text:
Criminal Law Casebook - Developments in leading appellate courts
Observations on leading cases in criminal law around the world from 2004 to 2014. The link to the Index allows this site to be used as an online textbook. Aimed at Masters and above, and specialist practitioners. The 600 case commentaries are from August 2004 to August 2014. Occasional entries from then, including book reviews.
On not prosecuting addicts for drug possession
The Misuse of Drugs Amendment Bill 119-3 has passed through Parliament and will come into force the day after it receives the Royal assent. [Update: Assent was on 12 August 2019, so in force from 13 August.]
Of particular interest is its addition of two subsections, (5) and (6), to s 7 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975.
The new subsections apply only to offences against s 7(1)(a): unlawfully procuring or having in possession, or consuming, smoking, or otherwise using, any controlled drug.
These offences carry maximum penalties of imprisonment for six months if a Class A drug is involved, or for three months in any other case.
The new subsections are:
(5) To avoid doubt, it is affirmed that there is a discretion to prosecute for an offence against subsection (1)(a), and a prosecution should not be brought unless it is required in the public interest.
(6) When considering whether a prosecution is required in the public interest, in addition to any other relevant matters, consideration should be given to whether a health-centred or therapeutic approach would be more beneficial to the public interest.
These have been publicly taken to be effective decriminalisation, or at least that was said about them before the last four words were added to (6).
The decision to prosecute is described as discretionary. This is important in legal terms because discretions are treated differently by courts from exercises of judgement. See Stanley v New Zealand Law Society [2019] NZCA 119 at [21], referring to Taipeti v R [2018] NZCA 56, [2018] 3 NZLR 308.
What the public interest means is not elaborated by the setting out of examples of relevant considerations. It is acknowledged that there can be "other relevant matters", and the new matter to consider is "whether a health-centred or therapeutic approach would be more beneficial to the public interest." Obviously, the health-centred and the therapeutic approaches are not intended to be competing considerations, but they are to be taken together. Apparently, when they are available they weigh against prosecution.
The legislation does not refer to the Solicitor-General's Prosecution Guidelines, but these are expected to be followed by the police. The Guidelines refer to the "decision" to prosecute, but also to a "discretion as to whether a prosecution is required in the public interest" ([5.2], [5.5]). Guideline [5.7] sets out the presumption in favour of prosecution, and [5.7]-[5.8] give illustrations of what matters can be considered in weighing up the public interest. The approach is individualistic: each case is to be considered in the light of its own circumstances.
Guideline [5.9.13] refers to whether there are any proper available alternatives to prosecution. Perhaps the new subsections come into play here: did Parliament intend to make an addition to the Guidelines, without actually referring to them, or did it intend to give special weight, separately from the Guidelines, to the consideration of a health-centred or therapeutic approach? Section 7(6) uses the phrase "in addition to any other relevant matters", but this doesn't answer the question, and it is not necessarily giving dominance to whether the health-centred or therapeutic approach would be more beneficial to the public interest than would prosecution.
It was this issue which was contentious in Parliament. The National Party in opposition took the view that this was de facto decriminalisation, because even where the public interest in proceeding with a prosecution has (in other respects) been met a prosecution would not proceed if a therapeutic approach would be more beneficial. That is, the presumption would move from favouring prosecution to favouring non-prosecution. The Police Association, the New Zealand Drug Foundation, and the New Zealand Law Society all had the same understanding (see the Report of the Health Committee on the Bill 119-2, the National Party members' view).
The point has not been clarified in legislation. Is the health-centred or therapeutic approach to the public interest dominant, or is it just a factor in the decision whether a prosecution is in the public interest? The words of the subsections do not suggest dominance, but the fact that this approach has been singled out for statutory mention could. The majority of the Health Committee simply said that the discretion "allows the Police to consider a health-based approach in place of a punitive one when appropriate." This too does not suggest dominance, but the expression "when appropriate" does shroud the decision process in mystery.
Judicial scrutiny of the discretion could require consideration of complex issues. People charged with offences against s 7(1)(a) are likely to want to challenge the exercise of the discretion to prosecute in their own particular circumstances. There could be a flood of applications to the High Court to review the exercise of such discretions, although the risk of cost sanctions may deter all but the wealthy few, raising in turn issues of equal access to justice.
The practical requirement to accept a therapeutic approach may undermine the right to refuse to undergo medical treatment - New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990, (BORA) s 11, although this might be a justified limitation on the right, s 5. This issue was not covered in the advice to the Attorney-General on compliance of the Bill with BORA. There have been indications that it is only in cases of addiction that the health-centred or therapeutic approach will be relevant, the Minister noted in this context that "Fear of prosecution can deter people from seeking help to deal with addiction issues."
There is, therefore, good reason to think that the discretion not to prosecute will only be exercised in relation to people who, in the opinion of the police, need medical help with addiction. This seems to be the intent behind an amendment to the Bill at a late stage which put the focus on benefit "to the public interest" (subsection (6) above), instead of, as previously worded, just "beneficial" without saying to whom. The change has been taken as swinging the pendulum back towards the status quo. My own view, at this stage, is that this is correct, and that the mystery brought to attention by the Health Committee's majority's words "when appropriate" disappears if they mean "in cases of addiction." So if it's not effectively decriminalisation, which is what bothered the National Party, why did its MPs vote against the Bill? Apparently, because these provisions seemed to add nothing to current practice, and were too vague (although the National Party would have supported other aspects of the Bill). Looking at the third reading debate, you can see how confused the politicians were over what they were voting for or against.
People on the way to addiction or to the other adverse effects of drug use could also benefit from a health-centred or therapeutic approach, so decisions may have to be made as to whether these people should be prosecuted and then given the opportunity of diversion, or whether there should be no prosecution so that an approach like that taken with addicts can be tried. In some areas of the country, currently Waitakere, Auckland and Christchurch, specialist therapeutic sittings of the District Court, known as the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Court, are available where prosecution has been commenced, so this will be relevant to deciding whether prosecution is in the public interest in those cases.
Posted by Don Mathias at 7:26 pm
Don Mathias
I practised as a barrister from December 1978 to retirement in February 2018. In 1980 I completed my Ph.D. in criminal law. I have taught Advanced Criminal Law at the University of Auckland, and am the author of "Misuse of Drugs", our textbook on drug offences which is available in hardcopy and also electronically by subscription from Thomson Reuters. I am also a contributing and updating author of "Adams on Criminal Law", and a joint author of "Criminal Procedure in New Zealand" (Thomson Reuters, 3rd ed 2019). I have given seminar papers for the Auckland District Law Society and the New Zealand Law Society, and have had many papers published on criminal law and evidence topics.
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U.S. To Give Syrian Opposition $60 Million More In Non-Lethal Aid, Kerry Says : The Two-Way "President Assad is out of time and must be out of power," the new secretary of state says. The assistance is for basic goods and services in areas under rebel control.
U.S. To Give Syrian Opposition $60 Million More In Non-Lethal Aid, Kerry Says
February 28, 20137:40 AM ET
Mark Memmott
The Obama administration will ask Congress for an additional $60 million in aid to help the Syrian opposition council provide basic goods and services in areas under rebel control, Secretary of State John Kerry announced Thursday in Rome.
NPR's Michele Kelemen, who is among the correspondents traveling with Kerry on his first overseas trip since becoming secretary, tells our Newscast Desk that the U.S. "is also offering non-lethal assistance to the free Syrian army — in the form of food rations and medical supplies." She adds that "U.S. officials say that the Syrian opposition laid out many other needs in talks with Kerry and the Obama administration is 'keeping that under review.' "
Secretary of State John Kerry during a news conference Thursday in Rome. Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Alberto Pizzoli/AFP/Getty Images
Secretary of State John Kerry during a news conference Thursday in Rome.
The BBC starts its report on the news this way:
"The U.S. is to step up its support for the Syrian opposition as it fights to topple President Bashar al-Assad, Secretary of State John Kerry says. Mr. Kerry said the US would provide 'direct support' in the form of medical and food supplies to rebel forces. He also promised an additional $60 million in aid to the opposition to help it deliver basic governance and other services in rebel-controlled areas. ...
" 'President Assad is out of time and must be out of power,' Mr. Kerry said, adding that the Syrian leader could not 'shoot his way out' of the situation."
As the BBC reminds its readers, "the U.N. estimates 70,000 people have died in the Syrian conflict since 2011."
Thursday's announcement was not quite what The Washington Post, CBS News and some other news outlets were predicting a day earlier. As we reported Wednesday, they said the U.S. was also contemplating giving rebels "equipment such as body armor and armored vehicles," though not weapons.
Today, the Post writes that:
"Britain and other nations working in concert with the United States are expected to go further to help the rebel Free Syrian Army by providing battlefield equipment such as armored vehicles, night vision equipment or body armor. The Obama administration is weighing similar assistance, but Kerry announced only the first, small steps."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Board index ‹ Issues ‹ Health Care
Other Savings from Single Payer
We Americans are the only people in the world for whom health care is not considered a basic human right. Shouldn't something be done about it?
by Carol Johnson Duharat » Mon Jun 22, 2009 12:47 am
http://www.bareknuckles.org/bkp/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=741#p6601
1) Consolidation. Since every health insurance has its own pool of doctors, and rarely the twain really meet, there's a lot of duplication of services, of equipment. Single payer would allow efficient use of these resources. For example, every hospital has to have a CT scan, every medical specialty, a lab that does everything. Since people would be free to go anywhere, perhaps some of these could become centered around a particular hospital. Indeed, we could have specialty hospitals that treat certain kinds of conditions. We could have a Cancer hospital, a psychology/psychiatric hospital, a hospital that only treats the geriatric. Perhaps a heart hospital, a rare diseases hospital, and so forth.
2) Innovative use of nurses, medical students, physician assistants and so forth. Once the insurance lobby no longer is able to veto such things, we could have more extensive home care and home visits, more school and work nurses, mobile medical clinics, with patients referred to the Doctor for diagnosis if symptoms or test results warrant.
3)As a visitor to the Emergency Room for more visits than I like, I have sat next to people who are there only because they can't get a provider during the day or a provider at all. Indeed, I've been in that situation. Single payer would allow these people to go to an Evening Clinic like the one I used to go to until the Economy closed it. It closed because it couldn't get enough in operating costs to keep open. Under single payer, tax revenues would have kept it open as a City Clinic that was open at night. Emergency Room resources and their accompanying costs would be reduced and saved for true emergencies-which will be seen quicker without these patients.
4) Fewer staff at the Doctor's offices. Doctors must hire people to process an endless stream of Insurance forms. Take that out of the equation, and doctors could pool secretaries, medical transcriptionists and other clerical staff. Indeed, in some cases, your paperwork could be done beforehand, and all you do is greet the receptionist and wait until you are called.
The Nation has decided to commit the Audacity of Hope
Carol Johnson Duharat
Location: Cincinnati Ohio
Return to Health Care


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Girls Fly Too, But Not Until 2023
Education/Learning
Langley/Abbotsford – After an initial delay courtesy of Transport Canada, check out Girls Fly Too on April 29-30, 2023 at the Abbotsford International Airport
This is the world's largest diversity outreach event of its kind to inspire female future leaders from shop floor to top floor in Aviation, Aerospace, Marine & Defence. Everyone of any age, gender or citizenship is welcome to attend – it's free. No registration is required to attend, and parking is also FREE ( and at YXX , that is a bonus).
The signature The Sky's No Limit – Girls Fly Too! incredible annual events change lives.
Originall scheduled for October, there were some conditions imposed by Transport Canada that could not be met in time, thus the delay.
Among the many attractions this event is famous for are the hundreds of free flights for female first-time fliers! The first flight experience is so incredibly amazing. It's often the catalyst that is needed to inspire interest in Aviation, Aerospace, Marine & Defence and other STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) based fields.
http://www.girlsfly2.ca/
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Another 90 cases of Omicron variant identified in UK
XINHUA/RSS
2021 Dec 07, 8:19, LONDON
People pass through Waterloo train station, in London, during the morning rush hour, Monday, Nov. 29, 2021. The new potentially more contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus popped up in more European countries on Saturday, just days after being identified in South Africa, leaving governments around the world scrambling to stop the spread. In Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said mask-wearing in shops and on public transport will be required, starting Tuesday. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
A further 90 cases of the new Omicron COVID variant have been reported in Britain, taking the total to 336, British health authorities confirmed Monday.
These include 64 new cases in England, 23 in Scotland and three in Wales. Northern Ireland has still not seen any confirmed Omicron cases.
Professor Paul Hunter, an expert in infectious diseases from the University of East Anglia, told the BBC the Omicron variant could start "outcompeting" the dominant Delta variant within weeks.
He said the new variant is "spreading rather more quickly than the Delta variant", while authorities in South Africa, where the mutation was first detected, have talked of a "rapid" increase in cases.
Britain registered 51,459 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 10,515,239, according to official figures released on Monday.
The country also reported a further 41 coronavirus-related deaths. The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 145,646. These figures only include the deaths of people who died within 28 days of their first positive test.
Nearly 89 percent of people aged 12 and over in Britain have had their first dose of vaccine and around 81 percent have received both doses, according to the latest figures. More than 35 percent have received booster jabs or the third dose of a coronavirus vaccine.
To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines.
Singapore confirms two Omicron COVID-19 cases
Omicron v. delta: Battle of coronavirus mutants is critical
Two cases of Omicron variant detected in UK
Is Omicron as serious as Delta variant?
United Kingdom Omicron Variant Scotland Delta variant Booster Jabs COVID vaccines life Normal Vaccination Race Dominant Northern Ireland. British Health Authorities
New Zealand: No lockdowns when omicron spreads
UN conducts post-quake assessment in Afghanistan


Palazzo pants are a mercurial style. The long, loose, wide leg trousers seem to come in and out of fashion regularly. They are usually made in light, breathable fabrics, like cotton, crepe and jersey for the hot summer months.
Women wear kurtis as blouses, usually over jeans. These kurtis are typically much shorter than the traditional garments and made with a lighter materials, like those used in sewing kameez.


The Savannah trio Cusses has had so much going on lately that it's hard to keep up.
Click here to go vote — as many times as you want. Voting ends on January 4th.
A great video of the song "Don't Give In" by the hard-charging, Savannah-based trio Cusses has been premiered by Revolver Magazine today.
My first stop last Saturday was Graveface Fest in the courtyard and one of the adjacent buildings at Southern Pine Company near East Broad and 35th streets. The aging urban commercial space has the character and the scale to host a wide range of public gatherings.
The Saturday before Halloween is always one of the best days of the year for those of us who love special events and large gatherings.
And this year was especially over-the-top and theatrical.
By the time Angel Bond and CUSSES stormed the stage, things were pretty hot in The Jinx.


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Mansfield Area Tennis Association
MATA Home
About MATA
MATA News
Tennis at Home
MATA News home
2020 MATA Summer Tennis Camps for kids?
Fri, Jul 03, 2020 12:00 AM
Summer 2020 and MATA wondering if we would have summer tennis camps for the kids. On May 18, 2020, Governor Greg Abbott in Texas allowed youth sports to operate, but under state health guidelines. Our tennis camps were scheduled for 3 weeks in June and advertised by the Mansfield Activities Center (MAC).
MATA's executive board members reviewed all the state health guidelines and called other tennis facilities to see what they were doing. Many had decided to have their kid's tennis camps, but with limited number of players per coach. So, with procedures and protocols, a release of general liability waiver, MATA said yes to our kid's summer tennis camps.
Wow, were we surprised with the player enrollment and waitlists! Parents and kids were ready to get out of the house and play! Each camp week we had 8 to 12 students depending on the number of coaches for the week. We had to take each player's temperature and sanitize their hands and some items on the courts. Social distancing was practiced, as best as kids can, and everyone had a blast!
The kids learned a new way to use their sportsmanship at the end of the match with the tennis racquet bump. Thanks to all the kids for playing and the parents for allowing them to come out and play with MATA.
Copyright © 2023 Mansfield Area Tennis Association. In association with United States Tennis Association.


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Virtually every job is unique. We understand, and that is why we offer "hands on management" by our competent workers. We begin with a detailed review of your project, but it's the diligent attention we place on meeting your particular needs that maximizes your cash from every recycling effort. That is how Smart Recycling INC has amazingly high client retention and reorder rate.
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text:
\section{Introduction}
Electron transport through nanofabrications
has attracted interests.
One of the interesting systems is the quantum dot system
coupled to the normal and superconducting leads,
which has experimentally been realized~\cite{ex1,ex2,ex3}.
It has recently been examined how
the Kondo effect due to electron correlations competes with
the proximity-induced on-dot pairing effects~\cite{Deacon}.
Theoretical study for the system has been done by many groups
~\cite{slave1,slave2,Domanski,nca,Cuevas,Yamada,Tanaka,Baranski}
and some interesting transport properties have successfully been explained.
However, it is not clear how the current are affected by
the local correlations and Andreev reflection quantitatively.
This may be crucial to understand the experimental results correctly
since the linear response region, which can be treated quantitatively
by means of the numerical renormalization group method, is narrow
in the interacting quantum dot system.
Therefore, another unbiased method is desired to discuss
the nonlinear response in the system.
One of the appropriate techniques is
the continuous-time quantum Monte Carlo (CTQMC)
method~\cite{CTQMC} based on the Keldysh formalism~\cite{WernerOka,Werner}.
In our previous paper~\cite{NONKOGA}, we have used the CTQMC method
in the Nambu formalism to discuss the nonequilibrium
transport properties in the quantum dot coupled
to the normal and superconducting leads.
However, the analysis was restricted in the simple case
and it is still unclear how the superconducting gap
affects transport properties for the quantum dot system.

To clarify this,
we consider the interacting quantum dot coupled to
the normal and superconducting leads.
Calculating the time evolution of the current
through the quantum dot at zero temperature,
we examine how the gap magnitude in the superconducting lead
affects the nonequilibrium transport.
It is clarified that the Andreev reflection and Kondo effect lead
to nonmonotonic behavior in the steady current.

This paper is organized as follows. In Sec. \ref{2}, we introduce
the model Hamiltonian and briefly explain the CTQMC algorithm in the
Keldysh-Nambu formalism. In Sec. \ref{3}, we
discuss the nonequilibrium phenomena in the quantum-dot
system. A summary is given in Sec. \ref{4}.

\section{Model and Method}\label{2}
We consider the interacting quantum dot coupled to
the normal and superconducting leads.
For simplicity, we use a single level quantum dot
with the Coulomb interaction $U$ and assume the
superconducting lead to be described by the BCS
theory with an isotropic gap $\Delta$.
The model Hamiltonian should be given as
\begin{eqnarray}
H&=&H_0+H',\label{Hami}\\
H_0&=&\sum_{k\alpha\sigma}\left(\epsilon_{k\alpha}-\mu_\alpha\right)
c_{k\alpha\sigma}^\dag c_{k\alpha\sigma}+
\Delta \sum_k\left(c_{-kS\downarrow}^\dag c_{kS\uparrow}^\dag+
c_{kS\uparrow} c_{-kS\downarrow}\right)\nonumber\\
&+&\sum_{k\alpha\sigma}\left(
V_{k\alpha} c_{k\alpha\sigma}^\dag d_\sigma+
V_{k\alpha}^* d_\sigma^\dag c_{k\alpha\sigma} \right)+
\sum_\sigma\left(\epsilon_d+\frac{U}{2}\right)n_\sigma,\\
H'&=&
U\left( n_\uparrow n_\downarrow
-\frac{1}{2}\sum_\sigma n_\sigma\right),\label{U}
\end{eqnarray}
where $c_{k\alpha\sigma} (c_{k\alpha\sigma}^\dag)$
is the annihilation (creation)
operator of an electron with wave vector $k$ and
spin $\sigma(=\uparrow, \downarrow)$
in the $\alpha$th lead.
$d_{\sigma} (d_{\sigma}^\dag)$ is
the annihilation (creation)
operator of an electron at the quantum dot and
$n_\sigma=d_\sigma^\dag d_\sigma$.
$\epsilon_{k\alpha}$ is the dispersion relation of the $\alpha$th lead,
$V_{k\alpha}$ is the hybridization
between the $\alpha$th lead and the quantum dot, and
$\epsilon_d$ is the energy level.
We set
the chemical potential in each lead as $\mu_N=V$ and $\mu_S=0$, where
$V$ is the bias voltage.
We here consider the system
with $\epsilon_d+U/2=0$
in the infinite bandwidth limit,
where the coupling
$\Gamma_\alpha(\omega)=\pi\sum_k\left|V_{k\alpha}\right|^2
\delta(\omega-\epsilon_{k\alpha})$ is constant.

In this study, we use the weak-coupling version of the CTQMC method
based on the Keldysh formalism~\cite{WernerOka,Werner}.
In the method, we simulate the system prepared
in the noninteracting nonequilibrium state
with the interaction turned on at time $t=0$.
Therefore, the simulation may be referred to as an "interaction quench".
When fluctuations due to the interaction quench relaxes and
the system converges,
we can discuss steady-state properties in the framework.

We first consider the following identity as
\begin{eqnarray}
1&=&{\rm Tr}\left[\rho_0 e^{it\left(H_0+H'-K/t\right)}
e^{-it\left(H_0+H'-K/t\right)}\right],\label{4}
\end{eqnarray}
where $\rho_0 = e^{-\beta H_0} / {\rm Tr} \Big[e^{-\beta H_0}\Big]$ and
$K$ is a nonzero constant.
By expanding two exponentials in eq. (\ref{4}) in terms of the interaction representation,
we obtain as
\begin{eqnarray}
1&=&{\rm Tr}\Big\{\rho_0
\tilde{T}\left[\exp\Big\{i\int_0^t d\tilde{t} \left(H'(\tilde{t})-\frac{K}{t}\right)
\Big\}\right]
e^{itH_0}\nonumber\\
&&\times
e^{-itH_0}
T\left[\exp\Big\{-i\int_0^t dt \left(H'(t)-\frac{K}{t}\right)\Big\}\right]\Big\},\nonumber\\
&=&\sum_l\Big(-\frac{iK}{t}\Big)^l\int_{0}^t d\tilde{t}_1\cdots
\int_{\tilde{t}_{l-1}}^t d\tilde{t}_l
\sum_m \Big(\frac{iK}{t}\Big)^m
\int_{0}^t dt_1\cdots\int_{t_{m-1}}^t dt_m
\nonumber\\
&\times&{\rm Tr}\Big[\rho_0  e^{i\tilde{t}_1H_0}
\Big(1-\frac{t}{K}H'\Big)\cdots e^{i(\tilde{t}_l - \tilde{t}_{l-1}) H_0}
\Big(1-\frac{t}{K}H'\Big) e^{i(t - \tilde{t}_{l}) H_0}\nonumber\\
&\times&
e^{-i(t - t_m)H_0}
\Big(1-\frac{t}{K}H'\Big)\cdots e^{-i(t_2-t_1)H_0}
\Big(1-\frac{t}{K}H'\Big)e^{-it_1H_0}\Big]
\nonumber,
\end{eqnarray}
where $T (\tilde{T})$ is the time-ordering (antitime-ordering) operator.
By using the following equation as
\begin{eqnarray}
1-\frac{t}{K}H'=1-\frac{tU}{K}\left(n_\uparrow n_\downarrow-\frac{1}{2}
\sum_\sigma n_\sigma\right)
=\frac{1}{2}\sum_{s=\pm 1}e^{\gamma s (n_\uparrow-n_\downarrow)},\label{K}
\end{eqnarray}
with $\gamma = \cosh^{-1}(1+tU/2K)$, the identity is represented as
\begin{eqnarray}
1&=&\sum_{lm}(-i)^l i^m\left(\frac{K}{2t}\right)^{l+m}\sum_{\{\tilde{s}\}\{s\}}
\int_0^t d\tilde{t}_1\cdots\int_{\tilde{t}_{l-1}}^t d\tilde{t}_l
\int_0^t dt_1\cdots\int_{t_{m-1}}^t dt_m\nonumber\\
&\times&\!\!\!\!{\rm Tr}\Big[
\rho_0e^{i{\tilde t}_1 H_0}e^{\gamma \tilde{s}_1
(n_\uparrow-n_\downarrow)}\cdots
e^{\gamma \tilde{s}_l(n_\uparrow-n_\downarrow)}
e^{-i({\tilde t}_l-t_m) H_0}e^{\gamma s_m(n_\uparrow-n_\downarrow)}
\cdots
e^{\gamma s_1(n_\uparrow-n_\downarrow)}
e^{-it_1H_0}\Big].
\end{eqnarray}
The introduction of
the Ising valuable $s$ in eq. (\ref{K}) allows us to perform Monte Carlo simulations.
An $(l+m)$th order configuration $c=\{s_{k_1}, s_{k_2}, \cdots, s_{k_n};
t_{k_1}, t_{k_2}, \cdots, t_{k_n} \}$ is represented by the auxiliary spins
$s_{k_1}, s_{k_2}, \cdots, s_{k_n}$ at the Keldysh times
$t_{k_1}, t_{k_2}, \cdots, t_{k_n}$ along the Keldysh contour,
where the $l (m)$ denotes the number of spins
on the forward (backward) contour and $n=l+m$ (see Fig. \ref{f}).
Its weight $w_c$ is then given as
\begin{eqnarray}
w_c &=& (-i)^l i^m\left(\frac{Kdt}{2t}\right)^n
\det \left[{\hat N}^{(n)}\right]^{-1},\label{weight}
\end{eqnarray}
where ${\hat N}$ is an $n\times n$ matrix
and its element consists of a $2\times 2$ matrix~\cite{KogaWerner} as
$\left[{\hat N}^{(n)}\right]^{-1}={\hat \Gamma}^{(n)}-{\hat g}^{(n)}
\left({\hat \Gamma}^{(n)}-{\hat I}^{(n)}\right)$,
${\hat I}^{(n)}_{ij}=\delta_{ij}{\hat\sigma}_0$,
${\hat \Gamma}^{(n)}_{ij}=\delta_{ij}
\exp\left({\gamma s_{k_i}{\hat\sigma}_z}\right)$, and
${\hat g}^{(n)}_{ij}={\hat \sigma}_z{\hat G}_0(t_{k_i}, t_{k_j})$,
where ${\hat\sigma}_0$ is the identity matrix and ${\hat\sigma}_z$ is
the $z$-component of the Pauli matrix.
The matrix ${\hat G}_0$ is given by
the lesser and greater Green's functions as
\begin{equation}
{\hat G}_0(t'_k,t''_k)=\left\{
\begin{array}{cc}
{\hat G}_0^<(t',t'')&t'_k < t''_k\\
{\hat G}_0^>(t',t'')&t'_k\ge t''_k
\end{array}
\right.,
\end{equation}
where
the times $t'$ and $t''$ correspond to the Keldysh times $t_k'$ and $t_k''$.
These Green's functions have been obtained by
the standard technique~\cite{Yamada,Cuevas}.
We note that the weight for a certain configuration
is represented by the complex number.
This should yield serious dynamical sign problem if simulations
are performed on the longer contours.
Therefore, accurate calculations are restricted to a certain time $t_{max}$.
\begin{figure}
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=9cm]{Keldysh.eps}
\end{center}
\caption{(Color online) Illustration of the Keldysh contour for the
CTQMC method. Arrows represent auxiliary Ising spins for a certain
configuration corresponding to the perturbation order
$l = 2$ and $m = 3 \;\;(n = 5)$.}
\label{f}
\end{figure}

To perform Monte Carlo simulations,
we use the Metropolis algorithm with the simple sampling process,
where an Ising spin is inserted or removed in the Keldysh contour
in each Monte Carlo step.
Here, we measure the current from the quantum dot to
$\alpha$th lead $I_\alpha$, which is defined as
$I_\alpha = -2{\rm Im}\sum_{k\alpha}V_{k\alpha\sigma}
\langle c_{k\alpha\sigma}^\dag d_\sigma\rangle$.
The detail of the measurement formula is given in Ref. \cite{NONKOGA}.
In this study, we use the coupling constant of the normal
lead $\Gamma_N$ as the unit of energy and fix the parameters
as $\Gamma_S/\Gamma_N = 1$, $V/\Gamma_N=0.5$, and $T/\Gamma_N=0$.
In the following, we perform the
CTQMC simulations to discuss the nonequilibrium transport
in a quantum dot coupled to normal and
superconducting leads.

\section{Results}\label{3}
In the section, we discuss how the gap magnitude affects
the steady current through the interacting quantum dot.
By performing CTQMC simulations,
we calculate the time evolution of
the currents $I_N$ and $-I_S$ with a fixed voltage $V/\Gamma_N=0.5$,
as shown in Fig. \ref{f1}.
\begin{figure}
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[height=5.5cm]{U25.eps}
\includegraphics[height=5.5cm]{U5.eps}
\end{center}
\caption{(Color online) Time evolution of the currents for the system with
$V/\Gamma_N=0.5$ and $T/\Gamma_N=0$ when $U/\Gamma_N=2.5 (a)$ and $5.0$ (b).
Solid (dashed) lines represent the currents
from the quantum dot to the normal (superconducting) lead.
}
\label{f1}
\end{figure}
In the figure, quantities are shown on the linear plot
in the initial relaxation region ($t\Gamma_N < 2$)
and on the logarithmic plot in the rest ($t\Gamma_N > 2$).
When $t\Gamma_N=0$, the steady current $(I=I_N=-I_S)$ flows
through the noninteracting quantum dot.
The introduction of the interaction yields
oscillation behavior in both currents ($I_N$ and $-I_S$).
Although two currents are different in the transient region,
we find that each oscillation behavior is quickly damped and
these currents approach a certain value when the time proceeds,
as shown in Fig. \ref{f1}.
Therefore, in the case,
the current at $t=t_{max}$ can be regarded as the steady current.

When $\Delta/\Gamma_N\lesssim 0.5$,
there is not so large difference between the currents at $t\Gamma_N=0$ and
$t=t_{max}$
although the oscillation behavior appears in the initial relaxation,
as shown in Fig. \ref{f1} (a).
This means that the interaction at the quantum dot little
affects the steady current.
In fact, the increase of the gap magnitude monotonically increases
the steady current, which is similar to that for the noninteracting case.
Therefore, we can say that when the gap magnitude is small enough,
the Andreev reflection is dominant and the Kondo effect little affects
transport properties.

On the other hand, when $\Delta/\Gamma_N\gtrsim 0.5$,
the steady current is suppressed by the increase of the gap magnitude,
as shown in Figs. \ref{f1} (a) and (b).
This behavior may be explained by the following.
The Coulomb interaction at the quantum dot induces
the Kondo resonance peak around the chemical potential.
On the other hand, the energy level for an electron with an opposite spin
pairing with the electron is away from
the chemical potential and its density of states decreases due to the Kondo
effect.
Therefore, the Andreev transport under the finite voltage is strongly
suppressed.
In a larger gap case, the Andreev current little flows and
the system may be regarded as an insulating state.

By performing similar calculations,
we obtain the density plot of the steady current, as shown in Fig. \ref{f2}.
\begin{figure}
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=12cm]{file.eps}
\end{center}
\caption{(Color online) Density plot of the normalized steady current
$I/\Gamma_N$
through the quantum dot system with $V/\Gamma_N=0.5$ and $T/\Gamma_N=0$.}
\label{f2}
\end{figure}
In the noninteracting case with $U/\Gamma_N=0$,
the increase of the gap magnitude monotonically increases the steady current,
which should be induced by the Andreev reflections.
On the other hand, the introduction of the interaction leads
to different behavior, where the development of the Kondo peak
around the chemical potential suppresses the Andreev reflection.
Therefore, in the larger $U$ and $\Delta$ region,
the steady current is strongly suppressed.

\section{Summary}\label{4}
We study nonequilibrium transport through the interacting quantum dot
coupled to the normal and superconducting leads
by means of a continuous-time quantum Monte Carlo method
in the Keldysh-Nambu formalism.
Calculating the time evolution of the current through the quantum dot,
we discuss how the gap magnitude in the superconducting lead
and the interaction at the quantum dot affect the steady current.
We have found that nonmonotonic behavior is induced by the competition
between the Kondo effect and the Andreev reflections.

\section*{Acknowledgments}
This work was partly supported by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant Number 25800193
and the Global COE Program ``Nanoscience and Quantum Physics" from
the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)
of Japan.
A part of computations was carried
out on TSUBAME2.0 at Global Scientific Information
and Computing Center of Tokyo Institute of Technology
and on the Supercomputer Center at the Institute
for Solid State Physics, University of Tokyo. The simulations
have been performed using some of the ALPS libraries~\cite{alps}.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


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Kevin and I decided to take a little last minute adventure – one that should take us on a 3,500 mile round trip up to Wyoming and back. Our first stop today was Las Vegas and on the way we stopped by a small town called Baker. We found an old abandoned motel that looked like it might be inhabited by Zombies but we weren't completely sure actually. The adventure begins. Tomorrow – Zion's National Park and hopefully no Zombies tomorrow.


text:
Bookstore honors Islamic women leaders
Jackie Bussjaeger
Tamara Gray leads a discussion about women's leadership in Islam with MSA presidents from ACTC schools.
Jackie Bussjaeger, Editor in Chief
Muslim Student Association groups on college campuses have seen a lot of male leadership throughout the nation, but the ACTC schools are showing a new break in the trend—all five colleges have MSA orgs led by female students. Last Sunday, a local event titled "Celebrating Change," sought to honor the seven students responsible for leadership in each MSA organization.
Daybreak Press Global Bookshop, located on Grand Ave., invited the leaders of each organization to an informal ceremony celebrating women's leadership. The bookshop often serves as a gathering space for events that embrace its mission of promoting social justice and global literature, including fiction, nonfiction and poetry.
The shop is run in conjunction with a publishing house of the same name, owned by Tamara Gray. After graduating from Macalester in 1988, Gray moved to Syria and spent 20 years there before returning the U.S., where she became stuck due to the spreading war in Damascus. Returning to her Twin Cities roots, she is now a doctoral student at St. Thomas, and her daughter is an undergraduate at St. Catherine's. Gray spends her time traveling around the country, teaching, speaking and writing about Islamic history and spirituality.
Gray led Sunday night's dialogue, with four of the seven honorees (those able to attend) seated at the front of the room to answer questions. Gray introduced herself and the students, and explained a broad history of women's role in Islamic leadership before posing some questions to the panel. Honorees included junior Asra Nizami and sophomore Leyla Suleiman from St. Catherine's, junior Asra Nizami from Macalester and senior Anisa Abdulkadir from St. Thomas.
Daybreak Press on Grand Ave. in St. Paul emphasizes global and feminist literature. The bookshelves inside are arranged by the geographic location of their subjects, so a walk around the store mirrors a trip around the world.
Gray said that during her undergraduate studies at Macalester, she would have never imagined having a female MSA leader."We found out about six weeks ago that all of the [MSA] presidents and co-presidents are women," Gray said. "This is an accomplishment for MSA, an accomplishment for Minnesota, and it shows how women are taking that leadership role and making a real change."
The group discussed common challenges, such as difficulties in securing student interest and attendance, and in finding the best way to communicate and lead a group of people. Many of the students were rebuilding orgs that had fallen flat, and exploring ways to rejuvenate.
"It took us a while to get our groove on," Nizami said.
Sophomore Nadia Al-Mosawi is the current president of Hamline MSA. Although she was unable to attend the Daybreak Press event, she expressed her appreciation of their effort to recognize the MSA leaders.
"I think the Daybreak Press event is a beautiful thing because they are really appreciating the work that women are putting into these organizations and really motivating the younger female generation to become leaders," Al-Mosawi wrote in an email interview. "The [individuals] running the store are amazing and have done many things to help Islam flourish. This event could not have been in a more perfect time because March is Women's History Month."
Hamline MSA hosts events such as Islamic Awareness Week, Friday prayers, and works with other orgs to set up interfaith events.
"To me being a woman in a leadership position is normal because that is how it's supposed to be," Al-Mosawi wrote. "I am not saying men are not worthy for these positions, but there needs to equal distribution. Growing up, my mother was the man of the house, so to me I'm just another woman. In all honesty I believe that greater proportion of MSA leader in the ACTC are women is because there are more women that attend these schools."
Gray hoped the event would give the MSA orgs a chance to connect, get to know each other in person, and collaborate in the future.
"Perhaps next year we can host a women's conference, and now that you all know each other, we can start that synergy of working together," she said.


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text:
Sammy Djedou, né le , est un membre de l'organisation État islamique tué par les forces américaines le  à Raqqa (Syrie).

Biographie
La mère de Sammy Djedou, Véronique Loute, et son compagnon, d'origine ivoirienne, sont de confession catholique. Sa mère ne s'oppose pas à sa conversion à l'islam en 2003 à l'âge de , à l'inverse de son père qui ne l'a jamais acceptée. Début 2012, Sammy Djedou se plonge dans l'intégrisme et stoppe la fréquentation des réunions familiales faute de nourriture halal. Il se radicalise en fréquentant l'association "Resto du Tawhid", animée par Jean-Louis Denis, condamné en 2016 à cinq ans de prison.

En octobre 2012, il rejoint la Syrie. Bien qu'il ait prétendu s'y rendre pour des actions humanitaires, Sammy Djedou est blessé à l'épaule dans des combats et apparaît en mars 2013 dans une vidéo de propagande montrant de jeunes Occidentaux portant une Kalachnikov en bandoulière. Sa mère, Véronique Loute, est un des premiers parents à dénoncer à la police des départs de jeunes adultes vers la Syrie et était une des chevilles ouvrières de l'association « Parents concernés ».

Sammy Djedou serait impliqué dans les derniers préparatifs des attentats du 22 mars 2016 à Bruxelles précipités en raison de la traque de la police alors que l'objectif initial des terroristes devait être de nouveau la France. Dans l'ordinateur alors abandonné par les frères El Bakraoui, il est identifié comme le contact connu sous le pseudonyme de "Moussab Moussab" ou encore "Abou Moussab".

Il figure dans un groupe de trois djihadistes tués le  à Raqqa qui étaient membres du groupe de Boubaker El Hakim, un haut responsable français de l'EI lui-même tué par un drone le . Outre Sammy Djedou, le trio était composé du Français Salah Eddine Gourmat et Walid Hamam, complice d'Abdelhamid Abaaoud dans la coordination de la cellule de Verviers. Ils étaient en relation avec le porte-parole et responsable des opérations extérieures de Daech Abou Mohammed al-Adnani jusqu'à son élimination en .

Notes et références

Membre de l'État islamique
Naissance en août 1989
Naissance à Bruxelles au XXe siècle
Décès en décembre 2016
Décès à Raqqa
Décès à 27 ans
Terrorisme islamiste en Belgique
Mort lors de la guerre civile syrienne

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


According to Jocelin of Brakelond, in 1198 during a fire at the abbey of St Edmundsbury (now Bury St Edmunds), the monks 'ran to the clock' to fetch water, indicating that their water clock had a reservoir large enough to help extinguish the occasional fire.
The word clock (from the Latin word clocca, "bell"), which gradually supersedes "horologe", suggests that it was the sound of bells which also characterized the prototype mechanical clocks that appeared during the 13th century in Europe.
hydraulics), while European clockworks of the following centuries shed this old habit for a more efficient driving power of weights, in addition to the escapement mechanism.
However, the device was actually a compartmented cylindrical water clock, whose construction was credited by the Jewish author of the relevant section, Rabbi Isaac, to "Iran" (Heron of Alexandria).
This controlled release of power - the escapement - marks the beginning of the true mechanical clock.


text:
Payment of $480,000 possible if Tigers reach turnstile goal
The Tigers have two home games remaining – Thursday against No. 21 SMU and next Saturday against Tulsa - and need to average 6,812 at the turnstiles to receive part of an $800,000 annual payment from the Grizzlies.
Payment of $480,000 possible if Tigers reach turnstile goal The Tigers have two home games remaining – Thursday against No. 21 SMU and next Saturday against Tulsa - and need to average 6,812 at the turnstiles to receive part of an $800,000 annual payment from the Grizzlies. Check out this story on commercialappeal.com: https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/sports/college/university-of-memphis/mens-basketball/2016/02/19/payment-of-480000-possible-if-tigers-reach-turnstile-goal/90445366/
The Commercial Appeal Published 7:30 a.m. CT Feb. 19, 2016
University of Memphis basketball fans head for the exits with four minutes left in the Tigers' Feb. 4 loss to Connecticut at FedExForum.(Photo: The Commercial Appeal)Buy Photo
If the University of Memphis basketball program is able to boost its turnstile attendance average at FedExForum to 6,000, the U of M is likely to receive approximately half of its guaranteed annual payment of $800,000 from the Grizzlies.
The Tigers have two home games remaining — Thursday against No. 21 SMU and Feb. 28 against Tulsa — and need to average 6,812 at the turnstiles to receive part of an $800,000 annual payment from the Grizzlies. If the Tigers finish with an attendance of 6,000, they would receive 60 percent of the $800,000 payment, or $480,000, according to the terms of the agreement.
That amount, however, would be reduced by concession and parking revenue that fails to generate a $235,000 profit for the Grizzlies. If, for example, Tiger basketball generates $135,000 in concessions and parking profit, the Tigers annual base payment will be reduced to $700,000 and the U of M will receive 60 percent of that sum ($420,000).
If the Tigers don't attract 13,624 for the final two home games, their average will remain below 6,000 and they won't receive any payment from the Grizzlies.
The U of M announced a turnstile count of 6,374 for Wednesday's home game against UCF.
Vote for boys and girls athlete of the week!
Grizzlies' MLK Day game key part of David Stern's legacy
Memphis gearing up for Tulsa zone 'unlike any other'
Giannotto: Murray State fans show Grizzlies what Morant means
Houston's ranked juniors give basketball recruiting update


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Variety named Jesse one of 25 talents who transformed youth entertainment and was named one of City Arts Magazine's Top 50 Culture Makers. His feature was one of 20 features invited to the 2004 IFP New York Film Market. Jesse's recently been named a Global Shaper, an initiative of the World Economic Forum built around young entrepreneurs and do-gooders.
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Jesse's collection of found footage.
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text:
THE GUN: the Blac Chyna vs Kardashian Trial
CityFella April 23, 2022 Celebrities Acting Badly, Celebrity Drama, Celebrity Feud, Celebrity Splits, Entertainment, Facebook, Instagram, Jobs/Employment, Reality TV, Social Networking, Television, The Enviroment, Twitter, Uncategorized, You Tube
Kris Jenner gave an emotional testimony Friday about Blac Chyna pulling a gun on Rob Kardashian.
By: Jessica Bennett and Marjorie Hernandez /Page Six
Mama Bear, Kris Jenner took the stand in Los Angeles court Friday and testified she was traumatized after Blac Chyna pulled a gun on her son Rob Kardashian back in 2015.
Chyna is suing the Kardashian family for $40 million for loss of earnings and more than $60 million in future earnings.
Chyna, 33, took the Kardashian-Jenners to court over claims the family had used their influence to cancel her and Rob's aforementioned E! show. She is suing for $40 million for loss of earnings and more than $60 million in future earnings.
"She [Chyna] tried to put a gun to his [Rob's] head," Jenner 66, said while on the verge of tears. "My daughter, 60 days prior, was put in a tub, robbed at gunpoint … I was traumatized by this. My daughter was almost killed.
When Chyna's attorney, Lynne Ciani, asked Jenner why she did not call Chyna after speaking with Kardashian about the exes' fight on Dec. 14 2016, Jenner insisted she was too shaken over her daughter Kim Kardashian being tied up and robbed in Paris just weeks prior.
Chyna said it was a joke the gun pulled on my son's head was a joke. … I was traumatized … and it's not a joke," Jenner continued, her voice booming in the courtroom.
"I'm a mom, and my responsibility is to take care of everyone. We didn't put Chyna on the show, put her in a home … so we can take it away. Why would we do that?" she asked. "This is now blowing up, and I was so hopeful that this was going to be OK. So to answer your question, that's why I didn't call Chyna."
Jenner said she was too upset to speak to Chyna following the fight with Kardashian.
Jenner also claimed the then-couple were under the influence during their fight, telling the jury, "It's an ongoing theme in their relationship — the drinking, the drugs."
The businesswoman was also questioned about a text she had sent to the "Rob & Chyna" showrunner after the altercation that read, "She [Chyna] beat the shit out of Rob's face."
According to Jenner, she was still upset about the fight when she sent the text and explained that she used the phrase "beat the shit" as a figure of speech.
Chyna believes Jenner is to blame for the cancellation of "Rob & Chyna."
"I think I meant to say she beat the shit out of his face. It's like you're at an awards show and you get slapped. It's, 'Oh, shit! You got the shit slapped out of you.' It's a figure of speech. I [hadn't] seen him [Rob] yet," she recalled as daughters Kim, 41, Khloé Kardashian and Kylie Jenner visibly stifled their laughter at the explanation.
Kris also drew laughs from a few jurors and audience members over her reference to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock during the 2022 Oscars.
When asked about her subsequent text to the showrunner that read, "We need to ditch this bitch" in reference to Chyna, Kris claimed she sent it in the heat of the moment.
"I was very angry, very upset, very disappointed. I felt so sad. It was not my proudest moment, but it was how I felt at the time," she argued.
Jenner's daughters were present during her testimony.AP
Ciani later asked Kris about a Jan. 11, 2017 letter that Rob allegedly wrote asking his mother not to cancel season two of his show with Chyna.
"The only things he has written to me are Mother's Day cards," Kris said. "I don't believe those are Rob's words. I think someone wrote it for him."
She added that she didn't know what frame of mind Rob was in when he sent the letter to her. "One day he was OK, the next day he was a mess again. It was really hard to figure out."
When asked by Ciani if she knew the Season 2 of "Rob & Chyna" was canceled, Kris said the show just was never picked up. Kris explained if the second season was "green lit," she would've received a letter since she was acting as Rob's manager.
"[Rob] never got the letter exercising the option," Kris said to Ciani. "There was nothing to be canceled, is my point."
The "Kardashians" stars have denied the accusation, claiming they simply wanted to protect Rob, 35, from an allegedly abusive part
Blac Chyna, Court, Courts, Kris Jenner, Rob Kardashian, The Kardashians
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text:
August 3, 2020 Anne McLaughlin
This article from The Conversation is a great starting point for education in information visualization, the challenges in creating clear graphs, and what an information consumer can do to understand what they are seeing.
The author is in the Geosciences, so it's not surprising that her best example comes from that domain. The map at the top of this post flips the colors of the "landslide" areas in a way that makes it clear which areas are susceptible.
errors, hci, health/healthcare
It's like having 10 different remote controls for 10 different TVs
June 30, 2020 Anne McLaughlin
This NPR interview with Danielle Ofri, author of a new book on medical errors (and their prevention), had some interesting insight into how human factors play out during a pandemic.
Her new book is "When We Do Harm," and I was most interested in these excerpts from the interview:
"…we got many donated ventilators. Many hospitals got that, and we needed them. … But it's like having 10 different remote controls for 10 different TVs. It takes some time to figure that out. And we definitely saw things go wrong as people struggled to figure out how this remote control works from that one."
"We had many patients being transferred from overloaded hospitals. And when patients come in a batch of 10 or 20, 30, 40, it is really a setup for things going wrong. So you have to be extremely careful in keeping the patients distinguished. We have to have a system set up to accept the transfers … [and] take the time to carefully sort patients out, especially if every patient comes with the same diagnosis, it is easy to mix patients up."
And my favorite, even though it isn't necessarily COVID-19 related:
"For example, … [with] a patient with diabetes … it won't let me just put "diabetes." It has to pick out one of the 50 possible variations of on- or off- insulin — with kidney problems, with neurologic problems and to what degree, in what stage — which are important, but I know that it's there for billing. And each time I'm about to write about it, these 25 different things pop up and I have to address them right now. But of course, I'm not thinking about the billing diagnosis. I want to think about the diabetes. But this gets in the way of my train of thought. And it distracts me. And so I lose what I'm doing if I have to attend to these many things. And that's really kind of the theme of medical records in the electronic form is that they're made to be simple for billing and they're not as logical, or they don't think in the same logical way that clinicians do."
aging, automation
December 19, 2019 Richard Pak
Author Maggie Jackson's latest article in the New York Times is raising some questions about domestic robots for the elderly:
Robotic companions are being promoted as an antidote to the burden of longer, lonelier human lives. At stake is the future of what it means to be human.
I was briefly quoted about the ethical dilemma:
Many in the field see the tensions and dilemmas in robot care, yet believe the benefits can outweigh the risks. The technology is "intended to help older adults carry out their daily lives," says Richard Pak, a Clemson University scientist who studies the intersection of human psychology and technology design, including robots. "If the cost is sort of tricking people in a sense, I think, without knowing what the future holds, that might be a worthy trade-off." Still he wonders, "Is this the right thing to do?"
technology, Uncategorized, usability
August 19, 2019 Anne McLaughlin
The CREATE group, authors of the book Designing for Older Adults, is holding a workshop:
CREATE (www.create-center.org ) is offering one on Designing for Older Adults. The workshop will present guidelines and best practices for designing for older adults. Topics include: Existing & Emerging Technologies, Usability Protocols, Interface & Instructional Design, and design for Social Engagement, Living Environments, Healthcare, Transportation, Leisure, and Work. Each participant will receive a complimentary copy of CREATE's book Designing for Older Adults, 3rd Ed., winner of the Richard Kalish Innovative Publication Award (2019), and a USB with CREATE publications and tools.
Additional information on the workshop can be found below.
CREATE-Workshop-BrochureDownload
We wrote a book in the series, Designing Displays for Older Adults, which we are currently revising. It will be available in early 2020.
design, ergonomics, games, guestpost, safety, sports
January 18, 2019 Anne McLaughlin
Today we present a guest post by Ragan Wilson, PhD student in Human Factors and Applied Cognitive Psychology at NC State University.
Saying that goalies in professional ice hockey see the puck a lot is an understatement. They are the last line of defense for their team against scoring, putting their bodies in the way of the puck to block shots in ways that sometimes do not seem human. In order to do that, they rely on their skills as well as their protective equipment, including chest protectors. As written by In Goal Magazine's Kevin Woodley and Greg Balloch, at the professional level this and other equipment is being re-examined by the National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Hockey League's Player's Association (NHLPA).
For the 2018-2019 NHL season, there has been a change in goal-tending equipment rules involving chest protectors according to NHL's columnist Nicholas J. Cotsonika. This rule, Rule 11.3, states that "The chest and arm protector worn by each goalkeeper must be anatomically proportional and size-specific based on the individual physical characteristics of that goalkeeper". In practical terms, what this rule means is that goaltender chest protection needs to be size-wise in proportion to the goaltender using it so, for instance, a 185-pound goalie would seem more like a 185-pound goalie versus a 200-210 pound goalie. The reasoning for the rule change was to try to make saves by the goalie more based on ability than on extra padding and to potentially increase scoring in the league. Overall, this is a continuation of a mission for both the NHL and NHLPA to make goalie equipment slimmer, which was kick-started by changes in goalie pants and leg pads. The difference between previously approved chest protectors and the approved models are shown below thanks to the website Goalie Coaches who labeled images from Brian's Custom Sports Instagram page below.
To a non-hockey player, the visual differences between non-NHL approved and the NHL approved pads look minuscule. However, according to In Goal Magazine, implementing these changes have been an interesting challenge for the NHL as well as hockey gear companies such as Brian's and CCM). Whereas changing the pants rule was more straightforward, the dimensions of chest protectors are more complicated and personal to goalies (NHL). This challenge could be seen earlier in the season with mixed feedback about the new gear change. Some current NHL such as Vegas Golden Knights' Marc-Andre Fleury (In Goal Magazine) and Winnipeg Jets' Connor Hellebuyck (Sports Illustrated) noted more pain from blocking pucks in the upper body region. On the other hand, the Toronto Maple Leafs' Frederik Andersen and Garrett Sparks have not had problems with these changes (Sports Illustrated).
What always makes me happy as a student of human factors psychology is when final users are made an active part of the discussion for changes. Thankfully, that is what appears to be happening so far with this rule change since the NHL and NHLPA seemed to be actively interested in and considering feedback from current NHL goaltenders about what could make them more comfortable with the new equipment standards at the beginning of the season (In Goal Magazine). Hopefully, that continues into the next season with all the rigorous, real-life testing that a season's worth of regular and playoff games can provide. Considering there are already some interesting, individualized adjustments to the new equipment rules such as changing companies (Washington Capitals' Braden Holtby), or adding another layer of protection such as a padded undershirt (Marc-Andre Fleury) (USA Today), it'll be interesting what the situation is for this equipment come the next off-season, especially in terms of innovation from the companies that produce this gear at a professional level.
Ragan Wilson is a first-year human factors and applied cognitive psychology doctoral student at NC State University. She is mainly interested in the ways that human factors and all areas of sports can be interlinked, from player safety to consumer experiences of live action games.
history, safety, warnings
November 30, 2018 Anne McLaughlin
An NPR article reports on safety violations in Kentucky:
In December 2016, Pius "Gene" Hobbs was raking gravel with the Meade County public works crew when a dump truck backed over him. The driver then accelerated forward, hitting him a second time. Hobbs was crushed to death.
The sole eyewitness to the incident said that the dump truck's backup beeper wasn't audible at the noisy worksite. The Kentucky State Police trooper on the scene concurred. Hobbs might not have been able to hear the truck coming.
But when Kentucky Occupational Safety and Health arrived, hours later, the inspector tested the beeper on a quiet street and said it wasn't a problem.
"These shortcomings are very concerning," says Jordan Barab, a workplace safety expert who served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health under President Barack Obama. "Identifying the causes of these incidents is … vitally important." Otherwise, the employer doesn't know how to avoid the next incident, he says.
Gene Hobbs' case is not the exception. In fact, it's the norm, according to a recent federal audit.
Kentucky is what's known as a "state plan," meaning the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has authorized it to run its own worker safety program.
Every year, federal OSHA conducts an audit of all 28 state plans to ensure they are "at least as effective" as the federal agency at identifying and preventing workplace hazards.
According to this year's audit of Kentucky, which covered fiscal year 2017, KY OSH is not meeting that standard. In fact, federal OSHA identified more shortcomings in Kentucky's program than any other state.
We know that we must have regulations and enforcement of those regulations to have safe environments. Left to our own choices, people tend to choose what appears to be the fastest and easiest options, not the most safe ones. For an interesting read on the history of safety regulation, see this article from the Department of Labor.
In 1898 the Wisconsin bureau reported that it was often difficult to find safety devices that did not reduce efficiency. Sanitary improvements and fire escapes were expensive, which led many employers to resist their adoption. Constant pressure and attention were needed to obtain compliance. Employers objected to the posting of laws in their establishments and some tore them down. The proprietor of a shoe factory with very poor fire escape routes showed "a disposition to defeat" an inspector's request for more fire escapes, though he complied in the end. A cloak maker who was also found to have inadequate fire escapes went to the extreme of relocating his operation to avoid compliance. Such delays were not uncommon.
When an inspector found abominable conditions in the dipping rooms of a match factory — poorly ventilated rooms filled with poisonous fumes from the liquid phosphorus which made up the match heads — he tried to persuade the operators to make improvements. They objected because of the costs involved and the inspector "left without expecting to see the changes made." When a machinery manufacturer equipped his ripsaws with guards after an inspection, a reinspection revealed that the employees had removed the guards.
Without regulation, we'll be back to 1898 in short order.
alarms, aviation, errors, safety, training, transportation
The passengers on the Lion Air 610 flight were on board one of Boeing's newest, most advanced planes. The pilot and co-pilot of the 737 MAX 8 were more than experienced, with around 11,000 flying hours between them. The weather conditions were not an issue and the flight was routine. So what caused that plane to crash into the Java Sea just 13 minutes after takeoff?
I've been waiting for updated information on the Lion Air crash before posting details. When I first read about the accident it struck me as a collection of human factors safety violations in design. I've pulled together some of the news reports on the crash, organized by the types of problems experienced on the airplane.
1. "a cacophony of warnings"
Fortune Magazine reported on the number of warnings and alarms that began to sound as soon as the plane took flight. These same alarms occurred on its previous flight and there is some blaming of the victims here when they ask "If a previous crew was able to handle it, why not this one?"
The alerts included a so-called stick shaker — a loud device that makes a thumping noise and vibrates the control column to warn pilots they're in danger of losing lift on the wings — and instruments that registered different readings for the captain and copilot, according to data presented to a panel of lawmakers in Jakarta Thursday.
2. New automation features, no training
The plane included new "anti-stall" technology that the airlines say was not explained well nor included in Boeing training materials.
In the past week, Boeing has stepped up its response by pushing back on suggestions that the company could have better alerted its customers to the jet's new anti-stall feature. The three largest U.S. pilot unions and Lion Air's operations director, Zwingly Silalahi, have expressed concern over what they said was a lack of information.
As was previously revealed by investigators, the plane's angle-of-attack sensor on the captain's side was providing dramatically different readings than the same device feeding the copilot's instruments.
Angle of attack registers whether the plane's nose is pointed above or below the oncoming air flow. A reading showing the nose is too high could signal a dangerous stall and the captain's sensor was indicating more than 20 degrees higher than its counterpart. The stick shaker was activated on the captain's side of the plane, but not the copilot's, according to the data.
And more from CNN:
"Generally speaking, when there is a new delivery of aircraft — even though they are the same family — airline operators are required to send their pilots for training," Bijan Vasigh, professor of economics and finance at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, told CNN.
Those training sessions generally take only a few days, but they give the pilots time to familiarize themselves with any new features or changes to the system, Vasigh said.
One of the MAX 8's new features is an anti-stalling device, the maneuvering characteristics augmentation system (MCAS). If the MCAS detects that the plane is flying too slowly or steeply, and at risk of stalling, it can automatically lower the airplane's nose.
It's meant to be a safety mechanism. But the problem, according to Lion Air and a growing chorus of international pilots, was that no one knew about that system. Zwingli Silalahi, Lion Air's operational director, said that Boeing did not suggest additional training for pilots operating the 737 MAX 8. "We didn't receive any information from Boeing or from regulator about that additional training for our pilots," Zwingli told CNN Wednesday.
"We don't have that in the manual of the Boeing 737 MAX 8. That's why we don't have the special training for that specific situation," he said.
accessibility, ballots, usability
New NPR story on the non-usability of ballots, voting software, and other factors affecting our elections:
New York City's voters were subject to a series of setbacks after the election board unrolled a perforated two-page ballot. Voters who didn't know they had to tear at the edges to get at the entire ballot ended up skipping the middle pages. Then the fat ballots jammed the scanners, long lines formed, and people's ballots got soaked in the rain. When voters fed the soggy ballots into scanners, more machines malfunctioned.
In Georgia, hundreds blundered on their absentee ballot, incorrectly filling out the birth date section. Counties originally threw out the ballots before a federal judge ordered they be counted.
And in Broward County, Fla., 30,000 people who voted for governor skipped the contest for U.S. Senate. The county's election board had placed that contest under a block of multi-lingual instructions, which ran halfway down the page. Quesenbery says voters scanning the instructions likely skimmed right over the race.
She has seen this design before. In 2009, King County, Wash., buried a tax initiative under a text-heavy column of instructions. An estimated 40,000 voters ended up missing the contest, leading the state to pass a bill mandating ballot directions look significantly different from the contests below.
"We know the answers," says Quesenbery. "I wish we were making new mistakes, not making the same old mistakes."
The story didn't even mention the issues with the "butterfly ballot" from Florida in 2000. Whitney Queensbery is right. We do know the answers, and we certainly know the methods for getting the answers. We need the will to apply them in our civics, not just commercial industry.
alarms, ergonomics, errors, hci, safety, usability
February 4, 2018 Anne McLaughlin
Right after the Hawaii false nuclear alarm, I posted about how the user interface seemed to contribute to the error. At the time, sources were reporting it as a "dropdown" menu. Well, that wasn't exactly true, but in the last few weeks it's become clear that truth is stranger than fiction. Here is a run-down of the news on the story (spoiler, every step is a human factors-related issue):
Hawaii nuclear attack alarms are sounded, also sending alerts to cell phones across the state
Alarm is noted as false and the state struggles to get that message out to the panicked public
Error is blamed on a confusing drop-down interface: "From a drop-down menu on a computer program, he saw two options: "Test missile alert" and "Missile alert."
The actual interface is found and shown – rather than a drop-down menu it's just closely clustered links on a 1990s-era website-looking interface that say "DRILL-PACOM(CDW)-STATE ONLY" and "PACOM(CDW)-STATE ONLY"
It comes to light that part of the reason the wrong alert stood for 38 minutes was because the Governor didn't remember his twitter login and password
Latest news: the employee who sounded the alarm says it wasn't an error, he heard this was "not a drill" and acted accordingly to trigger the real alarm
The now-fired employee has spoken up, saying he was sure of his actions and "did what I was trained to do." When asked what he'd do differently, he said "nothing," because everything he saw and heard at the time made him think this was not a drill. His firing is clearly an attempt by Hawaii to get rid of a 'bad apple.' Problem solved?
It seems like a good time for my favorite reminder from Sidney Dekker's book, "The Field Guide to Human Error Investigations" (abridged):
To protect safe systems from the vagaries of human behavior, recommendations typically propose to:
• Tighten procedures and close regulatory gaps. This reduces the bandwidth in which people operate. It leaves less room for error.
• Introduce more technology to monitor or replace human work. If machines do the work, then humans can no longer make errors doing it. And if machines monitor human work, they ca
snuff out any erratic human behavior.
• Make sure that defective practitioners (the bad apples) do not contribute to system breakdown again. Put them on "administrative leave"; demote them to a lower status; educate or pressure them to behave better next time; instill some fear in them and their peers by taking them to court or reprimanding them.
In this view of human error, investigations can safely conclude with the label "human error"—by whatever name (for example: ignoring a warning light, violating a procedure). Such a conclusion and its implications supposedly get to the causes of system failure.
AN ILLUSION OF PROGRESS ON SAFETY
The shortcomings of the bad apple theory are severe and deep. Progress on safety based on this view is often a short-lived illusion. For example, focusing on individual failures does not take away the underlying problem. Removing "defective" practitioners (throwing out the bad apples) fails to remove the potential for the errors they made.
…[T]rying to change your people by setting examples, or changing the make-up of your operational workforce by removing bad apples, has little long-term effect if the basic conditions that people work under are left unamended.
A 'bad apple' is often just a scapegoat that makes people feel better by giving a focus for blame. Real improvements and safety happen by improving the system, not by getting rid of employees who were forced to work within a problematic system.
Danny McCracken on The Patient Writes the Prescription
Richard Pak on So you want to go to graduate school in Human Factors?
Robert Sall on So you want to go to graduate school in Human Factors?
Will Eccleston on Helmet Design and Environment Interaction
Anne McLaughlin on Psychology Podcasts


Can I run PatchCAD on a Mac?
Sadly, not at the moment – at least not natively. You can use a Virtual Machine like Parallels Desktop, VMWare Fusion or the free Oracle Virtual Box to run Microsoft Windows inside OS X; or you can use Apple's Bootcamp to run Windows natively on an Intel-Mac. This works absolutely fine, just like using a PC.
Your product looks to be exactly what I'm looking for. Any estimates as to when it may be available for Mac?
I'm painfully aware that a great deal of the potential users use a Mac – especially in the audio world – but writing software for OS X take A LOT longer and I am less familiar with the process. My background is in Windows development. Porting PatchCAD to OS X means writing it again from scratch. I made a commitment that if PatchCAD generates enough revenue, I would hire someone to write a Mac version. It's only been a little while since PatchCAD was launched and it's doing well, but it's still early days. I cannot promise a date for a Mac version just yet.


Send us your wedding humor by e-mail and if we use it on this site we will send you a surprise by snail-mail. Be sure to include your full address.
Two active seniors lived in a mobile home park. He was a widower and she was a widow. They had known each other for several years.
One evening at the community supper in the activity center, they were seated at a table across from each other. As the meal when on, he made a few admiring glances at her and finally gathered up his courage to ask, "Will you marry me?"
After about six seconds of careful consideration she answered, "Yes. Yes, will."
The next morning he was troubled. "Did she say yes or did she say no?" He couldn't remember. Try as he would, he could not recall. Not even a faint memory.
With trepidation, he went to the telephone and called her. First, he explained that he didn't remember as well as he used to. Then he review the lovely evening past. As he gained a little more courage, he then inquired, "When I asked you to marry me, did you say yes or did you say no?"
A man and his wife, now in their 60's, were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. On their special day a good fairy came to them and said, "Because they had been such a devoted couple she would grant each of them a very special wish."
Whoosh! Immediately he turned ninety years old!
What do you call an animal with 2 wives?
I have been unable to sleep since I broke off our engagement. Won't you forgive and forget? Your absence is breaking my heart. I was such a fool. No one can take your place. I love you.
The wedding date was set and three of the groom's best friends, a carpenter, an electrician and a dentist, were deciding what pranks they would play on the couple on their wedding night.
The carpenter decided that sawing the slats off their bed would give them a couple of laughs.
The electrician decided that wiring their bed with alternating current would be worth a chuckle or two.
The dentist wouldn't reveal what he had done, but wore a sly grin and promised that his prank would be a memorable one.
We didn't mind the bed slats being sawed and the electric shock was merely a minor setback. But, I am going to strangle the wise guy who put the novocaine in the vaseline!


text:
Daniel Cristian Martin (2000. október 5. –) kétszeres ifjúsági olimpiai ezüstérmes román úszó.

Élete
14 esztendősen Tbilisziben, a 2015. évi nyári európai ifjúsági olimpiai fesztiválon, a fiú 200 méteres hátúszás döntőjében – 2:04,92-es időeredménnyel, a 33 fős mezőnyben – bronzérmesként állhatott fel a dobogóra. Ugyanitt 100 méter háton 9. lett, míg a 13. helyen végzett három versenyszámban is (100 m pillangó, 200 m vegyes, 4 × 100-as gyorsúszás).

A 2017-es netánjai junior úszó-Európa-bajnokságon ezüstérmes lett 200 méter háton, majd az indianapolisi junior úszó-világbajnokságon bronzérmet szerzett 100 méter háton. A következő év júliusában, a 2018-as junior Eb-nek otthont adó finn fővárosban, Helsinkiben, a 100 méteres hát döntőjét országos csúccsal a második helyen zárta, októberben pedig, a Buenos Airesben rendezett nyári ifjúsági olimpián a 100 és a 200 méteres hátúszás fináléjában ugyancsak ezüstérmet szerzett, úgy hogy 200 méteren országos csúcsot is úszott. Ugyanitt az SCM Bacău 18 esztendős versenyzője, a 100 méteres pillangó fináléjában a 7. helyen zárt.

2019-ben, a skóciai Glasgow-ban rendezett rövid pályás úszó-Európa-bajnokságon, ahol négy versenyszámban is rajthoz állt (50, 100 és 200 m háton, 100 m vegyesen), a legjobb eredménye egy 24. hely lett (200 méter háton).

Jegyzetek

2000-ben született személyek
Élő személyek
Bákóiak
Román úszók
Román ifjúsági olimpiai ezüstérmesek


compressor is 138 Btu/lb and the HOC is 28 Btu/lb.
desuperheated, condensed, and subcooled to point A.
detailed information on refrigerants, refer to Unit 9, "Refrigerant and Oil Chemistry and Management-Recovery, Recycling, Reclaiming, and Retrofitting."
Figure 3.58 An R-410A air-conditioning system.


Another quiet day of Pottering and Pondering for me today, and I'm more than happy with that. It's also yet another day of wet drippy stuff too, it seems quite relentless at the moment.
I was forced to abandon my beloved sky blue crocs this morning and dig out my wellies instead to walk to school. The rain this morning was Proper Rain, a real downpour, and crocs would have been a disaster. It's not cold though here, I was still wearing a teeshirt underneath my old leaky raincoat, but wet, yes it really was wet indeed. The canal towpath was flooded in a couple places, so Little Man got to practice his long jump (he refuses to wear wellies to school) and Little Lady practiced her splashing. It was quite a nice start to the day, despite the wet :: we splashed and jumped and chatted and stopped to coo over some teeny tiny fluffy little ducklings covered in droplets of rain.
I came home from shcool and while I still had my wellies on, I went through my little morning routine :: coffee machine on to warm up and I step out into the rain to say good morning to my back yard flowers. Lots of growth is happening out there and it makes me so happy to see it. Mind you, the growth is balanced out by quite a bit of chomping action too, most especially my poor, poor marigolds which've been serisouly munched by the resident snails/slugs.
I picked a small sprig of fresh fragrant mint to bring inside, just for the pleasure of holding it's minty scent under my nose as I pottered about in the kitchen making coffee. And for the record, I confess I ate two-and-a-half pieces of caramel shortbread with my frothy chocolate dusted coffee :: tut-tut! Good job I don't have a bikini holiday in the pipeline.
From the kitchen into the living room with my coffee and tut-tut's in hand, and it's all looking quite untidy around these parts. Stuff everywhere. The stuff of daily life with children. Toys, colouring books and pens, shoes kicked off, clothes discarded, blankets and cushions all askew. I took the above photo just now, reminding me that for a delicious little moment around 6.30ish this morning, I was snuggled there with Little Lady. She had got up early, crept downstairs and installed herself on the sofa under the ripple blankie (now living downstairs as BB is finally On The Bed!!!!!!). She looked so cosy and snuggly that I could not resist and climbed in under the blanket for a quick mummy-daughter cuddle. The best start to the day.
So yeah, my precious cashmerino ripple blanket no longer lives on my bed, but has come downstairs to be shared with the family.
I took the above photo yesterday sometime, after I came across this charming little vingnette quite by accident. I was huffing to myself because I noticed that my precious blanket had been dragged off the sofa and strewn on the floor. But just as I was (rather crossly) about to scoop it up and re-fold it, I happend to notice this teeny tiny meal all laid out. Awwwwwwwwwwwwww, I nearly cried when I saw it, truly I did, I felt quite choked!
Little Lady has recently had her dolls house downstairs to play with, and the above little bits and pieces are part of a very sentimental collection of my own childhood dollshouse accessories. I have lots of wooden furniture, and many very small items too, including these teeny little plates and miniscule cutlery. It has miraculously survived over 30 years since I was a small girl, and it delights me to see it still being used. Funny thing was that when I asked Little Lady about the above meal, she told me that actually it was not her that had set it out. Noone had seen him do it, but Little Man must have had a secret little play with the dolls house things when nobody was looking. Consider my heart strings well and truly tugged there.
So its the last day of school today before the long seven week summer holiday begins :: seven whole weeks, it's a little mind blowing thinking of aaaallllllll those child-filled days stretching ahead, but I keep thinking back to last years summer holiday stay-home days and remembering that child-filled days are good days and nothing to be afraid of.
Next week we have the pleasure of J at home with us, which I am extremely happy about. The weeks he takes as holiday from work throughout the year are usually planned and spoken for and for the most part taken away from home. We usually jaunt away :: to Dorset, Northumberland, the Lake District, for family visits, holiday cottages and youth hostels. But next week we are to be At Home together, and it feels like the greatest luxury.
I had intended to have a grand tidy up today, to make the house all spik and span ready for our week-at-home holiday, but to be honest, I am not in the least bit feeling like it.
Far more pleasurable to sit and chat with you instead.
All I need to do is focus on this gorgeous little pot of flowers and ignore the rest.
Yes, I shall zoom in and put my eyes on Macro Mode.
And instruct the rest of my family to do the same.
Have a fabulous weekend, whatever you get up to....have fun!
Your lovely blog has been nominated in our blog awards on the Dorset Cereals website. You are July's winning blog! I would love to send you your prize of some Dorset Cereals and our little blog awards egg cup. Perhaps you could email me to let me know where I should deliver this.
I absolutely loveee your ripple blanket and am attempting to make one with your very easy to follow instructions.
Lucy - I live in Boston, Massachusetts and just love reading your blog. I discovered it about a month ago, and now check it every morning. I find it so comforting. Thanks for your generosity for sharing your life with others. I don't know how to crochet (although, I do knit), but now want to learn by making one of your gorgeous blankets.
"At Home" holidays are the most delightful of all. I will be wishing and hoping heartily on your behalf that nothing disturbs your family togetherness. Our summer vacation has been full of non-stop visitors and visiting, and although it has merit, I envy you your quiet moments.
Hi Lucy, here is the promised photo of my bag I crocheted from your pattern.
I love it so much with the exception of it being too huge but I don't care. Now I will make some smaller versions and try to figure out what aran weight is compared to worsted. :) Still trying to figure those types out. I have started a lovely 100% wool girly blanket for my daughter, now that I made the bag from leftover yarns and finished two of my boys blankets this year. It's quite fun. Thanks from Tonya in USA.
Am really enjoying this, my very first blog. Your ripply blanky inspired me to take up the knitting needles again after lots and lots of years. Must learn to crochet a blanky would be lovely. Been off work for a wee while and making lots of cupcakes and now knitting too.
Have a great week together! Savour it! Remember it, for it will keep you going for months!! Happy Holidays!!!
You are a sheer delight. I have finally decided to join your little band of merry maids and profess my love for your take on life!!! I live in the mid-atlantic region of the USA near Philadelphia,Pa. Sadly, life is too hectic for so many women to embrace or even dream of the charming, heartfelt side of life...BUT you are a breath of fresh air. A thoroughly modern, old fashioned young woman!!!!
I have English ancestors...great grand-parents who came here to raise my grand-mother and I think like you do!! Are we distant cousins!!!!? The lovely, quiet sometimes messy side of domestic life is not valued in busy urban areas...I don't think this is cultural or national just linked to the modern way of life.
Domesticity is no longer valued over the additonal paycheck. I hear so many young women comment they couldn't stay home they would be bored or their husband would not value domestic brilliance over boardroom savy.
If they work outside the home they hire people to do everything for them ... daycare for kids, lawn guy for the grass, gardner to grow the flowers, fast food most nights, someone to clean the house, doggie daycare to nurture their pets and someone to walk the puppy!! The paycheck goes to cover the very things that could bring them real pleasure if THINGS and STATUS were not so important to them.
Sadly, they just don't get it. Whether a women works outside of her home or is the CEO of her own little "ATTIC", anyone who creates a home, who sees the delicate beauty in a little blossom they they have nurtured and grown,who navigates through a maze of a childs's delightful messiness and schedules and in all of the simple pleasures of a quiet life, IS the true missing link in a successful culture.
Although I am a Nana to my grand-daughter Haley, and still work four days a week, I will never forget the sheer joy of those years I spent making a simple, cottage life for my young family. Even in my middle age, nothing gives me more pleasure than my small home, lovely overflowing garden sewing or planning family time. Have a lovely time with your little ones! Never retire from your cherished by many Attic24. Much love from the USA.
I have started a blog too, if you want to drop in, it's actually not gotten so far yet... Hope you will read it!
Hi Lucy, i think of you often..Wondering what you are up to..you shortbread goodness looks so delich..
have a wonderful week with your family..
I love your blog - came across it quite by accident and now check it out daily! I too love marigolds and was interested to discover from French friends that the word for marigolds "soucis" can also be used to mean little worries or problems. Helps to think of problems as marigolds eh? Hope the snails and slugs don't finish them off. Enjoy your littlies whilst you can they grow up all too soon.
I love the teeny tiny meals! We too had these dolls house accessories as children. However, are you sure they weren't put there by two bad mice? I think Beatrix Potter must have had the same dolls house set too!
I'd leave the housework if your home is anything like mine it will be all messed up again by morning!
I've just made your caramel shortbread and the alternative peanut butter one - delicious Lucy, thank you. Now it is I having the odd sneaky 'tut, tut!!' sssshhhhh.
My mum has a dollshouse at home, just the ELC wooden one with quite chunky accessories but whenever any children visit it is ALWAYS, without fail, the boys who play with the dollshouse!
Have a lovely summer holiday! We have already had 5 weeks, now it's 5 weeks left. Today we had SUN and 25 degrees, so we spent the day by the sea. Absolutely wonderful! Hope you and your family will have just as wonderful!!
lovely post, how cute that your lil man was playing with the dolls house bits bless him.
thanks for posting the recipe i cannot wait to try it out, i know they will be gone within two days in my house.
I had some dolls' house meals exactly like those! There was a red jelly and a birthday cake too. My mum still has them all.
My mint green crocs have been filled with water several time this week on the school run.
Lucy - I just adored that post...everything about it. Enjoy your first days of summer break!