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Probing hyperexcitability in fragile X syndrome
Researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have gained insight into a feature of fragile X syndrome, which is also seen in other neurological and neurodevelopmental disorders.
In a mouse model of fragile X syndrome, homeostatic mechanisms that would normally help brain cells adjust to developmental changes don't work properly. This helps explain why cortical hyperexcitability, which is linked to sensory sensitivity and seizure susceptibility, gradually appears during brain development.
Studying a model of fragile X syndrome, Emory researchers were looking at neurons displaying single spiking and multi-spiking behavior.
These physiological insights could help guide clinical research and efforts at early intervention, the scientists say. The results were published Feb. 5 by Cell Reports (open access).
Fragile X syndrome is the most common inherited form of intellectual disability and a leading single-gene cause of autism. Individuals with fragile X syndrome often display sensory sensitivity and some — about 15 percent— have seizures.
Scientists' explanation for these phenomena is cortical hyperexcitability, meaning that the response of the cortex (the outer part of the brain) to sensory input is more than typical. Cortical hyperexcitability has also been observed in the broader category of autism spectrum disorder, as well as migraine or after a stroke.
At Emory, graduate student Pernille Bülow forged a collaboration between Peter Wenner, PhD and Gary Bassell, PhD. Wenner, interested in homeostatic plasticity, and Bassell, an expert in fragile X neurobiology, wanted to investigate why a mechanism called homeostatic intrinsic plasticity does not compensate for the changes in the brain brought about in fragile X syndrome. More here.
cortical hyperexcitability
Department of Cell Biology
Gary Bassell
homeostatic intrinsic plasticity
Peter Wenner
Fragile X files — expanded
A genetic disorder caused by silencing of a gene on the X chromosome, fragile X syndrome affects about one child in 5,000, and is more common and more severe in boys. It often causes mild to moderate intellectual disabilities as well as behavioral and learning challenges.
Amy Talboy, MD
The gene responsible for fragile X syndrome, the most common inherited form of intellectual disability, was identified more than 25 years ago. Emory genetics chair Stephen Warren played a major role in achieving that milestone. His work led to insights into the molecular details of learning and memory, and nationwide clinical trials — which have a more complicated story.
Treating the molecular basis of a neurodevelopmental disorder, instead of simply addressing symptoms, is a lofty goal – one that remains unfulfilled. Now a new study, supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, is reviving a pharmacological strategy that Warren had a hand in developing.
"This is a very well thought out approach to studying changes in language and learning in children who are difficult to test," says Amy Talboy, medical director of Emory's Down Syndrome and Fragile X clinics, who is an investigator in the NINDS study. "It could change how we conduct these types of studies in the future." Read more
Ami Klin
Amy Talboy
Marcus Autism Center
Stephen Warren
Fragile X: preclinical portfolio for PI3k drug strategy
Research in mice shows that a pharmacological strategy can alleviate multiple behavioral and cellular deficiencies in a mouse model of fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common inherited form of intellectual disability and a major single-gene cause of autism spectrum disorders.
The results were published online last week by Neuropsychopharmacology, and were presented at the NFXF International Fragile X Conference in Cincinnati.
When the compound GSK6A was given to mice lacking the Fmr1 gene, an established animal model of fragile X syndrome, it relieved symptomatic behaviors, such as impaired social interactions and inflexible decision making, which can be displayed by humans with fragile X syndrome.
The findings indicate that treatment with GSK6A or a similar compound could be a viable strategy for addressing cognitive and behavioral problems in fragile X syndrome; this would need to be tested directly in clinical trials. GSK6A inhibits one particular form of a cellular signaling enzyme: the p110β form of PI3 (phosphoinositide-3) kinase. A closely related p110β inhibitor is already in clinical trials for cancer.
Video from the iBook "Basic Science Breakthroughs: Fragile X Syndrome". Narration by Emory genetics chair Stephen Warren, whose team identified the gene responsible for fragile X.
"Our results suggest that p110β inhibitors can be repurposed for fragile X syndrome, and they have implications for other subtypes of autism spectrum disorders that are characterized by similar alterations of this pathway," says Gary Bassell, PhD, professor and chair of cell biology at Emory University School of Medicine.
"Right now, no proven efficient treatments are available for fragile X syndrome that are targeted to the disease mechanism," says Christina Gross, PhD, from Cincinnati Children's. "We think that p110β is an appropriate target because it is directly regulated by FMRP, and it is overactivated in both mouse models and patient cell lines."
The paper represents a collaboration between three laboratories: two at Emory led by Bassell and Shannon Gourley, PhD, and one at Cincinnati Children's, led by Gross. Gourley is based at Yerkes National Primate Research Center; see this earlier item on her collaboration with Bassell here.
While the researchers are discussing clinical trials of p110β inhibitors in fragile X syndrome, they say that long-term studies in animals are needed to ensure that undesirable side effects do not appear. More here.
With respect to clinical trials, the fragile X community has been disappointed before. Based on encouraging studies in mouse models, drugs targeting mGluR5 glutamate receptors were tested in adolescents and adults. mGluR5 drugs did not show clear benefits; recent re-evaluation suggests the choice of outcome measures, the ages of study participants and drug tolerance may have played a role.
Warren played a major role in developing the mGluR5 approach and Emory investigators were part of those studies. More recently, clinical trials for one of the mGluR5 medications were revived in younger children and Emory is a participating site. Also, see this 2016 discussion in Spectrum with Elizabeth Berry-Kravis on the fragile X mouse model; Bassell, Gross and Gourley have made some inroads on the limitations Berry-Kravis describes.
Posted on July 19, 2018 by Quinn Eastman in Neuro Leave a comment
cognitive flexibility
PI3 kinase
Toe in the water for Emory cryo-EM structures
Congratulations to Christine Dunham and colleagues in the Department of Biochemistry for their first cryo-electron microscopy paper, recently published in the journal Structure.
The paper solves the structure of a bacterial ribosome bound to a messenger RNA containing a loop that regulates translation. This process is important for the study of several neurological diseases such as fragile X syndrome, for example.
Christine Dunham, PhD
Dunham writes: "We are focusing on establishing this in bacteria to understand frameshifting and protein folding as a consequence of codon preference. We will then build up our knowledge to potentially study eukaryotic translational control."
The paper neatly links up with two Nobel Prizes: the 2017 Chemistry prize for cryo-electron microscopy and the 2009 Chemistry prize for ribosome structure, awarded in part to Dunham's mentor Venki Ramakrishnan. Also, see this 2015 feature from Nature's Ewen Callaway outlining how cryo-EM is a must have for structural biologists wanting to probe large molecules that are difficult to crystallize.
Construction now underway in the Biochemistry Connector will allow installation of microscopes (worth $6 million) necessary for Dunham and others to do cryo-EM here at Emory, although she advises that it will be several months until they are photo-op ready. For the Structure paper, Dunham collaborated with George Skiniotis at University of Michigan; he recently moved to Stanford. Read more
Posted on March 22, 2018 by Quinn Eastman in Neuro, Uncategorized Leave a comment
Christine Dunham
Insight into brain + learning via 'friend of fragile X' gene
We can learn a lot about somebody from the friends they hang out with. This applies to people and also to genes and proteins. Emory scientists have been investigating a gene that we will call — spoiler alert — "Friend of fragile X."
Fragile X syndrome is the most common inherited form of intellectual disability, studied by research teams around the world with drug discovery and clinical trials in mind. It is caused by a disruption of the gene FMR1.
In an independent form of inherited intellectual disability found in a small number of Iranian families, a gene called ZC3H14 is mutated. Two papers from Ken Moberg, PhD, associate professor of cell biology, Anita Corbett, PhD, professor of biology and colleagues show that FMR1 and ZC3H14 are, in effect, friends.
The findings provide new insight into the function of FMR1 as well as ZC3H14; the evidence comes from experiments performed in fruit flies and mice. The most recent paper is in the journal Cell Reports (open access), published this week.
The scientists found that the proteins encoded by FMR1 and ZC3H14 stick together in cells and they hang out in the same places. The two proteins have related functions: they both regulate messenger RNA in neurons, which explains their importance for learning and memory.
The fragile X protein (FMRP) was known to control protein production in response to signals arriving in neurons, but the Cell Reports paper shows that FMRP is also regulating the length of "tails" attached to messenger RNAs – something scientists did not realize, even after years of studying FMRP and fragile X, Moberg says.
To be sure, FMRP interacts with many proteins and appears to be a critical gatekeeper. Emory geneticist Peng Jin, who has conducted his share of research on this topic, says that "FMRP must be very social and has a lot of friends." More here.
Posted on August 11, 2017 by Quinn Eastman in Neuro Leave a comment
Anita Corbett
Ken Moberg
RNA binding proteins
Fragile X regulation is a finely tuned machine
A PNAS paper published Monday demonstrates the kinds of insights that can be gleaned from a large scale sequencing project examining the fragile X gene.
Most children (boys, usually) who have fragile X syndrome have a particular mutation. An expanded "triplet repeat" stretch of DNA, which is outside the protein-coding region of the gene, puts the entire gene to sleep.
At Emory, geneticist Steve Warren, cell biologist Gary Bassell and colleagues have been identifying less common changes in the fragile X gene by looking in boys who are developmentally delayed, but don't have the triplet repeat expansion. The first author of the paper is former postdoc Joshua Suhl, now at Booz Allen Hamilton in Massachusetts.
The authors describe two half-brothers who have the same genetic variant, which changes how production of the FMRP protein is regulated. These examples show that the fragile X gene is so central to how neurons function that several kinds of genetic glitches in it can make this finely tuned machine break down.
"This is a hot area and not much is known about it," Warren says. Read more
Fragile X syndrome: building a case for a treatment strategy
New research in mice strengthens a potential strategy for treating fragile X syndrome, the most common inherited form of intellectual disability and a major single-gene cause of autism spectrum disorder.
The results, published April 23 in Cell Reports, suggest that a drug strategy targeting a form of the enzyme PI3 (phosphoinositide-3) kinase could improve learning and behavioral flexibility in people with fragile X syndrome. The PI3 kinase strategy represents an alternative to one based on drugs targeting mGluR5 glutamate receptors, which have had difficulty showing benefits in clinical trials.
Research led by Emory scientists Gary Bassell, PhD and Christina Gross, PhD had previously found that the p110β form of PI3 kinase is overactivated in the brain in a mouse fragile X model, and in blood cells from human patients with fragile X syndrome.
Now they have shown that dialing back PI3 kinase overactivation by using genetic tools can alleviate some of the cognitive deficits and behavioral alterations observed in the mouse model. Drugs that target the p110β form of PI3 kinase are already in clinical trials for cancer.
"Further progress in this direction could lead to a clinical trial in fragile X," says Bassell, who is chair of Cell Biology at Emory University School of Medicine. "The next step is to test whether this type of drug can be effective in the mouse model and in human patient cells." Read more
Posted on April 24, 2015 by Quinn Eastman in Neuro Leave a comment
behavioral flexibility
Christina Gross
Cincinnati Children's
Regrouping on fragile X drug strategies
Fragile X syndrome has many fascinating aspects:
* the complex inheritance pattern
* its status as the most common inherited form of intellectual disability and a major single-gene cause of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
*the importance of the RNA-binding protein FMRP as a regulator of synaptic plasticity in neurons
*the potential applicability of drugs developed for fragile X for other forms of ASD
Readers interested in neurodevelopment disorders may want to check out this Nature Reviews Drug Discovery piece, which chews over some setbacks in clinical research on fragile X. Emory researchers have a strong connection with the drug strategies used in the recent clinical trials, but have also been working on alternative approaches. Read more
Posted on March 23, 2015 by Quinn Eastman in Neuro Leave a comment
Socialization relative strength in fragile X longitudinal study
A study published in Pediatrics this week tracks "adaptive behavior" as children and adolescents with fragile X syndrome are growing up. This is the largest longitudinal study to date in fragile X, which is the leading inherited cause of intellectual disability and the leading single-gene risk factor for autism spectrum disorder.
Adaptive behavior covers a range of everyday social and practical skills, including communication, socialization, and completing tasks of daily living such as getting dressed. In this study, socialization emerged as a relative strength in boys with fragile X, in that it did not decline as much as the other two domains of adaptive behavior measured: communication and daily living skills.
The lead author of the paper is Cheryl Klaiman, formerly of the Stanford University Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences, now senior psychologist at Marcus Autism Center.
The "socialization as relative strength in fragile X" findings meshes with a growing awareness in the autism field, summarized nicely here by Jessica Wright at the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative, that fragile X syndrome symptoms are often distinct from those in autism spectrum disorder.
One key distinction between the disorders, for example, is in social interactions. Children with autism and those with fragile X syndrome both shy away from social contact, have trouble making friends and avert their gaze when people look at them.
But children with fragile X syndrome often sneak a peek when the other person turns his back, researchers say. Children with autism, in contrast, seem mostly uninterested in social interactions.
"Children with fragile X syndrome all have very severe social anxiety that plays a big role in the perception that they have autism," says Stephen Warren, professor of human genetics at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. "They are actually interested in their environment; they are just very shy and anxious about it."
Cheryl Klaiman


Mizher's funeral procession featured many individuals wearing military gear, PFLP paraphernalia, and PFLP banners. Mizher's body was also adorned in PFLP paraphernalia, as well as a PMRS orange reflective vest.
Mizher posted a picture of what appears to be his cousin, Arkan Thaer Mizher, who was killed on July 23, 2018. Arkan's body is wrapped in a PFLP flag.


Home HOME & OUTDOOR LIVING Ziploc® 1 Gal. Freezer Bags 14 Ct.
Now featuring our Easy Open Tabs. Protect your food with Ziploc® brand Freezer Bags. Each bag locks out freezer burn while keeping food fresh and full of taste. Less freezer burn means less wasted food and money. Plus, these tough, durable bags feature our Smart Zip Plus® seal—it lets you feel, hear and see the bag close from edge-to-edge, so you can feel confident your food is protected from freezer burn.


You will create and support proof of concept (POC)/demos and present solutions to the client.
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Wisconsin roundup: Republicans propose constitutional amendment to change governor's veto powers; more news stories
Posted on Jul 10, 2019 at 9:15 a.m.
Republicans in the Wisconsin Legislature are proposing a change to the state constitution that would alter the governor's partial veto powers.
The measure being circulated by Sen. Dave Craig and Rep. Mike Kuglitsch would prevent any governor from using the line-item veto to increase spending. Democratic Gov. Tony Evers hiked education spending by $65 million last week. His spokesperson calls the proposal a "temper tantrum" by Republicans.
Wood County farmer reports wolves kill 13 sheep
A Wood County farmer is reporting that wolves killed 13 of his sheep overnight in the town of Hansen.
The USDA sent investigators to the scene to confirm the cause of death and determine that a pack of wild wolves killed the livestock in the community that's about 30 miles west of Stevens Point. Only one sheep survived the attack. The owner will receive compensation through the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Farmers cannot kill grey wolves in Wisconsin if their livestock are threatened because they are listed as an endangered species.
Farm Aid 2019 concert coming to Alpine Valley
A star-studded group of musicians will perform in Wisconsin at a concert "underscoring the severe crisis in farm country."
Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young, Dave Matthews and Bonnie Raitt are among the big names who will play Farm Aid 2019 at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy on Sept. 21. Nelson, Mellencamp and Young started Farm Aid in 1985 and since then the concerts have raised $57 million to support farmers and the programs and industries that help them. Tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m.
4 people charged with making meth in Wausau area
Weston police say they got a tip late last month about a home where meth was being made.
Police charged four people this week with running a meth-making operation. Felony charges have been filed against Timothy Kratwell, Garrett Kratwell, Desirae Kratwell and Katie Hupf. Investigators say all four were living in the home where the items used to make the illegal substance were found.
State Supreme Court suspends judge known from 'Making a Murderer' case
A former municipal judge in Fox Crossing has been barred from serving on the bench for three years, retroactive to July 2018.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Leonard Kachinsey has to demonstrate fitness to serve before he can work as a judge again. Kachinsky was suspended the first time when he was arrested for felony stalking. A jury acquitted him in December. Kachinsky previously served as an attorney for convicted killer Brendan Dassey, one of two men featured in the Netflix series "Making a Murderer."
Vos supports health insurance for families of slain officers
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says he supports a bill that would provide health insurance benefits for families of law enforcement officers who die in the line of duty.
It requires local governments to pay the premiums for the fallen officer's spouse and children. Vos is working on an amendment to ensure the measure also covers the Wisconsin State Patrol. He said, "It's a benefit the state gives to families of fallen firefighters, it's time we extend it to law enforcement who serve and protect our communities." The bipartisan legislation is awaiting committee action.
Explore related topics:Newsgovernment and politicsWisconsinPoliticstony eversWolvesLivestockfarm aid

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Newly built spec unit in Amber Lee consisting of 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (main en suite SES), open plan living area, study and double garage. Ready to design your own patio overlooking a series of magnificent dams. Enjoy the spectacular bird and wild life whilst relaxing on the patio.
Amber Lee is the latest development from the reputable builders of the trusted Amber Valley, Amber Ridge and Amber Lakes Leisure Villages.
Amber Lee, the new jewel in the greater Amber Developments crown, comprises in it's second phase of 30 freestanding sectional title homes, designed for the retiree, with exclusivity in mind - all set within idyllic tranquility.
Situated on the northern outskirts of Howick and on the southern boundary of Amber Valley, the village overlooks a string of dams along a beautiful watercourse, enveloped by natural slopes and indigenous trees. Many of the sites also enjoy beautiful vistas of the uMngeni River gorge. A non-development servitude to the south protects these views. All this while still close to Howicks full range of amenities.
Many of the sites at Amber Lee offer large, exclusive-use areas for the personal and sole use of the owner. These comfortably spaced sites range in size from 750 sqm to 850 sqm, allowing a variety of wildlife the freedom to roam on approximately 56 hectares of commonage. The Eco focus of the village is a strong component, encouraging harmonious living within a natural environment. Included within the village are numerous game walks, picnic spots and a boma. Six stocked dams offer excellent fishing.
Amber Lee offers an assortment of standardised house designs ranging from 111 sqm to 270 sqm, with an option of larger units. Limited customised additions and changes will be catered to. Each home is designed with aesthetics and reduced maintenance in mind, whilst emulating the overall look and feel of the very successful Amber Valley, Amber Ridge and Amber Lakes developments. Personal choices are available on kitchens and bathrooms, including a selection of carpets and tiles. Standard prices incorporating both land and home, direct from the developer, avoid the need for any transfer duty.
Amber Lee also features a centrally located club house, including function rooms, leading onto a deck overlooking the main dam. Features of the clubhouse include a large entertainment area, gymnasium, kitchen and games area. Amber Lee also offeres an outdoor swimming pool and tennis court.
Residents of Amber Lee will also enjoy access, by agreement, to the recreational and other facilities at Amber Valley and Amber Ridge, which include heated swimming pools and astroturf bowling greens. Specific Frail Care facilities (9 rooms) and medical care have been negotiated and provided for at the Care Centre, specifically for residents of Amber Lee. Certain terms and conditions will apply.


In this post I am going to show you a small Entity Framework code first trick. When you remove an entity from the context its state is set to Deleted and all its navigation properties are nulled. This is done by DbContext internally. However you might want to know what was the related entities (navigation properties) before the entity was deleted. For instance you want to create some audit logs of deleted entity. I will show you how to do it with minimal effort.
EF Code First and SqlServer Ce 4.0 – the simplest example ever.
Abstract repository for direct EF, WCF and WCF Data Services connection with database.
In this article I would like to show you my implementation and approach for using abstract repository no matter if the client is connecting directly to the database using Entity Framework, over WCF service or WCF Data Services (WCFDS) service.


Please select the desired country first and refine your selection if possible. You will find the most accurate data at the lowest geographical level.
change the year (2000 - 2035)..
Clicking the Info button displays a legend with explanations of the symbols and abbreviations used.
Click on a holiday to read more about it.
Graphical annual calendars, Excel lists and CSV holidays for Switzerland can be found in our online shop.
The private or internal business use of our data is free of charge.
The business use of our data for multiple regions or years is subject to a fee unless we find another way to fund our project.
as prepared data exports (based on knowledge of the date of export).
as standardized data sets via our REST-API.
We do not organise markets and events. Enquiries for market stalls and appearances are in the wrong place with us. Please contact the respective organizer or the municipality.
For the extension of our calendar we are always looking for reliable data for other countries. Do you know a link to a government site with holidays and/or school holidays? We are looking forward to your tips and assistance.
We hope to serve you with our offer in the best way possible. Ideas for improvement, criticism, suggestions and any other feedback are always welcome.


The Build conference is Microsoft's main annual developer event where the company unveils its latest Windows versions alongside additions to other software and service tools like Office and Azure.
The company is currently finalising its latest Windows 10 update, code-named "19H1" which is expected to reach the existing machines ahead of event leaving room for Microsoft to highlight new features in its upcoming Windows 10 release scheduled for later this year.
The software giant is also likely to outline details of "Windows Lite" -- which is a lighter verson of the operating system (OS) for users who do not require full power Windows desktops, the report said.
Microsoft's Build event is clashing with Google's annual I/O developer conference that begins on May 7 and ends on May 9 at Mountain View, California.


Pliny the Younger is one of the most coveted and hyped-up beers in the world. The famous triple IPA is brewed by Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa, Calif., and is only available once a year. Call it what it is: marketing genius. Control the supply. Drive up the demand.
We could write a whole blog post on what makes Pliny the Younger so sought after. We could talk about its perfectly nuanced blend of hoppiness, bitterness and aromatics. We could talk about how a 10.25 percent beer can be so dangerously drinkable. But, we won't do that today. Today, we want to talk about our own experience of tracking down an elixir so elusive that it's impossible to resist. We decided that 2017 was our year to finally taste the sweet nectar of Pliny the Younger, but first, we needed to get it.
I should note, there are only three (legitimate) ways to get Pliny the Younger.
1. Get it straight from the source by making a trip to Russian River Brewing Company and waiting outside for hours to get inside the taproom. It's not uncommon for people to wait eight hours or more in line.
2. Buy a ticket to the SF Beer Week Opening Gala, which features tastings from dozens of breweries. Russian River usually makes Pliny the Younger available. This option comes with a steep price tag. But it does include a multitude of tastings and probably the shortest wait time for Pliny.
3. If you consider yourself a Pliny storm chaser, you can try to track it down at a local watering hole. Do a bit of research and find the places that have carried Pliny in the past. There's a good chance that Pliny will make a return visit there. You'll likely still have to wait in line, but nowhere near as long as you would at Russian River.
Grant and I decided to go with Option 3 this year because we didn't have a free weekend day to make the trip up to Santa Rosa and we didn't feel like shelling out the dough for a couple of beer week gala tickets. Plus, we like a good challenge.
The difficulty with Option 3 is that it can be hard to pinpoint in advance where Pliny will be and when the bar will actually tap the keg. I started following on social media some local bars that have carried Pliny in the past so that I could get a heads up in case they made an announcement that they were carrying Pliny again this year. Our persistence paid off when The Hopyard in San Ramon announced it would distribute tickets for Pliny yesterday, Feb. 20 at 10 a.m.
This was our chance. We got to The Hopyard around 8:15 a.m. and there were about 40 people camped out in front of us. I liked our chances. I hopped out and saved our place in line while Grant picked up breakfast and coffee for us from Starbucks. I pre-loaded a few episodes of The Office onto my tablet to keep us entertained. My cousin Dane later joined us and provided a second breakfast of scrambled eggs, homemade biscuits and sausage. Meanwhile, the line continued to grow. There were probably about 200 total people in line.
The Hopyard staff arrived around 9:30 and announced that while supplies lasted, each person would get two drink tickets that can each be redeemed for a 10-ounce pour of Pliny. Tickets were distributed promptly at 10, but sadly for many of the folks behind us, they ran out quickly. Those of us lucky enough to score drink tickets were told we could remain in line for another hour to wait for The Hopyard to open at its usual time or to come back later in the day to redeem the tickets. About 15 of us stayed line and waited for the doors to open. One of the times when it's socially acceptable to throw back a couple of high percentage beers in the morning. My friends and family later asked me whether Pliny was worth the wait. Absolutely it is. Neither the beer nor the experience of finding it disappointed.
Want to learn how to wait in line for Pliny (or really any other event) like a boss? Check out our gallery of tips below.


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Rachel Harrington, a pediatric Occupational Therapy Assistant and owner of The Sensory Project, along with Jessica Hill, a pediatric Occupational Therapy Assistant, health coach entrepreneur, and mother, answer your questions related to all things sensory, occupational therapy, parenting, self-care, nutrition, and health, from a therapist's perspective. Providing raw, honest, and fun ideas, strategies, and for parents and families to implement into daily life.
While we make every effort to share correct information, we are still learning. We will double check all of our facts but realize that medicine is a constantly changing science and art. One doctor / therapist may have a different way of doing things from another. We are simply presenting our views and opinions on how to address common sensory challenges, health related difficulties and what we have found to be beneficial that will be as evidenced based as possible. By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use this podcast as medical advice to treat any medical condition in either yourself or your children. Consult your child's pediatrician/ therapist for any medical issues that he or she may be having. This entire disclaimer also applies to any guests or contributors to the podcast. Under no circumstances shall Rachel Harrington, The Sensory Project, LLC, Jessica Hill, or any guests or contributors to the podcast, as well as any employees, associates, or affiliates of The Sensory Project, LLC, be responsible for damages arising from use of the podcast.
This podcast should not be used in any legal capacity whatsoever, including but not limited to establishing "standard of care" in a legal sense or as a basis for expert witness testimony. No guarantee is given regarding the accuracy of any statements or opinions made on the podcast.


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New species discovered in 2014 include cartwheeling spider, 'chicken from hell'
A Phryganistria tamdaoensis male stick insect is seen in an undated handout picture courtesy of Dr. Bruno Kneubuehler. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
The sea slug Phyllodesmium acanthorhinum is seen in this undated handout picture by Robert Bolland. P. Acanthorhinum -- seen as a 'missing link' between sea slugs that feed on hydroids and those specializing on corals -- is one of SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry's "Top 10" species discovered in 2014. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
In this handout provided by the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, an artist's rendering depicts a previously unknown bird-like dinosaur that was formally introduced to the scientific community by scientists with the Smithsonians National Museum of Natural History, the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and the University of Utah on March 19, 2014. -- PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
https://str.sg/3XuK
NEW YORK (REUTERS) - Some 18,000 species, great and small, were discovered in 2014, adding to the two million already known, scientists said on Thursday, as they released a "Top 10" list that highlights the diversity of life.
The 10 are "a reminder of the wonders awaiting us", said Dr Quentin Wheeler, president of the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, which issues the list. An estimated 10 million species are still unknown to science.
But researchers have to move fast: development, poaching, and climate change are driving plants and animals to extinction faster than science can discover them.
Two animals made the list because of unusual parenting.
A wasp from China is the first animal found to use chemical weapons to thwart predators that might have designs on its offspring. Mothers fill part of their nest with dead ants, which give off volatile chemicals that mask the scent of larvae, throwing off would-be predators.
A frog from Indonesia breaks the rule of anuran reproduction. Rather than laying eggs, as almost all the world's 6,455 species of frogs do, or giving birth to froglets, it deposits tadpoles into shallow pools.
One of the top 10, dubbed "the chicken from hell", is extinct. The feathered dinosaur whose partial skeletons were unearthed in the Dakotas was a contemporary of T. rex and Triceratops.
Two species caught the list-makers' attention for their performance art.
A spider from the sand dunes of Morocco cartwheels to thwart predators, moving twice as fast as when it runs, while a pufferfish from Japan turns out to be the creator of intricate circles on the sea floor which had mystified scientists for 20 years. Males construct the circles, meant to attract females, by swimming and wriggling in the sand.
Since no top-10 list would be complete without an entry that made it on looks, SUNY included a photogenic blue, red, and gold sea slug from Japan. More than a pretty face, it could shed light on how algae in a sea slug's gut produce nutrients for the slug out of corals it eats.
The release of the top 10 is timed around the May 23 birthday of Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1778), the Swedish botanist and zoologist who founded modern taxonomy.
The full list, with photographs, is at http://www.esf.edu/top10/.


but thanks to everybody that joined us last Thursday at Shakespeares, especially of course to M.G. Boulter, Adam Myers and Arcana Valley for providing some fine musical entertainment.
It's been a busy week since then but normal service is resumed this coming Saturday. We return to the Bard's Bar to kick off the tenth year of WagonWheel shows in the company of Case Hardin, Dennis Ellsworth and E.R. Thorpe. You can read a full preview for this show here. Maybe we'll see you there?
all too briefly, but it was fun while it lasted. Big thanks to The Rosellys, Mat Wale & Friends plus everybody that joined us at The Greystones last night for our only show this month. It certainly wasn't a bad way to spend a Tuesday night.
WagonWheel Presents… returns on Thursday October 22nd when we welcome M.G. Boulter, Garforth & Myers plus Arcana Valley to Shakespeares. You can find more details for this show and our final run for 2015 over on the Gigs page. Maybe we'll see you at one of them?
thanks to all who came out to our Tramlines show at Shakespeares yesterday, especially of course The Lucky Strikes, The Nøse, Mike Hughes, Grassoline, Paul Littlewood, Tomorrow We Sail, David J. Roch, Quiet Loner, Ash Gray, M.G. Boulter, Neil McSweeney, Tom Baxendale and Jacob Fletcher. We enjoyed that a lot.
We're back in the Bard's Bar at the end of August. We've got a bunch of new shows in the works, details of what has been confirmed so far can be found here on our Gigs page. Maybe we'll see you at one of them.


The next eSim conference will be held in Vancouver BC. Details to come.
It is required that award recipients will present their papers at the conference and attend for the full length of the conference. Applicants must be enrolled as full-time graduate students at a Canadian university. Applicants must also be members of IBPSA-Canada (free memberships are available at www.ibpsa.ca). Only one paper per applicant can be submitted.
The name of the programme, department, faculty, and university.
The title of the Ph.D. or master's research.
The name of the student's supervisor(s)/advisor(s).
The BS 2019 paper(s) authored or co-authored by the student in PDF format. The list of authors should also be provided.
A one to two page letter written by the student that clearly describes the relevance of their research to the topic of building performance simulation and that outlines their contributions to this domain.
A signed faculty recommendation letter on university letterhead in PDF format. The letter should indicate financial need.
IBPSA-Canada will inform all applicants of its funding decisions by April 1st 2019. Payment will be made either to the academic department or the student, either prior to or following the conference.
Students are also encouraged to apply for the IBPSA-world student travel awards. The details are given on IBPSA-world's web site (http://www.ibpsa.org/?page_id=62). In the event that a student receives one of the IBPSA-world awards, IBPSA-Canada will complete the scholarship for a combined maximum of CDN $1,500.
The website dedicated to the Experimental Houses of Building Energetics (EHBE) of the Energy Technology Laboratory (ETL) offers free download of selected data.
air temperature, velocity and humidity, sphere temperature, structure embedded temperatures, soil temperature and humidity, comfort metrics and local weather data.
The building energy model of one EHBE and the information required to generate it are also available for download.
Supporting Members and Student Supporting Members are new grades of membership that offer the opportunity to concretely support IBPSA and to receive several benefits: a print subscription to the Journal of Building Performance Simulation, online access to the Journal, and the right to use the IBPSA Supporting Member logo. For 2014, Supporting Membership dues are set at $120/year and Student Supporting Membership is $80/year. Dues may be paid via credit card or PayPal. For more information go to IBPSA's Membership Management System.
Sign up now for your free IBPSA-Canada membership.


Can glass milk bottles return to replace plastic? Where have they been? Has Sir David Attenborough changed how we think, and drink? Can your local dairy deliver?
For most people in the UK, for much of the 20th century, the dawn chorus was a mix of birdsong, a humming electric milk float and clinking glass bottles.
In the days before most households had a fridge, or a car, having a pint or two delivered to your front door was the best way to make sure you had fresh milk at breakfast. And traditionally the milk always came in pint glass bottles, rather than plastic.
But between 1975 and 2015, the amount of milk sold in glass bottles shrank by 90%. It got to the stage where, in 2014, the huge milk supplier Dairy Crest announced it was closing its last glass bottling plant and switching to plastic-only milk bottles.
At the time, the media and public reaction to this news was driven more by nostalgia – for an old tradition – than by environmental concerns. It feels different now.
Is glass really greener for the white stuff?
On the face of it, glass certainly looks like the most eco-friendly milk container. The milk industry was even an early adopter of bottle reuse. Milk bottles are routinely returned, washed and reused several times before being recycled into new glass.
And those milk floats were famously battery-powered electric vehicles – albeit pretty sedate ones.
But technologies, fashions and lifestyles changed in the late 20th century. With the coming of cheap, light, throwaway plastic containers, the relatively heavy-but-fragile glass milk bottle began to be viewed as a quaint novelty.
And with cut-price, loss-leading supermarket prices, the idea of paying to have your milk delivered became less appealing too. Supermarkets, rather than local dairies, gradually took control over milk prices, paying farmers less, and phasing out milk in glass bottles almost completely.
Now, though, it seems the glass milk bottle might be having a renaissance. Since the BBC screened Sir David Attenborough's Blue Planet II in 2017, drawing attention to the dire problem of plastic waste in our oceans, thousands of people have been inspired to find alternatives to all kinds of plastic containers. Including milk bottles.
Dairies across the country have been reporting a sudden upsurge in demand for milk deliveries in glass bottles. Lots of milkmen/women (or "milkies") are reporting more new orders for milk in glass than they've ever had – though admittedly starting from a low ebb. Suppliers are rushing to milk the new demand.
Is it just a temporary blip? A fashionable foodie fad for the fancy few? Or could glass milk bottles really make a proper comeback?
To find out, let's look at how glass bottles fell from grace in the first place.
1. Tetra Pak – the first milk bottle snatcher.
The first big change in glass milk bottle use in the UK came in the late 1960s, when those cute little 1/3rd pint school milk bottles were replaced by the new, seemingly space-age technology of the Tetra Pak.
Initially a unique little tetrahedron shape, made from novel hybrid material (paper, plastic and aluminium), Tetra Pak cartons took off because, crucially, they were lighter and safer to use than glass.
Larger wax-coated cardboard milk cartons with a gable top had been around for decades, especially in the US. But from the 1970s the newer plastic-coated cartons quickly became the ubiquitous milk and juice containers in the UK, Europe and beyond.
Here in the UK those types of cartons aren't often used much nowadays for fresh cow's milk, having been widely replaced by poly bottles, as we'll see in a minute. But they're still the main choice for long-life UHT milks, non-dairy alternatives and other drinks.
One big problem with Tetra Pak-type cartons was always that, although technically recyclable, there weren't many places that could actually recycle them. This is because of their mix of bonded-together materials.
That situation has gradually improved, and the manufacturers have taken steps to be more sustainable. But, for all their usefulness, plastic-lined cartons have contributed to the world's waste mountain.
2. The poly milk bottle – plastic takes a grip.
For fresh milk, the most popular container of the past 30 years in the UK has been the semi-transparent white polyethylene jug-style bottle. It has the built-in handle for lifting and pouring heavier sizes.
Unlike plastic water bottles, which are usually PET (polyethylene terephthalate), milk containers are more often made from high-density polyethylene, HDPE. You can tell from the recycling code: HDPE has a number 2 in the little triangle (PET is number 1).
HDPE is actually a bit more expensive than PET as a material, and it generally isn't as see-through. But it may be more popular with milk bottle manufacturers because it's easier to mould a handle in an HDPE bottle.
One alternative which hasn't completely caught on in the UK is buying milk in large plastic bags or pouches, which you can put into a jug at home. It's big in Canada and elsewhere. A decade ago milk pouches were hailed as eco-friendly and even the future of milk packaging by some, because the bags use less plastic than a poly bottle. But they haven't really taken off as predicted in the UK. And the bags are just yet more plastic that needs to be disposed of.
What happens to all those plastic milk bottles?
A 2017 government report called 'Turning Back the Plastic Tide' pointed out that UK households use about 13 billion plastic bottles a year, counting milk and other drinks plus toiletries etc. That's around 200 plastic bottles per person in the country, every year. Pretty alarming when you think about it.
While the majority of plastic bottles are PET, figures from recycling experts WRAP show that HDPE bottles are more likely to be recycled (75% of them are, in fact). That may be because you're more likely to keep them at home, as you do with milk bottles, and then put them in your recycling bin. As opposed to buying and binning on the go, as with plastic water bottles.
WRAP was also involved in helping to design a pioneering process to recycle HDPE back into food-grade recycled HDPE (known as rHDPE) for use in new milk bottles.
The amount of recycled rHDPE material in a plastic milk bottle is now as much as 30%. The 'Dairy Roadmap' target is 50% by 2020 – though the industry has said it isn't sure it can achieve that at the moment.
Developments in the past decade have meant HDPE milk bottles can now be made lighter as well, using less plastic, which is obviously a good thing. But it's still plastic, and ultimately adds to the waste problems affecting our oceans, land and food chain.
The latest initiative led by WRAP is the UK Plastics Pact. This brings together lots of the biggest manufacturers, packagers and retailers to help "create a circular economy for plastics". One aim is that, by 2025, 100% of all plastic packaging will either be reusable, recyclable or compostable. And they will contain a minimum of 30% recycled material.
It's positive, but we don't think it's ambitious enough. We're also wary of yet more voluntary, non-compulsory targets.
For us, the Plastics Pact's most important aim is about "eliminating unnecessary single-use plastic packaging". Recycling is not the ultimate solution when it comes to plastic – and could even be a bit of a distraction. Don't get us wrong, we're big supporters of recycling – Friends of the Earth spearheaded the 2003 UK Recycling Act, after all. But with plastic, in particular, the real focus should be on drastically reducing the amount being produced.
Plastic carries such a high environmental threat that its use should be restricted to only the most essential items where's there's little or no choice. Unnecessary plastics need to be phased out. No one can really argue that plastic milk bottles are essential, especially when glass is a ready-made alternative.
Here are our responses to some of the anti-glass arguments we often hear.
1. Doesn't glass-making use lots of energy?
It's true that making glass is a pretty energy-intensive process. Glass is made using raw materials like silica (from sand), soda ash and limestone, which are heated to about 1,600°C until they melt together, and then cooled to form glass – in this case in bottle shape.
It takes a very hot furnace, using a lot of energy, and most often that's generated by carbon-emitting fossil fuels like gas.
On the plus side, glass industry research shows that "over the past 3 decades, energy consumption per tonne of glass produced has halved". There are also now systems to capture and recover heat that escapes from glass furnaces – which can be used, for instance, to generate electricity or heat water for local businesses.
The other good news is that if a glass bottle is reused multiple times, its carbon footprint goes down dramatically. And fortunately, that's exactly what happens with milk bottles.
The graph below, used by Defra in a 2007 report (originally from a US study), shows the relative amounts of energy use connected with different types of milk packaging.
You can see that although a single-use (1-trip) glass bottle, on the far left of the graph, is the most energy-intensive option, if the glass bottle is re-used enough times it becomes more energy-efficient than an HDPE bottle.
The number of times an average glass milk bottle is reused (known as trippage) is actually around 15. And it can be as much as 50 times. Overall that makes re-usable milk bottles a more energy-efficient choice than disposable plastic.
When a milk bottle becomes too scuffed or damaged to reuse, it's recycled. Glass can be recycled indefinitely. The material's structure doesn't deteriorate when it's reprocessed, although the clarity can be affected if clear and coloured glass are mixed.
And when recycled glass (cullet) is used to make new bottles, 25% less energy is needed for remelting the glass.
Here's a good little video about how glass bottles are made, courtesy of international glassmaking company O-I.
The average glass milk bottle in the UK has about 35% recycled glass in it – although it can depend how much recycled glass is available. Which is a reminder that the more glass we all recycle, the more recycled glass gets used, and the more energy is saved.
Another positive recent development is the all-electric glass furnace. Combined with renewable power sources, this can also slash carbon emissions from glass production.
Cleaning reusable bottles does involve heat and some chemical sterilising solutions. So there's an environmental cost there, but it's hard to compare exact figures for this.
2. Isn't glass too heavy?
It's undeniable that a glass bottle is usually quite a bit heavier than a same-size plastic bottle. And extra weight can increase transportation costs and, in theory carbon footprint, or "global warming potential".
But the good thing about milk is that it's possible to get it delivered from relatively local dairies. It's true that a small amount of the milk in our shops may be imported (from Ireland or continental Europe), but it's good to encourage the more local milk providers anyway. And it means the haulage costs shouldn't be as high as for some other bottled products, such as wine.
And even better if the milk is delivered on a good-old battery-powered electric milk float – especially if the electricity is from renewable sources. That would counter the concern about the carbon footprint of glass transportation.
New glass production techniques mean glass bottles can be thinner and lighter than they used to be – which reduces materials and transportation costs. Glass bottles are now around 30% lighter than a few decades ago.
The other consideration is personal travel emissions. If everyone in a street has their milk delivered in glass bottles by one electric milk float, that's far better for the environment than everyone driving individually in their cars to the supermarket to buy milk in plastic bottles.
Cost is often the decider for most shoppers. The price charged to customers for milk delivered in glass bottles ranges from about 60p to £1 a pint, with organic milk at the higher end of the range. There is often a deposit scheme, so you can get some of that money back when you return the bottle.
So yes, you could argue it's not exactly competing with the loss-leading bargain-basement supermarket milk, which can be as low as £1 for four pints in a big poly bottle (the 4-pint plastic bottle is by far the most popular milk container in the UK).
The size of glass bottles is relevant to price if you're comparing glass pints versus multi-litre plastic jugs. In the US they seem able to make much bigger glass milk bottles, with ridged and grippable designs to minimise slippage. Why can't we do that here? Supermarkets could definitely do more to offer wider choice in glass too.
More and more people are coming to realise the uncomfortable truths about disposable plastics.
First, they don't magically disappear when you dispose of them. Almost all the plastic ever made still exists in some form.
And even when you do the right thing and recycle your plastic bottles – which often end up being downcycled into a fleece jacket or maybe a road surface – the plastic will carry on shedding particles into the environment. Eventually washed into our rivers and oceans.
We'll be paying to clean this up for decades or even centuries to come. So cheap plastic has turned out to be a lot more expensive than expected.
We're going to say something controversial now too, and we know it might sound a bit middle-class, but bear with us. Could it be that milk has become too cheap?
There's a clear reason to say so. If retailers are charging less per litre of milk than it costs to produce (which they often have been), that loss has to be borne somewhere. And it's the farmers, not to mention the cows and the environment, who tend to suffer in the drive for ever-cheaper milk.
If the full costs were factored into the retail price of milk – including the cost of plastic waste disposal – the price differential between glass and plastic would shrink. And that could come about if a general single-use plastic tax is introduced.
And it's about supply and demand too. If more of us chose to put our money where our ethics are, and change our buying habits, milk producers would have to change too.
The signs are positive at the moment, but it'll take more people asking for their milk in glass bottles to make the change widespread and permanent. Most of the big supermarkets have been slow to respond – they'll need more convincing.
The big dairy delivery chains seem more open to the glass revival. You remember earlier when we said Dairy Crest had decided to shut its glass bottling plant in 2014? Well, dairy Crest was taken over by Müller shortly afterwards, and the choice was made to retain the glass bottle facility. Good decision.
Its delivery arm, Milk & More, recently told the BBC that in the first few months of 2018 they gained "an additional 15,000 new online customers, of which 90% are ordering milk in glass bottles".
Anecdotally, there are claims that some companies might even be struggling to keep up with the new demand. But there's plenty of encouraging activity from some smaller dairies and local suppliers around the country. Parker Dairies in London coined the bold slogan "Kiss My Glass, Plastic", with accompanying hashtag, obvs.
There's a new breed of so-called micro-dairies spreading across the country too. These small, community-oriented dairy farms have fewer than 40 cows, in stark contrast to US-style mega-dairies with thousands of animals. But again these smaller dairy farms need your support to keep afloat – if you find one near you, try and use them if you can.
Some local farms provide milk vending machines. You bring your own jug (or buy a glass bottle from their machine) and fill it up with their fresh, often organic milk from the farm-gate outlet. Search online to find one nearest to you.
In some places whole villages (small ones admittedly) are getting together to switch from plastic to glass milk bottles. They see the benefits to their community of going plastic-free.
Midlands-based milk deliverers Moo Fresh, which is are actively encouraging its customers to order milk in glass makes a good point. It delivers about 5,000 gallons of milk (40,000 pints) every week – that's over 2 million pints a year. If that was all in glass bottles, says Moo Fresh, it would prevent more than half a million 4-pint plastic bottles entering the waste system every year, whether they're recycled or landfilled. That's massive.
Is the glass bottle half-full or half-empty?
Of course some people will argue that we shouldn't be buying milk at all, and that there are more problems with dairy than just the plastic containers. Dairy cattle contribute a significant amount to climate-changing greenhouse gases around the world, for one thing.
It's encouraging to see an increase in the availability of non-dairy milk alternatives – especially oat milk, which would seem to have a lower environmental footprint than soya or almond, for example. But most of the non-dairy milks themselves come packaged in plastic-lined Tetra Pak-style cartons, not glass. So that's not the perfect solution either.
The fact remains that, despite an encouraging rise in more planet-friendly vegan-oriented lifestyles, dairy milk is still consumed by about 90% of the UK population on a fairly regular basis.
If that many of us are going to keep using cow's milk, we should at least try to do it in the most sustainable and environmentally friendly form possible.
That probably means locally produced, from pasture-grazed cows on a high-animal welfare organic farm, delivered on an electric milk float.
In a plastic-free, returnable glass bottle.
To get milk delivered to your door in a glass bottle, go to findmeamilkman.net to find your local dairies, then contact the dairy to make sure they'll deliver milk in glass.
If you're looking for more ways to get plastic out of your life, join thousands of others on #PlasticFreeFriday.
Paul Quinn is a freelancer writer and editor.


text:
Joji – Nectar Album Review
Graham Barker '22, Writer|October 19, 2020
Joji's new album Nectar is finally here. Originally slated for an early July release, the highly anticipated album was pushed back to September 25th because of Covid-19 complications. His longest project yet, at 18 tracks and 53 minutes, stays with the same alternative R&B sound as his debut album BALLADS 1, but with much better, more refined production, and improved vocals. The first track, "Ew", is a depressing opener, with Joji singing about lost love as usual, and has a great string outro. The next two songs, "MODUS" and "Tick Tock", are trap-inspired cuts featuring catchy melodies, and the album continues on with the singles "Daylight", "Gimme Love", "Run", and "Sanctuary", which stand out as the best songs on the record. Overall, the first half of the album is some of Joji's best work to date.
However, at this point, the songs become a bit repetitive and the production quality dips. This decline starts with "High Hopes" with Omar Apollo, which comes off a bit boring and underwhelming, and "NITROUS", which isn't necessarily a bad song, but it's nothing new from Joji. These two are followed up by "Pretty Boy", which in my opinion is the best non-single on the album, a bass-heavy banger with a surprisingly good verse from Lil Yachty. The final seven tracks feature highs with "Afterthought", with a great feature from BENEE, and "Like You Do", and lows with "777", "Normal People", and "Reanimator", a song whose grand intro takes up about 60% of the song and leaves for a disappointing climax, if you could even call it that. "Your Man" serves as a solid ender.
Throughout the album, Joji sticks to his simple, sad lyrics, and a lot of songs sound the same: sad piano melody plus basic drums plus basic lyrics. It's not a bad formula, but it's been a bit played out at this point. There are also a few songs that could've easily been cut out, like "Upgrade" and "Normal People" for example, which are just worse versions of what we've already heard on the album. However, there are a lot of great songs on this, and if Joji could make a whole album like "Run", "Gimme Love", and "Pretty Boy" down the line, it'd be great. Nectar is Joji's best performance yet, and it shows his improvements both vocally and in production, but it leaves a bit to be desired in terms of songwriting, consistency, and experimentation.
Final Score: 8/10
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November Pop Culture Grid
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The Future of Travis Scott
The Best Actress Buzz
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text:
//
//  create_feed_thread.c
//
//  Created by gtliu on 7/19/13.
//  Copyright (c) 2013 GT. All rights reserved.
//

#include "create_feed_thread.h"
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <stddef.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <errno.h>
#include <unistd.h>
#include <sys/socket.h>
#include <netinet/in.h>
#include <arpa/inet.h>
#include <pthread.h>
#include <time.h>
#include <fcntl.h>
#include <signal.h>
#include <event2/event.h>
#include <event2/event_struct.h>
#include <event2/event-config.h>
#include <event2/util.h>

/**
 * Use the macro temporary for test.
 * We read the port from the watchdog's port file late.
 */
#define UDP_PORT_SER       60000
#define UDP_IP_SER         "127.0.0.1"
#define UDP_IP_CLIENT      "127.0.0.1"

static pthread_t thread;
static int app_socket_fd;
static struct sockaddr_in addr_server;
static struct feed_thread_configure *feed_configure;
static struct event timeout;
static struct timeval tv;
static int miss_feedback_times;

typedef enum WDConfirmedUnregFlag {
    WD_CONF_UNREG_SELF_NOT_SNED = 0,
    WD_CONF_UNREG_SER_NOT_CONF  = 1,
    WD_CONF_UNREG_SER_HAS_CONF  = 2,
    WD_CONF_REG_NOT_CONF        = 3,
    WD_CONF_REG_HAS_CONF        = 4
} WDConfirmedUnregFlag;
static WDConfirmedUnregFlag wd_confirmed_unreg_flag;
static WDConfirmedUnregFlag wd_confirmed_register;
static pthread_mutex_t conf_mutex;

void wd_send_register_pg(evutil_socket_t fd)
{
    // read from watchdog port file to get port
    FILE *fp = fopen(CONF_PATH_WATCHD F_NAME_COMM_PORT, "r");
    if (fp == NULL) {
        return;
    }
    int wd_port = 0;
    int scan_num = fscanf(fp, "%d", &wd_port);
    if (scan_num <= 0) {
        MITLog_DetErrPrintf("fscanf() failed");
    }
    MITLog_DetPrintf(MITLOG_LEVEL_COMMON, "Get Watchdog port:%d", wd_port);
    if (wd_port > 0) {
        memset(&addr_server, 0, sizeof(addr_server));
        addr_server.sin_family      = AF_INET;
        addr_server.sin_port        = htons(wd_port);
        addr_server.sin_addr.s_addr = inet_addr(UDP_IP_SER);

        int pg_len = 0;
        void *pg_reg = wd_pg_register_new(&pg_len, feed_configure);
        if (pg_reg > 0) {
            ssize_t ret = sendto(fd, pg_reg,
                                 (size_t)pg_len, 0,
                                 (struct sockaddr *)&addr_server,
                                 sizeof(struct sockaddr_in));
            if (ret < 0) {
                MITLog_DetErrPrintf("sendto() failed");
            }
            MITLog_DetPrintf(MITLOG_LEVEL_COMMON, "register pg len:%d", pg_len);
            free(pg_reg);
        } else {
            MITLog_DetPrintf(MITLOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "wd_pg_register_new() failed");
        }
    } else {
        MITLog_DetPrintf(MITLOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "Get Watchdog port failed");
    }
}

void wd_send_action_pg(evutil_socket_t fd, MITWatchdogPgCmd cmd, struct sockaddr_in *tar_addr)
{
    int pg_len = 0;
    void *action_pg = wd_pg_action_new(&pg_len, cmd, feed_configure->monitored_pid);
    if (action_pg) {
        ssize_t ret = sendto(fd, action_pg,
                             (size_t)pg_len, 0,
                             (struct sockaddr *)tar_addr,
                             sizeof(*tar_addr));
        if (ret < 0) {
            MITLog_DetErrPrintf("sendto() failed");
        }
        free(action_pg);
    } else {
        MITLog_DetPrintf(MITLOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "wd_pg_action_new() failed");
    }
}

void timeout_cb(evutil_socket_t fd, short ev_type, void* data)
{
    if (wd_confirmed_register == WD_CONF_REG_NOT_CONF) {
        MITLog_DetPrintf(MITLOG_LEVEL_COMMON, "send register package once");
        wd_send_register_pg(app_socket_fd);
    } else if (wd_confirmed_register == WD_CONF_REG_HAS_CONF) {
        if (miss_feedback_times < MAX_MISS_FEEDBACK_TIMES) {
            ++miss_feedback_times;
            MITLog_DetPrintf(MITLOG_LEVEL_COMMON, "send feed package once");
            wd_send_action_pg(app_socket_fd, WD_PG_CMD_FEED, &addr_server);
        } else {
            wd_confirmed_register = WD_CONF_REG_NOT_CONF;
        }
    }
}

void socket_ev_r_cb(evutil_socket_t fd, short ev_type, void *data)
{
    MITLog_DetPuts(MITLOG_LEVEL_COMMON, "There is a package recieved");
    if (ev_type & EV_READ) {
        struct event_base *ev_base = ((struct event *)data)->ev_base;
        char msg[MAX_UDP_PG_SIZE] = {0};
        struct sockaddr_in src_addr;
        socklen_t addrlen = sizeof(src_addr);
        ssize_t len = recvfrom(fd, msg, sizeof(msg)-1, 0, (struct sockaddr *)&src_addr, &addrlen);
        if (len > 0) {
            MITWatchdogPgCmd cmd = wd_get_net_package_cmd(msg);
            MITLog_DetPrintf(MITLOG_LEVEL_COMMON, "Get Server CMD:%d", cmd);

            struct wd_pg_return *ret_pg = wd_pg_return_unpg(msg, (int)len);
            if (ret_pg) {
                if (cmd == WD_PG_CMD_REGISTER) {
                    if (ret_pg->error != WD_PG_ERR_SUCCESS) {
                        MITLog_DetPrintf(MITLOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "send rigister package failed, so package will be sent again");
                        wd_send_register_pg(fd);
                    } else {
                        MITLog_DetPrintf(MITLOG_LEVEL_COMMON, "great! rigister success");
                        wd_confirmed_register = WD_CONF_REG_HAS_CONF;
                        miss_feedback_times = 0;
                    }
                } else if (cmd == WD_PG_CMD_FEED) {
                    MITLog_DetPrintf(MITLOG_LEVEL_COMMON, "Get Server Feed Back");
                    if (ret_pg->error != WD_PG_ERR_SUCCESS) {
                        MITLog_DetPrintf(MITLOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "send feed package failed:%d \
                                         and rigister package will resend", ret_pg->error);
                        wd_send_register_pg(fd);
                    } else {
                        MITLog_DetPrintf(MITLOG_LEVEL_COMMON, "send feed package success");
                        miss_feedback_times = 0;
                    }
                } else if (cmd == WD_PG_CMD_SELF_UNREG) {
                    MITLog_DetPuts(MITLOG_LEVEL_COMMON, "Get self unregister signal");
                    /** send unregister package */
                    if(pthread_mutex_lock(&conf_mutex) != 0) {
                        MITLog_DetErrPrintf("pthread_mutex_lock() failed");
                    }
                    wd_confirmed_unreg_flag = WD_CONF_UNREG_SER_NOT_CONF;
                    if(pthread_mutex_unlock(&conf_mutex) != 0) {
                        MITLog_DetErrPrintf("pthread_mutex_unlock() failed");
                    }
                    wd_send_action_pg(app_socket_fd, WD_PG_CMD_UNREGISTER, &addr_server);
                } else if (cmd == WD_PG_CMD_UNREGISTER) {
                    MITLog_DetPuts(MITLOG_LEVEL_COMMON, "Get Server Unregister Feed Back");
                    /** handle unregister */
                    if (ret_pg->error != WD_PG_ERR_SUCCESS) {
                        MITLog_DetPrintf(MITLOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "send unregister package failed:%d", ret_pg->error);
                        wd_send_action_pg(fd, WD_PG_CMD_UNREGISTER, &addr_server);
                    } else {
                        MITLog_DetPrintf(MITLOG_LEVEL_COMMON, "send unregister package success");
                        if(pthread_mutex_lock(&conf_mutex) != 0) {
                            MITLog_DetErrPrintf("pthread_mutex_lock() failed");
                        }
                        wd_confirmed_unreg_flag = WD_CONF_UNREG_SER_HAS_CONF;
                        if(pthread_mutex_unlock(&conf_mutex) != 0) {
                            MITLog_DetErrPrintf("pthread_mutex_unlock() failed");
                        }
                        if(event_base_loopbreak(ev_base) < 0) {
                            MITLog_DetPrintf(MITLOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "event_base_loopbreak() failed.\
                                             thread will exit.");
                            pthread_exit(NULL);
                        }
                    }
                }
                free(ret_pg);
            } else {
                MITLog_DetPrintf(MITLOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "wd_pg_return_unpg() failed");
            }
        }
    }
}

void *start_libevent_udp_feed(void *arg)
{
    app_socket_fd = socket(AF_INET, SOCK_DGRAM, 0);
    if (app_socket_fd < 0) {
        MITLog_DetErrPrintf("socket() failed");
        goto THREAD_EXIT_TAG;
    }
    int set_value = 1;
    if(setsockopt(app_socket_fd, SOL_SOCKET, SO_REUSEADDR, (void *)&set_value, sizeof(set_value)) < 0) {
        MITLog_DetErrPrintf("setsockopt() failed");
    }
    if (fcntl(app_socket_fd, F_SETFD, FD_CLOEXEC) < 0) {
        MITLog_DetErrPrintf("fcntl() failed");
    }

    /**
     * To get the app's local port so we bind first
     */
    struct sockaddr_in addr_self;
    memset(&addr_self, 0, sizeof(addr_self));
    addr_self.sin_family      = AF_INET;
    addr_self.sin_port        = 0;
    addr_self.sin_addr.s_addr = INADDR_ANY;
    if (bind(app_socket_fd, (struct sockaddr *)&addr_self, sizeof(addr_self)) < 0) {
        MITLog_DetErrPrintf("bind() failed");
    }

    struct event_base *ev_base = event_base_new();
    if (!ev_base) {
        MITLog_DetErrPrintf("event_base_new() failed");
        goto CLOSE_FD_TAG;
    }
    // register socket listen handle
    struct event socket_ev_r;
    int ret = event_assign(&socket_ev_r, ev_base, app_socket_fd, EV_READ|EV_PERSIST, socket_ev_r_cb, &socket_ev_r);
    if (ret < 0) {
        MITLog_DetPrintf(MITLOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "event_assign() failed");
        goto EVENT_BASE_FREE_TAG;
    }
    if (event_add(&socket_ev_r, NULL) < 0) {
        MITLog_DetPrintf(MITLOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "couldn't add socket event");
        goto EVENT_BASE_FREE_TAG;
    }
    // add time event
    event_assign(&timeout, ev_base, -1, EV_PERSIST, timeout_cb, &timeout);
    evutil_timerclear(&tv);
    tv.tv_sec = feed_configure->feed_period;
    event_add(&timeout, &tv);

    event_base_dispatch(ev_base);

EVENT_BASE_FREE_TAG:
    event_base_free(ev_base);
CLOSE_FD_TAG:
    close(app_socket_fd);
THREAD_EXIT_TAG:
    pthread_exit(NULL);
}

MITFuncRetValue unregister_watchdog()
{
    MITLog_DetLogEnter
    MITFuncRetValue ret = MIT_RETV_SUCCESS;
    int wait_time = 0;
    while (wait_time++ < 10) {
        if(pthread_mutex_lock(&conf_mutex) != 0) {
            MITLog_DetErrPrintf("pthread_mutex_lock() failed");
        }
        if (wd_confirmed_unreg_flag == WD_CONF_UNREG_SELF_NOT_SNED) {
            if(pthread_mutex_unlock(&conf_mutex) != 0) {
                MITLog_DetErrPrintf("pthread_mutex_unlock() failed");
            }
            struct sockaddr_in addr_self;
            socklen_t addr_len = sizeof(addr_self);
            if (getsockname(app_socket_fd, (struct sockaddr *)&addr_self, &addr_len) < 0) {
                MITLog_DetErrPrintf("getsockname() failed");
                ret = MIT_RETV_FAIL;
                goto RETURN_FUNC_TAG;
            }
            MITLog_DetPrintf(MITLOG_LEVEL_COMMON, "Get Port:%d", ntohs(addr_self.sin_port));
            int pg_len = 0;
            void *self_unreg_pg = wd_pg_return_new(&pg_len, WD_PG_CMD_SELF_UNREG, WD_PG_ERR_SUCCESS);
            if (self_unreg_pg == NULL) {
                MITLog_DetPrintf(MITLOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "wd_pg_return_new() failed");
                ret = MIT_RETV_FAIL;
                goto RETURN_FUNC_TAG;
            }
            ssize_t len = sendto(app_socket_fd, self_unreg_pg,
                                 (size_t)pg_len, 0,
                                 (struct sockaddr *)&addr_self,
                                 sizeof(addr_self));
            if (len < 0) {
                MITLog_DetErrPrintf("sendto() failed");
            }
            free(self_unreg_pg);
        } else if(wd_confirmed_unreg_flag == WD_CONF_UNREG_SER_NOT_CONF) {
            if(pthread_mutex_unlock(&conf_mutex) != 0) {
                MITLog_DetErrPrintf("pthread_mutex_unlock() failed");
            }
            MITLog_DetPuts(MITLOG_LEVEL_COMMON, "Wait watchdog to confirm unregistering");
        } else if (wd_confirmed_unreg_flag == WD_CONF_UNREG_SER_HAS_CONF) {
            if(pthread_mutex_unlock(&conf_mutex) != 0) {
                MITLog_DetErrPrintf("pthread_mutex_unlock() failed");
            }
            ret = MIT_RETV_SUCCESS;
            goto RETURN_FUNC_TAG;
        } else {
            if(pthread_mutex_unlock(&conf_mutex) != 0) {
                MITLog_DetErrPrintf("pthread_mutex_unlock() failed");
            }
        }
        sleep(2);
    }

RETURN_FUNC_TAG:
    pthread_mutex_destroy(&conf_mutex);
    return ret;
}

MITFuncRetValue create_feed_thread(struct feed_thread_configure *feed_conf)
{
    if (feed_conf->monitored_pid == 0 ||
        feed_conf->feed_period == 0 ||
        strlen(feed_conf->cmd_line) == 0) {
        MITLog_DetPuts(MITLOG_LEVEL_ERROR, "paramaters error");
        return MIT_RETV_PARAM_EMPTY;
    }
    feed_configure = feed_conf;
    wd_confirmed_register = WD_CONF_REG_NOT_CONF;
    miss_feedback_times = 0;
    if(pthread_mutex_init(&conf_mutex, NULL) != 0){
        MITLog_DetErrPrintf("pthread_mutex_init() failed");
    }
    if(pthread_mutex_lock(&conf_mutex) != 0) {
        MITLog_DetErrPrintf("pthread_mutex_lock() failed");
    }
    wd_confirmed_unreg_flag = WD_CONF_UNREG_SELF_NOT_SNED;
    if(pthread_mutex_unlock(&conf_mutex) != 0) {
        MITLog_DetErrPrintf("pthread_mutex_unlock() failed");
    }

    int ret = pthread_create(&thread, NULL, start_libevent_udp_feed, NULL);
    if (ret != 0) {
        MITLog_DetErrPrintf("pthread_create() failed");
        return MIT_RETV_FAIL;
    }
    ret = pthread_detach(thread);
    if (ret != 0) {
        MITLog_DetErrPrintf("pthread_detach() failed");
        pthread_kill(thread, SIGKILL);
        return MIT_RETV_FAIL;
    }
    return MIT_RETV_SUCCESS;
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Grace is 83 and is mostly in good physical and mental health. Recently however, she had a fall and broke her hip.
After consultation with Grace's medical and allied health treatment team, the hospital's social worker discussed with Grace the risks of her returning home. Grace made clear her preference to remain in her own home despite those risks and that she was fully expecting to be discharged from hospital when she was ready.
To meet 'duty of care' obligations, Grace's discharge was delayed until further assessment of her needs and alternative care arrangements (e.g., home care and residential aged care) were adequately discussed with her.
Tom is 81, and physically fit, however his family have noticed over the last 6 months that he is asking them the same questions every time they meet, and forgetting conversations. Sometimes he seems confused when they visit. His family feels he would be safer living in an aged care facility than at home by himself.
No one, who has full capacity to make decisions, can be forced to move into aged care if they don't want to. The decision to enter an aged care facility, and to remain there, sits with the older person (i.e., scenario 1 – Grace is within her rights to make the decision as to where she resides, even if she has had advice to the contrary).
However, if the person has impaired decision-making capacity, (as is possible in scenario 2), a substitute decision maker can decide to place the older person in a care facility. People can appoint their own substitute decision maker in an Enduring Power of Attorney document (provided they have capacity at the time of the appointment).
When there is not a current and valid Enduring Power of Attorney, the process of accessing Aged Care facilities may be delayed. A substitute decision maker can be appointed by the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT), but this may be a lengthy and emotional process.
A capacity assessment of the older person by a specialist doctor will be undertaken prior to an appointment by QCAT. A hospital, family member, social worker or another person cannot make an older person go into an aged care facility unless this process has been followed, or he/she makes their own decision to go.
Do I need to be assessed before I move into Aged Care?
To move into an aged care facility, the person will be required to undertake a free assessment with the Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT). An ACAT member will assess whether they will be able to receive government-subsidised aged care services, and help identify what types of care they need or whether they can to stay at home. They will also discuss what options are available locally. A doctor or hospital can make a referral to an ACAT, as can the person themselves.
home care package, which allows people to remain in their own home whilst receiving in-home care.
The options available will very much depend on the services available in the area in which the elderly person lives, and the level and amount of care they require.
An Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) from the Department of Social Services gives free advice on the options available to an older person in the area they live. The ACAT can help work out a person's needs and make a referral to the appropriate services.
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text:
Highest Individual Scores
'Have to keep an eye' on players and staff living alone – Justin Langer
Play 01:25
Justin Langer appreciating feet up time with family
Players and staff living alone during long periods of isolation forced by the coronavirus pandemic will have their mental health closely watched by Cricket Australia. This comes in the wake of the national team coach Justin Langer balancing the personal benefits of extended time at home with the maelstrom engulfing global sport and society beyond the sanctuary of his backyard.
As he reflected upon the rush of events to see much of the world pushed into a state of shutdown by coronavirus, Langer said that for constantly travelling cricketers and staff, enforced time at home could actually be construed as a kind of "nirvana" after years of a treadmill between hotels, cricket grounds and airports.
But at the same time Langer said CA was actively discussing the need to keep a close eye on players and staff left to their own devices, while he also expressed his awareness – through his role as a board director for the West Coast Eagles AFL club and former county batsman – of the chaos enveloping winter sports in Australia and cricket played in the northern summer.
"The mental health thing, we talked about it in a conference call yesterday, particularly for any of our staff or players who are home alone basically. We have to keep an eye on those guys and girls to make sure they're ok," Langer said. "Hopefully being around their families and having a rest from the pressure of the games at the moment will have an impact. But we're very aware and we've got incredible resources available for all our players and staff at Cricket Australia. In leadership we talk about caring about people – it's a really, really important part of any leadership.
"And we're seeing that. It's been led by Kevin Roberts, we are doing that – to make sure we're caring and supporting all our staff. So with that, we have greater awareness of the mental health issues. We have awareness of people who will be more or less vulnerable to that. So we'll make sure we look after them and care for them. That's absolutely crucial.
"We've got incredible resources in Cricket Australia now. We've got full-time professional development managers in all the states, we've got full-time psychologists at most of the states. At CA we have incredible resources. I've had 15 teleconferences in the last week or so and found it really working well. We're all staying connected. One of the great things about modern technology is we're able to stay connected. There's so many other ways you can learn. There's books, online learning, the internet is incredible."
Langer's family has already been personally affected by the parallel economic crisis as his daughters have lost their jobs in Perth. As part of the Eagles organisation, he has been privy to the emergency measures being taken by the AFL, where staff have been stood down en masse and administrators have been left with a series of agonising choices as they contemplate the possible loss of a full season.
"The very fact we're sitting here now, the truth is for me personally and for all the players, this is like nirvana in the fact we're home with our families, we sleep in our own bed, we eat home-cooked dinners and we can still work in one degree or another from home," Langer said. "What it does do for me and a lot of the guys who are on the road for 10 months of the year it gives us the chance to be with our families, grow a beard, wear no shoes, get in my garden and be able to work from my office at home. There's upside.
Justin Langer has said that Cricket Australia has all the resources to take care of its players and staffs © Getty Images
"I obviously have great empathy for some of the other codes. I've got some strong links to AFL footy, I see what's happening to rugby, potentially for English cricket, I see what's happening with the IPL – a lot of people will be suffering at the moment. We're in the very fortunate situation where we've come to the end of our season. A lot of our guys were going to take some sort of break anyway.
"We know we can't sit on our hands, we don't know how long this will last for. We have to be ready and organised for what we have – the next few months will go very quickly and we just have to be ready. We keep talking within the Australian cricket team to all the players – stay ready, stay ready, stay ready. It's no different for us in coaching or administration. We have to stay ready when the next opportunity comes and we will definitely do that."
Looking ahead, Langer implored the game's decision-makers to make sure they did not waste the precious time that Australian cricket had been granted to be ready for future eventualities. "If worse comes to worse and we lose a cricket season – obviously we'll learn lessons from the other codes living through it now. It's a great eye opener to me, how careful we have to be," he said.
"We talk about being prepared for rainy days. This is certainly more than a rainy day, and you've heard me say many times before – my role on the board of West Coast Eagles has been an incredible personal and professional opportunity for me. And in times like this, you get to see some of the best corporate minds talking about how you get through these tough situations.
"It's been an inspirational opportunity. But having said that, we have great empathy. Because of my involvement and close links to the AFL, I have great empathy for so many people going through this tough time. We've seen it – whether it's a footy club or my daughters all lose their jobs, no sport on TV, the corporate world. It's a really tough time. I've got great empathy and sympathy for so many sectors right now."
He also hoped that this sudden pause to global cricket would afford the opportunity and perspective to look seriously at how the schedule has evolved into the continuous merry-go-round of series and tournaments that the ICC board was pondering ahead of the next broadcast rights cycle from 2023 to 2031.
"There's been discussions for probably 15 years about this schedule and I wish there was easy answers to it," Langer said. "Because if – I've reflected a lot on this recently – we didn't have such a hectic schedule then my advice from a financial point of view, there's going to be some real challenges isn't there? This is – we prepare for rainy days. This is more than a rainy day.
"Thankfully there is money in the game to support people in these times. It's a real balancing act, I don't know what the answer is. While there is so much talk about the scheduling, we also have to respect the hectic nature of the business we're in employs a lot of people and keeps us – having some security in these tough times. It's complex. I'm sure the discussions will keep happening in the future. But there's no easy answers to this one."
Daniel Brettig is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. @danbrettig
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo
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text:
21975 A.D. Shadd Road
North Buxton, ON N0P1Y0
email: buxton@ciaccess.com
Museum Site
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Curator Bio.
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On a November evening in 2008, a gathering at the Prince home in North Buxton, watched Barack Hussein Obama become the 44th and First Black President of the United States. It was a joyful event and the tears flowed freely as the reality sunk in of how far the race victimized by slavery has come; the many small and great victories that brought us to this era...
THE FIRST BLACK POWER TOWN
This article appeared in the February 1972 issue of Ebony Vol.XXVII No. 4
Photographs selected from those included with the article.
SLAVES' DESCENDANTS KEEP PRIDE ALIVE IN NORTH BUXTON, CANADA
FOUR years before the Civil War broke out in the United States, 300 blacks - most of them former slaves from Southern plantations strode quietly and proudly, along the streets of the Canadian city of Chatham to vote in the Court House. They had journeyed ten miles from Buxton an area settled six years previously by 15 freed slaves of Louisiana educator William King.
Religious heritages of two cultures merge in Junior choir composed of North Buxton's two churches, The British Methodist Episcopal and the First Baptist. After the Civil War Thomas W. Stringer a Buxton man established 35 AME churches in Mississippi.
When the voting ended that day, the incumbent, Provincial Parliament member from the area, who had won his seat two years previously on an anti-Negro immigration platform had been defeated in the first demonstration of political black power on the North American continent.
Through the Civil War years Buxton enjoyed an economic and social advancement almost miraculous for people who until a few years before had been forcibly denied the right even to marry or to learn to read. In the descendants of Buxton's settlers, the heritage of an amazing adventure in freedom lies today.
FINALLY THEY COULD HAVE REAL FAMILIES
MANY slaves who fled to Buxton did so not primarily to escape cruel physical punishment but rather to escape something, which to many seemed far worse. Unlike the white immigrants who had come to Canada from Scotland or Ireland or from the U.S., the blacks regarded the opportunity to create and raise families as the most precious gem offered by refuge in Canada.
Fighter for black's rights for many years, Ira Shadd's brother Phillip, 77, a farmer helped organize the National Unity organization in 1944, which fought for passage of Canada's Fair Employment Practices Law.
In slavery, they had had no real hope of this. A master could at any time sell the children of his slaves. If slave parents objected to the master's abuse of their children, the parents might be sold away while the children were kept to be further abused.
In Canada, having gained freedom and control of themselves and their children, the former slaves and the free blacks who joined them demonstrated a fierce energy and will to succeed. They worked tirelessly throughout the year clearing and farming their land or helping to build the Great Western Railroad which was being extended through the area. Using $3,000 invested by blacks from Toronto and Buffalo, the Buxton settlers formed a cooperative to build a factory for making pearl ash (a type of refined potash), a brickyard and a saw-and-grist mill. The town began producing lumber and barrel staves and selling corn, wheat, oats, tobacco and other crops.
Within ten years after the settlement was founded some of the former slaves had paid in full the government price for their land ($2.50 an acre), and some had enough money left to send their children to college.
Arthur H. Alexander, 85, was North Buxton's school principal for 37 years.
Now that these early industries are gone, North Buxton's wealth is mainly in farmland that has multiplied in value, and in a brilliant history it wants the world to know.
BUXTON WON'T DIE; IT'S LOVED TOO MUCH
Daughter of a runaway slave, Mrs. Electa Rhue, 90, talks with Mrs. William Nutall, one of three of her daughters who have moved to the U.S. Mrs. Rhue recently gave her daughters land to build houses near her home.
THE Buxton settlement's influence on United States history extended beyond its function as a refuge for slaves. Seventy of its young men went south to fight slavery. Two of Buxton's sons, Anderson R. Abbott and Jerome Riley, were among the doctors who in 1863 set up Freedmen's Hospital in Washington, D. C., the first public hospital for blacks in the U. S. After the war, Buxton's population, which had reached well over 1,000, declined sharply as families returned to their former homes in the States and young people journeyed south to aid in Reconstruction. James T. Rapier, for instance, served in the U. S. Congress from Alabama from 1873 to 1875. Thomas W. Stringer, who became general superintendent of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Mississippi, established 35 churches in that state. He helped develop Negro Masonry in Mississippi and organized the Fraternal Life Insurance Benefit which became the most successful black cooperative business in the state.