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Home » Faculty » OCW Faculty Profile: Shigeru Miyagawa
OCW Faculty Profile: Shigeru Miyagawa
In Japan, one of the biggest cultural events of the year is called Tanabata, or the Star Festival. According to the legend, two young lovers are reunited by crossing a bridge made from the wings of flying birds. Selecting the Star Festival as backdrop for his award-winning multimedia project was a fitting choice for MIT Professor of Linguistics, Shigeru Miyagawa. His own academic career has bridged many different worlds: Japan and America, linguistics and culture, education and technology.
Miyagawa grew up in the coastal town of Hiratsuka, between Tokyo and Mount Fuji, until the age of ten. When his father, a professor of physics, accepted a teaching position in the United States, the family relocated to Duke University, then permanently resettled at the University of Alabama. Miyagawa remembers those years in late-sixties Alabama as especially challenging. "I often felt lonely and isolated. This was a state with few foreigners, and racial tensions were already high. There were no Japanese other than my family, there was no Japanese food. The only other Japanese person I ever encountered was Mr. Sulu on Star Trek."
Miyagawa nonetheless adapted to his new life in the United States. By middle school, he spoke fluent English, and he excelled in math and science throughout high school. "I spent a lot of time in my father's lab making models and airplanes as a kid," he remembers, "I made a transistor radio, and an electric generator that won the school science fair." Yet when it came to choosing a university, Miyagawa decided to return to his native Japan. Once there, however, he quickly discovered that he was "neither Japanese nor American. I was neither and I was both."
You could take sentences apart and lay all their parts on a table, like clockwork. It's the most fascinating thing in the world—I honestly don't understand why everyone doesn't study it.
Straddling two worlds has remained a recurring theme for Miyagawa. For example, early in his undergraduate career he made the decision to focus on the humanities. "Although I was very good in math, physics and chemistry, I decided that I did not want to pursue the same path as my father," he confesses, "So one day I simply walked across campus and began taking humanities classes." While he greatly enjoyed the creative writing program that he initially entered, it was the discovery of linguistics that truly captured his imagination. "For me, it was the perfect combination of language and science. You could take sentences apart and lay all their parts on a table, like clockwork. It's the most fascinating thing in the world—I honestly don't understand why everyone doesn't study it," he says, and one senses that he's only half-joking.
After completing a Ph.D. in Linguistics at the University of Arizona, and following a decade of teaching at the Ohio State University, Miyagawa joined the MIT Department of Linguistics and Philosphy and also Foreign Languages and Literatures. His passion for language shines through in his description of its fundamental questions. "There are 7,000 to 8,000 languages in the world, possibly more, depending on how you count them. Where do they all come from? Well, what we've seen is that there are many underlying similarities in language, which may be traced to how language is encoded in our minds. For example, when we listen to music, our ears pick up the tiniest differences in a note. But with language, we are much more forgiving. Instead of hearing these small differences, we hear much broader categories of sounds. That simple feature is what allows us to communicate with each other despite our different voices and styles of pronunciation. Language is fundamentally different from noise and music—because it's processed in a different part of the brain."
Yet linguistics represents only a portion of Miyagawa's varied career. He is also a Professor of Japanese Language and Culture, the Head of Foreign Language and Literature at MIT, and a tireless supporter of using technology to advance education. Since the earliest days of the Web, he has worked to realize its potential as a tool for teaching and learning: Back in 1993, well before the popularization of the Internet, Miyagawa put the entire MIT Japanese language program on the Internet, in order to help students master Japanese quicker and more efficiently. With the rise of multimedia, Miyagawa created the interactive Star Festival tool, to help students explore Japanese culture. It's been used in hundreds of classrooms throughout the Boston area, and in a poetic twist, George Takei, whose role as Mr. Sulu in Star Trek once consoled the young Miyagawa, became Star Festival's narrator. More recently, Miyagawa collaborated with Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Dower to create Visualizing Cultures, a stunning visual archive of various chapters in Japanese history.
These ventures in digital learning led MIT's President Chuck Vest to include him on the original faculty committee that recommended the creation of OCW in 2001. He recalls that, "At the time, everyone's early assumptions were that we would create a 'MIT.com' for teaching. But as we reviewed the scenarios, and started crunching the numbers, people started asking whether it was right to connect teaching materials to revenue. Of course we considered many different business models, but once we decided that we should give away the content, there was something very deep about MIT's values that surfaced. I felt it and I think everyone else felt it."
Now Miyagawa is Chair of the MIT OpenCourseWare Faculty Advisory Committee, and a vocal supporter of its continued importance. "To be able to offer teaching materials through OCW is one of the best things that can happen to you as a teacher. It's like hitting the lottery to touch so many people through your teaching. It's also good," he smiles, "because it keeps you on your feet, knowing that tens of thousands people might be watching."
OCW Courses taught by Prof. Shigeru Miyagawa:
21G.027 Asia in the Modern World: Images & Representations
ES.259 Information and Communication Technology in Africa
21G.034 Media Education and the Marketplace
24.946 Linguistic Theory and the Japanese Language
24.953 Argument Structure and Syntax
CMS.930 Media, Education, and the Marketplace
Some Description
As Taught In
Undergraduate/Graduate
Lecture Notes, Student Work


Contact a American Authors Agent now to Book American Authors at your next private or special event.
American Authors, a rock band based in New York City, consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Zac Barnett, lead guitarist and banjoist James Adam Shelley, bassist Dave Rublin, and drummer Matt Sanchez. They are best known for their hit singles "Believer" and "Best Day of My Life" from their debut album Oh, What a Life, as well as their huge hit, "Go Big or Go Home," from their second album, What We Live For. In 2006, the band met at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. About four years later, the guys relocated to Brooklyn. The band signed on to Mercury Records in 2013. Their music is often used in movie trailers, video games and advertisements. The American Authors are a can't miss act on the festival circuit. The American Authors are writing quite a story for themselves.
Contact a American Authors Agent now to Book American Authors at your next corporate, private or special event!


What on Earth is China Building in the Middle of the Desert?
Mysterious Structures in the desert can be seen on satellite images, what are the Chinese are up to anyway?
The internet has been speculating over the pictures that show remarkable buildings and structures in the Gobi Desert.
The gadget site Gizmodo has gathered several of the pictures that apparently show remarkable structures and facilities at a distance form the mysterious patterns.
One of the most remarkable pictures, which is located above this article, shows a several hundred meters wide seemingly random pattern of white stripes.
Among the theories is the explanation that the massive patterns should be targets for practice by military satellites.Or maybe missiles? hmm..
Many of the images are captured on the border of Gansu and Xinjiang in China's northeast, an area where land based equipment for use by the aerospace and military industries.
When zooming in on some pictures you can see the burnt out planes and trucks, which may indicate that the site has been used as targets.
It is also difficult to see if the structures have been dug up or painted on the ground, making the mystery thickens.
Getting no response from Chinese authorities about what actually happens is that not many people hope for.


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This technology is a laser interrogation method of standoff detection that utilizes the non-linear process of stimulated Raman scattering. A double reference detection technique is employed, providing magnitude much more sensitive detection capability of important targets than is currently available with other technologies. Importantly, this technology is insensitive to alterations in target scattering or fluctuations in laser intensity – enabling detection on a wide variety of surfaces and enhanced resistance to background and environmental interference.
Increased sensitivity: this platform is many times more sensitive than are currently available methods and is able to detect even trace amounts of target chemicals.
Rapid localization: a large area can be rapidly scanned and accurately controlled, providing detailed localization information.
Robust: method is insensitive to target scattering changes and fluctuations in laser intensity and can detect from a wide variety of surfaces.
Trace explosive and chemical hazard detection – including strong applicability in the military and civil defense sectors, as well as airport security, shipping and ports, and international borders.


Although multiple studies point to elevated rates of depression, anxiety and substance abuse among sexual minority people, the panel found that these problems, by themselves, do not account for the higher rates of suicide attempts that have been reported by LGBT people.
THUS, the consensus report identified Stigma and Discrimination as playing a key role, especially acts such as Rejection or Abuse by Family Members or Peers, Bullying and Harassment, Denunciation from Religious Communities and Individual Discrimination.
(Daily Bread Reader #1, Name Withheld) I've found it fascinating to think about the word high, because to me it says that people want to be picked up and taken out of something that is pulling them down or making them unhappy. If you try to get this through a chemical compound, then I think that it ultimately bankrupt you mentally, and you find yourself coming back down again with an even harder impact.
The concept of spirituality can be foreign to a lot of addicts or they may even be struggling to understand their relationship with God and how to fill their niche in the world.
How do you tell somebody about spirituality and the peace that comes from it if they have never felt it to begin with or currently have no faith and spirituality in their life which may be why they fell into addiction in the first place.
One solution can be to pray silently for them with their permission.
But they may need to find some type of support group until they come into the awareness of an all loving and all inclusive God which is alive and healing. Branch churches can be one solution but many LGBT students of Christian Science have not found that to be a present day reality to the human sense which may be why so many branch churches are closing/have closed.
Finally, people struggling with addiction may even resent being told any of this by the good sunday school student whose faith is only academic up to a point because they never faced and overcame any adversity.
Further, the video for yesterday's Daily Bread shows an interview of a college wrestler who fell into addiction. It was love from his human mother that saved him. It was love! The love came from God and his mother just reflected it ALL back.
Thus is it any surprise why there is such a high substance abuse rate and suicide rate within the LGBT community due to the seeming lack of love from their human families and church community because of their sexual orientation or gender identity ???
Yes, Christian Science starts with the solution for healing but error found out is 2/3's destroyed.
Rembrandt is as much the elder son of the parable as he is the younger. When, during the last years of his life, he painted both sons in his Return of the Prodigal Son, he had lived a life in which neither the lostness of the younger son or the lostness of the elder son was alien to him. Both needed healing and forgiveness. Both needed to come Home. Both needed the embrace of a loving Father. But from the story itself, as well as from Rembrandt's painting, it is clear that the hardest conversion to go through is the conversion of the one who stayed home.
* Henry was born in the Netherlands, where he was ordained to the priesthood. He taught at the University of Notre Dame, Yale Divinity School, and Harvard Divinity School. In 1986 he became pastor of the L'Arche Daybreak community in Toronto, Canada.
My last post on the temptation of addiction generated many emails, sharing heartfelt stories of challenges, fresh spiritual insights, and victories. Thank you for sharing…I am deeply touched.
Addiction comes in many forms, some subtle and others not so subtle. Regardless, to begin to demystify the temptation is to grasp the idea that the attracting power or pull is not in the thing – matter. Why? Because the 'thing' in and of itself doesn't have any power…we give it the only power it has! The only, always power of life is divine Spirit, the all-embracing God. This spiritual power felt in the smallest degree gives one dominion over the temptation, no matter what the situation.
When Paula graduated from college she was five feet eight and weighed just 100 pounds. After graduation she traveled through Europe for several months, returning home weighing even less. She was drinking excessive amounts of water. Her parents were very concerned. They took her to a nutritionist for advice about eating. Her water consumption continued to increase, and her food intake continued to decrease. Eventually her weight dropped to 79 pounds. At that point, her parents decided to admit her to a clinic specializing in eating disorders.
Paula and her parents asked me to pray for her. The staff at the clinic recognized the effectiveness of Christian Science treatment. They agreed that this treatment should be continued instead of drug therapy. The physician in charge was very receptive to spiritual healing.
Here was a young woman who felt desperately alone, disconnected, out of control. There were periods when Paula needed constant reinforcement through prayer. During these crucial times she would sometimes call me hourly, and I prayed continually for her. During those calls I reassured her of God's undiminished love for her and of the relationship she had to God right at that moment – she was inseparable from this divine power!
In my practice it is essential to understand that God is the only power. It is also necessary to understand that the patient is not vulnerable, not a victim. This conviction and assurance of the patient's God-given value and uncontaminated worth helps patients feel stronger. And it frees their thought, enabling it to yield to God's power, to begin to feel His unconditional love. This 'reformed' thought aids in finally breaking the hold of compulsive behavior.
Ultimately, the spiritual energy or regenerating activity of God governs action, and it can correct a life out of control.
One especially challenging day, I remember asking Paula to think of herself as being like someone on a staircase. She could either step up or let herself be pulled down. Where is herthought taking her?
When Paula grasped this point—that she could let God lift her consciousness up, or she could turn from Him and mentally be pulled down—the change was significant. She saw something of her spiritual dominion. From that time on, her weight steadily increased, and soon she was able to go home.
One morning shortly thereafter she woke up and said, "I have to eat." She felt free of the desire to drink water constantly, and her appetite returned to normal and has remained so. The physician later told Paula's parents that her compulsion was equal in severity to a cocaine addiction, and that if she had continued on this path, it would have led to her death by self-starvation.
This healing occurred several years ago and Paula is now a mother and a schoolteacher of learning-disabled kids. I love this healing example! It is indisputable proof of spiritual dominion that breaks the hold of addiction and provides complete restoration.


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How would you like to feel like a real cowboy in this Wild West territory?
If you're a true cowboy at heart, jump on your horse and head over to the Old West Territory.
In this incredible setting that recreates the Wild West, you can have a duel with fun. You can test your aim against the roughest cowboys in the West and experience some incredible adventures on attractions like Coaster Express, which still holds the record for the longest rollercoaster in Europe, and you can also explore a real gold mine on Río Bravo.
And if you're looking for a scare, check out "Expedientes Warren: Pasaje de Terror", an atmospheric experience based on the famous movie series about the paranormal cases of the Warrens.
If you come out a bit flustered from all the scares, you could always stop by the Cataratas Salvajes and take a refreshing dip.
But even true cowboys couldn't do all this without taking a moment to get their energy back, and the best way to do this is at our Tex-Mex restaurant, El Rancho, where you can enjoy a delicious rack of ribs with the best barbecue sauce in the entire Old West Territory, as well as many other dishes adapted to all different tastes and requirements.
Sorry! No shows are currently scheduled
Check our site in a few days for any updates. What's more, you can follow us on social media and stay up to date with all our latest news.
The spirit of the Wild West in the Old West Territory
Parque Warner Madrid has created a fantastic setting in tribute to the iconic Wild West with this thematic area. Located at the western end of the park, the Old West Territory is an area of 78,000 square metres in size with fictional towns that contain everything you could think of: houses, saloons, stores and even a dentist's surgery!
Alongside the spirit of the Wild West, you will also find the most classic attraction of all time here: a wooden roller coaster, which every self-respecting amusement park should have. Put on your cowboy hat, get on your horse and ride across the deserts until you arrive at Coaster-Express, an intense 36-metre attraction that crosses grand valleys in a kilometre and a half. It is the longest wooden roller coaster in Europe, with a structure containing more than 100,000 screws!
Río Bravo, a water attraction set in a gold mine, with boats that pass through gorges, Indian villages, and more. The gold rush also served as the inspiration for Los Carros de la Mina, with its replicas of the carts that were used in mines, but in this case they spin round and round to create a fun dizzying effect!
Then we have Cataratas Salvajes, where you fly along a waterfall at high speeds. This is a very refreshing family attraction.
Canteens and saloons where you can eat in the Old West Territory
The path is treacherous, exciting and full of dangers. But at some point you will need to stop and take a rest. Step off the wagon here with your family to try the incredible Western restaurants at Parque Warner. From El Coyote Solitario, a typical Western saloon where you can knock back refreshing drinks and tuck into delicious snacks, to El Rancho, with its fast 'show cooking', or La Cantina de los Bandidos, the area's frontier restaurant whose Tex-Mex dishes will blow you away after a long journey through unexplored territories.
The West is the best, and you can complete your visit to the Old West Territory with a Western portrait as well. Dress up as your favourite character at the West Photo, choose a background and take a photo that you can keep as a wonderful souvenir of an adventure where you travelled back to the golden age of cinema, which continues to fascinate viewers even after all this time.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Last year, LaFonda Willis, '20, took home the UDC Law Legal Writing Program's Terri LeClercq Award for best brief by a first-year law student and she has no plans to put down her pen just yet. The award-winning brief, which she used as her writing sample when applying for legal internships, helped her earn no less than five offers from sought-after summer placements including two federal agencies, Miami Public Defenders, a Miami-based private firm specializing in healthcare law, and the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau.
Willis refused to take one "yes" for an answer and negotiated with four of the five organizations to apportion her time between them. This winter, after closing out her final exams, Willis traveled to Detroit to intern for the Federal Defender's Office for the city, where she performed legal research and drafted a variety of discovery-related documents in support of the firm's litigation practice. This coming summer, Willis will divide her time between civil defense litigation at the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau in Cambridge, Massachusetts and regulatory investigations and affirmative civil litigation with the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection in Washington, D.C.
Willis has taken advantage of her law school experience to sample the full scope of practice opportunities the field of law has to offer. The golden thread running through her placements is the opportunity to tackle complex legal research and writing projects in order to best prepare for the writing-intensive work of litigation and regulatory compliance that she envisions for herself after law school. By seeking out placements in diverse organizations and practice areas, Willis has gained invaluable insight into a variety of practice settings best suited to her talents and interests. Willis is considering a number of different options for her first position after graduation, including post-graduate judicial clerkships, entry-level attorney positions with the D.C. and federal government, and associate opportunities with a private firm focused on white-collar criminal defense or complex civil litigation.
The secret to Willis' success, in her view, is a combination of skills, including networking, follow-through, faith, and non-stop practice. Willis pursued writing-heavy placements early on in her law school career. This past summer, Willis interned with the Public Advocacy Division of the D.C. Office of the Attorney General, where she honed her legal writing skills drafting a variety of detailed research memoranda in support of the division's affirmative civil litigation and enforcement practice. For example, for one assignment Willis analyzed the novel issue of whether the District may bring suit against individuals or companies attempting to influence national policy through the use of fake identities to submit fraudulent public comments to a federal agency headquartered in the District. In another assignment, Willis analyzed a potential issue of first impression, namely the District's ability to bring suit under the D.C. False Claims Act against companies for submitting false claims in the housing context.
During the 2018-2019 academic year, on top of managing a full second-year course load, Willis supports first-year legal writing students in Lawyering Process I and II as a Writing Mentor. Willis also carved out the time during the Fall 2018 semester to volunteer on legal writing and other tasks in support of trial and appellate attorneys at the D.C. Office of the Federal Public Defender; the agency charged with representing indigent defendants accused of federal criminal offenses in the District of Columbia. This year, Willis will intern with Tzedek DC, a public interest center headquartered at the law school, whose mission, drawing on Jewish teachings, is to safeguard the legal rights of low-income D.C. residents in debt collection and consumer protection matters.
Willis likely benefits not just from her discipline and hard work, which she has in spades, but also her real-world experience overcoming insurmountable odds to make a difference in the community. Prior to joining UDC Law, Willis made her mark as an elementary and middle school teacher in the D.C. Public Schools system. Willis was so effective that she was promoted to administrator of a high-needs, low-performing K-8 campus, where she slashed infraction and out-of-school suspension rates by 80 percent. Willis built on her success disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline while leading the Education Committees of the NAACP and National African-American Drug Policy Coalition's D.C. chapters, and in 2016 she launched the Institute for Equity and Excellence in Public Education, a D.C.-based non-profit that advocates for children at risk of interacting with the juvenile justice system.
With the completion of her J.D. in sight, Willis is well on her way to becoming a "Double Firebird," having earned an M.A.T. from the University of the District of Columbia's Center for Urban Education, where she was awarded the Dr. Paul Phillip Cooke Scholarship for her demonstrated commitment to diversity and excellence in urban education. Willis also holds an M.A. in criminal justice from the University of Toledo and an undergraduate degree in business administration from the University of Miami (FL). She also completed study abroad programs with both the University of Ghana in West Africa and University of Oxford.


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Director: Nicole Opper
Type: Shorts
Mezzo celebrates the life and artistic endeavors of Breanna Sinclaire, an African-American opera singer and the first openly trans woman to study at a major conservatory.
Date: Saturday, February 11, 3PM and Sunday, February 12, 1:30PM
Location: Glicker-Milstein Theatre, Diana Center LL200
Q&A session to following screenings
Filmmaker Bio:
Nicole Opper is an Emmy®-nominated filmmaker who directed and produced the feature documentary Off and Running, an Audience Favorite at Tribeca and winner of ten international awards including Best Documentary at Outfest and Best Documentary Screenplay at Silverdocs. The film was nationally broadcast on P.O.V. in 2010. She received a Fulbright Fellowship to direct Visitor's Day which is supported by New York State Council on the Arts, Chicken & Egg Pictures and The Independent Television Service. She's also produced films for The Discovery Channel and Here TV, and was selected for Filmmaker Magazine's annual "25 New Faces of Independent Film". Opper has taught filmmaking at Stanford University and San Francisco State University, among other schools.


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Home	CatsBig Cats	Big Cat 411: All About The Cheetah
Big Cat 411: All About The Cheetah
by Amber March 29, 2021
by Amber 460 views
Out of all the beautiful big cats of the world, the cheetah stands out. Not only is this African native built for speed, but cheetahs are born with several characteristics that make them ideal predators. They're smaller than lions and tigers, but cheetahs should not be underestimated. You'll have to travel to the open grasslands of Africa or the Middle east to see a truly wild cheetah in person, but that shouldn't stop you from learning all there is to know about these spotted speedsters. Keep reading to learn interesting cheetah facts worth sharing with friends and family.
1. They're the fastest land animal.
Most people don't need to be told that cheetahs are fast. But just how fast are they? As the fastest land animal in the entire world, the average cheetah can run up to 70 miles per hour. Even more impressive, they can reach that speed in only three seconds.
Their incredible speed is thanks to their long legs, enlarged heart that pumps oxygen and blood throughout the body, and their large lungs. The cheetah's spine is also unusually flexible and acts like a spring to help propel the legs forward and backward.
2. They have a rudder.
With their speed and steering mechanism, cheetahs are basically furry speedboats on land. Their tails are especially long, muscular, and flat. These characteristics allow cheetahs to use their tails like a rudder on a boat. While they're sprinting at top speed, they can move their tails to both keep their balance and control their steering.
Thanks to their tails, cheetahs are also the only big cats that can change direction in mid-air while they're sprinting.
3. They don't roar.
While other big cats, like lions and tigers, show off with mighty roars, the cheetah sounds more like the pampered cat in your living room. Instead of roaring, cheetahs meow, chirp, and purr.
This is due to the fact that cheetahs (along with domestic house cats) have an epihyal bone in their voice box that limits what sounds they can make. Lions, on the other hand, have a flexible ligament that allows them to make lower noises, including a roar. A cheetah might not sound as ferocious as a lion, but don't let their meow fool you; cheetahs are fierce and dangerous.
4. Cheetahs hunt during the day.
For most big cats, successful hunts happen at night. Their eyes allow them to see better at night than their prey, and they use the cover of darkness to their advantage. The cheetah, however, doesn't need to wait until the sun sets.
Not only do cheetahs have sharp vision, their faces are also patterned to deflect sunlight and prevent glare. The distinctive tear-like dark marks that go from their eyes down to their mouth help avert the sun so they don't have to squint or wear sunglasses. Once a cheetah chooses its mark, it uses its speed to bring down prey in broad daylight.
5. They survive with little water.
Depending on the season, water is in short supply in the cheetah's natural habitat. They live in the dry grasslands of Africa and the Middle East and must travel long distances between watering holes.
Normally, not having water would be a big problem. Cheetahs, however, have adapted to their environment. They're capable of surviving on only one drink every 3-4 days. Considering the hot temperature and the amount of energy they exert when they sprint, this is especially impressive.
6. Cheetah cubs have long hair to blend in.
Mama cheetahs are ferocious, but they can't be with their young 24/7. Cubs are vulnerable to predators, but they have a few tricks that help keep them safe. One of those tricks has to do with their funny haircuts.
Cheetah cubs have long hair on their backs and top of their heads. It almost looks like a mullet, but it's actually called a mantle. This unusual hairstyle helps them blend in with long grass. It can also make them look like honey badgers so wary predators will leave them alone.
7. A shaved cheetah will still have spots.
If you had time to count, you'd find that an individual cheetah has between 2,000 and 3,000 black spots bespeckling their tan fur. These spots aid in camouflage and are different than the spots of other big cats, like leopards.
Another interesting spotted cheetah fact is that it isn't only their fur that is spotted. If you were to shave a cheetah, you'd find that their skin has the exact same spotted pattern. The black fur spots actually grow out of the black spots on their skin.
8. Cheetahs most likely originated from the Americas.
Today, your only chance of seeing a cheetah in the western hemisphere is if you go to a zoo or animal sanctuary. Wild cheetahs are now found only in Africa and a few small pockets in the middle east. But most researchers believe that hasn't always been the case.
It's believed that the cheetah originated in the Americas and migrated to Asia via the Beringian land bridge about 100,000 years ago. They then moved south into Africa where they've been ever since.
9. They have large litters.
Female cheetahs start reproducing around two years old, and after a three-month pregnancy, a new mom can welcome anywhere from 1 to 9 cubs into the world. The average is usually between 3 and 5, but larger litters are not uncommon.
What is uncommon, however, is for every cub in a large litter to survive into adulthood. Growing up in the African grasslands isn't easy, and many cubs are killed by other predators. Those that survive stay with their mom until they're around 18 months old and can stay with their littermates until they're about 2 years old.
10. Cheetahs are Africa's most endangered cat.
Like many African species, the cheetah is at risk of extinction. It's estimated there are fewer than 7,500 cheetahs living in the wild. They're currently listed as "Vulnerable" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, but recent population studies might soon push the species into the "Endangered" range.
Out of all the big cats that call Africa home, the cheetah is by far the most at risk of extinction.
How many of these cheetah facts surprised you?
Sources: WildlifeDay, National Geographic, National Zoo
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Fantastic wedding day with Kyle and Michelle, they kept me laughing all day. It was the first time I ever saw a Bride and Maid of Honor chest bump, to funny…lol…. The Groom and Best Man also had a sweet moment. What a fun couple and thanks for having us photograph the wedding.


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NDC Finally Set Date For Court Showdown As Battle Over Electoral Results Intensifies?
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) seem to have set a date to go to court and seek redress over the electoral disputes on the December 7 elections.
All Minority Members of Parliament yesterday marched to the headquarters of the Electoral Commission to submit a petition appealing to the EC to overturn its declaration of President Akufo-Addo as the winner of the 2020 elections.
Speaking to the issue on Onua TV's Maakye, Member of Parliament for Sagnerigu Constituency in the Northern Region, Alhassan Bashir Fuseini, popularly known as Alhaji A.B.A Fuseini, hinted that the NDC will be going to court on December 28 to seek redress.
"We are going to court on 28th December. We are going to court. We are walking to the EC office to register our protest and present a petition to the EC."
He added: "We are gathering our evidence and we are going to court on December 28 because we will not allow such stealing in the country."
Related Topics:National Democratic Congress (NDC)
Wontumi Owes Dr Kwaku Oteng GHS 6 Million, And Has Refused To Pay Despite All His Bragging – Kwame Tanko Alleges
The EC Has Taken A Break Because Its Work Is Done – Gabby Defends
Aside Rawlings No NDC Flagbearer Has Ever Crossed 51% After Polls – Akufo-Addo
NDC Has No Problem Sitting On The Minority Side – Haruna Iddrisu
NDC Goes After Carlos Ahenkorah's Tema West Seat While Awaiting Parliament Decision On Him
NDC MPs Threatened To Spill Blood If Injuncted Assin North MP Was Denied Entry Into Parliament – MP Alleges
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer in the 2020 election, John Mahama, has filed a motion at the Supreme Court asking that EC Chairperson admits she made errors during her declaration of election results.
The facts relate to Jean Mensa's the declaration of results on December 9.
Mr Mahama wants the EC Chairperson to admit that she did declare the results on December 9 which was broadcast live on radio, television and online platforms.
The former President who lost the December 7, polls is at the apex court seeking to set the results aside.
The court is due to hear the matter on Tuesday, January 19, 2020.
Mr Mahama wants the Apex court to direct the EC Chairperson to admit to certain facts.
He also wants the EC Chairperson Jean Mensa to admit that she has since not made any other declaration of results.
He further wants the EC Chairperson to admit that the figures and percentages announced by her during this declaration if collated will come to 100.3% instead of 100%.
He finally wants the EC Chairperson to admit that the subsequent correction of results in statements issued by the EC is different from what candidates obtained as captured in the summary of results sheets published by the EC.
Source: MyJoyOnline
Carlos Ahenkorah, the honourable MP for Tema West who came under intense public scrutiny for his ballot paper snatching incident on the floor of parliament during the inauguration of the 8th parliament, has justified it by claiming he wanted to cause a rerun.
He explained his absurd action in the video saying: "We were confident that we had already won because we knew we had 138 votes in the House. I was praying that our votes would be counted first and then when they did, we noticed that we only got 136 votes.
"I realized immediately that this was not good for us because it became evident that the NDC knew what they were about – they had connived with some people from our side to betray us."
Carlos Ahenkora callously celebrating the snatching of ballot papers in parliament with his constituents. Just a display of impunity in this Akufo-Addo appointees and their arrogance. pic.twitter.com/2GeqSVrEQU
— slightly used virgin⚪ (@slytlyusevirgin) January 18, 2021
Ashanti Regional Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Sam Pyne has indicated that the party will resist every attempt by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC to frustrate the second term of President Akufo-Addo.
Sam Pyne, who, like several others suspect that the NDC could use their advantage of having Alban Bagbin as Speaker of Parliament to frustrate Akufo-Addo's second term in office has warned the NPP will be having none of that.
Meanwhile Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin has assured that he'll be neutral in the house, adding that he's no speaker for either NPP or NDC.
"Hon Members, I intend to live by the Oath I swore on the occasion of my election to this office, to respect, obey and abide by the will of the House. I am fully committed to being fair and impartial. But I am also fully committed to being firm. Members must also in reciprocity, respect and abide by my rulings and instructions. When in disagreement, the Standing Orders of the House, has the answer. I will apply the authority of the House as symbolized by the Mace, to protect and defend the prerogatives, privileges and immunities of Parliament, members and staff as provided under the laws of the country", Bagbin said.


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Q: ASP.Net MVC Generate DNS Prefetch Tags Is there a way to find all the src="" urls when rendering a ASP.net MVC page in the view to then generate DNS prefetch tags on the fly?
https://www.chromium.org/developers/design-documents/dns-prefetching

A: If I understood correctly I can tell you the following:
Option #1: (Not a pretty solution but would work.)
NOTE: for this try to use simple Javascript and not rely on JQuery or other (since then you still need to "load" the .JS file for that and that is ruining the point of your question.
Process your src/href or some other predefined property tag with some kind of "OwnLogic" to define the "base target",
but in a way that the browser would not be able to initiate the request to obtain that image or other file.
Example:
<img url="" class="DNS_BaseTarget" DNS_BaseTarget="smiley.gif||myCDNPointerInfo" alt="">

Then, with javascript, get a list of all elements that uses the class DNS_BaseTarget and then read the property value and update the "src" tag.
At the same time you can inject by javascript inject all the '<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="https://cdn.yourTargetDomain.com">' that you will use based on the information you just processed.
I did not tested this concept, so "lag" or some sort of delay in the client might be expected (but maybe not noticeble by the user).
Option #2:
The View Result Execution Process (in MVC life cycle) tell us that the method 'Render()' is the last one to be executed.
With this being said, you can create your own custom override logic
Example: intercept view rendering to add HTML/JS on all partial views?
How to intercept view rendering to add HTML/JS on all partial views?
With this concept of trying to "process" the final html before sending it to the user, you could somehow "parse" the file.... try to get all the 'src/href' and then
inject all the '<link rel="dns-prefetch" href="https://cdn.yourTargetDomain.com">' that you will use.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


One of the important reasons to move an application to the cloud is scalability (outside of other benefits that the cloud provides). When the application is deployed to the cloud, it is critical to maintain performance - the system needs to handle the increase in load and importantly maintain low latency response times. This is currently needed for most applications, be it a website selling books or a large social networking website or a complex map reduce algorithm. Distributed Caching as a technology enables applications to scale elastically while maintaining the application performance. Previously, Windows Server AppFabric enabled you to use distributed caching on-premises. Now, distributed caching is available on the cloud for Azure applications!
Service that can be easily configured and leveraged by your applications. It provides elastic scale, agile apps development, familiar programming model and best of all, managed & maintained by Microsoft.
At this time, this service is in labs release and can be used for development & test purposes only.
Create a Project and then add a unique Service Namespace to it, for instance 'TestAzureCache1'.
At this point, you are done setting up the cache endpoint. Comparing this to installing and configuring the cache cluster on-premises shows the agility that cloud platforms truly provide.
Download the Windows Azure AppFabric SDK to get started.
* At this point, Azure AppFabric caching service does not have all the features that Windows Server AppFabric Cache supports. . For more information, see http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg278356.aspx.
If you are developing the application via code instead of config, here are set of code for accessing the caching service. Only the statements highlighted need to be modified as per your configured endpoint.
By now, you must be thinking if this is indeed this easy, what is the catch? 🙂 🙂 There is none. Here are some performance numbers that I ran, hopefully this makes you feel at ease.
This is an ASP.NET application running as a web role in Windows Azure accessing the cache service. The Object count parameter is used to instantiate an object which has an array of int and string. For example, when Object count is set to 100 the application will instantiate int and string with each array item is initialized to a string ~6 bytes. So approximately, the parameter 'Object count' * 10 is the pre-serialized object size. When storing the object in the caching service, the KEY is generated using RAND and then depending on the Operations dropdown, the workload is run for a set of iterations based on the 'Iterations' parameter. Finally, the average latency is computed. The web role is running in South Central US data center in the same DC where the caching service is also deployed in order to avoid any external network latencies. For all these tests, the local cache feature is disabled.
Now that you have some cache in the cloud, get your apps going!


Scotland's World Cup dream ended as a late Eljero Elia goal gave Group Nine winners Netherlands victory despite a brave effort from George Burley's side.
Dirk Kuyt struck the Scots' post early on, while Kenny Miller fired against the Dutch crossbar.
A Steven Naismith shot struck a Dutch post and Miller's effort on the rebound was saved by Michel Vorm.
But the Dutch made it eight wins out of eight when Elia pounced on David Weir's mistake to run clear and score.
And so the dream died with nine minutes left on the ninth day of the ninth month of 2009.
It had been a terrific performance by the Scots, but Elia's strike meant that Norway clinched the runners-up spot after their 2-1 victory over Macedonia - and raises question marks about the future of manager Burley.
Both sides had been forced to do without their first-choice goalkeepers, Scotland's Craig Gordon and Holland's Maarten Stekelenburg failing fitness tests earlier in the day.
David Marshall came into the home side after losing 11 goals in his previous three internationals and nearly conceded another within minutes of the kick-off.
Kuyt fired a snap shot from 20 yards that struck the outside of the far post before the ball bounced clear.
Scotland soaked up that early pressure and ought to have opened the scoring after nine minutes.
Alan Hutton's superb early cross found Scott Brown sneaking unmarked into the box, but the midfielder skewed his half-volley just wide from eight yards.
Wesley Sneijder had recovered from an injury picked up against Japan to start for the Dutch and forced Marshall into his first save after 24 minutes with a 22-yard drive that the keeper did well to turn over the crossbar.
That sparked the visitors into life and Scotland were split open by a fine through ball from Robin van Persie, but Marshall did superbly to block Arjen Robben's low effort from 14 yards.
The home side responded and Miller fired a volley off the underside of the crossbar from a difficult angle wide on the right.
Naismith, playing wide on the right in his first Scotland start, had the ball in the net off the far post but was pulled up for offside - a narrow but probably correct decision.
The Rangers forward struck the post with his next effort after 38 minutes, his low drive being turned on to the post by Vorm and Miller should have found the net from eight yards only for the goalkeeper to recover and turn the ball to safety.
Scotland were under pressure at the start of the second half and the Dutch went close twice.
Kuyt headed over from a good position following a corner then Marshall somehow managed to block the ball with his body after Robben had turned Hutton inside the box before letting fly from 10 yards.
Burley, who had made five changes to his side for the match, withdrew holding midfielder Paul Hartley and brought on winger Kris Commons and pushed Naismith forward as he went all out for the win the Scots so desperately needed.
It almost paid off immediately, with Miller being unlucky not to break the deadlock after 69 minutes when his snap shot struck the fortunate Vorm and spun clear of the goalkeeper's far post.
Scotland's hopes were dashed when Weir was caught flat-footed by a long clearance out of the Dutch defence and the centre-back's poor header was pounced on by Elia, who coolly rounded Marshall to score.
Substitute Garry O'Connor went close with a first-time attempt to lob Vorm, but yet another Scottish qualification campaign ended in disappointment as the Dutch became the first side in 28 years to finish the qualification campaign with a 100% record.
Scotland: Marshall, Hutton, Weir, McManus, Whittaker, Hartley (Commons 67), Naismith, Brown, Darren Fletcher, Maloney (O'Connor 83), Miller.
Subs Not Used: Neil Alexander, Graham Alexander, Gary Caldwell, Steven Fletcher, Rae.
Booked: Naismith, Hartley, Darren Fletcher.
Netherlands: Vorm, Van Der Wiel, Ooijer, Mathijsen, Van Bronckhorst, Sneijder (Van der Vaart 77), De Zeeuw, De Jong, Robben (Elia 73), van Persie (Huntelaar 84), Kuyt.
Subs Not Used: Velthuizen, Heitinga, Schaars, Braafheid.
Booked: van Persie, Kuyt, Robben.


Ann was preceded in death by her parents, and her brother, Joseph Norden.
All services for Ann will be private.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Lenawee Humane Society. Envelopes are available at the funeral home. Arrangements were entrusted to Wagley Funeral Home where online condolences may be shared at www.WagleyFuneralHome.com.


text:
February 23, 2001 Sports » Features
Anderson golden in Japan
Michalchuk fifth in pipe, Ricker sixth in snowboard cross
Jasey Jay Anderson of St-Jovite, Quebec, just may be the best alpine snowboarder in the world right now, earning back to back gold medals in the snowboard cross and parallel giant slalom events in Sapporo-Makomanai, Japan on Feb. 16 and 17.
The 25 year old has been the star attraction on the national team all season, earning numerous alpine and SBX World Cup podiums and winning the world championship giant slalom in Italy. He is currently ranked second on the SBX points list, and top ten in all the Alpine events.
And he's so humble about it. "It must be in my legs," Anderson told reporters after winning the SBX. "A lot of it is being aggressive, not being afraid, being able to control a snowboard properly. I've put in so many miles and turns, I can't even count them."
When he won the parallel slalom, he said "I had a lot of fun today, but it was a lot of work also. The one I always have to fear most is myself. If I put in my best run I know I'll come out of it happy but it was a struggle today to make perfect runs."
Sterner Magnus of Sweden finished in second in the SBX, followed by John Fletcher of Australia.
In the women's SBX, Juliane Bray of New Zealand was the top rider, followed by Doris Guenther of Austria and Nathalie Desmares of France. Whistler's Maelle Ricker was the top Canadian in sixth place. Dominuqe Vallee and Josiane Bruneau finished 14 th and 17 th respectively.
Daniel Biveson of Sweden came the closest to catching Anderson in the parallel giant slalom, followed by American Chris Klug. The women's parallel giant slalom went to Steffi Von Sebenthal of Switzerland, followed by Margherita Parini of Italy and Manuela Rigler of Austria. Helene Cloutier was the top Canadian in 19 th .
In the halfpipe event, local Mike Michalchuk finished fifth, earning valuable points and getting a lot closer to a berth in the 2002 Winter Olympics. Heikki Sorsa of Finland won the contest, followed by Tommy Czeschin of the U.S., and Markus Jonsson of Sweden.
In the women's halfpipe, Kelly Clark of the U.S. was first, followed by Lesley McKenna of Great Britain and Doriane Vidal of France. Maelle Ricker was the top Canadian in 12 th . Lori Glazier finished 17 th , Kim Dunn 20 th , Dominique Vallee 24 th and Josiane Bruneau 26 th .
The World Cup circuit continues in Japan this weekend with halfpipe, parallel giant slalom, and snowboardcross events at Asahikawa outside of Nagano.


What did you think of Angles of 90, 180, 270, and 360 Degrees ?
We can find the measure of a given angle by relating turns to right angles.
For example, consider the angle given below.
So, the measure of this angle is equal to 3 right angles or 270°.


A Bit of English Irony | Ketuvim: the Writings of James R. Getz Jr.
I would recommend that the ESV committee enlist competent English stylists to carefully review the entire text with an eye toward standard English idiom.
I know I'm being pedantic, but it's humorous to see someone criticizing a translation's English style while splitting an infinitive.
For the record I'm not a big fan of the ESV either. I can't really use an androcentric translation in my line of work.
Jim, there is nothing wrong with splitting English infinitives. That prescriptivist rule was apparently created by English teachers who thought that English infinitives acted like Latin infinitives, which, obviously, could not be split because they are single words. But English infinitives are separate words and, for millions of English speakers, splitting them with adverbs sounds like good English. And it is good English because the adverbial modifier can be closer to the word it modifies, which makes good logical and literary sense.
We need to move away from prescriptivist rules which have little to do with proper English and, instead, follow descriptive rules, which result from scientific observation of the language patters which speakers of a language actually practice.
Thanks for the link to our ESV series. We hope that it has benefitted a number of readers.
I'm well aware of the age old prescriptive/descriptive grammar debate. But, I've also taught writing classes at university for years. A scientific observation of the language that most of my students speak and write would show that they know an entirely different dialect of English. Not something I'd was to use as a model of proper English.
Regardless, I think the series is great. There's plenty of room to clean up all of the major translation projects, and it's good to get this information out to an audience wider than ETS.
Above all, be strong and very courageous to carefully observe the whole instruction My servant Moses commanded you.