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September 1, 2018 August 31, 2018 Eddie O'BrienAI, BPO, machine learningLeave a comment
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People have always been the backbone of BPO companies. Their staggering growth in the last two decades have resulted into billions of dollars in business and have created millions of jobs around the world. Brands have looked to BPOs to supply round-the-clock service and corporations have relied on the skill of offshore workers. But with the onset of machine learning, will the service rendered by humans be deemed no longer adequate? Exactly how will machine learning the BPO industry?
The immediate reaction to this question is that machines will take over the work people do resulting to lay-offs by the millions. The same can be said about machines in the industrial revolution and how smart robots are making manufacturing safer and more efficient today.
Image source: netscribes.com
It's no surprise that some businesses aim to automate parts of their services using artificial intelligence. They may do so because of huge savings they can get by automating services usually rendered by people. And with machine learning, harder tasks such as heavy computations and analysis can now be done with relative ease. Of course, this does not mean that people will become obsolete in the BPO industry.
Even with the capacity of machine learning to do work, it would require a good enough interface for people to understand and use machine learning services adequately. And a lot of people still would prefer to talk to someone competent and can be reasoned with.
Eddie O'Brien has had a long and storied career that has taken him all over the world. He graduated from the University of Cork and became a certified public accountant. He worked for several multinational companies in locations as varied as Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic, and Spain. For more reads on technology, visit this blog.
How Microsoft Took Over The World
October 21, 2017 January 17, 2018 Eddie O'Brienhistory, MicrosoftLeave a comment
Microsoft is undoubtedly one of the biggest tech companies in the world. It's been just that for several decades now. Almost everyone knows what Microsoft is, and what the brand is all about. Almost every household in the world with technology has something related to Microsoft. And it doesn't show any signs of stopping anytime soon. However, it started off from very humble beginnings.
Back in the mid-70s, it was Bill Gates and Paul Allen who came up with an interpreter and a simulator, both of which were designed so well that there were no hiccups when they operated together. It was an instant hit when the project was presented to the public in '75. In fact, a lot of industry experts, technology consultants, and even government officials predicted this interpreter-simulator pair to be the next big thing in the tech industry. A company was built on this invention, and its name was Microsoft. Bill Gates would go on to lead it into the future.
Image source: forbes.com
Five years later, another industry leader, IBM, started using Microsoft's OS in its computers. Microsoft would earn a percentage for every IBM unit sold in the market. That was how it was going to be for the next five years, with both tech giants making a killing in the tech market.
In 1985, Microsoft developed two operating systems, with one for IBM, and the other, it did in secret. The secret OS, which was almost exactly the same as the second one Microsoft handed to IBM, would be made available to everyone. This third OS catapulted Microsoft above all other competitors. The company even surpassed IBM.
Image source: r-101.blogspot.com
This was the start of global domination for Microsoft.
Edmund O'Brien currently serves as the CEO of the Americas at Arvato Bertelsmann. He has held several positions in other companies in many different countries in the past including Microsoft. For more on him and his work, follow this Facebook page.
Top Microsoft Products That Defined Computing Technology
July 12, 2017 October 24, 2017 Eddie O'BrienMicrosoft, Office 365, technology, Visual Basic, WindowsLeave a comment
Microsoft might not have initially ventured into the hardware computing industry where a great deal of key players in the history of this technology created waves with the sophistication, complexity, and reliability of their machines that forever changed the enterprise. But as early as Alan Turing's time, the conception of the modern computer rested on a set of programmable instructions. The software, inevitably, is an integral (even dominant) part of the development of computing.
Image source:commons.wikimedia.org
Even if Microsoft finally decided to dive head-on with Xbox and Surface, primarily, it is still a company that successfully built its entire business on computer software and services. Here are three of the foremost products that revolutionized our experience with computers:
This ingeniously simple and "basic" product might not ring a bell with the garden-variety user, but it was one of the simplest programming languages with efficient graphical toolsets that helped any budding developer in the 1990s to create apps for the platform. It democratized programming that was originally reserved for specialists.
Windows 95 was a culmination of Microsoft's earlier experimentations and attempts to develop a graphical adjunct to MS-DOS. Sure, this one looks terribly old to young ones, but it initiated a lot of things people take for granted now. It liberated users from the cumbersome interface and functions of DOS and introduced them into the more streamlined approach of the GUI (Graphical User Interface). Not only did it feel more natural for non-programmers to interact with menus or icons, but the addition of the iconic "Start" button was an organizational flair that deserves a thumbs up.
Microsoft enhanced the productivity software field with the introduction of Office 365, which bundles together services and software through a subscription model. The product solves a lot of the flexibility and optimization issues of old Office programs. There also seems to be an effort to embrace new trends like file sharing, cloud computing, and multi-platform support.
Eddie O'Brien has worked as a top executive for multinational corporations like Arvato Bertelsmann and Microsoft. For more information on his work, visit this Facebook page.
Why work at a multinational, multicultural company?
May 1, 2017 June 26, 2017 Eddie O'Briencompany, multicultural company, multinational, workLeave a comment
Working at a multinational corporation can be helpful for individuals who are striving to make a mark in their chosen careers. It helps them earn a decent salary, achieve work-play balance, and gain deeper industry knowledge. It also helps them become more competitive. There are many other reasons for joining multinational and multicultural companies such as the following:
Image source: romania-insider.com
Increased marketability to employers
The global workplace seeks global-minded individuals. With a lot of employers expanding their operations into new territories, work experience in a multinational and multicultural company is a plus for recruitment. Having international experience makes an individual more attractive to potential employers. Moreover, these candidates may be considered to head operations in overseas sites.
Exposure to different customs and cultures
A great thing about working for multicultural companies is experiencing different cultures and customs. Aside from interacting with workmates from all over the world, individuals will learn a lot about local history, language, work culture, religion, politics, and more. It opens one's mind to different possibilities.
A chance to work with some of the brightest people
Who does not want to be smart? Individuals employed by multinational companies collaborate with some of the smartest people of their generation. Learning is constant in a multinational working environment.
Image source: irishtimes.com
Edmund O'Brien is a citizen of the world. Originally from Ireland, he is now a U.S. citizen who has worked with a lot of multinational organizations. Learn more about his professional work by visiting this LinkedIn page.
Handy Accounting: Mobile Apps For Accountants On The Go
January 10, 2017 March 23, 2017 Eddie O'Brienaccounting, apps, finance, mobile appsLeave a comment
For decades, accountants relied on handwritten ledgers with computers slowly crawling in as a must-have in the office. With the advancement of technology, knowledge in software like QuickBooks and Excel are considered essential for accountants.
These days, many accountants have their ledgers and account records on the palm of their hands—specifically, in their ubiquitous mobile phones. Here are some mobile apps that are great for accountants and other finance professionals.
Image source: thehackernews.com
FreshBooks is a great way for accountants to make invoices, file taxes, organize expenses, and track receivables. Available for free on mobile for FreshBooks subscribers, it also allows clients to make fast payments via credit card, e-checks, and PayPal.
Mint may be tagged as a personal finance app, but it is also useful for small business accountants and entrepreneurs. Users can add bank accounts and credit cards, and the app will help automate recorded transactions through easy-to-read graphs.
Image source: thebalance.com
QuickBooks now comes in a mobile edition. Just like its desktop version, it offers accounting tools to help users manage and track their finances. While it comes with a free 30-day trial, users who have active subscriptions to QuickBooks may get the app for free.
Eddie O'Brien, a certified public accountant, currently serves as the CEO of the Americas at Arvato Bertelsmann. Prior to that, he spent years working for Microsoft. Visit this blog for related updates.


Urban Touring Series is Singapore's premier electric rc racing bringing all levels of drivers into one single class in blinky 17.5T. Muchmore Racing is proud that Muchmore Fleta ZX V2 brushless motor is the most selected brand in Round 3, with 7 out of the 8 drivers on Muchmore Fleta ZX V2 17.5TER in the A-Main.
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The Hard Road to Renewal is as concerned with elaborating a new politics for the Left as it is with the project of the Right. Hall insists that the Left can no longer trade on inherited politics and tradition. Socialists today must be as radical as modernity itself. Valuable pointers to a new politics are identified in the experience of feminism, the campaigns of the GLC and the world-wide response to Band Aid.


The Palestinian people were shocked after receiving the news of the Israeli bombing of Said al-Meshal Cultural Center. The Israeli attack on the five-story building posed a question of why the Israeli Occupation bombed a civil target, which has one of the few large venues for theater and music performances in Gaza.
Ahead of bombing the cultural center west of Gaza, the Israeli Occupation struck more than 100 targets across the coastal enclave, most of them civil ones, including the Israeli attack on a Palestinian house in central Gaza which killed a 9-months pregnant mother and her 18-month-old toddler. Why did the Israeli Occupation target Said al-Meshal Cultural Center before halting its aggression on Gaza?
First: The Israeli Occupation was fed up with the Palestinians' steadfastness despite its heavy bombardment on Gaza. Therefore, it decided to take a step forward by bombing civil targets as part of its bid to restore a balance of deterrence against the Palestinian resistance. The Israeli Occupation had also threatened to target the multi-story buildings in Gaza and throw their residents into the streets in its upcoming offensive on the coastal enclave in order to pressure the Palestinian resistance to agree to a one-sided ceasefire.
Second: The Israeli public, especially the far-right extremists who called for the reoccupation of Gaza or the launch of an all-out offensive on the coastal territory to topple Hamas and release the Israeli soldiers held in Gaza, lost their trust in the Israeli political leadership. Therefore, the Israeli Occupation's government targeted the cultural center to score cheap political points.
Third: The Israeli Occupation's leadership seemed to preserve the status quo and not lift its 12-year siege on Gaza, while averting a full-fledged offensive on the coastal enclave. Thus, it targeted Said al-Meshal Cultural Center as part of its bid to secure hollow victory over the Palestinian resistance.
Fourth: The Israeli Occupation chose to target the cultural center among other dozens of similar civil targets to prevent the center from conveying its cultural message through theater and music performances. This proves that obliterating the Palestinian culture and identity is a strategic goal for the Israeli Occupation.


The Dodgers and the Angels enter the three-game Freeway Series beginning Thursday in different states of readiness in terms of their opening-day rosters.
The Dodgers telegraphed many of their maneuvers with roster moves Tuesday and Wednesday. In February, Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts announced Clayton Kershaw would make his seventh consecutive start on opening day. Over in Tempe, Ariz., more than a month later, Angels Manager Mike Scioscia is yet to tip his hand on the opening-day starter, the rotation or the closer.
For the Dodgers, the lone roster dilemma involves the last two spots on the bench. The team will keep tabs on the health of utility player Enrique Hernandez, who was sore after getting hit on a wrist by a pitch Tuesday. If Hernandez starts the season on the disabled list, Chris Taylor would likely replace him.
The other opening on the Dodgers bench is being contested between Scott Van Slyke and Trayce Thompson. Van Slyke looks like the favorite, given his experience plus his ability to play first base and the outfield.
Other than that, the Dodgers enter the series with little intrigue. That poses a contrast to their neighbors in Anaheim.
The Angels opened spring training with three closer candidates. The contender who pitched the best last season, Cam Bedrosian, threw eight scoreless innings in the Cactus League. Huston Street, was injured in his first game and is weeks away from returning and Andrew Bailey struggled at the start and was relegated to a minor league appearance to relocate his command.
Scioscia said he expects to have a set closer he can call on Monday if the Angels take a lead into the ninth inning in Oakland. But he insists has not yet decided who that will be.
"I think there are some things that we have to look at," he said Wednesday.
The Angels aim to determine their closer this weekend. Now in his 18th season, Scioscia has generally hewed to roles for relievers, utilizing top pitchers in preset situations when leading. He said he is willing to mix and match relievers throughout the year, if their performance demands it.
"It's infinitely easier if you have guys that can create roles, and you have balance down there with a lefty that you can kinda manage some situations," Scioscia said. "Then you can match up with roles, which helps. But you never know which way your talent's going to evolve, which way it's going to go. It might go where it's maybe a matchup bullpen the whole year. Maybe there's one guy that gets in the back end."
He said "there were a number of guys that got a lot of saves" last season, but the Angels were the first team in 11 years that didn't have a pitcher record at least 10 saves.
Street started the season as the closer. When he succumbed to an injury, Scioscia turned to Bedrosian. When Bedrosian went on the disabled list, Scioscia turned to Fernando Salas. When the Angels traded Salas, Scioscia turned to Bailey for six of seven September save chances.
"Our bullpen will evolve based on its talent," Scioscia said. "If it ends up being one guy, it's one guy. If it ends up being more than one guy, it's more than one guy."
Thursday's and Friday's games are in Anaheim; Saturday's is at Dodger Stadium. Both teams are off Sunday and play their regular-season openers Monday. The Dodgers will be at home against the San Diego Padres. The Angels will be at Oakland.


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Insurance Carrier Insolvency
Aug 31, 2011 - Jack Martone, The American Equity Underwriters, Inc.
What happens when an insurance carrier defaults on its obligations under the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act due to insolvency?
I'll discuss several insolvency scenarios in four separate entries. Part One will cover default by an insurance carrier, Part Two will cover defaults by both the insolvent insurance carrier and by the insured employer due to bankruptcy, Part Three will cover uninsured employer bankruptcy, and Part Four will cover the bankruptcy of an authorized self-insured employer. Here is Part One. The other Parts will appear intermittently in the future.
PART ONE – INSURANCE CARRIER INSOLVENCY
First, what are the consequences to the insured employer if its insurance carrier becomes insolvent?
Section 935 of the Longshore Act (33 U.S.C. 935) provides that discharge of an obligation by an insurance carrier discharges the employer's liability. If the insurance carrier defaults, thus failing to discharge this obligation, then the primary obligation remains with/returns to the insured employer.
PARENTHETICAL NOTE: In the reverse situation, that is, the insured employer becomes bankrupt, section 936(a) provides that, "Every policy or contract of insurance issued under authority of this Act shall contain…(2) a provision that insolvency or bankruptcy of the employer and/or discharge therein shall not relieve the carrier from payment of compensation for disability or death sustained by an employee during the life of such policy or contract." This provision refers to first dollar insurance policies issued by insurance carriers authorized by the U.S. Department of Labor to write coverage under the Longshore Act as required by section 932. It does not apply to reinsurance or excess insurance contracts.
So, Mr. Employer, if your insurance carrier becomes insolvent and defaults then you must immediately assume responsibility for all benefits due and payable (and all interest and penalty provisions of the Act apply).
Here is a generic sequence of events when an insurance carrier becomes insolvent:
The State insurance regulator in the state of domicile goes to state court to have the carrier declared insolvent;
The State insurance department assumes administration of the carrier;
All new and renewal business is suspended and existing policies are cancelled;
The State insurance regulator examines the carrier's finances to determine if it can be rehabilitated or must be placed in liquidation, while open claims go into runoff;
Each employer insured with the insolvent carrier receives a letter from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) advising that the employer must immediately obtain coverage to secure its obligations under the Act, and that if the carrier stops paying benefits then the employer must immediately assume responsibility for its claims;
The DOL will determine whether it is holding any collateral from the insolvent carrier, and in which states the insolvent carrier wrote Longshore business, and what the position of each state's guarantee fund is likely to be.
Here is what the insured employer must do if its insurance carrier becomes insolvent:
get new insurance coverage immediately,
find out what protection is available from the guarantee fund in each state where the employer has operations (this can be problematic for Longshore cases, and was the subject of a previous blog posting on August 5, 2010),
obtain claim files from the carrier or its TPA, or from the DOL's District Office,
Prepare to pay all open cases in the event that the state places the carrier into liquidation, at which time payments by the state will cease. There will be a delay while the state administrator ships files to state guarantee funds for possible payment. In the meantime, penalties and interest will accrue on late payments.
Note that the Special Fund administered by DOL is not yet involved. The Special Fund under section 918(b) provides the injured employee with a possible source of payments if there is a default by an employer, not a default by an insurance carrier.
And especially note that in the event of an insurance carrier insolvency and default it is likely that the DOL will take the position that any collateral it holds will be reserved for those cases that cannot be paid because both the carrier and the insured employer are insolvent. In other words, solvent insured employers will be required to pay their own cases. In states like California and West Virginia, where the state guarantee funds do not pay benefits in Longshore cases, and in states like Louisiana and New Jersey, whose guarantee funds pay only under restricted conditions, the insured employers are exposed to possible significant liability for their Longshore Act obligations. For a more complete discussion of the various states please refer back to the August 5, 2010 discussion.
Main Point Number One: Under the Longshore Act, when an insurance carrier becomes insolvent and defaults, the insured employer must immediately meet its primary obligation to assume responsibility for and to pay its own claims.
Main Point Number Two: In many states maritime employers cannot rely on protection from state guarantee funds. As noted, this blog's August 5, 2010 entry contained detailed information with regard to the expected responses of each state guarantee fund in the event of an insurance carrier's default in Longshore cases.
Next: What if both the insurance carrier is insolvent and the insured employer is bankrupt?
John A. (Jack) Martone served for 27 years in the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs, as the Chief, Branch of Insurance, Financial Management, and Assessments and Acting Director, Division of Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation. Jack joined The American Equity Underwriters, Inc. (AEU) in 2006, where he serves as Senior Vice President, AEU Advisory Services and is the moderator of AEU's Longshore Insider.
The opinions and comments expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the opinion of ALMA, AEU or AmWINS. None of ALMA, AEU, AmWINS or the authors are responsible for any inaccuracy of content or for any loss or damages incurred by any party as a result of reliance on information contained in this article. Content may not be published or reproduced without the written consent of the authors. Prior articles may not be updated for accuracy as pertinent information changes over time. The Longshore Insider is intended to provide general information about the industry and should not be construed as legal advice under any circumstances. For legal advice, please consult a licensed attorney.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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MARK AOUN
President of ecotourism specialist Vamos Todos
Ain Zebde is one of the most stunning villages in Lebanon, where one can witness the huge variety of flora and fauna that our country, and specifically the Bekaa Valley, can offer. Standing on the foothills of Al Barouk Mountains, Ain Zebde is one of the highest villages of West Bekaa, surrounded by Kherbet Kanafar to the north and Saghbine to the south. The village's name refers to the abundance of water sources surrounding it which feed the Litani River. You will hear the sound of running water throughout the hike.
Ain Zebde is abundant in fruits and vegetables, namely walnuts, apples, peaches, onions and small red potatoes.
Kadisha Valley
GHADA EL KHELLY
Founder of Adrenaline Trekking, specialist in international trekking and hiking trips
After hiking for more than 20 years all over Lebanon's mountains, hills and valleys, I would say that each hike and trail has its own beauty, charm, history, spirituality and particularity. However, if you want to combine all the above, head to the Kadisha Valley in North Lebanon. The area is so versatile, with numerous starting points of varying levels of difficulty, depending if you want to go uphill or downhill, and countless places of interest to see along the way including the famous Qannoubine Monastery and the Our Lady of Hawka Monastery. Hiking the valley is not just about sports and trekking, it's also about learning the history of Lebanon.
Mountains of Qamoua
AVEDIS KALPAKLIAN
Mountain guide and managing director of tour operator Sports 4 Life
After running the Lebanon Mountain Trail twice and hiking almost everywhere in Lebanon I would say the mountains of Qamoua are the best to hike in fall and winter. Surfing this untouched area between cedars, junipers and fir trees, with their mix of dark green, yellow, orange and red colors, is indescribable. I am truly amazed by the beauty I see in front of my eyes every time I go there.
Sports 4 Life | Facebook
Al Delb Valley
PIERRE SAKR
Guide, member of Club Des Vieux Sentiers hiking group and amateur outdoor photographer
In the fall, nature wears new colors. This is particularly evident in the Al Delb Valley, located at the heart of the Sannine Mountain. It's a lovely area to hike around the end of November. Start your nine kilometer hike at Nabaa Sannine, located 15 minutes by car from Al Mrouj square and 30 minutes from Baabdat. Pass by Al Chakhroub, where the face of the famous author Mekhayel Naaymeh is carved into the cliff. As you commence your descent to the Al Delb Valley, you will witness the incredible view of fruit gardens. I'm a firm believer in the health benefits of hiking, not only for the body but for the spirit too.
Club des Vieux Sentiers | Facebook
Akoura
DIALA SHUHAIBER
Hiking enthusiast and founder of the Instagram travel account @framewithaview
Hike up to the incredibly surprising cave in Akoura, where St. John the Baptist reputedly spent some time in hiding. The first 10 minutes of the hike are quite steep and challenging but they're also exciting for adrenaline junkies like myself. Once you reach the top of the cliff, cross over to the cave and enjoy some of the most stunning and breathtaking views that Lebanon has to offer. It's definitely a hike you will never forget.
Article published on February 3, 2021.
Article edited on October 14, 2021.
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Experience Pullman travel, aboard the Washington, DC Chapter's historic rail car, Dover Harbor, on a trip to Atlanta or New Orleans. You'll see varied scenery as Dover Harbor travels with Amtrak's Crescent on an arc across the South from Washington DC to Atlanta and Gainesville to New Orleans with a changing mix of passengers just as it was in Pullman's heyday.
THE PIEDMONT LIMITED--from Washington DC (Options 1, 2 & 3): The adventure begins at Union Station in the early evening on Wednesday, October 11th with Amtrak's southbound Crescent. Visit with your fellow passengers while savoring cocktails and dinner prior to a night's slumber in a classic Pullman double bedroom. The next morning, an early breakfast will be available. If you choose Atlanta as your destination (Option 3), you'll have four full days on your own to explore this historic and cultural center of the New South. The return train departs Atlanta mid-evening on Sunday, October 15th with dessert and a digestif prior to bedtime. Awaken for a full breakfast prior to arrival in Washington at mid-Monday morning. For a longer Pullman trip, continue to New Orleans (Options 1 & 2) with the THE SOUTHERNER, to enjoy the delights of this trip's terminus—the Crescent City.
THE SOUTHERNER—from Gainesville GA (Options 4 & 5): Step aboard 1930's Pullman, Dover Harbor for a special round trip ride from Gainesville, GA, Queen City of the Mountains and home of General Longstreet to the Crescent City, New Orleans. Depart from Gainesville's historic depot at 7:00AM on Thursday, October 12th as the car comes southbound with Amtrak's Crescent. You'll be greeted with a hot breakfast, and secret recipe Bloody Marys. As the train travels through the Deep South, nosh on lunch, and later, a freshly prepared dinner by our chef and served by your Pullman porters. Your train sails across Lake Ponchartrain to an evening arrival in New Orleans. The return trip leaves early on Sunday morning, October 15th. The full day journey with brunch and supper plus always available liquid refreshments traverses the homeland of many of the troops who served with the general in the famous First Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia from '62 to '65. You'll return to Gainesville mid-evening.
In New Orleans, all activities and lodgings will be on your own (Option 4). Or for additional fare, book accommodations to stay in one of the four classic double rooms with upper and lower berth on board the car right in New Orleans Union Terminal (Options 2 or 5).
All fares include round trip travel on Dover Harbor including onboard meals, beverages, wines and spirits while en route.
ALL FARES ARE PER PERSON for the listed occupancy.
Earlybird Fare: Reserve by Sept. 5th and deduct $70.00 per person.
Earlybird Fare: Reserve by Sept. 5th and deduct $40.00 per person.
Parlor Seat: DCNRHS Member: $699 Nonmember: $699 Earlybird Fare: Reserve by Sept. 5th and deduct $30.00 per person.
Earlybird Fare: Reserve by Sept. 5th and deduct $30.00 per person.
per person depending on option selected (see above)!
1. The Washington D.C. Chapter, NRHS makes every effort to accommodate the physically challenged; however, Dover Harbor as a historic railroad car is not wheelchair accessible. Operator requires those physically challenged passengers requiring special assistance from others to travel with someone who is able to assist them. Those with special dietary needs such as food allergies must notify the reservations agent in writing at least two weeks in advance of the trip departure.
2. No refund or credit of purchased tickets after September 5, 2017 other than by operator's cancellation of the trip or reselling of the space. The operator suggests that passengers obtain trip insurance to cover cancellations resulting from personal emergencies, illness or other causes.
3. Package does not include gratuities, personal incidental charges, tours, admissions, local transportation , accommodations, or meals except while en route and aboard Dover Harbor as described above.


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// Copyright (C) 2016  Runeberg (github: 1runeberg, UE4 Forums: runeberg)

#include "RunebergVRPluginPrivatePCH.h"

#define LOCTEXT_NAMESPACE "FRunebergVRPluginModule"

void FRunebergVRPluginModule::StartupModule()
{
	// This code will execute after your module is loaded into memory; the exact timing is specified in the .uplugin file per-module
}

void FRunebergVRPluginModule::ShutdownModule()
{
	// This function may be called during shutdown to clean up your module.  For modules that support dynamic reloading,
	// we call this function before unloading the module.
}

#undef LOCTEXT_NAMESPACE

IMPLEMENT_MODULE(FRunebergVRPluginModule, RunebergVRPlugin)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Drawing on our vast deal and case experience, Shearman & Sterling has developed this Resources page, which provides a wide array of substantive and practical information on our antitrust and competition practice. Please review some of the informative materials we regularly publish as a value-added service to our clients, as well as information on upcoming events and details of recent activities and newsworthy items.
Shearman & Sterling is advising Chevron on the antitrust elements of its agreement to acquire Anadarko Petroleum.
Shearman & Sterling is pleased to announce that Sara Ashall has joined the firm as counsel in the Antitrust practice. Sara focuses on EU merger control, cartel investigations, antitrust proceedings and EU State aid law.
Partner Djordje Petkoski (Washington, D.C.-Antitrust) will speak at the 4th Annual Cartels Conference organized by Global Competition Review on March 26 in Washington, DC.
Partner Elvira Aliende Rodriguez (Brussels-Antitrust) will speak at the 4th Annual International Arbitration, Regulatory & Competition Law Summit organized by Kluwer in Shanghai on March 21, 2019.
Shearman & Sterling's Hong Kong office celebrated International Women's Day 2019 on March 8 with a series of internal events and activities.
Partner Elvira Aliende Rodriguez (Brussels-Antitrust) was quoted by Global Competition Review in the article "EU fines Nike for vertical restraints" that was published on March 25 after the European Commission published their press release that they fined Nike for restricting cross-border sales of merchandising products.


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A titillating escape
by Nancy Colasurdo | Apr 29, 2012 | Unfettered 50 | 0 comments
When a book is mentioned to me three times in the span of a week, I take it as a sign. Hello, Fifty Shades of Grey. I downloaded and breezed through two books in the trilogy and am halfway through the third. Here's the capsule summary of these works sitting atop The New York Times Best Sellers List in several categories: "An inexperienced college student (Anastasia Steele) falls in love with a tortured man (Christian Grey) who has particular sexual tastes."
Does he ever. This book is filled with sex, so right there it should be no mystery why it has become such a sensation that women are reading it in droves. But there's so much more to the appeal of this erotic novel and I've been thinking about why I haven't been able to put it down, aside from the obvious.
Back in December when I turned 50, I felt better than I'd ever felt before. Not just physically and emotionally, but sexually as well. There is something about this age that brings not just confidence, but for many of us, a heightened sex drive. Yeeha. What makes us feel more alive than that?
But then in February came my knee injury and the successive deaths of loved ones. My physical limitations and my profound sadness started to take a heavy toll on my productivity and ability to engage in almost anything that wasn't essential. To say I became disconnected from my sexuality is an understatement. I went into a numb zone.
But then, along came Anastasia and Christian. As I turned the pages and became consumed in their magnetic attraction, it was a nice reminder that my hormones are alive and kicking. I needed to feel on this level. There's chase, love, possession, obsession, intrigue, passion, awakening, foreplay, pain, risk, trust and — over and over — intense pleasure expressed on its pages. It is not literary genius, but it is alluring and pure and raw.
I've also thought about why it's captured so many women who don't relate on the level I've described here. I have a few theories. An obvious one is the escape it provides. Not to mention (spoiler alert here) that, like it or not, many women in our culture adore the idea of a man changing because of his love for a woman. To boot, we learn that in the world of dominants and submissives, it is the latter who really hold the power.
But let's talk more about the erotic element for a moment. In most of the sex in the books, Christian's first priority is pleasing Ana and he is tantalizingly good at it; her pleasure ultimately brings him satisfaction as well. I believe this is so enticing for women because, sadly, so many have not experienced it.
(A little aside here. Gentlemen, you want to know what women want in the bedroom? Read these books. A woman wrote them. I'm not talking about the rough stuff, although some may want that. I'm talking about the "vanilla sex" this couple has. Christian knows the female anatomy and Ana is all too happy to be his student. Just sayin'.)
This trilogy is filled with push-pull and provides background that explains how the wealthy Christian developed sexual preferences that prompted him to build a playroom and seek out submissives to share it with. The title of the book actually derives from his admission that he is "50 shades of fucked up." Author E L James has effectively hooked us in by getting us to empathize with a controlling, tortured man and to root for the smart, in-over-her-head Anastasia to heal him.
What a welcome, titillating diversion it is.


The 'Jiazi' rug in the Geo-linear pattern woven in hemp is one of the greatest basic rugs in the 2019 collection. Available in neutral and subtle color tones. One can imagine this in a nice airy room with smart casual furnishings.


Martha Gary Jordan was born in Thomas County Georgia in 1884 and married Sterling Jefferson Kingsley in 1909, per county issued marriage license. She and Sterling had one child, Emma Robena Kingsley born in 1912.
I am one of Martha's grandsons. I was told that she was a admitted to Central State Hospital in Milledgeville, GA and may have died there.
The last information I can find is a census record from I believe 1910 I got distracted so I lost the page.
Thanks for your help. I am trying to contact the state hospital where I believe (was told) she lived her last years. No response yet.
That is for sure a good breadcrumb to help find conclusive source information.
I am trying to contact the state hospital where I was told (fifty years ago) she lived her last years. No response yet.
Kingsley-310 Amos K's burial location?
e tree also has her married to her grandson?
Is there any family tree information on the children Zephania Kingsley had with his opther four wives?


We welcome all who wish to become members of Corpus Christi Church. Joining our parish is more than filling out a registration form. We invite you to become an active part of our Church.
We welcome you to the celebration of the Mass - daily and weekly - and we encourage you to pray anytime in the Chapel at the Parish Office. If you have young children, be sure to check out our Religious Education programs. We also invite you to browse our Web site for information about the many opportunities to get involved at Corpus Christi Church.
As a new member, you will be encouraged to prayerfully consider the gifts of time, talent and financial support you might be able to give back to God through our parish. As Christians, we are all called to be stewards of the gifts God gives to us so we can continue to build His Church.
If you choose to become a member of Corpus Christi Church, please complete the parish registration form and return it to the Parish Office; 43130 Amberwood Plaza, Suite 150, South Riding, VA 20152 or drop it in the Sunday collection basket.


The Augarten Porcelain Museum brings the history of the Viennese porcelain brand to life, with over 150 exhibits from the founding of the Augarten Porcelain Manufactury in 1718 to the present day.
Sat. 27 Apr 2019, 2 p.m.
Sat. 27 Apr 2019, 3 p.m.
Sat. 04 May 2019, 3 p.m.
Sat. 11 May 2019, 2 p.m.
Sat. 11 May 2019, 3 p.m.
Sat. 18 May 2019, 2 p.m.
Sat. 18 May 2019, 3 p.m.
Sat. 25 May 2019, 2 p.m.
Sat. 25 May 2019, 3 p.m.


LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan is giving online retailer Amazon $4.5 million to ensure it opens another facility in the state.
The Michigan Strategic Fund approved the incentive Tuesday for the e-commerce powerhouse to open a fulfillment center in Macomb County's Shelby Township. Seattle-based Amazon plans to create 1,025 full-time jobs at the $40 million facility.
It is the third time in nine months that the state has authorized a grant to open an Amazon fulfillment center, which is a giant warehouse where items are stored, packaged and shipped. The other centers will also be based in the Detroit area — in Romulus and Livonia.
Economic development officials say Amazon chose the Shelby Township site over competing sites in other Midwestern states and Canada.


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12 Best Anime Foxes of All Time
Anirban Bhattacharya
Anime represents a wide variety of animals in its shows and movies. Sometimes even imaginary beings from popular folklore or legends can be seen in anime. One of the staples and common animals which we do encounter in an anime is a fox. Yup, from fox girls to fox boys, to actual foxes. Anime has them all. So, why not take a look at some of the anime foxes out there. Here is the list of top anime foxes ever. The list includes both anime boys and girls. So, which anime fox are you?
12. Kitsune, xxxHOLiC (2006)
Kitsune is one of the fox spirits from the anime series 'xxxHOLiC'. There are actually two fox spirits in the series and Kitsune along with the other fox spirit is in charge of the Fox Oden Cart. His appearance is that of a typical normal fox with human garments. Kitsune wears a white colored kimono and black apron. He also wears glasses which have round rims. His fur is of yellow-orange color with the exception of the tip of his tail, which is white. He runs the shop which sells Oden to people who can actually see it making it quite tough for humans to be his potential buyers. He is a good friend of Yuko's and had known him for quite some time. The appearance of Kitsune in the anime is episode 5.
Read More: Best Romance Anime
11. Nora Gitsune, One Piece (1999)
Nora Gitsune is a fox character from the anime series 'One Piece'. This is one weird looking fox and has been taken to be the pet for the Fake Straw Hats crew. But the team is quite bad at its researching as they did not know that the original dog of the real Straw Hats pirates was actually more than just a dog. It was a doctor and had several human-like traits too. Nora Gitsune has been mostly thrown getting thrown outside glass. He is quite strong when it comes to his dental prowess because he has been seen biting people. Nora used to work for the fake Robin when he was in the Fake Straw Hats Crew. He has also bitten the fake Robin when she kicked him out.
Read More: Best Action Anime
10. Yukikaze Panettone, Dog Days (2011)
Yukikaze Panettone is a fox girl from the anime series 'Dog Days' and can be often seen working alongside Brioche d'Arquien. She is a member of the Biscotti Knights Secret Squad. Her name is quite interesting. Yukikaze in Japanese means snowy wind. Her surname is not random either. Panettone is a sweet bread. Yukikaze is quite good at combat too and uses a variety of weapons in battle like bow and arrow, daggers et cetera. She is also good at fighting bare fist. Yukikaze is very agile which works to her advantage. She has two fox-like ears and a tail. Her hair color is blonde and she has blue colored eyes. She cares about her squad and considers the members as her own brothers.
Read More: Best Studio Ghilibi Movies
9. Bonbori and Hozuki, Otome Youkai Zakuro (2010)
Bonbori and Hozuki are twin fox girls from the anime series 'Otome Youkai Zakuro'. They are assigned to the Ministry of Spirit Affairs. They are generally seen with Hanakiri as they have been paired with the second lieutenant. Bonbori is a cheerful character of the anime and brightens everyone's mood. She is quite witty and often is seen making certain comments which make people blush. Hanakiri is quite dear to her as well as her sister Hozuki since he is one of the very few people who can identify them as individuals. Though one might think otherwise Bonbori and Hozuki don't stop having fun teasing Hanakiri. Hozuki is quite similar in personality to her twin sister as well. No wonder people can't tell them apart
Read More: Best Anime of 2017
8. Kyubi, Yo-Kai Watch (2014)
Kyubi is a Yo-Kai from the anime series 'Yo-Kai Watch'. He is an S-class fire type Yo-kai and is quite important in 'Yo-Kai Watch' being an essential requirement if one wants to unlock Komashura. Kyubi has the appearance of a fox and is covered with golden fur. His belly and paws are white. His chest is of a different color too being of purple color. He has long tails which are nine in number, all of which are covered with golden fur with the tip being purple. He has long nails which are purple in color as well. Kyubi is quite fond of seafood and Oden. He has an extreme sense of smell and has the ability to control fire. In addition to these, Kyubi can also fly, teleport and can take human form.
Read More: Best Ecchi Anime
7. Haru, Gingitsune (2013)
Haru is a young fox herald from the supernatural anime series 'Gingitsune'. 'Gingitsune' mainly focuses on the life of Saeki Makoto who inherited the ability to see God's agent from her family and is currently the only living member. She along with Fox Spirit Gintarou will try to help the people inhabiting her community and solve their problems. Haru is very fond of Satoru who is the successor of Kamio Shrine. Satoru is also quite popular in his school and is talented in the martial arts Kendo. Haru faced a fatal accident when she was a plain fox. She followedSatoru's great-grandfather home and was later buried under a cherry blossom tree. Haru later has Satoru live with her in the Saeki shrine.
Best More: Hottest Anime Ever
6. Dakki, Senkaiden Houshin Engi (1999)
Dakki So is the main villain of the fantasy anime series 'Senkaiden Houshin Engi'. The series is set in a time when dark magic and wizardry were commonplace. She has bewitched the emperor of the mighty dynasty and has reduced him to a mere puppet of hers. The country is in havoc and there is a presence of evil spirits wherever you go. To stop the utter destruction of the kingdom a young wizard is sent to defeat the evil spirits and stop Dakki. Dakki is a seductress. She is the human embodiment of a fox spirit and is quite sexy (no wonder the emperor became her puppet). She is known to have lived for hundreds of years and has used her magic to control the men of royal families. If she wants something she sees top it that she gets it whatever be the way.
Read More: Best Lesbian Anime
5. Gintarou, Gingitsune (2013)
Gintarou is one of the main fox spirits and one of the main protagonists of the supernatural anime series 'Gingitsune'. He is a fox herald who takes care of his shrine alone since all other fox heralds have either gone or just disappeared. Saeki Makoto has inherited the ability to see God's agents from her family. After her mother passed away she is the only one left in her family. Gintarou has been around for a long time. He has been the protector of the Inari temple since the Edo period. Gintarou needs to work with Saeki, though on the surface he seems to dislike her if he wants to help people. It has also been shown that Gintarou actually cares a lot about Makoto's well being and wants to take care of her.
Read More: Best Gay Anime
4. Yoko, Inukami! (2006)
Yoko is one of the main characters from the anime series 'Inukami!'. 'Inukami!' follows Kawahira Keita who wants to be a demon tamer. But to be a demon tamer you need to at least tame one demon, right? But our protagonist has failed to do that. He hasn't even tamed a single demon yet. This has made his family treat him as a disappointment. Yoko is one day encountered by Kawahira who thinks that she would be an easy target. He can easily catch her and tame her which would enable him to regain his honor. But it is easier said than done. Yoko is one problematic Inukami whom no demon tamer has been able to tame. Also, Yoko is actually a Kitsune, not an Inukami which gave her a spot on this list.
Read More: Disturbing Anime Scenes
3. Sajin Komamura, Bleach (2004)
Sajin Komamura is an important member of the soul society and is quite powerful when it comes to Bankai. His Bankai is the largest. I mean why wouldn't it be? He himself is the tallest and largest character in 'Bleach' after the giant gatekeepers. Komamura is also the captain of the 7th squad in the soul society. His appearance is that of a fox or wolf. I guess its a mixture of both. His fur is red. Initially, we see him very conscious of his canine appearance but in the later part of the series, he is seen without any helmet or gloves which used to be a staple part of his uniform. He was close friends with Tosen who betrayed him and the soul society by joining Aizen.
Read More: Best Dragon Ball Super Spoilers
2. Kurama, Naruto (2002)
Kurama is one of the nine tailed demons from the ninja-themed anime series 'Naruto'. He is commonly referred to as Kyuubi or nine-tailed fox. Humans have always feared the power of Kurama and have considered him a mindless, merciless monster which destroys everything in its path. Thus, he has been sought and captured many times to be used as a weapon in wars. This has made him despise and hate humans. His current Jinchuriki is Naruto the protagonist and titular character of the series. Kurama at first hates Naruto and wants him to be consumed by rage so that he can surface and wreak havoc but during 'Naruto: Shippuden' we see him bond with Naruto who asks his name. From then onwards they have been quite close friends.
Read More: Best Anime Characters of All Time
1. Inuyasha, Inuyasha (2000)
Inuyasha is the protagonist and the titular character of the anime series 'Inuyasha'. Some of you guys might be cursing me right now and I do think your point is valid. After all, Inuyasha is a dog demon, not a fox demon. But come on, let it slip, please. He is a great character and well dogs actually came from the wolf/fox family after being bred by humans, so technically his ancestors may have been a fox. Anyways, coming to his birth his mom his a normal human but his father is the dog demon whose attributes he inherited. Kagome asks him to help her find all the shards of the scattered jewel to prevent them from being used, by evil people.


text:
Not Your Mother's Morals: An Interview with Jonathan Fitzgerald
At 31, Jonathan Fitzgerald has become one of the most thoughtful cultural observers among a rising generation of Christians. He is editor and co-founder of Patrol, an online "review of religion and the modern world," and his articles have appeared in outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, The Daily Beast, and Christianity Today. His new e-book, Not Your Mother's Morals: How the New Sincerity is Changing Pop Culture for the Better, is a fascinating social commentary on changing moral norms that discusses the trend toward authenticity and sincerity in work, theology, music, and art. It is worth every penny of the $3.99 Amazon charges for it, and I highly recommend it. In this interview, I chat with Jonathan about morality, pop culture, and whether he believes God is "still important" today. JM: A lot of religious people—conservative Christians in particular—have a deep aversion to popular culture. After all, they say, we should be "in the world, not of it." In your opinion, why should we care about popular culture?
JF: As strange as it is to say, I actually think that in some significant ways pop culture is taking the place that religion used to hold in American culture. Let me explain. With the proliferation of the "Nones"--those who claim no religious affiliation--the influence of religious organization as moral gatekeepers has waned significantly.
So, based on this, one would think that our society would similarly become at best amoral and at worst completely immoral. And yet, this has not happened. Certainly some thanks is due to other cultural institutions, most notably families, for passing on morality to the next generation, but in lieu of a major, unifying cultural force like religion, popular culture has really begun to fill that gap.
JM: But is this really good news? Popular culture's morality doesn't often have a lot in common with the traditional morality held by many religious people.
JF: While it's true that popular culture introduces some new categories of morality and, at times, flat out contradicts what we would call tradition Judeo-Christian morality, I believe that there is actually more overlap than one might assume. This is why, in my book, I look at three major aspects of American culture -- God, Family, and Country -- and point out that pop culture actually has a lot to say on these topics. They're still as important as ever to most of us, even if the way we think about each category has shifted a bit.
JM: Can you give an example of how God is still as important today as, say, 50 years ago?
JF: Of course. Our collective longing for God has not gone away just because people attend church less frequently. In a number of places in popular culture, from the emotive cries of Indie rock artists to the over-the-top theatrics in the huge proliferation of super hero movies, it's evident that we, as a society, still have a need for God.
Because the Oscars have just passed, movies are fresh on my mind. Let's take a look at the top contenders for Best Picture. Two of the biggest films of the past year, Les Misérables and Life of Pi, and to a lesser extent Beasts of the Southern Wild, consider the part that God plays in our lives. They ask questions about his existence, relevance, and level of activity. The other nominees, from Lincoln to Silver Linings Playbook to Zero Dark Thirty, raise issues of morality to the most prominent thematic level.
The point that I want to make about all of this is that the foundation that makes this kind of consideration possible, is the New Sincerity movement. By elevating the values of sincerity and authenticity to the level of significance they have achieved in our culture, we've opened the doors for contemporary storytellers to consider morality and spirituality in popular culture.
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CultureJonathan March 19, 2013 Adams Family, Andy Griffith, Art, Bewitched, Christianity, Culture, family, Full House, fundamentalism, Jonathan Fitzgerald, Jonathan Merritt, life of pi, modern family, morality, morals, movies, nones, Not Your Mother's Morals, oscars, pop culture, popular culture, religion, society, television
10 Inaccuracies in The Bible Miniseries
CultureJonathan March 27, 2013 Abraham, Art, Bible, Biblical accuracy, Biblical errors, Biblical scholarship, Controversy, Entertainment Weekly, Film, History, History Channel, Jesus, Jesus Christ, Jonathan Merritt, King David, Los Angeles Times, Mark Burnett, Noah, Roma Downey, Scandal, television, The Bible
Are Christian dating websites undermining "Christian values?"
CultureJonathan March 18, 2013 Barnabas Piper, Bible, Christianity, ChristianMingle, christians, Controversy, courtship, Dating, History Channel, Jars of Clay, JDate, John Piper, Jonathan Merritt, Love, Relationships, Scripture, Sex, The Bible


Find out who we are and what we do for the New York Region.
Please join us at the second in a series of four community planning workshops to help plan the future of Route 59.
Shailen P. Bhatt, presented on "How New Mobility Technologies are Transforming the Movement of People, Data, and Freight." You can view the presentation using the link below.
NYMTC's 2019 Annual Report is now available!
Have an Idea or Question about Transportation Planning? Fill us in!
that is the Metropolitan Planning Organization for New York City, Long Island and the lower Hudson Valley. Our 10-county region, which includes the 5 boroughs of NYC, plus Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Putnam and Rockland counties, is home to more than 12 million people.
NYMTC's Transportation Information Gateway (TIG) is an interactive area where you can locate, visualize, and download data using maps, tables, and charts.
The New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC) announces a public comment period for proposed amendments to the FFY 2017-2021 TIP Read more?
The New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC) announces a public review period for its revised Public Involvement Plan (PIP). Read more?
New York City Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg was confirmed as Co-Chair of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC) at its 2019 Annual Meeting.
The New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC) hosted a quarterly meeting of its Metropolitan Mobility Network on January 30, 2019 at its offices in Lower Manhattan.
The New York Metropolitan Transportation Council's (NYMTC) Mid-Hudson South Transportation Coordinating Committee held a Lower Hudson Valley Mobility Advisory Forum at the Westchester County Center in White Plains on Tuesday, December 11, 2018.
NYMTC published its FFY 2018 Annual Listing of Obligated Transportation Improvement Projects. The listing identifies project phases that are obligated (authorized for federal funding reimbursement) and are a critical milestone in the process for project implementation. Federal planning regulations require that NYMTC publish a listing of obligated projects at the end of each federal fiscal year, which began for FFY 2018 on October 1, 2017 and ended September 30, 2018.
As part of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council's (NYMTC's) Regional Trends Series, NYMTC hosted a presentation by Caleb Stratton, Chief Resiliency Officer for the City of Hoboken.
A delegation from the People's Republic of China, Henan Province, visited NYMTC on December 3, 2018.
As a step toward a more inclusive planning process, our Language Access Program provides translation services for people who are not fluent in English. Launched April 1st, the program is a further enhancement to NYMTC's public involvement efforts.
Under federal regulations, NYMTC produces three required planning products and two analyses that guide the region's transportation planning activities and ensure compliance with clean air laws.
NYMTC provides a collaborative planning forum to address transportation planning activities from a regional perspective.
NYMTC collects, analyzes and provides critical data related to mobility, infrastructure, financing, safety and other essential planning topics.
NYMTC's public involvement efforts strive to bring varied stakeholders into the planning process in dynamic and meaningful ways. Get Involved!
Our Language Access Program is designed to help non-English speakers engage in the transportation planning process.
To translate documents and pdfs, upload the document to the Google Translation website – translate.google.com – then select the language translation pair and select the Translate button.
Note: Some of the original formatting might be lost after translation.


Whether you are looking to throw away large household items like broken appliances or old furniture, or are just trying to clean up your home or yard, junk removal companies in Ballston are here to help de-clutter your space quickly and efficiently. No license is required to perform junk removal in Ballston so XRefer takes care to partner with companies that have experience, perform background checks on employees and don't overcharge.
The average cost for ¼ truck junk removal in Ballston is $136. Pricing for ¼ truck junk removal in Ballston includes 80 to 120 cubic ft.
The average cost for ½ truck junk removal in Ballston is $271. Pricing for ½ truck junk removal in Ballston includes 180 to 240 cubic ft.
The average cost for ¾ truck junk removal in Ballston is $391. Pricing for ¾ truck junk removal in Ballston includes 300 to 360 cubic ft.
The average cost for full truck junk removal in Ballston is $558. Pricing for full truck junk removal in Ballston includes 420 to 480 cubic ft. Additional fees may apply for refrigerators, freezers, paint, tires, ac units, pianos and a few other large or hazardous items.
What Can Ballston Junk Haulers Take Away?
Before you even call a junk hauler in Ballston you want to write down specific questions that will help you make an educated choice in hiring the right specialist to remove your waste.
2. Estimate process. Do you charge by portion of junk truck filled up or by weight? Can I send pictures to get a more accurate estimate over the phone? For the most accurate estimate for the cost of junk removal in Ballston an on-site review at your home or office is the only way to go, as customers typically underestimate the volume of garbage. Most haulers charge by the portion of the truck that is used, and that is very hard for homeowners to conceptualize.
5. Do you offer junk recycling? Unfortunately not all companies provide recycling for your unwanted junk. XRefer approved junk removal services in Ballston go the extra step to recycle as much as possible. This not only helps the environment, but it is the responsible way to dispose of junk, eliminating the need to keep overfilling landfills.
7. Do you provide same day junk pickups? Yes! Same day junk pick up is available in most parts of Ballston but be sure to request service before 10 am to get on the schedule.
XRefer will make sure you only work with reputable and experienced expert junk haulers in Ballston who will get rid of unnecessary clutter from your home or office. Get started now, haulers are ready to provide a quote, have the experience and knowledge in handling all types of waste and are available in your area.
There's a high demand for Ballston junk removal. Call or request a quote right now!
Serving: Pattersonville, Greenfield, Princetown, Schaghticoke, Northumberland, South Glens Falls and throughout Ballston.
Serving: Pattersonville, Latham, Melrose, Menands, Northumberland, Mayfield and throughout Ballston.
Serving: Glenville, Rock City Falls, Cohoes, New Scotland, Wright, Glens Falls and throughout Ballston.
Serving: Middle Grove, Latham, Broadalbin, Fort Edward and throughout Ballston.
Serving: Porter Corners, Valley Falls, Edinburg, Wynantskill, Rensselaer and throughout Ballston.
Serving: Charlton, Niskayuna, Greenfield Center, Northumberland, Mayfield and throughout Ballston.
Serving: Middle Grove, Perth, Knox, Wright, Glens Falls and throughout Ballston.
Serving: Greenfield, Melrose, Menands, Fort Edward and throughout Ballston.
Serving: Clifton Park, Pattersonville, Fort Johnson, Northampton and throughout Ballston.
Serving: Stillwater, Waterford, Green Island, Easton, Menands, Glens Falls and throughout Ballston.


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Office of Inspector General, Department of Housing and Urban Development
Audits & Evaluations
Alerts, Briefs, & Other
Investigation & Inquiry Reports
Hearings & Correspondence
Top Management Challenges
Single Audit Guidance
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Media Material
About HUD OIG
Organization & Staff
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Due to the evolving situation concerning the coronavirus (COVID-19), the HUD OIG mail operations are suspended and we strongly encourage that you file all inquiries and/or complaints electronically to Whistleblower Report Form, Hotline Complaint Form or FOIA Requests.
Issued Between
Review of Selected Controls of New Core Interface Solution
We audited selected controls of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's New Core Interface Solution application as part of the internal control assessments for the fiscal year 2019 financial statement audit. Our objective was to review the controls for compliance with Federal information system security and financial management requirements. The OIG has determined that the contents of this audit report would not be…
#2020-DP-0002
Telework Impact on HUD's Operations Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
This memorandum report summarizes survey and interview results on the impact mandatory telework is having on U.S. Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) operations. The HUD Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted surveys and interviews to evaluate HUD's use of agency-wide telework in response to the novel coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The study was designed to provide insights into the types of obstacles that…
#2020-OE-0006
HUD's Purchase Card Program Had Inaccurate Records, Untimely Training, and Improper Purchases
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General audited HUD's compliance with the purchase card program requirements for fiscal years 2017 and 2018 based on our risk assessment. Our audit objective was to determine whether HUD maintained accurate records of cardholders and transactions; HUD employees took purchase card training when required; and HUD purchase cards were used for illegal, improper…
#2020-KC-0001
HUD's Use of Contractors
The Federal Government may choose to outsource for products or services using contracts and contractors. HUD-owned and contractor-supported products and services are core to achieving HUD's mission. In FY 2017, HUD awarded 2,338 contracts, modifications, and task orders valued at $3.9 billion. Specifically, HUD awarded 1,598 contracts totaling $3.1 billion in ultimate contract value for FY 2017. While 19 HUD offices awarded FY 2017…
HUD Used Funds for Building Improvements in Accordance With Its Plans and the Approval of the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations
We audited the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) use of funds for building improvements, managed by its Office of Administration, in response to a request from the U.S. House and Senate Committees on Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies. HUD planned to use repurposed and transferred funds from fiscal years 2015 and 2016, totaling $18.3 million, for…
#2019-PH-0801
HUD Privacy Program Evaluation Report
We conducted this evaluation to determine the effectiveness of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) privacy program We assessed the adequacy of agency strategies, plans, controls and practices at the enterprise and program levels. We also examined the level of progress achieved since we last evaluated the program in 2014. We found that HUD had updated its privacy impact assessment processes, and took a more…
Fire Safety Planning for the Weaver Building Needs Improvement
On December 21, 2017, smoke spread from a malfunctioning air-handling unit on the 11th floor to parts of many other floors. While a smoke detector in an air duct functioned properly and the fire department was notified, there was no audible alarm or public announcement to notify occupants to evacuate. People in one suite described the smoke as "heavy" and "thick." HUD and the General Services Administration believe that the fire…
Fiscal Year 2017 Review of Information Systems Controls in Support of the Financial Statements Audit
We audited information system controls over the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) computing environment. This review was conducted as part of our audit of HUD's financial statements for fiscal year 2017 under the Chief Financial Officer's Act of 1990. Our objective was to assess general controls over HUD's computing environment for compliance with HUD information technology policies and Federal information…
Review of Information Systems Controls Over FHA
We audited general and application controls over selected Federal Housing Administration (FHA) information systems and the credit reform estimation and reestimation process as part of the internal control assessments required for the fiscal year 2017 financial statement audit under the Chief Financial Officer's Act of 1990. Our objective was to review the controls for compliance with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (…
Risk Assessment of Fiscal Year 2016 HUD Charge Card Programs
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Inspector General (HUD OIG), has completed its annual risk assessment of HUD's charge cards as required by the Government Charge Card Abuse Prevention Act of 2012, Public Law 112-194, and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memorandum M-13-21. Our objective was to analyze the risks of illegal, improper, or erroneous purchases in HUD's fiscal year 2016 travel and…
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People need desktops for work and personal reasons. Most people, though, are not experts. In the following article, you will be given helpful suggestions about desktop computers.
Always use antivirus software. These programs protect your system from malicious attacks. The software steals information and slows down your computer. Many of the programs run scans and repairs your computer regularly when you set it right.
Only buy the best products when building a computer. Some processors will only work with certain motherboards. Also, some RAM units will only work with particular motherboards. Make sure you products will work together. This saves time, hassles and money as you build your own rig.
Buy a computer that comes with a solid warranty. That way, you are covered should something fail. In most cases, the machine can be returned to the store where you can get a repair or a replacement.
You'll need to consider a few things when buying a high-end gaming computer. You will need to be certain the computer has enough memory and an excellent video card. You may want to also consider a special controller or keyboard.
Make a list of the things you are going to be doing on your new desktop. The kind of computer you will need depends on how you use it. If you intend to do serious gaming, your hardware requirements are going to be much higher than someone who just surfs the Internet.
You need to be diligent when purchasing a new desktop, seeing as manufacturers have minimized paper documents that come with computers. Check their websites to determine if you will be able to get the drivers and software you need.
In closing, whilst desktop computer are very popular devices, very few people possess expert knowledge about them. The suggestions in this article present a good foundation for you to address your desktop computer purchase with a new level of expertise and focus. Use what you learned here and get the computer that you need.


Midwestern Gothic staffer Henry Milek talked with author Julie Schumacher about her book The Shakespeare Requirement, poking fun at academia, Shakespeare, & more.
Julie Schumacher: I am an accidental midwesterner. I moved to Minnesota thirty years ago with my spouse, when he landed a job in the Twin Cities; we intended to return to the east coast where we both grew up, but got too comfortable here and decided to stay. I love the Twin Cities. I just wish we could have an ocean here.
HM: You've written eight novels, several short stories, essays, and even a coloring book. Where does all the inspiration come from? How do you keep things fresh? Do you actively change up your process or style?
JS: For me, changing things up is essential. When I begin to write something new, I need to feel I'm engaged in a low-stakes experiment. Nothing too serious — I tell myself I'm just messing about. That was the attitude I brought to writing novels for young adults; it was also the impetus behind Dear Committee Members (written entirely in the form of letters of recommendation) and Doodling for Academics, an academic coloring book. On the one hand, discipline — sitting down at the desk — is crucial; and, on the other hand, I want to remind myself of why I began to love to write in the first place: because it involved open-ended possibility and a sense of play.
HM: In your experience, how does a writer best start working on a new idea? Is there such a thing as an ideal first draft? If so, what does it look like? If not, then why?
JS: An ideal first draft, I suppose, is one that has some structural integrity and a sense of purpose — without being too embarrassing to read. Only once or twice have I managed to live up to that standard. More often, my first drafts are hideous things: bits and pieces of mediocre and meandering prose. The challenge is to keep writing through the lousy passages and not impose high standards on early drafts, but instead to allow for failure and to keep going.
HM: Your latest novel, The Shakespeare Requirement, is a follow-up to your bestselling novel Dear Committee Members. Did you always know you wanted to write a sequel to that book? What drew you back to that world and characters?
JS: Some people who read Dear Committee Members found my main character, Professor Fitger, incredibly aggravating. But I realized I loved him. He is aggravating, of course, but he's also a champion for so many of the things that I care about — literature and the humanities, the state of higher education, undergraduate and graduate students. After the first book was published, I kept thinking about him. He was so thoroughly alive in my mind; I wanted to bring him back for another academic year.
HM: What exactly is different about writing a sequel rather than a completely new piece? What is the advantage to having the world and characters already established? Are there new challenges that come with continuing a series?
JS: Yes, an interesting question: there were advantages as well as challenges. I already knew my main character and the world in which he lived; but I had to be careful to adhere to and be faithful to that world and its many details. While writing The Shakespeare Requirement I found myself re-reading and combing through Dear Committee Members to make sure I didn't get anything about the setting or the minor characters wrong. I have a new respect for writers who produce a series — but I don't think I'll go beyond these two related books, myself.
HM: Between this series and your coloring book Doodling for Academics, you have a history of poking fun at academia. What drives you to return to this topic? Why is it necessary for someone within academia to call it out for its flaws?
JS: I don't know that it's "necessary"; and I've probably returned to the topic of academia because I've been immersed in it myself for decades. I didn't set out to poke fun at higher education at all: I wrote Dear Committee Members as an experiment in form (wondering whether it would be possible to write an entire novel as a series of recommendation letters), and it emerged as a satire. It has been strange to find myself called a 'satirist' and a 'humor writer'; but I'm very happy to know that the books have made people laugh.
HM: The Shakespeare Requirement follows protagonist Jason Fitger through various crises, including his struggle to get an out-of-date professor of Shakespeare to retire, prompting backlash as his actions are interpreted as an attempt to eliminate the teaching of Shakespeare altogether. What prompted you to take the story in this direction? What interested you about the questions this particular plotline poses?
JS: When I was just starting to write the second book, thinking about Jason Fitger's second academic year and what it might entail, I was casting about for some sort of structural hook on which to hang the plot. And then one day during a lull in a faculty meeting, a colleague mentioned to me that at her previous university, the faculty had engaged in a year-long battle over a Shakespeare requirement — whether Shakespeare would or would not be required for the undergraduate English major. I felt a little bell ring somewhere at the back of my brain. I count on those sorts of fortuitous moments.
HM: The promotional material for the book is filled with Shakespearean language and references. Can you tell us a bit more about the role Shakespeare's work plays in the story, as well as how it influenced your own writing?
JS: I am not a Shakespeare scholar. I majored in Spanish as an undergraduate, and never took a dedicated Shakespeare class. Like Jason Fitger, I'm a fiction writer in an English department. So I had to do some research in order to create my Shakespearean, Professor Dennis Cassovan, who is immersed in that field. Though Cassovan has no patience whatsoever for Fitger, I wanted them both to be sympathetic and appealing. I created an undergraduate in the novel who runs into trouble; despite their enmity for each other, both Fitger and Cassovan care deeply about her, and set politics aside to help her along.
JS: I am doing some daydreaming, casting about for the next experiment.
Julie Schumacher is the author of ten books (including a coloring book, Doodling for Academics). She is the first and still only woman to have won the Thurber Prize for American Humor — for her best-selling novel Dear Committee Members. Her newest novel is The Shakespeare Requirement, published in August 2018 by Doubleday. She is a member of the MFA Creative Writing faculty at the University of Minnesota/Twin Cities.


text:
import math
import numpy
import os.path
import sys

import pandas as pd
import statsmodels.api as sm
from scipy import stats

from databases import KEGGPathways
from methods.method import Method, MethodResult
from models import Experiment

class LRpathResult(MethodResult):
    columns = ['Path_ID', 'nGene', 'LRcoeff', 'odds_ratio', 'LRpvalue', 'catsigIDs']
    description = """
    For more information see:
    http://lrpath.ncibi.org/method.pdf
    """

class LRPathway:

    def __init__(
            self, Path_ID: str, nGene: int, LRcoeff: float, odds_ratio: float, LRpvalue: float, catsigIDs: str
    ):
        self.LRcoeff = LRcoeff
        self.odds_ratio = odds_ratio
        self.LRpvalue = LRpvalue
        self.nGene = nGene
        self.Path_ID = Path_ID
        self.catsigIDs = catsigIDs

class LRpath(Method):
    """

    LRpath performs gene set enrichment testing, an approach used to test for predefined
    biologically-relevant gene sets that contain more significant genes from an experimental
    dataset than expected by chance. Given a high-throughput dataset with continuous significance
    values (i.e. p-values), LRpath tests for gene sets (termed concepts) that have significantly
    higher significance values (e.g. for differential expression) than expected at random.  Genes
    are mapped to concepts using their Entrez Gene IDs. The use of logistic regression allows the
    data to remain on a continuous scale while maintaining the interpretation of results in terms
    of an odds ratio , as is used with the standard Fisher's Exact test.

    Additional arguments include:
     - minimum number of unique gene IDs analyzed in category to be tested
     - maximum number of unique gene IDs analyzed in category to be tested
     - cutoff = Entrez gene IDs in each category with p-values < will be tested
     - database to be tested
     - lower and upper p-values to be used

    Please refer & cite following publications:
        - 'LRpath: a logistic regression approach for identifying enriched biological groups in gene expression data.'
            Sartor, Leikauf, Medvedovic (2009, Bioinformatics 25, 211-217)

    """

    help = __doc__

    name = 'LRpath'

    legal_disclaimer = """ Copyright 2010 The University of Michigan  """

    def __init__(
            self, database, organism: str = 'Homo sapiens', min_g=10, max_g=None,
            cutoff=0.05, odds_min=0.001, odds_max=0.5, markdown: str = ''
    ):
        """
ma
        Args:
            database: file with columns separated by tab, [1] first column should has pathway_id in first place (it can
                some others infromacions separated by spaces), and [2] second column should has gene exist in this
                pathway separated by space.
            min_g: the minimum number of unique gene IDs analyzed in category to be tested
            max_g: the maximum number of unique gene IDs analyzed in category to be tested
            cutoff: entrez gene IDs in each category with p-values < cutoff, will be tested
            odds_min: lower p-values be used
            odds_max: upper p-values to be used
            markdown: generate additional markdown output file with given name
        """

        self.database = database
        self.organism = organism
        self.min_g = min_g
        self.max_g = max_g
        self.cutoff = cutoff
        self.odds_min = odds_min
        self.odds_max = odds_max
        self.markdown = markdown
        if markdown:
            if os.path.exists(markdown if '.md' in markdown else markdown.split('.')[0] + '.md'):
                print("Warning: '" + markdown + "' file already exists and will be overwritten!")

    def run(self, experiment: Experiment) -> LRpathResult:
        """
        Initialize all procedures for LRpath method.
        Return:
            list of results

        """

        geneids = experiment.case.genes
        match = experiment.case.as_array()
        data, names_sample = self.create_data(match)
        db = self.create_database()
        data, geneid = self.name_geneid(data, geneids)
        results = self.calc_siggenes(data, names_sample, geneid, db)

        results = LRpathResult(results)
        if self.markdown:
            results.generate_markdown(self.markdown, 'Results of LRpath:')
        return results

    @staticmethod
    def create_data(match):
        """
        Create sample data and list of samples names

        """
        diki = {}
        names = []

        for name in match:
            names.append(name)
            col = []
            for i in match.index:
                test = (float(match.loc[[i]][name]))
                col.append(float(stats.chi2.pdf(test, 1)))
            diki[name] = col

        data = pd.DataFrame(diki)
        data.index = match.index

        return data, names

    def create_database(self):
        """
        Open file with database and initialize creating database accepted by LRpath method

        """
        if type(self.database) is not dict:
            if os.path.exists(self.database):
                db = self.get_list_db()
            else:
                sys.exit("Path with database file is not exist")
        else:
            db = self.database
        return db

    def name_geneid(self, data, geneids):
        geneid = []
        for geny in geneids:
            geneid.append(KEGGPathways(self.organism).get_gene_code(gen=geny.name).split()[0])

        data['gene_name'] = data.index
        data.index = geneid

        return data, geneid

    def get_list_db(self):
        """
        Create dick with our database

        Returns:
            A database accepted in LRpath method

        """
        file = open(self.database).readlines()
        db = {}

        for line in file:
            line = line.split('\t')
            i_name = line[0].split()[0]
            i_list = line[1].split()
            db[i_name] = i_list

        return db

    def calc_siggenes(self, data, names, geneid, database):
        """
        Calculate logistic regression,
         Args:
             data: DataFrame with our samples
             names: list of samples names
             geneid: list of geneid, gens entrez id
             database: dick created from our database

        """
        name = names[0]
        signes = []
        for si in data[name]:
            if si == 0:
                si = 10 ** (-15)
            elif si == float('inf'):
                si = 1
            signes.append(si)
        data.update(pd.Series(signes, name=name, index=data.index))

        uniqids = list(set(geneid))
        numuniq = len(uniqids)
        lor_mult = math.log(self.odds_min) - math.log(self.odds_max)
        data['nlp'] = None

        for sig in data.index:
            up = pd.Series([float((-1) * math.log(float(data.loc[[sig]][name])))], name='nlp', index=[sig])
            data.update(up)

        newp = [None] * numuniq

        for num in range(numuniq):
            current = []
            for genid in geneid:
                if genid == uniqids[num]:
                    current.append(data.loc[[genid]]['nlp'][0])
            for cur in current:
                if cur is not None:
                    newp[num] = numpy.mean(cur)

        catsizes = {}
        yy = {}
        for k, v in database.items():
            catsizes[k] = len(v)
            if catsizes[k] >= self.min_g:
                yy[k] = v

        siggenes = []
        for i in range(len(uniqids)):
            if newp[i] is not None:
                if math.exp(-newp[i]) < self.cutoff:
                    siggenes.append(uniqids[i][4:])

        if self.max_g is None:
            self.max_g = 99999

        ind = 0
        catsigIDs = {}
        results = []
        for key, value in yy.items():
            path = []
            for el in value:
                for u in range(len(uniqids)):
                    if el == uniqids[u][4:]:
                        path.append(u)

            length = len(path)
            if self.max_g >= length >= self.min_g:
                ind = ind + 1
                cat = [0] * numuniq
                for s in path:
                    cat[s] = 1

                logmod = sm.GLM(pd.DataFrame(cat), pd.DataFrame(newp), family=sm.families.Binomial())
                t = logmod.fit()

                id_list = set()

                for gen in value:
                    if gen in siggenes:
                        id_list.add(int(gen))
                catsigIDs[ind] = ', '.join(map(str, id_list))

                if catsigIDs[ind]:
                    lrpath = LRPathway(
                        key, length,
                        float(t.params),
                        float(math.exp(lor_mult * float(t.params))),
                        float(t.pvalues),
                        catsigIDs[ind])
                    results.append(lrpath)

        return results


text:
Thread: Strings
#1 Strings
I alway ask this as my first question at new forums; "What are your thoughts on String Theory?".
Mainly because in Physics I think that is our way ahead towards the Grand Unification Theory, also while we're on the topic what are your thoughts on the Ekpyrotic Model?
Trying to understand strings and branes better
string theory for idiots (help needed!)
Rice mechanics
String Theory (What is it I'm a little confused?)
Whats faster then the speed of light?
Is data supercompression algorithm principally possible?
About Symmetric groups
Is the universe really..
(In)Sanity
Forum Isotope
Great, now your going to force me to become more knowledgeable on this theory That's kind of what I like about the forum. It makes one investigate things they would not normally have done.
Well there's alot to learn but I think that's it's the best prt to learn about in the context of science, it is so abstract and that's what I like about physics. So what do you want to know? There's probally more people around here with a broader knowledge that can answer your question better than me .
For a start maybe you could have a read on wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_Theory
Have a nice read.
I hope I am not insulting your intelligance I don't know how much you know
sploit
I find string theory quite fascinating. It really puts a new spin on the way our entire universe behaves and makes you look at it in a new light. I am very interested in gravity and string theory is providing the most insight (whether it proves to be true or not) into the way gravity behaves in our universe and its effects on distorting space-time. String theory is still in its infant stages and I'm sure it will take much more time until we have even a decent understanding of what truly goes on in this universe.
I am not that familiar with the ekpyrotic model, however I do know the basics of it. What I like most about it is that there is not an instant of creation, as in the big bang, but rather the universe is created from the collision of two universe's, much like new galaxies forming from colllisions. This also gives more strenght to cyclic theories, which I am a big fan of.
- sploit -
#5 String Theory
Raison Detre
Sorry to butt in, i'm just a layman at science, and have a different perspective regarding String Theory.
Im not being a know-it-all or anything, but science seem's to miss out vital information of 'How' Einstien came about String Theory, and maybe this is why it's still a theory!
Einstein did the same as practically every inquisitive child does in the world today, play with the muscle's of the eye's to capture the rainbow of perspective, and i bet some of you can remember as a child sitting in the sun, or board stiff in the classroom, pocking or stretching the 6 muscle's of each eye, maybe even with the end of a pencil to achieve the same rainbow effect in the visual field, and this is only possible from about 3-12 year's of age, simply because both hemisphere's of the brain are duel polarity active from the birth-spin pineal ignition, or the crowning magnetic polarity effect during child birth. As we get older, we tend to lose the right hemisphere polarity, and become left hemisphere dominant, but some female's retain this polarity ability throughout their live's, and is increasingly known scientifically as Syneasthesia, and exceptionally rare for a male, but re-named Sacred geomety, although the same thing, originally, the birth-spin!
If you look at Einstein's childhood habit's, then you might see from his perspective. it's the same principle for Da Vinci and his perspective in The Last Supper, each person on both side's of the table represent's each muscle of each eye, 6 either side, and Debire "between the eye's of the Lord", now you can see the Inn, as in, in ourselve's!
You can buy all the education in the world, but experience is priceless!
RD,
I am a know-it-all and have no doubt that string theory was not proposed by the late Albert. He was seeking a GUF of everything, died thinking that Quantum Physics with its wave/particle has been stymied by a challenge put forward to Nils Bohr, and although he was dissatisfied with the GT of Relativity, this was last accepted concept of this scale that he proposed. Strings were built upon the GTof R, but not by Einstein.
That maybe so, but Einstein's string theory began the debate of the Neutrino, unless comprehensive education in the UK has been using reverse psychology on the lower classes for the past 50 odd year's?
Anyway, like i said, i'm no scientist, my real interest is the link's between mythology, paranormal experience, and the age of scientific language. For instance, what the ancient Egyptian's called the Aten, in scientific term's today would be the brain stem, and Alchemical projection is related to the process of remote viewing, or out of body experience, and the Dwat is related to a neutrino, and the colour and tone of the string within it, or what the Ancient Egyptian's knew as the serpent of their own life force in an egg naked to the human eye. It's these type's of link's that i'm looking for, and your the expert's with the scientific language to help me to connect those link's. The science we know today has alway's been here from the beginning of time, it's just the language's of quantum physic's that's lost the link's over that vast space of thousand's of year's.
So now you know the angle of where i'm coming from, would you be able to use your expert knowledge in relation to ancient knowledge if you can find the link's, especially if you to know that the process'es that the ancient's used were the same as the quantum physic's that we use today but just a different language, and creating a Dwat has the same eliment's as a neutrino, with the same active's in magnetic field's surrounding the earth today, then you can see why the ancient's believed the Dwat was an eternal life force containing a conscious aspect of the self and time, and what we know today about the indistructable neutrino, and the string tone, or time tone it contain's.
So how did the ancient's see neutrino's containing string's without today's scientific equipment, and how did they find the key's to access the magnetic spectrum?
As you know, the ancient's were far advanced in astrology and the process of alchemy, that even today, the Cosmos and the process of alchemy isn't realy fully understood in the search for the elixer of eternal life, so really it's just our scientific language today that is detatched to it's ancient origin's of physic's. So you can go on about who did what, who or discovered such n' such for centuries, it's not this type of thing i want to debate about, it's linking the ancient physic's with our physic's today. So if Einstein's theory of GUF had a common link in everything, then how come the ancient's saw the same thing?
Tafkam Aruhpe
Where the morning finds me
I thought m-brane theory was the current avenue of choice.
Except string theory can't derive the basic physical constants. Pretty lame.
If it can't even derive the speed of light ...
Sciforums Refugee.
#10 String Theory
mustbemagic
I think that String Theory is a fascinating issue, but, I'm sorry to say, the jury is still out on it. I've read a lot of bokks, articles etc. on string theory, and the one major thing I've realized is that it is still just a theory.
It's threatening to pull out of the almost-science category and into main-stream science, but there is no evidence that little tiny vibrating strings are the most basic building blocks of matter/energy. It's a really good guess, and it would answer a lot of questions if it does, in fact, turn out to be the true, but, fact of the matter is, we are nowhere NEAR being able to produce the amount of energy it would take to be able to detect strings. (We're talking about something that, if they do exist, are on a scale that makes the planck level look gargantuan in comparison.
We can't even at this point actually SEE atoms, we can only infer their presence by crashing them into things at enormous speeds and measuring the stuff that flies out of the collision. And atoms are HUGE compared to planck-sized matter. And strings would be incredibly small compared to THEM.
By all means, let's debate string theory. I would love to hear what you folks think. But as I said, there is no evidence (yet) that tiny vibrating strings is what things are made of.
"Consider the daffodil. And while your doing that, I'll be over here, going through your stuff."
Clarky
It is interesting... in an open minded sense, the major issue for me is why strings? or even membranes? because you can apply mathmatical equations to them? because thats what it seems like.. when people talk about trying to understand more fundemental aspects of reality they often think of vibration i guess, like a musical note.. like a 'string' on an instrument?
The problem is obvious their applying mathmatic's to imaginary models that have no real grounding outside of assumption, surely its great fun , but is it accurate? I wouldnt think so, it seems like an impatient grasp at a unified theory without the validation of practical evidence.
"The present is theirs ; the future, for which I really work , is mine." Nikola Tesla
Originally Posted by Clarky
assumptions <-> postulates. What do you think all physics theories are based on? Experimental evidence is used to support or refute a theory - but the development of theory, new or old, is based on postulates.
Just pointing out the obvious. Im just saying without backing it up with something proveable, they can calculate new dimensions till their fingers fall off to try and explain the theory, but applying physical attributes to a realm that is holistic and doesnt really consist of any physically observable attributes atall essentially seems a bit off when mainstream science is still essentially at a loss for explaining gravity and a whole heap of other inbetween stuff thats needed to create a better picture.
Just pointing out the obvious. Im just saying without backing it up with something proveable, they can calculate new dimensions till their fingers fall off to try and explain the theory,
I agree - string theorists really are in a world all their own.
redewenur
Clarky: Theorists come up with the theories. Experimentalists do experiments in the attempt to prove or disprove the theories. A theoretical scientist examines possiblities - attempts to determine, according to the known laws of physics, what is improbable and what is more probable. No scientist states that theory is fact. By definition, it's still a 'maybe". When Professors Hoyle, Bondi and Gold formulated their Steady State Theory, that's exactly what it was intended to be - a theory. It's now been superceded by the much more probable Big Bang Theory. Although even that's being modified as the years pass. What we're blessed with in this modern world, though, is scientists who are not constrained by conventional thinking, or fear of being burned at the stake.
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