J.L. Barron, D.J. Fleet, and S.S. Beauchemin, Performance of optical flow techniques, International Journal of Computer Vision, 12(1), 1994, 43–77.
 B.K.P. Horn and B.G. Schunck, Determining optical flow, Artificial Intelligence, 17, 1981, 185–204.
 A. Mitiche and A.R. Mansouri, On convergence of the Horn and Schunck optical-flow computation, IEEE Image Processing, 13, 2004, 848–852.
 J.L. Mart´ın, A. Zuloaga, C. Cuadrado, J. L´azaro, and U. Bidarte, Hardware implementation of optical flow constraint equation using FPGAs, Computer Vision and Image Understanding, 98, 2005, 462–490.
 A. Zuloaga, J.L. Mart´ın, and J. Ezquerra, Hardware architecture for optical flow estimation in real time, Proc. ICIP, 3, 1998, 972–976.
 P. Cobos and F. Monasterio, FPGA implementation of the Horn & Schunk optical flow algorithm for motion detection in real time images, Dcis'98 Proc., XIII Design of Circuits and Systems Conference, 1998, 616–621.
 P. Cobos and F. Monasterio, FPGA implementation of camus correlation optical flow algorithm for real time images, 14th Int. Conf. on Vision Interface Proceedings, 2001, 32–38.
 Y. Zhang, W. Ma, and C. Yi, The link between Newton iteration for matrix inversion and Zhang neural network (ZNN), Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Industrial Technology, Chengdu, 2008, 1–6.
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Virginia School Board Sues FOIA Recipients For Receiving FOIA'ed Documents It Handed To Them
from the nice-gov't-work-if-you-can-get-it dept
Fri, Oct 22nd 2021 02:12pm - Tim Cushing
Yeah, it can suck when you fail to handle FOIA requests properly and give the public more information than you intended to. It sucks for the government. It doesn't suck for the public, which is rarely treated to anything more than the most minimal of transparency.
Unfortunately, government agencies don't always react well when they've screwed things up. Sometimes the blowback is limited to ineffectual shouting or paper waving. Sometimes, however, it's a lawsuit seeking a court order to prevent people from accessing (or sharing) documents they've legally obtained from a government agency.
Cut to Virginia, where it's the latter option being deployed:
A Virginia school board is suing two mothers, arguing that documents "inadvertently and mistakenly" released through a Freedom of Information Act request and shared online included confidential information.
The Goldwater Institute on Thursday filed a motion with a Virginia judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the Fairfax County School Board against Debra Tisler, who obtained documents from the board through a Freedom of Information Act request, and Callie Oettinger, who shared the redacted documents on her website.
The lawsuit [PDF] claims the Fairfax County Public School Board never meant to release the information it released, which included personal information about students. Federal law forbids the release of this information to unauthorized parties by government agencies.
But that means nothing in the context of this lawsuit. The School Board can be held liable by others for releasing this information. The recipients of this information did nothing wrong, despite the litigious protestations otherwise. The complaint is mostly a list of what the Board did wrong, including failing to subject the FOIA release to review by its legal counsel before sending a link to the Dropbox file to the records requesters.
To correct this, the Board repeatedly contacted the recipient. And it was continually ignored… up until it sent multiple physical notifications, at which point the recipient of all of these notifications told the School Board to stop harassing her.
Copies of these documents were posted publicly, but sensitive student data was redacted by the recipients. The Board felt this wasn't enough of a capitulation, so it took legal action, which then resulted in the removal of the files from the recipient's website.
The Board claims in its filing that it has a legal right to go back in time and undo its mistakes by forcing the FOIA requesters to basically pretend they never received the unredacted information. The Goldwater Institute has stepped in to represent the records requesters and its opposition motion [PDF] points out just how wrong the Board is about the law and the First Amendment.
Only the most pressing government interest—such as the publication of troop movements during wartime—can justify the imposition of such a restraint. Id. at 726 (Brennan, J., concurring). But no such interest is identified in the board's Complaint or its motion for an injunction. On the contrary, the sole bases it asserts for blocking Ms. Oettinger and Ms. Tisler from disseminating the information are the fact that the board could have chosen to withhold some of this information under the VFOIA (though it did not do so), and that some of the documents could be covered by attorney-client privilege between the board and its attorneys. Complaint ¶¶ 40, 44. That is constitutionally insufficient and irrelevant.
The Board's demands are unconstitutional and there is no precedent that says otherwise.
They are government records, lawfully obtained, and Ms. Tisler and Ms. Oettinger have a right to disseminate them, as protected by the rule of Smith, New York Times, and Bartnicki. Even if the documents were inadvertently turned over, they have both a constitutional right and a legitimate democratic purpose for publishing them. For the government to demand that the documents be removed from publication—i.e., censored—is contrary to all constitutional precedent.
None of that precendent appears to matter to the court. It has already granted the Board's injunction.
Last week, a state judge issued an order barring the women from sharing the documents pending further order of the court, and Oettinger subsequently took the documents off her website.
Hopefully now that an adversarial party has entered the legal battle, the court will be forced to reconsider its granting of this injunction. The government should not be allowed to use courts like time machines to erase its mistakes. It should have to live with them, especially when the inadvertently-released documents deal with issues of public interest, like public school spending. The Board's arguments are mostly admissions of wrongdoing on its own part for which it should be held accountable. Instead it has asked the court to punish people who've done nothing wrong.
Filed Under: callie oettinger, debra tisler, fairfax county, foia, school board, transparency, virginia
Sixth Circuit Says School Board Can't Boot People From Meetings Just Because It Doesn't Like What They're Saying
from the seems-like-an-obvious-conclusion-but-here-we-are dept
Wed, Jul 14th 2021 10:41am - Tim Cushing
Just because government officials may not like the tone of the criticism they're receiving doesn't mean they can use their government power to mandate civility. That's the determination of the Sixth Circuit Appeals Court, which has struck down part of an Ohio school board's rules of (public) engagement.
Following a school shooting in 2016, the Madison (OH) Local School District came up with a preventative plan — one that involved allowing school staff to carry concealed weapons. This didn't play well with some parents. It also didn't play well with some of the district's students, who staged a walkout to protest gun violence. Following the discipline of those students, some residents decided to attend a school board meeting to express their feelings about the rule change and the punishment of students for their expressive speech.
Madison school district meetings are governed by the following "Public Participation Policy:"
Only Madison residents may participate, and they must limit their speaking time to three minutes. Participants must address the presiding officer, not Board members individually. The Policy authorizes the presiding officer to:
1. prohibit public comments that are frivolous, repetitive, and/or harassing;
2. interrupt, warn, or terminate a participant's statement when the statement is too lengthy, personally directed, abusive, off-topic, antagonistic, obscene, or irrelevant;
3. request any individual to leave the meeting when that person does not observe reasonable decorum; [and]
4. request the assistance of law enforcement officers in the removal of a disorderly person when that person's conduct interferes with the orderly progress of the meeting.
Plaintiff Billy Ison attended three meetings from March to May 2018. His May appearance resulted in the Board's actions that prompted this lawsuit. Here's how that evening went, according to the Sixth Circuit's opinion [PDF]:
A video of Billy Ison's remarks there shows him turning to address the room and reading from a prepared speech, accusing the Board of "threaten[ing]" the school to punish the student protestors. He calls the Board's justification offered at the prior meeting for punishing "a smokescreen intended to conceal their true motivation . . . to suppress all opposition to pro-gun views" and "push its pro-gun agenda." And it depicts him accusing the Board of "taking a very strong position on guns" when it decided to arm staff.
The Board interrupted Billy twice during his remarks. First, [Board President David] French asked Billy not to use the word "threatening." Second, after Billy accused the Board of concealing their "true motivation" for punishing students, another Board member asked him to stop "putting words in [the Board's] mouth" and saying things "that are not facts." French then asked Billy to stop and warned that if he continued, security would escort him out. Billy continued, finishing his speech while a security officer escorted him calmly from the room. In total, he spoke just under three minutes. As French later recalled the incident, Billy "was being basically unruly, not following the rules, being hostile in his demeanor." He let Billy speak "until other people were starting to object and getting offen[d]ed by it."
Ison sued, claiming the restrictions on speech were unconstitutional, enacted by the Board in hopes of stifling criticism. He argued the Supreme Court's recent decision involving the registration of disparaging trademarks prevents the government from targeting speech considered "abusive, personally directed, or antagonistic." The Appeals Court agrees with Ison's assertions.
In Matal, the Court struck down the Lanham Act's prohibition on federal registration of trademarks that "'disparage . . . or bring . . . into contemp[t] or disrepute' any 'persons, living or dead.'" 137 S. Ct. at 1751 (alterations in original) (quoting 15 U.S.C. § 1052(a)). Though split between two plurality opinions, all Justices agreed that the "anti-disparagement" clause discriminated based on viewpoint because "[g]iving offense is a viewpoint." Id. at 1763 (Alito, J., opinion). The Iancu Court struck down another Lanham Act restriction on "immoral or scandalous" marks, finding it "permit[ted] registration of marks that champion society's sense of rectitude and morality, but not marks that denigrate those concepts." 139 S. Ct. at 2299. It reasoned that the act impermissibly "distinguishe[d] between two opposed sets of ideas: those aligned with conventional moral standards and those hostile to them; those inducing societal nods of approval and those provoking offense and condemnation." Id. at 2300. In short, these cases stand for the proposition that the government may not censor speech merely because it is "offensive to some."
That this was an attempt to limit criticism of the Board and its members was made even more obvious by the testimony of the Board Director, who testified that "giving offense" was sufficient enough to move the Board to prevent the person from speaking further. Given this testimony and the undisputed video recording of Ison's comments and ejection from the meeting, the Appeals Court says the Board's participation policy — at least in terms of its restrictions on certain forms of speech — is unconstitutional.
The restrictions on "antagonistic," "abusive" and "personally directed" speech prohibit speech because it opposes, or offends, the Board or members of the public, in violation of the First Amendment.
The court notes that this is not a blessing for ad hominem attacks in limited public forums. Attacking ideas and issues is one thing. Personally attacking individuals is quite another. The court says restrictions on this form of speech would likely still be permissible in many cases.
But tossing people from meetings or otherwise silencing them for being critical of government officials and their decisions definitely isn't permissible. And the Board will likely end up having to rewrite this to be a whole lot less infringe-y and whole lot more specific by the time the lower court is done handling the administrative duties of deciding on a proper remedy.
Filed Under: 1st amendment, 6th circuit, free speech, school board
School Board Demands Journalists Be Punished For Reporting On The School Board's Redaction Failure
from the not-the-way-that-works-(also-not-the-way-redaction-works) dept
Thu, Aug 9th 2018 03:18am - Tim Cushing
A redaction failure by a public entity has led to a request for contempt charges to be brought against a Florida newspaper and two of its reporters. The Sun Sentinel obtained a copy of the Broward County School Board's report on the Parkland shooter after a successful public records request lawsuit. The report was heavily redacted… or at least, it was supposed to be. But the school board screwed this task up.
After a judge's order, the school district publicly released the report Friday with nearly two-thirds of its content blacked out to protect 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz's privacy rights. But the district used a method that failed: Anyone could copy and paste the blacked-out report into a Word document to make all the text visible.
Sun Sentinel reporters Brittany Wallman and Paula McMahon, acting on a Facebook tip from a reader at 7:30 p.m., discovered on deadline the concealed text could be viewed. The reporters quickly rewrote the story reflecting the entire report, providing the first detailed account about the school shooter's years in the school system, what the district knew about him and what mistakes were made.
The report [PDF] has been uploaded by the Sun Sentinel with the redaction performed correctly. But the faulty version was used to craft a long article about the shooter using details the court had determined could be withheld.
A petition [PDF] has been filed by the school board in an effort to shove this genie back into the bottle. The motion alleges the Sun Sentinel agreed to the redactions, which were put in place to conform with federal and state privacy laws covering education and medical records. Some of what was redacted detailed errors made by the school system when handling the shooter's discipline and educational options.
What the school board is seeking is both impossible and preposterous. The report has already been read in full and an article produced showing what was redacted. Copies of the report containing the faulty redaction are likely still in circulation. The contempt order might cause the Sun Sentinel some pain, but the damage has already been done.
That's the impossible side. The preposterous side is this: the Sun Sentinel published information it obtained lawfully. The report was delivered by the school board in accordance with the court's order. If the school board screwed up the redaction (and it did!), it has no right to complain people accessed the content it meant to keep hidden. Even if the Sun Sentinel agreed to the redactions, that doesn't mean it's supposed to just sit there and pretend it can't see the text the school board failed to fully redact.
Whatever damage has been done was inflicted by the school board for failing to properly redact the report it was ordered to hand over to the Sun Sentinel as the result of public records request lawsuit. The recipient has no obligation to only report on unredacted portions of the report if it has access to the entirety of the document due to human error. The judge may not be happy the Sun Sentinel did this, but I can't see how the court's going to find this is the reporters' fault, rather than the school board's.
Filed Under: broward county, free speech, journalism, redactions, school board
Companies: sun-sentinel
Toronto School Board Spokesperson Sends Police Out To Hassle One Of Its Critics
from the if-you-can't-beat-'em,-intimidate-'em dept
Thu, Mar 21st 2013 03:34am - Tim Cushing
As we've seen occur in multiple instances, bogus infringement claims have been used to make things disappear from the web. When that isn't an option, vague claims of libel or defamation are used to shut down critics. And if it isn't either of the above, the entity being criticized will fall back on the law — or rather, law enforcement — to achieve silence through intimidation.
Sometimes it works all too well. Other times, it backfires completely. Such is the case with longtime critic of the TDSB (Toronto District School Board), Arnie Lemaire, who writes the Blazingcatfur blog. A member of the school board sent the Toronto PD over to Lemaire's place after finding something "threatening" in a six-week old blog comment. (via)
"We received a knock at our door a little after 8 a.m.," said Lemaire. "Two detectives from Toronto Police Services identified themselves and asked if they could come in to discuss a matter."
Enter Det.-Consts. Irene Liska and Sergiy Lobanets, from 32 Division.
They presented "a photocopy of my post about the TDSB teaching children that the Black Panthers were a harmless social justice organization link" and specifically the "OISE and the TDSB need to be purged, or burnt to the ground" stinger.
It was almost laughable. He thought everybody would understand it was meant figuratively and obviously not literally.
Unlike other cases where the police have overreacted first before circling back to ask a few questions (for instance, strip-searching a man whose daughter drew a picture of a gun in class, or detaining a teen for three hours over some misheard Will Smith lyrics on a voicemail message), the responding officers had this sorted out in a matter of minutes, finding the whole thing nearly as laughable as Lemaire did.
[Lemaire] added he "assured them I had no intention of torching the TDSB."
Police, he said, "were immediately satisfied with that explanation and assured me there would be no charges."
The police must have been less than amused by being used to run errands for the school district as they generously gave up the name of the complainant — TDSB spokesperson Sheri Schwartz-Maltz. Schwartz-Maltz was "out of the office" when contacted for comment but another board member offered this in the way of explanation.
[F]ellow TDSB spokesman Ryan Bird explained "when certain words or terms are used in relation to schools or the board, they are flagged — as per protocol — to the Toronto Police Service without exception to determine if there is any threat that would require further investigation."
Oh, look. It's our old friend "zero tolerance," once again making an ass of itself and the people willing to blindly adhere to "protocol." Lemaire's comment was clearly non-threatening. Note the lack of first-person ("I would like to burn TDSB to the ground…") or any call to action directed at others ("someone needs to burn TDSB to the ground…").
If it is indeed the policy of the school board to flag certain terms for police investigation, one wonders why it took the board six weeks to get this horrible "threat" investigated. Presumably, safety still remains first for the district. A lag of six weeks from threat to response isn't going to stop bad things from happening, no matter how low the "tolerance." [Currently at "zero."]
No, this is just old-school intimidation. Call the cops around to make a point about saying things the offended party feels just shouldn't be said. But Lemaire's having none of it, returning to his anti-TDSB blogging with the headline "Dear TDSB, You Can't Silence Me." The school board, on the other hand, has returned to the security of its "protocol," apparently seeing nothing wrong with calling the cops over a few nasty, hyperbolic words.
Filed Under: critics, free speech, school board, toronto
School District Claims Copyright To Pull Controversial School Board Meeting Clip From YouTube
from the copyright-questions dept
Fri, Feb 18th 2011 01:08pm - Mike Masnick
Danny Mittleman point us to the news that a school district in Evanston, Illinois, made a copyright claim in order to have a video of the public school board meeting pulled from YouTube. A parent of a student at the school had obtained the official video of the meeting, and had posted a controversial clip (involving an argument involving race) to YouTube. An official from the school, however, filed a takedown notice with YouTube claiming copyright, and YouTube (of course) complied. To be fair, the official who issued the takedown now seems at least somewhat apologetic about it, and said she really thought that the school district had a "proprietary right" to the film. The article also, properly, notes that while the federal government is barred from copyrighting its own works, it's not definitive if that applies to local governments. Many assume that such works shouldn't be covered by copyright, following the lead of the federal government, but we've seen cases where state or city governments have argued otherwise. Either way, the whole thing is pretty ridiculous. This was a public school board meeting, and someone could have just as easily filmed the same info with a cameraphone. Taking down the video doesn't seem to serve any legitimate purpose.
Filed Under: copyright, school board
School Board Tries To Force Newspapers To Reveal Anonymous Online Commenters
from the can't-take-the-heat? dept
Fri, Oct 23rd 2009 05:10pm - Mike Masnick
Paul Alan Levy writes in to let us know about how a New Jersey School Board is trying to get around the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, which limits what information the government can get about online speakers, in order to find out the identity of some anonymous commenters on a series of newspaper stories about teachers in the district using questionable diploma mills to get "degrees" and qualify for higher salaries.
I contacted Marc Zitomer, the School Board?s lawyer, to get his explanation for the subpoena.
His explanation was that the Board, as a body corporate, has the authority to file suit against members of the public who defame or threaten its staff. I rather doubt that a school board could file suit for defamatory words that are not "of and concerning" the school board ? the of and concerning requirement, after all, is a constitutional requirement under New York Times v. Sullivan. Moreover, Zitomer conceded that he could not identify any cases in New Jersey where a school board had filed such an action on behalf of its staff. When I pressed him on these issues, Zitomer claimed that an additional reason for the subpoena was that the Board could take disciplinary action against any of the bloggers who were members of its staff. But even assuming that the criticism is a proper basis for discipline consistent with the First Amendment, the Board cannot compel the identification of bloggers on that theory without putting forward an evidentiary basis for believing that the bloggers are employees. It remains to be seen whether Zitomer will be able to do that.
Board member William Bruno has been quoted as justifying its subpoena on the theory that "If they have nothing to hide, what's the problem?"
You always know there's something bad going on when someone busts out the "nothing to hide" line. But, once again, this seems like attempts by thin-skinned officials who can't take the heat trying to expose anonymous commenters as an intimidation technique.
Filed Under: anonymity, new jersey, school board

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Deleting Folder based on Name I have a folder list with folders named 2014-01-0,2015-05-1 and so on where 01 and 05 is the number of the week considering 52 weeks in a year
I need to write a script in linux that keeps the latest 2 folders and deletes the rest. My solution is to store the list of directories in an array and then compare them but I cannot figure out on how to remove the "-" from the folder name and store it in an array. If you have any other solution feel free to mention it

A: When all the weak-numbers beneuth 10 have a leading zero, you can just use the order given by ls.
Fetching the last two lines can be down with tail -2.
You want to skip these, the following solution is dirty (but nice for learning commands):
find . -type d -name 2\* | grep -v $(ls |tail -2|head -1) | grep -v $(ls | tail -1) | xargs echo rm -r

Removing the word echo will make things work, assuming you will have at least 2 directories. You should never assume...
When you first determine the dir's you want to keep (with tail/head) and store them in a var, you can exclude them after testing that they exist.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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text:
Four Ways the Hispanic Market Makes an Impact on the Economy
Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15 through October 15, designates a time for us to reflect on our country's numerous Latino leaders, both past and present, and measure their influence on a culture that continues to grow and impact the economy on a local and national level. Though the Great Recession was tough on the U.S. Hispanic population, which according to Forbes suffered a 44 percent drop in household wealth during that period, major economic indicators signal that the Hispanic business community has rallied in recent years.
In fact, it appears the Hispanic influence on the economy, be it from a consumer or business perspective, is surging. Here are four ways the Hispanic market is impacting the overall economy.
They're influential. The Hispanic population accounts for about 17 percent of the overall U.S. population, according to figures from the U.S. Census Bureau. Census estimates from 2013 indicate that about 54 million Hispanics live in the U.S., which makes the Hispanic population the largest ethnic or race minority in the country. The Pew Research Center reports that as of 2011, Arizona was home to about 1.95 million Hispanics, accounting for about 30 percent of the state's population. Those numbers indicate some serious spending power. Experts believe the Hispanic population has harnessed about $1.5 trillion in spending power this year alone. With a significant population, comes significant income and significant influence.
They're invested. The U.S. workforce is always evolving, and the latest evolution involves the Hispanic population. The Pew Research Center reports that as of 2013, U.S.-born Hispanics, as opposed to immigrants, accounted for the majority of Hispanic workers in the country. Knowing that, it stands to reason that this evolving workforce is a more permanent one that is more deeply invested in its community, local real estate, local schools and U.S. jobs.
They're entrepreneurs. According to research conducted by the Partnership for a New American Economy and the Latino Door Collaborative, Hispanic immigrants are more likely to be entrepreneurs than the average U.S. citizen. Entrepreneurship among Hispanics has absolutely skyrocketed in recent years, jumping from 321,000 Hispanic owned businesses to 1.4 million between 1990 and 2012. During the Great Recession, the number of Hispanic entrepreneurs increased by 71.5 percent. Between 2010 and 2012, there were an estimated 160,000 new Hispanic entrepreneurs.
They're workers. Put simply, the Hispanic population has a very high rate of participation in the workforce. Libre Initiative, a Hispanic advocacy organization, reported that the Hispanic population has the highest labor force participation rate. About 75 percent of Hispanic men are members of the work force, which outpaces other ethnicities.
The Hispanic population not only contributes a great deal to our economy from an employee and business-owner perspective, it also wields heavy influence in the consumer sector with its buying power and its increasing commitment to and investment in the local community.
View full text of the article.


The Electronics Factory, for example, has the glass industry providing it. That was until the 2000 era.
Know with plasma TV's and laptops more in use, glass production should be reduced and plastic production should increase. Also in addition an incentive may be required to reward players if glass production decreases, for example, IMHO, I don't know, maybe for reducing usage of our resources (glass comes from sand).
The Food Factory is missing the Milk Transportation Component. Doing cakes requires milk. I cannot think of any cakes that don't require milk at the moment.
A properly assesed Packaging Industry Chain: All industries are missing some packaging chains. From a realistic view, a packaging scheme should relate to the era in which production and consumption is made. Examples are: 1. The Car Industry is missing the glass industry component. Cars, in the older era were made mostly of metal, glass and some plastic. Nowadays it's more plastic, as per the game, but glass is still in use. 2. Most other industries are missing other packaging schemes: The Food Factory is missing plastic, glass and steel packaging consumption, of which in later decades is in use. In the Supermarket Industry chain and other consumer based markets there is no mention of any packaging systems being delivered or in use in later years.
Each train/tram/maglevs/planes/bus and so on comes out of a depot. Before getting to the depot, as per game, they come from the air. (manufacturing, assembly, and so on). Why not make a industry chain for each transport type. Complete with producer, supplier, so on, and that particular depot that is been built by a player(train/tram/maglevs/planes/bus) as the consumer. I know that as the game starts, this might be a bit hard for the player, as not making any profit/money. Maybe this should be implemented, IMHO, as soon as that particular player has enough money, and/or if for newer eras (modern eras, futuristic eras and so on). Examples: a factory produces steel, plastic, and glass (Am I missing something... ) and then takes it to the train/tram/maglevs/planes/bus manufacturing and/or assembly facility and then the consumer is that particular depot player has built somewhere on the map (I know, I've been thinking about this one quite a lot: probably the path between the manufacturing and/or assembly plant of that particular vehicle (train/tram/maglevs/planes/bus) and that particular depot, could be air, as per the game , as it would make the game completely difficult, to transport each vehicle type (examples a 12 car train) to the depot, so that particular player, can use it.) . Still it makes a bit more realistic, but quite very complex, IMHO.
. Make available the Chemical Plant and Chemist to all players for all paks, as it is in pak64.
. Nice of you to mention eggs JamesSpetts, below, we could use the chicken farm for The Food Factory.
Feel free to experiment with factory chains, but from a playable game point of view be aware that industries should not be too heavily interconnected. A factory that consumes 4 or 5 products in order to produce something leads to a lot of factories when the end-consumer is generated in the game.
I'd tend to agree with Combuijs - massively complex industry chains create major industrial blight on the whole landscape and are pretty complex to play.
One thing I'd like to see which I think would help reflect changing industries over time is that old chains are removed or replaced after a "retire date". This could be done by having a random chance that a certain industry is removed each month after the retire date. For neatness this process should probably also close any factories which have a particular good supplied only by that factory or supply only that factory. To keep the overall industry levels up any industry which closes should result in the generation of a new industry chain elsewhere on the map.
2) Increased challenge in longer games as the player would need to adapt networks to close old industrial lines and develop new ones over time.
You must supply everything for production to start.
All output goods are produced, even if there is no contract.
Once built, industries just stay there.
With this set of constraints, it is impossible to do better.
The Hood has an excellent idea, and this should not be too hard to implement in the form that he suggests. It would also be a very useful way of changing the industrial fortunes of one's Simunation over time (as determined by the pakset author), by retiring a great many industries in one era and replacing them with a fewer number of new ones.
Incidentally, as an amateur cake baker, I can confidently state that very few cake recipes contain milk. Most cakes are made with sugar, butter, flour and eggs as their base: fruit and other things are added as flavouring. Milk is occasionally used to make a mixture more moist if it has been made too dry in error.
Each train/tram/maglevs/planes/bus and so on comes out of a depot. Before getting to the depot, as per game, they come from the air. (manufacturing, assembly, and so on). Why not make a industry chain for each transport type. Complete with producer, supplier, so on, and that particular depot that is been built by a player(train/tram/maglevs/planes/bus/truck (in other words vehicle)) as the consumer. I know that as the game starts, this might be a bit hard for the player, as not making any profit/money. Maybe this should be implemented, IMHO, as soon as that particular player has enough money, and/or if for newer eras (modern eras, futuristic eras and so on). Examples: a factory produces steel, plastic, and glass (Am I missing something... ) and then takes it to the train/tram/maglevs/planes/bus manufacturing and/or assembly facility and then the consumer is that particular depot player has built somewhere on the map (I know, I've been thinking about this one quite a lot: probably the path between the manufacturing and/or assembly plant of that particular vehicle (train/tram/maglevs/planes/bus) and that particular depot, could be air, as per the game , as it would make the game completely difficult, to transport each vehicle type (examples a 12 car train) to the depot, so that particular player, can use it.) . Still it makes a bit more realistic, but quite very complex, IMHO.
When a game starts and a player doesn't have any profit, then everything works (buying vehicles from depot after they are manufactured, assembled from the air and/or vacuum) like it is, normaly in Simutrans. After a player makes some profit and/or money just to make it more realistic and also to reduce complexity issues that might arise, we can just have a "in stock" greyed out menu item somewhere in the depot menu (for each train/tram/maglevs/planes/bus and so on), before having any manufacturing facilities around (and also when a player don't make enough money and/or profit). Then as soon as the player thinks that makes enough profit, can connect a vehicle manufacturing production and assembling facility to their depots. Then the "in stock" menu item is no longer greyed out. To make things more simpler for the bus and/or trucks manufacturing and assembly, can be done at a producing, fully supplied car factory and/or supplied car dealer, and not necessarily have to have its own factory to produce them (after you connect that particular depot to that particular factory and/or that particular dealer).
Idea for this: prefer to make the product which takes the lowest percentage of its dedicated storage. Thereby, goods which are actually released (to an attached stop) will be produced until the stop or the comsumer overflows, and only then the goods without demand will be considered.
Good suggestion, VS. Yes, as you said, there could be endless possibilities.
One possible complication in respect of The Hood's idea is what to do with other industries in the chain: should they be reassigned to another industry, or closed? What if one ends up with reassignments such that five or six industries at one point in a chain connect to just one at another point? If we start enforcing maximum connexion limits, what decides which industries are closed down...? All the data would have to be tracked.
You are quite right james.
Also, me thinks everyone who improves the game should make those decisions.


I recently had the opportunity to explore the Alpine Lakes Wilderness hike off HWY 2 just past Skykomish and was amazed at the abundance of food, medicine, and beauty in this place. I have not explored much of the Cascades because, for some reason, I had this image of desolate, cold and snowy mountains. But during the summer months, this is not the case at all.
After a short drive down the gravel road off HWY 2, we arrived at the Boulder Lake trailhead. Here we started our Alpine Wilderness hike. We double-checked our gear, quick stretch and in we went. Very quickly into the hike, we discovered an abundance of Twisted Stalk berries and Oval Leaf blueberries along the trail to snack on. As we explored further, we found a few ancient, giant, old growth Douglas Fir and Cedar trees. The Douglas Fir was one of the biggest trees I had ever seen. Would have needed at least 10 people to give it a solid hug. Just beside it was some Wild Ginger. After properly identifying it with its beautiful flowers growing below the heart shaped leaves, I added a bit to my water bottle.
After about 45 minutes, we arrived at Trout Lake. A lovely stop to rest, grab a snack and take a swim. Some of our friends decided since they had to leave early the next day, they would stay and camp here. The rest of us continued deeper into the mountains.
We reached the top, crossed the stream and made our way around to where we could see the lake. Wow! Standing on berry covered, stoney cliffs, I gazed across the deep blue water reflecting the talus covered hillside of scattered trees and tiny patches of snow, before my eyes reached the peak of Boulder Lake Mountain.
I quickly dropped my pack and jumped into the clear, cold, refreshing water. Exploring the stories of large boulders and trees that lay on the bottom of the lake … what an enlivening feeling!
We set up camp nearby in a stand of large firs and hemlocks. Then back to the lake for more swimming. We perched high up on a rock cliff to watch the day transform into night. There is this magical point when the trees become darker than the sky. Then as the light fades, we watched the shades of blue grow ever deeper and darker until, one by one, the stars appeared as if a hummingbird was slowly poking holes in the night sky.
Wilderness Awareness School is a national not-for-profit environmental education organization established in 1983 and based in Duvall, Washington. We are dedicated to caring for the earth and our children by fostering understanding and appreciation of nature, community and self. Our dynamic wilderness education courses combine ancient and modern ecological wisdom, and empower people of all ages to become stewards, mentors and leaders. Over the past two decades, Wilderness Awareness School has grown from a small group of visionary individuals to a leading national organization impacting the course of nature education, and inspiring many schools and individuals across the country and the world to share our teachings and curriculum.


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Q: Работа с реестром на Qt Используется Qt 5.6.1 C++
Вообще, мне надо изменять существующее значение параметра, перед этим его проверив.
Но сначала я решил просто попробовать создать параметр со значением.
После долгого изучения классов Qt написал такой код:
QSettings checkinst("HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\\SOFTWARE\\MYPROGRAMM", QSettings::NativeFormat);
checkinst.setValue("JustUpdated", 20);

Программа компилируется без ошибок. Путь, написанный в первой строке, существует, такого параметра там до запуска программы нет. Затем я запускаю программу, данный код выполняется. Однако, в реестре данный параметр не появляется. Почему? Что я делаю не так?
Upd.
Я прочитал параметр и вывел на экран, вывелось значение, которое я задал, однако в реестре я его не наблюдаю. Похоже, что-то с адресом не так, не могу понять, что...
Upd2.
Додумался сделать поиск по реестру того параметра, который я создаю. Он нашелся! Но совсем по непонятному пути:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\VirtualStore\Machine\Software\Wow6432Node\Myprogram
Что это за путь такой, откуда он взялся? Я ведь указывал другой путь.

A: https://990x.top/virtualstore-chto-eto-za-papka-i-mozhno-li-ee-udalit.html
Вот здесь довольно весело описывается, откуда берется этот путь. При этом если программа будет запущена от имени администратора, путь будет тем, который указан в коде. Чтобы разницы не было, лучше сразу в коде указать путь в этот раздел.
Upd. Выписка с сайта.
Некоторые программы хотят хранить данные свои в таких папках как Program Files, Windows.. Еще они могут захотеть внести данные в системные разделы реестра. Винде это откровенно говоря не нравится и она начинает применять технологию виртуализации (это вроде имеется ввиду UAC, но я могу ошибаться).
Как все работает? Смотрите, прога хочет писать данные например в эту папку:
C:\Windows
Но винда тихонько перенаправит запрос записи вот сюда:
C:\Пользователи\имя_юзера\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Windows
Понимаете? Прога будет думать что все пучком и она пишет данные в папку Windows, хотя как бэ это так и есть, но сама папка Windows при этом находится в папке VirtualStore..
Тоже самое касается и реестра, если прога например хочет записать данные вот сюда:
HKLM\Software
То винда тихо перенаправит все это дело сюда:
HKLM\Software\Classes\VirtualStore


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Posted in climate change, conservation, inspirational, social responsibility	Tagged climate justice, environmental justice, indigenous people, indigenous peoples' day, indigenous rights, uconn
Athlete Perspectives: Basketball Green Game Days
Posted on April 5, 2019 by Natalie Roach
We would like to spotlight our senior intern Caroline Anastasia, who has now been part of 10 Green Game Days!
More than 35 student volunteers from Ecohusky, EcoHouse, and the OEP gathered at Gampel Pavilion for two basketball Green Game Days in March to educate Husky fans about recycling and
create an atmosphere buzzing with energy about the environment. Volunteers promoted recycling by engaging with fans as they entered the stadium and by standing next to trash and recycling
containers to make sure recycling was properly sorted. Additionally, by making these games carbon neutral through the purchase of offsets, we prevented a total of 8.5 metric tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere! We would like to thank all of our volunteers who made these events possible and to especially spotlight our senior intern Caroline Anastasia, who has now been part of 10 Green Game Days!
In celebration of these events, we talked with student athletes at UConn who are passionate about the environment and appreciate the outreach that happens at events such as our Green Game Days. Here is what they had to say…
"Much like the human body, I believe what you put in and what you do to your body is eventually going to affect what comes out. The environment is an organism too. So, the things that we're experiencing are a result of what we've done to the planet.
Education and knowledge are what changes everything. People are born uncivilized until they learn something or they're influenced by something that leads them to make change for the better."
– Carlton Steer, Senior Sociology Major, UConn Football Defensive Line
"A large majority of pollution is in our waters – oceans, rivers, lakes, ponds, etc. We've seen it in most of the places we've raced. While it may not directly affect our regatta performance, it's a sign of a larger problem that affects all of us – if we see it here, then it's probably worldwide, and it might be worse where people care less about the environment. It's disheartening, it's hard on the eyes, it's damaging to the wildlife, and it's why we need to keep pushing for more people to care."
– Maxwell Miller, Sophomore Finance Major, Sailing Team President
"In order to properly advocate for the right to health for all, it is essential to equip people with the knowledge and skills to take responsible action to protect the environment. Through caring for our planet, we make the basis for just, sustainable, and equitable health outcomes possible."
– Jen Koo, Junior Allied Health Sciences Major, Track & Field
Thank you to the student-athletes we talked to for your thoughtful reflections. Best of luck to our Husky women's basketball team in the Final Four tonight!
Posted in climate change, conservation, energy, get involved, inspirational, outreach, social responsibility, sustainability	Tagged athletes, college, connecticut, environment, Gampel, green game day, student athletes, sustainability, uconn
Herbst Endorses Guiding Principles for Equitable Climate Solutions
Posted on February 15, 2019 February 15, 2019 by Natalie Roach
This past week, UConn President Susan Herbst was part of a coalition of university presidents who took an important step toward achieving an equitable, environmentally conscious future by signing UConn on to the Second Nature's Call to Action and Guiding Principles for Accelerating Equitable and Just Climate Solutions. Below is the statement she released explaining the role of UConn in creating a future that is healthy and safe for everyone.
Susan Herbst:
As a Land Grant and Sea Grant institution, the University of Connecticut has always felt a special responsibility to set high standards and uphold strong principles on the ways in which we understand and protect our environment both locally and globally.
For these and many other reasons, we wholeheartedly endorse the imperatives articulated in Second Nature's Call to Action and Guiding Principles for Accelerating Equitable and Just Climate Solutions, which were announced recently at the 2019 Higher Education Climate Leadership Summit in Tempe, Arizona.
These principles remind us that universities have not only the power to motivate change and the expertise to offer innovative solutions, but also the responsibility to ensure that those solutions are equitable and developed in collaboration with the people most impacted.
That responsibility is especially challenging when it comes to climate change because of the distance between our actions here and now, and their consequences, which are often far removed in time and space.
It's our duty as global citizens to adjust behaviors today for carbon mitigation and resilience preparation that will primarily benefit future generations, or vulnerable populations located somewhere else around the world. To this point, Second Nature's Guiding Principles advise us to think globally; we must continuously review and refine our campus climate action plans to ensure that our goals and strategies reflect the best available science about the effects of climate change.
As a state flagship, public research university, UConn's mission has always included public service. We frequently partner with state and local governments and strive to be engaged leaders in our community. Second Nature's Guiding Principles urge us to extend this engagement to the global community. In the context of climate change, we can do this by accounting for how the long-term costs of our institutional activities might "negatively impact people and the planet, and strive to measure, internalize, and avoid these costs to the greatest extent possible."
The first step is raising awareness about the underlying science of global warming and collectively accepting our share of responsibility for its harmful effects, which are already occurring in places far removed from our nation's campuses. This includes subsistence farms in North Africa wiped out in recent years by historic droughts, entire coastal communities in Pacific island nations displaced by sea level rise and flooding, and essential drinking water supplies threatened by receding glaciers in the Himalayas.
Informed by this knowledge and driven by basic human decency, the next step of higher education institutions should be recognizing the urgent needs of the world's most vulnerable populations by accelerating our climate strategies.
UConn has historically been a leader on this front, and we continue to reaffirm our efforts to this end. We recently adopted an environmental literacy general education requirement that will ensure our students graduate from UConn with a grasp of important, intersectional environmental issues including climate change.
UConn is also an active agent in local climate adaptation projects, notably through the University's Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation (CIRCA), which works with economically disadvantaged communities to improve their climate resiliency.
In 2017, we joined a multi-sector coalition of American businesses, state and local governments, NPOs, and colleges and universities by signing the "We Are Still In" pledge, reaffirming our commitment to the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement.
Last fall, we joined 17 other major research universities in the University Climate Change Coalition (UC3), sharing our expertise in order to accelerate solutions to global warming. And, for the past four years, our UConn@COP program has brought a delegation of students to the U.N.'s annual international climate summit for an immersive, hands-on learning experience, with the goal of developing future leaders in climate science and policy.
This year, UConn's Sustainability Office will meet with departments and stakeholders across campus, including at a student summit scheduled for next month, in order to update our strategic goals and metrics for climate leadership through 2025. This is the next five-year milestone in our long-term Climate Action Plan. It's also the perfect opportunity to utilize Second Nature's Guiding Principles as a more global and equitable lens for reviewing our progress and envisioning more impactful strategies toward a carbon-neutral campus.
Posted in climate change, conservation, energy, inspirational, outreach, social responsibility, sustainability	Tagged CIRCA, climate action plan, climate justice, environmental justice, equitable, just solutions, just transitions, President, President Herbst, Second Nature, Susan Herbst, UC3, uconn, University of Connecticut
Hispanic Environmentalists Advancing the Environmental Movement
Posted on January 28, 2019 April 19, 2019 by Natalie Roach
By Natalie Roach
The midterm elections that took place this November have ushered in a new vanguard of representatives ready to fight for the needs of the people. These newly elected representatives have harnessed public enthusiasm for change to beat out incumbents, and are entering Congress full of ideas and energy. One of the most well-known of these newly elected representatives is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. A 29-year-old Latina from the Bronx, Cortez is the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. Along with a number of her colleagues, she has announced a plan called "The Green New Deal" that pushes for climate change to be prioritized in Congress. Ocasio-Cortez is just one example of the many Hispanic activists across the country and world that are fighting to protect us from environmental degradation.
In our country, Latinx people are more concerned about the environment and more willing to take action to protect it than the general population. This makes sense, since a history of environmental racism means they are one of the populations most affected by environmental hazards like particulate pollution and poor water. Despite often being excluded from the mainstream environmental movement, Latinx people have always been heavily involved in environmental activism.
In Latin America, environmentalists are fighting for their lives, literally. As the area continues to develop and those in power exploit the land and its resources, indigenous and poor people are displaced. Their way of life, their land, and their livelihoods are stolen from them, and governments do very little to protect them, if not encourage the exploitation. When people decide to organize and fight back, they are threatened or killed. A 2016 report from GlobalWitness found that two-thirds of the 185 environmentalists murdered in 2015 resided in Latin America.
UConn recognizes the importance of this reality. The USG Sustainability Subcommittee is one organization on campus that is dedicated to working towards a just and sustainable planet for all people. They are organizing a series of events this semester that make clear the importance of including Hispanic people and other diverse groups in the environmental movement. Keep an eye out for their events this semester!
We cannot possibly cover all of the passionate Hispanic activists that have dedicated their lives to environmentalism. However, we have highlighted some activists here which showcase the breadth of Hispanic people's influence on the environmental movement.
Elizabeth Yeampierre
Elizabeth Yeampierre is an internationally recognized pioneer in the environmental movement, intent on creating a platform for oppressed communities in the fight against climate change. A Puerto Rican attorney with indigenous and African roots, she was born and raised in New York City, and has fought on behalf of her community for her whole life. She has pioneered a model of intergenerational, multi-cultural, and community-led organizing that is award-winning and effective.
Yeampierre is a leader in numerous organizations across the country, including the Climate Justice Alliance, a national coalition of community-based organizations focused on environmental justice, and Building Equity & Alignment for Impact, which aims to strengthen relationships between philanthropists, large environmental nonprofits, and grassroots organizations. She was one of the driving forces behind the historical People's Climate March in 2014. She is also a leader in New York City policy. She currently serves on mayor DeBlasio's Sustainability Advisory board, and has been instrumental in historic legislation such as the passing of New York's first Brownfield legislation and the adoption of NYC's Solid Waste Management Plan. On the federal level, she was the first Latina chair appointed to the EPA's National Environmental Justice Advisory Council, and was also a member of the National Environmental Health Sciences Advisory Council. In addition to delivering inspirational speeches around the world, Yeampierre works as the Executive Director of UPROSE, a grassroots organization that focuses on sustainability and resiliency in Brooklyn, NY.
Berta Caceres was a fearless environmental leader in her country of Honduras, one of the most dangerous places to be an environmentalist in the world. While still in college, she co-founded the Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH), and continued to lead the group for the rest of her life. The COPINH led a variety of important grassroots campaigns including protesting illegal logging, plantation owners, and US military presence on indigenous land. Caceres supported a wide range of social and indigenous issues including feminism and LGBT rights. As indigenous rights and human rights are inextricably linked with the environment, she became known as a prominent environmentalist. In 2015 she won the Goldman Environmental Prize for a campaign that was successful in pressuring the world's largest dam builder to end a project on the Gualcarque River that would have "jeopardized the water resources and livelihood" of the surrounding land and people. However, her work to protect the people of Honduras eventually led to her death. In 2016, she was assassinated in her home by armed intruders. Fellow activists say one of Berta's favorite expressions was "they are afraid of us because we are not afraid of them."
Jamie Margolin
Youth activist Jamie Margolin is one of the 21 youth who have filed a lawsuit against the federal government alleging that the action it has taken that has led to climate change is depriving the next generation of life, liberty, and property, and has failed to protect essential public trust resources. The case made it to the US District Court this fall.
Margolin, however, is not waiting around for a decision to be reached. While this case is proceeding, she has created a national climate movement. She is the founder of Zero Hour, a diverse youth-led movement dedicated to concrete action to end climate change. In July of 2018, Zero Hour held a three day event in DC consisting of a day to lobby legislators, an arts festival, and the Youth Climate March itself. Sister marches happened in tandem across the nation and world. Margolin's movement is focused on concrete action, not just rhetoric – they have a science-backed platform stemming from the lawsuit, and their march included a specific set of action items. They are also successfully intersectional; their platform fully recognizes that solving social issues is vital to fighting climate change, and having women of color at the helm brings a diversity to this movement that has led to its success.
Vanessa Hauc
Vanessa Hauc is an Emmy award-winning trilingual reporter who has used her platform to educate Spanish-speakers and the larger world about environmental issues. She started her career in Bogota, Colombia in 1993, and in 1999 moved to LA. She graduated from the University of Nevada with majors in Communication and Journalism, while working at nearby TV stations. In 2002 Hauc joined the Telemundo network as reporter and co-presenter of "Al Rojo Vivo con Maria Celeste," and has risen up the ranks to her current position as a correspondent for Noticiero Telemundo. Telemundo is one of the largest providers of Spanish-language content in the country and has a global reach, providing programming in more than 100 countries.
Hauc has taken advantage of this global audience to spread awareness of environmental issues by creating her own segment "Alerta Verde" (Green Alert), to educate the public about the importance of protecting the environment. After much success, Telemundo made Alerta Verde its own company, and is now at the forefront of environmental news coverage.
Hauc has also been on the frontlines of environmental crises throughout her career, reporting on the ground from disasters. She covered Hurricane Katrina, earthquakes across the world, including Chile, Japan, and Haiti, and the Chilean miners' rescue. She has also dedicated her time to travelling the United States challenging legislators on anti-immigration policies, has received a Master's degree in Economy and International Politics from the University of Miami, and studied French Culture and Languages at the University of Aix in Provence, France.
Christiana Figueres
One of the world's greatest accomplishments in the last decade was the Paris Climate Agreement, signed by 195 countries in 2015. This historical agreement was largely due to our next environmentalist, Christina Figueres. Figueres has a master's degree in social anthropology and is a diplomat for Costa Rica. She became the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2010 and assumed responsibility for the annual international climate change negotiations. She was determined to bring the world to a consensus and implement a regulatory framework for carbon emissions that everyone could commit to. She successfully directed a series of annual negotiations across the world that culminated in the Paris 2015 Conference of the Parties (COP21), at which the Paris Climate Agreement was signed.
Christina is not satisfied with just the Paris Climate Agreement. She continues to push the world towards increasing climate protection. She is currently organizing Mission 2020, a global initiative to have world carbon emissions begin decreasing by 2020.
Posted in climate change, conservation, energy, inspirational, social responsibility, sustainability	Tagged climate change, environment, environmental justice, environmentalists, uconn
The IPCC Report: Facing our Future
Posted on October 31, 2018 February 1, 2019 by Natalie Roach
By Sophie MacDonald and Natalie Roach
This October, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report that has shaken the global community. The IPCC was invited by the UN to report this year on the effects that we would experience if the global temperature warms 1.5℃ (2.7°F) above pre-industrial levels. They released a full report along with a technical summary and policymaker summary. The report contains scientific, technical, and socio-economic findings and has major ramifications across these disciplines. The contents of this report are grim, but give us a much more concrete vision of our future—something that is vital as the world makes plans to prevent catastrophic climate change.
Since civilization hit the industrial revolution in the mid-1800s, humanity has been dumping carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the air at an exponential rate. This has led to an increasing amount of sunlight and heat being trapped in our atmosphere, and consequently an increase in our planet's average temperature. Even a slight increase in this global temperature has immense impacts on our climate and in turn the survival of life on Earth, including humans.
The IPCC report begins by defining what exactly the average global temperature was before humanity started to affect it. The IPCC defines pre-industrial levels as the average global temperature over the period of 1850-1900. The report then talks about where we are now. We have already caused a 1℃ rise in the average global temperature compared to pre-industrial levels. Effects from climate change are already happening, and at this point they are inevitable.
However, we still have control over how severe these effects become, and how long they will last. On our current global trajectory, we will reach a 2℃ increase by 2040. With the passage of the Paris Climate Agreement, the world committed itself to changing this trajectory. Countries promised to keep the increase to under 2℃, and to strive to keep the increase near 1.5℃. In reality, the agreement has little binding power. Globally, we are struggling to reach the 2℃ goal, never mind 1.5℃, which is currently categorized as 'above and beyond.'
The IPCC report focuses on the changes in our climate that will result if we curb the global temperature rise at 1.5℃ as compared to an increase of 2℃. Although any further rise in the global temperature has and will result in devastating changes to our natural and human systems, the difference between 1.5℃ and 2℃ warming is significant. This report makes it clear that 1.5℃ should not be considered as 'above and beyond,' but instead as the absolute limit for global temperature rise.
By 2100, the global average sea level rise is projected to be 0.1 meter lower at 1.5℃ than at 2℃. Sea level rise will continue past 2100, and it is inevitable at this stage. However, sticking to the 1.5℃ goal and slowing the rate of sea level rise will allow more time for adaptation of coastal communities impacted by this rise. Although 0.1 meters may not seem significant, it will make a big difference in giving the world time to prepare for sea level rise.
One of the most poignant symbols of this change in global temperature is the livelihood of the coral reefs. At 2℃, more than 99% of coral reefs will die off due to coral bleaching. At 1.5℃, only 70-90% of current coral reefs are projected to die off. The loss of this incredible phenomenon would be a tragedy. The majority of the ocean's biodiversity exists in coral reefs, they serve as a buffer that protects coastlines from tropical storms, and they function as important primary producers as well.
The frequency of a sea-ice-free Arctic during summer is substantially lower at 1.5℃ than at 2℃. At 1.5℃, an ice-free summer will happen once per century; at 2℃, it will happen at least once per decade.
In addition to the effects mentioned previously, a 2℃ rise instead of 1.5℃ will drive the loss of coastal resources, reduce the productivity of fisheries and aquaculture, and lead to greater species loss and extinction. Vector-borne diseases, such a malaria and dengue fever, are expected to increase and shift geographic regions. A 2℃ rise will lead to larger net reductions of cereal crop yields such as maize, rice, and wheat.
As the global temperature warms, the effects outlined above are expected to lead to increased poverty and disadvantages in vulnerable populations. Limiting the temperature rise to 1.5℃ instead of 2℃ could reduce the number of people who will be susceptible to poverty and facing climate-related risks by up to several hundred million by 2050.
The IPCC states that reaching the 1.5℃ goal and protecting what we can of our world requires "upscaling and acceleration of far-reaching, multi-level and cross-sectoral climate mitigation and by both incremental and transformational adaptation." While the Paris Climate Agreement was a historical step for humankind, it's not nearly enough to save us. The agreement was the beginning of this world transformation; true change will require continued, tenacious, collaborative effort.
This information can be overwhelming and disheartening. We at the office understand that, and know that this work requires stubborn positivity. The only way we're going to get close to reaching the 1.5℃ goal is if we wholeheartedly believe in our mission and in the future of our world. Even if we do not reach our goal of 1.5℃, or even that of 2℃, any change we make now will still have an important effect on generations to come. So get out there and make some change happen. Reduce your carbon footprint. Vote on November 6th. Start improving your community. Collaborate with friends and neighbors. Have meaningful conversations with those around you. We are each just one person, but we still have an important, irreplaceable influence on the world around us.
Link to the IPCC's Report: http://www.ipcc.ch/report/sr15/
Posted in climate change, conservation, energy, get involved, inspirational, News, recycling, social responsibility, sustainability, Uncategorized, water	Tagged activism, Climate adaptation, community, emissions, environment, future, global community, greenhouse effect, greenhouse gas, IPCC, nature, renewable energy, United Nations
What is Environmental Justice?
Posted on October 3, 2018 April 14, 2019 by Natalie Roach
On the weekend of September 8th, New Haven was brimming with energy. There were events happening throughout the city to foster progress for people and the environment.
The first was a summit presented by the Yale Art Gallery and Artspace, a contemporary art non-profit. This summit, called "Homage: Soil and Site" was seven hours long and drew in some of the national leaders in the environmental movement today—household names like Eddie Bautista and Elizabeth Yeampierre. Oh, you haven't heard of them? There's a reason for that. They are self-proclaimed environmental justice advocates, a group that has had little space or power in the environmental movement until recently.
Leticia Colon de Mejias advocated for energy efficiency and justice for Puerto Rico at the rally
 Environmental justice, put simply, is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to environmental conditions, regulation, and change. Those on the frontlines of climate change and other forms of environmental degradation are often the most economically and politically repressed. Impoverished island nations facing increased hurricane activity, poor urban communities facing the worst of air pollution, minority communities having little influence over the siting of a landfill in their backyard, and indigenous people facing potential contamination of their rivers by powerful oil companies should be given a seat at the table in discussions of policy and change. After all, they're the ones who have experience dealing with the problems that we're trying to solve.
After decades of effort on the part of environmental justice advocates, we are finally reaching a point where all voices are being heard. This was evident at event number two of the September 8th weekend, a rally for "Climate, Jobs, and Justice." This event was unique in the groups that came together in order to make it happen. There were the typical organizations that are an important presence at environmental rallies in the state, notably the Sierra Club and 350CT, in addition to other groups such as the CT Puerto Rican Alliance. This meant that there was a larger variety of speakers and performances than the typical rally. There was a presentation of an electric car, and there was also a performance by local rappers about police brutality. There was a call to action for protecting CT's Green Bank, and there was a young Latinx girl who sung about coming together as one. One stop of the rally was to admire a fuel cell, while another was for a local group to speak on issues related to prison reform. Rallies like this give hope for continued collaboration as we strive to create a safe and healthy environment for all people.
The OEP is working on incorporating environmental justice as a focus as well. We recognize the importance of indigenous people to our country and to the environmental movement. Worldwide, they are protectors of 80% of the world's biodiversity, despite only living on 20% of the world's land. They hold Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) that is vital to the stewardship of land, and utilized by many, including the US National Park Service. To honor this, we have partnered with Global House to hold a film screening and discussion of Sacred Water: Standing Rock Part 2 on October 3rd about the Standing Rock protests. It's the kickoff for Indigenous People's Week, a series of events at UConn that aim to replace Columbus Day with a celebration of indigenous people in our country. Please join us in the Global House Lounge at 5:30pm to learn more about this incredible population of people!
Posted in climate change, conservation, energy, get involved, green transportation, inspirational, News, outreach, recycling, social responsibility, sustainability	Tagged environmental justice, uconn
UConn – and Sustainability – Score at This Fall's Green Game Day
Posted on October 2, 2018 February 1, 2019 by Natalie Roach
There was something different and exciting about the second home game of UConn's football season. For one, it turned out to be UConn's first win of the season. But more importantly, Husky fans tailgating before the game were greeted by dozens of students in blue and green shirts carrying around trash bags, picking up bottles and cans, and giving out sustainability-themed trinkets.
Who were these students, and why were they at Rentschler Field? EcoHusky members and EcoHouse residents, along with OEP interns, had gotten together for our fall Green Game Day! Each year, the OEP partners with Athletics to educate not only UConn students but also Husky fans from all over Connecticut on the importance of recycling.
Martin Wolek collects cans from Jary Remly, a resident of Storrs. (Lucas Voghell/UConn Photo)
Volunteers walked around the parking lots, interacting with tailgaters while collecting bottles and cans. It was messy work – many shoes were dirtied with mysterious liquids in the process – but that did not dampen the students' spirit. This year, 2.4 tons of recyclables were collected according to Windsor Sanitation, the most on record from any Green Game Day! Meanwhile, OEP staff and interns stationed at the Green Game Day tent during FanFest quizzed young and old on environmental facts while playing our brand new Plinko game for prizes.
A dedicated EcoHusky member gets his hands (and legs) dirty while digging for recyclables in a dumpster!
Another exciting addition to this Green Game Day event was a recycling PSA video the office created featuring the one and only Jonathan the Husky! In the video, Jonathan teaches you how to recycle by recycling a plastic water bottle himself! If you haven't seen it, it is one of the cutest videos you will see all year. It was shown on the Jumbo Tron before the game, and 'awws' could be heard throughout the stadium as it played. Check out our Facebook page to see it for yourself!
Thanks to our smiling, extremely dedicated, and hardworking volunteers, Green Game Day was a success! A big shout to all who made it possible. We're looking forward to the next one in February!
Volunteers pose for a picture in high spirits before heading out to volunteer!
Posted in ecohouse, ecohusky, green game day, inspirational, interns, living and learning communities, News, outreach, recycling, social responsibility, sustainability, waste management
2020 Vision For a Greener UConn
Posted on April 19, 2018 by UConn OEP
This article was written by Richard Miller, Director of Environmental Policy. It also appeared in the Daily Campus on April 19, 2018.
As the events of UConn's Environmental Metanoia continue to unfold this month, providing students with dozens of opportunities for learning, reflecting and talking about issues like solar power, water quality, environmental justice and more, it's fair to ask the question: "What is UConn doing to become a more sustainable campus?" After all, in creating the context for teaching and inspiring our students, it's important for the University to be the change we want to see, by demonstrating best practices and green technologies that make the campus a "Living Laboratory" for a more sustainable future.
With that in mind, in early 2017, UConn's President Susan Herbst endorsed a 2020 Vision for Campus Sustainability and Climate Leadership. This is a strategic plan with 20 precise goals and metrics for success. To achieve these goals, UConn will need to reduce its carbon footprint by 20 percent, compared to 2007, despite our growth since then. That will mean big reductions in the energy, water, and fuel we use, and the waste we generate.
Students, faculty and staff were involved in setting these 2020 goals, and in giving feedback, including at a student summit meeting last year, about strategies for accomplishing them. As a result of an inclusive University planning process that focused on a series of ambitious targets, we've already made progress! Here are a few of the 2020 goals achieved ahead of schedule:
An interaction at Earth Day Spring Fling, one of the environmental outreach events hosted by UConn.
100% of purchased electricity used at our regional campuses consists of renewable energy
Daily potable water use at the main campus has decreased nearly 40% since 2005, despite a concurrent growth in enrollment of more than 20%
52% of our electronic purchases for items like computers, laptops and monitors are Gold-rated under the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) – up from 23% in 2016
All eight dining halls in Storrs are Green Restaurant certified – making UConn the first public university in the nation to achieve this standard.
UConn's commitment to sustainability is especially centered on understanding and addressing the social, economic, environmental, and public health issues surrounding climate change. Over the past three years, no other public university in the nation has engaged more undergraduate students than UConn has in the U.N.'s annual International Climate Summit and Conference of the Parties (COP), held in Paris, Marrakech and Bonn. UConn@COP is a nationally-acclaimed program aimed at developing future leaders in climate science and policy.
Last year, through President Herbst, UConn joined more than 2,300 members of a multi-sector "We Are Still In" coalition of American businesses, state and local governments, and universities, committed to continued pursuit of climate action goals set in the 2015 Paris Agreement. Strategic coalitions like this will help keep UConn on the crest of what the Environmental Defense Fund recently called "The 4th Wave of Environmentalism," driven by technology and multi-sector efforts.
Policy commitments, together with specific operational goals and strategies for a more resource-efficient and lower-carbon campus, are helping UConn lead the way to a prosperous, clean technology future.
Tree planting with Jonathan! UConn was recently re-certified as a Tree Campus for 2017 by Tree Campus USA.
Posted in climate change, conservation, earth day spring fling, energy, outreach, social responsibility, sustainability, Tree Campus USA, uconn facilities, UConn@COP, water	Tagged 2020 Vision, Environmental Metanoia, Letter from the Director, lower-carbon campus, uconn
Coffee and Climate Change
Posted on April 16, 2018 April 16, 2018 by UConn OEP
UConn@COP23 fellow and OEP intern Wawa Gatheru explains the topic of her poster, power in resistance.
After a frustrating series of snowed-out Wednesdays, the cohort of students who attended COP23 were finally able to host the annual Climate Change cafe, held recently at the Student Union. UConn@COP23 fellows shared their experiences at this year's U.N. International Climate summit, held in Bonn, Germany.
Students from a wide variety of academic majors visited the event and learned about different aspects of the fight against climate change. Topics covered included the power of art as activism, businesses on the forefront of climate change, feminism within the movement, and the role of sub-national entities in lieu of the federal government.
With the advent of the new U.S. administration not supporting the Paris Climate Accords, sub-national entities were a big topic during this year's trip.
"I find the "We Are Still In" movement to be an amazing representation of how our country plans to progress the mitigation of climate change."
– Erika Shook, Animal Science Major
"Hearing that America as a country has not yet completely abandoned the fight against climate change was heartening, and progress can still be made even if its not on a national scale."
– Matthew McKenna, Environmental Engineering Major
"I didn't stay for very long, but I took out a flyer made by the office of environmental policy all about UConn's efforts towards sustainability, and found it super interesting. I actually ended up sharing it with friends."
– Nina Haigis, Accounting Major
"I was inspired by seeing this clear intersectionality of fields that are so heavily affected by the detriments of climate change reflected in the posters on exhibition at the Climate Change Café."
– Luke Anderson, Anthropology/Nutritional Sciences Major
"I came to the Climate Change Cafe knowing that I was interested in going on the trip, but after talking to people and viewing the posters that were made I left super excited to apply and confident that the trip would be an experience that would be both fun and super educational."
– Delaney Meyer, Civil Engineering Major
"Talking to the students at the Climate Change Cafe was an engaging and informative experience. You could tell that this trip fostered their passion for the environment, and that participants were inspired to make changes within our own community."
– Megan Boyer, Biological Sciences Major
UConn@COP23 fellows were inspired by the many powerful art installations they saw while in Germany.
Posted in climate change, News, outreach, social responsibility, sustainability, UConn@COP	Tagged Climate Change Cafe, uconn, UConn@COP, UConn@COP23
5 Women Who Have Revolutionized the Environmental Movement
Activists. Scientists. Scholars. Mothers. Writers. Women have been contributing to the environmental movement since its humble beginnings. Women have been disdained, excluded, jailed, and even murdered for working towards environmental progress, yet they still fight on. In honor of Women's History Month, we have compiled profiles of revolutionary women from across the spectrum of the environmental movement. These women show us the value of empowerment, and inspire us with their passion for a better world.
Rosalie Edge
Edge posing with one of the hawks she spent her life protecting
Despite her wealthy, socialite upbringing in New York City, Rosalie Edge was anything but proper and demure. A dedicated suffragist, Edge shifted her attention towards the National Audubon Society after the passage of the 19th amendment. Having become aware of the gender-based injustices happening within the National Audubon Society, Edge sued the organization and made a point of exposing the persistent corruption. Through lawsuits and exposing pamphlets, Edge successfully had all the former directors removed from the organization.
Edge maintained this momentum for the rest of her life. The Emergency Conservation Committee that she created in response to the Audubon Society crisis became her instrument of political change. With its support she was able to preserve 8,000 acres of sugar pines on the southern edge of Yosemite and create both Kings Canyon and Olympic National Parks.
When the Audubon Association didn't want to pay for a hawk sanctuary that she felt strongly about, Edge raised the money and bought the place herself, paving the way for a mindset of species preservation that had not existed in conservation circles before her. Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, as it was called, was happily owned and run by Edge for the rest of her life, and is still an important place of conservation today. During her reign, Rosalie Edge was considered the leader of the conservation movement – her period's John Muir. A tenacious and effective activist, she changed the movement in ways we can still feel today, and paved the way for Rachel Carson and all other women who came after her.
A view from Hawk Mountain Sanctuary
Sylvia Earle
Earle has logged over 7,000 hours underwater
Sylvia Earle has inspired a generation of people to value our oceans. Also known as "Her Deepness," or "The Sturgeon General," Earle started her journey by obtaining a PhD in phycology (the study of algae) in 1966. A deep diving pioneer, she has tied the overall record for a solo dive depth in 1986 (the first woman to do so), and founded Deep Ocean Engineering, a business that aims to improve the technology of robotic and piloted subsea systems. She was awarded Time Magazine's first Hero for the Planet designation in 1998, and has held the title of National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence since then. As the first woman to serve as Chief Scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), she was also the chair of the Advisory Council for the Ocean for Google Earth. An expert on the impact of oil spills, she was a crucial resource in the Exxon Valdez, Mega Borg, and Deepwater Horizon disasters.
Throughout her extensive career she has held positions at various universities, has won a slew of awards, and has authored over 150 publications. One of her greatest contributions to ocean preservation, Mission Blue, included a global coalition of over 200 organizations aims to preserve the world's marine protected areas, deemed 'Hope Spots.' Sylvia Earle recognizes the power of science, and has harnessed it to capture the imaginations of the public.
Earle "saving the blue heart of the planet"
Nobel laureate and leading environmentalist political activist Wangari Maathai spent her life promoting intersectional environmentalism, advocating that environmental action is "more than planting trees, it's planting ideas." Born in the rural Kenyan village of Nyeri, Maathai was one of 300 Kenyan students to be a part of the Airlift Africa program in 1960, a program that allowed her to receive an education at a university in the United States. After earning her bachelor's and master's degrees in biology, she returned to Kenya, becoming the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate degree.
Maathai's picture on the U.S. Embassy in Kenya's website
Embracing the connections between gender inequality and environmental issues, Maathai founded the Greenbelt Movement, a movement that taught women sustainable land use practices. Since its inception, the movement has trained over 30,000 women and planted more than 51 million trees, an achievement that led to her Nobel Peace Prize Award. With a commitment to ecofeminism and equitable participation, Maathai has had a monumental impact on the global environmental movement.
Women hard at work as part of Maathai's Green Belt Movement
Lois Gibbs
Lois Gibbs is a story of the power that personal impact has to inspire national activism. She started out her journey as a mother in the small, suburban neighborhood of Love Canal. Her son attended the local elementary school in Niagara Falls, New York. It was discovered that her son's elementary school and, with further investigation, the entire neighborhood, was built on top of a toxic waste site.
A mother first, Gibbs' focus was always first on protecting the children of her neighborhood
Fearing for the health of her son and all of the kids of Love Canal, Lois Gibbs was launched into activism. She began knocking on doors, creating petitions, and eventually came together with her neighbors to create the Love Canal Homeowners Association. After years of grassroots activism, confrontations with the New York State Department of Health, and national attention, Gibbs got what she wanted. Nearly one thousand families were evacuated from Love Canal, and a massive cleanup began.
Because of the hard work of Lois Gibbs and the residents of her neighborhood, the Environmental Protection Agency instituted a program to locate and clean up contaminated sites like Love Canal across the country. It's called the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, or the Superfund Program.
Since Love Canal, Gibbs has founded a grassroots environmental crisis center called the Center for Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ), which focuses on creating strong local organizations to ensure the federal government is doing what it's supposed to do. Gibbs has received many awards for her work, including the Goldman Environmental Prize, the Heinz Award, and a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. However, the most important legacy she is leaving behind is the support system she has created for those neighborhoods that suffer as Love Canal has suffered, but do not have the voice to call for change.
One of many protests by residents of Love Canal
A notable ecofeminist, scientist, writer, and activist, Vandana Shiva has worn many hats in her life, often at the same time. Brought up with a love for nature fostered by her two parents, she received a PhD in the philosophy of physics, and went on to interdisciplinary research in science, technology, and environmental policy at the Indian Institute of Science and the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore. She eventually established Bija Vidyapeeth, an international college for sustainable living, in collaboration with the U.K.'s Schumacher College.
Shiva working with local farmers through her organization Navdanya
Shiva is a leader in championing agricultural biodiversity and local sovereignty. She is on the cutting edge of advances in food technology and the human rights implications of such advances. Much of her activism in this area has been achieved through a national movement she started in 1991 called Navdanya, whose mission is to "protect diversity and integrity of living resources, especially native seed, the promotion of organic farming and fair trade." Navdanya has educated farmers across India of the value of diverse and individualized crops, and has mounted activist campaigns on issues involving intellectual property rights, biotechnology, bioethics, and genetic engineering.
Shiva speaking in Washington, DC, March 2, 2009, before the start of the Capitol Climate Action.
A notable ecofeminist, Siva has written over 20 publications, many on topics that show how women's rights and environmental issues are inextricably linked. In fact, the first book she published, Staying Alive, focused on redefining perceptions of third world women. In 1990, she wrote a report on women's role in agriculture titled "Most Farmers in India are Women," as requested by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. She founded the gender unit at Kathmandu's International Centre for Mountain Development, and is a founding board member of the Women's Environment and Development Organization.
Shiva has changed the narrative around local sovereignty, sustainable farming, women in the environmental movement, farmers, globalization, and everything in between. She advises governments, international organizations, and is a leader in worldwide discussions. How is she capable of such extraordinary feats, and how can we emulate her? When asked, Shiva responded "you are not Atlas carrying the world on your shoulder. It is good to remember that the planet is carrying you." Protecting the Earth is simply a matter of recognizing our place within it.
Posted in agriculture, climate change, conservation, get involved, inspirational, social responsibility, sustainability, water	Tagged activism, climate change, college, connecticut, ecofeminism, environment, environmentalists, feminism, science, sustainability, uconn, women's history month


text:
Q: Serre's proof that irreducible characters span the space of class functions In Serre's "Linear Representations of Finite Groups" he proves (Theorem 6, p.19) that...
The irreducible characters $\chi_1,\ldots,\chi_r$ of a finite group $G$ span the space of class functions on $G.$
(By this point in the book, he has already proved that these characters form an orthonormal system.)
His proof starts like this:

Suppose that $f:G \to \mathbb{C}$ is a class function which is orthogonal to every $\chi_i^*.$
For each representation $(V,\varrho)$ of $G,$ consider the following $G$-equivariant endomorphism of $V$:
$$\hat{f}\!(\varrho)=\sum_{g \in G} f(g)\varrho(g).$$
He shows that, for an irreducible representation $(V,\varrho),$ we have $\hat{f}\!(\varrho)=0.$

Then, and this is where I lose him, he says:

From the direct sum decomposition we conclude that $\hat{f}\!(\varrho)$ is always zero.

I don't see any kind of additivity relation like $\hat{f}\!(\varrho\oplus \sigma) = \ldots$
Question. How does he conclude $\hat{f}\!(\varrho)=0$ for all $\varrho$ by knowing it for all irreducible $\varrho$?

A: If $V=V_1\bigoplus V_2\bigoplus\cdots\bigoplus V_n$, with each $V_k$ irreducible, then, for each $v\in V_k$,$$\hat f(\rho)(v)=\sum_{g\in G}f(g)\rho_g(v)\in V_k,$$since $V_k$ is a subrepresentation of $V$. So, $\hat f(\rho)(V_k)\subset V_k$ and so, since $V_k$ is irreducible, $\hat f(\rho)|_{V_k}=0$. Since this occurs for each $V_k$, $\hat f(\rho)=0$.


Pig Mark 64. The District Arms is the most westerly pub in Ashford since the demolition of the Dog and Partridge in 2009. It has a nice sized beer garden and a function hall.
Pig Mark 50. The Kings Fairway is a relatively new pub, built in the 1990s on the site that once housed The Links Hotel. It is run by Ember Inns and is named due to its proximity to Ashford Manor Golf Course. It offers a range of real ales and food and has an outside patio.
Pig Mark 46. The Oaks was called The Hearts of Oak back in the day, but more recently has been renamed and become a Hungry Horse pub. The pub now features a bar, a beer garden and a restaurant.


A multiple winner on Sunday at Rideau Carleton Raceway, trainer/driver Guy Gagnon made his final visit of the night to the winner's circle with Cobalt Man after taking the $8,250 Preferred Handicap Pace by a neck.
Gagnon pulled Cobalt Man from the pocket approaching the third quarter mark and took command from torrid pacesetter The Roadies (:26, :53.4, 1:22.2) then held off favourite Windsun Cheyenne at the end of the 1:52.1 mile. Third-place honours went to Canadian Edition, who finished two lengths behind in a three-way photo finish.
Gagnon trains, drives and co-owns the 10-year-old Rocknroll Hanover-Lady Indigo gelding, who returned $12.70 to win as the 5-1 third choice on the toteboard.
Claimed for $25,000 on April 9 at Woodbine Racetrack, Cobalt Man is also shared in ownership by Gestion Louis Latulippe Inc. and Gestion Bruno Blouin Inc. The win was his fifth this year from 16 starts and 43rd lifetime putting his career earnings at $556,918.
Gagnon also won the first three races on the program with his own pacer Cliff Drummond and Jamie Copley trainees Natural Kemp and Saulsbrook Lanny.
The co-featured $8,550 Preferred 2 Trot was won by Francois Morin's 10-year-old gelding Flying Isa N ($15.80) in 1:55.4 over Pasadena Star in another close finish. Driver J.R. Plante was aboard as the son of Pegasus Spur and Sun Isa closed from fourth to score by a nose for trainer Yves Tessier. Flying Isa N was also a recent claim, at a price of $14,000 from Woodbine on March 29.