text:
Plant and Microbial Biology Micro Seminar: "Lanthanides: drivers of one-carbon cycling and more?"
Seminar | February 8 | 12-1 p.m. | 101 Barker Hall
Speaker/Performer: Mary Lidstrom, University of Washington
Sponsor: Department of Plant and Microbial Biology
Dr. Lidstrom is a Professor of Microbiology and holds the Frank Jungers Chair of Engineering, in the Department of Chemical Engineering, at the University of Washington, Seattle. She received her B.S. in Microbiology from Oregon State University. After receiving her M.S. and Ph.D. in Bacteriology from the University of Wisconsin, Dr. Lidstrom conducted work as a Leverhulme postdoctoral Fellow in Microbiology at the University of Sheffield. Dr. Lidstrom has previously held academic appointments in Microbiology at the University of Washington, in the Center for Great Lakes Studies in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and in Environmental Engineering Science at the California Institute of Technology. She currently is a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, a member of the National Academy of Sciences and serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Bacteriology and FEMS Microbial Ecology. Dr. Lidstrom is the Vice Provost of Research.
Event contact: 510--642-9999
Mary Lidstrom


text:
How these Mobile Devs Faced Failure After a 4M Download Hit
Developer Stories
This story is part of a new series profiling indie mobile game developers around the world who've turned their passion for mobile games into a profession.
For years, mobile gaming was nothing more than a thriving local industry to Finnish developers Alexey Zerkin and Teemu Korhonen. The two met while working together as software developers at Nokia in Oulu, Finland, and it wasn't until three years ago that they turned their focus to mobile games.
The switch from working on mobile apps for Nokia to developing mobile games on their own happened, basically, on a whim. Zerkin and Korhonen decided they wanted to start their own company, and mobile gaming was big in their community (still is, actually). Neither of them had experience in the industry, but they were inspired by the breakthrough successes of local studios like Rovio (Angry Birds) and Supercell (Clash of Clans). How hard could it be to follow in their footsteps?
Pretty hard, as Zerkin and Korhonen soon realized. "We didn't expect the challenges we encountered in the beginning," says Zerkin. "It was a surprise when we realized how difficult it was to produce quality games."
The initial challenges didn't discourage them, however. Their studio, Creeng, has since released four games — mostly in the sports genre — and is currently working towards the soft launch of its fifth title. We talked with Zerkin and Korhonen about their three year transformation from industry newbies to veritable vets.
On game innovation: Zerkin and Korhonen are far from shy when it comes to admitting their naivety about the mobile gaming market. "It's extremely difficult if you're not an experienced game developer to know which platforms [to use] or genres [to develop for]," says Zerkin. "Our first game was a surprise success."
Their debut title, a high-scorer sports game called Hockey MVP, was indeed a shocking hit: In its first week, it received about 10,000 downloads a day across the App Store and Google Play. The game now has more than 4 million downloads.
Image via App Store
But after their initial success, the duo had difficulty replicating their download numbers with different genres. Soon, they decided to simplify their strategy. "We tried many types of games and now we've realized that we'll concentrate on sports games," says Korhonen. "That's the area we know best, and I think it's good to concentrate on one small area."
On monetization: When Zerkin and Korhonen first launched Hockey MVP, monetization didn't cross their mind. "We were mostly focused on just trying to publish our first game," says Zerkin. It wasn't until the second update of the game that Zerkin and Korhonen began to think about profit. They experimented with different free-to-play models, including video and banner ads and IAPs, and have found that video ads are the most lucrative. "We use [videos] to advertise the in-app purchases and reward players with soft currency for watching them," says Zerkin.
Monetization is now front and center for the Creeng team, and they advise other indie developers to approach game development the same way. "Monetization and your business model need to be thought about straight from the start of your game," says Korhonen. "It's very hard to add it afterwards."
On advice for fellow indies: Life as an indie game developer is fun, but it's certainly not without stress. During the tough times, Zerkin and Korhonen look back on what they have accomplished since they started Creeng; it's their progress that keeps them going.
"It's fun to [make] games, but from time to time you wonder if it's worth it," says Zerkin. "What's motivating is that we still believe in success. Slowly but surely we are improving — if we compare our new products with our old products, we've improved our quality and our games."
Why Consolidation on Mobile Games from Top…
Mobile Game Devs: Consider Windows Phone
The 5 Best Events for Mobile Game Devs to Attend

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Livescience.com-interesting-person-plain-button
Earth's Outer Shell: Was It Once Solid?
By Kacey Deamer
The outer layer of modern Earth is a collection of interlocking rigid plates, as seen in this illustration. But new research suggests that plate tectonics did not begin until much later in Earth's history. (Image credit: USGS)
Earth's outer layer may have once been a solid shell before it was broken up into huge tectonic plates that move around and trigger extreme events like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, scientists have found.
The history of Earth's outer shell has long been the subject of debate in the scientific community. Some scientists held a theory, known as uniformitarianism, that tectonic plates began early in the planet's history. Others, however, theorized that a solid shell originally covered Earth before it eventually fractured into the tectonic plates that are seen today.
Now, a team of scientists has found that the solid-shell model is the most likely explanation of how Earth's outer layer began. [50 Interesting Facts About Earth]
The new study finds support for the idea that the Earth's crust as "a 'stagnant lid' forming the planet's outer shell early in Earth's history" is a likely model, study co-author Michael Brown, a professor of geology at the University of Maryland, said in a statement.
To investigate the history of Earth's outer shell, Brown and his colleagues studied the planet's ancient rocks, specifically from a large area of ancient crust in western Australia. These rocks range from 2.5 billion to 3.5 billion years old (the Earth is about 4.6 billion years old). The researchers also studied rocks related to volcanic activity, which occurs at the borders of tectonic plates as they interact with one another.
The ancient crust's Pilbara granite rocks have a chemical composition similar to Coucal basalt rocks in the region, which are produced during volcanic activity or from molten basalt erupting on the ocean floor, the researchers found. The scientists looked into whether the ancient basalt could have created the granite without a volcanic source, therefore forming the crust without plate tectonic activity.
Using the Coucal basalts and Pilbara granites from the ancient crust, the scientists created experimental models, which they used to replicate how the Earth's outer layer could have formed without plate tectonics.
Based on the rocks' phase equilibria — which describes the rocks' behavior under different temperatures and pressure conditions — the researchers found that the basalts could have formed the Pilbara granites in a so-called "stagnant lid" scenario. The scientists found that the pressure and temperature of a single shell covering the planet would have stimulated the melting of basalts to form granites, according to the study.
"We conclude that a multi-stage process produced Earth's first continents in a 'stagnant lid' scenario before plate tectonics began," Brown said.
The research is detailed in a study published online today (Feb. 27) in the journal Nature (opens in new tab).
Kacey Deamer
Kacey Deamer is a journalist for Live Science, covering planet earth and innovation. She has previously reported for Mother Jones, the Reporter's Committee for Freedom of the Press, Neon Tommy and more. After completing her undergraduate degree in journalism and environmental studies at Ithaca College, Kacey pursued her master's in Specialized Journalism: Climate Change at USC Annenberg. Follow Kacey on Twitter.


Description Printed on negative envelope: "Adlai Stevenson - 2nds Kenneth Rogers and Guy Hayes. Atlanta visit November 23 and 24th 1953"
Citation AJCN136-081c, Atlanta Journal-Constitution Photographic Archives. Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library.


text:
/* $Id$ */
/* Copyright (c) 2005-2021 Pierre Pronchery <khorben@defora.org> */
/* This file is part of DeforaOS System libSystem */
/* All rights reserved.
 *
 * Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
 * modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are
 * met:
 *
 * 1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
 *    notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
 *
 * 2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
 *    notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the
 *    documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
 *
 * THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS
 * IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED
 * TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A
 * PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT
 * HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL,
 * SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED
 * TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR
 * PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF
 * LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING
 * NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS
 * SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. */

#include <ctype.h>
#include <stdarg.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <limits.h>
#include <errno.h>
#include "System/error.h"
#include "System/object.h"
#include "System/string.h"

/* String */
/* public */
/* string_new */
String * string_new(String const * string)
{
	String * ret = NULL;

	if(string == NULL)
	{
		error_set_code(-EINVAL, "%s", strerror(EINVAL));
		return NULL;
	}
	if(string_set(&ret, string) != 0)
		return NULL;
	return ret;
}

/* string_new_append */
String * string_new_append(String const * string, ...)
{
	String * ret;
	va_list ap;

	va_start(ap, string);
	ret = string_new_appendv(string, ap);
	va_end(ap);
	return ret;
}

/* string_new_appendv */
String * string_new_appendv(String const * string, va_list ap)
{
	String * ret = NULL;

	if(string == NULL)
		return string_new("");
	ret = string_new(string);
	for(string = va_arg(ap, String *); string != NULL;
			string = va_arg(ap, String *))
		if(string_append(&ret, string) != 0)
		{
			string_delete(ret);
			ret = NULL;
			break;
		}
	return ret;
}

/* string_new_format */
String * string_new_format(String const * format, ...)
{
	String * ret;
	va_list ap;

	va_start(ap, format);
	ret = string_new_formatv(format, ap);
	va_end(ap);
	return ret;
}

/* string_new_formatv */
String * string_new_formatv(String const * format, va_list ap)
{
	String * ret;
	va_list v;
	int len;
	size_t s;

	if(format == NULL)
	{
		error_set_code(-EINVAL, "%s", strerror(EINVAL));
		return NULL;
	}
	va_copy(v, ap);
	len = vsnprintf(NULL, 0, format, v);
	va_end(v);
	if(len < 0)
	{
		error_set_code(-errno, "%s", strerror(errno));
		return NULL;
	}
	s = (size_t)len + 1;
	if((ret = (String *)object_new(s)) == NULL)
		return NULL;
	if(vsnprintf(ret, s, format, ap) != len)
	{
		error_set_code(-errno, "%s", strerror(errno));
		object_delete(ret);
		ret = NULL;
	}
	return ret;
}

/* string_new_length */
String * string_new_length(String const * string, size_t length)
{
	String * ret;

#ifdef DEBUG
	fprintf(stderr, "DEBUG: %s(\"%s\", %zu)\n", __func__, string, length);
#endif
	if(length + 1 == 0)
	{
		error_set_code(-ERANGE, "%s", strerror(ERANGE));
		return NULL;
	}
	if((ret = (String *)object_new(length + 1)) == NULL)
		return NULL;
	snprintf(ret, length + 1, "%s", (string != NULL) ? string : "");
	return ret;
}

/* string_new_replace */
String * string_new_replace(String const * string, String const * what,
		String const * by)
{
	String * ret;

	if((ret = string_new(string)) == NULL)
		return NULL;
	if(string_replace(&ret, what, by) != 0)
	{
		string_delete(ret);
		return NULL;
	}
	return ret;
}

/* string_delete */
void string_delete(String * string)
{
	object_delete(string);
}

/* accessors */
/* string_get */
# undef string_get
String const * string_get(String const * string)
{
	return string;
}
# define string_get(a) (a)

/* string_get_length */
size_t string_get_length(String const * string)
{
	size_t length;

	for(length = 0; string[length] != '\0'; length++);
	return length;
}

/* string_get_size */
size_t string_get_size(String const * string)
{
	return string_get_length(string) + 1;
}

/* string_set */
int string_set(String ** string, String const * string2)
{
	size_t len = string_get_length(string2);

	if(object_resize((Object **)string, len + 1) != 0)
		return 1;
	strcpy(*string, string2);
	return 0;
}

/* useful */
/* string_append */
int string_append(String ** string, String const * append)
{
	size_t slength = (*string != NULL) ? string_get_length(*string) : 0;
	size_t alength;

	if(append == NULL)
		return error_set_code(-EINVAL, "%s", strerror(EINVAL));
	if((alength = string_get_length(append)) == 0)
		return 0;
	if(object_resize((Object**)string, slength + alength + 1) != 0)
		return 1;
	strcpy(*string + slength, append);
	return 0;
}

/* string_append_format */
int string_append_format(String ** string, String const * format, ...)
{
	int ret;
	va_list ap;

	va_start(ap, format);
	ret = string_append_formatv(string, format, ap);
	va_end(ap);
	return ret;
}

/* string_append_formatv */
int string_append_formatv(String ** string, String const * format, va_list ap)
{
	va_list v;
	int alen;
	size_t len;
	size_t s;

	if(format == NULL)
		return error_set_code(-EINVAL, "%s", strerror(EINVAL));
	va_copy(v, ap);
	alen = vsnprintf(NULL, 0, format, v);
	va_end(v);
	if(alen < 0)
		return error_set_code(-errno, "%s", strerror(errno));
	len = string_get_length(*string);
	s = (size_t)alen + 1;
	if(object_resize((Object **)string, len + s) != 0)
		return -1;
	if(vsnprintf(&(*string)[len], s, format, ap) != alen)
	{
		error_set_code(-errno, "%s", strerror(errno));
		return -1;
	}
	return 0;
}

/* string_clear */
void string_clear(String * string)
{
	String * s;

	for(s = string; *s != '\0'; s++)
		*s = '\0';
}

/* string_compare */
int string_compare(String const * string, String const * string2)
{
	int ret;
	unsigned char const * u1;
	unsigned char const * u2;

#ifdef DEBUG
	fprintf(stderr, "DEBUG: %s(%s, %s)\n", __func__, string, string2);
#endif
	u1 = (unsigned char const *)string;
	u2 = (unsigned char const *)string2;
	while(*u1 && *u2 && *u1 == *u2)
	{
		u1++;
		u2++;
	}
	ret = *u1 - *u2;
	return ret;
}

/* string_compare_length */
int string_compare_length(String const * string, String const * string2,
		size_t length)
{
	int ret;
	unsigned char const * u1;
	unsigned char const * u2;

	if(length == 0)
		return 0;
	u1 = (unsigned char const *)string;
	u2 = (unsigned char const *)string2;
	while(--length && *u1 && *u2 && *u1 == *u2)
	{
		u1++;
		u2++;
	}
	ret = *u1 - *u2;
	return ret;
}

/* string_explode */
static void _explose_foreach_delete(ArrayData * value, void * data);

StringArray * string_explode(String const * string, String const * separator)
{
	StringArray * ret;
	String * p;			/* temporary pointer */
	size_t i;			/* current position */
	String const * s;		/* &string[i] */
	ssize_t j;			/* position of the next separator */
	ssize_t l;

#ifdef DEBUG
	fprintf(stderr, "DEBUG: %s(\"%s\", \"%s\")\n", __func__, string,
			separator);
#endif
	if((ret = stringarray_new()) == NULL)
		return NULL;
	if(separator == NULL || (l = string_get_length(separator)) == 0)
	{
		error_set_code(-EINVAL, "%s", strerror(EINVAL));
		array_delete(ret);
		return NULL;
	}
	for(i = 0;; i += j + l)
	{
		s = &string[i];
		j = string_index(s, separator);
#ifdef DEBUG
		fprintf(stderr, "DEBUG: %s(): i=%zu, j=%zd\n", __func__, i, j);
#endif
		if(j < 0)
		{
			if((p = string_new(s)) == NULL
					|| array_append(ret, p) != 0)
			{
				string_delete(p);
				break;
			}
#ifdef DEBUG
			fprintf(stderr, "DEBUG: %s(): \"%s\"\n", __func__,
					ret[ret_cnt - 1]);
#endif
			return ret;
		}
		if((p = string_new_length(s, j)) == NULL
				|| array_append(ret, p) != 0)
		{
			string_delete(p);
			break;
		}
#ifdef DEBUG
		fprintf(stderr, "DEBUG: %s(): \"%s\"\n", __func__,
				ret[ret_cnt - 1]);
#endif
	}
	/* free everything */
	array_foreach(ret, _explose_foreach_delete, NULL);
	array_delete(ret);
	return NULL;
}

static void _explose_foreach_delete(ArrayData * value, void * data)
{
	String * s = (String *)value;
	(void) data;

	string_delete(s);
}

/* string_find */
String * string_find(String const * string, String const * key)
{
	ssize_t i;

	if((i = string_index(string, key)) < 0)
		return NULL;
	return (String *)&string[i]; /* XXX */
}

/* string_index */
ssize_t string_index(String const * string, String const * key)
{
	size_t len;
	size_t keylen;
	size_t i;

	len = string_get_length(string);
	if((keylen = string_get_length(key)) == 0)
		return len;
	if(keylen > len)
		return -1;
	for(i = 0; i <= len - keylen; i++)
		if(string_compare_length(&string[i], key, keylen) == 0)
			return i;
	return -1;
}

/* string_ltrim */
size_t string_ltrim(String * string, String const * which)
{
	size_t i;
	size_t j;

	for(i = 0; string[i] != '\0'; i++)
		if(which == NULL)
		{
			if(!isspace((unsigned char)string[i]))
				break;
		}
		else
		{
			for(j = 0; which[j] != '\0' && string[i] != which[j];
					j++);
			if(which[j] == '\0')
				break;
		}
	for(j = i; string[j] != '\0'; j++)
		string[j - i] = string[j];
	string[j - i] = '\0';
	return i;
}

/* string_replace */
int string_replace(String ** string, String const * what, String const * by)
{
	String * ret = NULL;
	String const * p;
	size_t len = string_get_length(what);
	ssize_t index;
	String * q;

	for(p = *string; (index = string_index(p, what)) >= 0; p += index + len)
	{
		if((q = string_new_length(p, index)) == NULL
				|| string_append(&ret, q) != 0
				|| string_append(&ret, by) != 0)
		{
			string_delete(q);
			string_delete(ret);
			return -1;
		}
		string_delete(q);
	}
	if(ret != NULL)
	{
		if(string_append(&ret, p) != 0)
		{
			string_delete(ret);
			return -1;
		}
		string_delete(*string);
		*string = ret;
	}
	return 0;
}

/* string_rindex */
ssize_t string_rindex(String const * string, String const * key)
{
	size_t len;
	size_t keylen;
	ssize_t i;

	len = string_get_length(string);
	if((keylen = string_get_length(key)) == 0)
		return len;
	if(keylen > len)
		return -1;
	for(i = len - keylen; i >= 0; i--)
		if(string_compare_length(&string[i], key, keylen) == 0)
			return i;
	return -1;
}

/* string_rtrim */
size_t string_rtrim(String * string, String const * which)
{
	size_t ret = 0;
	size_t i;
	size_t j;

	for(i = string_get_length(string); i > 0; i--)
		if(which == NULL)
		{
			if(!isspace((unsigned char)string[i - 1]))
				return ret;
			string[i - 1] = '\0';
			ret++;
		}
		else
		{
			for(j = 0; which[j] != '\0'; j++)
				if(string[i - 1] == which[j])
				{
					string[i - 1] = '\0';
					ret++;
					break;
				}
			if(which[j] == '\0')
				break;
		}
	return ret;
}

/* string_tolower */
void string_tolower(String * string)
{
	size_t i;

	for(i = string_get_length(string); i > 0; i--)
		string[i - 1] = tolower((unsigned char)string[i - 1]);
}

/* string_toupper */
void string_toupper(String * string)
{
	size_t i;

	for(i = string_get_length(string); i > 0; i--)
		string[i - 1] = toupper((unsigned char)string[i - 1]);
}

/* string_trim */
size_t string_trim(String * string, String const * which)
{
	return string_ltrim(string, which) + string_rtrim(string, which);
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Wybory parlamentarne w Danii w 2007 roku – zorganizowane zostały 13 listopada 2007, w ich wyniku wyłoniony został nowy skład Folketingu, parlamentu Danii liczącego 179 deputowanych.

Wyniki
Wybory parlamentarne do Folketingu, z wynikiem 26,2% głosów poparcia i 46 zdobytymi mandatami, wygrała współrządząca od 2001 krajem Venstre. Drugie miejsce zajęła opozycyjna Duńska Partia Socjaldemokratyczna uzyskując 45 mandatów przy poparciu 25,5%. Koalicja partii Venstre i Konserwatywnej Partii Ludowej utraciła większość w parlamencie uzyskując łącznie 64 z 175 mandatów, przy wsparciu Duńskiej Partii Ludowej nadal do większości w parlamencie potrzebny był jej jeszcze jedno miejsce, które zajął Edmund Joensen z Farerskiej Partii Unii, były premier Wysp Owczych. Frekwencja wyborcza wyniosła 86,6%.

 Szczegółowe wyniki wyborów:

Pozostałe 4 mandaty obsadzili reprezentanci Grenlandii oraz Wysp Owczych. W nowym Folketingu z Grenlandii zasiadło po 1 przedstawicielu Wspólnoty Ludzkiej oraz partii Siumut. Z kolei z Wysp Owczych mandaty deputowanych uzyskali politycy Republiki (E) oraz Farerskiej Partii Unii (B).

2007 w Danii
2007
D

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Odontogenic lesions comprise a diverse group of lesions which usually affect the oral cavity and are derived from embryonic dental tissues. Their mechanisms of development and progression are still not fully known, but there are some studies investigating the participation of specific proteins in these events. Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the expression of KRAS protein in these pathologies and also to correlate the protein expression with the behaviour of the lesions studied. Material and Methods: Immunohistochemical analysis of 20 cases was performed for each one of the following lesions: dentigerous cyst (DC), odontogenic keratocyst (OKC) and ameloblastoma (AB), totalising 60 cases to be analysed. Results: By considering the KRAS immune-expression, there were 11 cases (55%) presenting over-expression (score 3) in the basal layer of DC and 13 cases (65%) in the supra-basal layer. A similar finding was observed in the analysis of OKC, with eight cases (40%) in the supra-basal layer (score 3) and only five cases (25%) in the basal layer. As for AB, the over-expression was found in six cases (30%). Conclusion: Therefore, one believes that the KRAS expression in odontogenic lesions is inversely proportional to their aggressive behaviour.


Jayoung Lee, president of Practical Sketch, had a special lecture on September 16, 2014. She is one of our alumni who studied industrial design for her BS and MS. Currently she is leading experience design group named Practical Sketch after longstanding experience. Lee introduced three mindset of design entrepreneurship.


Thank you so much for having me here today. It is an honor to be invited to speak to you during your National Legislative Conference. From educating immigrant children to promoting economic empowerment to fighting for the rights of farm workers, LULAC has helped improve the lives of this country's Latinos for generations.
When I served in state and local office in Ohio, I always found it deeply inspiring and profoundly moving to speak at naturalization ceremonies. To me, these occasions are the very embodiment of what Walt Whitman called a "Nation of nations." People from all over the world gather to become citizens of the United States. Usually I observed that before us today are people who have come to our country from every continent except Antarctica.
At the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, we earnestly believe in the fundamental principles of openness and fairness. We know that financial products and services represent much more than mere transactions – they can define the ways and means of our lives. We want Latino consumers – on the same footing with every other consumer – to have the information they need to make good choices, choices that enhance their lives and empower them to succeed. Information that keeps them from falling into the tricks and traps that may lead to financial hardship or financial ruin. We see financial literacy and financial capability as basic components of citizenship. It is important not only to learn how to participate in our democracy, but also to learn how to stand on your own two feet in our open market economy.
Many families were hard hit by the recession, but the median wealth of Hispanic households, in particular, fell by 66 percent from 2005 to 2009. A large part of that drop was because of the housing crisis. Too often, the poorest and most vulnerable among us – and very often, the newest among us – are exploited the most in our financial system. We want to work with you to reverse these trends. We want to strengthen consumer protections for Latinos, just as we aim to do for all consumers in America. We want to make people more aware of their rights as consumers, and to enable them to make decisions they can sustain over the long arc of life for themselves and their families.
For many, the American Dream offers an opportunity to work hard – not only to support themselves and their immediate families, but also to help support the loved ones they left behind and may never see again. Remittances from the United States to Latin America are estimated by researchers to total in the billions or tens of billions of dollars every year. LULAC has been working for a very long time, along with strong allies on Capitol Hill such as Senator Daniel Akaka and Congressman Luis Gutiérrez, to ensure that people are treated fairly when they engage in these transactions. You have championed greater transparency and basic consumer protections to safeguard those who send money around the world.
This is only fair. As I said recently in testimony before the Senate Banking Committee, everyone in that hearing room expects and receives basic consumer protections every time they write a check, make a bank transfer, or use a credit card. The same should be true of people who are sending remittance transfers. Many have long felt that they cannot trust this part of the financial marketplace. When they send money back, they either take the huge risk of sending it through the mail or they bear the expense and delay of finding someone they hope they can trust to carry the money back with them on a visit to the old country.
It is a point of pride for us that the first substantive rule the new Consumer Bureau issued a few weeks ago was a rule on remittances. Up to this point, few protections existed for those sending international money transfers. Hidden fees and fluctuating exchange rates meant that consumers did not know how much money would be received on the other end. Consumers sending $200 from here to El Salvador might find, for example, that they might pay anywhere from $8 to $33, depending on how the transaction is conducted and who conducts it. With our rule, we hope to increase competition. In general, all fees, taxes, and exchange rates will be disclosed to the customer ahead of payment. People will know how much is to be received, and they can shop for the best deal. This is a win for Latinos and for all consumers.
These consumer protections are long overdue, and like all consumer protections, they will also benefit the financial industry if the result is greater trust in the marketplace. People should not have to resort to mailing cash in an envelope or delivering money in person simply because they cannot depend on the system. If we can succeed in making these transactions more transparent, we will attract more customers who can compare options and achieve lower costs and reduced risk. Just as federal deposit insurance provided safeguards that attracted people back to deposit products after the frightening bank failures of the Great Depression, our remittance rule should facilitate confidence in international money transfers by making them work better and with more certainty.
Another way the remittance rule aims to reduce risk is by holding providers accountable for errors. Under the rule, if a consumer reports a problem with a transaction within 180 days, transfer providers will be required to investigate and to correct errors. Transfer providers may be held responsible for some of the mistakes made by their business partners. This new regime creates incentives for companies to use more dependable partners both here and abroad. In short, remittance transfers will become more predictable and reliable.
Our remittance rule will apply to most electronic money transfers over $15 and to most companies that offer such transfers, including banks, thrifts, credit unions, and others. Further, consumers will generally have the ability to cancel the transaction for 30 minutes after payment is made. These protections become fully effective in about a year, and we plan to work with you to conduct an effective public awareness campaign to inform people broadly about their new rights. In fact, months ago, while we were still in the process of standing up the new Consumer Bureau, we posted videos on our website, in English and Spanish, where we explained our role in implementing the new disclosure requirements for remittances. In fact, the two speakers for the videos (we call them movie stars Zixta Martinez and Flavio Cumpiano) are here with me today.
We recognize that people who send money back to loved ones in another country are engaged in an act of deep devotion. Many of these consumers do not make much money themselves and so have very little to spare. Dividing your resources into two parts and sending some back to your family elsewhere is a selfless and even a heroic act, and people deserve to know where every hard-earned penny is going.
The lyrics of the famous Irish ballad Danny Boy are all about a son who must leave home to find opportunity across the sea, even though it breaks his mother's heart to bid him farewell. We can readily imagine him steadfastly sending money back to ease her cares whenever he could manage to do so. The sons and mothers of our day likewise deserve an improved marketplace that is reliable and transparent and hence worthy of their affection for one another. This, again, is the inescapably human aspect of remittance transfers. We are talking not just about financial transactions, but about the essential fabric of people's lives. This is true for Latinos and it is true for all immigrant communities who grace our nation by making the difficult decision to add their talents and their courage to the ranks of our fellow Americans.
Here and elsewhere, we are intent upon seizing our opportunities to make our financial markets work better for the people they serve. Some of us are first-generation Americans, some are second-generation, others have been here longer. But we are all the same when it comes to expecting a fair shake. We are all the same in deserving finally to have someone who stands on our side, protects us against fraud, and sees to it that we are treated fairly in the financial marketplace. That is why you pushed for a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and that is the work we are determined to do for this country.
Thank you for everything you stand for, and thank you again for having me here today.


As you can see from the pictures, these two dishes were a complete and utter disaster. I was asked to make some nibbles for christmas before our meal, no problem. Then I completely forgot I'd agreed to make them and luckily I had some of the ingredients in, well sort of.
Let me start with the truffles, Lorraine makes them look so simple, the recipe is so simple. But it does help that I bought the completely wrong type of goats cheese. I was in the supermarket doing a random shop and spotted the cheese and something in my head went, I'm sure I need some goats cheese I better buy it. As it got closer to christmas and I was reminded about making nibbles I happily checked the cheese, reading soft goats cheese and went, yes it's fine I've got the cheese. Well it was completely the wrong sort of soft cheese. Not knowing goats cheese very well I didn't realise there were varieties of softness and I had it very wrong. The worst thing was I made these christmas morning so no chance of nipping to the shops to buy more. So I had to mould some pretty hard cheese into little boulders and cover them. Thankfully you do brush them with honey first anyway, but these needed extra. Only one was eaten on the day and I'm not surprised, I didn't want one. So lesson is check the softness of your cheese.
The second nibble were the cheese twists. I had everything in the house for these, but I became very impatient. I got the pastry out of the freezer far to late and was waiting for it to thaw. So much that there was no time to put the twists back into the fridge before baking so what came out were these strange oozing cheesy things, not pretty. Again, not many got eaten. Thankfully my wonderful sister in law had some smoked salmon on blinis ready to go so we didn't get hungry.


As a business partner of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, we are proud to support this concert featuring French pianist Bertrand Chamayou.
It aims to provide as many opportunities as possible for people to hear live orchestral music by touring the length and breadth of Scotland and around the world as proud ambassadors for Scottish cultural excellence. In recent years, the Orchestra has travelled throughout Europe, the Far East, India and the USA.
Members of the Institut français d'Ecosse are eligible to receive discounts on select SCO concerts and other events. For more information on this, please subscribe to our newsletter and consider becoming a member.
The SCO will also be bringing this concert to St Andrews on 10 April, to Glasgow on 12 April, and to Aberdeen on 13 April. For more details, visit the SCO's event page.


On Saturday, December 17th, 2011 Scranton MMA was host to the third installment of Bragging Rights; a no time limit, submission only grappling tournament. This style of tournament is the truest test of grappling skill! By taking away time limits and a points system technique becomes the focus of the competition – lay and pray tactics, points playing, stalling, and the race to one is eliminated thus ensuring whomever has the best technique will outlast, outwit, and defeat each opponent faced. In addition to the no time limit submission victory only format the tournament was a true double elimination event with limited number of weight classes. Competitors from all over NEPA converged to test their grappling mettle and the matches did not disappoint; highlight reel throws, exciting comebacks, upset victories, fast finishes, and wars of attrition all were a parts of the day! There were far too many matches in the day to recount each and every one so we have provided the division results along with a brief synopsis below. All said and done Bragging Rights 3 was a huge success.
Women's Open Weight Division – In the finals Jamie Rickard met Jen Williams. Jamie had submitted her way into the final round while Jen Williams, forced into the losers bracket in round one by Jamie battled her way back into the finals. Under the rules of true double elimination Jen would need to defeat Jamie in two consecutive matches in order to win the division – and that is exactly what she did by capturing two consecutive submission victories via entangled armlock from kesa gatame. Congratulations Jen!
Teens Open Weight Division – In the finals Tyler Mooney met Frank Flores. Tyler had submitted his way into the finals while Frank had to work his way through the losers bracket in order to reach the final round. As in the women's open weight the winner of the losers bracket would need two consecutive submission victories in order to win the division. Despite his best efforts however Frank was unable to make this happen as Tyler Mooney secured a vicious knee on sternum hold to force the tap and win his division. Congratulations Tyler!
White Belt Under 200lbs – In the finals Rico Mancino and Vito Picozzo collided. Both competitors had decimated the division to reach the finals without losses. Therefore it was one match between the two undefeated competitors to determine the champion. In an exciting back and forth battle Rico was able to eventually secure solid cross body control and lock up a key lock for the submission victory. Congratulations Rico!
White Belt Over 200lbs. – In the finals Mike Peragallo faced off against Dave Makowski . This match proved to be one of the surprising upsets of the day – not because of a difference in technical skill but because in the previous round Mike Peragallo endured a 90 minute battle with his brother Stephen Peragallo! It was a foregone conclusion to everyone in attendance that Mike was "done" however in true Gracie Jiu Jitsu fashion Mike outlasted his opponents attacks with a tight defense, worked his way to a dominant position, and secured the submission victory via rear naked choke . Awesome job Mike!
Blue Belt Under 200lbs. – In the finals Juan Alvirena squared off against Paul Kunkel. Juan had submitted his way straight through to the final round while Paul had been forced into the losers bracket and forced to battle back to the finals. in a pitched battle Juan little by little gained steamed and began to impose his skill on Paul eventually setting up a knee bar victory from halfguard. Juan looked great both standing and on the ground and will no doubt be joining the ranks of purple belt very soon. Congratulations Juan!
Blue Belt Over 200lbs. – In the finals Eric Vazquez met John Meyers. Eric scored a quick takedown to guard pass securing cross side position from where he worked a keylock. Once locked on John had no choice but to submit. Congratulations Eric!
Purple Belt Open Weight – The finals of this division came down to Gary Peters and Frank Alogna. This was a fast paced match that saw a ton of transitions both standing and ground with both competitors gaining and losing momentum during the match. During one scramble Frank came up with a tight triangle from guard. Peters did his best to defend but in the end was forced to tap. Excellent work by both men. Congratulations Frank!
Once the champions in each division were determined a few exhibition matches were held to entertain the crowd.
Jen Williams (woman's champion) v. Tyler Mooney (teens champion) This was a fun exhibition with a lot of exciting action from start to finish. After six minutes of action Mooney secured an armlock for the submission victory.
Mike Peragallo (white belt 200 plus champion) v Rico Mancino (white belt under 200 champion) The second exhibition match of the day was another great one. Mike and Rico went to the mat for near 8 minutes before Rico finally secured a tight keylock from cross side to obtain the victory.
Eric Vazquez (blue belt 200 plus champion) v Juan Alverina (blue belt under 200 champion) This third exhibition match was a technical marathon as Juan used a superior technical skill set against a much larger Vazquez. To Eric's credit he used a sound strategy of slow the game down and progress through the positional hierarchy – with this strategy Vazquez after 15 minutes secured an armlock victory.
Frank Alogna (purple belt open champion) v Jeff Reese (lead Gracie Jiu Jitsu instructor at Scranton MMA) The final exhibition match of the day came as a surprise to everyone as it was called, both competitors took to the mat with smiles. A quick hand shake and things were under way. As Alogna went for an armdrag, Jeff hand slipped into a cross collar grip. Sensing danger Alogna tried pulling guard. Jeff quickly cut pass to a modified cross side position as he sunk in a tight cross collar choke. Seconds later Frank was forced to tap.
It was a great third installment of Bragging Rights! We will keep you posted on the next installment slated for Spring 2012!


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How to Become a Chef in Oregon
With more than 9,000 eating and drinking establishments in the state and annual restaurant sales in the neighborhood of $7 billion, Oregon is experiencing steady, above average job growth in its culinary and hospitality sectors. America's dean of cooking, James Beard, was an Oregon native and cited Oregon as the place, next to Paris, that had most influenced his professional life. Despite its floral bounty—fantastic strawberries and more than 300 varieties of truffles—it's only in the 21st Century that Oregon has come into its own as a foodie center. That makes it a great place to work as a chef. [En Español]
Find Schools in Oregon
Requirements for Becoming a Chef in Oregon
High school graduation or an equivalent GED is all you really need to work as a chef in Oregon, but given the state's growing reputation for farm-to-table freshness and innovative cuisine, studying culinary arts at one of its many schools can only help you obtain a position with your employer of choice.
Culinary Arts Programs in Oregon
Whether you want to go to school in Portland or somewhere else, there are many culinary arts programs to choose from in Oregon. With its emphasis on fresh and organic ingredients and environmentally aware cooking and consumption, Oregon is a great place to get either a diploma or a degree.
Oregon Coast Culinary Institute, Coos Bay. Located in the southern part of the state, Oregon Coast Culinary Institute offers a two-year associate's degree in culinary arts. The first year is coursework; the second includes a three-month externship. Students can choose either the Culinary Arts or the Baking & Pastry Program at this school, which prides itself on being affordable while providing an outstanding educational experience.
Oregon Culinary Institute, Portland. Course developers at this downtown private college work closely with industry experts to design and adapt training to match industry demand. Students earn Culinary Arts, Baking and Pastry or Restaurant Management diplomas in programs ranging from 16 to 34 weeks with externships, or can choose to complete an associate's degree Culinary Management. Instructors have industry experience, and there's a student fine dining restaurant in addition to three labs and conventional classrooms.
Certification and Licensing
In 2015, the Washington Post's Tom Sietsema ranked Portland, Oregon, as the best food city in America. American Culinary Federation certification is not, however, a requirement in the state.
Career Outlook and Salary Expectations
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, chefs in Oregon earn an average of $20.73 per hour and $43,110 per year.
As one of America's most socially progressive states, Oregon has just celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Oregon Trail and is also one of its most geographically diverse states, with mountains, beaches, flatlands and trails. By 2025, there are expected be almost 27,000 food service industry jobs in the state.
Working as a Chef in Oregon
The vast majority of jobs for chefs are in Portland, the state's largest city, with a selection of restaurants and food carts that is considered quirky. But you'll also easily find work in Bend, Eugene, or Ashland, whose annual culinary festival has been in existence for more than a decade now.
Coastal Oregon nonmetropolitan area
Eugene-Springfield, OR
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA
Southern Oregon & Linn County nonmetropolitan area
Bend, OR Area
Central Oregon Community College
2600 NW College Way, Bend, Oregon 97703
Baking & Pastry Arts – Certificate Program, Baking & Pastry Arts – Associate Program
Central Oregon Community College offers multiple training options, including a Certificate program and an Associate program. All programs are taught at their campus in the city of Bend. Most of the school's 6,073 students are on 2-year programs. The college is institutionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. The cost of tuition for in-district students is generally in the order of $3,627 and are $4,779 and $9,495 for in-state and out-of-state students respectively, while study materials may cost around $1,800, depending on the program.
Coastal Oregon nonmetropolitan area Area
Southwestern Oregon Community College
1988 Newmark Ave, Coos Bay, Oregon 97420-2193
Baking and Pastry Arts – Certificate Program, Baking and Pastry Arts – Associate Program
Southwestern Oregon Community College offers multiple training options, including a Certificate program and an Associate program. All programs are based at their campus in the town of Coos Bay, OR. The majority of of the school's 2,338 students are on 2-year programs. The college is institutionally accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Tuition fees are around $5,847 annually. Study materials can cost around $1,500, depending on the program chosen.
Eugene-Springfield, OR Area
4000 E 30th Ave, Eugene, Oregon 97405-0640
Culinary Arts – Certificate Program
Lane Community College offers various Certificate program options for chefs. All programs are based at their campus in Eugene in Lane County, Oregon. The college has in the region of 8,583 students in total, with most students on 2-year programs. The college is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. The cost of tuition for students living in the state is around $4,155 and for out-of-state students around $9,483 for each academic year. Study materials can cost roughly $1,365, depending on the program chosen.
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA Area
Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts-Portland
600 SW 10th Avenue, Suite 500, Portland, Oregon 97205-2793
Pâtisserie And Baking – Certificate Program, Pâtisserie And Baking – Associate Program
Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts offers multiple training options, including a Certificate program and an Associate program. Classes are taken at their Portland campus in the city of Portland. This private, for-profit college has about 334 students in total, with the majority of students on 2-year programs. The college is institutionally accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges. The cost of tuition is in the order of $12,617 per year.
26000 SE Stark St, Gresham, Oregon 97030
Business Management: Hospitality – Associate Program
The Associate's program in Business Management: Hospitality at Mt Hood Community College is offered at their campus in Gresham in Multnomah County. The college has roughly 8,758 students in total, with most students on 2-year programs. The college is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. The cost of tuition for students living in the state is usually in the order of $5,313 and for students from outside the state in the order of $10,398 per year. Learning materials may cost in the order of $1,560, although this will vary with the program.
Pioneer Pacific College
27501 SW Parkway Ave, Wilsonville, Oregon 97070-9296
Baking & Pastry – Hospitality Management – Associate Program, Baking & Pastry – Certificate Program
Pioneer Pacific College offers multiple training options, including an Associate program and a Certificate program. Classes are taken at their campus in Wilsonville in Clackamas County, OR. The college has approximately 1,170 students in total, with most students on 4-year programs. Fees for tuition are generally about $14,649 yearly.
12000 SW 49th Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97219-7132
Culinary Assistant Training – Certificate Program
The Culinary Assistant Training Certificate program in Culinary Assistant Training at Portland Community College is offered at their campus in the city of Portland. The majority of of the school's 29,003 students are on 2-year programs. The college is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Tuition fees for in-state students are generally around $3,802 and for out-of-state students approximately $8,446 annually. Books and supplies can cost around $1,689, although this will depend on the program.
Southern Oregon & Linn County nonmetropolitan area Area
6500 Pacific Blvd SW, Albany, Oregon 97321
Culinary Arts – Associate Program
Linn-Benton Community College's Associate program is based at their campus in the city of Albany. The majority of of the school's 5,721 students are on 2-year programs. The college is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Fees for tuition for in-state students are likely to be in the order of $4,512 and for students from outside the state likely to be about $10,043 yearly. Learning materials may cost about $912, although this will vary with the program.
1140 Umpqua College Rd., Roseburg, Oregon 97470-0226
Culinary Arts – Certificate Program, Hospitality & Restaurant Management – Associate Program
Umpqua Community College offers multiple training options, including a Certificate program and an Associate program. Classes are taken at their campus in Roseburg in Douglas County, Oregon. The college has about 2,246 students in total, with the majority of students on 2-year programs. The college is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. The cost of tuition for students living in the state is roughly about $4,417 and for students from other states around $8,980 for each academic year, while study materials may cost roughly $1,800, depending on the program.
* Tuition fees and accredition status are correct at the time of writing, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (http://nces.ed.gov/). Confirm with college before applying.
Neighbor States
Residents of Oregon may also wish to review their options in Washington, Idaho, Nevada and California.
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Whether you do it for yourself, for the enjoyment of watching others indulge in your creations, or simply because you just love the baking aspect of baking, you grab new inspiration from any of these experienced bakers. Read More about "Best Baking Blogs"…
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10 big companies changed their look
by	Floyd Hijada
New year, new start: this is a popular time for businesses to polish up their designs. But design trends are always changing and almost every day, a major company alters its visual identity.
In this series, 99designs will be highlighting the rebranding efforts of companies big and small. Hover your cursor over the images to compare and contrast the companies' old and new logos. Tell us what you think about these rebrands in the comments section!
1. AIS
Place your cursor over the image to see the redesign
"As Australia's strategic high performance sport agency, the AIS is responsible and accountable for leading the delivery of Australia's international sporting success."
AIS' old logo was seriously outdated and was in dire need of a revamp. This new one consists five gold lines that form the shape of Australia. It definitely packs a better punch, communicating speed through its dynamic line work. The reflective gradient is also a good touch. The font for AIS could use be a little thicker, but apart from that, AIS is definitely going for gold on this one. Implementing this new design cost the Australian Industry of Sport a total of $500,000. Do you think it is worth it?
2. Art Directors Club
Sometimes, going back to your old roots is the way to go. The original Art Directors Club logo was a graphic interpretation of the signature of Albrecht Dürer – one of the first high profile commercial artists. Since 1920, the Art Directors Club has changed their logo 20 times. All versions were variations of the initials ADC until recently, when the logo changed to a simple wordmark with a bright pink color. Now, returning to its roots, the Art Directors Club decided to go back to the traditional logo, and is now known as "ADC".
3. Netgear
Some tweaks here and there can result in a really fresh rebrand. Netgear got rid of the dark blue color and opted for a more lively purple. They also worked on their kerning and added some "faceted graphic motifs" to accompany their wordmark. This small change is very appealing to the eyes. It's like Netgear got rid of their baggy suit and purchased a well-tailored, slightly flashier one.
Another slight change from one of the biggest companies in the world. Visa removed the iconic yellow flap on the letter V, and gave the whole wordmark a blue gradient. It didn't really make sense to change the logo like this, as it worked well with the blue and the yellow. Visa loses its uniqueness by removing a color that distinguished its logo. According to the company, "Visa is introducing a new visual identity for one of the most recognized and powerful brands in the world." In actuality, it is so much easier to lose this logo in the sea of gradients out there.
5. Cadillac
Cadillac's crest always had too much going on. With this new redesign, Cadillac kept the crest, but removed the wreath. The new logo still has its intricacies, containing three different colors as well as multiple patterns on these colors. The logo does work well with their cars since it now has only one component instead of the more unwieldy two. My only problem with this one is the amount of detail it has. It gets a little distracting; having that many colors on a car can really throw off the whole look.
6. Marriott
The Marriot hotel chain got rid of its medieval-ish font and opted for a plain sans serif look. They did keep a slightly modified version of the M from their previous logo and now use it as their main logo. The M also doubles as an H, and it is a simple way to use MH as their initials. The company could have chosen a better font for Marriott and perhaps kerned the letters closer together, as they currently look very distant. The simple change from Marriott was not absolutely necessary, but it is a welcome change in this new age of simplicity.
7. Black + Decker
Black + Decker changed two things: one was changing its name from "Black & Decker" to "Black + Decker"; the other was updating its brand personality. This new logo exemplifies that. The old logo was rugged and manly, while this new logo shows a softer and more personable look. The change was meant to change the company's brand identity to a more personable, "anybody can use our tools" vibe. However, the screw shouldn't have been removed, since it has been an iconic symbol for the company.
8. Morton Salt
"The Morton Salt logo is widely recognized for its bold "Morton Salt" word mark. The new logo now features a fresh and friendly font, while maintaining the leadership qualities of the original word mark, specifically the bold, all-caps type style. The letter "R" in the new "Morton" word mark also carries a slight kick to mimic the Morton Salt Girl's step."
A lot of history on this one. It only makes sense not to change too much about this iconic girl under the umbrella. At first glance, it looks like nothing was changed. But in fact, there are some very small but key updates to this logo, including the simplification of the lines on the drawing and the amount of salt being spilled. The wordmark also got a much-needed change with the spacing of the letters.
9. Oxford Dictionaries
This one was a little disappointing. You could argue that the old Oxford Dictionaries logo was plain, but that was the point. It had the same font as the dictionaries and it was simple. The change, using a "OD" monogram, screams blandness. There is no originality to this one. Beats by Dre anyone?
10. The Oscars
"The new logo spotlights the Oscars — creating a triangular shape and uniting the "A" of the Academy with our iconic statuette. This design gives the Academy a presence in its own logo for the first time and underscores our efforts to support creative arts and sciences year-round."
Probably one of the better changes of this month. The Oscars got a much needed revamp of their old shiny logo. The new logo is elegant and simple. The oscar statuette is still there, but it is now inside the A. The A with the statue can also be used as a standalone logo.
What do you think about these rebranding efforts? Tell us in the comments!
Floyd Hijada
famous logo design
This is a great list! The only obvious exception (and I understand it occured after this post was published) is the AirBnB logo fiasco of the past few months. Interesting and controversial change – http://bit.ly/1oNyG0F


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The three pins of a deadly grenade near the Ukrainian parliament
The protests on August 31that le
2015/09/13 - 08:59 • International
Article by: Anton Shekhovtsov
Source: Anton Shekhovtsov's blog
In the course of the violent protests that took place by the Verkhovna Rada (the building of the Ukrainian parliament) on August 31, three National Guards were killed, and several dozens more servicemen, as well as protesters themselves, were wounded. The 3,000-strong protesters demanded from the parliament not to endorse amendments to the Ukrainian constitution. They were co-organized by the far-right Svoboda party, and two populist parties – the Radical Party of Oleh Lyashko and the Ukrainian Union of Patriots (better known as UKROP).
The three national guards were killed by a single grenade. The Ukrainian authorities suspect that it was thrown by a member of the Sich Battalion associated with Svoboda. (While it is not clear whether the suspect was an actual member of Svoboda, he expressed his positive attitudes towards the party on social media.)
However, even if a Sich Battalion member threw the deadly grenade that killed three and heavily wounded many more, it may be too convenient to blame him alone for the incident. (Some very bad, manipulated analyses of the incident only obscure the problem.) Metaphorically, the grenade had three safety pins; in other words, there are three aspects that one needs to consider to understand the complex nature of this tragedy.
Pin One
Svoboda was one of the three co-organizers of the protest, but its representatives were the most violent party at the protest. The latter started quite peacefully – at least in terms of Ukraine's recent experience. The protesters became violent later, after they learned that the Rada passed the constitutional amendments in the first reading. They started burning debris and attacking the policemen verbally and physically – with clubs and other implements. According to the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission, both sides of the conflict threw tear gas canisters and smoke bombs. Then came the grenade.
An important point here is that Svoboda representatives anticipated that the protests would grow violent, and for this particular reason the protesters from the Svoboda's side brought clubs with them although they did not use them until the Rada's vote. Why would Svoboda be interested in the violent protests?
The answer is the regional elections scheduled for October 25 this year. Svoboda obtained 10.44 per cent of the vote in the 2012 parliamentary elections (and became the first Ukrainian party ever to have formed a far right parliamentary group).
However, in the early 2014 parliamentary elections, its former supporters became disappointed with Svoboda's performance both in the parliament and during the revolution, and the party failed to pass the 5 per cent electoral threshold required to enter parliament as a party.
In 2012, Svoboda's trick was to persuade the voters disaffected by the regime of former President Viktor Yanukovych that they were the most radical opposition to him. The regional elections in 2015 are virtually the last chance for Svoboda to re-enter politics against the background of dwindling public support, so the leadership now attempted the same trick: to persuade those disaffected with President Petro Poroshenko's rule that Svoboda is the most radical opposition to him.
While increased protest activity and harsh rhetoric may have been a characteristic of radicalism in 2012, today they no longer are. The revolution and the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war "coarsened" many a Ukrainian and modified the meanings of "moderate" and "radical". Today, to be radical is to be violent. Thus, although it is highly unlikely that Svoboda's leadership sanctioned the use of the grenade, they did sanction the creation of a violent space that eventually set off the grenade.
Pin Two
The Radical Party of Oleh Lyashko and UKROP are two dodgy populist parties that many commentators link to the Ukrainian oligarchs Serhiy Levochkin and Ihor Kolomoisky, respectively. The oligarchs in general and Kolomoisky in particular have a reason to be dissatisfied with Poroshenko: he set a course for the "de-oligarchization" of Ukrainian politics, and while the success of this course is debatable, the oligarchs seem to be losing rather than maintaining the status quo.
Levochkin was the head of the Presidential Administration under deposed president Viktor Yanukovych, and although he left this post in the very beginning of the revolution to distance himself from the regime's violence against the Euromaidan protests, he nevertheless belongs to the camp that lost in the revolution.
Since spring 2015, Kolomoisky has been in conflict with the state over the control of two state-owned energy companies, Ukrnafta and Ukrtransnafta. The conflict is still going on, but Kolomoisky had to resign as governor of the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast in March 2015.
Ihor Kolomoisky
The oligarchs are clearly on the offensive, and although the Ukrainian authorities would still cooperate with them, they no longer can enjoy the possibility to exert influence on Ukrainian politics to the same extent as in the previous years. Naturally, they are opposed to Poroshenko and the government, and, in the pre-revolutionary era, they would turn to pro-Russian rhetoric to mobilize society against a reform-oriented government.Today, however, given the total failure of the pro-Russian discourse underpinned by the Russian aggression against Ukraine, the oligarchs need to change their political tactics, so now they increasingly turn to populist, ultra-patriotic rhetoric to challenge Poroshenko. Indeed, the anti-system, falsely-understood patriotism has become the major instrument of the opposition to President Poroshenko and his team.
Through their media and social networks, the oligarchs are promoting the idea of zrada (treason), implying that the authorities have betrayed Ukrainian national interests, in particular by signing the Minsk 2 agreement. The parties controlled by the oligarchs are doing the same, and they are interested in destabilizing the government, hence the presence of the Radical Party of Oleh Lyashko and UKROP at the protests by the Verkhovna Rada. These are oligarchs who have significantly contributed to the radicalization of the opposition to Poroshenko and helped create the tense atmosphere of distrust towards the authorities that set off the grenade.
Pin Three
The oligarchs, however, only contributed to the pre-existing distrust towards Poroshenko and the government. The "patriotic" distrust towards the authorities is the result of a series of military defeats by the Ukrainian army, National Guard, and volunteer battalions in their fight with the Russian troops and Russia-backed extremists in eastern Ukraine. While Ukraine was forced to sign Minsk 1 and Minsk 2 agreements to stop the covert Russian invasions of the Donbas in August-September 2014 and January-February 2015, some people in the Ukrainian military believed that they could continue fighting and retake the occupied territories of Eastern Ukraine.
The fact that the deadly grenade was allegedly thrown by a member of the battalion associated with the far right Svoboda party, by no means implies that this is a problem only with the far right. The zrada sentiment is widespread among different volunteer battalions (not necessarily affiliated with far-right parties or organizations) and even among the rank and file of the army and National Guard.
This is an extremely dangerous development. Not that the disaffected military can stage a coup d'etat, but they can obviously try to do this, and, thus, destabilize the government to the benefit of the Russian aggressor. It is highly possible that they will engage in terrorist acts against representatives of the Ukrainian establishment.
For example, some of the members of the far right Pravy Sektor (Right Sector) are openly threatening the government with terrorism. The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) has recently arrested a commander of one of the non-political volunteer battalions and claimed that they uncovered a plot to murder "several high-level public officials, an MP, volunteers, and businessmen", including Interior Minister Arsen Avakov and the commander of the Azov regiment Andriy Biletsky.
If the suspicions of the Ukrainian authorities are correct and a member of the Sich Battalion has indeed thrown the deadly grenade at national guards, then this incident is a natural result of the growing dissatisfaction with the Ukrainian authorities on the part of a particular element of the Ukrainian military. Yet the dramatic incident might not have happened, if some political forces and some oligarchs have not created the favorable conditions for setting off the grenade.
Tags: far right, international, Svoboda
Anton Shekhovtsov is Visiting Senior Fellow at the Legatum Institute (UK) and Research Associate at the Institute for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation (Ukraine). He is also Editor of the "Explorations of the Far Right" book series at ibidem-Verlag (Germany) and a member of the Editorial Board of the Open Access e-journal Fascism: Journal of Comparative Fascist Studies. His website:http://www.shekhovtsov.org. Follow him on Twitter: @A_SHEKH0VTS0V
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text:
Girls Ashram
£1,587 raised of £5,000 goal •
Menka Panchal
Mayuri Patel
Sylvaine Amellal
Nicholas Clark
Anzhalika Sidzialiova
Bhumika Patel is organizing this fundraiser.
During my last couple of visits to India this year, it's really been an eye-opener to just how harsh some of the living conditions are. I was lucky enough to visit 2 Ashrams for orphaned and underprivileged girls and it brought me to tears.These girls come from slum equivalent areas in the forest, where they still have an outdated style of thinking that girls should not study. Education is also not readily available to those who cannot afford it, and so this combined effect leaves little chance for these girls to obtain even a basic education.However, feeling sorry for them wasn't going to be much help - something had to be done!
The Ashrams are trying there best to meet the needs of these girls, with 1 Ashram having 200 girls, however the funding is really being stretched and so choices have to be made; such as between feeding the girls or saving to fix the roof under which they sleep to keep them from falling ill from the rainwater pouring through during the night, which then leads to medical needs. It's all a cascade, which some of us may not even need to think about, but these girls live it every day.
I would like to propose some improvements for these girls, who bless them, are only trying to get their basic education. Firstly address the issue of their sanitary needs. In an ashram with 200 girls they only have 5 outdoor toilets and showers, which are 500 metres away, which, when dark, is unpleasant due to a fear of snakes, given the ashram is located
in an agricultural area. So, we plan on building a further 5 toilets and showers but this time in an extension from their sleeping quarters so they need not leave the building. Then the leaking roof, which was the most commonly raised issue from the girls themselves. The existing roof is over 100 years old hence cannot be repaired, but with your help we can build a new, sturdy and weather proof one. And lastly the floor on which they sleep; thanks to you guys we managed to renovate the first floor (for which the girls were so very grateful!) but the upper floor still needs doing, as now they alternate as to which girls sleep on the newly done floor.
I spoke to some of these girls and if anything they gave me belief and strength. Upon being asked, the girls said they wanted to be nurses to help families like there's get the correct, much needed healthcare. The head girl said she wanted to become a police officer to, even on the smallest scale, prevent corruption in her local area, and some girls even lawyers to help fight for women empowerment.
The awareness of such ashrams is increasing at a rate they cannot cope with, so please if there's even the smallest contribution you can make to help these girls really realise and reach their full potential, they would appreciate it more than you know. With this donation you will help the new generations of girls grow up with a healthy upbringing, and live on to have a wonderful future – all thanks to your help.
If anyone has any questions about the ashram, how the money will be transferred and spent or even wants to have a look please do not hesitate in contacting me at [email redacted]
Meet Naina, who is only 14 years old but living independently at the Ashram. She has dreams of being a nurse one day which you can help make true.
P.S - this project is handled by myself and a very close friend of mine who is and has been supporting many other charities in UK and India for many years. If you would like further details as to the logistics of the project please don't hesitate in contacting me and of course you will see photo evidence of your kind contributions once the work is completed - and if possible it would be great for any of you to visit the Ashram to have a look for yourself!
Bhumika Patel
Woodland Way, London


text:
A munkanap a munkaidő meghatározott tartama, a munkajog egyik alapfogalma.

A magyar munka törvénykönyve szerint "munkanap: a naptári nap vagy a munkáltató által meghatározott megszakítás nélküli huszonnégy óra, ha a munkáltató működése miatt a beosztás szerinti napi munkaidő kezdete és befejezése nem azonos naptári napra esik."

Ez megfelelően irányadó a heti pihenő- vagy a munkaszüneti nap meghatározása tekintetében is, azzal, hogy a 7 és 22 óra közötti tartamot heti pihenő- vagy a munkaszüneti napnak kell tekinteni.

Források
 2012. I. törvény a munka törvénykönyvéről

Jegyzetek

Kapcsolódó szócikkek
 Munkaszüneti nap

További információk
munkajog.com

Munkajog


text:
Will most Utahns end up getting COVID-19?
By Lisa Riley Roche, Deseret News | Posted - Jan. 14, 2022 at 6:21 a.m.
Tristin Torkelson, an EMT with Salt Lake County, gives Raymundo Altamirano a COVID-19 vaccination at a Salt Lake County Health Department mobile site at Tejeda's Market in Salt Lake City on Dec. 29, 2021. (Scott G Winterton, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — Yes, many Utahns already are getting COVID-19 even if they're vaccinated and boosted against the virus, thanks to the incredibly transmissible omicron variant surging through the state and sending Thursday's cases soaring to nearly 13,000.
But no, health experts say, that doesn't mean Utahns should give up protecting themselves and others from COVID-19 by staying up-to-date on their shots, wearing masks and avoiding crowds — even if most people likely will eventually contract the virus.
"Our advice is for people to take actions, like getting vaccinated and boosted or wearing masks in public places, to prevent themselves from getting COVID-19," Utah Department of Health spokesman Tom Hudachko said, although the agency doesn't have a position on whether most Utahns will be infected with omicron.
Earlier this week, though, Biden administration officials, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, said most people will get the virus.
"Virtually everybody is going to wind up getting exposed and likely get infected. But if you're vaccinated and if you're boosted, the chances of you getting sick are very, very low," Fauci said during a White House news conference Wednesday,
Han Kim, a professor of public health at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, agreed.
"Eventually, most of us will end up getting omicron because it's so infectious, even if we do all of the right things," Kim said, adding someone with omicron is expected to infect 10 other people, making it "one of the infectious airborne diseases that we know of," nearly as contagious as measles.
At the same time, he said omicron appears to be milder than previous variants, so those infected "are more likely to go about their daily business even though they're shedding virus, either because they're asymptomatic or they have such mild disease, combined with the fact we have basically very little mitigation."
The state's health care systems are being overwhelmed with omicron cases, since the sheer numbers of infections may translate into just as many if not more hospitalizations and possibly deaths as in previous surges of more virulent variants like delta. The variant first showed up in Utah about six weeks ago.
So while some might see omicron as a sign that it's time to let down their guard and suffer through a bout of omicron to speed up an end to the pandemic, the professor warned that's a bad idea. Not only are hospitals struggling, COVID-19 treatments like monoclonal antibodies are so scarce, they're being rationed.
Virtually everybody is going to wind up getting exposed and likely get infected. But if you're vaccinated and if you're boosted, the chances of you getting sick are very, very low.
"This is a tricky message to send out because here's the thing. If everybody does relax and go out there, yeah, we're going to start peaking, peaking, peaking," Kim said, but at a big cost to the level of health care that can be provided.
He said the possibility of hospitals facing a "collapse is not an exaggeration, the way they're being stressed."
Everyone, regardless of vaccination status, should still be taking steps to avoid the virus, including wearing high-quality masks and avoiding crowds and other situations where the virus may be spreading, Kim said, "because there's still that chance" of getting seriously ill.
Being fully vaccinated and then getting a booster shot is seen as offering the most protection against hospitalization and death. In Salt Lake County, cases are split between the vaccinated and unvaccinated, but just 10% of those infected have been boosted.
The suggestion that most people will eventually catch omicron "doesn't change what we can do," Kim said.
The issue of just how widespread the latest surge may turn out to be came up Tuesday during a Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee hearing addressing the new variants.
"I think it's hard to process what's actually happening right now, which is that most people are going to get COVID," the acting FDA commissioner, Janet Woodcock, told the committee in response to the suggestion the administration's pandemic responses were disruptive at this point.
"What we need to do is make sure the hospitals can still function and transportation and other essential services are not disrupted while this happens," she said. "After that will be a good time to reassess how we're approaching this pandemic."
COVID data: Here's how quickly the omicron variant took over Utah
The first few days of 2022 have been a sobering reminder that COVID-19 isn't over in Utah and across the world.
A day later, Fauci, President Joe Biden's top medical adviser, told reporters that when the FDA commissioner said most people ultimately would get omicron, she wasn't saying they would be sick, citing the effectiveness of vaccinations and booster shots in preventing hospitalizations and deaths.
But even once omicron cases peak, Fauci said, COVID-19 will still be around.
"We're not going to eradicate this; we've only done that with smallpox. We're not going to eliminate that; that only happens with massive vaccination programs like we did with measles and with vaccines. But we ultimately will control it," he said, referring to keeping infections at a low level.
Thursday, the 12,990 new cases reported by the state health department came a day after the state hit the 10,000 mark for daily cases for the first time. The omicron surge in the new year has eclipsed what had been the worst of the pandemic, when daily case counts neared 5,000 last winter.
The state's seven-day rolling average for positive tests has reached 9,564 per day, and the rolling seven-day average for percent positivity of tests is 36.5% when all results are counted and 25.2% when multiple tests by an individual are excluded. The state's numbers do not include results from home test kits.
The state's death toll from the virus is closing in on 4,000 lives lost with the seven additional deaths reported Thursday. Currently, there are 638 people hospitalized in Utah with COVID-19, and 182 of them are in intensive care units.
Utah smashes COVID-19 record with 12,990 cases on Thursday
Omicron pushes COVID hospitalizations toward record high
Lisa Riley Roche
Now thousands of Utah doctors can prescribe medical cannabis
House leaders say they likely won't consider bill to overturn mask mandates on Wednesday


Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in forward-looking information and future-oriented financial information are based on reasonable assumptions available to management at the time the assumptions were made, such statements or information do not guarantee future performance success and no assurances can be given as to future results, levels of activity and achievements. New risk factors may arise from time to time and it is not possible for management to predict all of those risk factors or the extent to which any factor or combination of factors may impact realized results. Actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements/information and may require achievement of a number of operational, technical, economic, financial and legal objectives. The forward-looking information and future-oriented financial information published by the Company are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. Given these risks and uncertainties, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results.


text:
Effect of Dichlorvos on Eggs and Larvae of Ancylostoma Caninum *
Ulrich P. Kalkofen†
Affiliations: 1 Department of Parasitology, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112
Source: The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Volume 20, Issue 3, 1 May 1971, p. 436 - 440
The larvicidal effect of Dichlorvos® was evaluated against the free-living stages of Ancylostoma caninum in Harada-Mori and charcoal cultures containing Dichlorvos resin pellets. The effect of single pellets on the larvae in water was tested also by transferring pellets periodically, and by exposing larvae for one period and allowing various periods for recovery. Fecal samples from treated dogs were collected until all pellets had been passed and were cultured in charcoal. The drug killed the larvae under all conditions tested. There appeared to be no interference with the development of eggs or the hatching of larvae. However, a few larvae survived to the infective stage (L3). Larvae at all stages of development were equally susceptible to the drug. Posttreatment fecal cultures produced few or no infective larvae. The toxic effects of Dichlorvos appear to be irreversible. The larvicidal properties of the drug may add significance to the benefits of treatment with Dichlorvos in the control of hookworm infection.
Copyright © 1971, By The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Accepted : 08 Oct 1970


Maintenance requirements for fescue grass are quite low compared to the other cool season grasses used for lawns. Fescue grass requires less mowing, watering and less fertilizer, making fescue grass an environmentally friendly grass.... Sub-surface drip irrigation systems like the ones Garcia installs use between 30 to 60 percent less water, letting them meet even the most stringent restrictions without trading green for brown. One negative of keeping a lawn green is that it requires watering.
20/05/2009�� Many Extension web sites have guidelines on the optimum water amounts for different types of grass. Step 4: Water in the a.m. Water your grass �... Maintenance requirements for fescue grass are quite low compared to the other cool season grasses used for lawns. Fescue grass requires less mowing, watering and less fertilizer, making fescue grass an environmentally friendly grass.
When we water this way - the lower soil beneath the top soil will then retain enough moisture to keep the lawn in good health during dry spells or when under water restrictions. But this will only work if the lawn has a deep root system.... The deep roots and longer less frequently waterings are keeping it green. 4: RETAIN SOIL MOISTURE WITH SCOTTS� EVERYDROP With the new water shortages, not only in California, but worldwide, ScottsMiracle-Gro� wants to provide consumers ways to conserve water and give them more options for their lawns and gardens.
When we water this way - the lower soil beneath the top soil will then retain enough moisture to keep the lawn in good health during dry spells or when under water restrictions. But this will only work if the lawn has a deep root system.


The words, "if you're not affected, then you're not paying attention," keep flashing through my mind. Right now in Standing Rock on Indigenous Peoples' Day, there are armed officials pouring in to stop the peaceful water protectors. Today alone twenty-eight people were arrested for praying, for protecting the water from the black snake: the Dakota Access Pipeline. On top of this on going battle for the safety and protection of the sacred spaces and water, the North Dakota Governor has declared the — I can't stress enough — PEACEFUL protectors an imminent threat, calling for over four-hundred different armed law enforcement officers to storm Standing Rock.
Shailene Woodley, among so many others, who have been on the front-lines got targeted and taken in today. Woodley managed to reach an audience of over forty thousand with her two hour live-stream documentation of the situation at hand – guards with guns and batons confronting the praying and non-violent protectors. In this stream, Woodley's mom films on as her daughter is arrested during the walk back to her RV home. The guards are standing around the vehicle not allowing her to pass through, not answering her questions. This is not new. This has been going on for months now.
The mainstream media may not be reporting, but the first hand accounts and front-line documentation have been alive and well. In a true, the revolution will not be televised fashion, hundreds of protectors from all over the US – the largest inter-tribal gathering in decades – have come together to stand in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux to stop the black snake, the DAPL, from poisoning the land and water. Its remarkable, really, within the camps there is prayer, ceremony, and a return to an indigenous way of living where community looks out for each other and the sacred nature of the land is respected and honored.
Symbiosis Gathering, taking place at the Woodward Resevoir in Oakdale, California, made Standing with Standing Rock and protecting the water a theme of the festival. Speakers like Winona LaDuke and Vandana Shiva took the stage to educate the attendees about how to get involved and take direct action in their own communities, "find your local Standing Rock," LaDuke reminds us during her talk. It is important to stand in solidarity and help in whatever ways we can with those water protectors in North Dakota right now, but northern mid-west winters are no joke. Her speakshop served to open up a larger dialogue about water, in general – water is life!
LaDuke encourages us to stay involved and educate ourselves on the many issues surrounding water and land rights in our own backyards. That we can help here, and at home – it takes a village! Symbiosis took their education sector a step further and provided people with a way to donate their extra camping gear and supplies by having a team collect the leftovers at the gate. Then having them delivered to the protectors out in Standing Rock for the upcoming months.
It is definitely overwhelming and scary with everything between elections and police brutality and big oil and corporations all swirling their greed and corruption in our faces, but we have to stay vigilant and active – to be protectors, and to support those who put their bodies on the line for the future of the Earth. Winter is coming and the protectors are not backing down. The camps are gearing up for the cold months and letting spirit and prayer be their guides.
All across the country and the world, people are rising up to stop the destruction of what is sacred and create a safe future for the next generations. If you're interested in learning more, I'm including links below to further educate on some of the issues that are happening across the country. I urge you to get involved in whatever way you can, the time is now and we are the ones we've been waiting for.


Seven of our finest Kendal Mint Cake products presented in an attractive letterbox gift pack, complete with the Romney's gold stamp of authenticity.
Treat yourself or a loved one to one of our branded camping mugs.
Enjoy a steaming cup of coffee on a brisk mountain morning, or hot cocoa around the camp-fire.
Complete with a selection of white, brown & chocolate covered Romney's Kendal Mint Cake.


Bagni di Lucca is an historic spa town in the region of Tuscany – it is one of the largest mountain communities in Italy, nestled amid the Appenine Mountains. It is considered a true oasis of peace and serenity.
The Thermal Spring of Bagni di Lucca became popular in the 11th Century, and is now one of the major thermal spas in Europe. It was a popular meeting place for the nobility and diplomats of Europe. Distinguished guests such as Byron, Shelley, Puccini and Strauss visited the town.
Bagni di Lucca comprises three main areas: Fornoli, Ponte a Serraglio and La Villa, and has 21 medieval hilltop villages. There are several hotels, restaurants, pizzerias, bars and gelaterias. It also has a magnificent outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts and park. Other pursuits could include walking, fishing and swimming in the River Lima. Bagni di Lucca sits 27km north of the medieval, walled city of Lucca and 100km from Florence. Siena and the seaside town of Viareggio are each within easy visiting distance. Bagni di Lucca is approximately a 1 hour drive from Pisa airport.


SRINAGAR: After meeting a suspected terrorist's sister, who was allegedly beaten up by Jammu and Kashmir police, former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday warned of "dangerous consequences" if harassment of terrorists' families is not stopped.
She met the woman, Rubina, at her residence in south Kashmir's Pulwama district.
"Visited Patipora Pulwama where Rubina (whose brother happens to be a terrorist) was, along with her husband & brother, beaten mercilessly in police custody. The severe nature of her injuries has left her bedridden," Mufti wrote on Twitter.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president appealed to Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik to take action against police officials involved in the incident.
"Urge the jandkgovernor to initiate action and prevent such incidents in the future. If harassment of families of militants isn't stopped, it will have consequences leading to further alienation in the valley," Mufti said.
Later, talking to reporters, she said such incidents would not be tolerated.
"What is the fault of the sister of a terrorist? She has been stripped and beaten by the SHO of Trikuta Nagar and of Bhatindi (in Jammu). First, you (male police officials) cannot touch a woman and you should have women police for that. Then, her husband and brother have (also) been beaten," Mufti said.
"I want to ask the governor that if you have a fight with a terrorist, why are his relatives, especially his sister, beaten? We will not allow this. I want to tell the governor and warn the police as well that if there is another such incident, then there will be dangerous consequences," she said.


If you are interested in becoming a referee for LBC, we'd love to hear from you. You must be in 6th grade or higher and enroll in one of our referee clinics.
Please email VPOfficials@lbchoops.org for more information.


text:
Q: Minimality of the Generator of a Kernel Take the map $f: \mathbb{Z}[x] \to \mathbb{R}$ defined $f(x) = \sqrt{3}+2$.
I have found an element of the kernel to be $x^4-2x^2-11$, since it is equal to $0$. I am unsure why/if this generates the kernel, since could we not have a polynomial of degree $3$? Can I somehow use division algorithm?

A: Note that $\sqrt{3}$ is a root of $x^2-3$, and so $\sqrt{3}+2$ is a root of $(x-2)^2 - 3 = x^2 - 4x + 1$. So this element is certainly in the kernel, and cannot be a multiple of your degree $4$ polynomial.
Moreover, I'm not sure your calculations are correct. Since
$$\begin{align*}
(\sqrt{3}+2)^2 &= 3 + 4\sqrt{3} + 4 = 7+4\sqrt{3}\\
(\sqrt{3}+2)^4 &= (7+4\sqrt{3})^2\\
&= 49 + 56\sqrt{3} + 48\\
&= 97+56\sqrt{3},
\end{align*}$$
I get that
$$\begin{align*}
(\sqrt{3}+2)^4 -2 (\sqrt{3}+2)^2 -11 &= 97+56\sqrt{3} -14-8\sqrt{3} - 11\\
&= 72 + 48\sqrt{3} \neq 0
\end{align*}$$
I don't see why $x^4 - 2x^2 - 11$ is in the kernel.
(You can tell your polynomial cannot be in the kernel just with back of the envelope calculations: $3\lt \sqrt{3}+2\lt 4$. Letting $\alpha=\sqrt{3}+2$, we have that $81\lt \alpha^4 \lt 256$, and $-32\lt -2\alpha^2\lt -18$, so
$$38 \lt \alpha^4 - 2\alpha^2-11 \lt 227.$$
So it cannot evaluate to $0$)

How do you tell if a given polynomial generates the kernel?
You can go to $\mathbb{Q}[x]$, but even then verifying irreducibility of a given polynomial is not necessarily trivial. However, if you do establish irreducibility over $\mathbb{Q}$, then that will definitely generate the kernel over $\mathbb{Q}[x]$. The kernel for $\mathbb{Z}[x]$ will then correspond to $K\cap\mathbb{Z}[x]$, which will be generated by a multiple of the generator over $\mathbb{Q}[x]$ that has trivial content (the gcd of the coefficients is $1$); this follows from Gauss's Lemma, which implies that if $f(x)\in\mathbb{Z}[x]$ with trivial content is reducible in $\mathbb{Q}[x]$, then it is reducible in $\mathbb{Z}[x]$. (If the content is not trivial, then it is easily seen to be not irreducible in $\mathbb{Z}[x]$).
Irreducibility over $\mathbb{Q}$ is much more difficult than irreducibility over $\mathbb{R}$; for the latter, we know a polynomial is irreducible if and only if it is linear or irreducible quadratic (which can be checked via the discriminant). Over $\mathbb{Q}$, there are irreducible polynomials of arbitrarily high degree, and that also means that you can have a polynomial with no roots which is nonetheless reducible (the same is true over $\mathbb{R}$, of course... the product of two irreducible quadratics, for example).
In the instant case, the fact that you know the polynomial has no roots over $\mathbb{Q}$ and we have found a quadratic that lies in the kernel tells you that this is the generator.
That you can first work over $\mathbb{Q}$ and then "clear denominators" may not be obvious. Here's the argument:  the kernel of the evaluation map $\varepsilon_{\alpha}\colon \mathbb{Z}[x]\to\mathbb{C}$ is the intersection of the kernel $K$ of the evaluation map $\varepsilon_{\alpha}\colon \mathbb{Q}[x]\to\mathbb{C}$ with $\mathbb{Z}[x]$ (here $\alpha\in\mathbb{C}$. Since $\mathbb{Q}[x]$ is a PID, and the evaluation map is not trivial (it maps $1$ to $\alpha)$), we have two cases.

*

*If $\varepsilon_{\alpha}$ is one-to-one, that is, if $\alpha$ is transcendental, then $K=(0)$ and the kernel of the restriction to $\mathbb{Z}[x]$ is also $(0)$.

*If $\alpha$ is algebraic, then $K$ is generated by the minimal polynomial over $\mathbb{Q}$, call it $q(x)$. Let $Q(x)$ be a polynomial with integer coefficients and trivial content that is a constant multiple of $q(x)$ (clear denominators, then factor out the gcd of the coefficients). Note that $K=(Q(x))$, since $Q(x)$ is an associate of $q(x)$ in $\mathbb{Q}[x]$. I claim that $Q(x)$ is the generator of the kernel over $\mathbb{Z}[x]$. Indeed, let $m(x)\in\mathbb{Z}[x]$ be an element of the kernel. Then there exists a polynbomial $r(x)\in\mathbb{Q}[x]$ such that $m(x) = Q(x)r(x)$. There exists a rational $s$ and a polynbomial with integer coefficients $R(x)$ such that $R(x)$ has trivial content and $r(x) = sR(x)$. Thus, $m(x) = sQ(x)R(x)$. By Gauss's Lemma, $Q(x)R(x)$ has trivial content, so $s$ is actually the content of $m(x)$, and hence is an integer. Thus, $r(x)$ has integer coefficients, so $m(x)$ lies in the ideal generated by $Q(x)$ in $\mathbb{Z}[x]$, as desired.
So it comes down to being able to recognize that a polynomial with integer/rational coefficients is irreducible over $\mathbb{Q}$. There are lots of tests one can perform to check, but that is not a trivial problem.

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San Sebastian Harbor condominiums in St. Augustine, Florida.
San Sebastian Harbor is a new condominium community to be built on a 13 acre lot located at the gateway to historic downtown St. Augustine. This one-of-a-kind community keeps with the historic Spanish Colonial flavor found in Florida's oldest city. San Sebastian Harbor will offer 96 luxury condominiums, 85 hotel rooms, 24,000 square-feet of boutique shops, a 65-slip marina and river walk and a 10,000-square-foot spa. The developer soon will begin the design process for the community and its world-class amenities to include clubhouse, pool, fitness center, and boating facilities. Pre-construction pricing is available from the $650's. Occupancy date in November 2007.
A short drive north will find you traversing the rustic cobblestone streets of the downtown historic district. Quaint garden courtyards, ornamental fountains and an eclectic variety of art galleries, restaurants and boutiques line pedestrian-friendly St. George Street. Major cultural landmarks include the Bridge of Lions, Castillo de San Marcos and Fort Matanzas. Just down the road is Guana State Park with it's miles of hiking and biking trails; Ponte Vedra � home of the world-renowned TPC at Sawgrass; and the major metropolitan city of Jacksonville, with it's professional sports franchises, and wide variety of cultural arts venues. West of Villa San Marco you'll find the white-sand shorelines of St. Augustine Beach, Anastasia Island, Vilano Beach and Crescent Beach, which together comprise more than 43 miles of pristine oceanfront. These nearby beaches are perfect for a casual day of beachcombing, swimming, fishing, sailing, biking or simply relaxing in the radiant warmth of the Florida sun.
Please contact me if your are interested in having an independent REALTOR® who does not work for the developer represents you. There is no cost to you for my professonal service, and buying directly from the builder does not result in any savings to your purchase price!