text:
Has Apple arrived at a point where it cannot innovate any further?
By Muhammad Usama Published: September 19, 2015
The fact of the matter is that Apple is not reinventing, it is merely revamping. It has become part of the mainstream, although it is continually performing well. PHOTO: REUTERS
Apple's at it again. Yet another array of Apple's sleek, sharply presented devices was released a few days ago for the viewing pleasure of an audience in San Francisco. Apple has introduced the new iPhone 6S along with the iPad Pro, which will be available to consumers in a couple of weeks.
Although there is significant debate regarding the vitality of Apple's product features, there is no doubt in its unparalleled success in recent years. Apple rose to eminence back in 2007, all thanks to its iPhone, the device that revolutionised the phone industry forever, paving the path for the era of smartphones. No one could have conceived that a company which had to be rescued by its rival and whose own co-founder was fired would one day amass so much success that it would eventually surpass the wealth of America's government.
Also, there should be no doubt that as the CEO, Steve Jobs rightly upheld and implemented the beliefs of the company; the belief to produce reinvented, revolutionary products and as he phrased it,
"Put a ding in the universe."
The iPhone along with the iOS, and later even the iPad, were true innovations, something the world had never experienced before. So the question now remains, is Apple still the pioneer of revolutionary products?
At first glance, it is almost impossible to tell the difference between the new iPhone 6S and the former iPhone 6. Take a peek inside and none of the specifications would surprise anyone in this age, except maybe for the A9 processor.
Photo: Digital Trends
Let us talk about the innovation. What does Apple have in store for us?
Frankly speaking, nothing.
It's playing the same catch-up game with the higher-end Android devices in terms of features.
Force touch has been re-introduced as 3D touch, a technology which existed in the BlackBerry Storm.
Photo: Crackberry
Live photos? Already exists in the Lumias and HTC.
Photo: Mashable
Photo: Macworld
Siri? Present in almost every Android device with Google Now.
The list goes on, but I am merely pointing out that instead of being the game-changer, Apple has taken an unusual turn in recent years. It is losing the race in terms of innovation. Perhaps it has gotten too comfortable at the top.
Or perhaps it doesn't feel the need to innovate, given that it rakes in huge profits every year.
It could be argued that Apple devices do not really need such an accelerated hardware. They work smoother than most Android devices, albeit having lower grade specifications. To put it simply, imagine a Rolls Royce compared to a Toyota Crown. The Crown, despite having an abundance of cutting-edge technology, would still not come close to the renowned quality of a Rolls Royce. However, this does not account for the absence of innovation.
Furthermore, Apple's newest tablet graced the audience as well. The iPad Pro, an enlarged, business-oriented tablet, brings the familiar name of Microsoft's Surface Pro to mind.
It seems that Apple is now borrowing ideas from other companies. Perhaps they'll fare much better than Microsoft in terms of sales of their new tablet. Their stocks have been predicted to rise by 33 per cent in the next 18 months, given the quite marvellous reputation of the previous iPads.
So, what does this new iPad have in store for the user?
Well, it's bigger, lighter, and faster. That's all that matters now, right?
Among Apple's most remarkable qualities is its marketing capabilities; it can rename the oldest, most useless of technologies and the common man will perceive it as a technological breakthrough. Take for example the Apple Pencil, which brings to the mind a rather natural feeling of literally working with a pencil on your iPad, although it is after all just a fancily named stylus.
Another example might be of the previously mentioned 3D touch. These names automatically create a good first impression in the minds of the audience, no matter the usefulness or pragmatism of the technology itself. Perhaps this is the reason why Apple receives exceedingly high numbers of pre-orders every year.
The fact of the matter is that Apple is not reinventing, it is merely revamping. It has become part of the mainstream, although it is continually performing well. The questions that remain are that without the introduction of new inventions and innovated products, what does the future hold for Apple? Can it continue to relish in success by simply adopting older technologies and features?
The answer is not so clear, but if I were to take a guess, I would say that Apple would still be among the stars in the coming years. However, to remain at the very top, it must reintroduce its lost and outstanding qualities.
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Muhammad Usama
A student with a wide range of interests including technology, current affairs, history and writing. He tweets at @gadgetmaniah
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from the office of Commissioner Larry Suffredin:
More Than 200 County Public Defenders Could Be Cut
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Stroger, Suffredin invite citizens to Participate in the Annual New Year's Day Paddle
Evanston Legislators call upon residents to help combat domestic violence by recycling old cell phones.
Steele passes on seat to her son
Steele's parting act full of arrogance and all too common
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Cook County Board pays tribute to outgoing Hansen
County Oversight of TIF Districts Proposed
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In a perfect world, Claypool deserves the nod
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Cook County announces $10 million COVID-19 relief fund for suburban businesses, gig workers
Cook County launches $10 million loan fund to help small businesses, gig workers struggling during coronavirus pandemic
Lightfoot declares 'public health red alarm' about racial disparity in COVID-19 deaths
Kaegi starting over on countywide tax assessments, adjusting for pandemic's impact on property values
The Daily Line
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Cook County's chief architect of COVID-19 response ousted, puzzling some, alarming others
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Gov. Pritzker Lays Out Measures to Increase Testing, Hospital Capacity in Preparation for Additional Need
Chicago Crusader
Cook County coronavirus death toll surpasses 200 as medical examiner announces 26 more deaths
In Chicago, 70% of COVID-19 Deaths Are Black
WBEZ News
Latest coronavirus news for April 5, 2020: Live updates
Coronavirus live blog, April 4, 2020: 2 die from coronavirus in Carol Stream nursing home
Cook County Jail staffers raise complaints about conditions as sheriff's office assures steps taken to stem COVID-19
14th employee contracts COVID-19 at Cook County Circuit Court Clerk's office
Assessor trying to ensure Cook County property values adjusted to reflect 'coronavirus effect'
Cook County's head of COVID response is out
Cook County drawing on $100M credit line
Dr. Terry Mason, head of Cook County's public health department, out amid pandemic
City gets 4,500 small-biz loan applications in 24 hours
A coronavirus case curtails some operations at domestic violence court, even as hotline calls increase
Chief judge's office employee working at juvenile detention center tests positive for coronavirus
'To us right now, time is life.' Chinese community mobilizing to provide medical supplies to Chicago-area hospitals
Mental health groups mobilize virtual community for those isolated by coronavirus outbreak. 'This is a lifeline for people'
Gov. J.B. Pritzker enlists Illinois celebrities to encourage residents to stay home as state announces 16 more deaths, 715 new cases of coronavirus
Preckwinkle boned up on history before writing her own chapter battling pandemic
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: java.lang.NullPointerException: No FileItemFactory has been set In attempting to implement fileUpload using the streaming API I get an error described below:
As I gather from the Streaming API web page that the "traditional FileItemFactory is completely ignored," I'm wondering what I'm doing wrong. So I've defined a basic method as follows:
/**
 *
 * @param
 * @return
 */
public void doPost(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response) throws IOException {

    // Check that we have a file upload request
    boolean isMultipart = ServletFileUpload.isMultipartContent(request);

    if (isMultipart) {

        ServletFileUpload upload = new ServletFileUpload();                 // Create a new file upload handler

            // Parse the request
            try {
Line 39 -->         List items = upload.parseRequest(request);                      // FileItem
            Iterator iter = items.iterator();
            while (iter.hasNext()) {
                FileItemStream item = (FileItemStream) iter.next();

                if (!item.isFormField()) {
                    this.processFITSFile(item);
                }
            }
        } catch (FileUploadException e) {
            // TODO Auto-generated catch block
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
    }
}

But that leads to the error below:
SEVERE: Servlet.service() for servlet FitsFileProcessorServlet threw exception
java.lang.NullPointerException: No FileItemFactory has been set.
    at org.apache.commons.fileupload.FileUploadBase.parseRequest(FileUploadBase.java:353)
    at org.apache.commons.fileupload.servlet.ServletFileUpload.parseRequest(ServletFileUpload.java:126)
    at controller.FITSFileProcessor.doPost(FITSFileProcessor.java:39)
    at javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:637)
    at javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:717)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:290)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:206)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardWrapperValve.invoke(StandardWrapperValve.java:233)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContextValve.invoke(StandardContextValve.java:191)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHostValve.invoke(StandardHostValve.java:128)
    at org.apache.catalina.valves.ErrorReportValve.invoke(ErrorReportValve.java:102)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardEngineValve.invoke(StandardEngineValve.java:109)
    at org.apache.catalina.connector.CoyoteAdapter.service(CoyoteAdapter.java:293)
    at org.apache.coyote.http11.Http11Processor.process(Http11Processor.java:849)
    at org.apache.coyote.http11.Http11Protocol$Http11ConnectionHandler.process(Http11Protocol.java:583)
    at org.apache.tomcat.util.net.JIoEndpoint$Worker.run(JIoEndpoint.java:454)
    at java.lang.Thread.run(Unknown Source)

A: new ServletFileUpload() creates an uninitialized instance. Its documentation says:

Constructs an uninitialised instance
  of this class. A factory must be
  configured, using
  setFileItemFactory(), before
  attempting to parse requests.

So you either need to use setFileItemFactory() or use the other constructor, which takes the factory as an argument. Like this:
// Create a factory for disk-based file items
FileItemFactory factory = new DiskFileItemFactory();

// Create a new file upload handler
ServletFileUpload upload = new ServletFileUpload(factory);

Fore more info, see the documentation. The example is also from there.
Or, you can use the streaming API, but then you need to get the iterator differently:
ServletFileUpload upload = new ServletFileUpload();
FileItemIterator iter = upload.getItemIterator(request);
while (iter.hasNext()) {
    FileItemStream item = iter.next();
    ...
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
France Weather Forecast Weather Forecast in France
Weather Forecast in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Local time: 20 January 2022 -
The ranking of the best weather destinations by week
From 30/01/2022 to 05/02/2022 From 06/02/2022 to 12/02/2022 From 13/02/2022 to 19/02/2022 From 20/02/2022 to 26/02/2022 From 27/02/2022 to 05/03/2022 From 06/03/2022 to 12/03/2022 From 13/03/2022 to 19/03/2022 From 20/03/2022 to 26/03/2022 From 27/03/2022 to 02/04/2022 From 03/04/2022 to 09/04/2022 From 10/04/2022 to 16/04/2022 From 17/04/2022 to 23/04/2022 From 24/04/2022 to 30/04/2022 From 01/05/2022 to 07/05/2022 From 08/05/2022 to 14/05/2022 From 15/05/2022 to 21/05/2022 From 22/05/2022 to 28/05/2022 From 29/05/2022 to 04/06/2022 From 05/06/2022 to 11/06/2022 From 12/06/2022 to 18/06/2022 From 19/06/2022 to 25/06/2022 From 26/06/2022 to 02/07/2022 From 03/07/2022 to 09/07/2022 From 10/07/2022 to 16/07/2022 From 17/07/2022 to 23/07/2022 From 24/07/2022 to 30/07/2022 From 31/07/2022 to 06/08/2022 From 07/08/2022 to 13/08/2022 From 14/08/2022 to 20/08/2022 From 21/08/2022 to 27/08/2022 From 28/08/2022 to 03/09/2022 From 04/09/2022 to 10/09/2022 From 11/09/2022 to 17/09/2022 From 18/09/2022 to 24/09/2022 From 25/09/2022 to 01/10/2022 From 02/10/2022 to 08/10/2022 From 09/10/2022 to 15/10/2022 From 16/10/2022 to 22/10/2022 From 23/10/2022 to 29/10/2022 From 30/10/2022 to 05/11/2022 From 06/11/2022 to 12/11/2022 From 13/11/2022 to 19/11/2022 From 20/11/2022 to 26/11/2022 From 27/11/2022 to 03/12/2022 From 04/12/2022 to 10/12/2022 From 11/12/2022 to 17/12/2022 From 18/12/2022 to 24/12/2022 From 25/12/2022 to 31/12/2022 From 01/01/2023 to 07/01/2023 From 08/01/2023 to 14/01/2023
Compare your :
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Want to organise your holiday inProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Take a look at the weather forecast without delay! To help you prepare for your trip, Easyvoyage brings you the tourist weather comfort index. This innovative weather prediction service combines a range of indicators extrapolating the weather conditions inProvence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur for various activities: hiking, visits, beach, water sports.
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Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur: When to go ?
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur in January 33%
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur in February 34%
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur in March 36%
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur in April 39%
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur in May 59%
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur in June 79%
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur in July 85%
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur in August 82%
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur in September 68%
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur in October 47%
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur in November 32%
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur in December 31%
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur: Weather comfort forecast forJanuary
All overall
44% Orange Weather 10% 74% 60% n/a 66% 68%
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Nice Weather 8°C | 11°C
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Aix-en-Provence Weather 6°C | 9°C
Cannes Weather 8°C | 11°C
Antibes Weather 8°C | 10°C
Gap Weather 0°C | 3°C
Carpentras Weather 6°C | 8°C
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Orange Weather 6°C | 8°C
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Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur : Preparing for your trip
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OverallAverage of previously-cited indicators.
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The black76 tag has no usage guidance.
How do we know if the volatility which is quoted in market is Normal (Bachelier model) or log normal (Black 76)?
Why is there an upper limit on the premium of an ATM (!) call swaption in the Black76 model?
Which models do Bloomberg/Reuters use to derive implied volatility for interest rate derivatives with negative forward rates?
Why is the Black 76 model not considered an interest rate model?
What is the Rho of an option on a futures contract priced using the Black 76 model?


Can anyone give me reviews about dps 45 in terms of hygiene as i have heared from many parents that washrooms are not that clean?
Thank u rashmi for your answer means a lot was so confused now all my doubts are cleared.
True. washrooms are always dirty. one of classmates of my daughter does not go to washroom in the school. she always hold it till she reaches her home. instead of the complaints to teachers, washrooms are not cleaned. my daughter is in class 5 and i am planning to take my daughter out of the school and now searching for a school with good infrastructure and extra curricular activities. the teachers also do not pay personal attention to each and every student.its has established brand name only.
What is the ranking of different schools in noida, and their fee structure? Do kids admitted to mothers pride playschool automatically get admission in formal school presidium at sector 57? How will you rate this school wrt to dps sec 45 or suncity? Hi folks, which are top 10 schools in gurgaon which keeps a balance in academic & creativity of child in early years. my son is 2.5 year old? Shri ram global school (srgs)- what is the fee structure for nursery? one time and quarterly? do they have day care facility?
What are the other general expenses apart from fees per quarter? Why only some schools allow 3+ admission to nursery ? I am looking for school in a gurgaon for my child for nursery. we are relocation from delhi . can someone suggests good schools nearby gurgaon delhi boarder? A tgt maths teacher.wanna to apply for the same.have experience .pls let me know if any vacancies? Hi could anybody please share reviews in terms of kids being happy and balance of extra curricular activities with academics?


text:
Fight Over Divisive Mural Escalates as George Washington High School Alumni File Lawsuit
Recently, the school board voted to conceal Victor Arnautoff's "The Life of George Washington," which critics call a racist depiction of Native Americans and enslaved people.
Kate GillOctober 7, 2019
Dlectricity, Detroit's Light and Art Festival, Is Now Accepting Artist Applications
Victor Arnautoff, "The Life of George Washington" (© Tammy Aramiam/GWHS Alumni Association)
The conflict over George Washington High School's polarizing mural art is bound for San Francisco's superior court.
Members of George Washington High School's school's alumni association filed suit against the San Francisco school district on Friday — alleging that its decision to shroud a historic, controversial mural departs from local law. The 1930s mural, "The Life of George Washington," is a stark, disquieting visual: in one panel of the 13-part mural, the president stands beside a slain Native American after a skirmish. In another, he is surrounded by enslaved people of African descent. Although the mural was initially meant as a critique of Washington and his disregard for the humanity of enslaved people and Native Americans, the work has come to represent a cartoonish, exaggerated view of minorities to many of its naysayers.
The Depression-era work — sprawling, colorful, and conspicuous — is just the latest to enter a national conversation about history, representation, and the responsibility of public-facing art.
Critics have argued the mural, painted by Victor Arnautoff, is racist, culturally insensitive, and a devastating reminder of oppression. In July, a group of San Francisco educators, "Teachers 4 Justice," posted a statement on Medium, affirming their support for Indigenous and Black communities. "The mural depicts an image of a murdered Indigenous person, as well as several other Indigenous persons painted in stereotypical, inaccurate ways. The mural also depicts African Americans only as enslaved people, supporting the problematic narrative that Black history is a history of victimization," the statement read.
The opposition has countered that the mural is an important artifact of our mistakes as a nation — and painful for all the right reasons. But does that mean students at George Washington High School should be forced to confront it daily? Many members of the alumni association certainly think so; and according to a report in the New York Times, many students agree. (While the vast majority of students polled elected to preserve the mural, certain students were quoted as saying they couldn't bear to see it; others were prompted to lackadaisically refer to the disturbing images in conversation, using phrases like, "Let's meet at the dead Indian.")
Initially, the mural was set to be destroyed, but the Northern California NAACP intervened. Leaders from the chapter said the mural is an important educational tool, however distressing. NAACP leader Rev. Arnold Townsend told the San Francisco Chronicle that paining over the mural would be equivalent to "whitewashing history to make it reflect a history that never existed."
But in August, after months of debate, George Washington's school board voted 4-3 to conceal, not destroy, the mural in an effort to appease both sides of the conflict.
The fight, which began in April, continued to escalate after the board's vote, culminating with last week's action. The lawsuit alleges the board issued its ruling without an "environmental review" which is required by California law.
The San Francisco School Board has not yet responded to Hyperallergic's request for comment.
CaliforniaGeorge WashingtonGeorge Washington High SchoolSan Francisco
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Istikharah Notepad: A Practical Tool to Decide With Barakah
Mohammed Faris, Fri 3 Rajab 1443AH 4-2-2022AD Company News 13 minutes
The Istikharah Notepad is a practical tool developed by The Productive Muslim Company to help you think through decisions with Barakah.
It is inspired by the guidance of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). He taught his companions to seek istikharah (goodness) from Allah SWT and istisharah (counsel) from people whenever they have a decision to make.
The Barakah of making decisions with istikharah & istisharah is the knowledge that despite all the unknowns and potential outcomes of your decision, you can proceed without feeling regret because you did all you could at the time of making a decision following Prophetic guidance.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: 'From (the signs of) the son of Adam's prosperity, is his satisfaction with what Allah decreed for him, and from the son of Adam's misery is his avoiding to request guidance from Allah, and from the son of Adam's misery is his anger with what Allah decreed for him."
A-Tirmidhi
In this article, we'll explain why making decisions is hard, the process to make decision making easier, and how each question in the Istikharah Notepad is designed to help you follow this process.
Why Making Decisions is Hard
Making decisions is challenging for two reasons:
We don't have perfect knowledge of what will happen in the future based on our decisions.
We are not sure of the opportunity cost of each decision we make and whether there are better decisions we could have made.
Allah SWT says in the Quran:
قُل لَّآ أَمْلِكُ لِنَفْسِى نَفْعًا وَلَا ضَرًّا إِلَّا مَا شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ ۚ وَلَوْ كُنتُ أَعْلَمُ ٱلْغَيْبَ لَٱسْتَكْثَرْتُ مِنَ ٱلْخَيْرِ وَمَا مَسَّنِىَ ٱلسُّوٓءُ ۚ إِنْ أَنَا۠ إِلَّا نَذِيرٌ وَبَشِيرٌ لِّقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ
"Say [Prophet], 'I have no control over benefit or harm, [even] to myself, except as God may please: if I had knowledge of what is hidden, I would have abundant good things, and no harm could touch me. I am no more than a bearer of warning and good news to those who believe."
Quran 7:188
If you need to make a decision on a job offer, a business proposition, or a marriage proposal, you don't have perfect and complete knowledge of the impact of this decision on your life. Moreover, once you decide, you forgo other opportunities that may or may not be better for you.
The indecision we go through because we're not sure what's good for us and the opportunity cost of our decisions can be paralyzing, especially when we have a lot of good choices in front of us.
We think that having more choices in life is better; however, as Dr.Barry Schwartz explained in his TED Talk, the more options you have, the more complex a decision can be, and the more regret you'll feel after making a decision because you think you could have made better choices:
This abundance of choice and the accompanying indecision is exasperated in the modern era compared to previous generations. In the past, finding a job or spouse was limited to where you lived and whom you knew. Nowadays, with a click of a button, you can search for endless options for jobs and potential spouses globally.
So, how do we make decision making less stressful? How do we not get paralyzed with the abundance of choices and the challenges of analyzing all our options? Below is a four-step process to help in this regard.
The 4-Step Process to Decision Making
Understand the decision: You need to ask yourself powerful questions that give you clarity and perspective on the decision at hand.
Seek counsel from people you trust or those who have more knowledge and experience than you and who can give you good, sincere advice.
Pray istikharah prayer and seek goodness and Barakah in your decision from Allah SWT.
Take action based on what your spiritual heart is inclined towards and trust Allah (Tawakkal) that He'll give you what's best even if things don't work out your way.
How does the Istikharah Notepad work?
The Istikharah Notepad helps you systematically go through the above process by completing one sheet of paper per decision.
Step 1: Understand the decision
The first few questions in the Istikharah Notepad are designed to help you clearly think through the decisions. Here's a breakdown of each question and how it can help you:
What decision do I need to make?
It's incredible how asking a simple question can help resolve a lot of indecision around a topic.
What is it exactly that you're deciding on? Be specific. For example, let's say you're considering starting a business. What decision are you making? Is it whether or not to get into the business? Or what type of business do you need to get into? Or the business model you should explore?
Being clear on the decision you need to make is the first step towards making effective decisions and reducing the uncertainty around a decision.
Use this space in the Istikharah Notepad to write a clear statement on the decision you're making.
What's my niyyah (intention) for this decision?
Once you understand what decision you need to make. Take a pause, and ask yourself why are you making this decision? What's the intention behind it?
For example, you might realize that the reason you're considering a job offer even though you already have a good job is that you're bored and are looking for new exciting job opportunities. Or the reason for choosing a specific college degree is because it'll look good on your CV even though you're not interested in studying that topic.
Intentions are subtle, and they start from the heart. Our challenge is to purify the intentions behind every decision and make them for Allah SWT (we cover this topic extensively in our How to Use Barakah Journal webinar and in the introductory section of the Barakah Journal).
Understanding our intentions and trying to purify them so that they are for the sake of Allah SWT is a powerful step to get clarity on decisions and ensure that you make spiritually-intelligent decisions. Therefore, in this section of the Istikharah Notepad, write down what your niyyah (intention) is and assess your intention:
Is it for Allah SWT?
Can you upgrade your intention from a Dunya (worldly) focus to an Akhira focus?
What is your why telling you about this decision?
These reflective questions are essential as they'll help remove some of the layers of indecision surrounding the decision. You might get clarity on what your decision should be simply by thinking about your intentions.
When do I need to make this decision?
The most stressful part about making a decision isn't the decision-making process; it's being stuck in the period before making the decision. We call this The Stress of Indecision. That's why adding a deadline is vital to help you decide by a specific date and not give yourself the option to procrastinate on the decision-making process.
Some decisions have clear deadlines – e.g., you need to accept a job offer within 2 weeks, for example. Other decisions don't have a clear deadline, and this is where we recommend that you put a deadline and stick to it.
As part of our #GoHijri campaign – we recommend that you put a Hijri date first before a Gregorian date. Perhaps there's a subtle spiritual significance to a specific date that would inspire you to make a decision on that day, e.g., you might decide on an important project on the Day of Arafat.
Which areas of my life will this decision affect the most?
Every decision you make will impact multiple areas of your life. The question is: which area will be affected the most?
For example, if you want to start a business, you might realize that the most affected area is your finances since it'll take time for the startup to get off the ground, and you won't have the security of a monthly paycheck. Knowing this, you'd need to make financial arrangements to ensure that you have a 6-12 months runway to cover your expenses while you work on your business and a backup plan in case your business fails.
Or you might realize that accepting that next promotion will affect your health and family life since it requires constant traveling and lots of late-night meetings.
Understanding which areas of your life will be affected by a decision helps you think through ways to mitigate the impact of a decision and/or have relevant conversations with those who'll be affected so you can better agree on how best to manage the impact of a decision.
Which part of this decision is my nafs (self) attached to and why?
This is perhaps the most challenging question to ask yourself in the notepad because it requires deep introspection and self-accountability.
Before I share how to answer this question, a quick preview of what we mean by nafs (self) here from an Islamic psycho-spiritual perspective so you can understand how to answer this question.
Your nafs is a subtle substance that comes into existence when our souls and bodies meet in this world. It is the part of us that has desires, likes and dislikes, and particular inclinations based on pleasure and pain. As Dr. Abdallah Rothman outlines in this article, while the nafs is not bad in and of itself, it has the tendency to lead us away from Allah SWT because it tends to be attached to this world. Our challenge – as spiritual beings – is to train and discipline the nafs to turn towards Allah and not be connected to this temporal world so that it can be successful in the hereafter.
Disciplining our nafs can be difficult, especially since our nafs is like a child. If it wants something, it wants it now (instant gratification) regardless of the consequences, and if it doesn't want something, it'll resist and throw 'tantrums' if you try to force it to do something that it doesn't like.
Therefore, when it comes to decision-making, we need to be careful. Sometimes we make decisions that our nafs is inclined towards even though it might harm us spiritually and lead us away from Allah SWT. For example, let's say you're a hiring manager at a company and you have to decide between two candidates. Objectively, candidate A is better than candidate B, and your team thinks that candidate A is the best overall choice. However, your nafs is attached to candidate B because they come from the same background as you, or they are more attractive (this is sometimes referred to as implicit bias).
We need to be wary of making decisions that appeal to our nafs instead of what's best for us (or the organization) in the long run.
So think deeply and introspectively about what part of a decision is your nafs attached to and why. Perhaps, for example, you're attached to an idea/project because it was your idea, and even though objectively the idea may not work, your nafs doesn't want to let go because it was your idea. Hence, you pursue the idea anyway at high costs.
Again, the purpose of this question is not to 'judge' what your nafs likes or dislikes, but simply to reflect and understand what your nafs is attached to so you can make better spiritually-intelligent decisions.
How do I currently feel about this decision?
This is a quick 'gut' reaction check about a decision. How do you feel about the decision? Don't overthink this section and choose from the available options. You can select as many feelings as you like.
Labeling the emotions surrounding a decision is a way to understand what your intuition is telling you about a decision.
You might think that you 'fear' a decision, but realize that it's an excitement coupled with a sense of vulnerability. This is helpful information as you think through the decision and how best to proceed.
What are the Dunya (worldly) or Akhirah (hereafter) opportunities/challenges of this decision?
The purpose of this question is to prompt you to think of potential opportunities and challenges you'll face as a result of following through with a decision in this world and the next.
For example, you might consider a marriage proposal from someone wealthy but is not religious. From a Dunya perspective, the decision opens up the opportunity for you to move up the socio-economic ladder, afford more things, and generally be well-off. Moreover, from an Akhirah perspective, you now have access to wealth that you can use to give to charity, support your family, and fund community projects.
However, the challenges of this decision from a Dunya perspective could be social pressure to keep up with people from a higher class, being worried that family and friends may try to take advantage of you, being invited to lots of parties that waste your time etc. And from an Akhirah perspective, having to deal with family members who may be averse to any form of religiosity because they feel Islam is backward and not compatible with the modern world. Also, all this new material wealth may impact your spiritual and character development; you may start being arrogant and treating people with contempt, etc.
Every decision opens up opportunities and challenges for us in this world and the next. This section of the Istikharah Notepad helps you think through these opportunities and challenges and perform a cost-benefit analysis that is not just worldly but also considers the hereafter impact.
Step 2: Seek counsel from people
The Istisharah (Advice) Log
In Islam, we are encouraged to seek counsel or 'shura' from people concerning decisions we need to make.
Even if we think we're smart and have good judgment, seeking counsel is encouraged. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) sought advice and counsel from his companions, including before the battles of Badr and Uhud. Sometimes the advice was successful as in the battle of Badr, and sometimes it wasn't as successful like in the battle of Uhud, but that did not deter the Prophet to seek counsel from the companions, as Allah SWT asked him to do:
فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ لِنتَ لَهُمْ ۖ وَلَوْ كُنتَ فَظًّا غَلِيظَ ٱلْقَلْبِ لَٱنفَضُّوا۟ مِنْ حَوْلِكَ ۖ فَٱعْفُ عَنْهُمْ وَٱسْتَغْفِرْ لَهُمْ وَشَاوِرْهُمْ فِى ٱلْأَمْرِ ۖ فَإِذَا عَزَمْتَ فَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُتَوَكِّلِينَ
"By an act of mercy from God, you [Prophet] were gentle in your dealings with them- had you been harsh, or hard-hearted, they would have dispersed and left you- so pardon them and ask forgiveness for them. Consult with them about matters, then, when you have decided on a course of action, put your trust in God: God loves those who put their trust in Him."
Allah says in the Quran – describing the believers:
وَٱلَّذِينَ ٱسْتَجَابُوا۟ لِرَبِّهِمْ وَأَقَامُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَأَمْرُهُمْ شُورَىٰ بَيْنَهُمْ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَـٰهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ
"And those who respond to their Lord; keep up the prayer; conduct their affairs by mutual consultation; give to others out of what We have provided for them"
Quran 42:38
The Barakah of istisharah is that you're often led to the correct and most beneficial decision (not always, but often).
When Umar Bin Al-Khattab was considering entering a town with a plague, he sought advice from the companions who told him that it was best not to enter. Later he learned that there was a hadith by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) explicitly discouraging people from entering a town with a plague (a concept we now know as quarantine).
When seeking istisharah from people, you need to seek istisharah from people who have knowledge/experience and can give you practical advice to act on. The person should be known for their honesty and trustworthiness and set their personal feelings aside to provide you with objective and straightforward advice.
This section of the Istikharah Notepad ensures that you a) seek shura from at least three people in your circle (feel free to seek istisharah from more people if you want) and b) capture their shura, so you have a log of what advice they gave you.
Step 3: Seek istikharah (goodness) from Allah SWT
The Istikharah Prayer Log
The istikharah prayer is a special prayer taught by Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) when we have a decision to make. It's a powerful way to seek goodness and Barakah from Allah SWT on any decision you're making.
Here's how to pray istikharah prayer:
Step 1: Perform two rak'ah of optional prayer
Step 2: After the prayer, make the following supplication:
اللهم إني أستخيرك بعلمك، وأستقدرك بقدرتك، وأسألك من فضلك العظيم؛ فإنك تقدر ولا أقدر وتعلم ولا أعلم، وأنت علام الغيوب. اللهم إن كنت تعلم أن هذا الأمر خير لي في ديني ومعاشي وعاقبة أمري" أو قال: "عاجل أمري وآجله ، فاقدره لي ويسره لي، ثم بارك لي فيه، وإن كنت تعلم أن هذا الأمر شر لي في ديني ومعاشي وعاقبة أمري" أو قال: "عاجل أمري وآجله، فاصرفه عني ، واصرفني عنه، واقدر لي الخير حيث كان، ثم ارضني به" قال: ويسمي حاجته. (البخاري)
Transliteration: "Allahumma inni astakhiruka bi 'ilmika, wa astaqdiruka bi qudratika, wa as-'aluka min fadlikal-'azim. Fainnaka taqdiru wa la aqdiru, wa ta'lamu wa la a'lamu, wa Anta 'allamul- ghuyub. Allahumma in kunta ta'lamu anna hadhal-'amra (and name what you want to do) khairun li fi dini wa ma'ashi wa 'aqibati amri, (or he said) 'ajili amri ajilihi, faqdurhu li wa yassirhu li, thumma barik li fihi. Wa in kunta ta'lamu anna hadhal 'amra (and name what you want to do) sharrun li fi dini wa ma'ashi wa 'aqibati amri, (or he said) wa 'ajili amri wa ajilihi, fasrifhu 'anni, wasrifni 'anhu, waqdur liyal- khaira haithu kana, thumma ardini bihi."
Translation: "O Allah, I consult You through Your Knowledge, and I seek strength through Your Power, and ask of Your Great Bounty; for You are Capable whereas I am not and, You know, and I do not, and You are the Knower of hidden things. O Allah, if You know that this matter (and name it) is good for me in respect of my Deen, my livelihood and the consequences of my affairs, (or he said), the sooner or, the later of my affairs then ordain it for me, make it easy for me, and bless it for me. But if You know this matter (and name it) to be bad for my Deen, my livelihood or the consequences of my affairs, (or he said) the sooner or the later of my affairs then turn it away from me, and turn me away from it, and grant me power to do good whatever it may be, and cause me to be contented with it). And let the supplicant specify the object." [Al-Bukhari]
After you pray your istikharah prayer, see what your heart is inclined towards and write it down in the Istikharah notepad.
Although you can pray istikharah only once, there's no harm in repeating your istikharah prayer 2-3 times, especially if new information/insight comes to you.
How do I know what my heart is inclined towards?
There are a few signs:
You feel very comfortable regarding a decision and have no hesitation or concern.
You see a dream that supports a decision.
A person of knowledge and experience gives you a clear direction of what path to follow.
You feel optimistic about a particular decision.
Allah opens insights in your heart of the actual cost/benefit of a decision, so you make the most beneficial route.
Step 4: Take action based on what your spiritual heart is inclined towards
Many people are confused about istikharah prayer and not sure how "it works."
The purpose of the istikharah prayer is that we are seeking Allah's guidance and giving over our affair to Allah (tafweedh). Therefore, after taking all the above steps and praying istikharah, the next step is to take action in the direction our heart is inclined towards and have complete trust that Allah SWT will take care of the rest (even if things don't go our way).
In his book A Journey to God, Dr. Jasser Auda captures this understanding in the following example: "If you are running a business trying to make a profit, there is a possibility that you may lose your investment. But if you pray istikharah and lose, think deeply about it. You might find that you lost some of your investment now, but that larger profits will follow in a different business in the future after you learned from the lessons of your loss. It is also possible that God made you lose so that you will reconsider many things, people, and plans in your life, which you examine in an effort to find out why you lost. You may continue to lose, but win a close friend who helped you during the time of your troubles. Therefore, your real success in the end may be from making a profit in another deal, reconsidering your plans, or even winning a friend. God knows whereas you do not know (Quran 2:216)." 3
Once you write down the next steps, say bismillah and take action!
Congratulations, you've made a decision in line with prophetic guidance, and insha'Allah you'll have no regrets regardless of the outcome.
Questions about the Istikharah Notepad?
I hope this article gave you a clear step-by-step guide to filling the Istikharah Notepad and how to make the most out of it. If you have further questions, please send us an email or ask us on Twitter and we'll be happy to respond.
Written by Mohammed Faris
Mohammed Faris is an international coach, author, and speaker who helps individuals and teams live the best versions of themselves - spiritually, physically, and socially. He's the founder of The Productive Muslim Company and author of "The Productive Muslim: Where Faith Meets Productivity.
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"Im not trying to change an image, Im just trying to make sure that the facts match the image. The facts are basically that Im a builder. I have not dissembled any company nor split up any companies, nor do I ever buy any companies with that intent."
"Meng flew low over the darkness of the treetops, thinking of Meabels silky body, his jealousy like a living entity inside him, swelling with each mortal that fell to his sisters myriad charms—men she had not yet consumed."
"Encore plus faux et dangereux quil nest aimable et séduisant, jamais, depuis sa plus grande jeunesse, il na fait un pas ou dit une parole sans avoir un projet, et jamais il neut un projet qui ne fût malhonnête ou criminel."
"Real progress in the Christian life is not gauged by our knowledge of scripture, our church attendance, time in prayer, or even our witnessing (although it isnt less than these things) Maturity in the Christian life is measured by only one test: how much closer to his character have we become? the result of the Spirits work is more not more activity. No, the results of his work are in in our quality of life, they are "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control."
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Epidemiological analysis of 67 local COVID-19 clusters in Sichuan Province, China
Suling Mao, Ting Huang, Heng Yuan, Min Li, Xiaomei Huang, Changxiao Yang, and 4 more
published 08 Oct, 2020
Read the published version in BMC Public Health →
posted 22 May, 2020
Background This study was intended to investigate the epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 clusters and the severity distribution of clinical symptoms of involved cases in Sichuan Province, so as to provide information support for the development and adjustment of strategies for the prevention and control of local clusters.
Methods The epidemiological characteristics of 67 local clusters of COVID-19 cases in Sichuan Province reported as of March 17, 2020 were described and analyzed. Information about all COVID-19 clusters and involved cases was acquired from the China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention and analyzed with the epidemiological investigation results taken into account.
Results The clusters were temporally and regionally concentrated. Clusters caused by imported cases from Wuhan and other provinces except Wuhan accounted for 73.13%; familial clusters accounted for 68.66%; the average attack rate was 8.54%, and the average secondary attack rate was 6.11%; the median incubation period was 8.5 d;a total of 28 cases met the criteria for incubation period determination, and in the 28 cases, the incubation period was > 14 d in 21.43% (6/28). a total of 226 confirmed cases were reported in the 67 clusters. Ten cases were exposed before the confirmed cases they contacted with developed clinical symptoms, and the possibility of exposure to other infection sources was ruled out; two clusters were caused by asymptomatic carriers; confirmed cases mainly presented with fever, respiratory and systemic symptoms; a gradual decline in the severity of clinical symptoms was noted with the increase of the case generation.
Conclusions Population movement and gathering restrictions and strict close contact management measures will significantly contribute to the identification and control of cases. Transmission during the incubation period and asymptomatic infections have been noted. Studies on the pathogenicity and transmissibility in these populations and on COVID-19 antibody levels and protective effects in healthy people and cases are required.
In later December 2019, a number of pneumonia cases of unknown etiology emerged in Wuhan, China. Around the Chinese New Year in 2020, the number of cases rose sharply, involving multiple provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in China; at the same time, outbreaks were reported in many other countries including Japan, Korea, Italy and the United States. On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic [1]. On January 16, 2020, the first COVID-19 cluster was reported in Sichuan Province, China; as of March 17, 2020, a total of 67 local clusters were reported, involving 226 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Sichuan Province is a populous province in the southwest of mainland China, so absence of stringent and effective prevention and control could have resulted in serious social consequences. We analyzed the epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 clusters in Sichuan, intended to provide information support for the development and adjustment of local prevention and control strategies.
The epidemiological characteristics of 67 local COVID-19 clusters in Sichuan reported as of March 17, 2020 and confirmed cases involved in these clusters were described and analyzed using a cross-sectional study design.
In accordance with requirements in the Guidance for Corona Virus Disease 2019: Prevention, Control, Diagnosis and Management [2], information about all COVID-19 clusters and cases should be reported to the China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention. In this study, information about all local clusters was exported from sub-module "Emergency Public Reporting System" and data about related confirmed cases and asymptomatic carriers from sub-module "Infectious Disease Management Information System". Based on epidemiological investigation results, transmission chains were constructed and case generations were determined, followed by a comprehensive analysis. This study has covered all local clusters and all confirmed cases and asymptomatic carriers in the clusters, so sampling was not involved. Confirmed cases with missing clinical information were not included into the analysis.
Confirmed cases, asymptomatic carriers and clusters were identified according to the definitions in the Guidance for Corona Virus Disease 2019: Prevention, Control, Diagnosis and Management [2]. A cluster outbreak indicated that more than two confirmed cases or asymptomatic carriers were found within 14 days in a small area (such as a family, a building site, a work unit), and there was a possibility of human-to-human transmission caused by close contact or by exposure to infectious source together. All confirmed cases were divided into mild cases (the clinical symptoms are mild and no pneumonia manifestation can be found in imaging); ordinary cases (with symptoms like fever and respiratory tract symptoms, and pneumonia manifestation can be seen in imaging); and severe cases (respiratory distress, RR≥30 breaths/min; pulse oxygen saturation (SpO2)≤93% on room air at rest state; arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2)/oxygen concentration (FiO2)≤300 mmHg. The date of onset for a confirmed case was defined as the date of first appearance of clinical symptoms self-reported in field epidemiological investigation. The date of onset for an asymptomatic carrier was defined as the date on which a positive COVID-19 pathological test was obtained with respiratory tract or other feasible samples.
The attack rate was defined as the number of cases divided by the number of exposed persons, where the number of cases was the total number of confirmed cases involved in a transmission chain. As both second-generation (G2) and third-generation (G3) cases were identified from close contacts of cases of the previous generations, if any G2 case developed in a cluster, the number of exposed persons was the number of close contacts of first-generation (G1) cases plus the number of G1 cases; if any G3 case developed in a cluster, the number of exposed persons was the number of close contacts of G1 cases plus the number of close contacts of G2 cases resulting in the G3 cases plus the number of G1 cases; and so forth. The secondary attack rate was defined as the number of second- and later-generation cases divided by the number of exposed persons, where the number of exposed persons was calculated using the aforementioned algorithm except that the number of G1 cases was not included. The incubation period was determined based on confirmed cases that had been exposed for a single time in transmission chains, whose exposure and onset time were clearly known and in whom other factors potentially responsible for their infection were ruled out. Cases for the determination of the attack rate, the secondary attack rate and the incubation period included confirmed cases and asymptomatic carriers. A family dinner was defined as a dinner attended by two or more families.
Epidemiological characteristics of clusters and demographic and clinical characteristics of confirmed cases were descriptively analyzed. Attack rates, secondary attack rates and clinical types of cases and constituent ratios of symptoms were compared using c2 test for constituent differences. The regional distribution map in figure 2 was created by geocoding all COVID-19 clusters and matching them to the city-level layers of polygon and point by administrative codes with the use of ArcGIS software.
Distribution of clusters
On January 16, 2020, the first local COVID-19 cluster was reported in Sichuan. On January 24, 2020, a level-1 public health emergency response was launched, followed by the successive execution of multiple measures with respect to infection sources, routes of transmission and susceptible populations to effectively reduce population movement and gatherings and strengthen the management of close contacts. Main measures and the timeline are shown in Figure 1.
On January 16, 2020, the first local COVID-19 cluster was reported. A total of 31 clusters were reported in January and 36 in February. The daily number of clusters peaked on January 30, 2020 (n=7) and gradually declined after February 06, 2020. A total of 50 (74.63%) clusters were reported as of February 06, 2020. Temporal distribution of cluster reports is shown in Figure 1. Among the clusters, 49 (73.13%) were caused by imported cases, and in 19 the infection source of the first case was unknown.
The 67 clusters had involved 16 prefectures and 48 districts/counties (Figure 2). Chengdu had the largest number of clusters (n=17), followed by Dazhou (n=12), Nanchong (n=7) and Guang'an (n=6). Clusters in the four prefectures accounted for 62.69% (42/67) of the total in the province.
Households were the primary exposure place in the reported clusters, accounting for 68.66% (46/67); living in the same household was the primary form of exposure, accounting for 60.87% (28/46). Clusters caused by exposure in multiple places and in multiple forms accounted for 11.94% (Figure 3). Significantly more clusters were caused by family gatherings in February than in January (p=0.002) (Table 1).
Characteristics of confirmed cases involved in clusters
In the 67 clusters, a total of 226 confirmed cases were reported, accounting for 42.01% (226/538) of the total in the whole province; among these confirmed cases, 164 were local confirmed cases resulting from clusters, accounting for 72.57% (164/226); the male/female ratio was 1:1, the mean age was 47.56 years (1 month-87 years), and patients 30 years of age or above accounted for 87.17% (197/226); involved were 75 (33.19%) G1 cases, 131 (57.96%) G2 cases and 20 (8.85%) G3 cases (Table 2); 23.01% (52/226) had a history of travel or residence in Wuhan, and 25.66% (58/226) had a history of travel or residence in other provinces except Wuhan. The constituent ratios of cases with a history of travel or residence in both Wuhan (p<0.001) and other provinces except Wuhan (p=0.006) were higher in G1 cases were higher in G2 and G3 cases, and the differences were statistically significant (Table 3).
The 226 confirmed cases were clinically typed as follows: 65.04% (147/226) were ordinary, 26.55% (60/226) were mild, and 8.41% (19/226) were severe; no death occurred. With the increase of the transmission generation, the number of ordinary cases gradually decreased, with a significant difference noted overall (p=0.045); a significant difference was found between G1 and G3 cases in the constituent ratio of ordinary cases (p=0.013). No apparent between-generation difference was found in the constituent ratios of mild or severe cases (Figure 4).
Among the 226 cases, clinical information about 221 was complete. 137 cases had fever, accounting for 61.99%, with a median maximum temperature of 38.09℃ (37.3-39.5℃). Other main symptoms included dry cough, [66.52% (147/221)], sputum production [26.24% (58/221)], fatigue [25.34% (56/221)], sore throat [19.46% (43/221)] and headache [17.19% (38/221)]. Gastrointestinal symptoms were occasional, mainly including nausea [10.96% (24/221)] and diarrhea [6.79% (15/221)].The number of cases with fever showed a declining trend overall with the increase of transmission generation (p=0.019), and significant differences were noted between G1 and G2 cases (p=0.009) as well as G3 cases (p=0.027) in terms of the constituent ratio of cases with fever. No statistically significant difference was found between generations in other symptoms (Figure 5).
Transmission characteristics
Among the 67 clusters, G2 cases were identified in 57 (85.07%) and G3 cases in 10 (14.93%); a total of 267 confirmed cases (including 41 asymptomatic carriers) were reported, and on average each cluster resulted in 3.99 (2-17) cases; the average attack rate was 8.54% (1.02-100%), and the average secondary attack rate was 6.11% (0.51-66.67%).
Starting from February 02, 2020, we expanded the time window of close contact tracing to cover three days prior to the appearance of clinical symptoms in primary confirmed cases or prior to the obtainment of a positive nucleic acid test in primary asymptomatic carriers. Attack rates and secondary attack rates before and after this time point were compared, and it was found that, following the expansion of the time window of close contact tracing, both the attack rate and the secondary attack rate increased, with statistical differences identified (Table 4).
Timing of key events
Among the 226 cases, 78.76% (178/226) had been exposed to confirmed cases. In 82.02% (146/178) of such cases, the exposure to the confirmed cases occurred at or after onset of the disease in them. In 10 cases (involved in 9 clusters), the exposure occurred before the confirmed cases they contacted with developed clinical symptoms, and they had been exposed only once while the possibility of exposure to other infection sources could be ruled out. The median time of exposure was 3 d (1-4 d) prior to disease onset in the confirmed cases they contacted with, and the mean was 2.5 d; 90.00% (9/10) of the cases were exposed within 3 d prior to disease onset in the confirmed cases they contacted with.
Of 226 confirmed cases, the median interval between hospital visit and onset was 1 d (0-23 d), the median interval between confirmation and onset was 5 d (0-27 d), and the median interval between isolation and confirmation was -2 d (-19-0 d). 28 cases met the criteria for incubation period determination (involved in 17 clusters). The average incubation period was 10.3 d, the median incubation period was 8.5 d (1-24 d) and the incubation period was >14 d in 21.43% (6/28).
Asymptomatic carriers
In the 67 clusters, a total of 41 asymptomatic carriers (all were identified during medical observation of close contacts) were reported, including 23 males and 18 females. The mean age was 35.31 years (8 months-81 years); and patients 30 years of age or above accounted for 70.73% (29/41). Involved were 8 (19.51%) G1 cases, 31 (75.61%) G2 cases and 2 (4.88%) G3 cases.
In one cluster, one G1 case (severe) was found to have spread the disease to one G2 case (mild) and one G3 case (asymptomatic). Two clusters were caused by asymptomatic carriers and, in both clusters, only G2 cases developed, including one (asymptomatic) to two (confirmed) transmission in one cluster and one (asymptomatic) to one (confirmed) transmission in another cluster. The possibility of other infections was ruled out in all G2 cases. By the end of the two clusters, the G1 asymptomatic carriers had not presented with clinical symptoms or imaging abnormalities.
COVID-19 clusters in Sichuan were mainly characterized in that: 1. The reporting time and regions were concentrated. Clusters reported before February 06, 2020 accounted for 74.63%; clusters reported from Chengdu, Dazhou, Nanchong and Guang'an accounted for 62.69% of the total in the whole province. 2. Clusters were mainly caused by imported cases. Clusters caused by cases imported from Wuhan and other provinces except Wuhan accounted for 73.13%, and the proportion of cases with a history of travel or residence in Wuhan was significantly higher in G1 cases than in Secondary cases. 3. Clusters mainly occurred in households (68.66%). The number of familial clusters was significantly greater in February than in January. These characteristics were similar to clusters in other provinces in China except Hubei [3].
The following factors were considered responsible for the above characteristics of COVID-19 clusters: 1. The epidemic happened during the Spring Festival in China, when large numbers of people in China returned home for family reunion or visited their friends or relatives, forming a population shift peak, particularly in the mid-late January; Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, as a rapidly growing metropolis in West China, has well-developed transport infrastructure including highways, railways and airlines, which facilitated the spread of the disease [4]; big data analysis also showed that Chengdu was ranked the top in terms of inflow of people from Wuhan [5–7]; Dazhou and Guang'an, located in the northeast of Sichuan, are adjacent to Chongqing, which was relatively hardly hit by the epidemic among provinces other than Hubei in China [8]. The above factors have jointly resulted in the temporal and regional concentration of clusters in Sichuan. 2. On January 24, 2020, Sichuan launched a level-1 public health emergency response [9, 10], followed by the successive execution of multiple measures with respect to infection sources, routes of transmission and susceptible populations, effectively reducing population movement and gatherings and strengthening the management of close contacts. Specifically, on January 25, 2020, the Administration for Market Regulation, the Health Commission and the Department of Commerce of Sichuan Province jointly issued a document [11] for strengthening the supervision of dinner gatherings; on January 28, 2020, the People's Government of Sichuan Province issued an order [12] requiring suspension of massive gatherings and business of recreational places and banning dinner gatherings. On February 8, 2020, the provincial headquarters for emergency response issued a notice on strengthening the supervision of dinner gatherings in rural areas [13], banning dinner gatherings involving two or more families. The above measures have effectively reduced people's gatherings including festival celebrations and company dinner parties. However, still a minority of people, following traditional customs, organized and participated in family dinners and entertainment activities with inadequate protection during the Chinese New Year, resulting in the familial clustering characteristic of the epidemic.
The attack rate of COVID-19 clusters in our study was slightly lower than 9.6% in a study located in Shenzhen [14]. The interval between hospital visit and onset was 1 d, shorter than that reported in Hunan [15]; related data were not available from other provinces. The attack rate and the secondary attack rate were significantly higher after February 02, 2020 than before; the median interval between case isolation and confirmation was − 2d, indicating the cases were isolated earlier than confirmed; asymptomatic carriers were identified in the management of close contacts. All of the above results showed that, the intensive close contact management measures in Sichuan including expansion of the close contact tracing time window to cover 3 d prior to the presence of clinical symptoms (or positive test for asymptomatic carriers) in the confirmed cases they contacted with, implemented from February 02, 2020, and the conduct of nucleic acid testing at both the start and the end of quarantine of close contacts, implemented from February 11, 2020, have yielded favorable effects in the discovery and control of cases and the reduction of spread.
The median incubation period in the limited cases in Sichuan was 8.5 d, corresponding to the finding in other studies in China that the incubation period in the majority of cases was < 14 d but being longer than the median incubation period reported in other studies (3–7 d) [16–20]. It was also found that 21.43% of the cases had an incubation period > 14 d, the proportion being higher than that reported in a study in Henan (7.45%) [21]. Due the limited sample size, biases were possible.
Ten cases were exposed before the confirmed cases they contacted with presented with clinical symptoms and, among them, nine were exposed within 3 d prior to onset of the disease in the confirmed cases they contacted with; these cases had been exposed only once and other potential sources of infection could be ruled out, suggesting COVID-19 is possibly transmittable during the incubation period, similar to a report in Zhejiang [22]. In most cases exposure occurred within 3 d prior to disease onset, suggesting COVID-19, like influenza, is possibly contagious at the end of the incubation period or tracing back to 3 d prior to disease onset in seeking close contact could miss earlier infections in the incubation period. Two clusters caused by asymptomatic carriers were found in Sichuan, indicating COVID-19 could be transmitted by asymptomatic infected persons, as is similar to the report in Henan [21]. Nevertheless, the asymptomatic carriers had only caused a small number of G2 cases, indicating the transmissibility in this population may be limited. The above two populations cannot be effectively identified and thus are of special public health significance for sustained transmission of COVID-19 [23]; due to limited available data, the transmissibility of the disease cannot be analyzed, and studies on its pathogenicity and transmissibility in these populations are awaited.
Main presentations of confirmed cases involved in the clusters in Sichuan included fever, respiratory and systemic symptoms, basically corresponding to the reported clinical characteristics of COVID-19 cases, and no characteristic clinical symptom was seen [18, 24–27]. With the increase of the case generation, the constituent ratio of ordinary cases gradually decreased (p = 0.045); and the number of cases with fever significantly decreased (p = 0.019). In one cluster, one G1 case (severe) was found to have spread the disease to one G2 case (mild) and then one G3 case (asymptomatic). The above findings suggest: 1. In clusters, the severity of clinical symptoms will gradually lighten with the increase of the case generation. This corresponded to reports that, in the initial period of the epidemic, cases were mainly severe and the case fatality rate was high [18] and, in the later period of the epidemic, cases were mainly mild [26]. This is possibly because the virus will maintain moderate virulence during passage and evolution for the purpose of long-time reproduction in human [28]. However, limited data are available and further observation is required. 2. Symptoms of coronavirus infection in human are generally mild and limited to the upper respiratory tract; antibody levels will not last long, and repeated infection is common [29]. Studies on COVID-19 antibody levels and protective effects are awaited for investigating whether post-infection antibody levels will decline following the mitigation of COVID-19 clinical symptoms or whether repeated infection will occur as a result of the short-term maintenance of antibody levels.
The findings in the study are subject to several limitations. On the one hand, as only cases exposed only once were included, the cases calculated for the incubation period was limited. On the other hand, PCR detection of respiratory tract specimens was carried out once each time when close contacts were isolated and released, and the isolation period was 14 days. If an asymptomatic carrier recovered spontaneously during the isolation period, the attack rate might be underrated due to the missing count of cases.
In conclusion, our study demonstrated the comprehensive epidemic situation of COVID-19 in Sichuan Province and confirmed the infectivity during the incubation period and asymptomatic infection, providing a reference for decision makers to formulate and adjust control measures.
World health organization; COVID-19:Coronavirus disease; RR:respiratory rate; SpO2:Pulse oxygen saturation; PaO2:Arterial partial pressure of oxygen; FiO2:Fraction of inspiration O2; G1:First generation; G2:Second generation; G3:Third generation; PCR:Polymerase chain reaction.
This study was consulted to the ethics committees of Sichuan Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Ethics approval was not available because all data were collected as part of public health emergency surveillance following the Laws of the People's Republic of China on the Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases. We also did not include any data of patients' personal information and therefore ethical approval was not required and waived off written informed consent.
The datasets used and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
This study was supported by the Science and Technology Department of Sichuan Province (grant no. 2020YFS0015). The funder of the study had no role in study design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, or writing of the report.
Study concept and design, analysis and interpretation of data, preparation of manuscript, and supervision: SM, TH, XW. Acquisition of data: ML, XH, XC. Analysis and interpretation of data: HY, XZ. Preparation of manuscript: CY, QS. All authors have read and approved the manuscript.
We salute and thank all personnel engaged in the prevention, control, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 in Sichuan Province.
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Table 1 Distribution of clusters caused by family gatherings in January and February.
Family life + family mahjong
Family life + family dinner
Family life + family dinner + family mahjong
15 (32.61)
1 (6.67)
2 (13.33)
Table 2 Distribution of confirmed cases in 67 clusters, by age and gender.
Total no.
Constituent ratio (%)
Case generation
G1 (no.)
Age group (yrs)
Table 3 Travel or residence history of 226 confirmed cases.
Cases (n)
Other Provinces except Wuhan
Cases (no.)
c2=75.50
p<0.001
P=0.006
Table 4 Comparison of attack rates and secondary attack rates in clusters before and after February 02, 2020*.
No. of exposed persons
Attack rate (%)
No. of secondary cases
Secondary attack rate (%)
Before February 02, 2020
After February 02, 2020
*Both the number of cases and the number of secondary cases include confirmed cases and asymptomatic carriers.


text:
I thought you might be interested in this item at http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/8866091 Title: North Carolina government, 1585-1979 : a narrative and statistical history. Author: John L Cheney; North Carolina. Secretary of State Publisher: Raleigh, N.C. : North Carolina Dept. of the Secretary of State, [1981] ©1981 OCLC:8866091
North Carolina government, 1585-1979 : a narrative and statistical history.
John L Cheney; North Carolina. Secretary of State.
Raleigh, N.C. : North Carolina Dept. of the Secretary of State, [1981] ©1981
Print book : State or province government publication : English : An updated edition of North Carolina Government, 1585-1974View all editions and formats
North Carolina -- Politics and government -- History.
Constitutional history -- North Carolina.
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Find more information about: John L Cheney
xviii, 1573 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 27 cm
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This resource provides a week of practice activities to build sixth grade students' reading comprehension and word study skills. Students gain regular practice through these quick, yet meaningful, reading activities. Great formative assessment tool!
Give sixth-grade students the tools they need to grow their grammar skills. This easy-to-use resource provides teachers and parents with daily practice activities perfect for use in school or at home.
Activate your sixth graders' brains and jumpstart learning with interactive, level-appropriate lessons across all content areas! This valuable resource also provides background information, including easy tips on how to fire up the brain.
Teach essential vocabulary in ten minutes a day with this cluster approach to help sixth grade students learn many semantically related words at once!
Build social studies content-area literacy with 180 days of daily practice! With these diagnostic-based activities, grade 6 students will analyze primary source documents, answer text-dependent questions, and build their social studies knowledge.
Expand sixth grade students for Next Generation Assessments by incorporating these practice exercises into their daily learning. This resource will help expand students' skill set and give them the necessary tools needed to excel on assessments.
These practice tests are the perfect preparation tool to help get students ready for performance-based next generation assessments. Build students' test taking confidence and give them the skills and ability to achieve maximum results.
Demystify your students and build their confidence as they approach complex word problems. This powerful resource goes beyond routine problems to provide purposeful, daily activities that strengthen the skills needed to advance to the next level.


Fresh Christmas garlands are often priced lower than fresh Christmas wreaths, so Julie saved herself some money and turned some of those garlands into her own DIY fresh Christmas wreaths. She has two beautiful wreaths hanging on her front door and this fun wreath, with a framed monogram, hanging on her back door. I love framed wreaths, love monogram wreaths, and love fresh wreaths. This wreath combines all three in a fun way.
You can check out how to make a wreath from garland over at Less Than Perfect Life of Bliss.


JOHN FOWLES lived in Lyme Regis from 1965 until his death in 2005. Between 1979 and 1988 he served as curator of the Lyme Regis Museum, a post which – in his own words – repeatedly, and happily, led him to revise his image and views of the town's past. He remains one of Britain's most succesful post-war novelists and his work continues to enjoy an international reputation. His novels include The Collector (1963), The Magus (1966) and The French Lieutenant's Woman (1969), of which much was set in Lyme and was later made into an Oscar-nominated film starring Meryl Streep and Jeremy Irons. He is also author of Lyme Regis Camera, published by the Dovecote Press in 1990.


text:
Thank you for attending the 2021 Land Use Conference!
The purpose of the Changing the Landscape of Land Use conference is to engage participants in conversations and collaborative learning that will help inspire and advance equitable and sustainable land use practices, policies and outcomes. Topics include environment/ climate change, equity & inclusion, affordable housing, transportation, community engagement, sustainable planning practices and more!
The 2021 Land Use Conference took place on Wednesday, July 21st and on Thursday, July 22nd. Stay tuned for additional details on 2022!
local, state and regional elected officials and policy makers
appointed citizen planners and other advisory commission members
government staff tasked with community and economic development, planning and zoning
neighborhood council staff and board members
representatives from community-based organizations, nonprofits and advocacy organizations
consultants, contractors and vendors engaged in land, community and economic development
students pursuing planning or community development degrees (see special rate for students!)
2021 KEYNOTE
Conference Keynote:
Land Use in a Post Pandemic World
Wednesday, July 21st at 8:30am CST
Thomas Fisher, Professor of Architecture and Director of the Minnesota Design Center at the University of Minnesota, will discuss the impact of the pandemic on land use and on how we may live, work, shop, and learn in the future. This is the topic of Professor Fisher's upcoming book, which will be published by Routledge in early 2022. He is also the author of Designing our Way to a Better World, The Architecture of Ethics and Designing to Avoid Disaster.
Listen to Our Interview!
Thomas Fisher
Professor of Architecture & Director of the UMN Design Center
AGENDA & SESSIONS
Thank you to our 2021 Land Sponsor, WSB!
By being a sponsor of this conference, your organization can show its commitment and support for equitable and sustainable land use to a broad audience of stakeholders who are driving planning and zoning decisions in communities across the state. Your financial contributions help to underwrite the cost of producing the conference, helping to keep the cost of attendance affordable for government and civic sector attendees.
For immediate assistance or questions, please contact Christopher Kohn at ckohn@fusionlp.org
About Fusion Learning Partners
From learning opportunities and events to organizational development and collaborative initiatives, Fusion exists to strengthen and transform the communities where we work, live, and thrive.
Because Innovation Begins with Learning.


SUHPA has been recently re-affiliated, but the society has an impressive history and claim to fame…back to 1961 the society manufactured and flew the world's first official human powered aircraft! Many members of the society are Engineering or Aerospace students, but anyone with plenty of enthusiasm is welcome to join the team. Euan does point out "it takes commitment, dedication and hard work!".
As you may have guessed, the ultimate aim for the society is to build, test and fly their own human powered aircraft or "bike powered plane". The team are currently re-building an old aircraft, made from light foam and carbon fibre with clingfilm on the wings. The pilot pedals a bike within the aircaft which generates power and enables it to fly. The aircraft currently weighs less than an average person and the aim is to keep it as light as possible.
Euan says, "as an Engineering student it's satisfying to work on something where you can put your studies into practice".
The British Human Powered Flying Club (BHPFC) hold an annual human powered aircraft competition – the Icarus Cup. SUHPA are aiming for aircraft ready for then (July 2018) and found the perfect pilot during Refreshers' Fayre – Euan explains, "Mino just came along, gave it a go and smashed it!" The competition doesn't only focus on how well the aircraft can fly, but what it can achieve and what the person flying it can achieve. There are rounds for landing accuracy, time trials, slaloms and takeoffs.
Alongside building the aircraft, SUHPA are in talks with a Chief Scientist from NASA to deliver a talk to the team. We asked if there was a social side to the society, too? Tatjana said, "yes – lots of house parties, we love a good house party".
Euan and Tatjana both agree anyone who would like to try piloting the aircraft can have a go once it's built. Until then we will be crossing our fingers for the team at the Icarus Cup in July – good luck!
Find out more about SUHPA on their website, Facebook page and on Instagram @suhpa_.
Photos: Thank you to SUHPA for use of their photos.


Lightweight, colorful and versatile, African baskets are such a perfect storage solution for the home. These baskets are great for storing (hiding) kids toys in the living room and housing magazines in the bathroom. This basket is hand woven in Senegal from cattail, a grass-like plant, and colorful plastic threads which add strength and durability.


Here are the diverse, thought-provoking and engaging responses to the last Wednesday Writing Prompt, the transformation of things, June 27, 2018. As Debbie Felio said in comment to the post, "… sometimes transformation is not a beautiful process, but hard won" … and sometimes transformation doesn't quite happen.
Thank you to Paul Brookes, Renee Espiru, Debbie Felio, Sheila Jacob, Carol Mikoda, Anne G. Myles, Marta Pombo Sallés, Sonja Benskin Mesher and to newcomers DeWitt Clinton (whose new collection will be out soon), Vageesh Dwivedi (a novice showing much promise), and Taman Tracy Moncur (an activist poet and Brooklyn girl like me, I suspect). The work of these poets certainly enriches the day for all of us.
Contributor websites/blogs are added so that you may visit and get to know one another. I hope you do. Some don't have sites but you can probably catch up with them on Facebook.
Enjoy! … and do join us tomorrow for the next The Poet by Day, Wednesday Writing Prompt. All are welcome: novice, emerging and pro.
DeWitt tells us, "This poem is one of 114 I've adapted from Kenneth Rexroth's One Hundred Poems from the Chinese and the entire collection is forthcoming from Michael Dickel's is a rose press.
And the years of temperance, was all in vain.
And the longing ears ,were in heaven to acclaim.
Your addictive eyes quenched the need.
As if the steps were learned yesterday,that my fingers repeated.
Unpacking each and every dimensions of my will.
Rushing wildly through my window, as if it was in haste.
. preparing the way .
before I couldn't learn to walk.
who thought my doings were ill-done.
If you are reading this post from an email subscription, it's likely you'll have to link through to the site to view the video.
Unlife, a voiced video from Paul Brookes'collection A World Where (2017, Nixes Mate Press). Painting by Jenn Zed.


Home > The Forums > Audio Life > Gear free zone - shoot the breeze Win a pair of Beats Solo headphones (by Dr. Dre) in the HP online scavenger hunt!
This is a fun sweepstakes: HP Play | Facebook I'm working with HP so if you have any questions - shoot. Basically you register there – and then go on a scavenger hunt (which actually mainly involves watching videos… not jumping hurdles or doing army crawls) on the internet and find three clues. From those clues you guess the answer and then email it in – and are entered to win either a pair of Beats headphones (this week), an HP Envy computer (next week), or a trip for 2 to see Lady Gaga in concert (the week after next). I don't think a lot of people are playing the whole game so I bet the chances of winning are pretty good!