effusion (13 in 13), pneumothorax/pneumomediastinum (14 in 13), and malposition of the orotracheal tube (32 in 26). Fewer than half of the CXRs with a new and unexpected finding were ultimately clinically relevant; in only 2.2% of all daily routine CXRs (6.4% of patients) did these radiologic abnormalities result in a change to therapy. Subgroup analysis revealed no differences between medical and surgical patients with regard to the incidence of new and unexpected findings on daily routine CXRs and the effect of new and unexpected CXR findings on daily care.
CONCLUSION: In the ICU, daily routine CXRs seldom reveal unexpected, clinically relevant abnormalities, and they rarely prompt action. We propose that this diagnostic examination be abandoned in ICU patients.


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Half Moon WMA is a 9,554-acre composite of
wetlands, hammocks, flatwoods, and improved pasture. The
Withlacoochee River borders the area to the west and Ventura Ranch
borders Half Moon on the east. Mill Creek and Gum Slough, scenic
spring-fed tributaries of the Withlacoochee, traverse the area.
Half Moon's scrubby flatwoods are home to a small population of
threatened Florida scrub-jays.
Portions of Half Moon are recharge areas for the
Floridan aquifer, the source of most of Florida's drinking water.
Here limestone of the Upper Floridan aquifer is visible at the land
surface. Excellent opportunities exist for a variety of
recreational activities, including horseback riding, wildlife
viewing, biking, hiking, fishing, and hunting. Half Moon's array of
wetlands contributes significantly to floral, faunal, and habitat
View the Recreation Master Plan
for Half Moon Wildlife Management
View the Conceptual
for Half Moon Wildlife Management Area.


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The Cosmos is October's Birth Flower
Everyone knows that they have a specific birthstone that is placed in jewelry and trinkets to signify the month they were born in. However, many people don't know that just like the stones, each month has a flower or two as well, which symbolizes birth. Here is the history and meaning behind your birth flower, the cosmos.
The Cosmos includes 20-26 species of annual plants native to scrub and meadow areas in Mexico, the southern United States (Arizona, Florida), Central America and northern South America south to Paraguay.
The plant can grow up to 2m tall and has simple leaves and petals. The flower colors vary between the different species. The plants are often used as decoration in gardens and around a home.
Cosmos is the Greek word for harmony or ordered universe. They are a pest free plant which helps keep bugs at a minimum in gardens and green houses, and grow very well in dry, hot climates like Texas. If planted in rich, fertile soil, tall plants will grow. Some species of the Cosmos requires constant sunlight through out the day and should not be planted in an area where it will have shade for a big part of the day. Because it is one of the easiest plants to grow it can be planted at various time including the spring for summer blooming or mid-summer for early fall blooming.
Fun and interesting fact: The Cosmos got its name from the Spanish priests grew the Cosmos in their gardens in Mexico. The evenly placed petals led them to christen the flower with the name it is now known by.


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A flower shop received a shipment of 14 cartons of flowers. Each carton contains 20 boxes. Each box has 30 packages. Each package contains 2 flowers. How many flowers were in the shipment?
solution (labeled): ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Write a story that could be solve using the equation below.
6 X 8 = 48


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Term: bilge (maritime)
1. Part of the underwater body of a ship between the flat of the bottom and the straight vertical sides. 2. Internally, the lowest part of the hull, next to the keelson.
View pictures related to boating at Wisconsin Historical Images.
[Source: "Glossary." Wisconsin's Great Lakes Shipwrecks (_URL_


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The method above is still valid when encoding HTML tags, but fails short when encoding quotations and ampersands.
We need to encode the ampersands (the '). This will produce a correct output:
The \ will escape the ' signs.
For us who does not have the possibility to use.NET 4.0, the function is pretty easy to develop. And why not pair it with the System.Uri.EscapeDataString() so you get a complete clean string encoding.
This Extension Method will escape the data and all quotes in one go:
To use the function you can do the following:
Now you will never have any problems with HTML tags, quotes, double quotes, ampersands or other special signs.


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Instant Domain Search does a domain lookup on every letter that you type. We think it's important to show domain name search results quickly so you can brainstorm without waiting for results to show. There are several ways to lookup domain names. You can do a DNS lookup, a WHOIS lookup, or an EPP lookup.
DNS lookups are designed to convert human-readable names, like instantdomainsearch.com, into machine-readable numbers, like 220.127.116.11. Every time you type a domain name into a web browser, your computer does a DNS lookup to find a server somewhere on the internet. DNS lookups are designed to be very fast, and can tell you quickly if a domain name is already in use. If you are comfortable with the command prompt, you can try using the
dig tool to do your own DNS lookups:
dig instantdomainsearch.com. Instant Domain Search is fast because it first does an optimized DNS lookup to see if your name is available, and then follows-up with an EPP lookup to double check.
EPP is designed for registrars to manage domain names people register with them. Doing an EPP check is the autoratitive way to see if a domain is available to register. In practice, it can take up to a second for registrars to answer EPP lookups. Because EPP lookups ultimately require an expensive database lookup, registrars need to limit the number of EPP queries they handle at once.
WHOIS lookups were designed to find the contact information for the domain registrants, and other details about it such as when it was first registered, its current status, and when it expires. Unfortunately, spammers abused the protocol to extract personal information from domain names and continue to abuse WHOIS lookups. Most domain registrars allow you to register your domain name privately to help hide your information from spammers and scammers. Domain registrars are constantly fighting spammers who try to get information from their WHOIS records that they will usually make you prove that you are a human before showing you WHOIS results. You can try doing a WHOIS lookup from your computer using the command prompt:
Many of the best domain names are already registered. We work with several top aftermarket providers who publish lists of domain names they have for sale, and show them to you as you type. Sometimes a great name is worth the investment!
Many domain registries publish zone files once or twice a day to help make DNS queries more efficient. Every night, we build an optimized index of over a hundred million domain names from several hundred zone files and host the index on fast servers all over the world. When you type, our software finds the closest server to you and does a simplified DNS lookup to get results back to you as quickly as possible. It's so fast that the slowest part is usually waiting for your web browser to render all of the search results.


Dynamics seminar:Ohad Feldheim (Stanford): The power of two-choices in reducing discrepancy
Consider a process in which points are assigned uniformly and independently at random on the interval [0,1]. It is a classical observation that after N points were assigned, the typical discrepancy of the empirical distribution, i.e., the maximum difference between the proportion of points on any interval and the length of that interval, is of order 1/sqrt{N}. Now consider a similar online process in which at every step an overseer is allowed to choose between two independent, uniformly chosen points on [0,1]. -- By how much can the overseer reduce the discrepancy of the selected points?
We show that a significant improvement is possible, providing an explicit algorithm which obtains a discrepancy of O(log^3 N/N) for all $N$ with high probability. This deviates by merely a factor of log^2 N from the lowest discrepancy possible for any sequence of points on [0,1]. We generalise this result to high dimensions to obtain near optimal discrepancy of O(log^(2d+1) N/N) on [0,1]^d using a similar process. We further generalise the results
to settings where the overseer has even less control over the output sequence.
The methods used relate classical results on the "power of two choices" in computer science, observations regarding Haar wavelets in harmonic analysis and properties of stochastic processes drifting towards their means. However, no prior knowledge on these topics is assumed.
Based on joint works with Ori Gurel-Gurevisch for HUJI and with Aaditya Ramdas and Raz Dwivedi from Berkely.
Tue, 27/06/2017 - 14:00 to 15:00


Global minimum corporation tax rate: why the argument that it breaches EU law will probably fail
8 Jul 2021
It's all getting very taxing. SOPA Images/Alamy
The commitment by 130 countries to introduce a 15% minimum corporation tax has stirred up objections from some countries that could make it more difficult to implement. Notably Estonia and Hungary contend that the agreement, brokered by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), contravenes EU law, potentially causing a problem for the 23 member states which are parties to the agreement.
Estonia and Hungary have two of the most generous corporation tax regimes in the EU. Hungary offers a headline corporation tax rate of 9%, while Estonia's is 20% but drops to zero for certain kinds of companies. Of the other EU nations that compete aggressively on corporation tax, Ireland and Cyprus have also stayed out of the OECD agreement, though the Netherlands and Luxembourg have both signed up.
So what is Estonia and Hungary's legal basis for claiming that the plans violate EU law, and are they likely to be right?
How multinationals avoid tax
At present, the 130 countries have agreed to a statement of intent, with an implementation plan to be finalised by October and to come into force in 2023. It follows a similar commitment made by the G7 nations at the UK summit a few weeks earlier, and aims to prevent multinational companies from avoiding paying taxes. The OECD estimates that this costs countries between US$100 billion (£73 billion) and US$240 billion a year.
This is possible because each country decides on its own tax regime, which it can use to try and attract multinationals to set up a base with them for tax purposes. This competition, which is of course not confined to the EU, has been characterised by US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen as resulting in a "race to the bottom".
Multinationals are known for setting up subsidiaries in low-tax jurisdictions and filtering international earnings through them even though they do little business in the jurisdiction in question. The US tech giants, for example, have become particularly well known for such schemes, not least in relation to earnings from digital services and intellectual property royalties.
The OECD agreement rests on two pillars. Pillar one enables a fairer allocation of profits by multinationals by requiring that more of their activities are taxed where profits are earned – regardless of whether they have a physical presence there. Pillar two sets the minimum corporation tax level of 15%, and this is what is causing the controversy.
The Cadbury Schweppes case
The argument from Estonia and Hungary appears to rest on the 2006 case of Cadbury Schweppes plc and Cadbury Schweppes Overseas Ltd v Commissioners of the Inland Revenue. Cadbury Schweppes, a confectionery and soft drinks company, was headquartered in the UK but had operated a group structure with subsidiaries established in Ireland for tax reasons. While UK corporation taxes are generally not charged on the profits of a foreign subsidiary, this case concerned UK rules that provided an exception.
The Cadbury lawyers argued, among other things, that the UK legislation was a restriction on the EU freedom of establishment, which enables companies and individuals to set up undertakings anywhere in the bloc. The European Court of Justice accepted this argument, holding that it was incompatible with European Commission law for a member state to tax a resident company on profits made by a subsidiary in another member state, to prevent that subsidiary from taking advantage of more generous tax rates.
Estonia's deputy secretary general for tax affairs, Helen Papahill, is reported to have said that this case "shows quite clearly that these kinds of rules should not exist" in the EU. The argument appears to be that the OECD agreement would entail countries where large companies are based imposing the minimum tax rate on subsidiaries incorporated in other member states with lower tax rates. Put simply, you can't tax a company's subsidiary that is based in another country.
However, the judges in the Cadbury Schweppes case only considered the impact of one member state's tax laws on profits earned by a subsidiary in another member state, and it should not be taken as establishing a broader principle that the EU's freedom of establishment laws prevent international tax rules from being agreed.
It is likely that the OECD agreement would be regarded as a justified limitation on freedom of establishment, potentially on the grounds that it creates a common solution to the problem that multinationals are not currently paying fair rates of tax. Arguably it would not even hinder a company's freedom of establishment if every state followed the same minimum tax rate, particularly when smaller countries potentially have other advantages that could attract multinationals to incorporate in them, such as skilled workforces.
Nonetheless, this legal question is not the only obstacle to the OECD agreement being implemented. As a tax measure,, it is likely that it will need unanimous approval among EU member states – besides Hungary and Estonia. It is also still unclear whether Ireland and Cyprus will sign up.
The agreement may also face a tough time gaining approval from the US legislature, without which it would be greatly weakened. Tensions between the US and EU over European proposals to introduce an extra tax on digital companies are not helping. For all these reasons, the plan to tighten up corporation tax worldwide could still be facing a bumpy future in the months to come.
Read the full article here.
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Sponsored by: CACHE
Last year's recipient was: Children's Scrapstore Playpod Bristol
JUDGING PANEL CONVENOR: CAROLINE KERR
- Helen Simpson
- Nicola Butler
- Martin Bedford
The judges are looking for an individual or organisation who delivers training which inspires, motivates and enthuses learners. This training could be delivered while undertaking a vocational qualification, a degree programme, a short but inspiring CPD session or a practical session underpinned by the Playwork Principles. The training award wants to recognise the passion and enthusiasm of the provider/s who are working to promote the Playwork Principles in an innovative and engaging way.
What the judges are looking for:
- Explain what the trainer did that made the training innovative, inspiring and stimulating
- In what way is the training underpinned by the Playwork Principles and playwork theory?
- How the training provider supports diverse participants' learning?
- How has the training influenced/changed yours or the learner's playwork practice?
- Give examples of how the training supported and encouraged participants to learn from each other.
Click here to download the nomination form.


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by Stephen A. Butterfill
When friends walk together, they typically exercise collective agency. By contrast, two strangers walking side by side exercise parallel but merely individual agency. This and other contrasts invite the question, What distinguishes collective agency from parallel but merely individual agency? To answer this question, philosophers standardly appeal to a special kind of intention or structure of intention, knowledge or commitment often called 'collective intention'. The idea is that exercises of collective agency stand to collective intention much as exercises of ordinary, individual agency stand to ordinary, individual intention. In this talk I shall use this parallel between individual and collective intention to argue that some forms of collective agency are grounded in representations and processes more primitive than those associated with collective intention. Collective agency is not always a matter of what we intend: sometimes it constitutively involves certain structures of motor representation. One consequence is concerns a role for collective agency in explaining knowledge of others' minds. Reflection on what is involved in sharing a smile suggests that there is a route to knowledge of others' mental states that is neither straightforwardly perceptual nor inferential but hinges on interaction.


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Vladimir Pavlovic and Thomas S. Huang
The surge of interest in multimedia and multimodal interfaces has prompted the need for novel estimation, prediction, and classification techniques for data from different but coupled modalities. Unimodal techniques ported to this domain have only exhibited limited success. We propose a new framework for feature estimation, prediction, and classification based on multimodal knowledge-constrained hidden Markov models (HMMs). The classical role of HMMs as statistical classifiers is enhanced by their new role as multimodal feature predictors. Moreover, by fusing the multimodal formulation with higher level knowledge we allow the influence of such knowledge to be reflected in feature prediction and tracking as well as in feature classification.