Enviro Ctte on 10 Oct, looked at the draft LIP3 submission with a committee paper and draft submission. It's quaintly old fashioned – with its references to the London Cycle Network, and lacks the evidence-rich detail and detailed proposals that are included in several inner London boroughs' drafts. Local Tories have campaigned against 20mph zones, and lukewarm support is reflected in draft LIP. (For my notes: decision papers on the Crofton Road quietway scheme, and local newspaper's report of residents' opposition).
Executive on 17 Oct includes papers to acquire small parcels of land to support quietway cycle and pedestrian space near Orpington Station.
Plng & Transport Sub-Ctte on 9 Oct: has the draft local plan (10mb pdf), and the draft transport strategy (3mb pdf). The latter has generated lots of excitement, as the city proposes to characterise each road by purpose, then restrict traffic accordingly. Implication is a heavy nudge towards public and sustainable transport modes, with motorised traffic being dramatically tamed.
Projects sub-ctte on 10 Oct has a completion report on the first phase of City quietway routes. One of the appendices is a possible phase 2 quietway route from Smithfields via Bank junction towards CS1. The City has not been able to gather usage stats due to other ongoing projects, but anecdotally believe that cycling numbers are up in line with wider traffic counts.
The same papers on the draft transport strategy and quietway completion report go to the Streets Sub-Ctte on 23 October (items 5 and 6).
Hampstead Heath ctte on 29 Oct, has the management plans through 2028. There are no proposals for greater cycle access to the heath, including to the pools. More positively, the super's report says the City's private heath constabulary hasn't found anyone to prosecute recently.
Main Planning & Transport Ctte on 30 Oct: has the transport strategy docs (item 10), and the local plan (big 7mb pdf, with ctte paper) which gives strong support for planning policies directed to active travel, in-line with the transport strategy.
Full council on 8 October, includes a report on transport (7mb pdf) confirming the decision last month to support TfL's revised plans for the Fiveways junction.
Cabinet on 15 October: Item 5 focuses on the growth zone programme, and item 6 on the draft LIP3 submission, both with appendices. Growth plan papers look, to me, a bit light on transport detail, but this does get a good slug of budget. The draft LIP submission has frightening, and inter-related, stats about high obesity in kids and adults, low levels of physical activity, high car dependency (including trips inside the borough), and low stats for walking & cycling.
Transport liaison ctte on 16 Oct includes a presentation from the tram operator on improving performance and safety – the latter with a focus on working hours and avoiding fatigue.
Summary of responses to the CWIS Safety Review – all the usual good responses (segregated cycle tracks, good design, better driving standards, effective sanctions in the courts etc.) Will be interesting to see what the government actually does.
Cabinet on 8 October, included paper on greening environment around the flyover, which includes an £85k cycle hub under the flyover for people using Hammersmith tube station.
17 Oct, published its first "Cycling and Accessibility Annual Progress Report" (DfT page and pdf link). It includes 7 case studies – 6 are shared-use pavements, the 7th is a 3m wide pavement with "potential for conversion to a cycleway". Earlier this summer, HE published plans to widen the A23 south of Croydon through Hooley – this too has a shared-use pavement where "cyclists will need to dismount". Highways England isn't getting this stuff, is it?
Full council on 17 October: includes discussion on air quality in the borough, following a petition signed by 1,600 people.
Public Realm Ctte on 22 October: has an update paper from the cabinet member responsible for transport, Will Pascall. Paper says there was a lot of feedback to the recent consultation exercise on the CommonPlace platform which will feed into the forthcoming LIP submission. (Check the comments on CommonPlace – they consistently say "fix this"). Feedback too on the recent consultation for the Shephards Bush to Kensington High Street quietway.
Cabinet on 15 Oct with papers on its transport strategy and draft LIP plan (paper, strategy, LIP document). These cite a rich evidence base to underpin the proposals and demonstrate underpinning to the Mayor's/TfL's transport strategy. Best evidenced LIP documents that I've seen from the boroughs I'm interested in. Strategy and LIP go to consultation this autumn.
Transport Ctte on 9 Oct: invited 8 representatives of the taxi and PHV trade (?), plus the annual bid from London Travelwatch for money.
Budget ctte on 17 Oct, has a Q1 performance report from TfL, with lots of operational stats in addition to financial performance. Repeats the same calendar Q1 cycling stats given to the TfL Board in July – that Jan-March cycling numbers were about 460k km each day, but dented by the snow in March.
Mayor's question time on 19 Oct – questions tabled, most of which will get written answers. Caroline Russell is pushing the mayor to publish a cycling infrastructure delivery timetable, instead of just saying one will exist.
Mayor confirms to Caroline Russell that he can impose a LIP on a borough if the borough's draft is inadequate.
No answer yet to the quietway 4 delivery timetable, but an interesting update on Quietway 5 – TfL looking at alternative route on Tooting Bec Road (using the magic wands?) as Wandswork Council isn't making progress with the cross-common path.
Re Andrew Dismore's question about London hosting a TdF event, it appears Boris Johnson's decision in 2015 to cancel support for the 2017 Grand Depart (decision on the day prior to signing the contract) has soured relationships with the TdF's organisers, ASO.
TfL has spent £34k on external legal advice related to the judicial review of cycle route CS11 brought by Westminster City Council.
Cabinet on 13 October, has the August finance report, which shows it spent another £1k on "cycle route improvements" (PDF page 35), for a total this FY of £174k. There's no detail to explain what, but the budget profile suggests the council should have spent £245k. Separately, various other budgets have been raided to create £150k for a "school keep clear" project but, as usual in Merton, there's absolutely no info on what this is other than a budget line title.
Planning Ctte on 18 Oct, has an application from the independent (fee paying) Wimbledon High School to build a new science block. Plans include reducing car parking from 59 to 17 on-site spaces, increasing cycle parking from 20 to 162! Planning application itself has travel and transport reports. Most kids use public transport or walk to school, with 25%ish driven – this is very different to private schools in Wandsworth where the car run is >50%.
12 Oct: Anti-CS11 campaigner, Daniel Howard, has asked the Met for cyclist casualty data for the Swiss Cottage gyratory. Answer due by mid-November.
Enviro (and other stuff) ctte 29 Oct: has Richmond's LIP3 draft – committee paper, 66 page narrative, 4 page 2019-22 proposal. Reads more like a plan-for-a-plan, especially when compared to similar documents from CoL and Lambeth.
Updated response, 12 October, to the issues raised in the Nine Elms consultation. Various tweeks to the eastern section in Nine Elms proper, but "discussions continue with Wandsworth Council" regarding the western section along Battersea Park Road, with further proposals in 2019. Looks like 2020-21 before any works happen.
Programme & Investment Board 11 Oct: big 8mb pdf with all the papers – the healthy streets stats start on pdf page 77. Includes a 'discussions ongoing' update re Lambeth Bridge north and south works (pdf page 80).
Finance ctte on 17 Oct with a single, 3mb pdf of papers. Big set of papers about increases to taxi fairs.
Tooting Broadway proposals – continuous pavements and new ped crossings, although nothing to improve dire blue paint on cycle route CS7. Consultation closes 10 December.
A205 Dulwich Common consultation closes 25 October, for fans of multi-stage pedestrian crossings.
11 Oct, Trevor Joel asks for cost of the counters on the cycle superhighways. Answer due by mid Nov.
23 Oct, info on journey times around Hammersmith gyratory if cycle route CS9 goes ahead.
18 Oct, request for traffic count data for route of CS9. Answer due by mid-Nov.
Full council on 17 Oct: Q&A includes answer from council leader regarding the 20% increase in pedestrian casualties in 2017 (question 8). Cllr Govindia uses it as a point scoring exercise against TfL (and thus the Mayor). Part of the increase is that the way STATS19 data is categorised has changed, many of the previously-tagged minor injuries are now categorised as serious. TfL is doing some work to retag one or two previous years to see what the overall +/- effect is.
Informal consultation will start on 3 November for a proposed Pimlico to Nine Elms bridge, for pedestrians and cyclists. There are three possible sites. Both Labour and Conservative groups on Westminster Council – which controls the Pimlico site of the river – oppose the bridge.
Cabinet on 15 October, has budget papers. The appendix on capital spend 2018/19 and beyond (small fonts!) includes £9m of TfL funded cycling schemes, £50m of WCC funded Oxford Street area improvements, and £28m of mixed funding for Strand/Aldwych.
Referendum (yes!) on 18 October in Knightsbridge to approve the "Neighbourhood Plan 2018 – 2037". Contains all the usual virtuous promises about supporting active travel. Interestingly, the plan describes Exhibition Road as a "main route" for traffic through the area (the north end of the road is in Westminster), but Kensington & Chelsea rebuilt the southern end as low-traffic shared-use space a few years ago, and designated it as a quietway route. The two councils' positions cannot be concurrently true.
Cabinet on 25 Oct has a set of papers with its proposals for Oxford Street (report, main 102mb pdf paper). No pedestrianisation, no cycle routes, ..
One new bit of info in the Tudor Street paper is that the City and TfL are looking at changes south of the courts area – Temple Avenue or Carmelite Avenue – to give motorised vehicles access to the Embankment. This may impact CS3.
Dockless bikes – updated papers because committee members asked at previous meeting whether bikes can be considered obstructions or illegal trading, despite officers saying they had received next to no complaints. Seems a London-wide byelaw is being considered to manage the dockless bike schemes with the 32 boroughs acting together.
Same papers on Bank safety and Beech Street go to Policy & Resources Ctte on 6 Sept.
Court of Common Council on 13 Sept endorsed the decisions from other transport & planning committees and voted to make the Bank Junction safety scheme permanent.
Transport & Planning Ctte on 19 Sept: has drafts of the City's forthcoming planning policies, with documents on [motorised] vehicles, and walking, cycling & health streets. (Item 4 on agenda). Ctte paper explains the steps to finalise the policies, including a consultation in summer 2019.
Cycle forum on 11 Sept: no papers but a good range of topics.
Cabinet & officer decision, 10 Sept: to support TfL's revised plans for the Fiveways junction (PDF). The new plans retain much of the existing bridge, to reduce costs, and provide north/south cycle tracks through much of the scheme. However, (IMO) the junctions are poor for people cycling and walking. The A23's cycle tracks will be funded by Croydon Council reassigning £5m from its growth zone programme (impact on other projects unstated).
winter road management plan – basically, gritting – policy doc and plan doc. Lots of stuff about classes of roads and footways, but nothing about cycle lanes.
Draft LIP strategy for 3 years, 2019/20 to 2021/22 with committee paper, a heavy LIP document, and equality act assessment. The council's position on cycle route CS9 appears muddled to me: it states that cycle superhighways are not intended for fast, long-distance cyclists then asks TfL to reroute CS9 along the A4 instead of King Street. Apparently, mixing cyclists with pedestrians in King St will compromise healthy streets objectives, but today's mix of pedestrians with motorised vehicles is OK.
Plenary session on 6 Sept invites Peter Hendy and Lyn Gardner to discuss London Legacy Develoment Corporation (LLDC), which is responsible for developing post-Olympics infrastructure round Stratford. Caroline Russell has tabled several questions about (poor) modal share, as walking & cycling infrastructure has been largely watered down in favour of private motorised vehicles.
Sustainable Communities Scrutiny Ctte, 4 Sept: the committee's work programme for 2018/19 includes air quality and electric vehicles but – just like the work programme in 2017/18 – has nothing about active travel (walking & cycling). Funny that, given the sums Merton Council spends on things like Beddington Lane (£800k+) which received no visibility or discussion at any council committee.
Full council on 12 Sept, where the strategic theme is sustainable communities. The report lists items like LED lighting, car clubs and bikeability training. But the paper makes no mention of the Sutton-South Wimbledon tram plans, which are debated this month in Sutton Council's committees (and lots of papers here – confirming consultation starts on 16 October) and splashed across several news sites.
Cabinet on 17 Sept, focuses on budgets and has the outturn papers for June and July. Side by side, the papers say that £90,000 was spent in July on 'cycle network improvements' on top of £81,000 during April to June. No information on where and on what this money was spent. The July paper announces £150,000 from TfL for 'Figges Marsh bus priority scheme' whereas previous references were to a Figges Marsh roundabout safety study. As usual, stuff just appears from no where in Merton Council's papers.
LibDem councillor in the Mole Valley, Claire Malcomson, has suggested that cycling events should pay to use Surrey's roads. The only major cycling event each year which requires interventions such as road closures is Ride London. RL does pay for road closures, and also contributes directly to Surrey charities. Additionally, the event brings in millions of £s for Surrey businesses. All is explained in the SCC cabinet papers from June 2018, where it agreed to support RL through to 2020 and, in principle, through to 2026.
Lots of papers on the proposed Sutton to Wimbledon tram link, confirming the consultation starts on 16 October and will be run by TfL.
Several papers resulting from a planning inspector's review of the Hackbridge planning policies … seem to be lots of pedantic tweaks, ("insert 'where appropriate'" …) which will probably create wiggle room for lazy developers.
Main board on 19 Sept: one 12mb pdf with all the papers.
Cycling stuff – with lots of tractor production statistics – start on PDF page 44 (page 18 of the Commissioner's report). Indicates that 2nd consultation on the Rotherhithe – Canary Wharf crossing will be this autumn.
There's a broader section on Active Travel starting on pdf page 124, with more walking & cycling stats, with some insight into work to entice the "rejectioners".
Pdf page 142 reports that 2018/19Q1 (which is really Jan-March 2018) cycling volumes in the congestion charge zone were up 14.3%. The same stats were provided in July to the London Assembly.
Published 4 discrete months of CSH counter data (CS6 Blackfriars for May-July, CS3 Embankment for July), plus a discussion on its technical forum. My thoughts in a blog post – the CSHs are used 24×7 and 19/20 people are cycling below 20mph.
At the Women and Cycling Conference (#wacc2018), Will Norman told the audience that TfL's cycling infrastructure database will shortly be available as open data. In an FOI response published 18 September – asking for examples of cycle lanes painted on pavements next to bus lanes, which appear common in BAME community areas – TfL say the data may not be available for 6-12 months.
18 Sept: details of the Ruislip and Lewisham liveable neighbourhood bids.
18 Sept: details of (old) borough cycling programme bids and progress for 2014, 2015 and 2016.
11 Sept: request for daily data for the cycle counters on CS3 Embankment and CS6 Blackfriars Road. Answer is 'not available'. However, the data for May-July is published now on TfL's open data site.
11 Sept: quietway funding for 2018/19.
Roger Stocker asks for funding for the six new cycle routes announced in January 2018. Response due by mid-October. (Answer: planning in progress, wait for a TfL business plan at unspecified future date).
24 Sept: Responding to Q about traffic numbers, interesting table with motorised traffic volumes crossing the TfL count cordon – they're historic highs after dipping slightly for a few years.
Cllr Jon King's title has changed from Community Services to "Strategic Planning & Transport", so the scrutiny committee has changed its title too. I expect the committee's agendas will continue to be dominated by strategic changes to car parking zones.
Transport Ctte on 18 Sept – split out from the old Communities Ctte: Nothing on the Priory Lane consultation, so that is kicked forward for at least another month.
Petition from residents in Trewint Street (where Quietway 4 crosses the Wandle bridge to join Summerley Street) asking for traffic calming as the 20mph speed limit is routinely ignored. (Update: councillors voted on party lines 5/4 to defer any action for 2 years).
Paper on Trinity Road/ Burntwood Lane junction, and problems with delayed traffic esp. buses. Early analysis looking at short/ medium/ long term options, the last of which include widening the junction with land taken from the common and sports ground (mitigation options include narrowing Trinity further north from 6 lanes to 5). Includes description of drivers entering/ exiting the Trinity / Magdalen Road junction as "rat runners" and "aggressive". Magdalen is the route of Quietway Q4.
Paper on Granville Road and the streets south east of Tibbets Corner, which include the route of the Wands – Teddington quietway Q21. Notes that on some roads the rat-running traffic is 49% of volume. Some minor tweaks under experimental orders to try and tame the rat running traffic.
17 Sept, Jon Irwin submitted an FOI asking how Wandsworth Council, as the highways authority, has responded to the coroner's report following the death of Lucia Ciccioli in 2016.
Westminster LCC spotted that council cabinet reviewed proposals for the Aldwych gyratory in July, which appear to show the south side designated for pedestrians only, and the north side given over to 2-way traffic. The low quality PDF appears to show ASL boxes but no other cycling infrastructure. Subsequently, Will Norman indicated that there are updated plans.
City Management Ctte 20 Sept: highways cabinet member report says that the council won the CS11 judicial review of TfL's authority, and now seeks further talks. Also, the bike hanger trial was a success and 15 more will be installed.


You'll be ringing everyone's bell in this maxi skirt babe.
In a maxi length, high waist and high side split, the chiffon fabric gives the illusion of gorgeously long legs. The waist belt features a gold ring detail to draw the attention to your waist as you strut around the pool.
Model Daria is 5'9 and Size S.


WASHINGTON -- Idaho Sen. Larry Craig's political support eroded Wednesday as fellow Republicans in Congress called for him to resign and party leaders pushed him unceremoniously from senior committee posts.
The White House expressed disappointment, too.
The 62-year-old lawmaker pleaded guilty earlier this month to a charge stemming from an undercover police operation in an airport men's room.
Rep. Pete Hoekstra of Michigan was the first in a lengthening list of GOP members of Congress to urge resignation Wednesday. Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Norm Coleman of Minnesota joined Hoekstra in asking Craig to step down, as did Rep. Jeff Miller of Florida -- and some others.
McCain spoke out in an interview with CNN.
"My opinion is that when you plead guilty to a crime, you shouldn't serve. That's not a moral stand. That's not a holier-than-thou. It's just a factual situation."
Coleman said in a written statement: "Sen. Craig pled guilty to a crime involving conduct unbecoming a senator."
The senator's spokesman declined comment.
"They have a right to express themselves," said Sidney Smith.
Craig said Tuesday that he had committed no wrongdoing and should not have pleaded guilty. He said he had only recently retained a lawyer to advise him in the case.
For a second consecutive day, GOP Senate leaders stepped in, issuing a statement that said Craig had "agreed to comply with leadership's request" to temporarily give up his posts on important committees. He has been the top Republican on the Veterans Affairs Committee as well as on subcommittees for two other panels.
On Tuesday, the leaders had jumped in ahead of Craig's appearance before television cameras in Idaho to announce they had asked the ethics committee to look into the case.
Craig was arrested on June 11 in the Minneapolis airport men's room. An undercover officer said he observed conduct that he said was "often used by persons communicating a desire to engage in sexual conduct."


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You do not require a shotgun certificate for the novice package.
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The purpose of this white paper is to give you an easily digestible information package on how plastics are perceived in the media. It offers insights on how this discussion has developed over the last months. You will get the latest developments on plastic regulations, new product innovations and substitute solutions. The paper covers the topics consumers are talking about, how companies respond to consumer aspirations and changes in legislation, and also which direction the plastic discussion is predicted to head next.
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text:
(02) 9636 8437 admin@sagecommunity.org.au
Welcome To SAGE
Domestic & Family Violence Support
Space For Hire
Groups We Run
Parramatta/Holroyd Family Support has a new name
but our team has the same commitment to helping you thrive!
SAGE Community Services
Supporting children, women and families to be safe, nurturing, empowered and connected to their communities
SAGE Community Services is a not-for-profit, non-government organisation that supports children, women and families.
We are based in Pendle Hill in Western Sydney, and work primarily in the Parramatta and Cumberland local government areas.
We provide a range of services and group work programs.
SAGE Community Services acknowledges the Darug people as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we work, and we pay our respects to Elders past, present, and emerging. We honour their history and ongoing connection to these lands and waterways, recognising that Australia's First Nations people have been teaching and practising their cultural wisdom regarding parenting and kinship for thousands of years in this place.
Designed by Bianca | © Sage Community Services 2022

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Charles James Proby M.A. (23 January 1771 – 2 February 1859) was a Canon of Windsor from 1814 to 1859.

Family
He was the son of the Very Revd. Baptist Proby and Mary Russell.

He married Frances Sharrer, daughter of Revd. John Sharrer on 30 June 1814. They had the following children:
Gertrude Mary Proby
Frances Susan Proby
Agnes Mary Proby
Charles John Proby
Churchill Proby

Career
He was educated at St John's College, Cambridge where he graduated B.A. in 1792, and M.A. in 1795.

He was appointed:

Vicar of Bishop's Tachbrook, Warwickshire 1803
Chaplain to John Proby, 2nd Earl of Carysfort when ambassador to Berlin
Vicar of St Mary's Church, Twickenham 1818 - 1859

He was appointed to the fifth stall in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle in 1814 and held this until he died in 1859.

Notes

1859 deaths
Canons of Windsor
Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge
1771 births

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
FHM Breeze
Malala's biopic is being filmed without her consent, says Gul Makai film director
by Isra Shams August 5, 2018
Amjad Khan who will be directing the Malala Yousafzai biopic Gul Makai says he did not take permission from Yousafzai or her family for the film.
In an interview, the Indian film director said, "No, I haven't. But I think she and her family know that an Indian film director is making a film about her. But yes, I wish to show her the film once it is releasing."
He added that making a biopic on a person whose life story is out in the public.
While speaking about the research that went into making the film, Khan said he went through research for two years along with a Pakistani author before he finalized the script as he was quite extra cautious about everything.
"I have shown things exactly the way they happened, and yet it is not a documentary but a good watch. I had to find the balance as I had to be factually correct and at the same time entertain," he said.
However, he added he has decided to donate the first day worldwide theatrical collection of the film to Malala Fund to support the cause of children education.
The film features Reem Shaikh as Malala along with Divya Dutta, Mukesh Rishi, Abhimanyu Singh and Ajaz Khan and late Om Puri in a pivotal role will be released later this year.
Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Sigh allegedly attacked a fan in Florida
Mathira's Kiki challenge is breaking the internet
Isra Shams
"Fashion is life and living in style makes a statement worth a while!" Hey, I'm Isra Shams, the Managing Editor at Brands Magazine & FHM Pakistan.
Salman Khan was not the first choice for Karan Arjun!
Shivani Ahuja February 23, 2019
Ever wonder why your hair is so dry?
Mehreen Ahsaan Qazi October 2, 2019
Michael rooker in talks to join the suicide squad
Rubasha May 17, 2019


text:
Q: How do I cout a vector[5][1] N number of times I am learning C++ and I am working on a project where I have a two dimensional vector[5][1]
vector[0][0] = 1
vector[1][0] = 2
vector[2][0] = 3
vector[3][0] = 4
vector[4][0] = 5

I then add a count to the second dimension
example:
vector[0][1] = 17
vector[1][1] = 24
vector[2][1] = 91
vector[3][1] = 2
vector[4][1] = 50

I want to cout the first dimension the second dimension number of times
So if I would cout vector[0][0] 17 times vector[1][0] 24 times etc.
I just started learning 3 weeks ago and the prof is incredibly unresponsive, so I would appreciate any and all feedback!

A:
I have a two dimensional vector[5][1]

I assume your declaration is int vector[5][1] (but you should clarify in your question).
This means the valid index for the first dimension is from 0 to 4 inclusive. And for the second dimension the only valid index is 0.
You go out of bounds when you do vector[0][1] etc and as such you have Undefined Behavior. If you wish to store two elements in the second dimension then you need to have int vector[5][2].

Going back to your question. Assuming you fixed the declaration.

I want to cout the first dimension the second dimension number of times

Think how you would do that for a row

cout the first dimension

ok, so
std::cout << vector[row_idx][0];

... the second dimension number of times

So we repeat the above vector[row_idx][1] times. Easy peasy:
for (int repeat = 0; repeat < vector[row_idx][1]; ++repeat)
{
    std::cout << vector[row_idx][0];
}

And now do this for each row:
std::size_t num_rows = 5;

for (std::size_t row_idx = 0; row_idx < num_rows; ++row_idx)
{
    for (int repeat = 0; repeat < vector[row_idx][1]; ++repeat)
    {
        std::cout << vector[row_idx][0];
    }
    std::cout << endl;
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Szabó Dorottya, ismertebb nevén Szabó Dorka (Budapest, 1989. január 8. –) magyar strandröplabda versenyző, edző. Az TV2-n futó Exatlon című műsor versenyzője és bronzérmese, korábban NB1-es teremröplabda játékos.

Sporteredményei

Strandröplabda

Magyar
Klubok: UTE, Gödöllői RC, ÓSSC, Strandsport SE

Egyetemi és Főiskolai Magyar Bajnokság

 2010 - Pethe Sárival - Bajnok
 2013 - Lutter Eszterrel - Bajnok
 2014- Molcsányi Ritával - Bajnok

Felnőtt Magyar Bajnokság

Ezüst

 2017
 2018
 2019
Bronz

 2014
 2016
 2021

Külföld
Kontinentális Kupa ( Grúzia ) 2019 - Olimpiai Selejtező csoport 3. hely

Bibione Beachvolleyball Marathon 2019 - Győzelem  (Háfra Dominika, Bálint Melinda)

MEVZA – Közép Európa Liga 5.hely (2018 Portoroz (Háfra Dominika), 2019, Ljubjana (Győri Panna))

World Tour TOP 10 (egy csillag) 2019 – Thailand

Teremröplabda:
Klubok: KÖZGÁZ SC, TFSE, Palota RSC, Budai XI. SE, BSE, UTE, Budaörsi DSE

 Magyar Bajnokság: 3.hely
 Magyar Kupa: 3.hely
 Egyetemi és Főiskolai Országos Bajnokság: 1. hely

Életpályája
Gödöllőn a Petőfi Sándor Általános Iskolába járt, érettségit a Patrona Hungariae Gimnáziumban szerzett Budapesten a IX. kerületben. Majd felvételt nyert és diplomát szerzett a Testnevelési Egyetemen (akkori nevén Semmelweis Egyetem Testnevelési és Sporttudományi kara), ekkor fordult érdeklődése a versenysporton kívül a sportággal kapcsolatos tudományos háttér felé. Az egyetem évek alatt kutatási területe a strandröplabda hazai helyzetének bemutatása volt külföldi példákon keresztül. Mindemellett a televízióban, és a közösségi médiában szerezett ismertségét edukációs és egészségtudatossági célokra is használja, felhívva a figyelmet az utánpótlás képzés fontosságára, és a táplálkozási problémák szerepére modern társadalmunkban. Szabadidejében lelkes színházlátogató és könyvgyűjtő.

Sportpályafutása
Teremröplabdában legnagyobb sikereit az UTE színeiben érte el, amellyel bajnoki és Magyar Kupa-bronzéremig jutott.

Képességei kiteljesedését azonban strandröplabda hozta el neki: a Gödöllői RC, majd az ÓSSC színeiben versenyezve 2019-ben a grúziai olimpiai selejtezőben képviselte hazánkat, emellett a legendás bibionei Beachvolley Marathonon 2018-ban először magyar aranyérmet szerző női csapat tagja volt. A World Tour-versenyen 9., MEVZA-tornán pedig kétszer is 5. helyig jutott. Az országos bajnokságok döntőiben eddig három ezüstérmet és egy bronzot szerzett – 2015 óta minden évben bejutott az elődöntőbe –, de nyert már két OB-fordulót és Egyetemi Bajnokságot is, három alkalommal.

Ezen eredményei mellett olyan innovatív sportok úttörője is, mint a hazánkban kevéssé ismert hóröplabda vagy a teqvoly.

Díjai, elismerései

 Az év strandröplabdázója 2019 - Közönségdíj

Filmek és tévéműsorok:

 Exatlon  TV2  (2020) 79 versenynap/adás
 Nagy Vagy! TV2 (2020) 6 adás
 Nagy Vagy! TV2 (2021) 6 adás
 Exatlon All Star évad (2022) 54 versenynap/adás

Jegyzetek

1989-ben született személyek
Élő személyek
Magyar nők
Magyar női röplabdázók
Magyar női sportolók


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Feature, Slider
10 Best Games That Surprisingly Had No Boss Fights
Even without boss fights, these games kept us hooked from the first second to the last.
Posted By Shubhankar Parijat | On 05th, Jan. 2022
As much as we love boss fights (and we really, really do), and as much as we would like to see more developers try and delivering memorable encounters against big bad enemies, we know that they're be no means a pre-requisite for a great game. Over the years, in fact, there's been no shortage of profoundly engaging and unforgettable experiences that haven't had boss fights whatsoever- and here, we'll be talking about a few such examples.
In the early years of the Uncharted series, Naughty Dog tried to cram boss fights into the games, and the results were mixed- decent at best, atrocious at worst, but always unnecessary. As time has gone on, Uncharted has stopped feeling the need to have any boss fights at all, and its last entry, The Lost Legacy, relegated its final confrontation against the villain to a glorified interactive cutscene. And you know what? That was absolutely the right choice. Uncharted has always been about its cinematicism, storytelling, and blockbuster action more than anything else, and The Lost Legacy was a better game for its decision to focus on that rather than ticking the boss fights box.
Tagged With: Celeste, Desperados 3, Disco Elysium, Grand Theft Auto 5, Halo: Reach, Inside, Outer Wilds, Red Dead Redemption 2, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus


This is in overall good/fair, functional, used condition with signs of honest use. This is a forend flashlight mount for a Benelli Super 90/Benelli M2 Shotgun. This is made by "Laser Products Corp." This has been tested for functionality and is fully operational. This is made to work with a Surefire flashlight. No flashlight is included. This has a serial number "H16."


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GTY Technology Holdings Announces Completion Of Business Combination
GTY Creates a Leading North American SaaS/Cloud Software Company Focused on the Public Sector with a Diverse and Prominent Client Base
- Establishes a vertical software solution in a sector primed for growth and undergoing a digital transformation
- Experienced management team with decades of government, technology, and financial experience to work alongside founder-led business units
GTY Technology Holdings Inc.
LAS VEGAS, Feb. 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- GTY Technology Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: GTYH) ("GTY" or the "Company"), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company, today announced the closing of its previously announced business combination between the Company and six companies that are leading the digital transformation of the public sector market, including Bonfire Interactive Ltd. ("Bonfire"), CityBase, Inc. ("CityBase"), eCivis, Inc. ("eCivis"), Open Counter Enterprises Inc. ("Open Counter"), Questica Inc. and Questica USCDN Inc. (together with Questica Inc., "Questica") and Sherpa Government Solutions LLC ("Sherpa" and collectively with Bonfire, CityBase, eCivis, Open Counter and Questica, the "Targets"). As previously disclosed, the business combination was approved at an extraordinary general meeting of GTY's shareholders on February 14, 2019. The business combination resulted in each of the Targets and GTY becoming wholly-owned subsidiaries of a newly formed holding company which changed its name to GTY Technology Holdings Inc. (f/k/a GTY Govtech, Inc.) in connection with the closing.
GTY was formed in November 2016 by William D. Green, Joseph M. Tucci and Harry L. You with the mandate to seek out the most compelling technology solutions. After an extensive search process, GTY brought together best-in-class companies to establish an integrated and vertical software solution in the highly fragmented and underpenetrated public sector market.
"The public sector is undergoing an extensive digital transformation," said Stephen Rohleder, the combined company's Chairman and CEO. "Now is the right time to invest in government technology because civic leaders and constituents want and expect an efficient, digital citizen experience; our best-in-class technology meets that need."
With a diverse combined client base of almost 2,000 clients, the combined company will be a scaled software platform for state and local governments, helping them to address increasing demands by constituents for improved citizen experiences and more efficient operations. Establishing what it has coined as the "Digital City Hall," the combined company will focus on improving the constituent experience and the back office through a comprehensive suite of solutions including payments, procurement, permitting, budgeting, and grants management.
"We are in the first inning as a vertical SaaS solution, which is why we are excited to have brought together the leaders in the field," said Harry You, President, CFO and director of GTY, and CFO and director of the combined company. "With an experienced public equity management team, we see our company as an on-ramp to accelerate each of our respective business units' growth, driving cross-selling among the business units and converting on their strong backlog and greenfield market opportunities."
The combined company's common stock and warrants are expected to begin trading on The Nasdaq Capital Market on Wednesday, February 20, 2019 under the symbols "GTYH" and "GTYHW," respectively. None of GTY's warrants were exchanged in connection with the closing pursuant to the terms of the warrant amendment, which was approved at GTY's extraordinary meeting of warrant holders on February 14, 2019.
Company Contacts:
Carter Glatt
Senior Vice President, Corporate Development, GTY
About GTY Technology Holdings Inc. (f/k/a GTY Govtech, Inc.)
GTY Technology Holdings Inc. is a leading public sector SaaS company which offers a cloud-based suite of solutions for North American state and local governments. For more information, please visit www.gtytechnology.com.
About Bonfire
Bonfire, a leader in strategic sourcing and procurement technology, empowers organizations to make the right purchasing decisions. With tools to support the entire vendor lifecycle (sourcing, contract management, and vendor performance), Bonfire goes beyond traditional mechanics to make complex decision making easy. Bonfire works the way you do on a single cloud platform designed to unite stakeholders, absorb compliance requirements, and facilitate advanced evaluation techniques. The combination of flexible technology with world-class customer service makes Bonfire the solution of choice for both public and private sector organizations of all sizes around the globe. Bonfire was named as a 2018 Gartner Cool Vendor and proudly reports a client retention rate greater than 96 percent.
About CityBase
CityBase gives people and businesses an intuitive way to interact with utilities and government agencies. CityBase's technology dramatically improves constituent services through payment solutions, digital services and API development for cities, states and utilities.
About eCivis
Since 2000, eCivis has been the most trusted and widely used SaaS grant management system by state, local and tribal governments. eCivis helps thousands of government agencies maximize their grant revenues, track their financial and program performance, prepare cost allocation plans and budgets, and access free open data tools to make sense of Federal data.
About Open Counter
Open Counter builds user-friendly software to guide applicants through complex permitting and licensing procedures, guiding applicants through the process by estimating the total fees and requirements for the project, and allowing applicants to apply and pay for permits online.
About Questica
Questica's budget preparation and management software suite – Questica Budget – Integrates with more than 25 financial systems and other systems. This ensures organizations can access all the information they need to develop, track, monitor and adjust their budgets, plus report out to stakeholders when and to who they need to. Questica Budget Suite's Operating, Salary, Capital and Performance modules ensure public sector organizations have a clear view into their budgets, forecasts and expenditures, thus enabling those organizations to deliver on their financial and non-financial strategic objectives. Additionally, Questica's easy-to-use OpenBook transparency and data visualization software can be used to share an organization's financial and non-financial information with both its internal and external stakeholders.
About Sherpa
Sherpa is a provider of public sector budgeting software and consulting services. Sherpa's highly-configurable software enables rapid and collaborative implementations. Clients have benefitted from a unique deployment model, staffing projects with consultants averaging 20 years of experience and having one project team from sales through implementation to post-implementation support.
This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The combined company's actual results may differ from GTY's and the combined company's expectations, estimates and projections and, consequently, you should not rely on these forward looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as "expect," "estimate," "project," "budget," "forecast," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "may," "will," "could," "should," "believes," "predicts," "potential," "continue," and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, the combined company's expectations with respect to future performance and anticipated impacts of the business combination. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results. Most of these factors are outside of the combined company's control and are difficult to predict. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to: (1) the risk that the business combination disrupts current plans and operations; (2) the ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the business combination, which may be affected by, among other things, competition, the ability of the combined company to grow and manage growth profitably and retain its key employees; (3) costs related to the business combination; (4) the outcome of the New York and California lawsuits among the Company, OpenGov, Inc. and the other parties thereto, as well as any other legal proceedings that may be instituted against the combined company in connection with the business combination; (5) the inability to maintain the listing of the combined company's common stock on The Nasdaq Stock Market following the business combination; (6) changes in applicable laws or regulations; (7) the possibility that a Target or the post-combination company may be adversely affected by other economic, business, and/or competitive factors; (8) any government shutdown which impacts the ability of the Targets' customers to purchase the Targets' products and services; and (9) other risks and uncertainties included in the final proxy statement/prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on January 31, 2019 , including those under "Risk Factors" therein, and in GTY's and the combined company's other filings with the SEC. We caution you that the foregoing list of factors is not exclusive, and readers should not place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. We do not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in our expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.
SOURCE GTY Technology Holdings Inc.
http://www.gtytechnology.com


Click "Allow" to play Mad Dog Squad! Click "Always allow" to play Mad Dog Squad!
Our favorite villain-fighting heroes are getting ready to spread some Mad Dog fever with a cheer routine that you help them create and practice! In Kim Possible: Mad Dog Squad game, our friends Kim, Ron, and Rufus are a part of the Middleton High School cheerleader squad, and Kim is our captain!
Ron Stoppable is playing the role of Middleton Mad Dog, the school's mascot and Rufus being Ron's faithful sidekick and his best friend, has some fun by trying out some of the cheer routines.
You can choose between Kim, Ron, and Rufus to be your cheerleader, by using the LEFT mouse click, and you are ready to go! After picking your character you are placed inside the Middleton High gymnasium, but you can change the background on the right, and select either the school's football court or a funky green podium! Sounds fun, right?
You can also change the music to better fit your cheer movements, and after that, you can select the moves shown at the bottom of the screen. There are eight moves you can choose! If you'd like to change your cheerleader, click the CHANGE CHEERLEADERS button on the right, and select your favorite character!
When you feel that you have perfected your cheer routine, go to the left of the screen and click on RECORD button. This way your performance will be recorded until you select STOP at the bottom of the left side. After that, you can replay your routine and enjoy the movements that you created!
Make sure to show this to your friends by clicking the SEND TO A FRIEND button on the top, or you can even send your routine to Disney Channel for your friends around the world to see! We bet that you are anxious to do some cheerleading, and help our heroes make their school proud by showing them the moves that you create!
Join our friends Kim, Ron, and Rufus, and have a great time dancing!


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Creativity Resource
Degas Dance Session
Inspired by Dance Examination by Edgar Degas, this lesson will allow children to explore movement as it relates to music; specifically French Classical. Children will explore the concepts of tempo (slow/fast), and crescendo and decrescendo (loud/soft) while expressing creative freedom with a variety of fabrics inspired by Degas.
Intended Age Group
Early childhood (ages 3-5)
Length of Lesson
One 20—30 minute lesson
Standards Area
Relate and Connect to Transfer
Use music and fabric for creative gross motor expression
Make connections between the painting and their own experiences
Display Dance Examination by Edgar Degas. Explain to students that this artist enjoyed painting dancers because of the texture of their clothing and their interesting movements. Invite the children to share any observations they make about the painting and record them. For example, have students play Eye Spy to prompt their close looking and observations.
Introduce the variety of fabrics, allowing students to feel and share the pieces. Invite them to make comparisons to the painting with prompting phrases like, "Which of the fabrics shown in the painting do you think would feel like this?", or "Why do you think the dancers chose the materials they did?"
Introduce the French classical music, Clair de Lune Suite by Debussy and Faust (Ballet Music) by Charles-Francois Gounod, and allow children to move and dance to the music, experimenting with how each type of fabric changes their experience. Practice changing their pace as the speed, or tempo, of the music increases or decreases. Practice making larger or smaller movements as the music gets louder, called a crescendo, or softer, called a decrescendo.
You may want to point out the people in the background of this painting who are not dressing up to dance. Have students make the poses they see in the painting with their bodies to talk about the observers and the dancers in the painting. Use Tableau as a guide for this activity.
As a deeper extension, children could be offered painting materials and the opportunity to take turns painting while other students dance with the fabric. Encourage them to capture the movement of the material and think like the artist Edgar Degas.
4. Once the dancing and/or painting is complete, gather the children back together for a final discussion about their experiences in connection to the painting. Prompt them to share their findings with questions like, "After experimenting with our fabrics, how do you think the fabric in the dancers clothing from the painting will move when they dance?"
A printed copy from the website of Dance Examination by Edgar Degas (or project on a screen from website)
French classical music played at the time of Degas and a device to play it
Examples: Clair de Lune Suite by DebussyFaust (Ballet Music) by Charles-Francois Gounod
Space for children to dance
Variety of pieces of fabric related to the fabrics seen in the painting (sheer scarves, tulle, winter scarves, remnants of fabric etc.)
CO Standards
Invent and Discover to Create
Oral Expression and Listening
Art Object Resource
Dance Examination (Examen de Danse)
Edgar Hilaire Degas
Dazzle 'em
One 45 minute lesson
Students will view and discuss the symbols and design of the Eyedazzler Blanket/Rug and then create a dazzling symbol design of their own on either fabric or paper.
The Story of the Wearing Blanket
The materials and artistry used to create the Osage Ribbon Appliqué Wearing Blanket provide the basis for students to develop an understanding of the process of how it was made, and build related vocabulary.
Students will "fly" outdoors like the birds depicted in the Bird and Cornstalk Rug, collect nest-making materials, and report back to the group what they observed during their "flight."
Look & Listen, Retell & Interpret
Students will use a close reading technique to discover, interpret, and retell the story represented in a work of art.
Trade Practice
In this lesson students learn about the trade practices of the Osage using the Ribbon Applique Wearing Blanket as an example. They, in turn, will trade materials with each other to replicate the concept of trade.
Who Made It?
What Inspired It?
Edgar Degas was born in Paris in 1834, and was drawn to art at an early age. As a young man, he registered as a copyist at the Louvre Museum where he studied and copied works of art by great artists of the past, from the Renaissance to Roman times. Degas eventually entered law school under pressure from his father, but his passion for art led him to abandon his studies to pursue a career as a professional artist. Although Degas undertook some formal training, for the most part he directed his own curriculum, forming a foundation of independence that would be the hallmark of his entire career. Degas traveled throughout Italy and France, absorbing the people, landscapes, and works of art he encountered, and filled out countless notebooks of sketches and ideas. Returning to Paris, he became drawn to more modern subject matter, including horse racing, the cafes, the theater, ballet, and electric light. Degas also embraced experimentation, both in his techniques and materials (even inventing new recipes in his attic studio). An artist with a sharp sense of humor, he wrote: "Fortunately for me, I have not found my method; that would only bore me."
Fiercely independent, he exhibited with the Impressionists, who were exploring radical new ways of making art, but he never joined their group. After becoming more successful and well-known in the Parisian art world, Degas stopped exhibiting as frequently, especially as he began losing his eyesight. As he aged, his eye problems severely halted his work on paper and canvas, and sculpture became his primary medium, only having to eventually abandoning that as well. Degas died in Paris in 1917 at the age of 83 after a very long and prolific career.
While living and working in Paris, Degas frequently attended the Paris Opera, and became intrigued with the performers and musicians he saw there, including ballet dancers. Dancers became some of Degas's favorite subject matter, as they provided a way to investigate movement and his love of materials. He rendered them in charcoal, oil paint, prints, pastel, watercolor, wax, and clay. Degas would often portray the dancers rubbing sore muscles, stretching, gossiping, or prepping for a number on stage. Few of his works show the dancers actually on stage performing. Most were like this pastel; showing the true work and realism that go into creating a ballet performance. He once wrote: "People call me the painter of dancing girls. It has never occurred to them that my chief interest in dancers lies in rendering movement and painting pretty clothes."
Degas's brushwork is light and feathery, especially seen in the tutus of the ballerinas, which seem like they're full of movement and made of slightly see-through tulle.
Neutral colors dominate Degas's palette here, but the sharp touch of blue in the sash of one of the dancers draws the viewer's eyes to the center of the composition.
Composition and Line
Each figure is looking down, drawing the viewer's eye in an invisible line from the top right hand corner, through the blue sash, down to the ballerina's foot on the bottom left.
Often, Degas portrays his ballet figures as if he is secretly looking in on them; they are not posed, instead shown as performing their normal duties. With this composition, Degas makes the viewer feel like a fly on the wall, watching the examination from a slightly elevated position.
Degas incorporated realism into his treatment of the figures and facial expressions. He would often ask dancers to pose a certain way, especially if painting them in his studio.
Cut-off Figures
Seen as almost a snapshot of a single moment, Degas cuts off some of the figures on the side. This makes the work look less posed and more realistic.
Slanted Composition
The composition seems slanted or compressed—a technique that Degas picked up from famous Japanese prints. This point of view adds to the asymmetry of the composition and makes it more dynamic.
Funding for lesson plans provided by a grant from the Morgridge Family Foundation. Additional funding provided by the William Randolph Hearst Endowment for Education Programs, and Xcel Energy Foundation. We thank our colleagues at the University of Denver Morgridge College of Education.


Curvy women, rejoice! Here are 4 essential tips to keep eyes focused on your slimming hairstyle and beautiful curves.
Hair should skim your shoulders. A cut that is shoulder length or slightly longer creates the illusion of a longer, leaner face. If your face is already full, a shorter cut will simply add more width.
Layer it. Layered cuts are ideal for plus size shapes. They help to minimise a double chin and give more definition to your shoulder area. If your hair is fine, layers will give you a body boost. Just don't get layers shorter than chin length. Remember, that will add width.
Side part your hair. Sweeping face-framing pieces diagonally over your face breaks up a round face. It also brings out your cheekbones.
Get gorgeous colour. It's certainly not required, but if you're noticing grey strands, now is the perfect time for a colour lift. A natural shade most flattering to your skin tone is best, unless you want some real sass. Then choose two shades in either direction of your natural colour.
Got questions? We'd love to help. Just ask!
It happens to all of us at one time or another. Too much "daily abuse" with curling irons, flat irons and blow dryers can cause hair to become damaged, not to mention trips to the beach, cold winter weather and rough treatment…the list is practically endless!
Shampoo – Once hair is damaged, it can't be repaired, but you can make it appear healthier. In the interim, choose a shampoo that is gentle and is designed to treat damaged hair.
Because shampooing can make your hair drier, shampoo once or twice a week at most. Your stylist will need to do monthly trims to remove the damage.
Conditioner – Use a light leave-in conditioner to help minimise the unattractive appearance of dry hair. Also, deep condition once a week.
Style –Talk to your stylist about a haircut that can minimise the appearance of the damage while you're growing healthier locks. Steer clear of colouring, perms, and relaxers during this time.
If the damage is severe, you might want to consider a short cut. Once the damage grows out, you can grow healthier, longer hair.
We can give you excellent products and treatments to get you and your hair on the road to bouncy, shiny, healthy hair in no time!


Irish author, medical doctor and diplomat.
the Dublin University Magazine and several other periodicals.
Cdv by unknown photographer. c 1861-62.
Size ca 2 3/16 x 2 7/8 inches (photo) and 2 7/8 x 3 7/8 inches (mount).
Original is a bit darker brown toned (scan shows light brown-orange).


It will take a long time before insurance adjusters make their way through 12,000 damanged homes in Moore, Oklahoma.
Moore, Oklahoma (CNN) - Homeowners in Moore, Oklahoma have begun facing the lengthy insurance claims process following the destruction of their homes by last week's deadly tornado that paved a 17-mile path of destruction.
Twenty-four people lost their lives, including children as young as four months old. More than 300 were injured. The estimates for the total cost of insurance claims range from $2 billion to $5 billion.
President Obama toured the area Sunday and pledged sustained support for the rebuilding effort. "It's going to take a long time for this community to rebuild, so I want to urge every American to step up," the president said.
For the thousands of homeowners who have already filed insurance claims, it's becoming clear just how long "a long time" will be. Many, like Alberto Laija, still have multiple challenges ahead.
Tasha Hames rode out the Moore tornado in her shelter that's bolted to the ground in her garage.
Moore, Oklahoma (CNN) - In the aftermath of the monster tornado in Oklahoma, there's been a lot of discussion about storm shelters. Tornadoes are common in the area, but few buildings have basements or above-ground shelters.
Students at the elementary school that collapsed could only huddle in a hallway as 200-mile-per-hour winds tore apart their building. Seven children died.
Now there's an effort to bring shelters to Oklahoma's schools, especially in Moore.
Mark McBride, who represents Moore in the Oklahoma legislature, has teamed up with other lawmakers to create a fund. The money will go to placing storm shelters inside schools. They've already received a $500,000 donation from an Oklahoma-based company.
This tornado was an F-5. The top of the scale. The last one of the same magnitude was in 1999.
Flooding in the Chicago area is monitored and managed from this control room. The system was overwhelmed by storms last month.
(CNN) - By the end of the century, cities on the east coast of the U.S. could experience flooding at Hurricane Sandy levels every couple of years. That's according to a report in the latest issue of Scientific American.
The study sites updated forecast models which predict climate change will lead to higher sea levels than previously thought.
But climate change is not just a concern for coastal cities. Today, the state of Indiana will just begin assessing flood damage to its public infrastructure. The damage was caused by record rain storms last month. Those same storms also brought flood waters to Chicago.
Those are just the latest prime examples of the new challenge many cities are facing: an increasing frequency of heavy storms, which cities are not currently designed to deal with.
To see what Chicago is doing, and how the rest of the country might be affected, we visited the control center where flood waters are managed.
To find out more about what scientists are predicting will be the new reality for American cities over the next 20 to 30 years, and to find out what states are doing, please listen to our story in the above player.


As Queenslanders, no one understands, appreciates and loves summer like Stone and Tile Studio does. It's the sheer thought of diving into the water on a hot day that really gets us excited.
Ever dreamed of having a timber deck around your in ground swimming pool? Well you can and without the hassle! Our timber look tiles are incredibly realistic and have a great texture under foot. Kids will be safe, as the porcelain tiles will provide fantastic grip while they run to do another bomb dive before mum comes.
Want a classic stone to surround your pool, Stone and Tile Studio's exquisite range of Travertine will go great with our beautiful Queenslander style homes and also add a touch of style and class to a modern designed home.
Granite is an amazing stone for around pool, the modern colours available will be sure to excite any Queenslander to update their pool surrounds. For more fantastic options for your new or renovation project make sure to come visit our Stafford Design Centre.


text:
Station Saulnes (Frans: Gare de Saulnes) was een spoorwegstation in de plaats en gemeente Saulnes in Frankrijk.

Het station lag aan de lijn Longwy - Villerupt-Micheville.

Saulnes
Saulnes


text:
[![Gem Version](https://badge.fury.io/rb/grouped_latest.svg)](http://badge.fury.io/rb/grouped_latest) [![Code Climate](https://codeclimate.com/github/tnantoka/grouped_latest/badges/gpa.svg)](https://codeclimate.com/github/tnantoka/grouped_latest) [![Test Coverage](https://codeclimate.com/github/tnantoka/grouped_latest/badges/coverage.svg)](https://codeclimate.com/github/tnantoka/grouped_latest) [![Circle CI](https://circleci.com/gh/tnantoka/grouped_latest.svg?style=svg)](https://circleci.com/gh/tnantoka/grouped_latest)

GroupedLatest is just another scope to get the latest record from each group.

## Requirement

- Rails 4.2

## Installation

```
# Gemfile
gem 'grouped_latest'
```

## Usage

```
# app/models/post.rb
class Post < ActiveRecord::Base
  belongs_to :user
  belongs_to :category
  include GroupedLatest
end

$ rails c
> User.first.post.grouped_latest(:category_id)
```

## Configuration

```
Post.latest_column = :id
Post.latest_strategy = :gl_arel_in
```

## Strategies

WIP. I'm looking for the fastest logic.

```
$ rake test BENCH=1
Strategy        Average
gl_arel_in      0.13105687065399252ms
gl_arel_exists  0.13757433084538206ms
gl_array_in     11.309650258132024ms
```

## Licence

This project rocks and uses MIT-LICENSE.

## Author

[@tnantoka](https://twitter.com/tnantoka)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


"Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?" (v3). On the Sabbath, Jesus was dining at the house of "a ruler of the Pharisees," the religious group who were extremely careful to avoid breaking Sabbath rules. These religiously correct people were watching Jesus carefully to see what he would do about the man who was sick (v2). Jesus pointed out that they would all rescue an animal on the Sabbath (a work-like action), implying therefore that it was ridiculous to ignore the pain of a human being.


text:
More time for Williams in 2022
By Jack Cooper On Dec 30, 2021
Jenson Button hopes to have more time in 2022 to look after the Williams team, which he has been a consultant to since 2021. The ex-world champion has not yet been able to contribute much, but that should change with possibly relaxed corona rules. So far, his role as a Sky expert has prevented him from doing so because he was in a different bubble.
"I spent a little time in the factory and, of course, in the races that I'm in," said Button, explaining the situation at Williams.
"Basically, I was just a mouthpiece for certain people on the team. I have a lot of time with Dave Robson (head of vehicle performance; editor's note) and [Teamchef] Jost Capito, and also with the marketing team, "said Button." But I didn't spend as much time with the drivers this year because I couldn't go to the technical room or the garage because of the bubble. "
Button was only able to stay in the catering area and in the hospitality, where he could meet the engineers and team boss Capito. "It was pretty limited this year, which is a shame for both sides. But I'll do a lot more with them in the new year," promises the Briton, who began his Formula 1 career at Williams in 2000.
Button wants to help young drivers
The racing team had crashed quite a bit in the past few years. In 2019 and 2020 they only got one point and finished last, in 2021 they could improve to eighth place. With the new regulations one is hoping for the next jump, and Button is convinced that the racing team is taking the right steps.
"It's a great team. They have good people and I'll be spending a lot more time with them – including the drivers and the pilots from the youth program. They have some good young drivers on the list," said Button.
"I'll also spend some time with them in the simulator. I don't drive, but I wish I would! But I'll see how they drive and how they work with the team," he explains. "That was my strength at the time: working with the team. I can bring a lot of experience with me."
Russell: Good relationship with Button
In addition to regular drivers Nicholas Latifi and Alexander Albon, the Williams driver line-up in 2022 includes Formula 2 drivers Jack Aitken, Roy Nissany and Logan Sargeant as well as two-time W-Series champion Jamie Chadwick.
One driver who is leaving Williams, on the other hand, is George Russell, who after three years is moving to Mercedes. The Brit praises his compatriot: "I was lucky enough to have a good relationship with him even before Jenson came back to Williams," says Russell. "He was very open and always there when you needed him."
"Since the COVID rules were relaxed a bit, he's always in the garage, in hospitality, talking to the guys, to the engineers, to me, to Jost. And I think it's really great, just ideas, feedback and input from him and hear his experiences. He's got a lot of that, "said Russell. "It's always unique to have someone like Jenson on the team."
With images from Motorsport Images.
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Albers stands up for Mercedes: "Wasn't Horner moaning after…
BVB keeper Kobel blames the space conditions on the cup…
Possibly no F1 sprint races in 2022 after disagreement…


Jochen Sanio, president of German financial regulator Bafin, said global rules on capital and liquidity may lead to "financial Darwinism," with only larger banks able to adapt to the requirements.
A strict regulatory regime based on the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision's rules may force some banks into a second tier, making it difficult to raise capital, Sanio said in a speech in Frankfurt yesterday. This in turn may hamper the economy, he said.
The European Union is considering how to adapt the Basel rules on bank capital and liquidity to smaller lenders. Europe's savings banks have warned that the plans threaten their business model because they don't have the same access to capital markets as larger lenders. The requirements "may have severe unintended consequences," the European Savings Bank Group said last month.
Michel Barnier, the EU's financial services chief, said last month that he will "carefully adjust" the rules for Europe.
Sanio said last night that the Basel rules may also hurt large banks that are included on a list of "global systemically important financial institutions," or G-SIFIs, because they will be required to comply with even higher capital requirements.
Regulators will put together a list of about 25 G-SIFIs by the first half of 2011, he said. The process should be based on data from an impact study planned for the second quarter to avoid individual countries trying to downgrade their own banks to allow them to evade the higher standards, he said.
The additional capital requirements for such lenders, while unavoidable, should be "reasonable" to avoid hurting their ability to support economic growth, Sanio said. Additional capital standards for G-SIFIs shouldn't be developed individually for each of these banks, he said.
Bafin has started quizzing German banks on how they are preparing to implement the new Basel standards. The results show some are well prepared, while others need to work "very fast" to make sure they'll be able to comply, Sanio said.
The international capital and liquidity rules were published in December by the bank regulators. They will more than double the core capital banks must hold to protect themselves from losses and require banks to hold a minimum amount of highly liquid assets to ensure they could survive if inter-bank lending markets seized up for 30 days.
The Financial Stability Board said in a report published in November they are working on additional capital and rules for banks judged to be G-SIFIs.
Such banks "are institutions of such size, market importance, and global interconnectedness that their distress or failure would cause significant dislocation in the global financial system and adverse economic consequences across a range of countries," the FSB's report said.
The measures may include a "capital surcharge," requiring banks to issue minimum amounts of bonds which can be written off or converted to equity, liquidity surcharges and tighter risk limits.


Personal opinions and emotion are a part of FPL team strategy. Whether you like it or not they play a part to some degree. That could be in the form of a team you support, a rival team you despise or a fondness for a particular player. These emotional decisions might pay off occasionally but rest assured that in the long-term they are costing you points.
We consciously decided to take a different approach to our FPL team strategy this season. And that approach was rely on as much statistical data as possible to pick the team. Now you can go overboard on this. For example if you're looking at the points per match metric for defenders then by that logic Phil Jones would be your 2nd pick defender. Given his uncertainty around starting this would be a rash decision. This shows it is important to take multiple, and relevant, statistics into account. Team fixtures, formations and new signings are just a few other factors that need to be accounted for. Another factor is trying to determine whether a player over or under-performed the previous season. For example you could argue Alexis Sanchez under-performed whilst Mohamed Salah over-performed.
As a result we looked at multiple metrics and combined these with the factors mentioned above to try and create a team based on as much statistical evidence as possible. We go through each our team's players below.
We looked at forwards first with the intention of prioritising them. As the player prices worked out we were able to select a strong defence also. At the time we were willing to go attack heavy though. The metric used for this was points per match per £m. This metric is good to use as not only does it take points per match into account but then breaks it down further by this season's prices. Of course it doesn't indicate how likely a player is to start so other statistics such as matches and minutes played is also required.
Sergio Aguero was picked by 12.9% of FPL managers at the beginning of the Community Shield. Fast forward a week and his pick percentage is 31.8%! His £11.0m price tag is a lot cheaper than he has been in recent seasons also. Competition from Gabriel Jesus and a lack of minutes (he played 57% of Premier League minutes) might have caused this price decrease. His points per match is the highest among Fantasy Premier League forwards. Combine this with Man City's incredibly favorable fixture set to start the season then Aguero was a must pick, the first name in our squad.
Wilfried Zaha and Marko Arnautovic have similar statistics. Both are priced £7.0m and both had similar returns. Arnautovic leads the points per £m metric whilst Zaha comes top on the points per match per £m metric. This shows Zaha played a couple of less matches then Arnautovic – not a problem if there is no reason to think either is more than the other to play more matches. We selected Zaha over Arnautovic because his fixtures are good after Gameweek 4. Arnautovic on the other hand has a poor run of fixtures all the way through to Gameweek 10. Some FPL managers argue fixtures shouldn't be weighted highly. There might be some truth to this but there are odds on matches for a reason and in the long-term these odds are correct. Had West Ham's start to the season been better we could have picked both (as a lot of FPL managers did) but we have just gone with Zaha.
Joshua King's 178 points in 2016/17 might have been him over-performing. However his 100 points from last season might have been the opposite. These 110 points shaved £1.0m off his price tag to £6.5m. If this season's points total lies in between these two then £6.5m is a good investment. Bournemouth have a good start to the season fixture wise and King has looked good in pre-season. He scored four goals and provided one assist. We're a little guilty here of not ignoring pre-season form, which most of the time you should! Interestingly if King scored 140 points last season he would have been the best value forward in FPL. He is also on penalties, a notable bonus. At least he should be now after Callum Wilson's miss in Gameweek 1!
From the end of last season the intention was to not pick Mohamed Salah. We expected his price to be between £12.0m/£13.0m. We had to go change up the plan though because even if he scores 20% less points he's still a good pick. Furthermore Liverpool's excellent fixtures meant he couldn't be ignored. A lot of FPL managers have hedged their bets with Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane instead, which is a wise thing to do, but with West Ham and Brighton at home in Gameweek 1 and 3 respectively, Salah had to be in. Even at £13.0m Salah offers the 2nd best points per £m ratio among midfielders and forwards. Moreover his points per match ratio is 8.42. To put that in perspective Raheem Sterling, who also had an incredible season, scored 6.94 on this metric.
Bernardo Silva is probably our least statistical pick. He was brought in primarily because of Man City's fixtures – their players are a necessity. Secondary to this was his price, he is Man City's cheapest midfielder that could score several goals should he play. Pep Guardiola also came out and strongly inferred he will be starting against Arsenal which means another good performance could see him retain his place for the Huddersfield game at home. If he can start the majority of Man City's good fixture run then at £7.5m he's a steal. One statistic that is in his favor is points per minute per £m, he is 3rd in this stat among midfielders. This is due to scoring 6 and assisting 5 last season but having a lot of appearances from the substitutes bench.
In our opinion Richarlison might the most must have player in FPL. His points under Marco Silva have been well documented and there is no reason why he can't get close to that form again. Under Marco Silva at Watford, Richarlison averaged 4.3 points per match. If he can do that again that is a great return for a £6.5m midfielder. There's also the bonus of Everton having arguably the best fixture set in the Premier League over the beginning of the season. Update: He's not going to score two goals every week but if he can average close to one in three then FPL managers without him are going to suffer.
Fernandinho, similar to Kante, is a selection that may raise many FPL manager's eyebrows. The stats support Fernandinho's selection though. Based on last season's points totals and this season's prices Fernandinho is the 4th best value midfielder. Combine that with the need of a cheaper player and trying to make the most of Man City's fixtures he goes into our team.
Another budget player was required, mainly to not overload and waste money on our bench. Ruben Neves was the obvious pick at £5.0m but after some research Helder Costa was the statistical pick. Costa scored 6 and provided 5 assists last season. Fellow Wolves player Neves scored 6 and only provided one assist, this was in 9 more appearances also. Factor in Costa plays in a more advanced role then going by statistics we had to pick him over Neves.
Had Chelsea been expected to play with wing backs this season then Marcos Alonso would have been another must have pick. As it is it looks like Chelsea are going to deploy a 433 formation. This undoubtedly takes a little bit away from Alonso as his defensive responsibilities will increase. Even so with a £0.5m decrease on last season and 7 goals (two assists) to his name he's still a great pick. Update: Chelsea did play a 433 but Alonso appeared to have license to get forward, winning a penalty for one assist.
Liverpool's fixtures have been discussed which is one reason to include Andrew Robertson. The main reason to include him though is his points per match score of 5.05. This is the best among FPL defenders, even beating Alonso's score of 5.00. In the 22 games Robertson played last season he scored once and claimed 6 assists. It would be very surprising for him not to start ahead of Alberto Moreno.
The Tottenham man is top 5 in each of the metrics points per match, points per minute and points per match per £m. Plenty of evidence to support his inclusion. Tottenham's fixtures are certainly less than desirable over the first part of the season. Even so because of the overwhelming statistical evidence to include him he has to be in our team.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is ranked number two on the points per match per £m metric, just behind Man Utd's Phil Jones. Unfortunately neither are guaranteed to start but we think Alexander-Arnold is the more likely. The 19 year old faces competition from Joseph Gomez and Nathaniel Clyne. The latter could start Gameweek 1 ahead of him because of the World Cup. Regardless we think Alexander-Arnold will be Liverpool's first choice right back over the season and as such his points per match, and potential to improve, forces us to pick him.
Our final defender needed to be a budget one which we needed to spend £4.5m on. There were several options but based on fixtures and goal statistics, James Tomkins came out on top. He has scored three goals in each of the last two seasons. This is the most among £4.5m defenders. Other £4.5m defenders who scored more points last season (Mathias Jorgensen, Jamaal Lascelles, Christopher Schindler and Shane Duffy) all have poor fixtures to start the season. As a result Tomkins was our man.
With only one Everton player in the team and their fixtures winking at us, Jordan Pickford was an easy decision at £5.0m. His shot stopping ability and thus saves is well known. Additionally, with the signings of Yerry Mina and Lucas Digne hopefully Everton can better their 10 clean sheets from last season.
There is nothing complicated about Ben Foster being our other goalkeeper. Everton face difficult fixtures in Gameweek 6 and Gameweek 10. As a result we looked for the goalkeeper's fixtures who best compliment this. Watford's fixtures against Fulham (a) and Huddersfield (H) compensate for this nicely.


Can the Air Jordan III 'Black Cement' beat the Air Jordan XI 'Concord'? Sneaker News readers said 'no' during our March Madness OG Air Jordan Tournament this spring, but we'll get a chance to see how this battle plays out in real life as both legendary originals are released during what's shaping up to be the biggest holiday season for sneakers ever. The 'Black Cement' AJ3 is one of those shoes you simply cannot go wrong wearing, and their November drop means it's possible some will have to find work as elves after their release to be able to grab the Concords as well. It'll be interesting to see which segments of the sneakerhead community gravitate toward each, but one thing that we can pretty much guarantee is a swift sell out. Retailers like RMK have started taking pre-orders, so click through to see what you're waiting for and stick with Sneaker News for the 2011 Air Jordan 3 'Black Cement' release date.


Talk about a heart stopper! If there was an award for calmest bride facing a catastrophe on her wedding day, Jessica would take home the gold. A little background- Days before the wedding, Jessica's sister cut her leg open with a chainsaw. She had been cutting wood for the reception bonfire when the chainsaw slipped, cutting her leg open. She was in surgery the morning of the wedding, yet still managed to see Jessica step into her wedding gown. I mean, ya'll, if that's not impressive, I'm not sure what is!
Guests enjoyed an intimate outdoor wedding followed by a lovely reception. The decor was simple and elegant- a perfect reflection of the couples style. But in all the surrounding beauty, it was the joyful moments shared between friends and family that made Ben and Jessica's wedding day so memorable.


text:
package gce

import (
	"context"
	"fmt"
	"sync"

	gce "google.golang.org/api/compute/v1"
	"k8s.io/client-go/util/workqueue"
	klog "k8s.io/klog/v2"
)

// MigTargetSizesProvider allows obtaining target sizes of MIGs
type MigTargetSizesProvider interface {
	// GetMigTargetSize returns targetSize for MIG with given ref
	GetMigTargetSize(migRef GceRef) (int64, error)
}

type cachingMigTargetSizesProvider struct {
	mutex     sync.Mutex
	cache     *GceCache
	gceClient AutoscalingGceClient
	projectId string
}

// NewCachingMigTargetSizesProvider creates an instance of caching MigTargetSizesProvider
func NewCachingMigTargetSizesProvider(cache *GceCache, gceClient AutoscalingGceClient, projectId string) MigTargetSizesProvider {
	return &cachingMigTargetSizesProvider{
		cache:     cache,
		gceClient: gceClient,
		projectId: projectId,
	}
}

func (c *cachingMigTargetSizesProvider) GetMigTargetSize(migRef GceRef) (int64, error) {
	c.mutex.Lock()
	defer c.mutex.Unlock()

	targetSize, found := c.cache.GetMigTargetSize(migRef)

	if found {
		return targetSize, nil
	}

	newTargetSizes, err := c.fillInMigTargetSizeAndBaseNameCaches()

	size, found := newTargetSizes[migRef]
	if err != nil || !found {
		// fallback to querying for single mig
		targetSize, err = c.gceClient.FetchMigTargetSize(migRef)
		if err != nil {
			return 0, err
		}
		c.cache.SetMigTargetSize(migRef, targetSize)
		return targetSize, nil
	}

	// we are good
	return size, nil
}

func (c *cachingMigTargetSizesProvider) fillInMigTargetSizeAndBaseNameCaches() (map[GceRef]int64, error) {
	var zones []string
	for zone := range c.listAllZonesForMigs() {
		zones = append(zones, zone)
	}

	migs := make([][]*gce.InstanceGroupManager, len(zones))
	errors := make([]error, len(zones))
	workqueue.ParallelizeUntil(context.Background(), len(zones), len(zones), func(piece int) {
		migs[piece], errors[piece] = c.gceClient.FetchAllMigs(zones[piece])
	})

	for idx, err := range errors {
		if err != nil {
			klog.Errorf("Error listing migs from zone %v; err=%v", zones[idx], err)
			return nil, fmt.Errorf("%v", errors)
		}
	}

	newMigTargetSizeCache := map[GceRef]int64{}
	newMigBasenameCache := map[GceRef]string{}
	for idx, zone := range zones {
		registeredMigRefs := c.getMigRefs()
		for _, zoneMig := range migs[idx] {
			zoneMigRef := GceRef{
				c.projectId,
				zone,
				zoneMig.Name,
			}

			if registeredMigRefs[zoneMigRef] {
				newMigTargetSizeCache[zoneMigRef] = zoneMig.TargetSize
				newMigBasenameCache[zoneMigRef] = zoneMig.BaseInstanceName
			}
		}
	}

	for migRef, targetSize := range newMigTargetSizeCache {
		c.cache.SetMigTargetSize(migRef, targetSize)
	}

	for migRef, baseName := range newMigBasenameCache {
		c.cache.SetMigBasename(migRef, baseName)
	}

	return newMigTargetSizeCache, nil
}

func (c *cachingMigTargetSizesProvider) getMigRefs() map[GceRef]bool {
	migRefs := make(map[GceRef]bool)
	for _, mig := range c.cache.GetMigs() {
		migRefs[mig.GceRef()] = true
	}
	return migRefs
}

func (c *cachingMigTargetSizesProvider) listAllZonesForMigs() map[string]bool {
	zones := map[string]bool{}
	for _, mig := range c.cache.GetMigs() {
		zones[mig.GceRef().Zone] = true
	}
	return zones
}


text:
An anecdote from history:
I've included the following quote from the book: The reluctant Admiral: Yamamoto and the Japanese Imperial Fleet by Hiroyuki Agawa. Although it's rather long its well worth the read!
Relevant to our part of the story is the lead up to the Pacific War and the Dec 1941 attack on the American Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbour by the Japanese Imperial Navy. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, Japan's First Sea Lord, had become convinced of the coming transition from sea power to air power in the war he and only a very select few others then knew would inevitably come between Japan and the United States of America. He was a driving force in determining Japan's readiness in preparing the navy for attack capacity from the air rather than a seaborne land attack on continental USA. A confirmed poker player, he was known and highly respected by his men as being open minded and receptive to new and creative ideas.
As he and his closest advisors prepared the special and at that point, still highly clandestine forces, to attack Pearl Harbour, it became obvious that they had problems in recruiting young men who would prove to be the most suitable and adroit for the deadly tasks ahead. Accident and casualty prone, the preparations so far were proving to be less than straight forward and frustrations were building as solutions were sought applied and time and again, seemed not to work. Yamamoto was known to be very distressed at the growing list of causalities. Something simply had to be done.
The following then is from'The Reluctant Admiral': pg 110
"Various studies were made of the causes of accidents; one of the thorniest problems of all was how to assess the suitability of potential air crews.
Flight trainees and flight reserve cadets were all sifted very carefully before acceptance, being subjected to tests of scholastic ability and physical checkups, followed by a fairly strict testing of their suitability for the tasks involved; even so, many of them proved to be inadequate after the first six months or so.
This would not have mattered so much if all that was involved in removing them from the flying course was the waste of money or the personal disgrace for those concerned. But in practise there were many cases where they caused accidents before they were removed. Precious lives were being lost, one or two at a time, and the destruction of expensive aircraft placed further strains on the limited budget available.
Experts had been brought in from the psychology department of Tokyo Imperial University to give vulnerability tests. The men selected on this basis were all right at first, but later often failed to live up to their early promise. Experimental psychology, it seemed, was of little help in detecting this ability to live up to expectations, and the major question facing aviation in general still remained that of how to find suitable material.
The head of the Education Division of the Aeronautics Department under Yamamato, at the time was Captain Onishi Takijiro (a devoted admirer of Yamamoto, he was to become known toward the end of the war as the "father" of the suicide squads and an increasingly fanatical advocate of fighting to the last man). One day a telephone call came from this Onishi to Kuwabara, second in command of the Kasumigaura Aviation Corps. The gist of what he had to say was as follows:
"My wife's father, who is principal of the Juntendo Middle School has a rather unusual young man called Mizuno among his former pupils. Mizuno studied history at university, and his graduation thesis dealt with ancient methods of divination. Even as a child he was fascinated by palmistry and physiognomy. When he read in the papers that the navy had been losing a lot of planes recently, he said it was because the navy used the wrong methods in selecting its pilots. I thought he must be rather conceited, but when I actually met him the other day, he believed that the kind of man who would be good at piloting a plane invariably showed it somewhere in his hand or his face, and that it was a mistake to take people 'by the gross.' Personally, I don't think the navy's method of choosing its fliers can be called 'taking them by the gross', but I asked him anyway whether he himself could tell if they were suitable or not. 'Oh yes,' he replied, with all the confidence in the world.
"I'll send him to Kasumigaura with a letter of introduction to you, so why don't you hear what he has to say for the fun of it, and let him try reading people's hands?"
Kawahara, who by now was ready to clutch at any straw, agreed to meet the young man, and on the appointed day Mizuno Yoshito presented himself at the corps bearing Onishi's letter of introduction. It was lunchtime, and a stream of men in flying suits was arriving from the airfield. Kuwabara suggested therefore, that after lunch he should summon the instructors – about a hundred and twenty in all and have Mizuno apply his methods to them, classifying them into three grades according to their suitability or otherwise for flying. He promised also to have on hand a list of all the indicators with marks for each indicating his skill as revealed over a long period of time.
Once they were all assembled, Mizuno stared intently at each of the men in turn for five or six seconds, then assigned then an A, B or C. When Kawabara and his aide compared these grades with those recorded in the list, they found to their astonishment that grades and marks corresponded in eighty three percent of all cases. That afternoon, the trainees were assembled and subjected to the same scrutiny; the correspondence this time was eighty seven percent. Kuwabara and the others were astounded; this young man utterly unconnected with the world of aircraft, had in the space of five or six seconds delivered judgements that corresponded in more than eighty percent of all cases to conclusions that it had taken themselves months or even years to arrive at. They had hoped for some fun but had found themselves obliged to take it all seriously.
1800's Wood Block Print of Japanese fortune teller reading the face of a famous Samurai.
Learning that Mizuno had not found a job yet and was free to come and go as he pleased, they got him to stay at Kasumigaura that night and talk with the officers. A certain lieutenant called Hanamoto was worrying at the time what to do about a marriage that was being arranged for him, so they got Mizuno to look at his hand. "I think you're in two minds about the question of your marriage, aren't you?" Mizuno said. "You should decide on the first one after all". The "First one" was the girl whom Hanamoto himself fancied, as opposed to a match that was being pressed on him for reasons of family convenience.
Mizuno also declared belief that a war would break out within a year or so. Kuwahara objected that even should there be a war, it wouldn't come as soon as that; but it was already the summer of 1936, just a year before the China Incident occurred. Later, when Mizuno's prophecy had come true, Kuwahara asked him what had led him to make it in the first place. "Back in my childhood, when I first got interested in palmistry and physiognomy," he said, "I noticed a lot of people walking around Tokyo with the mark of death on their faces. I thought it was odd, because I didn't see the same thing when I was in Osaka. Then came the great Kanto earthquake, and I understood. In the same way I can't help noticing a lot of women in the streets of Tokyo nowadays, whose faces show they will be widows in a year or two. So I've come to the conclusion that this time it won't be a natural disaster, but that they'll lose their husbands."
It is a fact that at the beginning of the incident, the 101st Division, most of whose members hailed from Tokyo, suffered heavy losses in the fighting around Shanghai.
As soon as Mizuno had left, Kuwabara telephoned Onishi. "You know," he said, "there's more to him than meets the eye. I'd like to consider if there isn't some way of using his methods in selecting crews, and I'd like him to go into it a bit more deeply himself too. I wonder if it'd be possible to take him on as, say, advisor to the Aeronautics Department, so that he could have free access to the navy's air units?:
Onishi obviously had no objections, having been responsible himself for the first initiative, so Kuwabara submitted a report in the name of the Kasumigaura Aviation Corps command, in which he argued that, as proved in the cases of moxibustion and acupuncture, ancient and apparently unscientific methods were not necessarily to be scorned, and he cited the view of applied statisticians that anything that showed a practical correspondence of sixty percent or more was worth taking into account.
Onishi's task now was to go around with the report, trying to persuade people to accept its recommendation. He took it to the Personnel and Naval Affairs bureaus of the Navy Ministry, and tried to convince them of the wisdom of taking on Mizuno as an advisor, but he was met everywhere with sceptical smiles. "Come, now – you don't really think the navy….." people would murmur. "I mean physiognomy…."
Kuwabara has ascribed his lack of success to the narrow "rationalism" of the people in the two naval bureaus concerned. To the Naval Affairs Bureau, it may have well seemed that the aviation people had finally taken leave of their senses. Ether way, when it was apparent that he was getting no where, Kuwabara asked Onishi whether he had spoken to Yamamoto about it. Onishi had not, so one day they went together to call on Yamamoto in the latter's office. Begging him first not to laugh, they proceeded to explain about Mizuno in detail and requested Yamamoto's help in getting him taken on as an advisor. Yamamoto grinned as he listened but when they had finished he said. "I see. I'll talk to him myself, so send him along."
They decided to summon Mizuno then and there by phone, while Yamamoto on his side telephoned to various sections of the Personnel and Naval Affairs bureaus and the Aeronautics Department, getting about twenty different people to assemble in his office. When Mizuno arrived, the first thing Yamamoto did was ask him how he would describe palmistry and physiognomy. As he had already explained to Kuwabara at Kasumigaura Aviation Corps, Mizuno said they were a kind of applied statistics. Popular folk beliefs, such as the Japanese belief that people with long rabbit like ears were careful and gentle by nature, or that a square chin meant such and such, were in fact based on empirical statistical observations.
Such beliefs might not be right in every case but neither were the odds fifty-fifty. Intuition, too, gave an added accuracy to individual observations.
Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku
"Well, then," said Yamamoto, nodding, "there are twenty people here. Can you tell me, which of them are flying officers?"
Mizuno scrutinised each of naval officers' face in turn. Eventually he pointed to one of them and said, "You're one, aren't you?" Then another: "And you, too." The two men were Hoshi Kazai and Miwa Yoshitake, both of them among the finest fighter pilots the navy had at the time. Hoshi and Miwa smiled sheepishly while the others glanced at each in surprise.
"Is that all?" Yamamoto pressed?
"That's all." Mizuno replied.
At this point another of those present, a lieutenant commander from the Naval General Staff called Taguchi, spoke up: "I'm a pilot too." Mizuna took his hand and gave it a close inspection. "You may be a pilot," he said, "but not a very good one" The others glanced at each other again then burst out laughing. Taguchi, a graduate of Navy Staff College, was a seaplane pilot. He had an excellent brain but as a flier his reactions were too slow. He would occasionally damage a seaplane in landing, and had been recently shifted to the Naval General Staff with a warning that he would smash himself up if he was not careful.
Several other demonstrations of Mizuno's uncanny ability followed. One man, a commander called Kida Tatsushiko, had his hand examined. "You've taken somebody else's name, haven't you?" asked Mizuno. Kida was reluctant to reply, but when pressed he admitted with rueful admiration that he was, in fact, an adopted son.
Finally Yamamoto felt it was time to call it a day, and the assembly decided without further ado to take on Mizuno. Shortly after this, he was officially appointed advisor to the Aeronautics Department. As such he was present at all examinations for trainees and reserve cadets at the Kasumigaura Aviation Corps, and was to scrutinise their hands and faces.
The navy made use of Mizuno's methods in combination with the conventional written and physical examinations; thus the most promising candidate of all was one who got good marks in these two examinations and also an OK from Mizuno. It was not entirely true therefore, to claim – as some did during the war - that the Naval Air Corps was ruled by superstition.
Mizuno himself became increasingly busy thereafter. During the war, he brought in two assistants, and was so occupied visiting first one air unit then another that in the end they were showing him palm prints made with mimeographing ink. In all, he is said to have pronounced on the qualifications of over 280,000 men.
By 1941, in the presence of Kuwahara Torao, who trusted Mizuno entirely by now, he predicted that the war would start that year.
"And how will it go then?" Kuwahara asked?
"OK at first," answered Mizuno. "But after that I can't say."
"I don't like the look on the faces of the Naval General Staff people I see walking about the corridors with their papers. I'm worried about their future."
Four Years later, in July 1945, Kuwahara – by then a vice admiral attached to the Military Procurement Ministry – asked Mizuno how he thought the war would go from then on.
"It will be over before the end of next month." Startled Kuwabara asked him why he thought so. "I made a tour of the suicide squad recently, and I noticed that there are very few young officers and NCOs in the squads who have the mark of death on their faces. I take it as a sign that war's going to end."
Japan of course surrendered finally on 15th August 1945; although the formal signing of the documents didn't occur until September 2nd.