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City of Goodland Application
Police Dept. Application
Junior Commission
About Goodland
History of Goodland
One of the earliest pieces of recorded history relating to Goodland concerns the Kidder Massacre. On July 2, 1867, a detachment of the 2nd United States Cavalry Regiment was massacred; second lieutenant Lyman S. Kidder in command of the party, a sergeant, a corporal, eight privates and an Indian guide lost their lives. They were carrying dispatches for Lieutenant Colonel George Custer. Later, Custer found evidence of a running battle along Beaver Creek, which led to a ravine where the remains were found. They had been killed by Cheyenne and/or Sioux Indians.[8]
In 1886, there were four communities vying to become county seat for Sherman County: Itasca, Voltaire, Sherman Center and Eustis. A man named Clark showed up in the county in 1887 proposing to create a new town to settle the dispute. The new town was to be named Goodland. A vote for the county seat was held among the county population and Goodland won with 872 of the 1495 votes cast while with Eustis received 611 and Voltaire received 12. Citizens of Eustis declared that the votes were unfair but the state department said that nothing could be done as all of the voting was complete. The Supreme Court of Kansas considered various proceedings but did not change the outcome of the vote. Eustis refused to yield the county records it held until January 13, 1888, when an armed group from Goodland seized the records and sent them to the new county seat.[9]
Goodland sprang up around the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad that had been built through it.[10] The town was named after Goodland, Indiana.[11]
City of Goodland
Goodland, KS 67735
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Contractor Listings
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SeeGoodland.com
Goodland Cemetery Directory
Goodland Area Chamber of Commerce
GAC – Goodland Activities Center
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The District government is running low on emergency funds and needs a solution soon if it's going to be able to continue operating through the federal shutdown.
The District government has been paying its bills out of a $144 million emergency reserve fund since the government shutdown began. But a week in, that fund is "dwindling," a spokesman for DC Mayor Vince Gray says, and now Gray is demanding a sitdown with President Obama and congressional leaders in hopes of allowing the District to tap its regular funds.
The emergency fund started with enough money to sustain the DC government, which has 32,000 employees, through a bit longer than one two-week pay period. (The biweekly payroll comes out to about $98 million.) However, with no apparent end to the shutdown within reach, the District is getting nervous that in a few more days, it will be unable to sustain local services.
DC is in that situation because its budget is treated by Congress similar to that of a federal agency. District services have kept running during the shutdown because Gray declared all city employees "essential" prior to the shutdown and the DC Council authorized use of the reserve money. But even with the contingency fund, the District is still missing some of its financial obligations. The emergency fund does not cover payments to Medicaid providers, Metro, or charter schools.
The House passed a bill a few days into the shutdown that authorizes the District to spend its own funds without federal approval, but congressional Democrats, who control the Senate, have resisted any "piecemeal" bills that carve out single-issue appropriations from a comprehensive spending bill. The vote on the DC funding measure split Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton from her fellow Democrats, but Gray's office says the need for DC to be able to pay its bills should transcend parties.
Reid's office did not respond to questions if he would attend a meeting with Gray, Obama, and Boehner. The speaker's office might be amenable to a sitdown, though Boehner's office suggests it might not be that useful. "I wouldn't rule it out, but since the House already passed a DC funding bill last week, I think Mayor Gray ought to concentrate on getting Senator Reid to pass it and President Obama to sign it," Boehner's spokesman Michael Steel writes in an email.


Summaries for consumers Conjunctivitis: Can antibiotics help? Almost half of all simple cases of conjunctivitis clear up within ten days without any treatment.
Pink Eye (Conjunctivitis) Topic Guide; What is the treatment for pink eye? ... Allergic conjunctivitis responds to antihistamine and/or anti-inflammatory medications.
Conjunctivitis, or pinkeye, ... Viral conjunctivitis does not respond to antibiotics, but antihistamines and anti-inflammatory medications may help relieve symptoms.
Conjunctivitis refers to inflammation of this tissue. Find the nearest loction to: ... oral antibiotics or anti-inflammatory medications may also be used.
Compare drugs associated with Seasonal Allergic Conjunctivitis. The following list of medications are in some way related to, or used in the treatment of this condition.


Over the course of several months, four law enforcement agencies conducted a large undercover operation to implicate individuals believed to be connected to a drug operation. Recently, Maryland police released details about the results of their drug sting, which implicated a total of 12 people.
According to police reports, a number of individuals engaged in "hand-to-hand" drug transactions with undercover police. Additionally, five instances took place in school zones, which will lead to more stringent drug charges for the individuals connected with those transactions.
The severity of the charges, combined with the intensity with which prosecutors will pursue these charges, suggests that all 12 individuals could benefit from a full understanding of their legal options. Among those who have been charged for distributing illegal drugs, one is an 18-year-old man. Although this young man is an adult in the eyes of the law, teenagers are susceptible to making mistakes. As such, it will be important to ensure he is treated fairly during the course of the criminal trial.
Although the Maryland law enforcement agencies involved in the drug sting likely invested a significant amount of resources into this case, they are not immune from mistakes mad along the way. Since a dozen people were implicated in the drug operation, there is a chance that someone was accidentally police's dragnet and may not have been connected to the incident in which they've been implicated. This is why it will be important for all 12 individuals to make sure the specific charges and evidence used in the case are valid. If charges were erroneously issued or evidence was illegally collected, then individuals could benefit from strategies intended to resolve the legal issues at hand.
To learn more about handling serious criminal accusations, such as those mentioned in this post, please visit our Maryland drug crime page.


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The du Bellay family is a French noble family from the historic Anjou region. Their origins go back to the twelfth century and they lend their name from the grounds of the château du Bellay in Allonnes (Maine-et-Loire department).

Notable members of the family include:
Jean du Bellay (c. 1493-1560), cardinal and diplomat
Guillaume du Bellay (1491-1543), writer and general
Joachim du Bellay (c. 1522-1560), poet
Martin du Bellay (1495–1559), chronicler

External links
Du Bellay family tree and bios

French noble families

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


- Front wheel drive, 2 wheel drive car - Chains go on the front. The weight of the engine is in the front so the most traction is in the front. Point the wheels the direction you want to go and goose the throttle lightly.
- Rear wheel drive, 2 wheel drive vehicle - Chains go on the rear. Hope for the best. I had a 2wd Toyota PU that traveled thousands of miles on snow.
- Four wheel drive anything - Chains go on the front. The weight of the engine is in the front so the most traction is in the front. Point the wheels the direction you want to go and goose the throttle.
- Generally speaking chains are most useful on ice. Snow and cold temperatures have nice traction.
- Only deep snow requires chains on your 4x4.
If you are running a dually pickup without a load, take off the outside duals to have better weight on the rear tires for traction.
That tree in the distance looks like it has a growth... a tumor? Hey guys that camera has 10x zoom so use it.
Oh - that is your crazy Dad up in that tree. For entertainment on the side I remove problem trees. I don't really pursue the work. Once a few people know that I do this sort of thing the jobs pop up. I don't do much of it, maybe a handful of trees a year.


How are balloons made? In this video from The Magic of Making, a series of short films for kids created in partnership with with BBC Worldwide, we begin with a history lesson about Kew Gardens and stolen rubber trees from Brazil, and continue on with two fascinating factory tours. See how latex party balloons and nylon hot air balloons are made. The music of Johann Strauss accompanies the cheeky narration.
Next: A life-size T-Rex dinosaur made of balloons, SciFri goes to Macy's Parade Studio, Balloons – How It's Made, and how to make a hot air balloon.


Will it be Mega Man or Bass who triumphs against King and his army?
Choose either Mega Man or Bass to battle against the latest menace in town. Mega Man can power-charge his cannon, while Bass can rapid-fire in multiple directions. Each with their own unique abilities, canine companions, and motivations to fight, they set out to stop King and his robot army!


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Aida - 20 Oct
Ethiopian Aida lives a life of slavery in Ancient Egypt, in this thirtieth anniversary production of Verdi's legendary and heart-stopping drama of war, passion and family.
Superstar soprano Anna Netrebko sings the titular role for the first time at the Met, with mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili as her formidable rival, the princess Amneris. Aleksandrs Antonenko is Aida's lover, the Egyptian warrier Radamès. Nicola Luisotti takes the podium for the Met's monumental production, opening the new Live in HD season in truly spectacular fashion.
Releasing: October 20, 2018
La Fanciulla del West - 8 Dec
Bar owner Minnie looks after a crew of rough miners while fending off the unwanted attention of the local sheriff. When a tall, mysterious stranger walks into the bar, it looks as if her life is about to change.
Soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek sings Puccini's gun-slinging heroine in this romantic epic of the Wild West (complete with gunfights, poker games and stagecoach robbers), alongside star tenor Jonas Kaufmann in the role of the outlaw Dick Johnson. Baritone Željko Lučić is the vigilante sheriff Jack Rance, and Marco Armiliato conducts.
Releasing: December 8, 2018
IN PARTICIPATING CINEMAS
Brolga Theatre, Fraser Coast
Reading Devonport
Marnie - 9 Feb
MET PREMIERE PRODUCTION!
When a compulsive thief is caught red-handed and blackmailed into marriage, the strange new arrangement might hold the key to unlock her mysterious past.
Nico Muhly's Marnie, based the novel which inspired Alfred Hitchcock's acclaimed psychological thriller, has its U.S. premiere at the Met this season. Isabel Leonard stars in the title role opposite Christopher Maltman as her blackmailing husband Mark Rutland, Iestyn Davies as his brother Terry, Janis Kelly as Mrs. Rutland, and acclaimed mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves as Marnie's mother.
Costume design is by Madonna's collaborator of twenty years, Arianne Phillips, who created every item seen on stage in this stylish, vivid production. Robert Spano makes his company debut conducting.
Marnie is a co-commission and co-production with English National Opera, where the production premiered in 2017.
Releasing: February 9, 2019
Approx. Runtime: 3:17 (1 Intermission)
Limited time only from 9 Feb - book now:
La Traviata - 9 Mar
Worldly courtesan Violetta has grown tired of her dissolute life. When the pure-hearted Alfredo declares his love for her, she leaves everything behind to live with him, until the fear of family scandal threatens to tear apart the young lovers and everything they hold dear.
Yannick Nézet-Séguin makes his debut as the new Met Musical Director by conducting Verdi's timeless tragedy La Traviata. Directed by Michael Mayer, this new production features a dazzling 18th-century setting that changes with the seasons. Diana Damrau is the doomed heroine Violetta, opposite Juan Diego Flórez as her lover, Alfredo, and Quinn Kelsey as Alfredo's protective father, Giorgio Germont.
Releasing: March 9, 2019
Adriana Lecouvreur - 6 Apr
For the first time at the Met, Anna Netrebko sings the title role of Adriana Lecouvreur, the great real-life 18th-century actress who is adored by many, but who loves only the military hero Maurizio, sung by Piotr Beczała.
Gianandrea Noseda conducts Cilea's tragedy, directed by Sir David McVicar, with the action partially set in a working replica of a Baroque theater.
The cast also features Anita Rachvelishvili as the Princess of Bouillon, Adriana's rival for Maurizio's affections who will stop at nothing to win his love; Ambrogio Maestri as Michonnet, Adriana's faithful friend; and Carlo Bosi as the duplicitous Abbé.
Releasing: April 6, 2019
Carmen - 4 May
Don José loses everything to be with the capricious Carmen, with a fierceness that can only lead to catastrophe.
Clémentine Margaine stars as opera's ultimate seductress, opposite superstar Roberto Alagna (who captivated Live in HD audiences as Don José in 2010) as the passionate solider held in the throes of Carmen's cruel magnetism
Louis Langrée conducts Sir Richard Eyre's thrilling production, a favorite in the Met's repertoire and one of the most popular operas of all time.
Releasing: May 4, 2019
Townsville Civic Centre
Darwin Entertainment Centre
La Fille du Régiment - 1 Jun
Marie, adopted daughter of the French army, falls deeply in love with a man who saves her life – a man who just so happens to be from an enemy nation. And so begins Donizetti's bright and witty tale of love, loyalty and family.
Bel canto stars Pretty Yende and Javier Camarena team up for a feast of vocal fireworks on the Met stage. Maurizio Muraro is Sergeant Sulplice, with Stephanie Blythe as the outlandish Marquise of Berkenfield. Enrique Mazzola conducts.
La Fille du Régiment is a co-production of the Metropolitan Opera; the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London; and the Wiener Staatsoper, Vienna.
Releasing: June 1, 2019
Die Walküre - 29 Jun
Featuring some of the most glorious music ever written, Die Walküre is an unmissable epic story of monsters, gods, and humans on a superhuman scale.
A hugely beloved opera and often sell-out smash hit, the Met is proud to present the second installment of Wagner's legendary Ring cycle. Starring Christine Goerke as the warrior goddess Brünnhilde, whose encounter with the mortal twins Siegmund and Sieglinde, sung by Stuart Skelton and Eva-Maria Westbroek, leads her on a journey from Valhalla to earthbound humanity.
Philippe Jordan conducts.
Releasing: June 29, 2019
Dialogues des Carmélites - 27 Jul
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HD!
Against the backdrop of the French Revolution, shy and insecure Blanche remains as a novice nun even as her family flees the Reign of Terror, torn between her duty to her convent and fear of the guillotine.
Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin leads an accomplished ensemble in Poulenc's devastating modern masterpiece of faith and martyrdom. Isabel Leonard is the young Blanche de La Force, opposite Met legend Karita Mattila as the First Prioress.
Releasing: July 27, 2019

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Safi scored a 7.5 band due to collaborative efforts of him and his trainer Monika for his IELTS Preparation. Let us know how !
IELTS Ninja has been of great assistance to Safi, who scored a 7.5 band due to collaborative efforts of him and his trainer Monika for his IELTS Preparation. Let us know how !
Safi was efficiently benefited from IELTS NINJA for her IELTS Preparation. He is extremely happy with her achieved band and wishes to thank his trainer who provided him the necessary guidance on IELTSNINJA. He was amazed how he much he could improve in just a matter of almost a week.
I choose to learn from the best. When it comes to learning regarding the IELTS Preparation, I am quite to be lucky to have IELTSNINJA. My trainer Monika was quite skillful, humble, passionate, teaching from personal experience, and excited to show me the way with the expert guidance. It surely helped me to improve my overall performance not only limited to IELTS Preparation, but beyond.
IELTSNINJA was a great platform. In just few weeks, I have learned techniques that I will use over a lifetime. This course is great for anyone. I highly recommend it.
Textbooks can prescribe only the basics, but there's no replacement for a teacher that can say, 'This is what I do and it led to these results.' It provided the same incredible value to me as a student of the IELTS preparation. I would strongly recommend to others that seize the opportunity.
We are glad we could help you with your IELTS Preparation Safi.


text:
Team:Harvard/allergy/aboutallergy
Jjoonathan (Talk | contribs)

food allergies

Food allergies are adverse reactions to ingested proteins. Reactions range from gastrointestinal discomfort to anaphylaxic shock. Currently, avoidance and immunotherapy are the most common treatments. This year, food allergens in plants are of particular interest to the Harvard iGEM team. Our goal is to use biobricks to deliver modular RNA interference for particular allergens into plants in order to produce plants that do not express allergen proteins.

Food allergies are adverse reactions to ingested proteins. Reactions range from gastrointestinal discomfort to anaphylaxic shock. If the allergic reaction is against a common protein, such as Lipid Transfer Protein in all plants, an allergy can seriously impact a person's diet and lifestyle. Currently, avoidance and immunotherapy are the most common treatments. Avoidance is simply removal of all foods containing the allergen from the environment of the person with the allergy. Immunotherapy involves ingesting gradually increasing amounts of the allergen until a tolerance for the allergen is built.However, neither of these treatments can compare to living without a serious food allergy. One possible solution is simply ingesting foods that do not contain the offending protein. This year, food allergens in plants are of particular interest to the Harvard iGEM team. Our goal is to use biobricks to deliver modular RNA interference for particular allergens into plants in order to produce plants that do not express allergen proteins.

genetic fence
human practices
openwetware
allergy knockdown allergen targets lab notebook methods parts and primers references
about allergy
Allergy is an immune system disorder marked by hypersensitivity to allergens. Allergens are normally harmless and everyday substances, such as pollen or latex. But in persons with allergies towards a certain substance, contact can cause immediate and rapid hypersensitivity, called allergic reactions. Allergic reactions range from relatively mild (itchy eyes, runny nose) to life threatening (asphyxiation, myocardial infarction).
Allergic reactions are caused by exposure to certain proteins that the body mistakenly marks as dangerous. This hypersensitivity can be inherited or developed. Exposure to certain allergens at a young age can increase the possibility of developing allergies later in life. Interestingly enough, insufficient exposure to bacteria and viruses that stimulate metabolic pathways of the immune system can also increase the likelihood of developing allergic disease.
Food allergies are adverse reactions to ingested proteins. Reactions range from gastrointestinal discomfort to anaphylaxic shock. If the allergic reaction is against a common protein, such as Lipid Transfer Protein in all plants, an allergy can seriously impact a person's diet and lifestyle. Currently, avoidance and immunotherapy are the most common treatments. Avoidance is simply removal of all foods containing the allergen from the environment of the person with the allergy. Immunotherapy involves ingesting gradually increasing amounts of the allergen until a tolerance for the allergen is built.However, neither of these treatments can compare to living without a serious food allergy. One possible solution is simply ingesting foods that do not contain the offending protein. This year, food allergens in plants are of particular interest to the Harvard iGEM team. Our goal is to use biobricks to deliver modular RNA interference for particular allergens into plants in order to produce plants that do not express allergen proteins.
Retrieved from "http://2010.igem.org/Team:Harvard/allergy/aboutallergy"


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Jim Dunnigan, född 8 augusti, 1943 i Rockland County, New York, är en amerikansk företagare, militäranalytiker, författare och speldesigner.

Dunnigan är främst känd som mannen bakom Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI), ett av de stora amerikanska konfliktspelföretagen under 1970-talet. Han började sin karriär inom konfliktspelsindustrin på Avalon Hill innan han grundade SPI 1969. Han har konstruerat över 100 konfliktspel, av vilka Jutland (1969) och klassikern PanzerBlitz (1970) kan nämnas.  En av anledningarna för Dunnigan att skapa SPI var att kunna ge ut tidskriften Strategy & Tactics.

Referenser

Externa länkar
 Officiell webbplats

Födda 1943
Amerikanska spelkonstruktörer
Spelkonstruktörer
Män
Levande personer


Merseyside Door Supervisors, Event Security, Venue Security.
Quality providers of licensed door supervisors, offering security services to all areas of the licensed industry from small bars, pubs and restaurants to clubs and larger entertainment venues.
The leisure industry is a particularly unpredictable business, requiring constantly changing attitudes and approaches to many different situations. We frequently supply door supervisors to leisure and entertainment venues in Merseyside and many other areas the North West of England.


Event Details: Don't miss the first Event of the year! C'mon out and shake off the winter blues (and the rust!) and start the season off right! Limited teams for this event so register early to avoid disappointment! Entry Fee: Just $300 (plus SPO Membership Fee, if required)! SPO prizing only for this reduced rate, early warm-up tournament! See you on the diamonds!


Chijmes is a premier lifestyle destination in Singapore, featuring top notch restaurants, bars and shops housed within gorgeous, refurbished historical architecture.
UniK Concierge is not only the gateway to the wonders of this world and beyond, it is a way of Life.
Let us help you plan the perfect wedding with ease and without stress. Wedding Concierge offers you wedding planning services in Singapore. Visit us now!
You deserve better. The Gold Class Concierge Service is a phone call away at 6349-2936. Monday-Saturday, Public Holidays: 10am-7pm.
A concierge at your service - at home. Singapore Property News, Resources and Articles on buying, selling, renting and other common issues in real estate.


The Fort Worth office of McKinney Drilling welcomes its new coworkers and clients. McKinney Drilling and the connected companies of Keller provide deep foundation services nationally as well as other geotechnical construction services, such as micropiles, auger cast piles, ground anchors, helical piles, earth retention and various ground improvement technologies.
For future projects in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, please contact McKinney Drilling Fort Worth office.


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Why I'm Boycotting Roman Reigns
Date: April 3, 2017Author: Jeremy Walker 0 Comments
I have had enough of Roman Reigns and I know for a fact I'm not the only one. I'm sick of the Superman Punch. I'm sick of the flak jacket and cargo pants. I'm sick of WWE forcing us to believe Roman Reigns is the company's top guy and that his being booed is a side-effect of the social media generation blindly rebelling against random superstars. I hate the fact that Reigns retired The Undertaker. I'm sick of talented young wrestlers being built up and made legitimate only to be fed to Reigns and fizzle into the background. I'm sick of Reigns' perpetually wet hair and pouting fish face… Okay, maybe now I'm getting petty, but you get the idea.
Here's the things: I don't dislike Roman Reigns the guy, or even Roman Reigns the wrestler, there's no denying that he's an extremely talented wrestler and his skills on the microphone have vastly improved over the years. Despite all of this, though, the fact remains that the very sight of him makes me angry. It's the same reaction he gets from WWE crowds, booing every fleeting image of him as hard as they can.
WWE know about the booing. They don't seem to care. They make light of it on commentary and carry on regardless. In a Sports Illustrated interview last week, Triple H said of Roman Reigns:
"If you believe what you believe, and you're saying, 'How can they not turn him heel? There is 70 percent of the crowd booing him out of the building!' If that's your belief, then isn't he already the biggest heel we have? If 70 percent of that crowd is booing him, then he's a heel. We're just presenting him to you in a different way that makes you hate him."
While I'm trying hard to understand Triple H's point of view, it speaks to how clueless WWE have become in the presentation of their own talent. Sure, lots of people, possibly even a majority, boo Roman Reigns every night, but this alone absolutely does not make him a heel. The very notion of babyfaces and heels is about binarism, a concept fully predicated on stable oppositions (good vs. evil, hot vs. cold, living vs. dead, etc) but this is more imperative in developing a WWE character, as they rely on the fan to subscribe to specific dichotomies that that been reinforced and perpetuated for decades… e.g. a babyface will avoid taking the cheap option to win a match, a heel will get the win by any means necessary, a face will stand up for what's right and defend the weak, a heel will put himself before all others to get ahead, etc – essentially, there are actions built into pro wrestling that will always have fans react to wrestlers in a certain way and these are essential to developing credible characters and compelling storylines.
But that's the problem with Roman Reigns – ever since The Shield were disbanded, WWE creative have ransacked the babyface toolkit and tried to force character traits onto a man for whom they just don't work. Telling us a 6ft 3, 265lb man is an underdog just isn't credible. It just isn't believable. Fans aren't actually booing Roman Reigns, they're booing WWE's ineffectual attempts to turn Roman Reigns into something he's not. They're booing the wrong decisions being made about his character at every possible turn. So no, Triple H, just booing a person does not make them a heel but ignoring the fact that you've failed miserably to make Reigns a babyface and that you're still REALLY trying does make us angry. Very angry.
During last week's 'Bring It To The Table' with JBL, Peter Rosenberg and Corey Graves. Peter Rosenburg mentioned how strongly the WWE Universe used to be behind Reigns:
"You guys, my fellow WWE fans, chose Roman Reigns. Not Seth Rollins. Not Dean Ambrose. It was Roman Reigns, we all collectively said, 'That's the guy.'"
He's right. We did. We wanted Reigns. We wanted the Roman Reigns we saw in The Shield: the natural, credible asskicker. We wanted the Roman Reigns that would slowly and systematically bulldoze through the roster on his way to the top. But now, every time Reigns is on screen, fans are reminded of how royally WWE screwed it up by force-feeding us a completely different homogenised babyface and the cycle of anger begins all over again, growing in intensity each time.
In the same 'Bring It To The Table' broadcast, JBL spoke about how he's hot about "cry baby" internet fan reactions:
"For all these internet fans out there that want to hate Roman Reigns and say, 'No, we're standing up because we don't like him…' Few people in the history of this business walk into an arena and everybody stands on their feet – everybody. I've seen it night after night after night and to me, that is an absolute Superstar. Whether you love him or whether you hate him, Roman Reigns has earned his spot and I'm hot at all these little crybabies out there going, 'We just stand up and boo him because we really don't like him.' Oh, really?"
Yes. Really. A hundred times really. Not everyone is a wrestling mark that can only react to events in the way the writers prescribe. The reaction that Roman Reigns gets at live events is visceral; fans want to demonstrate, as vocally and in your face as possible, that they don't want Roman Reigns in front of them right now. It's like when people gather outside a government building to protest a politician or outside a court against a murderer, they're climbing on top of each other, pushing guardrails forwards and screaming at the top of their lungs… it's not because they love to hate them, it's because they genuinely hate them!
But that got me thinking about another thing that was said on a previous 'Bring It To The Table.' In this instance, on the very first episode of the panel show, Paul Heyman was getting hot about the complaints of superstars being brought up to the main roster from NXT with little or no promotion. He goes on to say that the internet wrestling community "are always going to find something to bitch, moan and complain about, but until they boycott, S-T-F-U." Paul Heyman tells a lot of truths but this one particularly resonates with me right now. We can sit and complain all day long about the things that we disagree with but unless you're willing to do something about it then you may as well stay quiet because nothing good will come of it.
That's why, fellow nerds of the internet, on this day where Roman Reigns retiring The Undertaker was the final straw, I'm calling for a very vocal and public boycott Roman Reigns. My proposition is simple, when a Roman Reigns segment is on WWE television, mute it and go do something else for however long it takes – make a cup of tea, go to the bathroom, stroke your cat, hug your children – whatever it is, document your boycott by taking a picture of whatever you're doing instead and post it to social media with the hashtag #BoycottReigns.
If you're fortunate enough to be at a WWE Live Event and Roman Reigns appears, turn your back on the ring or go to concessions. Again, take a picture for what you're doing – the crowd sat behind you, the pretty lady at the hotdog stand (ask for consent!) – and post it to social media for all to behold. Imagine how powerful it would be and the message it would send to have large sections of live RAW audiences turn their backs or even disappear whenever Reigns was in the ring. Perhaps, WWE might finally believe we don't want this guy!
It will be difficult at times, like when Reigns is sharing the ring with your favourite WWE Superstars but I'm calling for strength. I'm calling for us to take a stand and say I don't want to be force-fed a diet of Reigns any longer.
Send me your protests on Twitter at @thejezshow, tag @WWE for good measure, share the movement with your friends and don't forget to use the hashtag #BoycottReigns
Originally published by RealSport
Post appears in original format with updated social media links
boycottcampaignenoughprotestroman reignsrusso
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Today, on December 14, 2012, there has been a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, which has resulted in several dozen dead and many others injured. So many of us have heavy hearts, full of grief, despair, and frustration with the violence that permeates so many corners of our world. I was reminded of this article written in 2006 and published in Queer Life News.
Fourteen years ago, my cousin Erik committed suicide just days before Thanksgiving. My partner and I drove over a dozen hours through an early winter storm to reach Erik's parents home in Iowa.
Throughout that profoundly painful weekend, I was awed by the scores of neighbors who quietly dropped by food, cards, and other practical comforts. They didn't stay long, perhaps out of respect of our family's grief, yet the message of their kindness was long-lasting and deeply felt.
I couldn't understand at the time, and fourteen years later have yet to grok the full implication, of how the simple act of bringing food could be so utterly healing and loving.
A few weeks ago, Charles Carl Roberts IV entered an Amish school and shot ten girls before killing himself. The horror of the school shootings resonates throughout the country – anxious parents, scared kids, nervous teachers, concerned lawmakers, overworked clergy, and grief-stricken communities.
In comparison to other communities faced with similar violence, the Amish community responded differently to the horror at their childrens' school. The Amish people brought food and forgiveness to Mr. Roberts' family.
Like so many of us, with or without children, the violence that abounds throughout our country (and the world) can feel overwhelming. Most of us want the violence to stop, but often feel helpless about what we can do, or we believe that we couldn't possibly make any difference about this devastating social problem.
The Amish live in ways that may be useful to take note of. Non-violent, community-centered, family-focused, forgiveness-granting communities may offer more than just hope for healing a wounded community; they may be the key to a radical change in how people can interact with each other peacefully and with integrity.
Amish men don't grow mustaches because they were worn by European soldiers, symbolizing aggression, violence and war.
For the first time in over seven years, I shaved off my mustache in solidarity with the non-violent Amish people, whose lives were changed at the hands of someone who repeated the pattern of violence.
While it is not "cool" that the cycle of violence is so strong in our world that people aggressively (and fatally) lash out — because they are so damaged or have no other skills that would help them heal from their own personal devastation — it is "cool" to be able to do something that reframes violence and focuses on peace.
As we pass through November, I am reminded again of my cousin's suicide and the kindness of strangers. I am also reminded of all those who have died as a result of anti-trans violence, those honored and remembered on November 20 at the Remembering Our Dead rallies and marches around the world.
As my fingertips pass over my upper lip, the softness reminds me of my values and of the cosmic pain embodied in each of us. The dissonance of the smoothness with the harsh reality that any of us, at any moment, might not be able to contain our emotions, may have our hurts from 20 years ago force their way into our current lives, is almost too bitter to bear. Yet, I bite into the honeycrisp apple my parents brought from Door County, and I am reminded of the healing sweetness of love.
End note: I vowed in 2006 to keep my upper lip shaved until the world was a more peaceful place. Today has been another reminder that we — collectively — have a lot more work to do. I hope you will join with me in finding small or large ways to lessen the pain in the world.


Our L.E.D. Battery Gauge is an array of L.E.D.'s indicating the operating voltage of the bike's electrical system.
the rider of an impending stall or the possibility of damage to the battery &/or sensitive electronic components on the motorcycle.
Simple two-wire connection & a compact size (about 2" x 3/4" x 3/16") make installation a breeze. A daylight sensor automatically adjusts the brightness of the L.E.D.'s.


Usually Sailor Jupiter is a tough girl that nobody in the galaxy should mess with, but when you get this Sailor Jupiter 8" stuffed doll, you can give her as many hugs as you want. She's adorably cuddly, with a big happy expression as if she's just won a fight. We hope you take her on tons of adventures throughout the world, and if you ever need back up, she'll be there.


I was employee 11 and the first marketing hire after they received their Series A funding. I reported directly to the CEO, Chad Halvorson. While there, I interviewed, hired, and managed a team of 5 including the Social Media Manager, Content Marketing Manager, Marketing Analyst, Rich Media Producer, and Marketing Graphic Designer.
As a team, we re-platformed the website from WordPress to Laravel and I was responsible for all of the SEO and teamed up on copywriting with the Content Marketing Manager.
I also managed the ads along with an ad agency that did so well, Facebook wrote a case study about us and recommended me on LinkedIn.
I directed content strategy along with the Content Marketing Manager and we were able to grow the blog from about 20,000 to 100,000 visits a month within the first year.


After thousands of downloads, a slew of live dates across America and countless hours spent chopping beats to blunted perfection in the lab, New Orleanian producer/deejay Quickie Mart proudly presents the Space Monkey Radio EP, a collection of artist-approved dubstep remixes of songs by rapper Freddie Gibbs, California ska-funk outfit Slightly Stoopid, New Orleans bounce pioneer Ricky B, and singers Shyvonne and Justina. The SMR EP is a prelude to a forthcoming full-length album of Quickie Mart dubstep remixes with the likes of Galactic, Her Majesty & The Wolves, Murs, Irma Thomas, the Soul Rebels and many more. To commemorate SMR's release, QM offers his remix of "Wasted" by singer/songwriter/musician Jes Hudak for free download. Je s was introduced to the world via her stint on Bravo's reality show Platinum Hit, and has been recognized by Billboard, AOL, ISSA and the LA Music Awards for her talent. Her most recent release is last year's National Holiday EP. In the last two years alone Quickie Mart has released three volumes of the Haze Diaries mixtape series with rapper Gotham Green, featuring Freddie Gibbs and Planet Asia. Gypsyphonic Disko, his klezmer/New Orleans bounce/hip-hop fusion project with Ben Ellman of Galactic, was included in Nerve.com's Five Albums You Should Be Listening To Right Now and his Brain Salad Surgery mashup tape was released in late 2009.


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Using Information Theory to Inform Belief
October 24, 2018 March 11, 2019 / erdosfan / Leave a comment
When multiple sources of information produce different, possibly even superficially conflicting probabilities for the same event, the question arises as to how those probabilities should be treated. That is, different sources, or different experimental tests, could imply different probabilities for the same event. There's no obvious objective solution to this problem, and as a practical matter, even a crude method, such as taking a simple average of the probabilities, will probably work just fine for something like determining the probabilities of a coin toss. However, when dealing with arbitrary data, perhaps even with no prior information about the mechanics that generated the data, such an approach is likely to eliminate too much information about the structure of the data itself, generating useless answers.
Any solution to this problem is really an answer to the question of how much weight we should ascribe to each probability. That is, whatever probability we ultimately arrive at as the "correct" answer can be expressed as a linear combination of the underlying probabilities, even if that's not how we actually arrived at the correct answer. While this might seem like a trivial statement of algebra, it offers insight into the fundamental question that underlies any solution to this problem, which is, "how much attention should I pay to this piece of information?"
Shannon Coding
In 1948, Claude Shannon showed that there was a surprising connection between probability and information. Though he was arguably only trying to construct optimally short encodings for messages, he ended up uncovering a deep, and fundamental relationship between the nature of probability and information. To establish an intuition, consider the string x = (aaab), and assume that we want to encode x as a binary string. First we need to assign a binary code to each of a and b. Since a appears more often than b, if we want to minimize the length of our encoding of x, then we should assign a shorter code to a than we do to b. For example, if we signify the end of a binary code with a 1, we could assign the code 1 to a, and 01 to b. As such, our encoding of x would be 11101, and since x contains 4 characters, the average number of bits per character in our encoding of x is 5/4. Now consider the string x = (ab). In this case, there are no opportunities for this type of compression because all characters appear an equal number of times. The same would be true of x = (abcbca), or x = (qs441z1zsq), each of which has a uniform distribution of characters. In short, we can take advantage of the statistical structure of a string, assigning longer codes to characters that appear less often, and shorter codes to characters that appear more often. If all characters appear an equal number of times, then there are no opportunities for this type of compression.
Shannon showed that, in general, we can construct an optimally short encoding, without any loss of information, if we assign a code of length log(1/p) bits to a signal that has a probability of p. That is, if the frequency of a signal from a source is p, and we want to encode that source, then we should assign a code of length log(1/p) to the signal. It follows that if a source has N possible signals, and the probability of each signal is 1/N (i.e., the signals have a uniform distribution), then the expected code length of a signal generated by the source is log(N).
Resource Management and Human Behavior
Even though it is ultimately a human being that will assign a code to a signal, and therefore ascribe information to the signal, if we take a step back, we see that, using an optimal encoding, a low probability event carries more information than a high probability event. Moreover, Shannon's coding method is objectively optimal, in that it is not possible to construct a better encoding without losing information (if we're considering only the distribution of the signals). That is, a source generates signals, not information, but once a human being observes a source, a representational system is required if that person wants to record, or communicate, the signals generated by that source, which will produce information. As a result, though a human being must take the active steps of observing a source, and then encoding its signals, there is an objective component to the statement that low probability events carry more information than high probability events. This is consistent with common sense, and possibly even how our brains filter information. Put crudely, as an example, high probability stories are generally considered boring (e.g., "I went to my local pub last night"), whereas extraordinary, and unlikely tales generally garner a great deal of attention and inquiry (e.g., "I met a celebrity at my local pub last night").
You could take the view that this is just an oddity of human nature, and that people prefer unusual tales. Alternatively, you could also take the view that it is instead the consequence of something much more profound about how our brains filter out the information that constantly bombards our senses. Specifically, it seems possible that our decisions allocate resources to the experiences most likely to generate the lowest probability signals, thereby maximizing our information intake. Without spending too much time on the topic, this view could explain why human beings are generally drawn towards things and experiences that are presented as exclusive, rare, or unusual, and less enthusiastic about things and experiences that are presented as common, or mundane. In this view, pretensions and preferences are the product of a rational resource management system that allocates the senses towards experiences that are most likely to maximize the amount of information observed.
Information and Probability
Returning to the original problem above, the probability of an event should then be a function of the probabilities implied by a data set, and the importance of each data point in our data set. For simplicity, let's assume that we have total confidence in the data from which we derive our probabilities. That is, we're assuming our data is free from errors and reflects events that actually occurred, and were properly measured and recorded.
Let's begin with the classic example of a coin toss, and assume that 5 people are all tossing perfectly identical coins, 25 times each, and recording the results. If one of those 5 people came back and said that they had tossed 25 heads in a row, we would probably view that as extraordinary, but possible. Considering this person's data in isolation, the observed probability of heads would be 1, and the observed probability of tails would be 0. In contrast, our ex ante expectation, assuming the coins were expected to be a fair, would have been that the probability of each of heads and tails is 1/2. Assuming that all of the other people come back with roughly equal probabilities for heads and tales, our outlier data set would assign a probability of 1 to an event that we assumed to have a probability of 1/2, and a probability of 0 to another event that we assumed to have a probability of 1/2.
Before we consider how much weight to ascribe to this "outlier" data, let's consider another case that will inform our method. Now assume that instead, 4 out of the 5 people report roughly equal probabilities for heads and tails, whereas one person reports back that their coin landed on its side 13 times out of 25 tosses, and that the remaining tosses we're split roughly equally between heads and tails. That is, rather than landing on heads or tails, the coin actually landed on its side 13 times. This is an event that is generally presumed to have a probability of 0, and ignored. So upon hearing this piece of information, we would probably be astonished (recall that we are not calling the data itself into question). That is, something truly incredible has happened, since an event that has a probability of effectively zero has in fact happened 13 times. Considering the data reported by this person in isolation, we'd have an event that generally has an ex ante probability of 0 being assigned an observed probability of about 1/2, and then two events that typically have an ex ante probability of 1/2 being assigned observed probabilities of about 1/4.
Now ask yourself, which is more remarkable:
(1) the first case, where the person reported that an event with an ex ante probability of 1/2 had an observed probability of 1; or
(2) the second case, where the person reported that an event that had an ex ante probability of 0 had an observed probability of 1/2?
Though the magnitude of the difference between the ex ante probability and the observed probability is the same in both cases, the clear answer is that the second case is far more surprising. This suggests an inherent asymmetry in probabilities that are biased towards low probability events. That is, "surprisal" is not a function of just the difference between the expected probability and the observed probability, but also of the probability itself, with low probability events generating greater "surprisal".
If we return to Shannon's formula for the optimal code length for a signal, we see this same asymmetry, since low probability signals are assigned longer codes than high probability signals. This suggests the possibility that we can mirror surprisal in observations by weighting probabilities using the information content of the probability itself. That is, we can use the optimal code length for a signal with a given probability to inform our assessment as to how important the data underlying a particular reported probability is.
Under this view, the reports generated by the people flipping coins will contain different amounts of information. The more low probability events a given report contains, the greater the information contained in the report, implying that data that describes low probability events quite literally contains more information than data that describes high probability events. As a result, we assume that for a given event, the data underlying a low reported probability contains more information than the data underlying a high reported probability.
Information-Weighted Probabilities
Rather than simply weight the probabilities by their individual code lengths (which might work just fine in certain contexts), I've been making use of a slightly different technique in image recognition, which looks at how much the information associated with a given data point deviates from the average amount of information contained across all data points in the data set. Specifically, the algorithm I've been making use of partitions an image into equally sized regions, with the size of the region adjusted until the algorithm finds the point at which each region contains a maximally different amount of information. That is, for a given region size, the algorithm measures the average entropy of each region (by analyzing the color distribution of each region), and then calculates the standard deviation of the entropies over all regions. It keeps iterating through region sizes until it finds the size that maximizes the standard deviation of the entropies over all regions. This ends up working quite well at uncovering structure in arbitrary images with no prior information, with the theory being that if two regions within an image contain legitimately different features, then they should contain objectively different quantities of information. By maximizing the information contrast of an image, under this theory, we maximize the probability that each region contains a different feature than its neighboring regions. I then have a second algorithm that is essentially an automata "crawl" around the image and gather up similar regions (see the paper entitled, "A New Model of Artificial Intelligence" for more on this approach).
By analogy, if we have a set of probabilities, , all purportedly informing us at to the probability of the same event, then we can assign weights to each probability that reflect how "unusual" the information content of the probability itself is in the context of the other probabilities. We begin by taking the logarithm of the reciprocal of each probability, log(1/pi), which gives us the optimal code length for a signal with a probability of pi. We're not interested in encoding anything, but instead using the code length associated with a probability to measure the information contained in the data that generated the probability in the first instance. This will produce a set of code lengths for each probability , with lower probabilities having longer code lengths than higher probabilities. We then calculate the average code length over the entire set, u. This is our average information content, from which we will determine how "unusual" a probability is, ultimately generating the weight we'll assign to the probability. In short, if a probability was generated by an unusually large, or unusually small, amount of information relative to the average amount of information, then we're going to assign it a larger weight.
Specifically, we calculate the weight for each probability as follows:
That is, we take the variance and add 1 to it, producing a set of weights that are greater than or equal to 1. This produces a probability given by the weighted sum,
where is the sum over all weights.
This formulation gives greater weight to outlier probabilities than those that are closer to the average probability, but because we begin with the code length associated with each probability, and not the probability itself, we overstate outlier low probabilities more than outlier high probabilities. That is, this method reflects our observations above, that events that have lower probabilities generate more surprisal, and therefore, "get more attention" in this method. Put differently, this method balances both (1) how "unusual" a data point is compared to the rest of the data set, and (2) how much information went into generating the data point. Since lower probability events are generated by data that contains more information (which is admittedly an assumption of this model), unusual low probabilities are given more weight than unusual high probabilities, and average probabilities have the same, minimum weight.
For example, the information weighted probability of the probabilities {.8 .8 .05} is 0.47. In contrast, the simple average of those probabilities is .55.
Note that this method doesn't require any ex ante probabilities at all, so the question of what "prior" probability to use is moot. That is, this method takes the data as it is, with no expectations at all, and generates a probability based upon the assumed information content of the data that generated each probability. As a result, this method could be useful for situations where no prior information about the data is available, and we are forced to make sense of the data "in a vacuum".
Information Theory and Time-Dilation
October 23, 2018 November 29, 2018 / erdosfan / Leave a comment
I've assembled all of my additional notes on time-dilation and information theory on my blog at researchgate here:
https://www.researchgate.net/project/Information-Theory-16
I've also attached pdf copies of the documents here.
A Unified Model of the Gravitational, Electrostatic, and Magnetic Forces (43)
Non-Local Interactions, Quantum Spin, the Strong and Weak Forces, and Inertia (21)
CompModofTD5-1v2 (35)
Mass_Energy_and_Momentum
MomentumMagnetismWaves25
On_the_Value_of_Gamma
Fast Image Categorization Algorithm
October 11, 2018 October 11, 2018 / erdosfan / Leave a comment
Following up on previous posts (available on my research blog here) in which I presented algorithms rooted in information theory that identify structure in images, I've come up with a series of algorithms that together allow for very fast image categorization.
Using the algorithms presented in previous posts, the process starts with breaking an image into a set of equally sized rectangular regions. These regions are sized so as to maximize the standard deviation of the entropies of the regions. That is, we size the regions so that they contain maximally different amounts of information. This process alone uncovers quite a bit of structure within an image, and is extremely fast, generally taking only a few seconds on an ordinary laptop. See the previous posts for more on this process.
Next, the algorithm assembles these regions into larger features, using an automata that "crawls" around the image, grouping similar regions together into larger contiguous features. The question arises as to how similar two regions need to be in order to be considered part of a larger contiguous feature. Previously, I answered this question by grouping regions that are within one standard deviation of each other (as measured using a metric I describe in previous posts). This method works very well in general, and is very fast. However, it misses smaller structures in more complex images, such as busy city streets.
So instead, this set of algorithms iterates through different multiples of the standard deviation, beginning with a very small fraction of one standard deviation, and iterating up to one standard deviation. The algorithm then chooses the multiple of the standard deviation for which the structure of the features begins to "crystallize". That is, the algorithm stops partitioning the image at the point where the structure of the resulting features is most stable. The stability of the structure of the features is tested by measuring the stability of the entropy of the distribution of the features. That is, once the distribution of the features identified by the algorithms begins to stabilize, the algorithm stops partitioning the image.
For example, if between .5*std_dev and .6*std_dev, the number and distribution of features is roughly constant, and is the most stable when compared to all other intervals, then the algorithm will choose delta = .5*std_dev as the optimal value for purposes of testing how similar neighboring regions must be in order to be grouped into a single contiguous feature.
In general, the algorithm measures the difference between H(i), the entropy of the distribution of features using a delta of (i*alpha*std_dev), and H(i+1), the entropy of the distribution of features using a delta of ((i+1)*alpha*std_dev), and chooses the value of i that minimizes,
|H(i) – H(i + 1)|.
The theory underlying this approach is that when we don't distinguish between any of the regions within an image (by using a delta of infinity), the information content of the resultant partition (i.e., the entropy of the distribution of features) is zero, since we are in this case treating the image as one giant feature. That is, the difference between any two regions is finite using any method of comparison, and so if delta is set to infinity, all of the regions will be indistinguishable, producing one feature: the entire image. This feature appears exactly once (since it is simply the entire image), meaning H = 1*log(1) = 0.
As we begin to distinguish between regions, by using a smaller delta, we'll end up partitioning the image into more and more features. As a result, the entropy of the distribution of features will increase (since it increases as a function of the number of features), reaching the maximum at the point where we distinguish between each region within the image, thereby maximizing the number of features. Though there could be local maxima along the way, as a general matter, the entropy of the distribution of features will increase as we reduce delta, thereby distinguishing between more and more regions within the image, generating a finer partition of the image.
There should, however, be a point along the way at which we actually uncover the "real" structure of the image, which means that the partition should be roughly stable for some interval near that point. Put loosely, the real structure of the image should be "in focus" within some small window around the objectively correct partition.
These algorithms attempt to find that correct partition by choosing the value of delta for which the derivative of the entropy of the distribution of features, as a function of delta, is minimized. This is the point at which the structure of the features, and the number of the features, changes the least as we alter delta, and where we assume the structure of the image is most likely to be "in focus".
I have attached examples showing the structure identified by these algorithms. The images attached to this post have been weighted by their S-score, so that the most notable features are the brightest, and the least notable the darkest. The S-score is, in short, a measure of how notable a region is in terms of its information content. The shading here "paints" a feature according to the average S-score over all regions within the feature.
Finally, once all of that pre-processing is sorted, another algorithm goes through the features that have been identified in one image, and compares them to the features identified in another, by using six statistical properties of the features, each of which are invariant under rotation:
(1) The partition score N, which is the point at which the "information contrast" of the feature is maximized. See previous posts for more on this.
(2) The standard deviation of the entropy of the feature, as calculated using the partition score N. This is a measure of how much variation there is in the statistical color structure of the feature. A "boring" feature will have a low score, and a "complex" feature that changes color distributions often will have a high score.
(3) The average entropy of the feature, as calculated using the partition score N. This is a measure of how evenly distributed the color information is, with features that have a very concentrated color distribution scoring low, and features that have a very wide distribution of colors scoring high.
(4) (5) and (6) are the average colors across the R,G, and B channels of the feature. This is used to capture the "actual" average color of the feature.
The norm of the difference of the resultant 6-vector for the two regions being compared is then calculated, and averaged over all features, weighted by the importance of the region, as measured using the "S-score" I presented in previous posts. The larger the resultant score, the less similar the two images are. Categorization can then be achieved by comparing the scores generated when one image is compared to a series of images from two or more different categories, allowing us to predict to which category the input image most likely belongs.
Pre-processing an image using the attached algorithms takes anywhere between a few seconds and a few minutes (on a very low-fi laptop), depending upon the size of the image, and its complexity.
Comparing two pre-processed images takes fractions of a second, making processing time for comparing pre-processed images generally negligible. This suggests that these algorithms would likely be able to process video in real, or close to real-time, on an industrial machine. This would allow, for example, live video to be compared to pre-processed databases of images, in order to determine the most likely subject matter of the features within the video.
The code should be called from the Octave command line as follows:
I = imread("[FILE PATH]");
[region_matrix N S_mat feature_score_vector] = identify_features(I);
imshow(ent_contrast_darken(I,N,region_matrix, S_mat));
To compare two images that have been processed, use the following:
average_score = IMG_Comparison(region_matrix_1, N_1, S_mat_1, feature_score_vector_1, region_matrix_2, N_2, S_mat_2, feature_score_vector_2)
Octave Scripts
ent_contrast_darken
extract_region
gather_regions_delta
generate_weight_matrix
identify_features
IMG_Comparison
local_test


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24-7 Press Release Newswire on Press Release Writing Tips – Shared Info from AP Style
When you write a press release, it is of utmost importance to ensure you nail every detail as to not alienate your company from journalists, bloggers or general audience. A poorly written press release will reflect negatively on any business, making it difficult to recover.
24-7 Press Release Newswire is a leader in press release services for small to medium size businesses and has written many tips over the last 15 years to assist and help you with writing the best possible press release. Some of our tips include 'How to write a press release' where we even include some examples.
As a part of our self-education and research, one (of many) resources we like to follow is the AP Stylebook. Yes, this is directly related to Associated Press. However, the stylebook component is an excellent resource for nailing the finer details you may not think of unless you are an English major involved in journalism with years of experience.
IF you are not familiar with the Associated Press, according to Wikipedia they are a U.S.-based not-for-profit news agency with headquarters in New York City. The company was founded in 1846 and operated as a cooperative, unincorporated association. The AP is owned by its contributing newspapers and radio and television stations in the US, all of which contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists.
As a staple in the industry with a reputation and history to go along with them, we figure they are a pretty good resource to follow. In particular, the AP Stylebook Facebook page where we dug up these tips to share with you. These tips are directly from the AP Stylebook Facebook page.
Here are some of their recent tips: "Sexual harassment and sexual misconduct are broad terms that can cover a wide variety of actions or behavior. Be as specific as possible in describing the kinds of behavior that is being alleged or admitted, such as groping, unwanted kissing, disrobing or verbal abuse.
New on Stylebook Online: A genre of music that originated in Puerto Rico, reggaeton fuses hip-hop with Latin American and Caribbean rhythms. Its vocals include rapping and singing.
The style and spelling of names in North Korea and South Korea follow each government's policy for transliterations unless the subject has a personal preference. North Korean names are written as three separate words, each capitalized: Kim Jong Un. Use Kim on the second reference. South Korean names are written as two names, with the given name hyphenated and a lowercase letter after the hyphen: Moon Jae-in. Use Moon on the second reference. In both Koreas, the family name comes first.
We use an actor for a man and actress for a woman, but it is acceptable to use actor for a woman if she prefers it. Read AP's coverage of the best actor and actress winners, and more, from the Oscars.
AP does not use trademark or copyright symbols in our text. A trademark is a brand, symbol, word, etc., protected by law to prevent a competitor from using it. In general, use a generic equivalent unless the trademark name is essential to the story."
We are all always learning, and by following these and many other of their tips and information, you are sure to set your path to the mastery of writing your press releases.


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Balkan (Serbo Croatian)
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Multiple Rockets strike the Israeli Golan
by Leith Aboufadel
in Middle East
On Tuesday morning, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesman issued a statement in regards to the multiple rockets that struck a number of areas in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. The IDF Spokesman confirmed that the rockets came from the Syrian border, but they were unable to identify the culprits – he further added that the IDF responded with artillery shells towards the origin of the rockets.
According to the IDF Spokesman, there were no casualties reported; however, all civilians at the local ski resort have been escorted by the IDF to safety. No group has claimed responsibility for these rockets fired in the Golan Heights.
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Tags: IsraelSyria
Leith Aboufadel
Editor-in-Chief Specializing in Near Eastern Affairs and Economics.
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IMACC
Climate Faith Statements
Prophetic action to address the climate crisis
Is Water Softener Harmful to the Environment?
January 23, 2019 Interfaith
Water is one of Earth's most vital resources, that plays an essential role in the sustenance of life. But in its natural form, water contains large amounts of magnesium, calcium, iron and other minerals, making it challenging for daily use. This is called hard water. To eliminate the various challenges of using hard water, water softeners are used before its direct consumption. The water softener removes all the contaminants from water, acting as a magnetic sponge to pull those minerals away, thus making it safe to use.
Impact on the environment
Softening of water with the help of a sodium-based water softener comes with a heavy cost to the environment. Listed below are some of the brutal side effects water softeners have on our environment.
Sodium based water softeners increase the amount of water consumption.
It also causes harm to the plants as they cannot handle high volumes of salt. Sodium that is present in softened water tricks plants into believing that the amount of water in them is enough to sustain life, thus interfering with their water balance. This leads to the plant to dry up and finally die.
Water that is already softened is not capable of being recycled again, probing a threat to the environment.
When softened water is discharged into the water bodies, like rivers, lakes, and oceans, the sodium and calcium ions present in the salt cause severe damage to the marine and aquatic life.
Although it helps reduce magnesium and calcium, there is an increase in the amount of lead and other metals along with sodium in softened water.
Salt-free water softener
In order to escape the many hazardous effects traditional salt-based water softeners have on the environment and our the overall well-being, it would be a wiser option to replace the same with salt-free water softeners. With a great track record of eliminating bad pollutants from the water, salt-based water softeners leave the excellent minerals intact. Hence, Some of the many benefits of the newer salt-free water softeners are:
The water tastes better because of the presence of carbon in it
Does not harm the marine life when discharged into the water bodies.
Allows you to save up on buying salt for the water softening, as you don't have to constantly buy bags of salt.
Provides you with sodium free water that doesn't contain salt, thus preventing many environmental problems.
Thus, with salt-free water softener ability to prevent scale on the inside of the plumbing and dechlorinate water, this is for you! In addition, its most significant benefit is that it does not have any side effects on the environment.
Sodium based water softeners probe a dangerous threat for the environment. However, it's a necessity to soften water for some areas. Salt-free water softeners are an excellent alternative to the sodium based ones. Considering the various pros and cons of salt-based water softeners, you should pick the one of the best for water softening, that is not just safe for the environment but also best for your daily requirements.
Does Welding do anything good in our environment
October 29, 2018 Interfaith
Welding works, in the same way, today as before. With economic gestures of cuts in a global market, many fear what the future holds. Even if the world does not seem to do business a year ago, there will always be a need for the welder. What types of welding would it be better to know?
There will always be a need for a qualified metal distributor in our world. The fact is that some welding applications never seem to be replaced. If you observe the high-pressure effect that takes place in a room such as a boiler or a refinery, it is obvious that the need for certified welders will last as long as the human being wants their comfort.
It is difficult to do without electricity. If you run out of electricity at this time while reading this article, I would not be very happy and would pay the amount needed to repair it. Then in that sense. Let's take a look at some of the most commonly used welding applications.
Above all, we have the stick principle of minimal use of electricity with welding helmet models available in the market. This is really a backbone process in the world of welding. Most people who enter the field of welding come through the stick application. Even with other more complicated processes, most of these high-tech activities will eventually use the stick.
If you try to learn to weld, the first stop of the route is the deposit of the floor rods where the welder takes into account the many ways in which the coating with flow bar is applied. There are a variety of ways in which this type of welding is used. This includes the different positions and the different coatings that are considered. If you are welding at high pressure in an oil refinery and you are using the TIG root and the welding step, the final phase of the weld using the particular pipe is the filler and lid coated with flux.
Can a steel structure that can carry tons of physical weight handle iron? Is there any other way to accomplish this task? Honestly, the answer is no. The days of the hot rivets are gone. There is still the use of screws but often involves welding. Metal welding still performs quite well. Even in the screwing process, there is a technique known as nut killing. Here, the nut is welded by stitches on the bolt to prevent it from coming out of the bolt or bolt thread. However, you need the soldering iron.
Then we have the non-stick soldering iron and its demand. Next, we have to look at the tube soldering iron. Of all the welding works carried out all over the world, it is believed that pipe welding is the best and most influential. A good pipe welder used to be a very respected person. Unfortunately, this attitude has changed today. What has not changed is the growing need for this type of skills. A good idea is to get as far as possible in the upper part of the welding area that interests you.
Recently there has been an influence of pipes made of plastic or polymer materials instead of metal. Although this is a fact, another fact that will not change is that plastic pipes can not replace in any way iron or stainless steel materials where critical pressures or corrosive substances are used within the pipe process. Chemical factories or refineries will use more and more metal than anything else. Hospitals use a lot of metal. Dairy products, light bicycle frames, power plants, etc. Another aspect of the pipeline field is in the oil and gas subsoil.
Safe and Eco-Friendly Target Shooting
June 3, 2018 Interfaith
Not all the sports are actually environment-friendly and safe. However, some sports can be made environment-friendly and safer with some little precautionary measures. Although its harmful effects on the environment are very low still, by many people target shooting is viewed as harmful to the environment. Target shooting just like other sport can be highly enjoyable at the same time safe for the environment. Currently, because of certain reasons, it has certain environmental safety issues associated with it It can easily become safe and eco-friendly just with few altered choices. By using safe or "green' products environment can be saved from the harmful effects of this sport.
The environmental movement was started in the early 70's, because of its activists it gained much popularity and people are struggling to make the environment safer. This movement has spurred a great threat in shooters community because of the restrictions it can bring on shooting sports. Many restrictive changes like lead bans, anti-gun movements, and litigation against noise produced by gunfires have affected the sport to a great extent.
Pellet guns are gaining much popularity in shooters and hunters for many good reasons. They are much quieter and have more power than before. Most importantly they are more eco-friendly and are referred to as green guns.
Most pellet guns make use of compressed air to provide launching pressure to projectile on the other hand combustible powder is used by the forearms. Air rifles do not produce or generate any damaging gases with the exclusion of CO2 guns. Air guns are green because they compress the air we breathe in and that's why they are completely safe. Air guns include a variable pump, break barrel and PCP. To make them even greener we need to use non-toxic and lead-free ammunition. Because of this very reason, pellet guns are considered green and are considered safe for the environment.
Scopes with extra magnification are not good for safety and are not necessarily needed for a clear shot. Because more scope can cause the light gathering and can restrict the field of view. In fact, when scopes are set on more magnification, it is hard to find a target from close range.
As long as the target is concerned for target shooting, although generally known as clay targets, the target is made of pulverized limestone these days and are held together by a petroleum product called pitch. Petroleum is also considered a bit harmful for the environment though, but old style targets made of coal tar were even more toxic than the petroleum. These targets made of petroleum products can withstand high pressure and can break with consistency and produce a black smoke like effect when properly hit. Petroleum pitch targets are still not considered good for the environment but they are better than their other alternatives. Manufacturers are trying to make better targets that are more eco-friendly and enjoyable than the existing targets.
If right and green choices are used, target shooting is not harmful to the environment. It is a safe and healthy sport with a lot of earth-friendly choices available.
Environmental Consequences of Modern Weapons
April 16, 2018 Interfaith
Modern warfare can cause greater devastation to our environment compared to the weapons used in previous wars like in World War I and II, Vietnam War, Kosovo War and Gulf War. The progression of this dangerous warfare from the chemical to nuclear weapons has over the time increased stress to our environment. The world has witnessed the invention of dangerous weapons of mass destruction which can cause significant environmental destruction. Other than the loss of human life, the first one to suffer is our natural resources such as wild animals and forests. Nuclear warfare is known to have direct and indirect environmental effects. Also, geospheric or atmospheric disturbances as a result of weapons can cause changes to the weather and climate.
Military campaigns use large quantities of a modern weapon and a fraction of these weapons do not detonate properly, which means they leave unexploded weapons to our environment. This creates a very serious chemical hazard that can cause physical injuries to the civilians population and negative environmental effects. Such weapons include the Russian medieval weapons, which can cause far-reaching effects to our environment if we don't take serious measures to save our environment.
Testing of nuclear weapons has been done in different locations such as New Mexico, Bikini Atoll, Novaya Zemlya, Marshall Islands and Mururoa Atoll, among others. U.S. government carried out a study on environmental impact caused by testing these weapons and also post-war effects of radioactive isotopes. They found elements of sr-90 were present in the human body through the food chain. Another study has been done on the effect of uranium in modern weapons on the long-term health of human beings. The findings showed that uranium exposure can affect our brain, kidney, liver, and heart, among other body organs.
Although ecological disturbances as result of conflicts have been occurring for many centuries, modern-day weapons have made the impact even more severe. A good example is the Gulf War that occurred in 1991, which left a huge environmental effect due to depleted uranium weapons. These weapons commonly referred as DU are used by powerful countries to penetrate the enemy tanks among other targets, but these weapons have potential health risks due to uranium exposure.
Another serious environmental consequence is the degradation of infrastructure where basic services such water supply systems are destroyed. A more serious case is where public water systems are contaminated with bacteria as result of war conflicts. It becomes difficult for civilians to access safe drinking water. Also, the destruction of forests by the military machinery and warfare has caused a serious environmental impact. Military hardware and explosives have disrupted the ecosystem by causing deforestation, soil erosion, and habitat destruction.
Use of chemical agents has also led to suffering among the civilian population. A striking example was the use of the famous agent orange in Vietnam war and now there is an allegation that chemical agents are used in Syrian War. In Vietnam, the chemical agent was used to destroy forest vegetation cover in order to expose the enemy. The impact of that chemical agent was quite severe that crops were also destroyed too. In addition to environmental effects, humans were seriously affected by that chemical agent. Many suffered skin problems, lung cancer, birth defects, spontaneous abortion, and chloracne, among other diseases.
Dear Future Generations: Sorry
December 24, 2017 Interfaith
Earth Week Activities
March 24, 2012 Interfaith
Interfaith Earth Week Activities (April 21-27, 2012)
Specific action plans: In Washington, D.C. there will be a series of activities during the week of April 21-27 organized by a number of faith-based and sister organizations.
IMACC (Interfaith Moral Action on Climate Change) is organizing a sunrise vigil, an interfaith service and a religious procession from the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church to the U.S. Capitol.
6:30 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. – Sunrise Vigil at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. 8:30 service with Bill McKibben, Ibrahim Ramey, Indigenous leaders and Luci Murphy. See MAP for MLK, Jr. Memorial here.
9:15 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Procession to New York Avenue Presbyterian Church (1313 New York Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C.)
10:30 a.m. – Multi-faith service at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. Participants: Imam Johari Abdul-Malik, Della Adams, Dr. Carroll Baltimore, Roya Bauman, Sr. Simone Campbell/SSS, Rev. Richard Cizik, Rev. Theresa Dear, Rev. Jim Deming, Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb, Mohammed El-Idrissi, Sarah James, Rev. Alan Johnson, Fr. Paul Mayer, Mohawk Clan Mother Louise McDonald, Rev. Janet Parker, Dorthea Thomas, Kusum Vyas, Rev. Lennox Yearwood
12 noon – 1:00 p.m. Procession to Upper Senate Park at the U.S. Capitol, 200 New Jersey Ave.; shared brown-bag lunch and vigil.
1:30 p.m. – Commissioning Vigil at the Capitol
2 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Congressional visits on Capitol Hill: Constituent group meetings with members of both houses of Congress.
4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Closing, sharing, and benediction, Lutheran Church of the Reformation, 212 E. Capitol St.
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Q: Image Capture OS X 10.6 won't read from iPhone Image Capture on Snow Leopard says the "iPhone is locked with code", and asks to unlock it before importing images. The most weird thing is that it can import just fine using iPhoto and it syncs through iTunes. Seems it is a problem with Image Capture, any ideas?
If anyone could try to send the Image Capture.app to me to test with, that would be great. Thanks!

A: With ImageCapture closed, look in ~/Library/Preferences for com.apple.Image_Capture.plist and com.apple.ImageCaptureExtension2.plist and move them to the Trash. Preferences files often become corrupt, and this is the first, easiest step.

A: I tried the following on OSX 10.6 and 10.7 and it works. Being very quick to press "trust" (on iPhones dialog 'trust this computer') might be a solution for you too. Please see the detailed description here:
https://apple.stackexchange.com/a/297828/254849
Erasing the plists (as described by @Emil and @Zo219, above) works for me, but only if I erase them each time I want to connect and import.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


PK Mahanandia an artist hailing from a small village in Odisha cycled 3,600 Km from Delhi to Sweden across eight countries and taking almost five months to be reunited with his wife Charlotte Von Schedvin.
This isn't a Bollywood movie but a real story that inspires hope and courage. Their story started with a meeting in Delhi in 1975, when Von Schedvin asked Mahanandia to paint her portrait. It was love at first sight. They spent a month together during which they got married but Von Schedvin had to return to her home in Boras, Sweden after that.
Mahanandia had made up his mind to see his wife at any cost, so he sold all his belongings to buy a bicycle, packed a pair of spare cloths and with just 80 dollars in his pocket, he set off on his epic journey to meet the love of his life.
Luckily those days not many countries required visa for travelling and so in order to pass the borders he would sketch the guards portrait. In the course of journey his bicycle broke down several times and he spent days without food and water, but after almost five months he made it to the Swedish border, where he was stopped by Swedish officers, who were amazed to see an Indian man cycling all the way from India.
Today, they are happily married and Dr Pradyumna Kumar Mahanandia is working as an Adviser, Art and Culture under the Swedish government. The Swedish government even made a documentary to immortalise their love story.