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China Business, Foreign Investment
By chinalawblog
In a recent op-ed, I wrote how the controversy over Disney's Mulan embodies some of the ethical dilemmas and pitfalls that face companies doing business in China. On one hand, to maintain their presence in China these companies must comply with the demands and expectations of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). On the other hand, doing so comes with the cost of significant reputational risk at home.
But the influence Beijing seeks to gain on Western media companies such as Disney and Comcast is but a subplot in a much larger story, and China is playing a series of bigger games in which its Communist Party is thinking a dozen moves ahead of their chief opponent — the United States. Since China's path to victory over the United States will depend in large part on our ignorance the what games it plays and the strategies it employs, the U.S. must quickly become privy to both to stand a chance.
Though the strategic game of choice in much of the world is chess, in China it is wei qi. China is employing a comprehensive strategy to encircle us across many domains of competition. The CCP knows it cannot win a kinetic war with the United States and so it is finding other ways to fight the hundred years' war against the United States. And among those ways is using our short-term thinking, our hunger for market opportunities (aka greed), and our openness against us.
1. China's Most Dangerous Game
To understand China's game, it helps to studying their primary tactic at the moment, which involves aggressively opening their financial markets to the U.S. in ways they never have before, and China is doing this despite tense political relations between the two nations. Just in the last few months, China has given approval to leading Wall Street firms like BlackRock, Vanguard, Citigroup, and JPMorgan Chase, to expand their businesses in China. In August, BlackRock received official approval from the Chinese government to set up a mutual fund business in Shanghai. Days later, Vanguard announced it was moving its regional headquarters to Shanghai. JPMorgan Chase, meanwhile, is set to pay $1 billion to become the first foreign company to assume full ownership of a pre-existing Chinese mutual fund business. This is all in marked contrast to Beijing's previous requirement that Western firms partner with local Chinese entities to do business in China's financial markets.
Why is China opening up their financial markets and why now? China is not doing this because it needs the money. Part of the reason it is doing this is because it wants to study Western banking models. There are numerous examples of China bringing in Western companies and letting them make money in China but essentially forcing them to teach Chinese companies that are positioning themselves to set up competing enterprises that will eventually destroy the China opportunities for these very same Western companies. When a Western company fights back via the legal system, as the Dallas-based Tang Energy Group has done against the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), they find China to be a formidable opponent even when fighting on home turf.
If you study China's past collaborations with the West in other industries—its partnerships with Disney and Comcast being notable examples—a pattern comes into focus. Essentially, what Beijing is doing is laying down the foundations for an ecosystem set up to extract commitments and support for their policies from Western companies. This ecosystem consists of numerous interlinking components, including the social credit ranking system, the national security law, and cybersecurity laws. With these components now in place, the CCP is inviting into China an increasing number of Western companies from varying industries, most of which will not be able to resist the prospect of tapping into what is now the world's largest economy.
For its part, the CCP is not interested in providing access to its markets without getting something in return and what it wants most of all, is for foreign financial institutions to favorably represent and support their nationalist narratives and policies back home in the United States. U.S. banks and financial companies are the perfect vehicle for Beijing to achieve these aims since the financial sector has tremendous lobbying power in Washington and is by far the largest source of campaign donations to political parties and candidates.
This is not just an abstract hypothetical. China has already done this, very recently in fact with Standard Chartered and HSBC, two British banks with operations in Hong Kong and the mainland. Beijing gave the ultimatum to these two British banks that if they did not publicly express support for the national security law in Hong Kong they would lose the right to continue doing business in China. Both banks complied in a move widely criticized by the international community. But the CCP didn't stop there; it also demanded both companies crack down on clients with ties to the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong. The banks complied with this as well.
Another more recent example is the CCP abruptly slamming the brakes on Ant Group's highly anticipated IPO, just days before its shares were set to begin trading in Shanghai and Hong Kong on Nov. 5, costing the company tens of billions of dollars. This came just over one week after Ant Group co-founder Jack Ma criticized Chinese regulators for stifling innovation with a "pawnshop mentality." The CCP shut down this IPO and then disappeared Jack Ma as retaliation and as a reminder that the CCP controls all private industry in China. Duly chastened, Ant Group publicly pledged to "embrace regulation", but Jack Ma has not been seen nor heard from for going on a month now.
These are tactics China has been before and will use again with the foreign banks and financial institutions rushing in now.
2. Why Companies Comply With China's Demands
Why do Western companies not just refuse to comply when China makes these kinds of demands? Why would they support policies that so clearly run counter to the democratic principles of their home countries?
First, as part of the contractual conditions for doing business in China, the Communist Party requires foreign companies to not say or do anything disruptive to the stability of China's social fabric. What is considered "disruptive," however, is deliberately left ambiguous and open to the CCP's arbitrary interpretations. Companies that violate this rule may not only lose their right to operate in China, they may also be required to forfeit the intellectual property they brought with them. To illustrate, if the CCP were to disapprove of something Disney said, Disney might not only be forbidden to release any future films in China, their highly profitable Shanghai Disneyland and other joint ventures would thereafter belong entirely to their government-owned Chinese business partners. This is likely why Disney has been slow to answer questions from U.S. or U.K. lawmakers about their involvement with Xinjiang, or answered those questions in only the vaguest terms. They do not wish to provoke CCP ire.
Of course, Western companies could always just say "no" to the CCP's demands, or they could conclusively prove their commitment to their home countries and democratic principles by being willing to sever their ties with China. The reason they do not do this is simple: once these companies have invested resources to establish their presence in China, and particularly once they are generating profits in China, they have too much to lose.
But why would Western firms agree to such contractual terms in the first place? For the same reasons they comply when the CCP makes its demands: money. The prospect of tapping into the world's largest economy is too enticing for companies to pass up. Perhaps corporate America's proclivity to focus on short-term profits blinds companies to the very real risks of making deals with China. Or perhaps they do not believe China would actually try to manipulate them in such a way (though it is clear from the examples of Standard Chartered and HSBC that China very much would). These companies also may ultimately be agnostic about the countries and the principles to which they are loyal. But for whatever permutation of reasons, foreign banks right now are happily walking into the honeytrap the CCP has set for them. Insidious as all of this is, one cannot help but marvel at the strategic genius of using our own short-term thinking against us. As I often say, China looks miles down the road; we look inches down the road.
3. Why This Matters for the American People
From tech to fashion to the media, Western industries are becoming increasingly complicit in China's manifold human rights violations. I fear banks soon will be as well, but there are two bases for cautious optimism. One is the bipartisan support in Washington for sanctions against China for its human rights abuses. If enough political momentum can be built before China exercises its influence over American banks and their lobbying power, this could prevent serious problems down the road. However, there would need to be an international effort on this because the U.S. cannot deter China alone. Though the Republicans have sought to frame Joe Biden as being China's choice, the reality is that Biden is not only a China hawk, he also has the diplomatic dexterity to bring world leaders back to the U.S.'s side for a concerted effort.
The other source of hope lies with U.S. citizens becoming increasingly aware of China's game plan and articulating their concerns through their purchasing patterns. The banks need to understand that we know they have choices in this matter, and that the best choices would be those that are loyal to U.S. interests. Activist-led movements like the recent call to boycott Disney's Mulan raise the likelihood that Americans will become more concerned about these issues. The challenge here is that the Covid-19 pandemic and ensuing economic crisis in America have created an atmosphere of self-preservation, and this has emboldened China to push harder and faster to take their plan to the next stage.
We the people can and should become more active players by bringing China's nationalist agenda to the center of the national discussion — not at the expense of the other issues we care so deeply about—the economy, the coronavirus, the preservation of democracy — but precisely in the name of them.
UPDATE: Just today, the CCP has provided us with another example of how it seeks to co-opt foreign companies that do business in China. See Xi Jinping wants Starbucks and Howard Schultz to help repair US-China ties.
This post was guest written by David Jacobson. David is an international lawyer who provides strategic litigation support and expert witness services for law firms in cases involving Chinese SOEs and SOE Governance. He is also a professor of law and global business strategy at SMU's Cox School of Business.
chinalawblog


I'm traveling to NYC as you read this. Or maybe I'm already in the big apple? Either way heres what I've been listening to recently as well as on the plane. I've gone kind of back to my first love: alternative Music. This months playlist is full of alt oldies and newbies (and a sprinkle of pop). Theres something about a good alt playlist that makes you want to get in a car, hop on a plane, or get on a train and just GO. There is also room for a bit of car singing and bedroom dancing within this playlist.


I have a MacBook Air with two NTFS partitions - 33GB with Windows 7 and 23GB formatted in NTFS holding my data. I have no OSX partition on this device!!
I want to join partitions C and D so that I do not get a constant message about not enough space on drive C witch contains Windows. Is there any way I can do this without reinstalling Windows simply by playing with partitions and cloning tools? Any advice would be much appreciated!
Very few people here have expertise in a Windows only environment.
I seldom do anything with Windows now, but Partition Master appears to be one that will do what you want with your partitions - and is a free app.


posted on: May 5 2013 19:0 by RDugey. Viewed 4278 times.
Dominican social insurance (IDSS) Institute, let formally updated the dialysis unit of the hospital President Estrella Ureña, of Santiago, to provide care to members of the administrator of health risk from safe (ARS-SS) and the other managers of the Dominican system of Social security that require that service.
To lead the ceremony of reopening the IDSS, Sabino Báez, director stressed that this unit is equipped with modern equipment of last generation and that it will ensure the attentions to the insured class who each day visit the referral hospital.
The new dialysis unit consists of three rooms, two of them dializará 16 patients simultaneously and the third can accommodate three patients with viral. added that also has an area for peritoneal dialysis service.
"Each room is equipped with air conditioning, each with three 42 inch televisions and cable, for the entertainment of the patients, while they dialyzed", said Baez.
Also, consists of room for nurses, three bathrooms for families and an exclusive bathroom for patients, in addition to three areas of washing of hands for patients, medical and paramedical personnel.
Baez, emphasized that the unit also has a recreational area equipped with furniture, dining terrace, Garden, 50 inch TV, with the aim that the patients and their companions are recreated as they dialyzed.
Baez said that with this modern unit of internal medicine services optimize and are duplicate bids in this health centre of the network.


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President Trump Says He Will Release FISA Warrants Now That Mueller Probe Over
Bruce Haring
March 27, 2019 8:33PM PDT
President Donald Trump said he will now move forward with releasing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrants that were used by the FBI to investigate his campaign.
Trump, speaking with Fox News host Sean Hannity by phone Wednesday night, said he will release the documents and "get to the bottom" of how the Russian collusion story gained traction. Trump has previously threatened to release the documents, but told Hannity he was advised not to by his attorneys.
"I do, I have plans to declassify and release. I have plans to absolutely release," Trump said when asked about the FISA documents. "I have some very talented people working for me, lawyers, and they really didn't want me to do it early on. … A lot of people wanted me to do it a long time ago. I'm glad I didn't do it. We got a great result without having to do it, but we will. One of the reasons that my lawyers didn't want me to do it, is they said, if I do it, they'll call it a form of obstruction."
Trump added: "Frankly, thought it would be better if we held it to the end. But at the right time, we will be absolutely releasing."
Trump also attacked the usual suspects among his enemies, blasting former FBI Director James Comey, former CIA Director John Brennan, and Democrat House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff.
"When I said there could be somebody spying on my campaign, it went wild out there," Trump said to Hannity. "They couldn't believe I could say such a thing. As it turned out, that was small potatoes compared to what went on. … Millions and millions [spent] on the phony dossier, and then they used the dossier to start things. It was a fraud, paid for by Hillary Clinton and the Democrats."
Trump indicated earlier that he was pondering a second special prosecutor to review the origins of the Russia investigation.
© 2019 PMC. All rights reserved.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Go to a URL with specific cookies to avoid a splash page I want to give some clients a URL to our website that avoids the splash page (of which there is a cookie so they only view it one time). Is this possible to give someone a URL or line of javascript they can put in their address bar that can set a cookie before going to a site on the client-side?
I tried doing this in the address bar a bunch of different ways but nothing was working:
javascript:document.cookie=SPLASHCOOKIE=1;window.location.href="thesite.com";

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


If you have been trying to decide on whether to purchase a 5th wheel motorhome for sale or a luxury class A motorhome you may find the decision challenging. Some RV consumers will say that there is nothing better than traveling in a Class A motorhome which allows for a full and open view of the road and scenery! Class A RV's handle quite well on the road even when towing a vehicle, but with a little practice, towing a 5th wheel can be just as easy to maneuver and with most 5th wheel RV models, swaying has been virtually eliminated. Fifth wheels range anywhere from around 12 feet to around 33 feet and the larger, upscale 5th wheels have extensive features with all of the comforts of home.
A Class A motorhome generally costs more than a 5th wheel, however if you purchase a 5th wheel you will have to purchase a vehicle that will tow it. Class A diesel RV's generally will require more maintenance than a 5th wheel which will need tires and wheel bearings every few years.
The interior designs and features of a travel trailer can be very similar to the Class A RV but generally you can find a 5th wheel travel trailer for sale at a much lower cost. One of the disadvantages to a 5th wheel is that no passengers are allowed inside while on the road. For some, this is a big deal, especially if you are traveling with family.
If you currently own a 5th wheel and wish to upgrade to a Class A motorhome or Class B Motorhome, Easy Escapes RV can help you make that transition with ease. If however, you love what your 5th wheel offers in terms of cost, low maintenance and gas mileage but wish to sell your 5th wheel motorhome on consignment and upgrade to a newer model we can help. Simply fill out our online inquiry form or call us directly at (863) 450-4915.
Learn more about the process of consigning and selling your RV in Florida.
Easy Escapes RV will save you the trouble of towing your travel trailer to a Florida RV dealer's lot for an RV appraisal and RV consignment because we can come to you! From Naples, to Tampa Bay, we make consigning, selling and buying 5th wheel travel trailers and RV's in Florida simple.
2018 Florida RV SuperShow-Don't Trade! CONSIGN!!!!
© 2019 Easy Escapes RV Sales | RV Consignment.


Simply the best non-mechanical line winders you can buy. Yo-Yo Winders make it easy to dispense the line and reel it in quickly. Easy to grip with one hand.
Line: Includes 500 ft. 50 lb. Test Line and one yo-yo winder. Yo-yo winder comes in assorted colors. Premier yo-yos are only recommended for single line kites.
What are the advantages of a Halo winder (or also known as yo-yo winders) over a Stake winder? The first advantage is that when you need to release a lot of line quickly, you only need to slip the winder over your wrist and lock your hands together. The line will let out quickly with no effort on your part. The second advantage is that when it is time to bring the kite in, each loop you put on the winder (depending on the circumference of the winder) is about a foot and a half of string. Compare that to the 4 inches of string each time you spin a stake winder between your fingers and it won't take you long to figure out that a halo winder is worth the few extra dollars.
Click the button below to add the Premeir Kites - Yoyo Winder 50# x 500' to your wish list.


about this book: Anyone who has to avoid both gluten and dairy products will find this cookbook invaluable. There are over 200 recipes included, from basics to party specials.
Celiac disease is a common cause of gluten intolerance, but by no means the only one. In the early days after diagnosis, many CD sufferers find that they also temporarily have to avoid dairy products as well, because the damage caused by the disease has made digestion of milk and so on impossible. Although this generally goes away after a year (more or less), it's hard enough to learn to avoid one ubiquitous foodstuff, let alone two.
Vegans who are gluten intolerant will also find the recipes in "Gluten Dairy Free-Easy" helpful, as will anyone else who has to avoid both gluten (mainly from wheat) and dairy, including mothers with autistic children who are on the GFCF diet.
The book is divided into section, including basic recipes, soups and starters, main courses, vegetable dishes, desserts and puddings, cakes, bakes and sweeties, terrines and patés, salads and celebration and party specials. All in all, if there's a situation you need to cater for, it's got you covered.


This detailed literature summary also contains Related Titles and a Free Quiz on The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham.
The Razor's Edge follows the spiritual and physical journey of Larry Darrell, a sensitive, intelligent young man who refuses to conform to the prevailing social norms of post-World War I America. Instead of marrying a rich, pretty Chicago girl, he goes to Paris searching for answers to questions about man, God and the meaning of life. This leads to stops in Germany, Spain and India, the latter destination finally answering some of his questions through the teachings of Eastern spiritual men. While Larry is traveling and searching for answers, his former fiancye, Isabel, marries someone because of money instead of love, and she must deal with the effects of the stock market crash. They meet up again in Paris, completely different people. Larry has found peace, while Isabel, a socialite more interested in money than love, eventually moves back to the U.S. to live a prosperous but spiritually shallow life. W. Somerset Maugham is the author and also a character in the novel, inspiring the conversations that drive the novel's narrative. Maugham's elitist friend Elliott, opportunistic French artist Suzanne Rouvier and tragic addict Sophie drop in and out of the story, each playing an important role in the process.
The novel opens with narrator and author W. Somerset Maugham admitting his apprehension at writing a story that doesn't have a clear ending and that takes place over a long interval. In the end, however, The Razor's Edge delivers a compelling narrative that follows American Larry Darrell's search for the answer to basic human questions about life and man in post-World War I America.
Maugham, who takes an active role in the novel, meets Isabel and her fiancy, Larry, at the house of Louisa Bradley, a rich widow who is having her house redecorated. It's a redecoration that everyone agrees is needed except for Larry, who tells the group, including Maugham's friend and Mrs. Bradely's brother, Elliott, an elitist snob with a generous heart, that the only thing that matters is Mrs. Bradley's opinion. It's the first sign that Larry is not like the others. Soon after, he and Isabel decide on a separation of two years, which Larry will use to search for answers to questions about life while living in Paris. They're questions that Larry started asking after a fellow pilot was killed in World War I, an incident that he does not like to talk about.
In Paris, Larry declines Elliott's invitations to join the social elite and spends his time reading books. After the two years are nearly up, Isabel and her mother come to Paris to confront Larry about his plans. Once again, he declines to join their world and asks Isabel to travel around Europe with him, despite their limited financial means. She declines, essentially choosing money over love.
After the breakup, Larry spends the next ten years traveling through Europe starting with a mining community in northern France, before working at a farm in Germany, visiting Spain and studying under a Yogi in India. In India, Larry finally finds answers to some of his questions about life. They're also answers that he failed to find at a monastery and in the Christian church. Also in India, he experiences a spiritual awakening while observing the sunrise over a mountain lake. Satisfied that he has learned enough, he returns to Paris.
In Paris, Larry meets up with Isabel, Maugham and Elliott. Isabel has married Gray Maturin, Larry's former best friend and the son of a wealthy Chicago broker. It's a marriage she admits is based on her desire to live the good life more than true love. After several years of material bliss, the couple loses nearly everything after the stock market crash of 1929 and moves into Elliott's Parisian apartment. After a chance meeting with Maugham, Larry rejoins his old friends, who are taken aback by his changed personality. He tells them he has found peace and no longer needs money or other material things. Apparently, Larry has also picked up the power to heal, curing Gray's migraine headaches after engaging him in meditation exercise.
While Isabel still has feelings for Larry, the general harmony is broken by the reappearance of Sophie MacDonald, an old friend from Chicago. She lost her husband and baby in car accident and ended up in Paris as a drunk and a drug addict, sleeping around with dangerous, random men. Shockingly, Larry asks her to marry him, a proposal driven by his need to help her. The proposal enrages Isabel, who purposely sabotages the marriage by tempting Sophie, who has been trying to kick her habits, with a bottle of vodka. She disappears and is later found murdered in Toulouse.
In between Sophie's relapse and her death, Elliott dies of old age in his house on the Riviera. It's a sad death. Having surrounded himself with rich people and expensive things, Elliott passes away alone, buried in a ridiculous old aristocratic costume. Maugham calls it a wasted life.
On the way back to London after Maugham's friend's death, he pays a visit to Isabel to confront her about Sophie. After first denying it, she admits to planting the vodka and tells Maugham she would do it again. Apparently, Isabel never got over her love of Larry, a love that caused her to commit a ruthless act of sabotage.
Following Sophie's burial, Maugham says goodbye to Larry for the final time. Larry tells him that he plans on giving up his monthly veteran's check and preaching his newfound spirituality in America. Afterward, Maugham admits losing touch with Isabel and Larry, but he imagines, in their own way, they each got what they wanted. Isabel, who moved to Dallas after Gray got a job in the oil business, probably lived the life of an upper-class socialite, hosting parties and living in a large, expensive house. Larry, whose only desire was knowledge and peace, is probably living a simple life back in the U.S., poor but happy.


If it's approaching autumn, and I haven't specifically planned a trip around the Fall Color Report findings, well, that's a serious hit to both my sense of prioritization (I mean, what could I possibly be occupied with that's more important than peak foliage?) and—I say this without any hint of overstatement—my very quality of life.
So last November, Dan and I headed southeast into Kentucky—Shenandoah would've been too far of a drive for a four-day weekend, but the Red River Gorge wasn't. And if we planned things right (spoiler alert: we did!), we could hit up Lexington and Louisville on the way back, for equal doses of horse country, bourbon, and barbecue.
I'd like to share the photos I took that weekend, as well as our full Kentucky itinerary—because if you ever find yourself in the Bluegrass State, I can give a wholehearted recommendation of everything listed below.
Rental car underfoot, tent and sleeping bags in tow, we spent the afternoon and evening driving to the Red River Gorge area of Kentucky—more specifically, to the little town of Slade. The destination was Miguel's Pizza, a fantastic pizza joint that also served as a climbing gear shop; out back, you could reserve a spot to camp overnight in the huge, wide-open field encircled by forest.
If you're smart, you'll arrive when the sun is still hanging low in the sky; if you're us, you'll arrive at 11 p.m. in the pitch-black cold, realize your tent didn't come with setup instructions, and struggle in vain to create something structurally sound out of the metal rods and plasticky tarps packed into the tent box, all of which are made of noisy materials that are almost certainly disturbing every sleeping human already tucked into their perfectly-constructed campsite. So you'll sleep in your car, which—despite the ensuing depletion of fresh oxygen over the course of the next eight hours—ends up being quite cozy. The sheer number of stars littering the inky sky, and the last smoky sparks of the bonfire built by your fellow campers, makes up for everything. Even the 4 a.m. brush with hypothermia. You'll laugh yourselves to sleep.
Waking up at Miguel's was wonderful. The other overnighters—twentysomethings and families, couples and groups of friends alike—lent a buzzy energy to the morning, as they kept busy brewing coffee, making breakfast on their campstoves, stuffing backpacks full of gear, and toting around toothbrushes as they freshened up for the day.
We fueled up at the nearby Red River Rockhouse, a bright, airy gem of a café dishing out breakfasts made from all local ingredients (don't miss the biscuits!), with all the laid-back, self-serve elements befitting a hiking stopover. We spent the next few hours hiking the Natural Bridge trail and its many offshoots. (Need photographic evidence of that? Just scroll down.) For lunch, we finally got to sample what Miguel's was famous for, dutifully checking off our desired pizza ingredients on an order form, then washing down the made-to-order slices with Ale-8-One sodas. From there, we drove to Lexington, where we checked in at our AirBNB apartment—by that point, finding a shower was of the utmost importance.
That night, we grabbed dinner in town at Willie's Locally Known, which marked our first, reverent run-in with burnt ends. We brought those, a baked potato topped with pulled pork, and an extra-crispy side of fried green tomatoes to West Sixth Brewery. Between the welcoming communal setting, the warm service, their commitment to community involvement, and—oh, right!—the refreshing beer itself, I felt very good handing over my hard-earned dollars to the folks at West Sixth.
Due to the Keeneland sale, most of the professional racing barns had paused their regular tour schedules; ultimately, I'm glad they had, because otherwise we wouldn't have discovered Old Friends, our next stop. Old Friends is, essentially, a retirement home for racehorses, an absolutely necessary concept in a sport whose most successful sires and broodmares are treated like kings and queens through their golden years, but whose less lucrative animals are all but forgotten. For two hours, we walked around the farm, feeding carrots to the retirees and learning more about Old Friends' amazing mission from two truly dedicated volunteers. Hearts warmed, but bellies empty, we stopped by Wallace Station for sandwiches to eat on the road (me: a pesto grilled cheese; Dan: a Hot Brown, the unfortunately-named but oh-so-classic Kentucky staple).
We caught the last tour of the day at Willett Distillery in Bardstown by the skin of our teeth, but we scored a bottle of something quite delicious, plus the knowledge that rackhouses—the buildings that bourbon barrels are stored in for aging—wouldn't look out of place in a horror movie. We dropped off our bags just outside Louisville, checking in at our VRBO pick America's Barn (more on that later!).
Somehow, after a nap, we regained the energy to go on; this was fortunate, because Holy Grale, a church renovated into a craft beer bar, was an unmissable place to eat and drink. The most memorable menu item? Sauerkraut pancakes, which were featured as one of The Next Trendy Food Items in Bon Appétit a month after our visit. Also memorably, I experienced my first Pauwel Kwak there, replete with its de rigueur-but-ridiculous drinking vessel. Gluttons for punishment, we apparently couldn't help making one more exhausted stop for bourbon, Derby pie, and architecture-gaping at the fancy Brown Hotel lobby bar.
Called by the siren song of pastries, though, we headed back into Louisville and grabbed the last pumpkin spice doughnut at Nord's and a pretty refined cup of coffee at Sunergos next door. Their music rivaled their java, too: I was holding my SoundHound-cued iPhone up to the speakers each time a new song came on.
We didn't have much time in the city, so we made it count by wandering Whiskey Row, stopping into the 21c Museum Hotel to enjoy a fabulously intense exhibit—almost every piece made a bold political statement. We made our last meal count, too, at Doc Crow's, sharing a barrel-aged brown ale from Lexington brewery Country Boy and inhaling our last bits of soul-satisfying Kentucky pulled pork and brisket.
Planning a trip yourself? Some of our favorite resources were the aforementioned Kentucky doughnut trail article; this rundown of Lexington horse farm tour sites; this great 36 Hours write-up of Louisville that, given more time in the city, we would've used more extensively; the Craft Bourbon Trail site and its Louisville-based Urban Bourbon Trail counterpart; wonderful friends who'd lived there or visited; the always-dependable Yelp; and, not to be missed, those kind locals who were never caught without a suggestion for something incredible to eat.


The first official poster for Hotel Transylvania 2 is here! From Dracula to Frankenstein, the whole monster cast is here.
A Hotel Transylvania 2 still photo. Adam Sandler is back as Dracula.
Adam Sandler and Mel Brooks as father and son? Yup, it'll happen in Hotel Transylvania 2.


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Home » Welcome to MSB » About Us
We serve students identified as blind or visually impaired throughout all twenty four Maryland jurisdictions.
As a statewide resource center, The Maryland School for the Blind (MSB) provides outreach, educational and residential services for students to reach their fullest potential by preparing them to be as successful, independent and well-rounded contributing members of their communities as possible.
A 501 (c) 3 non-profit private school, MSB currently serves approximately 1,200 students identified as blind or visually impaired throughout all twenty four Maryland jurisdictions.
To achieve its multiple responsibilities, the School is committed to safety, wellness, fairness, respect, personal responsibility, ethical standards and continuous improvement of program quality, professionalism, customer service and stewardship of funds.
The Maryland School for the Blind, serving as an integral part of Maryland's special education continuum, will exceed student-achievement expectations by setting high standards and providing best-practice programs in state of the art facilities.
In 1853 our school, first known as the Maryland Institution for the Instruction of the Blind, first opened its doors in downtown Baltimore. The first superintendent was David E. Loughery who was a blind graduate of the Pennsylvania Institution for the Instruction of the Blind.
Though the first eleven years saw several changes in leadership, the school settled into a period of tremendous growth under the direction of Frederick Douglas Morrison, who was superintendent from 1864 to 1904. Mr. Morrison was a national leader in his profession, who was instrumental in the founding of the American Association of Instructors of the Blind and an early proponent of a controversial new system called "braille".
In 1868 Mr. Morrison moved the campus to much larger quarters on North Avenue and changed the name to The Maryland School for the Blind. In 1872, when segregation was still common practice, he was a founder of The Maryland School for the Colored Blind and Deaf and served as the superintendent of both schools..
In 1908 John Frances Bledsoe, who became superintendent in 1906, moved the school to its present location in the Northeast corner of Baltimore City.
The leadership at The Maryland School for the Blind reads like a Who's Who in Education for the Blind in America. Francis M. Andrews, Herbert Joseph Wolfe, Richard L. Welsh, and Louis M. Tutt were all internationally recognized innovators who moved the school forward into the 21st century.


text:
The Craft of Prolog. Richard O'Keefe
The.Craft.of.Prolog.pdf
ISBN: 0262150395,9780262150392 | 412 pages | 11 Mb
Download The Craft of Prolog
The Craft of Prolog Richard O'Keefe
Publisher: MIT
The Craft of Prolog (Logic Programming),Editorial: The MIT Press, Authors:Richard O'Keefe. One of the crucial 'values' of the book is that "Elegance in Not Optional". Prolog is different, but not that different. O'Keefe's The Craft of Prolog, of course I kept comparisons to Tcl in mind. The Craft of Prolog (Logic Programming) book download Richard A. For example, see Richard O'Keefe's book The Craft of Prolog or Sterling and Shapiro's The Art of Prolog. Concurrent logic programming has made this easier. Concurrent logic programming has no search. Asin 0262512270 The Craft of Prolog (Logic Programming) - The MIT Press - ecs4.com 94f61dd10aa97de11ede48e3d3c1cb45. Hacking your program is no substitute for understanding your problem. Does anyone have any Prolog book recommendations? (BUSINESS WIRE)--Meridian Systems, a Trimble Company, announced today Prolog version 9.5, the latest upgrade to Prolog® construction project management software. Prolog 9.5 provides project teams with greater visibility into project performance with new cash-flow forecasting, workflow Richard O'Keefe, The Craft of Prolog, ISBN 0-262-15039-5. Richard Suchenwirth 2000-12-04 -- Job requirements have reawakened my interest in Prolog, while I still love, and work with, Tcl. I have an old book (1994) on Prolog called The Craft of Prolog written by Richard A. > > The Art of Prolog from Shapiro etc, was really useful for me.
More eBooks:
Introduction To The Theory Of Neural Computation, Volume I book


text:
Hutchinson News: Amtrak commits to continue Southwest Chief route through FY2019
Hutchinson News
Federal lawmakers received a commitment from Amtrak on Wednesday that it will continue the route of the Southwest Chief at least through fiscal 2019.
U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Tom Udall (D-New Mexico), members of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, questioned Amtrak officials during an Oct. 3 hearing on the future of the route that operates between Chicago and Los Angeles, with daily stops in Topeka, Newton, Hutchinson, Dodge City and Garden City.
Udall asked, directly, about the possible use of buses in parts of Kansas, New Mexico and Arizona along the route, which Amtrak had indicated during a previous meeting with a group of regional Congressmen this summer that it was considering.
"We are well aware of the Senate's position and the directive that is part of the 2019 appropriations act," Naparstek said. "We plan to run the Southwest Chief as is through fiscal year 2019. We await Congress' dealing with the Southwest Chief issue in conference and the final spending bill."
Both Moran and Udall were satisfied with that answer, though both also expressed disappointment that Amtrak will not commit to a $3 million match for an already approved federal TIGER grant — the third such grant issued to assist with rail repairs on the line.
"I am pleased to hear you say that Amtrak will continue to run – to operate – the line in its current form through Fiscal Year '19," Moran said. "I think that's a positive development, something we were unaware of, and we'll continue to work to see that the legislative efforts that we've undertaken are successful."
Moran and Udall inserted an amendment in a transportation spending bill that would allocate $50 million to Amtrak for rail repairs and other improvements to keep the Southwest Chief running for another year.
"You failed, in my view, to live up to your word," Moran said. "... We do not want to lose the TIGER Grant money, and that would be a disadvantage to Amtrak."
Naparstek stated that while waiting on the spending bill, it will continue to engage with stakeholders in Colorado, Kansas, and New Mexico regarding the Southwest Chief.
Amtrak had also issued a statement earlier that they would cease rail service on lines that are not equipped with Postive Train Control, a computerized safety measure, after Dec. 31.
Naparstek also walked that statement back on Wednesday.
"The route on which the Southwest Chief operates on is either PTC complaint, will be under alternative schedule or under exemption ... so we will be in compliance," Naparstek said. "Our goal will be to be PTC compliance or equivalency."
"Amtrak is committed to operating its trains with Positive Train Control (PTC) or a PTC-equivalent, across all routes," Naparstek said. "We expect all routes to be compliant with the law and operating passenger rail on January 2019. For those routes and locations on an alternative schedule or an exclusion, Amtrak will conduct risk assessments and put in place risk mitigations until those locations have PTC or PTC-equivalency."


text:
Statute of Charity Foundation "Z serca dla serca"
Consolidated text as of 22.11.2013
Charity Foundation under the name "Z serca dla Serca", hereinafter referred to as the Foundation, established by: Karol Czernecki, hereinafter referred to as the Founder, based on the notarial deed prepared by Notary Public Grażyna Krępa at the notarial office in Stalowa Wola, ul. Rynek 16/1A, as of 21 November 2013 (Repertory A No.: 3562/2013). The Foundation provides its activity based on the act of 6 April 1984 on foundations (Journal of Laws of 1991 No. 46 item 203) and this Statute.
The deed establishing the Foundation constitutes attachment No. 1 to the Statute.
The Foundation provides its activity under the name: Foundation "Z serca dla Serca". The name of the Foundation is proprietary.
The Foundation can use its distinguishing graphic sign which is proprietary and the copyright to which is held by the Foundation (attachment No. 2 to this Statute).
The Foundation has legal personality as of the moment of its registration in the National Court Register.
The seat of the Foundation is Kępie Zaleszańskie (Stalowowolski poviat).
The Foundation is established for an indefinite time. The activity of the Foundation is supervised by the Minister of Labour and Social Policy.
The area of activity of the Foundation is the territory of the Republic of Poland, whereas in the scope necessary for proper implementation of objectives, it can provide its activity also outside the borders of the Republic of Poland.
For the purposes of foreign cooperation, the Foundation can use a translation of its name in selected foreign languages.
In the scope necessary for the implementation of statutory objectives, the Foundation can employ staff based on civil law agreements upon the decision of the Management Board of the Foundation after consultation with the Foundation Council.
Objectives and rules of activity of the Foundation
The objectives of the Foundation are as follows:
charity activity,
protection and promotion of health,
social education,
promotion and organisation of voluntary services,
promotion and development of palliative-hospice care of the ill,
support of ill persons and persons with disabilities,
construction of a specialised facility,
The Foundation implements its objectives through:
Construction of a specialised medical facility,
Support and maintenance of contact with both persons with disabilities or ill persons and their families,
Organisation of fundraisers,
Obtaining permanent and occasional sponsors,
Organisation of festivals, events, competitions, workshops, exhibitions,
Organisation of the Volunteers' Gala,
Organisation of other actions supporting volunteer services, promotion of health, and education,
Promotion of education and the idea of integration of the circles of palliative-hospice care,
Popularisation the idea of voluntary work,
Obtaining donations and grants for the statutory activity from public institutions, companies, and private persons,
Co-financing social assistance for ill persons, particularly medicines for such persons, and other goods for the facilitation of everyday life,
Activity for ill persons and persons with disabilities.
For the purpose of reaching its objectives, the Foundation can support the activity of other persons and institutions in line with its objectives.
Assets and revenue of the Foundation
The assets of the Foundation comprise its foundation capital to the amount of —-500.00—– (five hundred) PLN, and other property obtained by the Foundation in the course of its activity.
Revenues of the Foundation can particularly come from:
donations, inheritance, subscriptions,
subsidies and subventions, and grants,
income from fundraisers and public events,,
income from festivals, competitions, and auctions,
extra funds granted by relevant authorities,
Income from subsidies, subventions, inheritance, and subscriptions can be used for the implementation of the objectives of the Foundation based on the free choice of its Management Board, unless the donators specified otherwise.
In the case of appointment of the Foundation for inheritance, its Management Board submits the declaration on the acceptance of the the inheritance including the inventory, but only if at the moment of submitting of such a declaration it is obvious that the inherited assets considerably exceed any possible debt on the legacy.
The entire income obtained by the Foundation will be allocated to the statutory objectives of the Foundation, i.e. for public purposes.
The Foundation can establish badges, medals of honour, titles, and diplomas, and grant them together with other awards and distinctions to natural and legal persons and organisational entities without legal personality.
Natural and legal persons as well as organisational entities without legal personality that grant donations or subventions with a value each time or successively exceeding the amount —-10,000.00 PLN—- (ten thousand PLN) within one year receive, provided they express a relevant consent, the honorary title: "Złote Serce" (in English: "Heart of Gold").
Title: "Złote Serce" is of personal character.
Authorities of the Foundation.
Authorities of the Foundation are:
Foundation Council,
Management Board of the Foundation.
Members of the Foundation Council receive no remuneration for their participation in the works of the body, with the exception of the reimbursement of documented expenses related to the participation in the works of the bodies, including the costs of travel or delegation.
The competences of the Founder are as follows:
– appointment and dismissal of members of the Management Board of the Foundation,
– appointment and dismissal of members of the Foundation Council,
– examination and approval of reports of the Management Board and Foundation Council, and granting members of the bodies with approval of activity,
– examination and approval of the financial statements and reports of the Foundation.
The Founder takes decisions in the form of written decisions. The Founder can sit on the authorities of the Foundation. In such a case, the competencies of the Founder, except for the appointment and dismissal of members of the Management Board and Foundation Council, are transferred to the Foundation Council.
Foundation Council.
The Foundation Council is composed of 2 to 6 members.
The Foundation Council is appointed by the Founder. Members of the Council can be dismissed at any moment.
The Foundation Council is appointed for terms of office of three years. It is possible to reappoint a given person to sit on the Foundation Council.
Membership in the Foundation Council ceases in the case of a written resignation of the membership, death of a member of the Council, or their dismissal by the Founder.
Membership in the Foundation Council cannot be combined with fulfilling a function in the Management Board of the Council.
The Council selects the Chairman of the Council among its members. The Chairman of the Council manages the works of the Council, provides its external representation, and appoints and chairs Council meetings.
The Foundation Council meets at least once a year.
The Foundation Council is appointed by the Chairman of the Council based on own initiative or on written request of the Management Board or the Founder.
The Foundation Council takes decisions in the form of resolutions – based on simple majority of votes. In the case of an equal number of votes, the vote of the Chairman is the deciding vote.
A representative of the Management Board of the Foundation can participate in meetings of the Council.
The tasks of the Council are particularly:
Assessment of the work of the Management Board, accepting annual reports and balance sheets, issuing relevant opinions and approvals.
Control of the current activity of the Management Board of the Foundation.
Determination of the main directions of activity of the Foundation.
Supervision over the activity of the Foundation.
Taking decisions, on request of the Management Board of the Foundation, on a merger with another Foundation, or on the liquidation of the Foundation.
Representation of the Foundation towards the Management of Board of the Foundation..
Expressing opinions on matters presented by the Management Board.
For the purpose of performing its tasks, the Foundation Council is entitled to:
Demand presentation of all documents concerning the activity of the Foundation by the Management Board,
Perform revisions of the assets and financial control of the Foundation.
The Management Board of the Foundation is composed of 1 to 4 persons, and is appointed by the Founder based on a resolution for a definite or indefinite time. When appointing the Management Board, the Founder appoints the President of the Management Board.
The function of a member of the Management Board can be fulfilled for more than one term of office.
The Management Board passes resolutions based on simple majority of votes in the presence of at least half of its members in the first term, and in the second term regardless of the number of present members. In the case of equal number of votes, the vote of the President of the Foundation is the deciding vote.
Members of the Management Board and Foundation Council cannot receive remuneration for fulfilling their functions – they fulfil the functions in the scope of social service
The following persons are entitled to submit declarations on behalf of the Foundation:
– President of the Management Board of the Foundation on their own accord,
– Vice President of the Foundation on their own accord,
– two other members of the Management Board of the Foundation.
Will representations on behalf of the Foundation can be submitted by the person authorised by the Management Board.
Declarations submitted to the Foundation can be accepted by one member of the Management Board or an authorised person.
Amendments to the Statute
It is admissible to expand the objectives of the Foundation. Such expansion is based on an amendment to the Statute of the Foundation.
An amendment to the statute of the Foundation occurs based on a written decision of the Founder.
Should the Founder sit on the Management Board of the Foundation, their decision on an amendment to the Statute requires the approval of the Foundation Council.
In the case of death of the Founder, amendments to the Statute, including in the scope of change of objectives of the Foundation, are introduced by the Foundation Council. Also in the case of death of the Founder, the obligation to appoint and dismiss the Foundation Council and members of the Management Board is within the competence of the person appointed by the Founder in the testament, or the Foundation Council based on a resolution by voting, based on obtaining ⅔ of authorised votes.
The Foundation can merge with another Foundation for efficient implementation of its objectives.
A merger with another foundation cannot occur if it would result in a considerable change of the objective of the Foundation.
The decision on a merger mentioned in par. 1 is taken by the Founder after consultation with the Management Board, Foundation Council, and Supervisory Body, i.e. Minister of Labour and Social Policy.
Chapter XI XI
Liquidation of the Foundation
The Foundation can be liquidated at any moment based on a decision of the Founder after prior consultation with the Foundation Council.
The Foundation is liquidated in the case of exhausting of financial resources and assets of the Foundation.
Liquidators of the Foundation are appointed and dismissed by the Foundation Council.
The assets of the Foundation remaining after its liquidation will be transferred to a foundation with similar objectives functioning in the Republic of Poland.
The Statute was prepared and signed in 5 identical counterparts
Matters not regulated by the Statute are regulated by provisions of the Act of 06 April 1984 on foundations (consolidated text, Journal of Laws of 1991 No. 46, item 203 with further amendments) and other currently binding legal provisions concerning the activity of foundations.
This Consolidated Text of the Statute of Foundation "Z serca dla Serca" is prepared by the Founder of the Foundation as of
the twenty second of November two thousand thirteen (22.11.2013).
(-) Karol Czernecki


In "The Case Against Michelle Rhee," Paul Peterson presents three alleged flaws in my analysis "The Rhee DC Record: No Better Than Her Predecessors Vance and Janey." Two of Peterson's proposed flaws simply misrepresent my methodology. The third makes the highly questionable adjustment that the DC school system deserves credit only for DC gains above the national average NAEP gain, with Peterson giving credit to some unknown cause for DC gains up to the national average.
First, Peterson claims that my analyses did not adjust for the fact that "Rhee was in office for only two years, while Vance was in office for three and Janey for four." This is a misrepresentation of my methodology. The analyses (Exhibit IIB and IID below) in the report clearly represent the average annual NAEP score gains. In math, Rhee's annualized gains fall between Vance and Janey and in reading the annualized gains are about equal between Janey and Rhee.
Second, Peterson also claims that I used the DC NAEP sample that "in 2009 did not include students attending charter schools… while in 2007 all charter school students were included." This is also a misrepresentation. My report clearly specifies that I chose the state rather than the urban NAEP series precisely because of its consistent treatment of students in charter schools over the full 2000-2009 period.
Third, and crucial to Peterson's claims, is the assertion that the DC NAEP score improvement should be computed only as the excess above the national average NAEP gain. In the highly decentralized U.S. education system in which the federal government is prohibited from specifying curriculum, removing the national average NAEP gain because it reflects some national cause is unwarranted.
Conversely, DC math gains over the full 2000-07 period prior to Rhee's tenure were higher than any state at grade 4 and DC gains were tied for fourth highest at grade 8. However, Peterson's methodology would not give DC much credit for these outstanding gains during this period.
One valid challenge in estimating DC gains for which there are no available answers is how to treat gains under Rhee between public school students attending charter and non-charter public schools. Although charter and non-charter gains during Rhee can be separated under NAEP, the Rhee administration closed a number of schools in DC during the 2007-09 period causing enrollment in charters to increase by half and enrollment in non-charter DC public schools to decrease by one quarter in only two years. With such large demographic shifts, the National Academy report cited in Peterson's paper is correct in stating that the longitudinal tracking of students is essential to estimating DC charter and non-charter school gains. Unfortunately, the DC contract for longitudinal data system development had to be cancelled for malfeasance in 2009.
What is clear is that DC score gains for all public school students have been impressive over the whole 2000-09 period. That includes the public school student gains under Vance and Janey that were comparable to those under Rhee.
 Mary Levy March 14, 2011 testimony before the mayor of the District of Columbia hearing on the DC budget for 2012.


Skip the cappuccino and feel like a Duchess.
Lets face it, if we had skin and hair as flawless as Duchess Meghan, we wouldn't be complaining.
But in order to get what's now been dubbed as the "Markle Sparkle", factoring in the high-end foundations, blush, concealers et all, it's almost too easy to see the dollar signs build up before our very eyes.
That is, until you hear this golden beauty hack from the Duchess herself.
Meghan is never one to shy away from proving she's just like the rest of us, just looking at how she's tackled some of the strict royal protocols is case in point.
But there's no better way to realise the 37-year-old royal is right on our level when you hear her go-to body moisturiser will only set you back $4.99.
Yep, you read that right. Markle's swear-by product is none other than the NIVEA Q10 Firming Body Lotion. Something we've all seen, and possibly purchased many a time.
Speaking to Beauty Banter before she married Prince Harry, Meghan said she uses the product "religiously".
"It's honestly my favourite lotion on the market, it's so affordable, and makes my skin look and feel amazing. I would buy a case of this at a time if I could find it," she said.
The body lotion retails at $4.99 from Chemist Warehouse.
It's certainly refreshing to see someone of A-list status using products that aren't completely out of reach from us mere mortals.
What's more, even some of Meghan's clothing choices are on the affordable side. Just yesterday, the Duchess wore a gorgeous & Other Stories flowing maxi-dress, which retails at AUD $163. Not bad for a dress worthy of a royal!
But if you want to look like the Duchess, splurge or no splurge, you'll have to be quick. The mania, which is now aptly known as The Meghan Effect, has seen thousands of royal fanatics flock to, and then crash designer's websites just minutes after Meghan is seen wearing their styles.
Last week, Australian designers Karen Gee and Dion Lee's online stores crashed when the Duchess wore their ensembles during her royal tour of Australia.
The frocks in question also didn't come cheap, with both retailing at over $1,000 each. It just goes to show people will really stop at nothing to twin with the royal style icon!
But there's also plenty to celebrate when it comes to The Meghan Effect. Namely, the Duchess is inadvertently giving local designers a real boost every time she wears one of their ensembles, and that can only be a good thing for the Australian fashion industry.
Meghan has also come prepared - she hand-picked a glam squad, consisting of best friend Jessica Mulroney and celebrity hairdresser George Northwood, to accompany her and Prince Harry for the royal tour - so she's in the best hands!
As she now travels to Fiji, New Zealand and Tonga to continue her royal tour Down Under, it remains to be seen which local designers she'll wear.
But labels aside, one thing is for sure: We'll continue to covet and copycat Meghan's style for a long while yet.


text:
Weathering the Dry Spell
La Niña Is Here; Study Shows Evidence of Drought in CA
Inside his lab, geological sciences professor Matthew E. Kirby studies sediment cores from Abbott Lake.
Despite recent rainy weather, it's likely going to be another dry winter in Southern California as La Niña ushers in warmer weather and little rainfall, Cal State Fullerton scientists forecast.
In his latest study, which focused on the past 1,400 years of wetness and dryness in central coastal areas of California, paleoclimatologist Matthew E. Kirby and his students found evidence that changes in the Pacific Ocean play a key role in both wetter and drier weather patterns.
These results support Kirby's related studies, which concluded that in the ancient past — dating back 10,000 years — the state suffered from long dry spells, even multicentury drought, linked to Pacific Ocean conditions.
"In this latest study, we continue to find evidence that sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean govern the state of winter climate in coastal California. Cooler conditions in the eastern tropical Pacific are consistently associated with dry periods in California's history," said Kirby, professor of geological sciences who studies past climates.
"How future warming of the Pacific will change drought and pluvial conditions in the state remains hotly debated: Will El Niño weather become more intense? Will the La Niña phenomena become equally more intense?"
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists forecast a weak La Niña this winter, which means a relatively dry winter, and likely to contribute to the severe drought conditions across the majority of the state, especially in central and Southern California.
La Niña follows last winter's El Niño, which brought much-needed rainfall to the northern part of the state, but fizzled in Southern California. During La Niña conditions, the ocean water is cooler than usual and triggers warmer and drier weather in the southwestern United States, said Joe Carlin, assistant professor of geological sciences.
"As La Niña arrives, this is likely not a good sign for the drought in Southern California," added Carlin, a marine geologist. "Odds are it is going to be a dry winter."
Carlin explained that doesn't mean the region will not get rain or some storm events. "We may still see a couple of isolated big storms, but it is unlikely that we will see frequent storms like what we would expect during an El Niño," he said.
Kirby's research, published in the Journal of Paleolimnology with alumna Christine Kraft-Hiner '12 '15 (B.S., M.S. geology), studied sediment samples retrieved from Abbott Lake, a natural lake near Carmel.
Findings indicate that coastal central California was relatively dry during the Medieval Climatic Anomaly — a warm, dry period from about 900 to 1300 AD — yet variably wet, with more rainfall, during the Little Ice Age, a cooler period from about 1450 to 1850 AD. Kirby's past climate studies have focused on sediment samples from Zaca Lake (northwest of Santa Barbara), Lake Elsinore and the Mojave Desert's Silver Lake.
"What we're finding in those locations also are consistent relationships between tropical Pacific conditions and periods of wetness and dryness. What is significant is we're seeing this relationship persist over time and showing up in all these records," said Kirby.
"Finding evidence for sustained periods of drought similar to the Medieval Climatic Anomaly throughout the past 10,000 years prompts the question: 'At what point do you stop calling it a drought, and rather, a new drier climate state?' I start to wonder if these dry periods we're seeing today will become the new normal."


text:
'use strict';

const http = require('http');
const url = require('url');

module.exports = function (port, timeout, errors) {
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                res.end(`host:${port}`);
            }

            if (parsed.pathname == '/timeout') {
                res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain; charset=utf-8');
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                    res.end(`host:${port}`);
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            if (parsed.pathname == '/err500') {
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                    res.statusMessage = 'Internal server error';
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                    res.end(`host:${port}`);
                }
            }

            if (parsed.pathname == '/err404') {
                if (errors && errors.includes('404')) {
                    res.statusCode = 404;
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                    res.end('Not Found');
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                    res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain; charset=utf-8');
                    res.setHeader('Cache-Control', 'private, max-age=0');
                    res.end(`host:${port}`);
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            if (parsed.pathname == '/auth') {
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Pacific Northwest Ballet delighted two balconies full of paying customers Thursday night at McCaw Hall with its final dress rehearsal for "Swan Lake," the Tchaikovsky classic that's 140 years old.
The show is choreographed by PNB's Founding Artistic Director Kent Stowell and includes scenery designed by Ming Cho Lee and bold costumes designed by "Hamilton" costume designer Paul Tazewell. The show will run for nine performances Feb. 2-11, including matinees, with a break Feb. 4-7.
Principal dancers Noelani Pantastico and Seth Orza performed the parts of Odette/Odile and Prince Seigfried in Thursday's rehearsal.
Pantastico was a principal dancer with PNB when she departed for Monaco in 2008 but resumed her position upon returning to Seattle in 2015. Orza has been a principal with PNB since 2010.


This is the third project that I've had CRD do for me, and, just like the others, this was very satisfactory. This was a kitchen remodel on a houseboat. The design stage was very thorough, mostly updating the original layout, but with significant changes to lights and refrigerator location. The implementation had to deal with the very sloppy previous work, the fact that the floor was not level, and, being a houseboat, a level is useless. The lead carpenter solved a lot of problems, and was a pleasure to deal with. The result is more than I had hoped for, a pleasure to use, both as a kitchen and using the island as a working space, where I'm writing this.


text:
International Journal of Medical Physics, Clinical Engineering and Radiation Oncology
Vol.3 No.1(2014), Article ID:43057,7 pages DOI:10.4236/ijmpcero.2014.31010
Comparison of Absorbed Dose to Medium and Absorbed Dose to Water for Spine IMRT Plans Using a Commercial Monte Carlo Treatment Planning System
Muhammad Nauman Usmani1*, Norihisa Masai2, Ryoong-Jin Oh2, Hiroya Shiomi2, Daisaku Tatsumi2, Hideharu Miura2, Toshihiko Inoue2, Masahiko Koizumi1
1Department of Medical Physics & Engineering, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan
2Miyakojima IGRT Clinic, Osaka, Japan
Email: *naumanusmani@bzu.edu.pk
Copyright © 2014 Muhammad Nauman Usmani et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. In accordance of the Creative Commons Attribution License all Copyrights © 2014 are reserved for SCIRP and the owner of the intellectual property Muhammad Nauman Usmani et al. All Copyright © 2014 are guarded by law and by SCIRP as a guardian.
Received December 26, 2013; revised January 20, 2014; accepted February 7, 2014
Dose to Medium; Dose to Water; Monte Carlo; IMRT
Dose in radiation therapy has been reported as the water-equivalent dose using conventional dose calculation algorithms. The Monte Carlo (MC) algorithm employs characterization of human tissues by elemental composition and mass density. It enables more accurate dose calculation for radiation therapy treatment planning and typically reports absorbed dose to medium. Whether one should use dose to medium or tissue (Dm) in place of dose to water (Dw) for MC treatment planning remains the subject of debate. The aim of the current study is to evaluate the differences between dose-volume indices for Dm and Dw MC-calculated IMRT plans. Thirty-seven spine patients were selected for this study. The IMRT optimization and MC calculations were performed using the iPlan RT DoseTM ver 4.1.2 (Brainlab, Munich, Germany) treatment planning system (TPS) with an X-ray Voxel Monte Carlo (XVMC) dose calculation engine. Dw and Dm results for target and critical structures were evaluated using the dose-volume-based indices. Systematic differences between dose-volume indices computed with Dw and Dm were up to 5.2%, 4.2%, and 4.5% for D2, D50 and D98 indices of the clinical target volume (CTV), respectively and up to 1% for the critical structure dose indices. Our study demonstrates that employing Dm in place of Dw in MC-calculated IMRT treatment plans introduces a significant systematic difference in target DVHs. We recommend that for diffused target structures (such as spine tumors), dose to water is a better quantity for dose prescription in photon beam treatment planning using existing MC TPS. While for critical structures, it would be reasonable to report Dm always. However in future with the availability of finer spatial resolution, Dm will be the most suitable variable for both target and critical structures' dose prescription and reporting in MC treatment planning.
Conventional dose calculations for photon beam radiation therapy including both simple correction-based algorithms and model-based algorithms typically report the absorbed dose to water, Dw i.e. energy absorbed in a small cavity of water divided by the mass of that cavity. This reporting in terms of Dw is due partly to the historical development of treatment planning algorithms as well as the fact that accelerator and ionization chamber calibration protocols are based on Dw [1-3]. The input data used for treatment-planning system (TPS) commissioning are generally dose profiles and output factors measured in water phantoms. The assumption that the patient body is water is a good first approximation as water makes up the bulk of the volume of cells and body fluid and most biological tissues (with a few exceptions such as compact bone, tooth enamel and lung) have radiation properties similar to those of water [4-6].
Instead of treating human tissues as water of various densities as in analytical algorithms, the Monte Carlo (MC) algorithm employs characterization of human tissues by elemental composition and mass density. Consequently, it provides the most accurate dose calculations allowing all material specific electromagnetic and nuclear interactions [6-9]. Since particle transport simulations occur in materials representative of patient media, MC dose calculation engines calculate dose to medium or tissue (Dm) i.e. energy absorbed in a small tissue element divided by the mass of tissue element [10-15].
In order to compare MC Dm algorithms with conventional Dw algorithms, a method to convert Dm to Dw is required. Siebers et al. developed a procedure that converts Dm to Dw using stopping power ratios, based upon the Bragg-Gray cavity theory for MC-based calculations [16].
As one has to compromise the accuracy and information of the MC results by converting them to Dw, most physicists believe that Dm is the preferred parameter for treatment planning, and that it should replace Dw. Whether one should use Dm in place of Dw directly in clinical prescriptions remains the subject of debate and there are strong arguments both for using Dm or Dw.
Different clinical calculation methods may yield different quantities related to the absorbed dose for a given tissue and any significant differences between Dw and Dm might lead to the change of dose prescription [4,17-19]. A clinical decision has to be made during radiotherapy treatment planning as to whether one should prescribe the dose to the target volume that contains different biological media using Dm or the converted Dw [20].
Studies comparing Dm with Dw have been conducted for photon dose calculations. It has been shown that for soft tissues the difference may be in the order of 1% - 2% [16,21]. However, for higher density materials, such as cortical bone, the difference can be as large as 15%. Dogan et al. demonstrated that converting Dm to Dw in MC-calculated IMRT plans introduces a systematic error of up to 5.8% for head and neck tumors and 8.0% for prostate cases [19].
It is worth mentioning that the reported clinical data about Dm and Dw are limited to a few tumour sites. In addition, to the best of our knowledge, the comparative studies for Dm and Dw using a commercial MC TPS have not been conducted. As MC-calculation algorithms are being introduced into routine clinical practice [22-26], it has become increasingly important to know how much Dw and Dm differ in order to determine the significance of this conversion for different clinical cases. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the dose differences in target and critical structures for Dm- and Dw-based spine IMRT plans using a commercial MC TPS.
2. Materials & Methods
2.1. Treatment Plan Selection
Thirty seven patients treated for spine tumor with IMRT using the NovalisTM shaped beam radiosurgery unit (Brainlab, Munich, Germany) were selected for this study. Patient characteristics (Age, Gender, CTV, and Tumor location) are shown in Table 1.
2.2. Treatment Planning
3D-CT scans were performed on a 4-slice Brightspeed QX/i scanner (GE Medical Systems, Waukesha, WI, USA) with the patient in a supine position and with arms raised above the head. Immobilization during simulation and subsequent treatment was achieved by using a Vacuum-Type immobilization and Thermo Plastic type device. The CT images were acquired with a slice thickness and spacing of 1.25 mm and with gantry rotation time of 1.0 second. 6 MV photon beams were used for the IMRT treatment planning. For the spine cases evaluated in this work, whole vertebra was delineated as CTV. The PTV was generated by adding a 3-mm margin to CTV and the isocenter was positioned at the center of the PTV. The critical structures included the spinal cord, esophagus, trachea and lung depending on the tumor location.
Doses of 40 - 72 Gy delivered in 5 to 20 fractions, equivalent to BED10 (α/β = 10) (max = 107.1 Gy, min = 65.5 Gy, median = 78 Gy) were prescribed with the following planning objectives:
PTV: D95% > 95% and V95% > 95%, i.e. 95% of PTV volume should receive at least 95% of the prescribed dose; Spinal cord: D0.1 cc < 100 Gy (BED2 (α/β = 2)), i.e. a volume receiving 100 Gy (BED2) should be less than 0.1 cc to avoid radiation myelopathy [27].
Multiple coplanar and non-opposing beams were utilized with different angles depending on the tumor
Table 1. Patient characteristics.
location. The IMRT optimization and MC calculations were performed using the iPlan RT DoseTM ver 4.1.2 (Brainlab, Munich, Germany) TPS with an X-ray Voxel Monte Carlo (XVMC) dose calculation engine.
A nominal value of 1% of the maximum dose mean variance per beam was used for all MC dose calculations, leading to a <1% statistical uncertainty in the dose to the targeted tissues. The spatial resolution was set at 2.0 mm for all calculations. It has been shown that an overall 2% statistical uncertainty has minimal effect on DVHs, and these statistical values are adequate for dose–volume analysis [28,29].
2.3. Plan Analysis
The MC-calculated Dm- and Dw-based plans were evaluated quantitatively using the dose-volume-based indices: doses received by 2%, 50% and 98% of the target volumes (D2, D50, and D98), doses received by 2% of the critical structure volumes (D2), and doses to the 0.1 cc, 0.5 cc, and 1 cc (D0.1 cc, D0.5 cc, and D1 cc) of the critical structures. The mean, standard deviation and range of percent differences in dose-volume indices were calculated. The Dm- and Dw-based isodose distributions and DVHs for one of the cases are presented to demonstrate the significant differences. The differences between Dm- and Dw-based dose distributions are also calculated using an in-house developed system.
Our study describes the differences of the MC-calculated IMRT plans using Dw- and Dm-based evaluation for thirty seven spine tumor patients. The isodose distributions through a transverse patient slice and DVHs for one of the IMRT plans are shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figures 1(a) and (b), the 110% isodose line is missing in Dm plan, while it covers a considerable part of the target in Dw plan. The 108%, 106%, 104% and 102% lines also vary noticeably between the two dose distributions. This isodose line shift is due to the fact that the target tissues infiltrate the high density bone content of vertebra. Figure 1(c) shows that employing Dm in place of Dw shifts the resulting DVHs for the target volumes by about 5%, and for the critical structures by about 1%. Figure 2 shows the MC-based Dw and Dm differences expressed in terms of isodose distributions and DVH for the same patient plan. A maximum difference of ~11% can be observed on the scale of 100% = 3 Gy.
The ranges of percent differences in dose-volume indices, evaluated for Dw and Dm for thirty seven spine cases, are summarized in Table 2. Figure 3(a) shows the variations of the D2, D50 and D98 indices of the CTV in terms of Dw/Dm for all patients. In all cases, the systematic differences between Dw- and Dm-based D2 ranged
Figure 1. The MC-based dose-to-water (Dw) and dose-tomedium (Dm) results for one of the spine patient plans: (a) Dw; (b) Dm and (c) DVH comparison.
Figure 2. The differences between dose-to-water (Dw) and dose-to-medium (Dm) expressed in terms of (a) isodose distributions and (b) DVH for the same patient plan.
Figure 3. Variations of Dw/Dm of (a) D2, D50 and D98 of CTV, D2, D0.1 cc, D0.5 cc and D1 cc of (b) Spinal cord; (c) Esophagus and (d) Trachea.
Table 2. The mean (standard deviation) and range of percent differences in dose-volume indices evaluated for Dw and Dm for thirty seven spine IMRT cases. Numbers in square brackets indicate the range.
from 2.2% to 5.2% with an average of 3.2%. For all patients, the systematic differences between Dw- and Dm- based CTV D50 ranged from 1.7% to 4.2% with an average of 2.9%. The systematic differences between Dw and Dm-based CTV D98 ranged from 0.7% to 4.5% with an average of 2.7% for all cases. The large systematic shift is attributed to high bone content in the CTV. Figure 3(b) shows the variations of the Dw- and Dm- based D2, D0.1 cc, D0.5 cc and D1 cc indices of the spinal cord for all patients. The average systematic differences were within 0.9%. This small difference is due to the fact that spinal cord consists of soft tissues with no direct interfaces with bone.
Figure 3(c) shows the variations of the Dw- and Dm- based D2, D0.1 cc, D0.5 cc, and D1 cc indices of the esophagus for thirty five patients. The average systematic differences were within 0.6%. This minimal difference can be attributed to the cumulative effect of air-soft tissue and bone-soft tissue interfaces. Figure 3(d) shows the variations of the Dw- and Dm-based D2, D0.1 cc, D0.5 cc, and D1 cc indices of the trachea for twenty patients. The average systematic differences were within −1.1%. This negative difference is due to the air-soft tissue interfaces all around the trachea.
Figure 4 shows the Dw/Dm as a function of the mean CT value of CTV. With a p-value < 0.05, a significant linear correlation between Dw/Dm and mean CT value can be observed.
Note that for CTV, the wide ranges of dose-volume indices may be attributed to the variations in physical density. For high mean CT values, the absorbed dose to water is generally high. Nevertheless, it might also depend on treatment plan and delivery. Wide ranges of dose-volume indices for esophagus and trachea are due to the fact that for different cases, these structures have dissimilar interfaces with surrounding organs. However, for all cases spinal cord has nearly identical surroundings, resulting in narrow ranges of dose-volume indices.
Traditionally, Dw has been reported for dose computations in radiation therapy with high-energy photon beams. Treatment planning employing MC techniques allows the radiation transport and energy deposition in patient representative media and the absorbed dose reported in this process can be either the Dm, or the Dw [30].
Whether one should use Dw or Dm for MC treatment planning is still a controversial topic. Supporters of Dm claim that dose to the tissues of interest is the quantity inherently computed by MC dose algorithms and the rationale for converting Dm back to Dw is driven solely by the desire to comply with tradition. They argue that there is an increased uncertainty and complexity arising from the introduction of an additional quantity for calculating Dw [16,20]. They also state that the clinical impact of switching from Dw to Dm is not expected to be significant, mainly because most tissues of interest in radiotherapy are similar to water. On the other hand, those who advocate for the usage of Dw argue that all historical clinical experience and modern dosimetry protocols are
Figure 4. Dw/Dm as a function of the mean CT value of CTV. The line shows a linear fit through the data.
Dw-based and the medium employed to report the absorbed dose is always uncertain because the exact composition is not known for real patients [3,18,20]. They further state that tumor cells embedded within a medium are more water-like than medium-like and may thus be modelled as a water cavity within the medium. The AAPM TG 105 report recommends that TPS make both Dw and Dm options available for dose reporting [6].
Ma et al. demonstrated that conventional photon dose calculation algorithms compute doses using water with different electron densities, which are close (<4% differences) to doses to media, as computed by MC, but significantly different (up to 11%) from doses to water converted from doses to media [30]. They suggested that for consistency with previous radiation therapy experience, MC photon algorithms report dose to medium for radiotherapy dose prescription, treatment plan evaluation and treatment outcome analysis. Walters et al. suggested that it is better to specify Dw than Dm in MC treatment plans since Dw provides a better estimate of dose to sensitive skeletal tissue [31].
To appraise the significance of Dm to Dw conversion, we evaluated the differences between Dw- and Dm-based MC dose calculations for a large set of clinical cases. In this work, the MC algorithm was used to calculate the Dw and Dm for all of the plans using a commercial TPS. Our study shows that conversion from Dm to Dw in MC-calculated spine IMRT treatment plans introduces significant differences in target DVHs ranged from 2.21% to 5.18%. For critical structures, however, the average differences between Dw and Dm are within 1%.
Dose to water is substantially larger compared to dose to medium for tumor cells infiltrated in bony tissues. This is due to the fact that high density bone causes a higher fluence of secondary electrons in the water cavity and consequently a higher dose is deposited compared to the case of the cavity filled also with bone. The dose to water should be selected for soft tissue cells within a bony structure and dose to medium is a better option to know the average dose within the whole voxel.
The aim of the prescribed dose is to deliver a lethal dose to the tumor cells with a retrievable damage to the normal cells embedded in the tumor. Dw-based treatment planning yields to the clinical prescription for the cells embedded in heterogeneous tissues such as lung or bone.
The CT number to medium-type conversion has a significant uncertainty due to CT partial volume effect and the mixture of biological tissues such as air, soft tissue and compact bone inside a dose calculation voxel [6,8, 31-34]. For cells embedded in heterogeneous tissues, accuracy of computed dose is strongly affected by the size of internal MC dose computation grid.
We have been using Dm in MC treatment planning for all tumor sites as routine clinical practice. However, based on our results and above discussion we recommend that for diffused target structures (such as spine tumors), dose to water is a better quantity for dose prescription in photon beam treatment planning using currently available MC TPS. While for critical structures, it would be reasonable to report Dm always.
There is also an issue of selecting a better quantity for future radiotherapy dose prescription and reporting. With the innovation of advanced technologies in radiotherapy, if finer spatial resolution is made available, i.e. the size of the dose computation grid is significantly reduced to recognize the subvoxel structures, Dm will be the most suitable and natural approach for both target and critical structures' dose prescription and reporting in MC treatment planning.
In this study, we have investigated the differences between Dw- and Dm-based spine IMRT plans using a commercial MC TPS. Our data shows that for the target cells with a diffused pattern in bony anatomy, dose to water can be higher by ~5% compared to dose to medium. Our results suggest that dose to water is more appropriate for dose prescription in target cells embedded in heterogeneous tissues using current photon beam MC TPS. However, in future with finer spatial resolution available, Dm will be the preferred option to achieve the greatest accuracy in dose calculation for both target and critical structures.
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