text:
Authentication. Users start by authenticating themselves using whatever mechanism is provided by their channel of communication with the bot. The bot framework supports many communication channels, including Cortana, Microsoft Teams, Facebook Messenger, Kik, and Slack. For a list of channels, see Connect a bot to channels. When you create a bot with Azure Bot Service, the Web Chat channel is automatically configured. This channel allows users to interact with your bot directly in a web page. You can also connect the bot to a custom app by using the Direct Line channel. The user's identity is used to provide role-based access control, as well as to serve personalized content.
Multinational Naive Bayes is the classic algorithm for text classification and NLP. For an instance, let's assume a set of sentences are given which are belonging to a particular class. With new input sentence, each word is counted for its occurrence and is accounted for its commonality and each class is assigned a score. The highest scored class is the most likely to be associated with the input sentence.
Want to initiate the conversation with customers from your Facebook page rather than wait for them to come to you? Facebook lets you do that. You can load email addresses and phone numbers from your subscriber list into custom Facebook audiences. To discourage spam, Facebook charges a fee to use this service. You can then send a message directly from your page to the audience you created.
Chatbots are used in a variety of sectors and built for different purposes. There are retail bots designed to pick and order groceries, weather bots that give you weather forecast of the day or week, and simply friendly bots that just talk to people in need of a friend. The fintech sector also uses chatbots to make consumers' inquiries and application for financial services easier. A small business lender in Montreal, Thinking Capital, uses a virtual assistant to provide customers with 24/7 assistance through the Facebook Messenger. A small business hoping to get a loan from the company need only answer key qualification questions asked by the bot in order to be deemed eligible to receive up to $300,000 in financing.
In the early 90's, the Turing test, which allows determining the possibility of thinking by computers, was developed. It consists in the following. A person talks to both the person and the computer. The goal is to find out who his interlocutor is — a person or a machine. This test is carried out in our days and many conversational programs have coped with it successfully.
Once you've determined these factors, you can develop the front-end web app or microservice. You might decide to integrate a chatbot into a customer support website where a customer clicks on an icon that immediately triggers a chatbot conversation. You could also integrate a chatbot into another communication channel, whether it's Slack or Facebook Messenger. Building a "Slackbot," for example, gives your users another way to get help or find information within a familiar interface.
Through our preview journey in the past two years, we have learned a lot from interacting with thousands of customers undergoing digital transformation. We highlighted some of our customer stories (such as UPS, Equadex, and more) in our general availability announcement. This post covers conversational AI in a nutshell using Azure Bot Service and LUIS, what we've learned so far, and dive into the new capabilities. We will also show how easy it is to get started in building a conversational bot with natural language.
It's not all doom and gloom for chatbots. Chatbots are a stopgap until virtual assistants are able to tackle all of our questions and concerns, regardless of the site or platform. Virtual assistants will eventually connect to everything in your digital life, from websites to IoT-enabled devices. Rather than going through different websites and speaking to various different chatbots, the virtual assistant will be the platform for finding the answers you need. If these assistants are doing such a good job, why would you even bother to use a branded chatbot? Realistically this won't take place for sometime, due to the fragmentation of the marketplace.
Customer service departments in all industries are increasing their use of chatbots, and we will see usage rise even higher in the next year as companies continue to pilot or launch their own versions of the rule-based digital assistant. What are chatbots? Forrester defines them as autonomous applications that help users complete tasks through conversation. […]
A toolkit can be integral to getting started in building chatbots, so insert, BotKit. It gives a helping hand to developers making bots for Facebook Messenger, Slack, Twilio, and more. This BotKit can be used to create clever, conversational applications which map out the way that real humans speak. This essential detail differentiates from some of its other chatbot toolkit counterparts.
Chatbots could be used as weapons on the social networks such as Twitter or Facebook. An entity or individuals could design create a countless number of chatbots to harass people. They could even try to track how successful their harassment is by using machine-learning-based methods to sharpen their strategies and counteract harassment detection tools.
Malicious chatbots are frequently used to fill chat rooms with spam and advertisements, by mimicking human behaviour and conversations or to entice people into revealing personal information, such as bank account numbers. They are commonly found on Yahoo! Messenger, Windows Live Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger and other instant messaging protocols. There has also been a published report of a chatbot used in a fake personal ad on a dating service's website.[44]
Unlike Tay, Xiaoice remembers little bits of conversation, like a breakup with a boyfriend, and will ask you how you're feeling about it. Now, millions of young teens are texting her every day to help cheer them up and unburden their feelings — and Xiaoice remembers just enough to help keep the conversation going. Young Chinese people are spending hours chatting with Xiaoice, even telling the bot "I love you".
Jabberwacky learns new responses and context based on real-time user interactions, rather than being driven from a static database. Some more recent chatbots also combine real-time learning with evolutionary algorithms that optimise their ability to communicate based on each conversation held. Still, there is currently no general purpose conversational artificial intelligence, and some software developers focus on the practical aspect, information retrieval.


Who Pays A Prostitute In Advance?
In recent decades those rules have been thrown out; the sport is now judged by coaches and they help make the rules. The very idea of 'conflicts of interests' has been tossed; now it seems unfair to deprive coaches making their livings from teaching figure skaters when they cannot participate in rulemaking. A revision in viewpoint has occurred.
Similarly there was a much-publicized 1959 scandal over 'payola' for radio disc jockeys. When several were found receiving money from record companies and artists' agents to play their music often, a number of the offenders were fired for selling their favors under the table. They were thought to be profiting from handing an unfair advantage to certain individuals for money.
This sort of thing is hard to keep down; another scandal a few decades later came to light when mighty Sony was discovered to be buying popularity for its artists in a similar fashion. That cost Sony a pile of money. But time was passing and things began to change: Politico not long ago wrote in complaint that another publication was simply stonewalling payola for its producers of political opinion.
Now we have the discovery that TV host Ed Schultz at MSNBC has received over a hundred fifty thousand dollars in one year and about seventy five thousand the year after, from labor unions. Unsurprisingly, Schultz has spoken favorable of the unions on his show. Now we see a cogent reason for him to do that and it is not the reason that he mentioned at the time.
Instead of the erupting scandal that greeted payola to DJ's in 1959, the current disclosure of Schultz' undisclosed sales of his services has aroused only yawns. Public perception has changed; people 'serving' the public are now expected to be prostitutes. And in fact, a movement is underway to decriminalize not only pot but also, prostitution. Why not?
Religion and morality related to it having been abandoned by so many these days, we won't raise them as issues in this. We will instead, point to the inarguable historical fact that commerce is the sole mechanism that has enriched the 'rich' countries, the richest being the United States. And a necessary foundation of that commerce has been the ethical system that has allowed buyers to have enough confidence in sellers' rectitude that they felt safe ordering from them, even at large distances with long waits for payment. It is no coincidence that the wealthiest places are also the least corrupt, just as it's no coincidence that those places are products of the religious Reformation, a profound reaction against corruption.
But those places have largely abandoned their religious roots and with that, their natural aversion toward corruption. So Ed Schultz can flack for labor unions while posing as an objective 'expert' and none appear to care. But the religious will note that God is not mocked; the unbelievers might consider the might of Murphy. The 'rich' places on the earth are abandoning the morality upon which the trust that made them rich, is rooted. And along with it, unknowing and unthinking, they are abandoning their wealth and their children's prospects. And there will be none for whom citizens can vote to put things right.
This entry was posted in Capitalism, Christianity, Corruption and tagged Capitalism, Christianity, Commerce, Corruption. Bookmark the permalink.


Object shattered via voronoi fracture and each piece driven by pops.
> achieve what I want.
> either disintegrates or assembles itself.
> the proper outer shell mesh.
> the centroid expression goes.
> Any thoughts on a low overhead way to achieve this?


Irish immigration activists braved the frigid Chicago cold this weekend to hold a rally in solidarity with immigrants and refugees affected by the recent Trump Administration's travel ban affecting 6 Muslim majority countries.
The organizers of the event, which attracted more than 150 people to downtown's Daley Plaza, heard Irish Senator for the Diaspora, Billy Lawless, praise Taoiseach Enda Kenny's recent St. Patrick's Day visit to the White House, where the Irish premier subtly reminded the President that immigrants built America.
Read More: What does Trump's new travel ban mean?
Senator Lawless echoed the Taoiseach's sentiments at the rally adding, "St Patrick himself was an immigrant to Ireland - called to a strange land with nothing but faith and a burning desire to improve his adopted country for all who lived there. His story is not that different to the stories of millions of immigrants, including the Irish, who have made America their home over the centuries".
Cook County Commissioner Bridget Gainer, herself the granddaughter of an Irish immigrant, added "you can't honor the legacy of your ancestors who came over during the Famine and then turn your back on those who are doing it for the same reasons today".
The event's rostrum boasted a diverse platform of speakers, including the American Civil Liberties Union, Equality Illinois, the Council of Islamic American Relations and local business leaders.
Fiona Mc Entee, a Chicago-based immigration attorney from Dublin and a co-founder of the rally, talked about her experience volunteering with 1400 other lawyers at O'Hare Airport. She headed straight for the international terminal once news of the first travel ban broke weeks ago.
"During the St. Patrick's season, we wanted to show solidarity with other nationalities battling the same issues of immigration that the Irish faced just a few generations ago" said Mc Entee.
The event ended with an emotive guitar rendition of Annie Moore, the first Irish immigrant who passed through Ellis Island in 1882. There was barely a dry eye in the house before the crowd erupted into singing "This land is my land, this land is your land".
Chicago's Irish community have been at the forefront of immigration advocacy in Illinois and continue to punch above their weight in pushing for pro-immigrant legislation at the local and national level.
Breandán Magee, a rally organizer and activist with the Chicago Celts for Immigration Reform stated, "We remember our past and where we came from, so it's no surprise that the Irish were leaders in passing Chicago's Welcoming City policy and were instrumental in passing the Illinois Temporary Visitors Driver's License Law that has allowed 250,000 immigrants to get licenses and get insured".
The recent executive orders seemed to have hit a nerve with the Irish community and have lit the fuse of intense street activism not seen in Chicago for many years. As threats of increased interior enforcement and mass deportations surface, the 50,000 Irish undocumented living in the USA face a daunting future. Their trepidation, however, seems to be matched by something only too familiar to the Irish: resistance.


text: Q: Libraries/Packages/Framework I have a dumb question, that how do we preview a website, if we do not include the packages or modules added for building the website, for Ex- do we include the source and included packages on the server or we do not, then why don't we include it in the GitHub repo, why do we put the node_modules inside .gitignore. If we do-not include the Packages on Server, then how do our Webpage use the features of the library/framework/packages

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Electrical Engineering and Design - TLJ Engineering Consultants Ltd.
TLJ Engineering Consultants possess deep technical expertise to provide extensive electrical engineering and design services. Our experienced and professional team works with the latest best practice software to design and model power, automation, control and lighting systems, delivering innovative and cost-effective solutions for your electrical systems. On paper, we design and build systems. In practice, we solve problems.


NCR Paper Have a small to medium size business? Want to make your business look professional? NCR paper helps to make any business appear organized and professional. These carbonless forms are completely mess free and can be ordered as 2, 3 or 4-part forms. At 4OVER4.com we take your business information and logo and produce custom ncr paper. They are perfect to use as invoices and receipts. Let us help you take your business to the next level. At 4OVER4.com we use the highest quality printing materials to create our selection of ncr paper. Our forms come in three popular sizes: 5.5"x8.5", 8.5"x11" or 8.5"x14". Place your order for ncr paper in either black ink or 4-color. It's so simple, just upload your business information and logo. We offer low minimums of 100 and fast turnaround times for your convenience. Don't delay, place your order for ncr paper now! When it's quality professional printing you are looking for, 4OVER4.com is the answer! With our years of experience and exceptional customer service, we deliver quality products for your home and business every time! To learn more about ncr paper, please call us at 718)932-2700 or email us support@4OVER4.com. Thank you for choosing 4OVER4.com!
Everything you need to know about Ncr Paper, printing, design, folding, scoring, marketing, and more!


text:
Warner William Wolf (born November 11, 1937) is an American television and radio sports broadcaster, perhaps best known as a local news sports anchor in Washington, D.C. and New York City, and for his catchphrase "Let's go to the videotape!" He was also known for referring to the "foul pole" as the "fair pole."

Early life and career
Wolf was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Rosemary and Jack Wolf. His father, an actor and comedian who briefly worked as a member of Ted Healy's "stooge" act, was born Jewish and his mother converted to Judaism. His earliest experience in broadcasting was on the intercom system of Calvin Coolidge High School in Washington, D.C. in the 1950s. His upbeat, entertaining patter that was to become his trademark made his sports report a welcome treat for the kids.  During this period he worked part-time at Baker's Shoe Store downtown, as a salesman.  Many customers must have been puzzled at the ballpark hawker's refrain of, "Get your hot dogs, get your hot doggies here" coming from the back storeroom.  He was simply entertaining the staff and the customers, something he was to continue throughout his long career.

Wolf began as a radio broadcaster on April 1, 1961, doing news, weather, and sports for WLSI-AM in Pikeville, Kentucky under the name Ken Wolf. He then moved on to radio jobs in Martinsburg, West Virginia at WEPM, and Washington, D.C. at WTOP-AM before landing a sports television role in 1965 at WTOP-TV (now WUSA) in Washington. There he became very well known and popular as the news sports anchor; he also did play-by-play announcing of local college and professional sports. He retained his job as sports director at WTOP-AM throughout the 1960s, even announcing occasionally on radio broadcasts of Washington Senators games.

ABC Sports
In 1976, Wolf gained an ABC Sports network role, working on Monday Night Baseball telecasts and as a host for coverage of football and the Olympics. Wolf's reception in those jobs was mixed, and he decided that he was best at the local news sports anchor role.

WABC-TV and WCBS-TV
Still under contract with ABC, Wolf returned to local sportscasting with a job at WABC-TV in New York in 1976, and then in 1980 moved to rival station WCBS-TV.  His move to WCBS-TV resulted in a lawsuit, American Broadcasting Co. v. Wolf, in which ABC alleged that Wolf failed to negotiate in good faith and sought specific performance of their contract which would have kept Wolf off the air for two years.  The New York Court of Appeals rejected ABC's argument, although they permitted ABC to seek relief in the form of monetary damages.  He also broadcast live sports reports for Israeli television during the 1991 Gulf War.

Return to WUSA-TV and Imus in the Morning
Wolf returned to Washington as the sports anchor at WUSA, the former WTOP-TV, in June 1992. Wolf succeeded Glenn Brenner, who died earlier that year and had replaced Wolf back in 1977 when he joined ABC Sports. He was dismissed in August 1995. Between November 1995 and December 1996, Wolf was the guest host of The Tony Kornheiser Show on Thursdays on WTEM and sometimes he also flew to New York as a substitute sports anchor on Imus in the Morning when the regular sports anchor, Mike Breen, was away. Because of his work on Imus in the Morning and Don Imus' recommendation on the air continuously, Wolf went back to WCBS-TV as the sports anchor on February 3, 1997 (the most recent of his replacements at WCBS, Bernie Smilovitz, had returned to WDIV in Detroit after having been caught in WCBS' infamous 1996 mass firings). During his tenure at WCBS he began uttering his famous phrase "Let's go to the videotape!" on a regular basis to switch to a video of the game he was reporting on.

During this time he also continued to do some work in radio, giving sports reports on the nationally syndicated Imus in the Morning program. Wolf broke the news of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the Imus show, when he saw the World Trade Center on fire from his Lower Manhattan apartment.  Wolf also covered the story for WCBS-TV (where he was working at the time).

He stayed there until May 2004, returning to WABC (AM) in 2006 as the sports reporter for Curtis and Kuby, and continuing, with a two-week hiatus, on the Imus in the Morning program following Don Imus's arrival at WABC (AM). He served as Imus's sports contributor until November 3, 2016, when Imus decided to replace Wolf with Sid Rosenberg. Wolf sued Imus alleging age discrimination.

Departure from WCBS-TV
On May 27, 2004, Wolf was fired by WCBS-TV general manager Lew Leone three months before his contract expired, and replaced by a much younger anchor, Chris Wragge. The day after his firing, his picture covered half the front page of the New York Daily News with the other half being covered by the headline "Wolf Fans Raise a Howl".

A few months after his firing, which generated much public outcry, Wolf was hired by radio station WABC and he appeared weekday mornings with Curtis Sliwa & Ron Kuby as well as Mark Simone's Saturday morning radio program. When Imus in the Morning returned to WABC in December 2007, Wolf was not the sports anchor: Tony Powell took that position. But after several weeks Wolf returned to his old position and continued as the morning sports anchor for the Imus in the Morning show. Wolf also hosted a Saturday sports talk show on 1050 ESPN Radio. Wolf modified his trademark "Let's go to the videotape!" to "Let's go to the audiotape!"

Wolf's final day with the Imus show was November 4, 2016. He stayed at WABC until December 3, when his current contract expired. 7.

Arrest
On February 7, 2019, Wolf turned himself in and was arrested after he broke letters off a sign at the entrance of Classics Plantation Estates in East Naples, Florida, according to deputies at the Collier County Sheriff's Office. Wolf, a resident of the community, expressed his opinion at homeowners association meetings that the word "plantation" was racist. Surveillance video on November 30, 2018 showed a man matching Wolf's description removing the word "plantation" from the sign with a tool. Wolf faced a felony charge of criminal mischief, according to the arrest report. Wolf told a radio talk show audience the following month that prosecutors "likely felt the intent was not criminal" so only required that he pay restitution for damages.

Other appearances
Wolf played himself in the film Rocky IV and has made several other cameo appearances.  He is the author of the books Let's Go to the Videotape and Give Me a Break. Wolf is currently heard Mondays at 7:30 AM on "Len Berman and Michael Riedel in the Morning" on WOR AM-710 in New York.

Books

References

External links

1937 births
Living people
American sports radio personalities
American television sports announcers
Jewish American sportspeople
Major League Baseball broadcasters
National Basketball Association broadcasters
National Football League announcers
New York (state) television reporters
Olympic Games broadcasters
Television anchors from New York City
Television anchors from Washington, D.C.
Washington Senators (1961–1971) announcers
Washington Capitals announcers
21st-century American Jews

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
was a town in the former Tome District, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. It is now a part of the city of Tome.

As of November 2005, the town had an estimated population of 7,194 people and a population density of 219.00 persons per km². The total area was 32.85 km² (apx. 13 mi².).

On April 1, 2005, Toyosato, along with the towns of Hasama, Ishikoshi, Minamikata, Nakada, Toyoma, Towa and Yoneyama (all from Tome District) were merged with the town of Tsuyama (from Motoyoshi District) to create the city of Tome.

Transportation

Train stations
 Kesennuma Line: Rikuzen-Toyosato - Mitakedō

Major roads
 Sanriku Expressway (Monou-Toyosato interchange)
 Route 346

Dissolved municipalities of Miyagi Prefecture
Tome, Miyagi


text:
Platinum necklace Art Deco diamond pendant with pear shape peridot
This platinum pendant from 1920 is one of Art Deco's purest pieces with its pear shaped peridot of 6.32 carat dangling from two splendid old brilliant cut diamonds suspending from a cable chain. As 31 old single brilliant cut diamonds emphasize the vigour of their verdant gem, let this necklace highlight your sprightliness.
Antique jewelry object group: pendant
Style: Art Deco - Art Deco is an eclectic artistic and design style which had its origins in Paris in the first decades of the 20th century. The style originated in the 1920s and continued to be employed until after World War II. The term "art deco" first saw wide use after an exhibition in 1966, referring to the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes that was the culmination of high-end style moderne in Paris. Led by the best designers in the decorative arts such as fashion, and interior design, Art Deco affected all areas of design throughout the 1920s and 1930s, including architecture and industrial design, as well as the visual arts such as painting, the graphic arts and film. At the time, this style was seen as elegant, glamorous, functional and modern.
- (events and facts in 1920)
Diamonds: One old brilliant cushion cut diamond with an estimated weight of approx. 0.90 crt. (approximate color and clarity: G/H, si) One old brilliant cut diamond with an estimated weight of approx. 0.35 crt. 31 old cut single brilliant cut diamonds (also called 8/8) with a total estimated weight of approx. 0.30 crt.
Note: All diamond weights, color grades and clarity are approximate since the stones were not removed from their mounts to preserve the integrity of the setting.
Total diamond weight: approx. 2.15 crt.
Precious stones: one pear shaped peridot with a weight of 6.32 crt
- (more info on precious stones)
Birthstones: Diamond is the birthstone (or month stone) for April and peridot for August.
Dimensions: height of pendant 3,52 cm (1,39 inch), circumference necklace 49,00 cm (19,29 inch)
Weight: 6.50 gram (4.18 dwt)
platinum jewelry, jewelry with diamond, jewelry with peridot, latest acquisitions,

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Pure Mathematics home
About Pure Math
Visitor Directions
What is Pure Math?
What is Algebra?
What is Analysis?
What is Geometry?
What is Number Theory?
Department members
Officers & Administration
Postdoctoral fellows & visitors
Emeritus/Adjunct
Undergraduate student awards
MMath Program
Course offerings/descriptions
Application procedure and admissions
Recent MMath graduates
Recent PhD graduates
Contact information - graduate studies
Events - February 2018
Current and upcomingTodayPastFebruary 2018
Wednesday, February 28, 2018 — 2:00 PM EST
Pure Math Post Doc Seminar
Sascha Troscheit, Pure Math Department, University of Waterloo
"Non-linear fractals and Hausdorff measure"
Tuesday, February 27, 2018 — 3:00 PM EST
Algebraic Geometry Seminar
Patrick Naylor, Department of Pure Mathematics, University of Waterloo
"Almost (generically) free of Chevalley"
Francesco Cellarosi, Queen's University
"Statistical properties of B-free numbers"
B-free numbers were introduced by Erdős as a generalization of squarefree integers. I will present some results about the statistical properties of B-free numbers and a dynamical systems naturally associated to them. In particular, I will discuss a central limit theorem resembling a result by J. Beck on irrational circle rotations. Joint work with M. Avdeeva and Ya.G. Sinai.
Monday, February 26, 2018 — 1:30 PM EST
Baker-DeMarco Learning Seminar
Matt Satriano, Department of Pure Mathematics, University of Waterloo
"Short Ride in a Height Machine"
This talk is meant to be a quick introduction to the theory of height functions on projective varieties defined over number fields. After describing the fundamental case of heights on projective space, we go into the basics of Weil's height machine. For any projective variety, this gives a height function attached to each linear equivalence class of Cartier divisors (or each line bundle), satisfying a variety of pleasant functorial properties.
Friday, February 23, 2018 — 2:30 PM EST
Geometry & Topology Seminar
Sebastien Picard, Columbia University
"The Anomaly flow over Riemann surfaces"
Boyu Li, Department of Pure Mathematics, University of Waterloo
"Examples of Free Semigroupoid Algebras"
Ali Aleyasin, Department of Pure Mathematics, University of Waterloo
"Calabi problem on conifolds"
Universal Algebra Seminar
Justin Laverdure, Department of Pure Mathematics, University of Waterloo
"Facts about finite algebras"
If an algebra A is finite, what can we say about the variety HSP(A)? We'll show that such varieties are locally finite, i.e. its members which are finitely generated are in fact finite. Further, if such a variety has any infinite subdirectly irreducible algebras, then in fact it has arbitrarily large finite ones as well.
Postdoctoral Seminar
Mizanur Rahaman, Department of Pure Mathematics, University of Waterloo
"Eventually Entanglement Breaking Maps"
Algebraic Geometry Learning Seminar
David Urbanik, Department of Pure Mathematics, University of Waterloo
"Chevalley's Theorem on Constructible Sets in the Language of Schemes"
Pure Math Colloquium
Omer Tamuz, Caltech
"The Poisson boundary, strong amenability and the infinite conjugacy class property"
"Introduction to the work of Baker and DeMarco"
We give an overview of the following result of Baker--DeMarco: if $\varphi, \psi \in\mathbb{C}(z)$ have infinitely many preperiodic points in common, then all of their preperiodic points are the same. We discuss the connection between this complex analytic statement and non-archimedean Berkovich spaces.
Monday, February 12, 2018 — 12:30 PM EST
Group Theory Seminar
Ehsaan Hossain, Department of Pure Mathematics, University of Waterloo
"Ultraproducts again"
We'll finish the proof for ordinary products and start the ultraproduct construction.
Friday, February 9, 2018 — 2:30 PM EST
Sam Kim, Department of Pure Mathematics, University of Waterloo
"On Synchronous Quantum Games"
Nasir Sohail, Wilfrid Laurier University
"Ultraproducts and congruence distributive varieties - Part 2"
I shall prove that the class of subdirectly irreducible algebras in a congruence distributive variety V generated by a class K is contained in the class obtained by taking the closures under S (subalgebras) and H (homomorphisms) of the class of all ultraproducts over K.
Wednesday, February 7, 2018 — 2:00 PM EST
Christopher Schafhauser, Department of Pure Mathematics, University of Waterloo
"An Embedding Theorem for C*-algebras"
Tuesday, February 6, 2018 — 4:30 PM EST
Joint Graduate Student Colloquium
Arthur Mehta, Department of Pure Mathematics, University of Waterloo
"An Introduction to Quantum Graphs, Chromatic Numbers and Lovász Inequalties"
Diana Castaneda Santos, Department of Pure Mathematics, University of Waterloo
"Finite and integral morphisms"
We will continue studying properties of finite and integral morphisms. We will use properties of algebra homomorphisms to prove that finite morphisms have finite fibers and that they are affine local on the target. We will also prove that integral morphisms are closed and we will study some examples. Time permitting we will introduce morphisms (locally) of finite type.
Jeffrey Shallit, David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science, University of Waterloo
"Waring's theorem for binary k'th powers and palindromes"
Tuesday, February 6, 2018 — 10:00 AM EST
Algebra Learning Seminar
Chris Schafhauser, Department of Pure Mathematics, University of Waterloo
"More on GLq(2) and SLq(2)"
Last week Hongdi constructed the Hopf algebra structure on GLq(2) and SLq(2). I will discuss the natural coaction of these objects on the quantum plane kq(2).
Monday, February 5, 2018 — 4:00 PM EST
Boris Khesin, University of Toronto
"Integrability and non-integrability in pentagram maps"
Monday, February 5, 2018 — 12:30 PM EST
John Sawatzky, Department of Pure Mathematics, University of Waterloo
"Ultraproducts and some loose ends"
We'll complete the metric ultraproduct construction, and show that a sofic group embeds in an ultraproduct of symmetric groups equipped with the Hamming distance. If possible we'll tie up some of the loose ends from last time, e.g. the dependence on that constant r, and residually finite groups.
Vern Paulsen, University of Waterloo
"Complexity and Capacity Bounds for Operator Systems and Quantum Channels"
Eli Shamovich, Department of Pure Mathematics, University of Waterloo
"Real Fibered Morphism and Definite Determinantal Representations"
I shall go from (direct) product to ultraproduct using a particular congruence. The ultraproduct of a finite set of finite algebras will be considered as a special case.
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Departmental office: MC 5304
Phone: 519 888 4567 x33484
Email: puremath@uwaterloo.ca
PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader


text:
Tell It Like It Is...
A status update on a friend's Facebook page reminded me of a (probably apocryphal) story I once heard...
A barrister had spent the best part of an hour explaining the finer points of a case to an increasingly confused and irritable judge.
At the end of the barrister's speech, the judge shook his head and said, "You can talk all you like, but I really am none the wiser!"
"No, my Lord," came the swift rejoinder, "But you are better informed!"
Courage Of One's Convictions...
I just read on LifeSite News that the Cardinal Archbishop of Montreal, Jean-Claude Turcotte, has just announced that he is returning his Order of Canada Insignia. He made this decision because abortionist Henry Morgentaler has also been nominated to the order.
His Eminence has issued the following statement:
"On May 9th 1996, the office of the Governor-General of the time, Mr. Roméo Leblanc, announced that I had been named to the Order of Canada. I had accepted this honour on behalf of all those who, because of their faith in Jesus Christ, work in the social domain to serve the most disadvantaged of our society.
"I have the greatest respect for the Order of Canada. It is meant to recognize the contribution of persons who help to bring about the progress of our society and who are concerned about the future of our world. Until recently, I sincerely believed that the Order of Canada was bestowed upon persons about whom there was a consensus.
"I was away when the Governor-General, Madame Michaelle Jean, announced the nomination of Dr. Henry Morgentaler to the Order of Canada. This announcement generated a great deal of criticism on the part of those who do not share Dr. Morgentaler's views regarding the respect for human life.
"I must admit that I had hoped that, in light of the large number of protests, the Consultative Council for the Order of Canada would revise its decision. Because it has not done so up to now and because silence on my part might be misinterpreted, I feel obliged in conscience to reaffirm my convictions regarding the respect for human life, from conception to death. We are not the masters of human life; it rests in the hands of God.
"As a result, I wish to declare that I am renouncing the title of Officer of the Order of Canada, bestowed upon me in 1996, and that I am returning the insignia that was given to me."
If you wish to write to the Cardinal to express your support for his decision, you can email him HERE.
It is very heartening to see a Prince of the Church stand by his convictions and show such open support for the protection of human life.
The Things They Say (2)...
Another little pipsqueak thought he was being funny this morning...
"Miss, Miss, you can't give us homework... the world's going to end today..."
"Don't worry, I promise you that if the world does come to an end today, you won't have to hand the homework in tomorrow..."
The Things They Say...
Blogging may well be rather sporadic over the next week: I am getting to grips with a new timetable, new classes and a new subject specification (all the AS Level courses changed: I mean, you wouldn't want teachers to have too easy a time of it, would you?)
Still, I can't quite bring myself to stop blogging completely, and so I thought I'd share the odd quote from the chalkface... yes, I know we don't use chalk any more...
From a lesson on the states of matter, after explaining that steam (or water vapour) was the gaseous state of water, and ice was the solid state...
"Miss, what's the liquid state of water called?"
Conspiracy Theories...
I have been wooed away from Thunderbird as my preferred email retrieval system by Google Mail, mostly because of the marked reduction in spam emails. Strange to tell, I'm not interested in purchasing supplies of Viagra, having a penis extension, or giving my bank details to a rich businessman's widow in Nigeria in order to earn myself a a few hundred thousand pounds...
I have occasionally pondered whether Google itself is sending out all the spam emails, and then making sure that they don't get through Google's filters... so that everyone will eventually switch to Google...
Paranoid? Moi?
I read Fr. Tim's post on how wonderful Google Chrome was, and decided to have a little play with it. I wasn't completely happy with it... I guess I'm quite resistant to change... but I didn't really "take" to the new look, or to the tabs being way up top, or to the fact that a page can only be bookmarked under one set of bookmarks, rather than, as with Firefox, as many times as you want it... small things, nothing earth-shattering, but enough...
In the meantime, the new version of Firefox appears to have installed itself on my computer. I'm not entirely sure how it did this, as I tried to block it the last time I received an "Install Update?" query box... Since then, Firefox has been playing silly beggars. The bookmarks won't complete loading, and so it gets very slow trying to click on a link or a com-box. In the old version of Firefox, I could just close the whole thing down by clicking on the close "X" at the top, and then re-open the browser. Now, when I try to re-open the browser, I get a little box telling me that Firefox is open, but not responding, and I need to restart my computer. However, the Google Chrome icon is working perfectly well, with a very fast connection and upload speed...
Is Firefox in cahoots with Google, making the system so annoyingly problematic that people turn to Chrome out of sheer exasperation??
... just a thought...
Pondering Life's Imponderables...
Why is it that, when painting one's nails, "One Minute" nail polish will still be slightly wet after three hours?
And why, during this time, will it smudge or have bits gouged off, and when dry, will chip if you so much as brush against a hard surface, yet, when you actually try to remove the stuff with nail polish, it takes on the consistency of cement, and won't budge?
(It's been a while since I did a frivolous girly-nail post, and I have a reputation as a ditsy blonde to maintain...)
▼ 7 September - 14 September (6)


text:
'The Masked Singer' Reveals Identities of the Scarecrow and Sir Bugaboo: Here's Who They Are
By Michael Schneider
SPOILER ALERT : Do not read ahead if you have not watched the Season 8, episode 9, of " The Masked Singer ," "Fright Night," which aired Nov. 23 on Fox.
Perhaps "The Masked Singer" judges are finally figuring out that this year's episodic themes frequently reference the week's new disguised celebrity contestants. This Wednesday's episode was dubbed "Fright Night," so who ya gonna call? "Ghostbusters" singer Ray Parker, Jr., of course. And who might also lurk on stage? "Exorcist" star Linda Blair .
That's right, for the episode's reveals, Parker, Jr., and Blair were the next stars to be unmasked.
Blair, as the Scarecrow, stunned host Nick Cannon and the audience by volunteering to unmask and let the other two contestants duke it out to move on to next week. "I love this show so much," she said. "I came to share how much I love you and what you all have done for the world and family entertainment. But I would like to officially bow out and unmask and let these two incredible competitors go on. These two competitors are the real deal. I just came to bother Ken [Jeong]. I have a really special reason for being here. And I want them to enjoy the stage and all the accolades they so deserve. I've enjoyed entertaining you so much through the years."
Later, Parker, Jr., was unmasked as Sir Bugaboo after facing off with winner Snowstorm in a battle royale (in which both took turns singing the song "Somebody Watching Me," by Rockwell). Snowstorm moves on to the semi-finals.
For Scarecrow, no one got it right. Robin Thicke thought it was Susan Sarandon. Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg named Glenn Close. Nicole Scherzinger picked Jamie Lee Curtis. Ken Jeong guessed Parker Posey.
As for Sir Bugaboo, Jenny McCarthy Wahlberg guessed Ernie Hudson. Robin Thicke picked Keenan Ivory Wayans. Nicole Scherzinger thought it was Randy Jackson. Ken Jeong said Jordan Peele.
Ray Parker, Jr., as Sir Bugaboo and Linda Blair as Scarecrow join Chris Jericho as Bride, Adam Corolla as Avocado, George Foreman as Venus Flytrap, George Clinton as Gopher, Joey Lawrence as the Walrus, Le'Veon Bell as the Milkshake, Kat Graham as Robo Girl, Jerry Springer as Beetle, Gloria Gaynor as Mermaid, Mario Cantone as Maise, Daymond John as the Fortune Teller, Barry Williams/Christopher Knight/Mike Lookinland as the Mummies, Montell Jordan as Panther, Jeff Dunham as Pi-Rat, Chris Kirkpatrick as the Hummingbird, Eric Idle as the Hedgehog and William Shatner as the Knight as the celebrities revealed in "The Masked Singer" in Season 8.
Multiple eliminations in one episode are the norm this time out, as "The Masked Singer" adopts a new "King or Queen of Masked Singer" format. This season, three or four costumed celebrities will perform each week, but only one will win and move on to compete against two or three more people the following week.
That will continue throughout the season, as after each round, three finalists will compete in the semi-finals. The Harp survived Round 1 and is the first to make it to the semi-finals, while Lambs won Round 2 and will also be in the semis.
"The Masked Singer" enters Season 8 with costumes including "Bride," "Avocado," "Venus Fly Trap," "Sir Bugaboo," "Scarecrow," "Hedgehog," "Mummies." Themed episodes include "Vegas Night," "Comedy Roast," "Hall of Fame," "Muppets Night," "Andrew Lloyd Webber Night," "TV Themes," "'90s Night," "Thanksgiving" and "Fright Night." Guests this season include Donny Osmond, Andrew Lloyd Webber, The Muppets, Will Arnett, Leslie Jordan, Joel McHale, Tori Spelling, Jon Lovitz, Jodie Sweetin, Carrot Top, Blue Man Group, Lance Bass, Danielle Fishel, Sheila E. and Drew Carey.
The Season 8 contestants "boast a combined 32 Grammy nominations, 16 Emmy wins, 8 gold albums, 4 Golden Globe nominations, 42 books, 10 Teen Choice awards, and 5 stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame."
Here were the contestants and their performances on night nine:
Snowstorm, "The Masked Singer" (Michael Becker / Fox)
Snowstorm (WINNER)
Song : "Sweet But Psycho," by Ava Max
Previous song : "Thank U, Next," by Ariana Grande
Scary Clue : Creepy doll in a box. "Nick, that's not one of your kids? Safety first. Always read the warnings. Now you can think of them as clues to keep the monsters away."
Package voiceover : "If they want my crown, they're going to have to pry it out of my frost bitten fingers. So by royal order, let me leave you with a clue that's good for you. (A house). Are you getting warmer? I hope not!"
Previous panel guesses : Erika Jayne, Countess Luann, Kyle Richards, Lisa Rinna, Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter
Panel guesses : Kathryn Hahn, Heather Graham, Zooey Deschanel, Iliza Schlesinger, Aubrey Plaza, Whitney Cummings
Sir Bugaboo, "The Masked Singer" (Michael Becker / Fox)
Sir Bugaboo (Ray Parker, Jr.)
Song : "Devil with the Blue Dress On," by Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels
Likes : Trick or treaters
Clue: Won't change
Spooky Clue: Green slime with a photo of Nicole. "Nicole, you and I have jammed before. So I'm just smiling and laughing under this costume."
Package voiceover : "Did you hear that? It may be scared of you, but I'm used to spooky sounds. It started when I was thrown into a competition with the most monstrous names in the industry. And was told that only one of us would get out with a job. I gave it my best effort, but never dreamed I'd be the one they called. I'm sure glad they did, because my work has earned a permanent place in pop culture. But I have a confession. The whole thing was a lie. I told the world I wasn't afraid of anything, even a scary movie. But I'm actually terrified of the dark. There's no night light on the Masked Singer, so tonight I'm putting that fear aside so I can smoke my competition."
Panel guesses: Ray Parker, Jr., Jordan Peele, Lil Rel, Randy Jackson
Scarecrow, "The Masked Singer" (Michael Becker / Fox)
Scarecrow (Linda Blair)
Song : "Abracadabra," by Steve Miller Band
Weakness : Highly flammable
Clue: Never rests
Spooky Clue: A witch. "The clue is staring you right in the face. Dear little kitty, which celebrity do you think I am?"
Package voiceover : "Hold on to your britches, friends, because I'm the scariest contestant in Masked Singer history. I made fans scream and critics praise me. But I had to bend over backwards to get the Academy to recognize my work. I've turned plenty of heads in my career. I've even sung on Broadway. But I've traded the shining bright lights of the red carpet for greener pastures, and devoted my time to saving animals. As a matter of fact, I've worked with over 100 rescues. But it's you, panel, that's going to need rescuing because I'm about to turn in a hair-raising performance. See you in your nightmares, Ken!"
Panel guesses : Bette Midler, Susan Sarandon, Anjelica Huston, Glenn Close, Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, Parker Posey
Round 1 Semi-finalist: Harp
Previous songs: "Perfect," by Pink; "I Have Nothing," by Whitney Houston; "Thank You for Being a Friend" ("The Golden Girls" theme song)
Previous panel guesses : Amber Riley , Ashanti , Yvette Nicole Brown, Queen Latifah, Jordin Sparks, Fantasia, Jennifer Hudson, Jill Scott, Fantasia, Ariana DeBose
Round 2 Semi-finalist: Lambs
Previous songs : "Hot N Cold," by Katy Perry; "Ironic," by Alanis Morissette
Previous panel guesses : The Kardashians, Haim, The Chicks, The Corrs, Fifth Harmony, SWV
'The Masked Singer' Reveals Identities of the Bride and Avocado: Here's Who They Are
'The Masked Singer' Reveals Identities of Gopher and Venus Flytrap: Here's Who They Are
'The Masked Singer' Reveals Identities of Walrus and Milkshake: Here's Who They Are
Lisa Marie Presley's Life and Death to Be Chronicled in 'TMZ Investigates' Special (TV News Roundup)
Fox has released a first look at the upcoming special, "TMZ Investigates: Lisa Marie Presley: Unending Tragedy," which premieres Jan. 30 at 8 p.m. PT on the network. The all-new special will look into the death of Lisa Marie Presley, the musician and only child of Elvis Presley, who died on Jan. 12 at the age of 54, promising "never-before-heard details." The special will also delve into Presley's personal life, including her marriage to Michael Jackson. "TMZ Investigates: Lisa Marie Presley: Unending Tragedy" is executive-produced by Harvey Levin, Don Nash, Charles Latibeaudiere, Ryan Regan and Jess Fusco with co-executive producer Susan Favre. Viewers can...
'Maybe I Do' Review: Diane Keaton, Richard Gere and Company Enliven an Uneven Romantic Comedy
Even if you walked into "Maybe I Do" knowing nothing about its pre-production provenance, it likely would not take long for you to discern, from the clockwork pacing, punchline-littered dialogue and frequent proscenium-arch framing, that this formulaic but fitfully entertaining trifle is based on a stage play. Indeed, for those viewers who recall the heyday of celebrity-driven dinner theater, the film may spark memories of wolfing down prime rib and knocking back mixed drinks before chuckling at the antics of aging and/or under-employed film and TV stars in everything from comedies by Neil Simon (or Neil Simon wannabes) to Broadway...
Abhay Deol, Rajshri Deshpande, Prashant Nair Unpack Netflix India Hit 'Trial by Fire' (EXCLUSIVE)
Netflix series "Trial by Fire," which began streaming Jan. 13, has emerged as a hit for the service, featuring in the top 10 in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Based on the book of the same name by Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy, the series details the 25-year struggle for justice of the couple whose daughter and son were among the 59 people who died in a fire caused by negligence at Delhi's Uphaar cinema on June. 13, 1997. In 2018, the book was optioned by Sidharth Jain's book-to-screen company The Story Ink, which quickly got the Krishnamoorthys an offer for the...
It's Jan. 4, just one day before Vince McMahon would come crashing back into the WWE, but if new creative head Paul "Triple H" Levesque knew something was afoot, he hid it well. "F–k if I know," Levesque told Variety, when asked how McMahon was biding his time since leaving the WWE back in July. "I didn't know what he was up to every day when he was here! I'll be honest, I don't know what he's doing. I think he's keeping himself busy."A day later, the world would know exactly what McMahon was up to. On Jan. 5, it...
Pakistan's Sajal Aly to Lead Series Adaptation of Classic Urdu Novel 'Umrao Jaan Ada' (EXCLUSIVE)
Pakistani star Sajal Aly, who is also one of the leads in Shekhar Kapur's "What's Love Got to Do with It?," will lead a series adaptation of Urdu-language novel "Umrao Jaan Ada." A classic of Urdu literature, the novel, written by Mirza Hadi Ruswa in 1899, is known for its portrayal of the culture and society of the 19th century Indian subcontinent, particularly the lives of courtesans. The novel has had several film adaptations. In Pakistan, Hasan Tariq directed "Umrao Jaan Ada" (1972), with Rani in the title role. In India, Muzaffar Ali's "Umrao Jaan" (1981) starred Rekha, while J.P. Dutta's...
'Avatar 2' Passes 'Avengers: Infinity War' as Fifth-Biggest Movie Ever With $2.05 Billion
There's no stopping "The Way of Water." James Cameron's "Avatar" sequel is now the fifth highest-grossing movie of all time, passing "Avengers: Infinity War" to take its spot on Thursday. "Avatar: The Way of Water" has now grossed $2.054 billion at the global box office. "Infinity War" had an equally impressive $2.052 billion total, after releasing back in 2018. Only "Avatar" ($2.92 billion), "Avengers: Endgame" ($2.79 billion), "Titanic" ($2.19 billion) and "Star Wars Episode VII – The Force Awakens" ($2.07 billion) rank higher on the all-time list. "Avatar: The Way of Water" has also earned more than "Spider-Man: No Way Home"...
"Vampire Diaries" creators Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson's planned adaptation of the comic book series "Dead Day" is no longer moving forward at Peacock, Variety has learned exclusively. The move comes despite the fact the show was ordered straight-to-series at the NBCUniversal-owned streamer back in January 2022. Plec and Williamson were to serve as writers, executive producers, and co-showrunners on the series, with Universal Television producing. Plec remains under her overall deal at UTV, which she signed in 2020. According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, the studio is planning to shop "Dead Day" to other outlets. Peacock...
'Poker Face': Rian Johnson and Natasha Lyonne Explain the Limits of Charlie's Lie-Detecting Gift
SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains mild spoilers for the first four episodes of Peacock's "Poker Face." Rian Johnson's new series "Poker Face" gives its audience a tutorial in protagonist Charlie Cale's ("Russian Doll" star and creator Natasha Lyonne) remarkable lie-detecting ability — don't call it a "super power" — over its first four episodes, which launched Thursday on Peacock. But we can't blame fans who still might need a little more clarification on exactly how Charlie's gift works, given that Johnson, Lyonne and the "Poker Face" team spent quite a while setting the specific laws surrounding her talent. "We had to...
Brett Goldstein and Bill Lawrence didn't have to do much to convince Harrison Ford to co-star in their new Apple TV+ comedy series, "Shrinking." In the show, Jason Segel stars as a therapist who is facing his own personal issues, including the unexpected death of his wife. Ford plays his boss and mentor while Jessica Williams plays another therapist at the practice. At Thursday night's premiere in Los Angeles, Goldstein remembered being quite gobsmacked meeting the "Indiana Jones" and "Star Wars" legend in London to talk about the project. "I walked in and he said, 'Best script I've ever read,'" Goldstein told...
Academy 'Conducting Review' After Andrea Riseborough's Surprise Oscar Nomination
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences confirmed Friday that it is "conducting a review of campaign procedures" in the wake of Andrea Riseborough's surprise Oscar nomination for the small indie film "To Leslie." The Academy released a statement Friday regarding the campaign, though it didn't mention "To Leslie" specifically. "It is the Academy's goal to ensure that the Awards competition is conducted in a fair and ethical manner, and we are committed to ensuring an inclusive awards process," the statement reads. "We are conducting a review of the campaign procedures around this year's nominees, to ensure that no guidelines were violated, and...


text:
"This year, I transferred to Coppin Academy High School #432, and The Elville Center has been helping me to get many of my instruments repaired and refurbished and ready for my new high school band students. My Band II students have already begun playing their instruments and I am grateful beyond words to the Elville Center for all of their support. Over the years I have spent thousands of dollars of my own money in support of my program, but it is heartening to know that there is an organization that seeks to help teachers like me make a difference in the lives of children who otherwise might not have the opportunity to play an instrument. Coppin Academy is a small public charter school with an urban population of students, most of whom cannot afford to buy an instrument. It is my goal to instill in them a love of music and foster discipline and self-confidence to go on to greater things in life."
Jesse Williamson – Master Teacher of Music Education, Coppin Academy High School #432
"Schools in lower-income communities often do not have the resources to afford tickets or transportation to enjoy cultural events outside school. The Elville Center has made it possible for these schools to attend the Annapolis Symphony's Concerts for Schoolchildren free of charge, for the first time in our history. Early exposure to classical music can captivate a child's imagination and bring benefits throughout their education and their life. The Symphony is immensely grateful to the Elville Center for its commitment to ensuring children from all backgrounds can enjoy the pleasures and benefits of classical music."
Dr. Patrick Nugent, Executive Director of The Annapolis Symphony Orchestra
"So many of our students don't have access to an instrument or have the means to rent or buy one. I've seen music brighten the lives of so many students who face difficult challenges in and out of school," noted Ms. Cox. "The school's funds and equipment are lacking to meet the needs of all our students, so the extraordinary donations from the Elville Center for the Creative Arts are helping to bring music to more of our children. The kids' excitement when presented with new equipment can't be compared to anything except to how they might respond to a ton of Christmas gifts! Thank you to the Elville Center for elevating my students' musical experience this year with your generous donations!"
Ms. Carol Cox, Instrumental Music Director at George T. Cromwell Elementary and Brooklyn Park Elementary Schools
"We can't thank the Elville Center enough for its support over the past 3-1/2 years. We've received over 50 instruments from the Elville Center and the difference they've made in our music program can't be put into words. On behalf of the students and administration of Bates Middle School, we are extremely grateful to the Elville Center for our relationship. They've given us wonderful, responsive support that has benefited our program so much."
Dr. Maximus Vanderbeek, Band Director at Wiley H. Bates Middle School
"We have benefited two-fold from our experience with the Elville Center. The obvious major aspect of the help has been the financial boost from donated instruments and services that cover missing mouthpieces and reeds, to refurbished instruments, to a grand piano dolly and the refurbishing of a Steinway grand piano for recitals, concerts and an expanding list of uses. The other aspect of this two-fold benefit has been the more personal partnership with the Elville Center, an organization that cuts through the red tape and produces RESULTS. No vouchers or purchase orders – [we simply see] needed delivered often by The Elville Center. We couldn't imagine a more effective relationship to help staff and students reach individual and institutional goals."
Mr. John Bridgeo, Music Department Representative at Central High School
The Elville Center for the Creative Arts Update for January 2022 – Furthering Our Commitment to Provide Music Education for All Who Seek It
Elville Center for the Creative Arts Update – Our Recent Visit to the Baltimore Classical Guitar Society
Donate Your Used or Unwanted Musical Instruments to the Elville Center Today!
The Elville Center for the Creative Arts – Helping Music Education Be a Part of Every Child's World of Possibility
The Elville Center for the Creative Arts – On the Road This Week Supporting Music in Schools
Make a Donation Today
Donate to The Josh Adams Memorial Fund
The Elville Center for The Creative Arts, Inc.
7100 Columbia Gateway Drive Suite 190
© 2022 Elville Center for the Creative Arts, Inc.


text:
Firefox 19 Fixes HTTPS Phishing Issue, Adds Built-In PDF ViewerPrevious article
Adobe Patches Sandbox Escape Vulnerability in Reader and AcrobatNext article
iOS Developer Site at Core of Facebook, Apple Watering Hole Attack
Author: Michael Mimoso
UPDATE – The missing link connecting the attacks against Apple, Facebook and possibly Twitter is a popular iOS mobile developers' forum called iPhoneDevSDK which was discovered hosting malware in an apparent watering hole attack that has likely snared victims at hundreds of organizations beyond the big three.
It's not clear whether the site remains infected, but researcher Eric Romang dug into the situation and determined that the site was hosting malicious javascript that was redirecting visitors to another site, min.liveanalytics. That site had been hosting malware as of Jan. 15.
Ian Sefferman, cofounder of a number of sites hosting mobile developer resources including iphonedevsdk, confirmed in a post today that it was part of the attack on Facebook.
"We were never in touch with Facebook, any other companies, or law enforcement before yesterday," Sefferman told Threatpost today. "We immediately reached out to Facebook's CSO and have been working together since then. We'd be happy to work with other involved organizations to find out exactly how this hack occurred and who was behind it."
Sefferman said an administrator account was compromised and the attackers were able to modify a theme on the site and inject malicious javascript.
"As the most widely read, dedicated iOS developer forum, we're targeted for attacks frequently," Sefferman wrote, adding that the site's webhost Vanilla Forums was not to blame in the attacks and that all user passwords have been reset. "We're still trying to determine the exploit's exact timeline and details, but it appears as though it was ended by the hacker on Jan. 30."
This appears to be a textbook watering hole attack where unconnected victims linked by a common interest visit a compromised website which redirects them to the attack site hosting malware. The malware then would enable an attacker to maintain some type of persistence within the target organization.
"In the purest sense, you'll see very subtle and graceful attempts to compromise sites that have virtually nothing to do with one another in terms of content, but at a higher geo-political level such as with the high tech or defense industrial base, there is a commonality," said Will Gragido, senior manager for RSA Security's FirstWatch Advanced Research Intelligence team. "They'll look for vulnerabilities on the site, post a redirection tag and catch some targets of opportunity affiliated with a target of interest; by doing that, they can go upstream to compromise the target of interest."
Romang proposed these attacks were not highly targeted against a particular company, and he may be right with a number of reports surfacing that the attacks against Facebook and Apple hit Mac OS X machines with a Java zero-day exploit, and that hundreds of tech and defense industrial base firms may have been hit as well. The attackers may have been trying to gain a widespread foothold inside some popular mobile applications, rather than simply attack Apple or Facebook developers.
"I don't think it is a 'highly' targeted attack, because it is just another watering hole campaign with another Java 0day," Romang told Threatpost via email. "Maybe what was sophisticated in this case is that the deployed malware was hitting Mac OS X computers."
Romang's research indicates the attacks likely started around Jan. 22 when javascript on iphonedevsdk called out three times to min.liveanalytics; the min.liveanalytics domain was registered Dec. 8, 2012. By Jan. 24, min.liveanalytics was down, Romang said. A WayBack Machine cache of the iphonedevsdk site on Jan. 15, however, revealed a Google Chrome warning that malware was present on the site.
Yesterday, Chris Wakelin, a researcher, posted on Twitter that an exploit for CVE-2013-0431 had been discovered in the Cool Exploit Kit. This vulnerability is the second bug discovered by Adam Gowdiak in the MBeanInstantiator in Java in early January which was incompletely patched by Oracle; it enables a complete Java sandbox bypass, Gowdiak wrote on the Full Disclosure mailing list.
Facebook disclosed last Friday that a number of its employees' laptops had been compromised by malware that targeted a Java zero day and was able to bypass the platform's sandbox. Apple made its disclosure yesterday that it had been hit by the same crew that attacked Facebook and by the same exploit. The company said that a small number of Mac OS X machines had been infected, but a report by Reuters said that the same attack was used against Apple machines at many other companies.
Twitter, meanwhile, has not fessed up to being part of the same attack, but the timeline corresponds, Romang said. Twitter reported on Feb. 1 that it was alerting users that up to 250,000 accounts may have been compromised and that session tokens and passwords may have been accessed. It also recommended that users disable the Java browser plug-in.
In the meantime, the Java security world has been in total flux during since late last year. Similar watering hole attacks against the Council on Foreign Relations website, as well as a number of human rights and manufacturing sites worldwide, were blamed on fresh Java exploits against previously unreported vulnerabilities. Oracle had also sent out three Java updates between Dec. 11 and Feb. 1, including Java SE 7 Update 11 which changed by default the security settings in Java from medium to high, requiring manual approval for the execution of unsigned Java applets. Likely, the developers compromised in this attack weren't running an up to date version of Java, or were allowing the execution of untrusted Java apps, Romang said.
Yesterday, Oracle patched five more vulnerabilities, completing its February Critical Patch Update. Its Feb. 1 release was accelerated to address the rampant zero days in the weeks leading up.
This article was updated at 1:30 p.m. ET to include comments from iPhone Dev SDK cofounder Ian Sefferman.
Android 'ActionSpy' Malware Targets Turkic Minority Group
Researchers warn that the Earth Empusa threat group is distributing the spyware by injecting code into fake and watering-hole pages.
Copycat Site Serves Up Raccoon Stealer
Visitors to the fake site expecting antivirus offerings will instead encounter the Fallout exploit kit and a possible malware infection.
iPhone Zero-Days Anchored Watering-Hole Attacks
A new, highly capable spyware payload can monitor everything in a person's digital life.
Geoff Nicoletti on February 21, 2013
Kaspersky Create an adaptor that will enable digital communication via the power outlet; this will act as a backup to the Internet. Should the backbones (NSF) go down, we have an instant backup Internet via the unshielded power lines, HV, transformers, and RF interference. No wonder NSA is protecting the power grid. Should get at least 300 Mbps on the adaptor.
CekVeriemoice on April 15, 2013
A tooth (plural teeth) is a small, calcified, whitish build found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates and occupied to defeat down food. Some animals, explicitly carnivores, also use teeth for the purpose hunting or for defensive purposes. The roots of teeth are covered sooner than gums. Teeth are not made of bone, but rather of multiple tissues of varying density and hardness. The unrestricted structure of teeth is be like across the vertebrates, although there is sizeable modulation in their show up and position. The teeth of mammals drink esoteric roots, and this pattern is also initiate in some fish, and in crocodilians. In most teleost fish, regardless how, the teeth are attached to the outer outwardly of the bone, while in lizards they are attached to the inner surface of the jaw during a man side. In cartilaginous fish, such as sharks, the teeth are joined beside perplexing ligaments to the hoops of cartilage that construct the jaw.


text:
<?php

/**
 * Indonesian (Indonesia) language pack
 * @package modules: genericviews
 * @subpackage i18n
 */

i18n::include_locale_file('modules: genericviews', 'en_US');

global $lang;

if(array_key_exists('id_ID', $lang) && is_array($lang['id_ID'])) {
	$lang['id_ID'] = array_merge($lang['en_US'], $lang['id_ID']);
} else {
	$lang['id_ID'] = $lang['en_US'];
}

$lang['id_ID']['CollectionController.ss']['ADDNEWRECORD'] = 'Tambah catatan baru';
$lang['id_ID']['CollectionController.ss']['SEARCH'] = 'Cari';
$lang['id_ID']['CollectionController_Results.ss']['NEXT'] = 'Berikutnya';
$lang['id_ID']['CollectionController_Results.ss']['NORESULTSFOUND'] = 'Tidak ada catatan yang ditemukan';
$lang['id_ID']['CollectionController_Results.ss']['PREV'] = 'Sebelumnya';
$lang['id_ID']['CollectionController_Results.ss']['RESULTS'] = 'Hasil';
$lang['id_ID']['CollectionPage']['plural_name'] = '(tidak ada)';
$lang['id_ID']['CollectionPage']['singular_name'] = '(tidak ada)';
$lang['id_ID']['RecordController']['DELETE'] = 'Hapus';
$lang['id_ID']['RecordController']['DELETESUCCESS'] = 'Catatan telah dihapus dengan sukses';
$lang['id_ID']['RecordController']['SAVE'] = 'simpan';
$lang['id_ID']['RecordController']['SAVESUCCESS'] = 'simpan catatan';

?>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


It's time to head outside for some fun family activities. From a children's theater festival to a week long celebration of innovation in learning, there's something for everyone this month.
Kids Day at PNC Park.
Baseball season will go into full swing with Kids Day at PNC Park. Little ones can have some fun before the game at the #1 Cochran Family Fun Zone on Federal Street. Inside the park, fans age 14 and under will receive a commemorative Andrew McCutchen Silver Slugger Plastic Bat with paid admission. After the final inning, kids can pretend to be their favorite players when they rush onto the field for a chance to Run the Bases.
Federal Street activities will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Visit the Pirates website for more details and ticket prices.
The whole family should head to Lawrenceville for the neighborhood's Mother's Day Weekend. Mom can indulge in discounts and freebies at 54 participating businesses all along Butler Street. For the foodie mom, there are brunch deals, wine tastings and sweet treats at various restaurants, bars and bakeries. Take advantage of special deals on gifts and services at Wildcard, Love Bikes and Metamorphosis. The event will also offer activities for kids and moms to enjoy together, including Mom and Me make-up classes at The Gilded Girl, Mommy and Me Yoga at Shining Light, and puppet shows at the Teddy Bear Hospital of Pittsburgh.
Mother's Day Weekend in Lawrenceville will begin on Friday, May 6 and continue through Sunday, May 8. Some activities require registration.
The Business Association of Millvale (BAM) will present a weekend full of activities for Millvale May Days. The free event will feature self-guided tours of 30 stops in Millvale's business district, where guests can check out sales, specials and raffles. Also included are horse-drawn carriage rides, live music, and opportunities in GAP Park to learn about Millvale's plan for a sustainable future. BAM will also provide tour maps to mark off for a chance to win one of three grand prizes.
Millvale May Days will begin at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 6 and at 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 7. Grand prize winners will be announced at 5 p.m. during the Saturday Post Party at the Millvale Library.
Vegan and non-vegans alike can attend two days of food and fun at the North Hills Unitarian Universalist Church during the Pittsburgh Vegan Festival. The all-ages event will begin on Friday, May 6 with an opening party and the RE-Model Gala, an art and dance fashion show featuring belly dancers modeling designs by local artists who work with recycled materials.
The event continues on Saturday, May 7 with a full day of vegan cuisine, live entertainment and over two dozen vendors offering everything from handmade jewelry to astrology consultations. Among the available food items are vegan hot dogs from Onion Maiden, Indian fare from Sree's Foods, and empanadas from Salud Pgh. Especially for kids, there's story time, an art activity, play time, and more.
The Pittsburgh Vegan Festival will kick off on Friday, May 6 with an opening party from 6 to 9 p.m. The event continues on Saturday, May 7 from 12 to 7 p.m. Tickets for the opening party are $10 pre-sale, $15 at the door, and free for kids 12 and under. Admission to the Saturday main event costs $5 at the door (free for kids 12 and under).
During Remake Learning Days, a first for Pittsburgh, kids and families can experience first-hand the revolution underway in the future of education in our region. With hundreds of events on tap, all categorized by audience (children and families, for one), this is your chance to explore the world of hands-on and technology-based learning including STEM and STEAM – that's science, technology, engineering, arts and math. From STEM all hands on tech at the Carnegie Library to Family Maker Night, there's plenty to do in this weeklong celebration showcasing everything that makes the Pittsburgh region a national leader in innovative teaching and learning.
Find events everywhere from schools and museums to universities and tech startups, all free and open for you to explore. Check the schedule and plan your week!
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust will celebrate 30 years of bringing outstanding children's programming to Pittsburgh with the latest EQT Children's Theater Festival. Organized by the Children's Theater Series, the event will roll out productions by eight award-winning theater companies from Canada, Northern Ireland, Mexico, Peru and Scotland. As part of the festivities, the Cultural District will also offer a wide array of hands-on activities, public art and music at a variety of outdoor, pop-up green spaces and indoor lobbies.
Performances will take place at the Byham Theater, EQT Plaza at 625 Liberty Ave., the August Wilson Center and the Trust Arts Education Center.
Enjoy a slice or two at Steel City Pizza Fest, Pittsburgh's premiere pizza and music festival. The annual event returns to Arsenal Park to serve up offerings from 11 area pizza shops representing Millvale, Bloomfield and Lawrenceville. Spirit's Pizza Boat, the Driftwood Mobile Pizza Oven and the Pittsburgh Pizza Truck will also appear.
In addition to gorging on some cheesy, doughy goodness, guests can also listen to live performances by bands The Turpentiners, Allegheny Rhythm Rangers, Strange Monsters and Turbosonics, or shop for local, handmade goods at the Spring It On craft show.
The 2016 Steel City Pizza Fest will take place from 12 to 6 p.m. The event is free to attend and open to everyone, including dogs.
The Junior League of Pittsburgh, an organization of women committed to improving communities through volunteerism, will host a Touch-a-Truck fundraiser in the Strip District. Kids of all ages will have the opportunity to explore fire trucks, ambulances, police cars and other vehicles, and meet the men and women who drive them. Food trucks will add to the mix by selling food and beverages. Proceeds from the event will support the Junior League of Pittsburgh.
Touch-a-Truck will take place from 10 a.m to 2 p.m. at 15th and Smallman Street in the Strip District. Tickets are $4 online, $5 at the door. VIP tickets are $10 for adults, $15 for children (includes early access at 9 a.m. and a t-shirt). Parking is free.
Noah's Ark whale at Kennywood.
Families visiting Kennywood this year will discover some major surprises. The historic theme park begins its 118th season with the much-anticipated return of the Noah's Ark whale. Twenty years after its removal, the majestic creature returns to celebrate its 80th anniversary serving as the entrance to the classic ride. The park will commemorate the occasion with a grand opening event.
Other changes include a new and improved Potato Patch, and the addition of a 4-D Theater, which will run the animated short Ice Age: No Time For Nuts 4-D every 12 minutes. The theater is free with park admission.
Point State Park and the Fort Pitt Museum will provide fun and educational activities in conjunction with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission's Fish-for-Free Days, a state-wide event allowing people to legally fish on Pennsylvania waterways with or without a license. Point State Park staff will provide plenty of modern fishing equipment and teachable moments for the 21st century. The Fort Pitt Museum will have costumed interpreters with period 18th-century fishing equipment to demonstrate how people fished at Fort Pitt 250 years ago.
The Free Family Fishing Day at Fort Pitt Museum will take place in the Amphitheater along the Monongahela Wharf. While participants are not required to have a fishing license, all other fishing regulations still apply.
Now in its fifth year, PyroFest returns to Cooper's Lake to unleash an epic Memorial Day weekend fireworks display. For the first time ever, the event will feature four highly renowned international pyrotechnic companies. On Saturday, May 28, the Chinese company Vulcan will present their action-packed show Road Trip Ramble, followed by Ricardo Caballer Ricasa. On Sunday, May 29, the Canadian company Sirius Pyrotechnics and Pyrotecnico, the largest fireworks company in America, will light up the sky.
PyroFest will also have a choreographed special effects production set to a live performance by the band Rusted Root. Other offerings include music on the main stage, food vendors and a Kids Zone.
Tickets for PyroFest are available for purchase at Showclix.
Posted in Arts & Culture, Millvale, North Side, Play.


Fast forward to today and I can't be happier. I've gotten involved with several online business models, am a business coach and have created a powerful information based online hub with this website. I've formed Personal Technology Enterprise LLC which has over 50 active websites and 350+ domains. I've been able to cultivate some great business relationships and learn from incredible achievers within the industry.
I'm also a business analyst as well as business coach. I love it and have a great pride in doing a superb job, but I also like business coaching and helping others achieve success. Multiple streams of income are a great way to supplement or even replace your business earnings!
IWantToBuyThat.com - connecting you with some great products and services!
The focus of GetFitGetPaidSeeResults is a blend of the opportunity to improve your health, your fitness, and you financial fitness with NOW Lifestyle and other services, along with the health and wellness information that I routinely share on the website.
Right now, energy deregulation is opening the door of opportunity in states, cities and countries all across the world.
And Ambit Energy is helping thousands of people just like each of us seize that opportunity.
Ambit currently services 16 states and the District of Columbia in the U.S., the Canadian province of Alberta and the nation of Japan. In just these markets there are more than 152 million potential Customers representing a potential revenue of over $186 billion.
Ambit offers a selection of rates and plans to meet the needs of our Customers from coast-to-coast. Add in our great service, loyalty rewards and the opportunity to earn Free Energy, and it's easy to see why more than 1.4 million people consider us an amazing all-around value.


Is there anything special about the water used to produce Absolut Elyx?
Water quality is absolutely essential in vodka production, and one of the reasons for the exceptional quality of Absolut Vodka is that our distillery rests on its own natural aquifer. This supplies us with the pure, pristine water that is found in each bottle of Elyx. Naturally filtered through the boulder-ridge and limestone bedrock for thousands of years, this pristine water is untouched by modern day pollution. It is exceptionally pure, low on minerals, and has a delicate character.


A CR (Change Request) has been issued to attempt to push forward the launch dates of STS-125 and STS-126. If approved, Atlantis' trip to Hubble will take place NET (No Earlier Than) October 2, allowing Endeavour's mission to the ISS to move up to November 4.
Meanwhile, Atlantis' External Tank (ET-127) is now being processed in the checkout cell inside the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), following its barge journey from New Orleans.
The launch date advancement, as previously reported by this site, looked to be off the cards just a week ago, when the ET delivery dates failed to add margin in the required timelines set out in a memo that initially broached the idea of moving the dates up.
The move, which is specific to handing margin to Endeavour's STS-126 launch window – due to a Beta Angle Cutout that kicks in after November 25 – was initially set to be discussed at a Program Requirements Control Board (PRCB) meeting last week.
While the main PRCB meeting last Thursday was cancelled (due to lack of issues being worked with the fleet), it is not known if the decision was subsequently deferred, or approved in principle, with the CR document calling for a new decision date in August.
Titled 'Update Launch Dates for STS-125 and STS-126', Change Request documents are just that, requests for a change – to be discussed, approved, denied or modified as per feedback from all elements involved with the shuttle.
'Increase launch opportunities for STS-126 before the Launch Beta angle cutout in November/December,' was given as the specific reason for the CR.
The request calls for a change to the launch dates of STS-125 – advancing to October 2, STS-400 (Launch On Need) – advancing in sync to October 9 (if required), and STS-126 – advancing to November 4. UPDATE: Modification to STS-125 aims for October 5.
However, to approve the changes, several factors will come into play via the current timelines, notably the next two tanks (ET-129 and ET-130), and Atlantis' payload, which is currently only just on the timeline to make the original – and current – launch date of October 8.
To allow for the launch date to advance from a payload standpoint, the Hubble servicing equipment needs to arrive at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), from the Goddard Space Center, in time for September 11 – which is believed to reference the deadline for getting the payload to the pad.
Also required is ET-129 – which will be mated with Endeavour's stack for the primary mission of STS-126, but in relation to Atlantis' mission, it'll be part of STS-400 – which will rollout to Pad 39B as the rescue shuttle. ET-129 currently has to be shipped no later than August 2.
Another Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) related element is the requirement for Endeavour's STS-126 mission to have LON support. This relates to ET-130 – currently over a month behind schedule for Discovery's primary mission of STS-119 in February.
'STS-119 Remark: IS Rescue flight for STS-126 will be ready to launch on 2/2/09 with cargo element,' added the CR presentation – available on L2 – as a requirement for the changes to be approved. This is an advancement of six days versus the current manifest.
All related elements will be reviewed at a PRCB meeting on August 14, allowing for a month of processing to refine the flow milestones – known as 'critical paths'.
When the review takes place, several scenarios are available. Firstly, no changes to the current launch dates may be decided, if one or more critical paths is unable to support. All the changes could be approved, or managers could decide on STS-125 launching a few days earlier – rather than six days – allowing for STS-126 to gain a few additional opportunities in tandem.
With ET-127 now inside the VAB (Click image to view a timelapse movie of ET-127 VAB Ops), processing of STS-125 is closing in on another major milestone – ET/SRB (Solid Rocket Booster) mating.
The pre-mating review is set to take place on July 25, with the flow timelines showing mating is set to take place at the end of the month.
The tank arrived on the Pegasus barge Tuesday morning, but due to poor weather around KSC, it remained on the barge until later that night.
'External Tank: ET-127 (VAB Checkout Cell): ET-127, onboard the Pegasus Barge, arrived at the VAB Turn Basin yesterday afternoon,' noted Wednesday processing information.
Focus is now being placed on ET-129, with every day gained in the flow aiding the timeline to ship the tank in time to allow managers the option of advancing the launch targets.
This can be seen in a new production process which will debut with Endeavour's tank. It'll only save a day's work on one element of tank production – but that could prove to be priceless in the bigger picture.
'Relative to ET-127/ET-129 processing, Orbiter (Project Office) has a task utilizing a Boeing team to do work on the flapper valve on the ET disconnect,' noted the latest Shuttle Stand-up/Integration report. 'It's Crit 1 function hardware added after Challenger to ensure the flapper valve doesn't go closed.
'Today, it takes at least 48 hours to do this work. (However,) they have pulled the community to try and find extra engineers and additional personnel to support this task in 24 hours. Can't do this for ET-127, (but) for ET-129, they found a JSC engineer that works for Boeing who was once certified to do this task.
ET-129 itself is currently being processed seven days a week at MAF, as they attempt to get the tank out of the door as close to the start of August as possible.
'ET-129: Moved tank to Building 420, test and checkout cell. Activities are proceeding and are going well. Critical path runs through electrical/mechanical work,' added Lockheed Martin's status on tanks undergoing major production at MAF.
'ET-130 (STS-119): Tank is in final assembly. Completed leveling. In process of installing platforms so can get to ice/frost ramp. Expect to start putting simulator in place at end of this week so can begin optics on aft interface hardware installation activities.
All three orbiters are enjoying a smooth flow in their respective OPFs (Orbiter Processing Facilities), with a full processing outline (daily on L2) to be published at the end of the week.


A Floorplan that works . . .
That fifth bedroom, the 2 spacious living area's combining open plan family living and paved outdoor area's offer you a floorplan that will work. If you don't require the fifth bedroom then you have the option of a large study room, a retreat room or even a theatre room.
Some of the other feature that will work include a master bedroom with en suite, a complete main bathroom with separate toilet and built in robes in 4 of the 5 bedrooms. Outside there a 2 useful garden sheds and surprisingly, given such a large home, still plenty of room for the kids, your garden pursuits and enjoying the outdoor living our climate provides.
Kurrajong Court offers the best of Benalla living being a pleasant and well sought after location. Floorplan, street address and the quality constructed brick home make this a rare and appealing offer. You inspection is welcome by appointment or at one of our open for inspections. For further details contact Travis 24/7 on 0447 693 048.


It's time for yet another episode of See You Next Wednesday!
This week, Greg and Casey get to pick their movies – as it was a Winner's Choice roll – and they picked two intriguing films to check out. First, Greg reports back from his smoke-laden trip through American Ultra starring Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart. The film – an stoner-comedy meets CIA-action yarn – was written by Max Landis who worked on Chronicle previously and has a few other films slated for release soon. Does this genre-blender mix up the goods, or does it just mix up the goods? If you get our drift. Do you? Because I don't.
Then, Casey pulls over Cop Car and inspects another genre film – this time a bare-bones, no-fat thriller starring Kevin Bacon and directed by Jon Watts. Is this a flim to watch, or should you drive on by it? He's got the answers for you.
Finally, Dan goes so undercover to watch the Miley Cyrus dud So Undercover. How bad is this one? You've gotta listen to find out! We also listened to an album by Insane Clown Posse and continue to wonder how they remain a thing.
But first, we're talking about movie news and trailers, discuss what is is about Revenge of the Sith that is so disappointing, check in with Spy and Real Men, plus so much more!


text:
"""Dilate operation in python"""
import numpy as np

def dilate_python(input_np, strides, dilation_value=0.0):
    """Dilate operation.

    Parameters
    ----------
    input_np : numpy.ndarray
        n-D, can be any layout.

    strides : list / tuple of n ints
        Dilation stride on each dimension, 1 means no dilation.

    dilation_value : int/float, optional
        Value used to dilate the input.

    Returns
    -------
    output_np : numpy.ndarray
        n-D, the same layout as Input.
    """
    n = len(input_np.shape)
    assert len(strides) == n, "Input dimension and strides size dismatch : %d vs %d" % (
        n,
        len(strides),
    )
    output_size = ()
    no_zero = ()
    for i in range(n):
        output_size += ((input_np.shape[i] - 1) * strides[i] + 1,)
        no_zero += ((range(0, output_size[i], strides[i])),)
    output_np = np.ones(shape=output_size)
    output_np = dilation_value * output_np
    output_np[np.ix_(*no_zero)] = input_np

    return output_np


Which DITA frames prefer celebrities? Check Usher and Niki Manaj choice!
Which DITA models do they choose?
It is not a secret that DITA eyewear is popular among many famous people. Thus, Usher collection of DITA sunglasses count many pairs including here such legendary models as Grandmaster One, Grandmaster Two, Mach One series, etc.
Let's check whom else from celebrities has been spotted recently in DITA frames!
JOURNEY represents the combination of two disparate yet iconic 1970's fashion trends and the creative journey that ensued is what inspired this magnificent frame's name. An almost-round shape is a a kind of face-friendly interpretation of John Lennon's famous frame. The combination of its diamond pressed eye rims and polished brow bar are reminiscent of the ubiquitous gold chains that were undeniably the decade's quintessential men's fashion accessory. Combining the best of yesterday and today, JOURNEY is a truly timeless original.
NARCISSUS probes the complicated interplay of two 1980s cultural phenomena that continue to reverberate in contemporary society: the embrace of angular, directional silhouettes in fashion and the rapid shift from analog to digital technology; and the bold, muscular proportions of 80s-era womenswear and accessories—silhouettes that tinkers with traditional concepts of power and subverted gender roles.


Erin is cornered in the Great White North this year, and is hosting a party to teach the People of Other Lands the true meaning of American Thanksgiving (with Tofurky!). In honor of her party and the upcoming holiday, I thought a post reminding her of Thanksgiving via the Unnamed Religious Private School would be apropos.
I've had to mull this post over a few times, because this is the first time that I'll be posting a memory that's very scattered. It doesn't exist in my brain as a narrative, but rather as a bunch of scattered, disparate parts that might actually come from a series of years rather than a single event. So rather than fudging anything resembling linear narrative, I will provide you with a series of remembered events, which may or may not be connected to one another.
Thanksgiving is always a troublesome holiday at religious schools, because it's the only holiday (besides Halloween, which is OFF LIMITS) that isn't specifically referenced in scriptures. When teachers talked to us about the "true meaning" of Christmas, they inevitably spent several days pouring over the birth of Christ with us. The meaning of Easter was similarly divined through readings of the Crucifixion. But the Pilgrims aren't technically IN the Bible (as much as our teachers might have wanted them to be), and so somehow we escaped with having a fairly secular time at Thanksgiving. We made the traditional Hand-Turkey crafts and lists of things we were thankful for. And I can't imagine that our play was that much more culturally insensitive than anyone else's. The myths of Thanksgiving are a pretty ingrained part of American childhoods, public- and private-schooled alike. (This makes me wonder what kids who grow up on Reservations think of the holiday.) We also did additional crafts projects to eat up the time that would normally have been dedicated to something less secular, like a scripture reading. The year we did the play, we created our own set (featuring a giant cave!) out of papier mache.
A few years later (I think), someone must have made the decision that crafts were not adequate to teach us about the meaning of Thanksgiving. Because that year, we were sent to the M family's house to learn about all of the chores and tasks that go into planning a True American Thanksgiving.
Regular readers of this blog are already familiar with the Family M. They are the family that includes Melissa and her twisted sisters, along with their theatrical mother and the father who donned tiny bathrobes. Erin has already mentioned that they were the family who attempted to provide our class with "culture", carting us all to plays and Junior League events. This year their role as cultural attaches was extended somewhat, as they taught us the proper way to plan a Thanksgiving feast. One morning the week before Thanksgiving break, we all hopped in cars driven by chaperoning parents and took a field trip to the country club, where Mrs. M greeted us at the door to her stately mansion and informed us we would learn how to be real ladies and gentlemen this Thanksgiving.
Did I mention that we were all wearing Pilgrim and/or Indian outfits? We were requested to come in costume as members of the first Thanksgiving. Most of us just used our costumes from the annual play, meaning that I was dressed in my felt Indian vest and headband, complete with feathers and two long pigtail braids. So a group of mostly Pilgrims and a few select Indians stormed the mansion door, still uncertain what, exactly, we were going to learn.
What I remember most vividly, though, is the moment when Mrs. M and our teacher gathered us all together and talked about the importance of remembering the first Thanksgiving as we set about preparing our own feasts. The Pilgrims, they reminded us, had not only to cook and to clean, but also to hunt, fish, and gather. They lived off the land, and the preparation of any feast involved the hard legwork of the hunter. (I would swear too that when we cooked the meal, Mrs. M made the preparations as primitive as possible, leaving out the use of electric appliances wherever feasible. But this might be a misremembrance.) Thus, on this day we were going to learn how hard it was to hunt a turkey.
I have no idea why someone in the country club had turkeys. But someone did. Specifically, he was a grouchy old man who shouted a lot and didn't seem all that happy about having us on his property. He had a pretty extensive plot of land that included foul of all kinds, cows, and I think even a pig or two. Now that I'm older I look back on him and wonder if he was one of those old men who thinks the government is coming for his money one day and keeps a small farm-like plot just in case someone steals all his worldly goods. But whatever the reason, he had animals, and we needed those animals in order to learn about the First Thanksgiving.
Mrs. M showed us around the "farm," explaining how each animal would have served the Pilgrims in the creation of their feast. (Cows? In early America? I'm not so sure about that one. But they probably didn't eat sweet potato casserole with marshmallows either, so I guess I shouldn't expect this even to have been historically accurate.) We learned that any and all food came from plants and animals, not from the grocery store.
But the capper of the event was when the grouchy old man stepped in to tell us how hard it was to catch a turkey. If we were learning about the hardships of the early days, it was important to understand that nature was difficult to tame, and that most wild animals didn't just walk right into the path of your rifle. As he made his point, he walked towards a small fence at he back of the property, threw open a gate, and set free three enormous turkeys to run about the yard. He claimed that they were "wild turkeys," although I think that adjective becomes moot once an animal is kept in a pen in your yard. But either way, the man was taken with the majesty of the turkey (just like Ben Franklin!) and wanted us to understand how hard a bird it was to bag. "Just try to catch those turkeys," he challenged.
And with that, 20 elementary school kids dressed as Pilgrims and Indians took off after 3 big birds, scrambling across the acreage, bumping into unsuspecting cows and pigs in our plight to grab the centerpiece of all Thanksgiving meals. We got close a couple of times, including one in which I swear the thing turned around and nipped my arm. But I doubt any of us succeeded. After much scrambling around, Mrs. M called us back and told us it was time to head back to the house. Luckily for us, some astute shopper had already provided us with a bird via the grocery store, so our feast would not remain incomplete, despite our failure to bag the turkey.
I don't know where our teacher was during all of this. I suspect it was a nice day off for her. I'm really crossing my fingers this time, hoping that Erin remember SOME of this, because I'm certain there's more to this story. Anytime a crazy rich lady teaches a bunch of costumed kids about the "true meaning" of Thanksgiving, there are bound to be some comedic scenes. But all of them were pushed out of my mind by the crazy old man who got a kick out of watching us chase his turkeys.


I have to say that I am somewhat of a chocoholic, and these definitely satisfy that.
As is the case with thumbprint cookies, there is a little labor involved as you have to fill the cookies. These cookies, however, are definitely worth it. And nobody will guess that these are gluten-free and vegan .
Preheat oven to 350˚. In a small bowl, whisk together xanthum gum, starches, flours, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a medium bowl cream together margarine and sugar, and beat until fluffy. Add flax seed mixture, coconut milk, and vanilla; mix until combined. Add dry ingredients and mix until combined (it may take about a minute).
Roll dough into 1-inch balls and then roll in sugar. Place one inch apart on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until edges are set. Let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Using a teaspoon or a thumb, push down the center of the cookie to create a slight bowl.
Combine honey, 1/3 cup coconut milk, vanilla extract and cinnamon in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to simmer and cook until honey dissolves. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes.
Place chocolate chips in a small bowl. Pour honey/coconut milk mixture over chocolate and let stand for 1 minute. Stir until smooth. Add margarine, and stir until incorporated.
Spoon ganache into the cookies (I use a baby spoon as it gives me the perfect amount of ganache to fill the cookie, making it less messy). After about 15 minutes, the ganache will set, then you can transfer them to a container where they will keep for 2-3 days. They freeze well too, if you can't eat them all by then (which usually isn't the case with my family).
Something that I like to do with these cookies is sprinkle a little bit of sea salt on them, it gives the cookies some added dimension, and makes it a little more fancy.