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I made a workflow to search the Ulysses database for the new Ulysses III. This feature is missing from the app itself (for now) so I put together this workflow to get around that. The workflow simply adds search scopes for Ulysses' "sheet" and "group" filetypes. As a bonus, there's also an "Open in Ulysses" File Action included with the workflow. It works on .txt and .rtf documents, which will come into Ulysses parsed as Markdown. Read more on my site or download Search Ulysses 3.alfredworkflow now.
Why Alfred v2 isn't on the Mac App Store ?
Hello Alfred Community ! I am an old french Alfred user, who discovered Alfred v1 on the Mac App Store's selection "Best of 2012" and today I have a question : Why don't put Alfred v2 on the Mac App Store too ? It's really amazing for a lot of features, which are goods for the Alfred's developers and for us, the users : - Big visibility for the app, good tool to be well-know by a lot of mac users (who are ready to pay the license) for the developers - A central for our licenses, so if we change our Mac, it's easy to reinstall Alfred and keep its license - Automatically the updates of Alfred v2, transparently - Integrated purchases with the credit card link to our apple ID, more simple for us to pay And even if you don't want to put the basic license at 17£ for lifetime, you can propose a new app in v3, so only people who paid the lifetime license can have a code to update to the new version. There are. I'm really close to pay for Alfred, but I want to know your position about the Mac App Store, and maybe I will wait for the introduction of the app to buy the lifetime license, for your AMAAAAAZZZZIIIING JOB ! Thanks you for reading me. Lucas, a french student who loves Alfred !
Where does Alfred save Workflows and other data?


The Rowland Heights Loop Trail is made up of two segments. The eastern segments climbs up through a residential neighborhood and along the eastern edge of Pathfinder Community Regional Park to a lookout point with access to other park trails. The western segments runs along the sidewalk parallel to Pathfinder Road, connecting to Schabarum Extension Trail.
The trailhead, which provides access to both segments of the trail via Rowland Heights Loop Trail-Desire Avenue Connector, is located near the intersection of Pathfinder Rd and Wellesly Dr. From the 60, exit at Nogales St in Rowland Heights and head south. After 1.2 miles, turn right on Pathfinder Rd. Street parking is available near the trailhead located 0.2 miles after the turn.


text:
Q: Decoding json given exception I'm trying to get value of js,but I'm getting:

A first chance exception of type 'System.InvalidOperationException'
  occurred in System.Web.Extensions.dll
Additional information: Type 'System.String' is not supported for
  deserialization of an array.

How to fix this?
  string a = "{\"payload\":{\"js\":[\"abc\"]}}";
    JavaScriptSerializer ser = new JavaScriptSerializer();
                JSONData j = ser.Deserialize<JSONData>(a);
                Console.WriteLine(j.payload.js.ToString());

    public class JSONData
    {
        public payload payload { get; set; }
    }
    public class payload
    {
        public string js { get; set; }
    }

A: Your JSON:
{ "payload": { "js": ["abc"] } }

The member js isn't a string, it's an array of strings. Either modify your JSON to match your class structure:
{ "payload": { "js": "abc" } }

...or modify your class structure to match your JSON:
public class payload
{
    public string[] js { get; set; }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


I have become acquainted with my Ewing cousins through a variety of media, including the Internet. Most often the Web meetings come about because of the other person's inquiry about Ewing genealogy, and occasionally the two of us discover that we share common ancestors.
Another way of becoming acquainted is when close relatives pop up unexpectedly to ask questions about their ancestry. I am glad to respond to their questions, hopeful that I also will learn something new. In the process, I introduce my new-found cousin to the Ewing Family Association and all it has to offer. One such chance meeting occurred this summer, when Rebecca Ewing Maxey emailed me and said, "Let's have lunch." We did.
Arriving with my cousin was her husband, Mark, and their two mid-teen boys, J.D. and Scott. We gathered at one of Grand Haven's favorite restaurants, set on the Lake Michigan shoreline, where each of us enjoyed blue Lake Michigan in front of us and the wooded dunes behind us.
As a way of learning more about her Ewing ancestors, Becki has agreed to join the Ewing Family Association. I hope that means she will return to Michigan next summer and be part of our Gathering in Saline on July 8 and 9. Then you could meet her, too.


text:
Still plenty to play for as season nears end
With the CCFL season quickly coming to a conclusion it's a case of mixed fortunes for the various local sides as they prepare to wind down for the summer. For some it's simply a matter of seeing out their league fixtures, but some of them are facing into fixtures that will make or break their season. Starting in the Senior Division and working through the divisions, we look at what's in store in these final few weeks for the local CCFL clubs and how their season has shaped up so far.
Mountmellick United put their disappointing pre-Christmas league form behind them and they will be relatively happy with their third placed finish, although their failure to really challenge the top two will be a source of regret. They can beat anyone on their day, a fact proven by their win over champions-elect Willow Park, but inconsistency against some of the so-called weaker teams has cost them dearly.
Arlington's main aim this season would have been to stay up in their first year in the top flight, a mission accomplished with plenty to spare. However, reaching the Cotter Cup final has been the undoubted highlight of their season. They face Mullingar Athletic in this Saturday's decider and while they will be definite underdogs after going out of the Counties Cup at the quarter-final stage to the same opposition, the Port men will be desperate for revenge.
In the Premier Division Rosenallis briefly flirted with relegation before pulling clear in the final few weeks. They finish their season tonight against newly-crowned Billy Hyland Cup winners Melville and while the lads from The Grove will be happy to have stayed in the second-tier, they know that they can do a lot better. For the other local side in the division, thing were a lot more dismal. Clonaslee Utd managed just one win from their entire league games to date, and with Melville also the ones to bring their season to end this Saturday, it will be hard to see the Clonaslee men changing that as they say farewell to life in the Premier Division.
Despite Clonaslee dropping down, the local interest in the Premier Division will actually be increased next season thanks to a superb Laois one-two in Division 1. Abbeyleix Athletic were superb all season and deservedly won the league while Stradbally Town's excellent run of results in the new year saw them oust Tullamore for second spot, and they made Athletic work all the way for their eventual league title.
Noreside Celtic have a huge game in store as they await their relegation play-off decider against Highfield United of Birr. Having spent much of the season in the wrong half of the table the Castletown men managed to string a couple of season-saving performances together towards the business end of the season but Highfield's win in their last game forced the play-off in two weeks time.
Gracefield were outstanding all season in Division 2 and they won promotion as champions with three points to spare over Walsh Island Shamrocks. Dynamo Town saved their best form for the Counties Cup, making it all the way to the last eight before narrowly succumbing to Willow Park. They had to settle for mid-table obscurity again this year in the league, three points behind local rivals Portlaoise A, while at the bottom brave Ballybrittas slipped down to Division 3.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Keywords in URL: sub-directory or single layer keywords?
im putting together a proposal for a new site and trying to figure out if it'd be better to (A) have a keyword split across multiple directories or duplicate keywords to have the keyword hyphenated?
in example B the phrase 'Christmas' is duplicated which looks a little spammy, but the key term "Christmas decor" is in the URL without being broken up by directories.
which is stronger? Any advice welcome! Thanks guys!
I would suggest using the first option (/christmas/decor). Google and other search engines would understand that "decor" page is about Christmas Decor, as you are using "christmas" subfolder as a parent of "decor" page.
When you're setting up a URL structure, we recommend setting up the URLs (folders/directories, etc.) so that it matches the hierarchy of the site. In the example you gave: www.domain.com/Christmas/Decor you would typically have a Christmas section of your site and then a Decor section.
But, if you have a Decor section (some that is not Christmas decor but maybe includes other types of decor), then the decor section as listed above wouldn't fit in properly. It could be like this: www.domain.com/Decor/Christmas-Decor/ and then you could actually also have a Christmas section, as well. It's possible that your Christmas products might list all of your Christmas products and the Christmas/decor/ section would then include the Christmas decor section.
Look at what sections of your site that you've created--and then the URLs should closely match those sections and that site hierarchy.


text:
George Floyd, 'I can't breathe' is black America's reality: Brevard residents speak out
FLORIDA TODAY
About this project: The deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, and subsequent protests, have brought attention to the racial injustice and inequalities that continue to plague the United States. FLORIDA TODAY's Editorial Board believes we must listen to residents of Brevard County about their experiences of being black in America. We asked them to express their views in up to 250 words. We edited them for space and clarity.
I'm the mother of 3 black men
I have been with my husband, Nathaniel, for 47 years. We gave birth to my first child on June 9, 1975, my second on Nov. 22, 1978, and my third and final king on July 5, 1986.
Being a mother of three kings, it was automatic that I taught them how to conduct themselves if encountered by police.
"Stay calm, King."
"Be respectful, King."
"Follow directions, King."
"Call your mother, King."
This seemed the logical "normal" thing to do. I've seen my mother, aunts and grandmothers do the same thing with their children. I've seen in the streets of Newark, New Jersey, how the police treated young men of color. So I knew I had to teach my children the same.
It saddens me that now my kings are teaching the same things to their sons. It saddens me that the same fears I had raising children I now share with them. It saddens me that things have not changed. This is not the world I envisioned my kings to live in. This is not the world I envisioned my eight grandchildren would grow up in.
When I saw Trayvon Martin gunned down for going to a store to buy candy, I saw my king. When I saw Eric Garner strangled to death on a sidewalk for selling cigarettes, I saw my king. When I saw Ahmaud Arbery gunned down in cold blood while jogging, I saw my king. When George Floyd called out to his mother, who passed away two years ago, I thought he was calling for me.
No more am I sad. I am angry!
Michelle Davis, Cocoa
Black men can't take chances
Over the last few days, several of my friends (who happen to be white) reached out to me and said, "I am sorry about what's going on."
It showed me that they value my friendship and our 30-plus-year relationship. It made me wonder: Did they reach out because they saw what happened to George Floyd and thought of me? Or maybe they are like me, and realized that the long overdue failure to reform police brutality has really brought the worst in some people and the best in others.
I couldn't sleep, thinking about what's going on in our country. After looking at some of my other friends' insensitive Facebook posts, it made me think: Would any of my friends feel different if this had happened to me?
I have experienced racism. I experienced it as a child. I experienced it as a teenager. I experienced it in college. I've experienced racism as a business owner and I've experienced it as an elected official in this county.
That's why I've told my kids: Even though you have a concealed weapon permit to carry a gun, I would never tell a police officer who pulled me over for "whatever reason" that I have a gun. There might be one bad cop who uses that knowledge to use force against me.
Should I feel this way? Some friends say I shouldn't.
As a black man, I can't afford to take the chance and assume that all police officers are good.
Robin Fisher of Titusville is a former Brevard County commissioner.
Do you know what it's like?
Do you know the pain? Do you know the pressure of being a minority? The fear of being punished because of your skin color? To be seen as less than another; to be afraid to go outside and go for a walk or just a regular jog around the block?
Ahmaud Arbery was casually exercising and running around his neighborhood when he was brutally murdered for being African American.
I believe that one should not be judged by their appearance and stereotyped into a certain group. For example, an African-American man with dreads or tattoos is to be considered a "thug "or a "drug abuser" and he might have never done drugs or owned a gun in his entire life.
Let's not forget about police brutality. Take, for example, Breonna Taylor, who was murdered by a policeman who came to the wrong house looking for narcotics. She was murdered with eight bullets that came through a wall and hit her. Another prime example of police brutality is George Floyd. Although he was not shot, he was suffocated to death by a police officer who got to walk free until he was just recently charged for second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
It is sad that peaceful protests have turned into violent riots. We as citizens of the United States of America should be treated equally no matter the color of our skin or our backgrounds.
Nina N.Oliver, Melbourne
Black America can't breathe
Black America can't breathe because racism still defines and treats black Americans as substandard citizens, as unequal in every respect of livelihood, including access to education, housing, employment, social, economic and political status.
Black America can't breathe because the sickening stench of prejudice and hate has resulted in stereotyping and profiling black men as common criminals and as a threat to white America.
Black America can't breathe because regardless of her contributions to her community, to society and to mankind, there will always be white America working in the background to degrade, downplay and plant the seed of controversy and doubt about black America's accomplishments.
Black America can't breathe because fathers and mothers of black children must always worry about the safety and psychological well-being of their children whenever their children are away from them.
Black America can't breathe because after 400 years of post-slavery, post-Jim Crow, post-Willie Lynch, post-civil rights movement, post-an African American president, within the belly of white America festers a contagion much worse than the coronavirus that permeates hatred, prejudice, discrimination, disdain, disparity and injustice toward the lives of black Americans.
The time is now! Black Americans must be able to breathe. It will take all American citizens working together collectively to change this disgraceful and destructive pattern of suffocation towards Black America.
George Floyd's "I can't breathe" is black America's reality.
Teri Jones, Melbourne
We need an 'American Black' agenda
What is the "social contract" between the United States of America and American Descendants of Slavery (ADOS), also know as "American blacks?"
I learned about the concept of a "social contract" listening to Trevor Noah, host of The Daily Show. His commentary on George Floyd and the dominoes of racial injustice reminded me that we are under a social contract with the USA. The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the Constitution established full citizenship for ADOS. Now it is critical for them to clearly establish and articulate vital articles of agreement that must be part of the social contract that was imposed.
An "American Black" agenda gives American Descendants of Slavery a measurable way to do that. It must be presented to federal, state, and local candidates running for office and include:
All levels of government shall exercise all necessary means to lift the legacies of slavery and associated burdens off the shoulders of American descendants of slavery as mandated by the 14th amendment.
All government agencies shall abide by the laws and administer the laws fairly, and will be held accountable if any failure to adhere to the laws are proven. ADOS will have a voice and legal means to present the perceived failure.
A health care credit to pay for all counseling needs, a lineage therapy to help members of the ADOS understand and manage their ancestral traumas.
H.R. 40, titled "Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act," must be fully rewritten to include reference to ADOS as the recipient group, cash payments, and additional supportive measures implemented.
Alberta Clinkscales, Palm Bay
It's been a trying four centuries
We watched another black man repeatedly tell police he couldn't breathe right before he was murdered. This was after watching a black man out for an evening jog get brutally murdered by white men. Right after learning a black woman, sleeping in her own bed, was shot and killed in the middle of the night by police executing a faulty warrant. This is on top of a global pandemic disproportionately killing more black people due to generations of purposefully poor healthcare infrastructure in their communities.
This last month has been trying as hell for black folks. But, if we're being real, it's been a trying four centuries. Being black in this country means constantly trying to square America's promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness with the horrors you experience in your daily life.
You watch another black life taken in high definition. The loss is sensationalized, and you can't get away from it, leaving you feeling frustrated, furious, and helpless. You look at your children, and you wonder if things will ever get better, if they will know true equality in this so-called land of the free. Or will they still be learning the names of black men and women murdered by police and white vigilantes?
Will they have to take to the streets, marching for justice that remains on the horizon, ever elusive? Will they be able to breathe? Or will the country keep a knee on their necks, slowly suffocating them as it has you?
Tess Martin, Melbourne
Elected officials must step up
Over 60 years ago, Dr. King peacefully protested for blacks' civil rights and equality of treatment as American citizens. Today, it's apparent that many of us benefit from the fruit of his labor.
However, there is something that has remained culturally ingrained in society and that something is racism. I want to note that change has occurred, but change is still needed in addressing systemic racism in our country's culture. The climate for blacks in the 50s and 60s was perilous and the protests were essential for ushering in a culture of inclusion and equality. Currently, we as elected officials have a platform through which the voices of the people can be heard and not silenced.
With the death of George Floyd and the recent protests and civil unrest, I believe that elected officials in Brevard should establish an open forum with our police departments to address what happened in Minnesota and how to prevent it from happening in our backyards. Taking this proactive stance could stave off any public outcry of injustice from our law enforcement professionals.
So, I am challenging every city official to facilitate an open forum with your communities and police departments to start the dialogue about fair and effective policing practices. Palm Bay Police Chief Nelson Moya and I have been invited to join an open forum Saturday at 6 p.m. with the community and law enforcement at Emma Jewel Charter Academy. I encourage all to attend to see what community policing should be all about.
Kenny Johnson is the Palm Bay deputy mayor
Let's breathe for George Floyd
This is America, the land of the free. But from what I can see, it's more like the land of brutality. Get a little bit of authority, and decide it's okay to step all over every ethnicity that has a skin tone that isn't as light as you like it to be.
Why can't you see that this is not OK? You act like you have no humanity.
George Floyd said he can't breathe yet you continue to take his breath away. Ahmaud Arbery was running to keep his life, yet you still stole it from him anyway. Breonna Taylor was intruded by officers that were searching for drugs in the wrong home and was shot eight times.
What makes your blood boil so much to end someone's life? What gives you the right to murder someone based on the color of their skin? What goes through your head when you're taking away someone's son or daughter from them? Nothing justifies these actions. So why can't you get this through your thick skull?
Stop while you're ahead, before more people end up dead. Don't you think there's already enough bloodshed? So do not let this fly over your head. Black lives should matter before they're dead. I'm tired of being scared around people that are supposed to keep me protected. So let's try to correct it before more people get affected.
Let's breathe for George Floyd. Let's run free for Ahmaud Arbery. Let's live for Breonna Taylor.
Taylor White, Melbourne


Stephy Tang and Alex Fong yesterday attended a conference for their new movie, 'Love is Not All Around' (十分愛) at a Kowloon Bay college. Both the director of the movie, Patrick Kong and their manager, Paco Wong were present at the conference. Since the movie began airing in cinemas on Thursday, it has reached $1 380 000 in box offices, thus achieving a great start. It has been reported that blockbuster 'Protégé' had only hit $900 000 in the box offices on its first day. This proves that small budget movies may not be worse off than blockbusters. At the conference, Alex and Stephy had discussions with the students. When asked by reporters if they were afraid that the students would ask some difficult questions, Stephy laughed and said that it is reporters that ask difficult questions.
Stephy then said that throughout filming this film, she has had a few arguments with Alex, which she hopes to share with the students. Alex on the other hand, hoped that the students would not ask questions about his rumours. When asked if he hoped that 'Love is Not All Around' would reach over 10 million in the box office, Alex expressed that he definitely wishes for that to happen because 'Marriage with Fool' had made $7 million at the box office. 'Love is Not All Around' is currently competing with 'Spiderman 3' in the box office.


The term "abduction" originates in the work of the American pragmatist philosopher Charles Sanders Peirce. Roughly, he meant it to indicate the process of searching for hypotheses guided by explanatory considerations. It thus had a place in (what later came to be called) the context of discovery. Nowadays, the term "abduction" is commonly used to refer to a type of inference which we take to be warranted on explanatory grounds, as when for instance we infer that it has been raining when we see that the streets are wet, given that it having rained is the best (although not the only possible) explanation of the streets being wet. Thus understood, abduction belongs to the so-called context of justification. In modern usage, "abduction" is typically taken to be synonymous with "Inference to the Best Explanation." As such, it is standardly contrasted with deduction (in which the inference is warranted on the basis of form alone) and induction (in which the inference is warranted on the basis of statistical information). Abduction and induction share the feature of being ampliative, meaning that they do not guarantee the truth of the conclusion on the basis of the truth of the premises (unlike deduction); they lead to a conclusion that—one might say—goes "beyond" the premises. Philosophers have been mainly interested in the normative aspects of abduction—is it rational to infer to the best explanation, even if perhaps only under certain circumstances?—while psychologists have looked at how well the hypothesis that people reason abductively explains certain aspects of their cognitive behavior, for instance, how well that hypothesis explains some registered ways in which people tend to deviate from Bayesian norms of reasoning. For this reason, there is relevant work to be found both in the philosophical and in the psychological literature. Computer scientists, especially researchers in the field of artificial intelligence, have sought to implement abduction computationally, as part of a general attempt to develop a computational model of human reasoning, and have compared it with other inferential principles through the use of computer simulations. In philosophy, it has long been mostly philosophers of science, and to a lesser extent epistemologists, who were interested in abduction. More recently, abduction has come to be regarded as a key principle in the methodology of philosophy, with applications in a variety of areas of philosophical research.
There are a few general overviews of the literature on abduction. Vogel 1998 and Douven 2017 are encyclopedia entries that focus on the philosophical literature, while Lombrozo 2012 and Koslowski 2018 are contributions to handbooks that attend more closely to the psychological literature. While not in any way meant as an overview, Schurz 2008 does actually give an excellent overview of the many forms in which we can reason abductively. Similarly, McCain and Poston 2018 is not intended to give an overview, but the various articles in that volume do jointly give a very useful overview of the wealth of positions vis-à-vis abduction that are currently to be found among philosophers.
Douven, Igor. "Abduction." In Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Edited by E. N. Zalta. Stanford, CA: Stanford University, 2017.
Overview of philosophical discussions concerning abduction. Has a supplement on Peirce's view on abduction and how it differs from those more common today.
Koslowski, Barbara. "Abductive Reasoning and Explanation." In Routledge International Handbook of Thinking and Reasoning. Edited by L. J. Ball and V. A. Thompson, 366–382. London: Routledge, 2018.
Another excellent overview of the psychological literature on abduction, also exhibiting a clear understanding of the philosophical issues.
Lombrozo, Tania. "Explanation and Abductive Inference." In Oxford Handbook of Thinking and Reasoning. Edited by K. J. Holyoak and R. G. Morrison, 260–276. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012.
Excellent discussion of much of the psychological literature concerned with abduction, written by a psychologist with a deep understanding of the relevant philosophical literature.
McCain, Kevin, and Ted Poston, eds. Best Explanations: New Essays on Inference to the Best Explanation. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018.
Edited volume of sixteen previously unpublished papers dealing with abduction, covering a broad range of topics, including questions of how best to conceive of abduction, whether it is rational to reason abductively, whether abduction is really separate from other types of reasoning; also contains essays discussing historical aspects of abduction and applications of it both in epistemology and in the philosophy of science.
Schurz, Gerhard. "Patterns of Abduction." Synthese 164 (2008): 201–234.
Makes fine-grained conceptual distinctions between different types of abduction. The emphasis is on the use (or rather uses) of abductive reasoning in science.
Vogel, Jonathan. "Inference to the Best Explanation." In Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Edited by E. Craig. London: Routledge, 1998.
Older but still highly valuable overview of the main philosophical issues surrounding abduction. Available online with subscription.


text:
package org.apache.mahout.math.stats.entropy;

import com.google.common.io.Closeables;
import org.apache.hadoop.conf.Configuration;
import org.apache.hadoop.fs.FileSystem;
import org.apache.hadoop.fs.Path;
import org.apache.hadoop.io.DoubleWritable;
import org.apache.hadoop.io.SequenceFile;
import org.apache.hadoop.io.Text;
import org.apache.hadoop.io.Writable;
import org.apache.hadoop.util.ToolRunner;
import org.apache.mahout.common.MahoutTestCase;
import org.apache.mahout.common.iterator.sequencefile.PathFilters;
import org.apache.mahout.common.iterator.sequencefile.PathType;
import org.apache.mahout.common.iterator.sequencefile.SequenceFileDirValueIterator;
import org.junit.Test;

import java.util.Iterator;

public final class EntropyTest extends MahoutTestCase {

  @Test
  public void testLetters() throws Exception {
    String[] content = { "A", "A", "A", "A", "A", "B", "B", "C", "D", "E" };
    calculateEntropy(content, 1.96096405, "key");
  }

  @Test
  public void testYN() throws Exception {
    String[] content = { "Yes", "No", "Yes", "No", "No", "Yes", "No", "Yes" };
    calculateEntropy(content, 1.0, "value");
  }

  private void calculateEntropy(String[] content, double expected, String source) throws Exception {

    Configuration configuration = new Configuration();
    Path input = getTestTempFilePath("input");
    Path output = getTestTempFilePath("output");
    FileSystem fileSystem = FileSystem.get(input.toUri(), configuration);

    // write content into test text file
    SequenceFile.Writer writer = new SequenceFile.Writer(fileSystem, configuration, input, Text.class, Text.class);
    Writable empty = new Text();
    try {
      for (String item : content) {
        if ("key".equals(source)) {
          writer.append(new Text(item), empty);
        } else {
          writer.append(empty, new Text(item));
        }

      }
    } finally {
      Closeables.closeQuietly(writer);
    }

    // run the job
    String[] args = { "-i", input.toString(), "-o", output.toString(), "-s", source,
        "--tempDir", getTestTempDirPath("tmp").toString() };
    Entropy job = new Entropy();
    ToolRunner.run(job, args);

    assertEquals(content.length, job.getNumberItems());

    // check output
    Iterator<DoubleWritable> iteratorNodes =
        new SequenceFileDirValueIterator<DoubleWritable>(output,
                                                         PathType.LIST,
                                                         PathFilters.logsCRCFilter(),
                                                         null,
                                                         false,
                                                         new Configuration());
    assertTrue(iteratorNodes.hasNext());
    assertEquals(expected, iteratorNodes.next().get(), EPSILON);
  }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Q: How do I set the user status (online/offline) in a Yii-2 application For this I wrote a function in the Gii generated User model which sets the 'status' field of the corresponding user table as follows
public function setStatus()
    {
     if (!\Yii::$app->user->isGuest) {
     $this->status = 1;
     }
     else {
         $this->status = 0;
     }
    }

Now in my Controller :
public function actionLogout()
    {
        $usr = new \frontend\models\User;
        $usr->setStatus();

        Yii::$app->user->logout();

        return $this->goHome();

    }

But Yii throws an error:

Cannot redeclare frontend\models\User::tableName();

I tried to echo all the autoloaded classes but the class is not autoloaded. How do I go about this?

A: As for your error, check this related question.
Most likely you defined it twice in this class, and you don't use IDE because majority of them highlight this kind of errors.
As for status - this doesn't make sense. Using Yii::$app->user->isGuest check is enough for determing if user is logged or guest. But this is not suitable for determing if user is online / offline.
As for this problem, there are similar questions asked before, check for example this question.
And finally, don't use hardcoded statuses, declare them as constants in model instead:
const STATUS_OFFLINE = 1;
const STATUS_ONLINE = 2;

Usage: self::STATUS_OFFLINE (inside of class where it's declared) or User::STATUS_OFFLINE (don't forget to include namespace in use section).
Update: Considering that user is online only because user is logged in seems not be right. But if need only calculating who is online / offline among logged in users, why you need statuses if there are only two possible options? Use is_online boolean column instead.


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text:
CommonSpirit Reports $167M Operating Gain for Q1
Analysis | By Jack O'Brien
According to a company press release, without CARES Act funding, the organization would have reported an EBITDA margin of 6% and an operating loss of $25 million.
CommonSpirit Health recorded an operating gain of $167 million during Q1 2021, according to the company's latest earnings report released Friday afternoon.
CommonSpirit reported revenues of $7.72 billion, up more than $300 million year-over-year, as well as an EBITDA of $642 million.
According to a company press release, without Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding, the organization would have reported an EBITDA margin of 6% and an operating loss of $25 million.
The Chicago-based health system stated that the most recent financials indicate that the organization displayed "strong financial progress and success scaling operational efficiencies" in the face of pressures related to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
The system reported that its COVID-19 case count has increased more than 50% since October but remains below its mid-August peak.
"Despite the significant headwinds created by the pandemic, we have taken huge strides with our financial and operational performance," Dan Morissette, CFO of CommonSpirit, said in a statement. "While we will undoubtedly continue to face challenges in the months ahead, we have taken meaningful steps to improve our performance, manage our expenses, and meet the health needs of our patients and communities across the country."
Related: CommonSpirit Records $579M in Total Net Income
Regarding patient volumes, CommonSpirit's inpatient admissions on a same-store basis were down 6.4% year-over-year.
Additionally, the organization announced that it received "strong demand" for $2.3 billion in bonds that were priced late last month, including more than $8.4 billion in orders.
Related: CommonSpirit Digital Assistant Automates Physicians' Administrative Processes
The system's financials were released over a month after CommonSpirit announced that it recorded an operating loss of $550 million for fiscal year 2020.
Related: CommonSpirit Books $550M Operating Loss for FY '20
Jack O'Brien is the Content Team Lead and Finance Editor at HealthLeaders, an HCPro brand.
Opinion: Is a doctor the right prescription for Boston?
Lost on the frontline
Fitch: Pandemic Stresses Staff, Raises Costs at Not-for-Profit Hospitals


text:
Today the UN had to suspend its planned humanitarian intervention as part of the implementation of the ceasefire agreement on Zabadani, Madaya, Fua, and Kefraya due to the recent surge of military activities in the concerned areas.
The UN team and humanitarian partners, in fact, had made all necessary preparations and were in place to immediately implement the humanitarian provisions of the agreement.
The Syrian population in these affected areas is waiting for this agreement to be implemented so that needed humanitarian assistance can be provided to end their long-standing suffering.
The UN calls on all concerned parties to fulfill their responsibilities in the protection of civilians and reach the necessary understandings in order to implement this agreement as soon as possible. The UN reaffirms its commitment to the protection of civilians and remains ready to assist.
New York, 29 July 2015
After more than four years of slaughter, the Syrian conflict is a shameful symbol of the international community's divisions and failure.
I am profoundly disappointed that this Council's resolutions on Syria have not been implemented – neither on ending the violence nor on easing humanitarian suffering or combatting terrorism and foreign fighters.
Syria is the world's largest humanitarian crisis, as you heard yesterday in harrowing detail from
the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs.
At least a quarter-million Syrians have been killed.
Almost half the country's people -- 12 million men, women and children -- have been forced to flee their homes. In a massive cross-border exodus, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq are hosting an ever growing number of refugees, and increasing numbers of Syrians [are] making desperate flights across the Mediterranean in so-called "death boats".
Atrocious crimes are now almost an hourly occurrence, fed by a lack of accountability for the major human rights violations committed over the past four years and through decades of repression.
The Syrian people have been exposed to chemical weapons, which should have been relegated to the past – and to new, indiscriminate killing devices such as barrel bombs and hell cannons.
The conflict has given rise to terrorist groups such as Da'esh and Al Nusra Front, and fuelled sectarianism and radicalization throughout and beyond the region.
And funding for humanitarian activities continues to be outpaced by the gargantuan and ever-growing scale of needs.
The situation is a clear threat to international peace and security that should compel us all to consider what more we can do to end the carnage and uphold our responsibilities.
It was in this context that on 28 March I instructed my Special Envoy for Syria, Mr. Staffan de Mistura, to intensify efforts by the United Nations to find a political settlement to the conflict. Specifically, I asked him to work to operationalize the Geneva Communiqué.
The Security Council unanimously endorsed the Geneva Communiqué in its resolution 2118. The document contains principles and guidelines to end the violence and launch a Syrian-led political process leading to a transition that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people.
The Communiqué remains the only internationally agreed basis for a political settlement to the Syrian conflict, and was the foundation for recent initiatives such as the Cairo and Moscow processes.
Mr. de Mistura will brief you on his consultations. I would like to highlight four key points.
First, Mr. de Mistura's description of the state of the Syrian crisis is a synthesis of what we heard from an inclusive and representative group of Syrian and non-Syrian stakeholders.
Second, amidst gaping fault lines, there are points of consensus upon which a credible political process can be constructed.
Syrians and external actors alike possess a shared sense of concern regarding the threshold that the conflict has now reached.
No one wants to risk the chaos of an uncontrolled transition in Damascus. All reject a future Syria divided along sectarian lines. Many Syrians warned that the country is entering a cycle of fragmentation and radicalization from which it will be hard to exit.
Our Syrian interlocutors also lamented that their country is caught in a regional proxy war that is beyond Syrians' ability to resolve by themselves.
Almost all pointed to an urgent need for the international community to act now if we want to save and preserve what is left of Syria. As the situation deteriorates, Syrians predict that the prospects for achieving a political solution will also recede.
Third, the Syrians with whom we spoke share many of the same aspirations.
They want to protect the country's sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence, and to determine their own future free from external intervention.
They consider it impossible to return to the past.
They reject violent extremism and terrorism, and support a non-sectarian, multi-confessional and inclusive society.
And they yearn to build a genuinely democratic Syria based on human rights and the rule of law.
Fourth and finally, the consultations made clear that the major stumbling block in the political process remains the issue of forming a Transitional Governing Body, or TGB, with full executive powers that can create a suitable environment and safety for all during the transition.
The TGB is the top priority for the opposition, while the Syrian government has told us that such an institution would be unconstitutional.
Although difficult, these are not insurmountable obstacles and differences. Mr. de Mistura will therefore present a proposal to launch a political process aimed at enabling Syrians to negotiate a framework agreement on how to implement all aspects of the Geneva Communiqué.
The main goal of these preparatory negotiations will be to reach intra-Syrian agreement on the elements of the Geneva Communiqué, including on the issue of the TGB, as well as to effectively fight terrorism.
I stand ready to convene a high-level international conference to endorse any recommendations or agreement that this Syrian-led political process may reach.
The status quo in Syria is unacceptable. Some argue that we must wait to end this nightmare until there is a more propitious alignment of regional and international circumstances. This would be both immoral and irresponsible.
We must not condemn the Syrian people to even deeper despair. We must not condemn the region to unending turmoil.
Today I ask the Security Council to endorse Mr. de Mistura's recommendations and work with the Syrian parties to convince them to participate constructively in this proposed process.
Just as important, the Council has a responsibility to support the political process by acting to de-escalate the conflict.
We must ensure that these preparatory negotiations are meaningful and not cynically exploited as a license to continue the killing.
I urge the Security Council, Syria's neighbours and regional sponsors of the Syrian parties to stem all flows of arms and foreign fighters pouring into the country.
While ending the bloodshed remains primarily the responsibility of the Syrian parties, especially President Bashar al-Assad, there is much that the region and the international community can do to starve the fire of its fuel.
We must also build on the political momentum that has been generated by the nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1 countries. The unity that generated that agreement can help point the way towards conflict resolution in Syria and greater stability across the region.
For the moment, the greatest obstacle to ending the Syrian war is the notion that it can be won militarily. It is our failure to act with a unified voice that perpetuates this harmful illusion and allows the Syrian parties to think that there is some alternative other than coming to the negotiating table.
Today, Mr. de Mistura and I will outline a way forward to reach the political solution that all claim to support. I urge you to give this proposal your full support. If you do not, the world expects this body to present a viable alternative.
In reference to the statement* issued by the Cairo follow-up committee after its meeting with Mr. Staffan de Mistura, on 19 July 2015, the Office of the Special Envoy for Syria would like to indicate that the quotes attributed to him in that meeting were not consistent with the overall discussions that took place.
Mr. de Mistura will continue to refrain from making any comments regarding the discussions taking place during his meetings within the framework of the ongoing consultations on Syria.
After his upcoming briefing to the Security Council, the Special Envoy will be in a position to better elaborate on the current situation and future prospects.
*http://all4syria.info/Archive/233864
في إشارة إلى بيان* صدر من قبل اللجنة المعنية بتنفيذ مقررات القاهرة او ما تعرف باللجنة الـ 13، بعد اجتماعها مع السيد ستيفان دي ميستورا، في 19 تموز عام 2015، يهمّ مكتب المبعوث الخاص إلى سوريا الإشارة أن الأقوال المنسوبة إليه في ذلك الاجتماع لا تتفّق مع حقيقة المناقشات العامة التي جرت على أرض الواقع.
ويواصل السيد دي مستورا الامتناع عن الإدلاء بأي تعليق حول المناقشات التي تجري خلال لقاءاته في إطار المشاورات الجارية بشأن سوريا.
بعد الإحاطة القادمة لمجلس الأمن، سوف يكون المبعوث الخاص في وضع مؤاتٍ لإطلاع الرأي العام على الوضع الراهن وآفاق المستقبل.
* http://all4syria.info/Archive/233864
22 تمّوز 2015، جنيف
Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura visited today the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, where he met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs Mr. Nasser Judeh. Mr. de Mistura very much appreciated Minister Judeh's deep knowledge and analysis of the regional situation, particularly as Jordan is providing hospitality to a substantial number of Syrian refugees and is therefore heavily affected by the situation in Syria.
Mr. de Mistura also met Syrian opposition figures who were present in Jordan.
At the end of today's meetings, Mr. de Mistura reaffirmed the resolve of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to spare no efforts to support the people of Syria in their yearning for peace and change. He stressed that both regional and international powers can do much more to end the raging conflict in Syria.
زار المبعوث الخاص ستيفان دي مستورا اليوم المملكة الأردنية الهاشمية، حيث التقى مع نائب رئيس الوزراء ووزير الشؤون الخارجية وشؤون المغتربين السيد ناصر جودة. و قد أعرب السيد دي مستورا عن تقديره الكبير تجاه المعرفة العميقة التي يتمتّع بها الوزير جودة وتحليله للوضع الإقليمي، خاصّة أنّ الأردن يستضيف عدداً كبيراً من اللاجئين السوريين، وبالتالي يتأثر بشدة من الوضع في سوريا.
كما التقى السيد دي مستورا أيضا شخصيات من المعارضة السورية كانوا موجودين في الأردن.
في نهاية جلسات اليوم، أكّد السيد دي مستورا عزم الأمين العام للأمم المتحدة إلى عدم ادخار أي جهد لدعم الشعب السوري، في إطار سعيهم للسلام والتغيير. وشدد على أن كل من القوى الإقليمية والدولية يمكنها أن تفعل أكثر من ذلك بكثير لإنهاء الصراع المحتدم في سوريا.
In the framework of the Geneva Consultations, the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Mr. Staffan de Mistura, met today with Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East and Supreme Head of the Universal Syrian Orthodox Church, who presented his views about the peaceful future of Syria and its various communities.
"It is very important that the voices of the religious leaders and their communities be heard and taken into account as we search for peace in Syria. Their representatives have an essential to role play in promoting peacemaking and reconciliation in the Syria of tomorrow", Mr de Mistura said after the meeting.
On 27 May, in the framework of the Geneva Consultations, the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria met with a delegation from the Islamic Republic of Iran, led by Mr. Mohsen Naziri Asl, Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva. Ambassador Asl shared the views of his government regarding the Syrian crisis. Separately, Mr. de Mistura also met with a delegation from the United Arab Emirates, led by Mr. Fares Al Mazrouei, Assistant Foreign Minister for Security and Military Affairs. Mr. Al Mazrouei shared his Government's perspectives on the Syrian conflict. At the end of the consultations on 27 May, Mr. de Mistura stressed the importance of the contribution of the regional countries to a political solution to the Syrian conflict. He also underscored an urgent need to find ways to end the bloodshed in Syria. In this respect, the Special Envoy reiterated his support to humanitarian pauses in fighting as called for by the World Food Programme (WFP), so farmers in Syria can safely harvest and transport crops in the coming weeks within the country to reach all Syrians in need.


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text:
Athletics featured
GAA Endorse Sekondi-Takoradi Marathon
Africa Games Athletics Basketball
Athletics featured Handball Hockey Olympic Games Soccer Tennis Tourism
Unveiled! Mybet.Africa provide running vests for athletes for Sekondi-Takoradi Marathon
Sekondi-Takoradi Marathon (STM) Launched
Arm Wrestling Athletics Badminton Basketball Bodybuilding and Fitness Boxing Chess Combat Sports CommonWealth Games featured FIFA World Cup Ghana Premier League Golf Hockey Judo Martial Arts Olympic Games Others Paralympics
Former Ghana Athletics boss George Lutterodt gives Martha Bissah 90-day ultimatum to apologise for 'lying'
Mr. Bawah Fuseini, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Athletics Association (GAA) has said the annual Sekondi-Takoradi Marathon (STM) has received the full backing of his outfit.
Speaking the Press Launch of the 2021 Sekondi-Takoradi Marathon, Mr. Fuseini said, the maiden edition of the event was sanctioned and it was a major success adding that, they had no option other than to sanction this year's event.
"Last year was a major success in terms of organization and the organisers fulfilled all the major requirements we set for them.
"We recorded one of the fastest times in the history of marathon in the country. A time which can be used for international competitions. We hope to see many improvements in the second edition," he added.
He called on the organisers to ensure the prompt payments of prizes to ensure the credibility of the race.
Mr. Fuseini said, the athletes must be made aware of the prizes at stake and the time duration for payments before the competition to avoid unnecessary bickering after the event.
He said such bickering had the tendency to derail the efforts of the organisers and all stakeholders.
The STM is under the auspices of the WRCC and organized by Medivents Consult with support from Total Marketing and Tours Limited (TMTL).
The event is fixed for Sunday, December 26 at 6:30 am.
Credit: Sportnetgh


text:
5th District Federal Court Upholds Ban on Biden's Vaxx Mandate For Firms With 100+ Workers
Biden's mandate strategy was always based upon coerced consent, which is RAPE.
A federal court upheld a ban on Biden's vaccine mandate for firms with 100 or more workers.
The 5th US District court called the rules 'staggeringly over broad' in an opinion published Friday.
'The mandate is a one-size-fits-all sledgehammer,' the ruling said.
A federal court upheld a ban on President Joe Biden's vaccine mandate for firms with 100 or more workers, describing the scope of the rules as "staggeringly overbroad."
A three-person panel of the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans – which covers Texas, Louisiana, and parts of Mississippi – issued a new ruling Friday to keep the rule on hold.
The judges upheld their original decision to block the rules, which the Biden administration had appealed against.
"The mandate is staggeringly over broad," the opinion said, arguing that it failed to consider that COVID-19 is more dangerous to some workers than others.
"The mandate fails almost completely to address, or even respond to, much of this reality and common sense."
The opinion also described the mandate as a "one-size-fits-all sledgehammer that makes hardly any attempt to account for differences in workplaces."
The Biden administration has previously argued that halting the roll-out of the mandate could lead to hundreds of deaths, Reuters reported.
The rules are not due to take effect until January 4, but a contracted legal battle could hold them up even further.
They would cover around two-thirds of all private-sector workers. Biden announced the policy in broad strokes in September, and the detail was published last week by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
The mandate would require firms with more than 100 employees to require COVID-19 vaccines for staff, or for them to implement weekly testing.
More than half the US states have filed or joined lawsuits opposing the mandate.
Most of the 26 states have Republican governors, but three are Democrat-led.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Source: by Thomas Colson | Yahoo News
Fifth Circuit Reaffirms Order Halting OSHA From Enforcing Vax Mandate
Worldwide Vaccine Failure
FDA Recalls Millions Of At-Home COVID-19 Tests Over False Positives
America Under Attack by Marxist Globalists – Martin Armstrong
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged Coerced Consent, Rape, Vaccine Mandate on November 13, 2021 by Bone Fish.
← Zillow Layoffs Tell More About Real Estate Market Than Most Think CEO of American Trucking Association Reveals 37% of Truckers Will Not Comply With Vaccine Mandate – The Consequences Would Collapse Supply Chains and Civic Society →


text:
namespace chrono
{

// Forward references (for parent hierarchy pointer)

class ChSystem;

///
/// Class for a collection of rigid bodies with some constraints, that should always be cosidered together.
/// A rigid body is an entity which can move in 3D space, and the constraints are ChLink objects.
/// The objects have mass and inertia properties. A shape can also
/// be associated to the bodies, for collision detection.
///

class ChApi ChAssembly : public ChPhysicsItem {

						// Chrono simulation of RTTI, needed for serialization
	CH_RTTI(ChAssembly,ChPhysicsItem);

protected:

						// list of joints (links)
	std::list<ChLink*>   linklist;

						// list of rigid bodies
	std::vector<ChBody*> bodylist;

private:
			//
	  		// DATA
			//

	bool do_collide;
	bool do_limit_speed;

	float max_speed;	// limit on linear speed (useful for VR & videagames)
	float max_wvel;		// limit on angular vel. (useful for VR & videagames)

public:

			//
	  		// CONSTRUCTORS
			//

				/// Build an assembly.
	ChAssembly ();
				/// Destructor
	~ChAssembly ();

				/// Copy from another ChAssembly.
				/// NOTE: all settings of the body are copied, but the
				/// child hierarchy of ChForces and ChMarkers (if any) are NOT copied.
	void Copy(ChAssembly* source);

			//
	  		// FLAGS
			//

				/// Enable/disable the collision for this cluster of particles.
				/// After setting ON, remember RecomputeCollisionModel()
				/// before anim starts (it is not automatically
				/// recomputed here because of performance issues.)
	void  SetCollide (bool mcoll);
	bool  GetCollide() {return do_collide;}

				/// Trick. Set the maximum linear speed (beyond this limit it will
				/// be clamped). This is useful in virtual reality and real-time
				/// simulations, because it reduces the risk of bad collision detection.
				/// The realism is limited, but the simulation is more stable.
	void SetLimitSpeed    (bool mlimit) { do_limit_speed = mlimit;};
	bool GetLimitSpeed()  {return do_limit_speed;};

			//
	  		// FUNCTIONS
			//

				/// Set the pointer to the parent ChSystem()
	void SetSystem (ChSystem* m_system);

				/// Removes all bodies/marker/forces/links/contacts,
				/// also resets timers and events.
	void Clear();

				/// Searches a marker from its unique ID -OBSOLETE
	ChMarker* SearchMarker(int markID);

				/// Given inserted markers and links, restores the
				/// pointers of links to markers given the information
				/// about the marker IDs.
	void Reference_LM_byID();

				/// Number of coordinates of the rigid body =6 (internally, 3+4=7 coords are used
				/// since quaternions are used for large rotations, but local coords -ex. w&v velocity- are 6)
	virtual int GetDOF  ();
				/// Get the number of scalar constraints, if any, in this item
	virtual int GetDOC  ()   {return GetDOC_c()+GetDOC_d();}
				/// Get the number of scalar constraints, if any, in this item (only bilateral constr.)
	virtual int GetDOC_c  ();
				/// Get the number of scalar constraints, if any, in this item (only unilateral constr.)
	virtual int GetDOC_d  ();

			 // Override/implement LCP system functions of ChPhysicsItem
			 // (to assembly/manage data for LCP system solver)

				/// Sets the 'fb' part of the encapsulated ChLcpVariablesBodyOwnMass to zero.
	virtual void VariablesFbReset();

				/// Adds the current forces applied to body (including gyroscopic torque) in
				/// encapsulated ChLcpVariablesBody, in the 'fb' part: qf+=forces*factor
	virtual void VariablesFbLoadForces(double factor=1.);

				/// Initialize the 'qb' part of the ChLcpVariablesBody with the
				/// current value of body speeds. Note: since 'qb' is the unknown of the LCP, this
				/// function seems unuseful, unless used before VariablesFbIncrementMq()
	virtual void VariablesQbLoadSpeed();

				/// Adds M*q (masses multiplied current 'qb') to Fb, ex. if qb is initialized
				/// with v_old using VariablesQbLoadSpeed, this method can be used in
				/// timestepping schemes that do: M*v_new = M*v_old + forces*dt
	virtual void VariablesFbIncrementMq();

				/// Fetches the body speed (both linear and angular) from the
				/// 'qb' part of the ChLcpVariablesBody (does not updates the full body&markers state)
				/// and sets it as the current body speed.
				/// If 'step' is not 0, also computes the approximate acceleration of
				/// the body using backward differences, that is  accel=(new_speed-old_speed)/step.
				/// Mostly used after the LCP provided the solution in ChLcpVariablesBody .
	virtual void VariablesQbSetSpeed(double step=0.);

				/// Increment body position by the 'qb' part of the ChLcpVariablesBody,
				/// multiplied by a 'step' factor.
				///     pos+=qb*step
				/// If qb is a speed, this behaves like a single step of 1-st order
				/// numerical integration (Eulero integration).
				/// Does not automatically update markers & forces.
	virtual void VariablesQbIncrementPosition(double step);

				/// Tell to a system descriptor that there are variables of type
				/// ChLcpVariables in this object (for further passing it to a LCP solver)
	virtual void InjectVariables(ChLcpSystemDescriptor& mdescriptor);

				/// Tell to a system descriptor that there are contraints of type
				/// ChLcpConstraint in this object (for further passing it to a LCP solver)
				/// Basically does nothing, but maybe that inherited classes may specialize this.
	virtual void InjectConstraints(ChLcpSystemDescriptor& mdescriptor);

				/// Sets to zero the known term (b_i) of encapsulated ChLcpConstraints
	virtual void ConstraintsBiReset();

				/// Adds the current C (constraint violation) to the known term (b_i) of
				/// encapsulated ChLcpConstraints
	virtual void ConstraintsBiLoad_C(double factor=1., double recovery_clamp=0.1, bool do_clamp=false);

				/// Adds the current Ct (partial t-derivative, as in C_dt=0-> [Cq]*q_dt=-Ct)
				/// to the known term (b_i) of encapsulated ChLcpConstraints
	virtual void ConstraintsBiLoad_Ct(double factor=1.);

				/// Adds the current Qc (the vector of C_dtdt=0 -> [Cq]*q_dtdt=Qc )
				/// to the known term (b_i) of encapsulated ChLcpConstraints
	virtual void ConstraintsBiLoad_Qc(double factor=1.);

				/// Adds the current link-forces, if any, (caused by springs, etc.) to the 'fb' vectors
				/// of the ChLcpVariables referenced by encapsulated ChLcpConstraints
	virtual void ConstraintsFbLoadForces(double factor=1.);

				/// Adds the current jacobians in encapsulated ChLcpConstraints
	virtual void ConstraintsLoadJacobians();

				/// Fills the solution of the constraint (the lagrangian multiplier l_i)
				/// with an initial guess, if any. This can be used for warm-starting the
				/// LCP solver before starting the solution of the SPEED problem, if some
				/// approximate solution of constraint impulese l_i already exist (ex. cached
				/// from a previous LCP execution)
				/// When implementing this in sub classes, if no guess is available, set l_i as 0.
	virtual void ConstraintsLiLoadSuggestedSpeedSolution();

				/// As ConstraintsLiLoadSuggestedSpeedSolution(), but for the POSITION problem.
	virtual void ConstraintsLiLoadSuggestedPositionSolution();

				/// After the LCP solver has found the l_i lagangian multipliers for the
				/// SPEED problem, this function will be called to store the solutions in a
				/// cache (to be implemented in ChLink sub classes) so that it can be later retrieved with
				/// ConstraintsLiLoadSuggestedSpeedSolution(). If you do not plan to implement a l_i cache,
				/// just do not override this function in child classes and do nothing.
	virtual void ConstraintsLiFetchSuggestedSpeedSolution();

				/// As ConstraintsLiFetchSuggestedSpeedSolution(), but for the POSITION problem.
	virtual void ConstraintsLiFetchSuggestedPositionSolution();

				/// Fetches the reactions from the lagrangian multiplier (l_i)
				/// of encapsulated ChLcpConstraints.
				/// Mostly used after the LCP provided the solution in ChLcpConstraints.
				/// Also, should convert the reactions obtained from dynamical simulation,
				/// from link space to intuitive react_force and react_torque.
	virtual void ConstraintsFetch_react(double factor=1.);

			   // Other functions

				/// Set no speed and no accelerations (but does not change the position)
	void SetNoSpeedNoAcceleration();

				/// Synchronize coll.model coordinate and bounding box to the position of the body.
	virtual void SyncCollisionModels();
	virtual void AddCollisionModelsToSystem();
	virtual void RemoveCollisionModelsFromSystem();

				/// Get the entire AABB axis-aligned bounding box of the object,
				/// as defined by the collision model (if any).
	virtual void GetTotalAABB(ChVector<>& bbmin, ChVector<>& bbmax);

				/// Trick. Set the maximum linear speed (beyond this limit it will
				/// be clamped). This is useful in virtual reality and real-time
				/// simulations, because it reduces the risk of bad collision detection.
				/// This speed limit is active only if you set  SetLimitSpeed(true);
	void   SetMaxSpeed(float m_max_speed) {max_speed = m_max_speed;}
	float  GetMaxSpeed () {return max_speed;}

				/// Trick. Set the maximum angualar speed (beyond this limit it will
				/// be clamped). This is useful in virtual reality and real-time
				/// simulations, because it reduces the risk of bad collision detection.
				/// This speed limit is active only if you set  SetLimitSpeed(true);
	void   SetMaxWvel(float m_max_wvel) {max_wvel = m_max_wvel;}
	float  GetMaxWvel () {return max_wvel;}

				/// When this function is called, the speed of particles is clamped
				/// into limits posed by max_speed and max_wvel  - but remember to
				/// put the body in the SetLimitSpeed(true) mode.
	void ClampSpeed();

			//
			// DATABASE HANDLING.
			//
			// To attach/remove items (rigid bodies, links, etc.) you must use
			// shared pointer, so that you don't need to care about item deletion,
			// which will be automatic when needed.
			// Please don't add the same item multiple times; also, don't remove
			// items which haven't ever been added.
			// NOTE! After adding/removing items to the system, you should call Update() !

				/// Get the number of particles
	size_t GetNbodies() {return bodylist.size();}

				/// Attach a body to this system. Must be an object of exactly ChBody class.
	void AddBody (ChSharedPtr<ChBody> newbody);
				/// Attach a link to this system. Must be an object of ChLink or derived classes.
	void AddLink (ChSharedPtr<ChLink> newlink);
	void AddLink (ChLink* newlink);  // _internal use

				/// Remove a body from this system.
	void RemoveBody (ChSharedPtr<ChBody> mbody);
				/// Remove a link from this system (faster version, mostly internal use)
	std::list<ChLink*>::iterator RemoveLinkIter(std::list<ChLink*>::iterator& mlinkiter);
				/// Remove a link from this system.
	void RemoveLink (ChSharedPtr<ChLink> mlink);

				/// Remove all bodies from this system.
	void RemoveAllBodies();
				/// Remove all links from this system.
	void RemoveAllLinks();

        /// Gets the list of children bodies -low level function-.
        /// NOTE: to modify this list, use the appropriate Remove..
        /// and Add.. functions.
	const std::vector<ChBody*>& Get_bodylist() const {return bodylist;}
        /// Gets the list of children links -low level function-.
        /// NOTE: to modify this list, use the appropriate Remove..
        /// and Add.. functions.
	const std::list<ChLink*>& Get_linklist() const {return linklist;}

			//
			// UPDATE FUNCTIONS
			//

				/// Update all auxiliary data of the rigid body and of
				/// its children (markers, forces..), at given time
	virtual void Update (double mytime);
				/// Update all auxiliary data of the rigid body and of
				/// its children (markers, forces..)
	virtual void Update ();

			//
			// STREAMING
			//

				/// Method to deserialize only the state (position, speed)
	virtual void StreamINstate(ChStreamInBinary& mstream);
				/// Method to serialize only the state (position, speed)
	virtual void StreamOUTstate(ChStreamOutBinary& mstream);

				/// Method to allow deserializing a persistent binary archive (ex: a file)
				/// into transient data.
	void StreamIN(ChStreamInBinary& mstream);

				/// Method to allow serializing transient data into a persistent
				/// binary archive (ex: a file).
	void StreamOUT(ChStreamOutBinary& mstream);

				/// Save data, including child markers and child forces
	int StreamOUTall (ChStreamOutBinary& m_file);
				/// Read data, including child markers and child forces
	int StreamINall  (ChStreamInBinary&  m_file);

				/// Method to allow serialization of transient data in ascii,
				/// as a readable item, for example   "chrono::GetLog() << myobject;"
	void StreamOUT(ChStreamOutAscii& mstream);

	int  StreamOUTall  (ChStreamOutAscii& mstream);
};

typedef ChSharedPtr<ChAssembly> ChAssemblyPtr;

} // END_OF_NAMESPACE____

#endif


Ever see two guys so happy to have stuffed their rally car? It's because they were testing. Practicing!
Thirty days after announcing it would sanction rally car testing, there were two test days on the NASA Rally Sport calendar. The first one took place last weekend in Humptulips, Washington (Note: Who named this town?!) and it was sold out shortly after opening registration. To be fair, only 10 cars are allowed per test which allows the day to run smoothly and even more importantly, it makes the test day manageable for anyone wishing to host their own test day through NASA Rally Sport.
The cost per driver was $150 and while NASA Rally Sport sets up the electronic payment, the funds go directly to the Event Chairman for those of you considering setting up your own day. NASA Rally Sport makes it really easy. This first test one was organized by the following and I heard it was great day for everyone that showed up.
Nice work on setting the first one up! And here's a quick video of some of the teams testing.
← Previous Post: Indiana Rallycross is Back!


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Congresswoman Ilhan Omar faced further attacks Thursday for comments she made about the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, this time from U.S. President Donald Trump's son.
The younger Trump criticized the Muslim lawmaker after comments surfaced of her talking about the Islamophobia Muslims faced in the post-Sept. 11 era.
Trump Jr. called out Omar, taking the wording "some people did something" and using it to call her an "anti-Semite" and a "disgrace".
On the front page of the New York Post, a right-wing newspaper, was a response to Omar's comments saying "Here's your something. 2,977 people dead from terrorism." Behind the headline was a photo of the Twin Towers exploding.
On Wednesday, "Fox & Friends" host Brian Kilmeade apologized after making similar comments that questioned Omar's loyalty to the U.S.
Some members of Congress came to Omar's defense, saying that she was speaking truth to power.
"They take our words out of context because they're afraid because we speak truth, we speak truth to power," Muslim congresswoman Rashida Tlaib said in an interview with MSNBC about the Post's front cover.
"She sees what terrorism can do, she sees what violence can do to a whole country, a whole people. Taking it out of context, this is just a pure racist act," Tlaib added.
She has faced a slew of attacks and death threats in recent weeks, along with ongoing criticisms since she made scathing comments against Israel, and now with comments she made on the Sept. 11 attacks.


Once you decide dental implants are an appropriate treatment for you, your next question will be "How much will this cost me?" Given that dental implants are not available on the NHS, it will seem like a sizeable investment!
There is a lot of misleading information about cost on the web. Any internet search will bring up headlines like"Dental Implants for £395!" But be very wary and careful of these. Some dentists will highlight the cost for placing an implant, but then will charge extra for the crown, abutment and other aspects of treatment. You may also need extra procedures like bone grafting, or soft tissue augmentation which will also carry extra charges.
This type of hidden charging is a bugbear and we at Rodney Street Dental are committed to being open and honest about our costs, discussing them with you in a professional manner, following it up in writing and then sticking to what they have agreed with you.
Why do implants seem more expensive than other alternatives?
This is probably one of the most common questions people have and one I always face on a day to day basis. The cheapest thing is certainly to "do nothing", but you will see that there can be severe implications to doing that.
Dental implants are expensive to produce and a lot of clinical research goes into the top implant systems. We judge the quality of an implant by the amount of clinical evidence we have proving that they work and they last. It takes highly skilled technicians to make a ceramic tooth that can be mounted onto the abutment to make a genuine-looking tooth which is a permanent replacement.
Although the overall cost of an implant is initially more, it works out cheaper in the longer term (i.e. after 7 years on average) vs a bridge (where adjacent healthy teeth are cut down so a prosthetic metal or ceramic construction can be inserted across the gap). Bridges also need ongoing adjustment and replacement, as the teeth they are mounted on wear and decay. Finally, a bridge does not preserve the bone in the same way that implants do.
If you would like to book a consultation to discuss dental implants (or anything else) then contact the practice on 0161 707 1811 or complete the online contact form. Alternatively we currently have a special offer on dental implants – CLICK HERE to view it now!
Would you resort to DIY dentistry?


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Statement to the Joint Committee on Transportation General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on S.7 – An Act Relative to Improving Safety on the Roads of the Commonwealt, Boston, MA
Bruce Landsberg
Download the Statement
Good morning Co Chairs Boncore and Straus, and Members of the Committee. My name is Bruce Landsberg. I am honored to appear before you today as Vice Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), to discuss the NTSB's recommendations related to safety belt use, and distracted and impaired driving.
The NTSB is an independent federal agency charged by Congress with investigating every civil aviation accident in the United States and significant accidents in other modes of transportation – railroad, highway, marine, and pipeline. The NTSB determines the probable cause of each accident it investigates and makes safety recommendations aimed at preventing future accidents. In addition, the NTSB carries out special studies concerning transportation safety. The recommendations that arise from our investigations and safety studies are the NTSB's most important tool for saving lives and preventing injury.
NTSB continues to investigate the Sept. 13, 2018, series of explosions and fires in the Merrimack Valley region of Massachusetts, that killed one person and sent at least 21 others to area hospitals. We very much appreciate your quick action to enact legislation addressing the urgent recommendations we issued calling for the elimination of the professional engineer licensure exemption for public utility work.
PRIMARY SEAT BELT ENFORCEMENT
Motor vehicle crashes are responsible for more deaths than crashes in all other transportation modes combined – more than 90 percent of all transportation-related deaths every year. The single greatest defense against motor vehicle injuries and fatalities is the seat belt.
Seat belts are the best defense against motor vehicle injuries and fatalities because they protect vehicle occupants from the extreme forces experienced during crashes. Unbelted vehicle occupants frequently injure other occupants, and unbelted drivers are less likely than belted drivers to be able to control their vehicles. In addition, seat belts prevent occupant ejections. In 2016, only 1 percent of vehicle occupants using seat belts were ejected, while 29 percent of unrestrained vehicle occupants were ejected. Among those occupants completely ejected from their passenger vehicles, 81 percent were killed.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that seat belts saved the lives of nearly 15,000 motor vehicle occupants age 5 and older in 2016, nationwide. Further, had all passenger vehicle occupants age 5 and older used seat belts in 2016 an additional 2,456 lives could have been saved. From 1975 through 2015, seat belts saved more than 344,000 lives nationwide.
Here in Massachusetts, 246 lives were saved by seat belts in 2016, and another 44 could have been saved if all vehicle occupants had worn their belt.
Unfortunately, seat belt use in the United States remains lower than in other industrialized nations, which have rates well over 90 percent. In 2017, seat belt use in the United States was 89.7 percent. However, in Massachusetts, it was 73.7 percent, a decline of 4.5 percent from 2016. Only New Hampshire, which has no seat belt use requirement for adults, was lower.
Although 49 states require motor vehicle occupants to use seat belts, 15 states – including Massachusetts – allow only secondary enforcement of their seat belt laws. Secondary enforcement means that police officers cannot issue a citation for a seat belt violation unless the vehicle has been stopped for another reason. According to the 2018 National Occupant Protection Use Survey, the average belt use was 90.6 percent in states authorizing primary enforcement; it was 86.4 percent in states authorizing only secondary enforcement.
Drivers who choose not to buckle up tend to exhibit multiple high-risk behaviors and are more frequently involved in crashes. According to the National Automotive Sampling System (crash data composed of representative, randomly-selected cases from police reports), belt use among motorists is lowest in the most severe crashes.
Fatal crashes are the most violent motor vehicle crashes and often result from high-risk behaviors such as speeding and impaired driving. While observational surveys showed a 90.1 percent seat belt use rate in 2016, use by occupants involved in fatal crashes was only 73 percent. Among those occupants fatally injured in traffic crashes, only 52 percent were restrained, and 48 percent were unrestrained.
Seat belt use is also substantially lower than the national observed belt use rate among special populations, such as impaired drivers and teen drivers. In 2013, 68 percent of fatally injured drivers who were driving while impaired were not using seat belts. During that same year, 49 percent of fatally injured teen drivers who had been drinking were not restrained.
Although opponents to strong seat belt laws claim that nonuse is a personal choice and affects only the individual, the fact is that motor vehicle injuries and fatalities have a significant societal cost. NHTSA calculated that the lifetime cost to society for each motor vehicle fatality is about $1.4 million. More than 80 percent of these costs were attributed to lost workplace and household productivity.
With primary enforcement, police officers execute a traffic stop and cite unbelted vehicle occupants without needing another reason for making the stop. Data show that states with primary enforcement seat belt laws are those states that have the highest seat belt use. States that have enacted primary enforcement seat belt laws have historically experienced increased seat belt use rates between 5 and 18 percentage points. The increased use is based on the realization by drivers that they may be stopped for violating the seat belt law.
Primary enforcement of seat belt use laws has also been associated with a reduction in fatalities. A 2004 study examining 10 states that moved from secondary to primary enforcement of seat belt use laws concluded that the change resulted in a 7 percent reduction in fatalities. A similar 10 percent reduction in fatalities was observed in Minnesota, which introduced primary enforcement in 2009.
Primary enforcement seat belt laws remain the best way to raise and maintain high seat belt use rates. Numerous scientific publications and the U.S. Guide to Community Preventive Service's systematic review of all available scientific literature show that primary enforcement seat belt laws increase seat belt usage, and with increased usage comes fewer injuries and fatalities.
NTSB has investigated many crashes where seat belts would have saved lives or prevented serious injuries. Therefore, NTSB has recommended since 1995 that every state enact a primary seatbelt law covering every seating position. Based on scientific studies and our own highway crash investigations, the NTSB is confident that a significant number of lives would be saved, and injuries would be prevented if Massachusetts authorizes primary enforcement of its existing seat belt use law.
The NTSB's most recent recommendation, that states mandate the use of seat belts on all vehicles equipped with belts, including intercity motorcoaches and other passenger vehicles resulted from our investigation of a 2014 crash in Davis, Oklahoma. In that crash, four college athletes were killed when they were ejected from the medium-size bus in which they were riding after it collided with a tractor trailer. None of the passengers were wearing safety belts. Our investigation concluded that the lack of restraint use by the bus passengers contributed to the severity of the injuries.
The NTSB is concerned about the growing number of highway crashes that involve driver distraction, particularly by portable electronic devices. It is estimated that almost one in 10 of those deaths (9.2 percent) occurred in a crash involving distracted driving. NHTSA estimates that about 3,450 fatalities occurred in distraction-affected crashes in 2016.
While data is being collected, currently there is no reliable method to accurately determine exactly how many crashes involve portable electronic devices or other distractions; therefore, it is impossible to know the true scope of the problem.
Since 2002, we have investigated at least six major highway crashes in which distraction due to the use of portable electronic devices caused or contributed to the outcome. We also have seen distractions caused by the use of electronic devices in other modes of transportation.
Epidemiological, driver simulator, and naturalistic studies all show that the risk of a crash is higher when a driver uses an electronic device. These studies, conducted by a variety of different institutions, have made the case that the use of portable electronic devices by motor vehicle operators are dangerously distracting.
Portable devices are ubiquitous. According to industry sources, there were 395.9 million wireless subscriber connections as of December 31, 2016 – or more than one for every man, woman, and child in the country. And, we use them while we are driving.
In 2013, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reported that more than two out of three drivers indicated that they talked on a cell phone while driving within the past 30 days. More than one of three drivers admitted to reading a text message or e-mail while driving, and more than one of four drivers admitted to typing or sending a text or e-mail.
A 2015 report from State Farm revealed a new trend: nearly 30 percent of drivers surveyed admitted to accessing the Internet while driving. That compares to just 13 percent who admitted to surfing the Web while driving in 2009.
Drivers don't just experience a visual or manual distraction when using a cell phone or other type of device; they also suffer a cognitive distraction. On November 14, 2004, an experienced motorcoach driver, distracted by talking on his hands-free cell phone, failed to notice both that low-clearance warning signs were posted and that the motorcoach he was following had changed lanes to a lane in which the clearance was sufficient. As a result, he failed to move to the center lane and struck the underside of an arched stone bridge on the George Washington Parkway in Alexandria, Virginia. Eleven of the 27 high school students on the bus were injured. In his post-accident interview, despite the numerous warnings and his knowledge of the route, the driver stated that he did not recall seeing the bridge until the accident occurred. This crash paints a clear picture that cognitive distraction while conversing is not just limited to the hand-held use of a device.
Other research supports this fact. Two studies examining crash data, one published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1997 and one published in the British Medical Journal in 2005, identified as much as a four-fold increase in crash risk when engaging in a cell phone conversation. More recently, in 2011, the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute reviewed studies examining distraction resulting from cell phone use and found longer reaction times with cell phone use, regardless of whether it is handheld or hands-free. Likewise, reviews conducted by researchers at Monash University in 2007 and at the University of Calgary in 2008 concluded that performance was degraded using both handheld and hands-free cell phones.
The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute conducted a series of naturalistic studies and found that the odds ratio for a motor vehicle crash or near-crash involving an experienced driver was 2.49 for dialing and 1.37 for reaching for a phone.
Recent studies by the AAA Foundation also show that hands-free is not risk-free. A driver's level of cognitive distraction is about equal whether using a hands-free or hand-held cell phone. Even voice-based systems may not eliminate distraction and may have unintended effects on traffic safety. In a study released early this year, the Foundation concluded that "visual-manual interaction with cell phones while driving, particularly but not exclusively relative to text messaging, was associated with approximately double the incidence of crash involvement relative to driving without performing any observable secondary tasks."
Finally, the public agrees that cell phone use is dangerous. In June 2014, the National Safety Council reported that 73 percent of drivers think that more enforcement of texting laws is needed. And the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reported that 85 percent of Americans think that other drivers who talk on cell phones are a threat to safety.
There is no doubt that the adoption of safe driving behavior, free of electronic device use, will require a cultural shift. If change is to happen, it will require a three-pronged approach: good laws, good education, and good enforcement. We have seen this approach work to improve highway safety with the widespread use of seatbelts, increased use of child restraints, and reduction in drunk driving. Public education continues to be important for reaching drivers, operators, and safety-critical personnel about the dangers of distractions. But education campaigns must be built on a foundation of strong laws and effective, visible enforcement. In 2015, NHTSA began development on a distracted driving training course for law enforcement, a monograph for prosecutors on investigating and prosecuting distracted driving cases, and a Lessons Learned Guide summarizing the highlights of the recently completed distracted driving High Visibility Enforcement demonstration project.
Recognizing the need for drivers to focus on the driving task, in December 2011, the NTSB recommended that all 50 states and the District of Columbia ban the nonemergency use of all portable electronic devices (other than those designed to support the driving task) for all drivers.
Currently only 16 states and the District of Columbia ban the use of hand-held cell phones while driving. The District of Columbia and 38 states restrict the use of cell phones by novice drivers, and 47 states and the District of Columbia ban text messaging while driving. And, your legislative colleagues around the nation are very interested in this topic. The National Conference of State Legislatures has identified 185 bills that have been introduced in 42 states this year.
Distraction is unsafe. It takes the driver's attention away from the driving task. And personal electronic devices increase the risk of distraction – whether they are used for texting or hands-free talking and listening. The NTSB is especially concerned about distractions from the use of electronic devices both because of our accident investigations and because of the increasing use of these devices by the general population. With more and more drivers using devices instead of focusing on driving safely, everyone on the road is at risk.
Distraction is not just about holding a device in a hand or glancing away from the road; it is also about mentally straying from the driving task. Drivers may think multitasking is possible to do effectively. But research studies, statistics, and lives lost show this is not the case. Even a momentary distraction of a driver's attention from the driving task – such as scanning a text message or talking on a hands-free phone – can have catastrophic consequences.
The NTSB believes a significant number of lives can be saved and injuries avoided if Massachusetts expands and strengthens its law to include all nonemergency use of all portable electronic devices. It is past time to face the fact that portable electronic devices create distracted drivers, and distracted driving is a serious safety risk. It's not just about protecting the life of the distracted driver – it's about providing for the safety of everyone else on the road. The fact is that no text, no call, no social media update is ever worth a human life.
IMPAIRED DRIVING
Like all other states, Massachusetts has made efforts to address impaired driving, making considerable progress in detecting, arresting, and adjudicating impaired drivers. However, alcohol-related crashes continue to claim thousands of lives nationwide. In 2017, more than a third – 120 – of the deaths on Massachusetts highways were alcohol-related.
In 2012, the NTSB re-examined the impaired driving problem and in 2013 published our study, "Reaching Zero – Actions to Eliminate Alcohol-Impaired Driving." This report included a comprehensive set of 19 targeted interventions that were a part of the NTSB's bold, fresh look at this issue in an effort to end alcohol-impaired driving. The recommendations included requiring the mandatory use of ignition interlock devices for all offenders convicted of driving while impaired.
An alcohol ignition interlock is a device that is connected to the ignition circuit of a vehicle and prevents the engine from starting until a breath sample has been provided, analyzed for ethanol content, and determined to be lower than prescribed limits. Many systems require additional breath samples at intervals during the driving task ("running retests"). In the United States, ignition interlocks have historically been viewed as a sanction for repeat or high-BAC offenders; however, in recent years, the movement has been toward mandating ignition interlocks for all DWI offenders, including first-time offenders. Currently 32 states plus the District of Columbia have all-offender ignition interlock laws
Research evaluation of ignition interlock programs over the last two decades has found that ignition interlock devices are effective in reducing recidivism among DWI offenders, sometimes by as much as 62 to 75 percent. One study examined the effectiveness of laws that require alcohol interlock installations for first-time offenders as well as repeat or high-BAC offenders; it found an additional benefit in reducing repeat DWI offenses.[1] Similarly, according to another estimate, if all drivers with at least one alcohol-impaired driving conviction within the 3 years prior to the accident used zero-BAC interlock devices, approximately 1,100 deaths could have been prevented in 1 year.[2]
Based on the lack of progress in reducing alcohol-impaired driving fatalities over the last two decades, it is clear that more can be done to prevent these tragedies. The evidence shows that ignition interlock technology can – and should – be embraced in this battle. There is no argument that addressing this leading killer on America's roads requires a bold, multi-faceted approach involving everyone from the serious repeat offender to those who, for whatever reason, have simply had too much to drink and cannot operate a vehicle safely. The use of ignition interlock devices for all DWI offenders, not only high-BAC or repeat offenders, should be one element of this effort.
Thank you again for providing the NTSB an opportunity to testify on these important issues. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.
A. T. McCartt and others, Washington State's Alcohol Ignition Interlock Law: Effects on Recidivism Among First DUI Offenders, (Arlington, VA: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 2012).
A. K. Lund and others, "Contribution of Alcohol-Impaired Driving to Motor Vehicle Crash Deaths in 2005," 8th Ignition Interlock Symposium, Seattle, Washington (2007).


Motorola has patented a novel approach at getting your attention--a mild electric shock. Unlike vibration alert systems that are standard today, the new Motorola shock technology is completely silent. A small pad that contains electrodes is fastened to the skin and is wirelessly triggered by the mobile phone. The system even offers the ability to set personalized shocks based on who's calling--just like you can do with ringtones.
A system includes a wireless device and at least one stimulator pad. The stimulator pad has a set of electrodes that are in communication with the wireless device. The stimulator pad is worn on the skin of a user. The wireless device is operable to receive an incoming signal and to place an electric potential on the conductors so that various areas of the user's body are stimulated and the user will receive notification of the incoming signal in a completely silent manner. The pad can be either wired or wireless and can be used to deliver therapeutic body stimulation as well.