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A Century of Evolution of Modeling for River Basin Planning to the Next Generation of Models, Methods, and Concepts
Caroline Rosello, Sondoss Elsawah, Joseph Guillaume, and Anthony Jakeman
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Environmental Science
River Basin models to inform planning decisions have continued to evolve, largely based on predominant planning paradigms and progress in the sciences and technology. From the Industrial Revolution to the first quarter of the 21st century, such modeling tools have shifted from supporting water resources development to integrated and adaptive water resources management. To account for the increasing complexity and uncertainty associated with the relevant socioecological systems in which planning should be embedded, river basin models have shifted from a supply development focus during the 19th century to include, by thes 2000s–2020s, demand management approaches and all aspects of consumptive and non-consumptive uses, addressing sociocultural and environmental issues. With technological and scientific developments, the modeling has become increasingly quantitative, integrated and interdisciplinary, attempting to capture, more holistically, multiple river basin issues, relevant cross-sectoral policy influences, and disciplinary perspectives. Additionally, in acknowledging the conflicts around ecological degradation and human impacts associated with intensive water resource developments, the modeling has matured to embrace the need for adequate stakeholder engagement processes that support knowledge-sharing and trust-building and facilitate the appreciation of trade-offs across multiple types of impacts and associated uncertainties. River basin models are now evolving to anticipate uncertainty around plausible alternative futures such as climate change and rapid sociotechnical transformations. The associated modeling now embraces the challenge of shifting from predictive to exploratory tools to support learning and reflection and better inform adaptive management and planning. Managing so-called deep uncertainty presents new challenges for river basin modeling associated with imperfect knowledge, integrating sociotechnical scales, regime shifts and human factors, and enabling collaborative modeling, infrastructure support, and management systems.
American Orientalism
Osamah F. Khalil
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of American History
Orientalism is an established academic discipline as well as a discourse. In Europe and the United States, Orientalist discourse was reproduced in academic studies, literature, popular culture, and policy circles. American Orientalism shares a number of characteristics with its European progenitors. The persistent representation of the broader East as an inferior, irrational, and emotional "other" reflected and reified disparities in power that then informed the production of knowledge about these vast regions and their inhabitants. American missionaries, social scientists, and counterinsurgency experts used Orientalism to justify their attempts to reshape the broader East in the image of the United States. In his seminal work, Orientalism, Edward Said examined the vast "Orient" as a geographic imaginary of the "Occident." While he largely focused on Britain and France, Said also discussed American Orientalism and its manifestations in the academy, political discourse, and popular culture. In the decades since Said published Orientalism, scholars have embraced, critiqued, and expanded on its assertions. Yet American Orientalism as a discourse and practice persists and has proven resilient to challenges.
Animal Personhood in Sustainability Education
Helen Kopnina
Animal personhood research comes from different theoretical directions: animal rights, animal welfare, compassionate conservation, animal rights law, and many related disciplines. The term "personhood" is taken to lie in three main characteristics, including the capacity to act intentionally, the capacity to experience feelings, and the possession of moral worth. This division is complementary to three approaches: the perfectionist approach, the humanistic approach, and the interactive approach, with the third approach being the strongest. The basic idea is that personhood can be linked to legal rights based on recognition of intrinsic rights based on sentience or other characteristics of a living being, including personality. The move toward recognizing animal personhood in education promises to signify a return to a nonanthropocentric ethic that characterizes both the most transformative forms of education for environmental sustainability and the type of education that stresses responsibility and compassion toward all living beings. This type of education, at both the school and university levels, supports both ecocentrism and animal ethics and supports the rights to life of all living beings on Earth—including, to state the obvious, humans. Many initiatives supporting developing education for animal personhood have emerged within the literature on (sustainability) education and practice. This literature emphasizes multiple forms of education, ranging from education for sustainability, education related to ethics (anything that fits under the broad banner of sustainability, from human rights to social justice and indeed animal welfare), for example, including posthumanist education, action research, education for sustainable development, curriculum development, pedagogical studies that specifically engage with animal rights, and animal welfare education. More specifically, Animal Protection Education provides students and teachers with the information they need to understand and discuss the concept of granting legal personhood to animals.
African American Literature in the Antebellum Era
Benjamin Fagan
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Literature
African American literature in the antebellum era encompasses a wide variety of genres and authors. The literature includes poetry, novels, manifestos, slave narratives, and essays. Many of the best-known Black writers of the period, such as Harriet Jacobs, Frederick Douglass, and William Wells Brown, were born in southern states and had been enslaved, but a number of other writers, including Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, James McCune Smith, and James Whitfield, were born in the North. Whether or not they had been enslaved, a number of these writers do address questions of slavery and freedom, but African American literature of the era also transcends those categories. In addition to the diverse content of their works, Black writers during the antebellum era worked in and with a variety of print forms including the pamphlet, the book, and the periodical. More than just using different kinds of print as containers for their writings, Black authors theorized the workings of antebellum print culture in ways that inform and enrich current scholarship.
Anthropology and Catholicism
Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Anthropology
Roman Catholicism has been a repeated subject of interest for anthropology, from Julian Pitt-Rivers's early ethnography of an Andalusian Catholic community to Talal Asad's historical anthropological work on medieval monastics. Furthermore, a number of prominent social anthropologists of the mid-20th century—e.g., E. E. Evans-Pritchard, Mary Douglas, Victor Turner, and Godfrey Lienhardt—were themselves Catholics, a fact which infused not just their biography but often their subsequent work. At the same time, anthropologists on the whole have rarely taken Roman Catholicism as the focus of study; instead, Roman Catholicism has often been the invisible backdrop against which the main ethnographic action takes place. In the wake of the development of the anthropology of Christianity, however, an anthropology of Catholicism has burgeoned. The modern Catholic Church, with around 1.3 billion members worldwide, is the largest institution in history. As such, scholars have often examined the way the Church maintains itself as a unified institution even while containing vast spectrums of diversity in practice, theology, and lived experience. Resulting literature has often focused on this, examining institutional continuity over both time—such as the legacy of Catholic evangelization as a key part of colonial endeavors—and space—such as the question of syncretism and the nature of Catholicism's relationship with indigenous cultures around the world.
Approaches to Education for Sustainability
Robert B. Stevenson
Approaches to education for sustainability, or education for sustainable development, have diversified since the normative concepts of sustainability and sustainable development came into common international policy discourse in the late 1980s. These terms and their conceptualization, somewhat controversially, largely replaced environmental education in international rhetoric and policies. The dominant goal of approaches to environmental education to this point had been promoting environmentally responsible individual behavior through increasing awareness and knowledge of the natural environment and issues related to its protection. This approach began to be critiqued as inadequate for understanding, accounting for, or responding to the complexity, unpredictability, and contestation of sustainability issues, as well as the sociocultural, economic, and political influences shaping such issues as climate change and loss of biodiversity. More discursive and collaborative approaches were conceptualized, such as engaging students in critical issue- or problem-based inquiries, including into the influence of institutional arrangements, social structures, and cultural features on unsustainable practices that characterize socially critical approaches. Action competence approaches provide a conceptual and pedagogical model for developing student capacities to engage in individual and collective local issue-based inquiries and civic actions on urgent socioecological issues to contribute to a more sustainable community. Social and sociocultural learning approaches offer a framework for and emphasize the potential meaningful learning that occurs from bringing individuals or communities together to share, discuss, and reflect on cognitive and normative understandings of local and global socioecological issues. Expanding on the identified positive elements of the previously mentioned approaches, an extension of a socioecological approach in the form of a critical socioecological justice approach embraces the development of a critical and transformative responsiveness to issues of people and place. In such an approach, sociocultural, ecological, and economic sustainability, as well as socioeconomic and environmental justice, could be addressed in grappling with the challenge of rebalancing human–environment and human–human relations. This perspective acknowledges that beyond the ecological imperative, there is a moral imperative to alleviate human suffering and provide basic material well-being for all humankind, such that sustainability has a concern for the human condition as well as the environmental condition.
The Archaeology of Gandhāra
Luca Maria Olivieri
The cultural context in which the term "Gandhāra" is used initially refers to Vedic geography and then to the administrative limits of the homonymous Achaemenid satrapy. The most reliable information referring to the Middle Holocene period, in which the Gandhāran region must have met a climatically optimal phase during which domesticated rice was introduced to Kashmir and Swat through the trans-Himalayan corridors (early 2nd millennium bce or earlier). Toward the end of the 2nd millennium, northern Gandhāra features a rather coherent settlement phenomenon marked by large graveyards, mainly with inhumations, which were labeled by previous scholarship as the "Gandhāra Grave Culture" (1200–900 bce). In this phase among the major cultural markers, the introduction of iron technology is noteworthy. The historic phases in Gandhāra are marked by an initial urban phase in Gandhāra (500–150 bce), sometimes referred to as a "second urbanization," on the evidence mainly from Peshawar, Charsadda I, Barikot, and Bhir Mound (Taxila I). Mature urban phases (150 bce–350 ce) are defined based on the restructuring of old cities, and new urban foundations during the phases of contact historically defined by the Indo-Greek and Śaka dynasties, followed by the Kushans (Peshawar, Charsadda II, Barikot, Sirkap, or Taxila III). The artistic phenomenon known as the Buddhist "art of Gandhāra" started toward the end of the 1st century bce and lasted until the 4th century ce. The beginning of this art is best attested in that period in Swat, where schist of exceptional quality is largely available. At the beginning of the 1st century ce, the iconic and figurative symbols of Indian Buddhism acquire a narrative form, which is the major feature of the Buddhist art of Gandhāra. The subsequent art and architecture of Buddhist Gandhāra feature large sanctuaries richly decorated, and monasteries, documented in several "provinces" of Gandhāra throughout the Kushan period, from the late 1st century ce to mid/end-3rd century ce. In this period Buddhist sanctuaries and urban centers developed together, as proved both in Peshawar valley, in Swat, and at Taxila. After the urban crisis (post-300 ce)—which went hand in hand with the crisis of the centralized Kushan rule—stratigraphic excavations have so far registered a significant thinning of the archaeological deposits, with a few exceptions. Besides coins deposited in coeval phases of Buddhist sanctuaries and literary and epigraphic sources, archaeological evidence for the so-called Hunnic or "Huna" phases (c. 5th–7th century ce) are very scarce. Around the mid-6th century, Buddhist monasteries entered a period of crisis, the effects of which were dramatically visible in the first half of the 7th century, especially in the northern regions of Gandhāra. It is after this phase (early 7th century) that literary sources and archaeology report the existence of several Brahmanical temples in and around Gandhāra. These temples were first supported by the Turki-Śāhi (whose capital was in Kabulistan; end-7th/early 8th century) and then by the Hindu-Śāhi (9th–10th century).
Birmingham Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies
Hugo Goeury
In the mid-1970s, the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (CCCS), which came to be known as the "Birmingham School," published two major books that contributed substantially to the field of critical criminology: Resistance Through Rituals (RTR) and Policing the Crisis (PTC). These two groundbreaking and complementary works aimed to contribute to the two main topics of criminological enquiry: deviance/crime and social reaction/punishment. In both cases, the Centre deployed a Marxist-inspired and sociologically driven approach whose main objective was to study both deviance and social reaction from a critical perspective that takes into consideration the broader social, political, economic, and cultural context in which they take place. RTR challenged the dominant discourse of the postwar era, which proclaimed the end of class antagonism and the exhaustion of "class" as a relevant social category. The Birmingham School's research demonstrated that the many subcultures—punks, mods, teddy boys, rastas, etc. —that flourished in the United Kingdom at the time were not symptomatic, as many argued, of the rise of a "classless youth." On the contrary, RTR made the case that subcultures are part of a century-long tradition of symbolic, working-class resistance against the hegemonic order. From this perspective, subcultures were seen as an attempt, on the part of working-class youths, to solve the many contradictions of their class experience at a time of broad, multidimensional changes. While the Birmingham School's work on subcultures was a celebration of working-class resistance and agency, ultimately, it reached the conclusion that this form of resistance, which remained restricted to the symbolic sphere, could not offer a solution to the exploitation and oppression faced by working-class youth, which stemmed from the material, social relations of production of capitalism. While RTR focused on "deviance," PTC shifted the analysis to the other side of the equation, that of social reaction and punishment. In this second publication, Stuart Hall and his co-authors developed an impressive "conjunctural analysis" approach that allowed them to move from the study of the so-called "mugging crisis" of the United Kingdom in the early 1970s, to the elaboration of their groundbreaking theory on crisis of hegemony and the rise of a new, "law and order society." PTC is one of the pioneering studies that argued that the rise of "authoritarian populism" and the birth of a "law and order society" that were taking place in the United Kingdom in the 1970s were not temporary phenomena but were representative of a long-lasting change of epoch. More than 40 years after the publication of this seminal work, it leaves no doubt that the Birmingham School's predictions have been validated, as is corroborated by an extensive literature studying the "punitive turn" that has taken over the globe over the last few decades. Overall, at a time when criminology was becoming increasingly dominated by positivism and disconnected from the sociological tradition, the Birmingham School's most influential and long-lasting legacy resides in RTR and PTC's invitation to critically investigate what the CCCS members called the "social and political 'conditions of existence'" of both deviance/crime and social reaction/punishment.
Book of Daniel
Anathea E. Portier-Young
Extant in three main ancient editions, the book of Daniel is a Jewish text composed c. 165 bce. Major themes are divine and human sovereignty, allegiance, identity, knowledge, and eschatology. The bilingual Hebrew and Aramaic version preserved in the Masoretic Text (MT) comprises twelve chapters and is one of the earliest examples of the apocalypse literary genre. Chapters 1–6 contain court legends about four Judean captives in Babylon—Daniel, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael (renamed Belteshazzzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego)—during the reigns of four kings: Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Darius, and Cyrus. Daniel excels as an interpreter of dreams and visions, yet as the four Judeans rise to positions of power, they must choose between loyalty to king and loyalty to God. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are sentenced to death in a fiery furnace for refusing to worship an idol, and Daniel is thrown into a pit of lions for praying to his deity. Yet each of the four experiences divine deliverance. In chapters 7–12, Daniel recounts a series of apocalyptic visions and discourses foretelling a sequence of empires and the concomitant subjugation, suffering, resistance, and deliverance of the Judean people. The ancient Greek versions of the text, Old Greek and Proto-Theodotion, differ in various respects from MT Daniel, most notably in their inclusion of the tales of Susanna and Bel and the Dragon, the Prayer of Azariah, and the Song of the Three Youths. The book of Daniel influenced the development of Jewish and Christian eschatology, including beliefs about resurrection and judgment after death. Early Christian art and liturgy drew on the tales in Daniel to express hope of salvation. In the synoptic gospels, Jesus identifies himself with the "one like a human being" (commonly translated "son of man"; Dan. 7), implicitly identifying the kingdom he inaugurates with the kingdom of the holy ones that succeeds the four empires in Daniel's vision.


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Biografia
Alex de Minaur è nato a Sydney da padre uruguagio e madre spagnola. Ha quattro fratelli, Dominic, Daniel, Sarah e Christina. Inizia a giocare a tennis all'età di 4 anni quando la madre lo iscrive a un corso per prendere lezioni. A 5 anni si trasferisce con la famiglia ad Alicante, dove frequenta le scuole elementari, mentre finisce le scuole superiori quando già è professionista e viaggia per lavoro. Nei primi anni da professionista divide il suo tempo tra la Spagna e l'Australia, e sostiene che questo fatto abbia avuto un impatto positivo sulla sua formazione tennistica. Si allena ad Alicante e riceve un piccolo supporto dalla federazione australiana. La sua superficie preferita è il cemento, il colpo preferito è il rovescio, i suoi tornei preferiti sono l'Australian Open e Wimbledon. I suoi idoli d'infanzia sono stati Roger Federer e Lleyton Hewitt, quest'ultimo è poi diventato il suo mentore e la sua guida seguendolo negli allenamenti.

Carriera

Juniores
De Minaur ha raggiunto come miglior risultato il secondo posto del ranking del circuito juniores, e ha vinto il doppio maschile juniores all'Australian Open 2016 insieme a Blake Ellis.

2015-16: approdo al professionismo, primo titolo ITF e prima finale Challenger
Debutta nel circuito professionisto nel luglio 2015, al torneo Futures Spain F22, raggiungendo i quarti di finale. Gli viene concessa una wild card per le qualificazioni per l'Australian Open 2016 e perde al primo turno. Trascorre la maggior parte della stagione 2016 giocando nel circuito ITF in Spagna, raggiungendo due finali in singolare, perse entrambe,e  ad aprile conquista il primo titolo da professionista vincendo il torneo di doppio al Futures Spagna F8 di Madrid. Nell'ottobre del 2016 raggiunge la sua prima finale in un torneo dell'ATP Challenger Tour a Eckental, in Germania.

2017: esordio nel circuito maggiore, primo titolo ITF in singolare e top 200 nel ranking
Comincia l'anno superando per la prima volta le qualificazioni in un torneo ATP al Brisbane International 2017 e viene eliminato al primo turno da Mischa Zverev. La settimana successiva riceve una wild card per l'Apia International Sydney e sconfigge il numero 46 del mondo Benoît Paire, ottenendo la sua prima vittoria nel tour principale, e si ritira durante il match di secondo turno contro Andrej Kuznecov. Riceve una wild card per l'Australian Open 2017 sia in singolare che doppio. In singolare supera in cinque set Gerald Melzer al primo turno per poi arrendersi a Sam Querrey, mentre esce di scena al primo turno in doppio. Eliminato al secondo turno al Challenger di Launceston, nelle qualificazioni di Indian Wells viene sconfitto al turno decisivo da Radu Albot. Raggiunge i quarti al Challenger di Drummondville. Non supera le qualificazioni a Istanbul e a Lione.

Riceve una wild card per il Roland Garros e viene eliminato al primo turno da Robin Haase, mentre alle qualificazioni di Wimbledon viene sconfitto al secondo turno da Tatsuma Itō. Vince il suo primo titolo in singolare battendo Frederico Ferreira Silva in finale al Futures Portugal F11 a Póvoa de Varzim, dove si aggiudica il titolo anche in doppio, in coppia con Roberto Ortega Olmedo. Raggiunge la finale al Challenger di Segovia e perde da Jaume Munar per 3-6, 4-6, a fine torneo entra per la prima volta nella top 200 del ranking. Esce al primo turno dello Slovenia Open e viene eliminato nelle qualificazioni a Winston-Salem da Kevin King. Riceve poi una wildcard per gli US Open e al primo turno raccoglie 6 giochi contro Dominic Thiem.

2018: prime finali ATP, primo titolo Challenger e 31º nel ranking
Comincia nuovamente la stagione dal torneo di Brisbane e si spinge per la prima volta in carriera fino a una semifinale del circuito maggiore, diventando il più giovane tennista australiano a raggiungere questo traguardo diciotto anni dopo Lleyton Hewitt, supera nell'ordine Steve Johnson, la testa di serie n° 4 Milos Raonic e Michael Mmoh e viene eliminato da Ryan Harrison, che lo supera in rimonta. Al successivo ATP 250 di Sydney accede nuovamente al tabellone principale e stavolta arriva fino all'atto conclusivo del torneo, diventando il più giovane tennista a giungere in finale in questa manifestazione, quasi venti dopo Lleyton Hewitt. Elimina nell'ordine Fernando Verdasco, Damir Džumhur, Feliciano López e Benoit Paire. In finale viene sconfitto al terzo set da Daniil Medvedev, che conquista il suo primo titolo ATP. Partecipa per la seconda volta agli Open d'Australia ed esce di scena al primo turno per mano di Tomáš Berdych.

In febbraio fa il debutto assoluto in Coppa Davis nella sfida tra Australia e Germania e perde al tie-break del quinto set contro Alexander Zverev. A marzo entra per la prima volta nel tabellone principale di un torneo Masters 1000 grazie a una wild-card a Indian Wells, dove supera Jan-Lennard Struff in rimonta al tie-break del terzo set, e al secondo turno perde contro il n° 8 del mondo Juan Martín del Potro. Nel successivo Masters 1000 di Miami supera le qualificazioni e al primo turno del main draw viene sconfitto da Yoshihito Nishioka.

Al 250 di Estoril disputa il suo primo torneo ATP su terra battuta, al primo turno ha la meglio su Gastao Elias e viene quindi eliminato da Kyle Edmund, contro il quale perde anche il suo primo incontro in carriera al Roland Garros. Al primo torneo sull'erba raggiunge la finale al Challenger di Surbiton e viene sconfitto da Jérémy Chardy, e con questo risultato entra per la prima volta nella top 100, al 96º posto. Si aggiudica il titolo al successivo Challenger di Nottingham battendo in finale Daniel Evans ed esce al primo turno all'ATP di Eastbourne. Alla sua prima esperienza a Wimbledon supera Marco Cecchinato, semifinalista al Roland Garros, e Pierre-Hugues Herbert, ed esce al terzo turno per mano del n° 1 del mondo Rafael Nadal.

Inizia la trasferta nordamericana con l'eliminazione al primo turno a Newport, mentre ad Atlanta supera al primo turno Hubert Hurkacz prima di inchinarsi a John Isner, n° 9 del ranking mondiale. A Washington disputa il suo primo torneo di categoria ATP 500 e raggiunge la sua seconda finale in carriera, grazie ai successi su Vasek Pospisil, Steve Johnson e Chung Hyeon. Accede alla semifinale per il ritiro di Andy Murray, sconfigge Andrej Rublëv e perde in due set la finale contro Alexander Zverev; guadagna così 27 posizioni nel ranking e sale alla 45ª. A Winston-Salem non va oltre il primo turno, sconfitto da Daniil Medvedev. Vince il suo primo incontro agli US Open battendo Tarō Daniel, al quale concede appena tre giochi. Al secondo turno supera Frances Tiafoe e viene quindi eliminato dal n° 7 del mondo Marin Čilić.

Nel confronto di Coppa Davis vinto dall'Austria per 3-1, viene sconfitto in entrambi i singolari da Dominic Thiem e Dennis Novak. Inizia quindi la campagna asiatica a Shenzhen e raggiunge la semifinale, sconfigge nel turno d'esordio Mackenzie McDonald, nei quarti di finale Damir Dzumhur e viene sconfitto da Pierre-Hugues Herbert dopo aver sprecato due match-point nel set decisivo. All'ATP 500 di Tokyo sconfigge in rimonta Gilles Simon e perde al secondo turno contro Stefanos Tsitsipas. Al Masters 1000 di Shanghai giunge agli ottavi di finale grazie ai successi su Vasek Pospisil e Benoit Paire, prima di arrendersi per la quarta volta in altrettanti incontri ad Alexander Zverev.

Conclude la stagione con due sconfitte al primo turno a Stoccolma e al Masters 1000 di Parigi Bercy, dove Feliciano Lopez la spunta al tie-break del set decisivo salvando due match-point. Si qualifica per le Next Generation ATP Finals di Milano come testa di serie nº 2 e supera il round-robin grazie alle vittorie su Andrey Rublev, Taylor Fritz e Liam Caruana. In semifinale ha la meglio su Jaume Munar e perde la finale contro Stefanos Tsitsipas in quattro set. Chiude l'annata con il nuovo miglior ranking al 31º posto della classifica mondiale, e la sua grande stagione viene premiata dai colleghi ATP che gli assegnano il premio per l'esordiente dell'anno.

2019: tre titoli ATP e top 20
All'esordio stagionale a Brisbane si ferma ai quarti di finale, dopo aver battuto Alexei Popyrin e Jordan Thompson viene eliminato da Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. A Sydney conquista il primo titolo ATP; raggiunge la finale senza perdere alcun set contro Dušan Lajović, Reilly Opelka, Jordan Thompson e in semifinale contro Gilles Simon. Alla sua terza finale ATP supera Andreas Seppi con il punteggio di 7-5, 7-6, diventando il più giovane vincitore del torneo dal 2001, quando a vincere fu Lleyton Hewitt. Al primo turno degli Australian Open supera Pedro Sousa e accede per la prima volta al terzo turno battendo in 5 set Henri Laaksonen. La serie di sette vittorie consecutive viene interrotta dal n° 2 del mondo Rafael Nadal, che gli concede soltanto 7 giochi.

Dopo la vittoria in Coppa Davis contro Mirza Bašić, torna in campo ad Acapulco e supera al primo turno Nicolás Jarry, al secondo turno approfitta del ritiro di Feliciano López e viene eliminato nei quarti di finale da Alexander Zverev. A Indian Wells viene eliminato al turno di esordio da Marcos Giron e non prende parte al torneo di Miami. Inizia la stagione su terra rossa con tre sconfitte al primo turno a Cascais, a Madrid e a Roma e si sblocca al Roland Garros, dove supera Bradley Klahn e viene sconfitto al secondo turno da Pablo Carreño Busta. Inizia la stagione sull'erba a 's-Hertogenbosch e dopo il successo su Andreas Seppi viene sconfitto nei quarti di finale da Jordan Thompson, mentre si spinge fino alla semifinale in doppio assieme a David Vega Hernandez. Eliminato al primo turno al Queen's, a Wimbledon supera Marco Cecchinato e perde al secondo turno in cinque set contro Steve Johnson.

Torna in campo sul cemento di Atlanta, e dopo un bye al primo turno supera Bradley Klahn, nei quarti approfitta del ritiro di Bernard Tomić e in semifinale ha la meglio su Reilly Opelka. Si aggiudica il titolo superando in finale Taylor Fritz con il punteggio di 6–3, 7–6. Al Citi Open non riesce a difendere la finale dell'anno prima, perdendo all'esordio contro Peter Gojowczyk; nel torneo di doppio arriva in semifinale con John Peers. Esce al primo turno anche al Masters canadese e al terzo turno a Cincinnati viene eliminato da Yoshihito Nishioka. Agli US Open raggiunge gli ottavi di finale per la prima volta in carriera, sconfigge tra gli altri il nº 7 del mondo Kei Nishikori, primo top 10 battuto in carriera, e viene eliminato da Grigor Dimitrov. Vince il terzo titolo della stagione a Zhuhai Championships, dove supera nei quarti il nº 14 ATP Borna Coric, in semifinale il nº 10 Roberto Bautista Agut e ha la meglio in finale su Adrian Mannarino col punteggio di 7-6, 6-4. Chiude la traferta asiatica con le sconfitte al primo turno a Tokyo e Shanghai.

Raggiunge la sua prima finale in un torneo ATP 500 a Basilea battendo nell'ordine Hugo Dellien, Taylor Fritz, Jan-Lennard Struff e Reilly Opelka, e viene sconfitto da Roger Federer che si impone con un doppio 6-2. Grazie a questi risultati, migliora il best ranking salendo alla 18ª posizione. Sconfigge Bautista Agut anche al Paris Masters e viene eliminato al terzo turno da Tsitsipas.
Raggiunge la finale alle Next Gen ATP Finals per il secondo anno consecutivo, dopo aver sconfitto Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Miomir Kecmanovic e Casper Ruud nel round robin e Frances Tiafoe in semifinale. All'ultimo atto viene sconfitto da Jannik Sinner con il punteggio di 2-4, 1-4, 2-4.

2020: quarti di finale agli US Open e primo titolo ATP in doppio
Inizia l'anno alla ATP Cup e vince i due singolari nel girone di qualificazione contro Denis Shapovalov e il nº 7 del mondo Alexander Zverev. Nei quarti viene sconfitto da Daniel Evans, ma conquista il punto decisivo in coppia con Nick Kyrgios in doppio salvando 4 match-point contro Jamie Murray / Joe Salisbury. Nella semifinale persa 3-0 contro la Spagna, viene sconfitto in rimonta da Rafael Nadal. Un problema addominale lo costringe a stare sei settimane lontano dalle competizioni e a rinunciare agli Australian Open, torna in campo ad Acapulco e viene sconfitto al primo turno da Miomir Kecmanovic.

Dopo il lungo stop dovuto alla pandemia, a Cincinnati perde al primo turno contro Jan-Lennard Struff, mentre in doppio vince a sorpresa il titolo in coppia con Pablo Carreño Busta, superando in finale Jamie Murray e Neal Skupski con il punteggio di 6-2, 7-5. Agli US Open raggiunge per la prima volta i quarti di finale in una prova del Grande Slam, supera nell'ordine Andrej Martin, Richard Gasquet, Karen Chačanov e Vasek Pospisil, prima di arrendersi al futuro vincitore Dominic Thiem. Sconfitto all'esordio agli Internazionali d'Italia e al Roland Garros, rispettivamente da Dominik Koepfer e Marco Cecchinato, con il secondo turno raggiunto in doppio nello Slam parigino porta il best ranking di specialità al 58º posto mondiale. Ad Anversa raggiunge la sua prima finale stagionale, superando Richard Gasquet, Feliciano López, Marcos Giron e Grigor Dimitrov; nell'ultimo atto viene sconfitto da Ugo Humbert con il punteggio di 6-1, 7-6. Raggiunge poi il terzo turno al Masters di Parigi Bercy superando Stefano Travaglia e Lorenzo Sonego, prima di essere sconfitto dal nº 5 del mondo Daniil Medvedev in tre set. Chiude l'anno a Sofia, dove al terzo turno viene sconfitto in rimonta da Jannik Sinner che vincerà il torneo.

2021: due titoli ATP e 15º nel ranking
La sua stagione parte ad Adalia e raggiunge la semifinale senza perdere set con i netti successi su Malek Jaziri, Adrian Andreev e Nikoloz Basilašvili. Al penultimo atto elimina David Goffin in tre set e conquista il titolo grazie al ritiro in finale di Aleksandr Bublik. Fa il suo esordio assoluto in ATP Cup e perde entrambi gli incontri disputati. Agli Australian Open non supera il terzo turno, sconfitto da Fabio Fognini. Torna a mattersi in evidenza sulla terra rossa in Europa raggiungendo il terzo turno a Barcellona e a Madrid, mentre esce al secondo turno al Roland Garros. Inizia la stagione sull'erba arrivando nei quarti a Stoccarda. Al Queen's supera nei quarti Marin Cilic e viene eliminato in semifinale da Matteo Berrettini, che vincerà il titolo; anche nel torneo di doppio raggiunge la semifinale in coppia con Cameron Norrie. Il 26 giugno conquista il torneo 250 di Eastbourne sconfiggendo in finale Lorenzo Sonego con il punteggio di 4-6, 6-4, 7-6, successo con cui porta il best ranking alla 15ª posizione mondiale. Al primo turno a Wimbledon cede in 4 set a Sebastian Korda.

Viene eliminato al primo turno anche in 5 dei successivi 6 tornei, tra i quali gli US Open, e l'unico successo di questo periodo è quello contro Filip Krajinovic a Cincinnati. Si sblocca a Indian Wells, dove accede al quarto turno sconfiggendo Cristian Garin e viene eliminato da Stefanos Tsitsipas. Vince invece un solo incontro negli ultimi tre tornei stagionali e scende al 34º posto in classifica. L'ultimo impegno del 2021 sono le fasi finali di Coppa Davis, perde sia in singolare contro Cilic che in doppio nella sfida con la Croazia e torna al successo superando al tie-break del set decisivo Marton Fucsovics.

2022: un titolo ATP e finale di Coppa davis
All'esordio stagionale consegue due significative vittorie in ATP Cup contro il nº 7 del mondo Matteo Berrettini e Ugo Humbert, viene sconfitto da Daniil Medvedev e passano il turno i russi. Raggiunge per la prima volta il quarto turno agli Australian Open e perde in tre set contro Jannik Sinner. Nei quarti di finale a Rotterdam subisce la settima sconfitta su altrettanti incontri disputati contro Tsitsipas. Al Masters di Indian Wells raggiunge il quarto turno e cede al tie-break del set decisivo contro Taylor Fritz, che vincerà il torneo, mentre al terzo turno di Miami viene di nuovo sconfitto da Tsitsipas. All'esordio stagionale sulla terra battuta esce al secondo turno a Monte Carlo; al successivo ATP 500 di Barcellona supera nei quarti il nº 10 del mondo Cameron Norrie e viene sconfitto in rimonta in semifinale dal futuro vincitore del torneo Carlos Alcaraz. Dopo il secondo turno a Madrid e il terzo a Roma, raggiunge la semifinale anche a Lione e viene sconfitto in due set da Alex Molčan. Al Roland Garros viene sconfitto al primo turno da Hugo Gaston al tie-break del quinto set.

Eliminato all'esordio sull'erba di 's-Hertogenbosch, al primo turno del Queen's ha la meglio sul nº 18 ATP Reilly Opelka e viene eliminato al secondo da Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. Disputa la sua terza semifinale stagionale a Eastbourne e perde di nuovo al terzo set contro Taylor Fritz. Arriva per la prima volta al quarto turno a Wimbledon, e viene sconfitto dopo oltre 4 ore e mezzo di gioco al tie-break del quinto set da Cristian Garin, sprecando un vantaggio di 2 set a 0 e due match-ball nell'ultimo parziale. Si riscatta ad Atlanta conquistando il suo sesto titolo ATP in singolare, dopo le vittorie in rimonta contro Adrian Mannarino e Ilya Ivashka, supera in finale Jenson Brooksby con un doppio 6-3. Esce al primo turno a Washington in singolare, mentre in doppio si spinge fino alla semifinale con Frances Tiafoe. Al terzo turno del Masters canadese viene eliminato da Nick Kyrgios dopo i successi su Shapovalov e Grigor Dimitrov, mentre perde al secondo turno a Cincinnati. Si prende la rivincita su Garin al secondo turno degli US Open ed esce di scena subito dopo per mano di Pablo Carreño Busta.

Vince entrambi gli incontri disputati nella fase a gironi delle finali di Coppa Davis e l'Australia passa nei quarti di finale. Fa parte della squadra del resto del mondo di Laver Cup che per la prima volta si aggiudica il torneo, nel quale vince contro Andy Murray e perde l'incontro di doppio. A ottobre perde la semifinale a Stoccolma da Holger Rune. Al secondo turno del Paris Masters sconfigge il nº 3 del mondo Daniil Medvedev ed esce al turno successivo per mano di Frances Tiafoe. A fine anno trascina l'Australia in finale di Coppa Davis vincendo il suo singolare nei quarti con Botic van de Zandschulp e in semifinale con Marin Cilic. Perde contro Félix Auger-Aliassime l'incontro decisivo della finale, che sancisce il trionfo del Canada.

2023, primo titolo ATP 500
Apre la stagione con la sconfitta in United Cup contro Cameron Norrie ed è ininfluente il successo contro il nº 2 del mondo Nadal dopo che la Gran Bretagna si era già assicurata il passaggio del turno. Agli Australian Open viene di nuovo eliminato al quarto turno, nel quale Djokovic gli concede solo 5 giochi. A Rotterdam viene eliminato nei quarti da Grigor Dimitrov dopo che al primo turno aveva sconfitto il nº 5 del mondo Andrey Rublev, ed esce nei quarti anche a Marsiglia. In marzo vince il suo primo torneo di categoria ATP 500 ad Acapulco, in semifinale ha la meglio sul nº 10 del mondo Holger Rune e in finale supera Tommy Paul con il punteggio di 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, risultato con cui rientra dopo 6 mesi nella top 20.

Statistiche

Singolare

Vittorie (7)

Finali perse (4)

Doppio

Vittorie (1)

Next Generation ATP Finals

Finali perse (2)

Tornei minori

Singolare

Vittorie (2)

Finali perse (5)

Doppio

Vittorie (2)

Finali perse (1)

Risultati in progressione

Statistiche aggiornate all'8 agosto 2022

Doppio

Vittorie contro giocatori Top 10

Note

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


1)	What is the above-ground carbon balance of the land surface?
2)	What role will the land surface play in mitigating atmospheric CO2 in the coming decades?
3)	How does ecosystem structure affect habitat quality and biodiversity?
Answering these questions is critical for understanding the future path of global climate change and the Earth's biodiversity.
•	Quantify the sequestration potential of forests through time under changing land use and climate.
GEDI strongly supports the Science Focus Areas articulated in the Science Plan for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, particularly for Carbon Cycle and Ecosystems. GEDI science goals respond directly to Decadal Survey observational priorities, which emphasize the need for lidar vertical structure measurements to address key challenges in carbon cycling and biodiversity. GEDI's structure measurements also substantially enhance existing and planned NASA missions. GEDI's high biomass observations may be combined with the NASA-ISRO low biomass measurements and ICESat-2's boreal observations to produce global maps of biomass and provide important constraints and validation for regional scale estimates from OCO-2. GEDI further complements existing and planned pol-InSAR missions, such as DLR's TanDEM-X, JAXA's ALOS-2 and ESA's BIOMASS through its contribution of precisely geolocated canopy profile measurements for fusion with radar observations. Lastly, GEDI revolutionizes the previous forty years of the NASA land remote sensing archive by providing the missing vertical structure information, greatly extending land cover observations from NASA's Landsat and MODIS programs.
In each year of operations, GEDI will fire 16 billion laser pulses at the Earth's surface between ± 51.6 º latitude (the inclination of the ISS orbit) and provide multiple passes through each 500 m cell on the surface. Approximately 50% of those footprints will return sufficient energy to provide high-fidelity return signal waveforms with a high SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio), while the remaining 50% will be degraded by or lost to cloud cover.
All of the required technologies are mature and flight-ready. The laser transmitters were developed in-house at NASA Goddard and have been tested to the equivalent of 6 years of operational lifetime without any damage and only minimal power degradation. GEDI will be mounted on the JEM-EF on ISS and will utilize an active pointing control system to systematically layout its ground tracks to achieve high-resolution coverage of the surface. GPS, star trackers, and an inertial measurement unit will provide precise position and pointing knowledge to achieve precise geolocation of each and every laser footprint on the surface.
• August 31, 2018: GEDI is currently undergoing final environmental tests in anticipation of its planned launch on the SpaceX CRS-16 flight 2018. GEDI successfully completed acoustic, vibration and electromagnetic interference testing over the last several weeks. The instrument is now in the Space Environment Simulator (SES) chamber at NASA/GSFC to test the instrument's behavior in space-like temperature and pressure conditions. GEDI is scheduled to begin this last round of testing on 4 September 2018, followed by instrument turnover to SpaceX on 24 October 2018.
- GEDI's mission provides scientists detailed information about forest structure: How tall the forest is, how dense its branches are, and the vertical and horizontal distribution of its foliage. All of this yields crucial insights into Earth's global carbon cycle by fostering a better understanding of how forests store carbon and what happens to that carbon when they are cut down or disturbed. Forests support numerous plant and animal species, and understanding their structure can help biologists better understand Earth's forest habitats and biodiversity.
- This level of detail is what sets GEDI apart and gives it the power to see the details of Earth's forests, the team explained.
- "The instrument team at Goddard did an amazing job delivering this incredibly capable science instrument. GEDI brings together several challenging and state-of-the-art technologies to enable this very difficult measurement that's needed to achieve our science goals," said Bryan Blair, GEDI's deputy principal investigator and instrument scientist.
- GEDI commissioning is led by GEDI mission engineers and scientists at the NASA Goddard SPOCC (Science and Planetary Operations Control Center). Mission execution is led by the GEDI MOC (Mission Operations Center), and science calibration and validation activities occur at the GEDI SOC (Science Operations Center), both of which are housed within the SPOCC.
- To date, GEDI achievements on the road to commissioning include: all GEDI subsystems are powered up, other than the Pointing Control Mechanism (which begins testing soon); all 8 laser beams are returning waveforms; laser pulses are consistent with pre-launch performance, and noise performance is good with all channels; laser boresight alignment for all three lasers are good and well within field of view.
The scientific goal of the GEDI lidar instrument is to characterize the effects of changing climate and land use on ecosystem structure and dynamics to enable radically improved quantification and understanding of the Earth's carbon cycle and biodiversity. Focused on tropical and temperate forests from its vantage point on the ISS (International Space Station), GEDI uses lidar to provide the first global, high-resolution observations of forest vertical structure. GEDI addresses three, core science questions: (Q1) What is the above-ground carbon balance of the land surface? (Q2) What role will the land surface play in mitigating atmospheric carbon dioxide in the coming decades? (Q3) How does ecosystem structure affect habitat quality and biodiversity? Answering these questions is critical for understanding the future path of global climate change and the Earth's biodiversity.
The GEDI laser overview and interface summary can be seen in Figure 11. The GEDI laser is primarily responsible for providing 10 mJ Q-switched laser pulses at 1064 nm. The oscillator-only laser consists of the optical bench and pump module, discussed later, and is kept in a pressurized laser enclosure. Inside the enclosure will be the high voltage Q-switch electronics, a start pulse optical pick-off, pressure and temperature sensors, and internal harnessing. Electrically, the laser interfaces with the LEU (Laser Electronics Unit), which provides the Q-switch voltage and trigger along with laser diode drive current, and receives the temperature and pressure level telemetry. A liquid-based chiller plate and TEC (Thermal Electric Cooler) will hold the diodes at 35ºC, and mounted to the housing exterior. Optically, there is a monolithic mini-beam expander to provide the output divergence needed for the mission. Finally, the 3 titanium flexures mount to the GEDI optical bench. The JEM module and GEDI instrument can be seen in Figure 12.
Table 1 summarizes the driving requirements for the GEDI laser design. The GEDI project has been very careful to flow down requirements to the laser team that maximizes science with achievable hardware goals from an engineering perspective. These requirements along with a list of driving test parameters will be trended through the build of the ETU (Engineering Test Unit) and flight units.
Using a GRM (Graded Reflectivity Mirror) as the output coupler, TEM00 pulse energies are readily obtainable from a >10 mJ oscillator-only design and are suddenly highly scalable because a relatively large intracavity low-fluence beam is created as the system's beam quality foundation. The final optical design makes use of a 40 cm cavity length. It employs a positive (concave) radius of curvature (ROC), 99.9% HR mirror along with the negative (convex) 237 cm ROC GRM using an effective average reflectivity and peak reflectivity of approximately 32% and 65%, respectively. To produce a gain-switched laser pulse of 1064 nm, an active Q-switch is employed, comprised of an electro-optic (EO) pockel's cell, and a pair of passive polarizing optics; a quarter wave plate and TFP (Thin Film Polarizer). As part of the GEDI program, all delivered optics that have coatings will have witness samples go through LIDT (Laser Induced Damaged Testing). Using the LIDT values along with models and verified experimental results over the past decade allow the laser team to know what energy level is safe for the laser to run at for a specific configuration. The optical layout is seen in Figure 14.
HOMER's gain module, or laser head, employs 7 stacks of 4-bar 809 nm LDAs which pump a 22-bounce zigzag slab of 1.1% doped Nd:YAG. These highly astigmatic beams from these 28 bars are concentrated with the use of a long, planoconvex cylindrical lens made of undoped:YAG. This produces a highly concentrated gain region of similar dimension across the Nd:YAG's cross section, normal to the cavity optic axis, from which its stored energy is efficiently extracted by the resonant cavity mode. In fact because the system is so efficient the diode pump is significantly derated giving the laser system plenty of margin to recover from any unexpected laser loss. The diodes being employed can run at least as high as 100 A and 200 µs. Comparatively, when the laser is configured to run with an output energy of 10 mJ the diodes are pumped at 50 A and as little as 40 µs. When assembling the diode pump module, the distance between the pump lens to the diode faces is closely monitored, as placing them in regions where small absorption peaks along the pump surface has been proven to produce and trigger optical damage from microlensing effects (Figure 15).
The GEDI laser mechanical design allows for subcomponent modularity and is divided into 3 major sections: the enclosure, the pump module, and the optical bench. All three sections are primarily made of aluminum with the exceptions of some of the optical mounts and the titanium flexures interfacing with the instrument optical bench. Each are have design requirements principally driven by maintaining GEDI bore sight over the environmental conditions through the life time of the mission. Finite element modeling has been performed on the entire design and was found to meet all the bore sight jitter and alignment requirements. Further the laser enclosure is required to keep the laser pressurized at least 1 atm over the life time of the mission. An identically made enclosure will be made to qualify the pressure seal design. The mechanical design requirements will be confirmed with the ETU during environmental qualification testing as well.
This modular hardware design, levied by the laser team, allows for frequent optical inspections throughout the assembly and alignment process. Any issues that may occur over the laser builds can be quickly resolved with minimum invasive techniques, and without the need for cavity realignment. Furthermore, the optical bench, shown in Figure 14, can be removed from the pump module, Figure 15, fully aligned and operated without the enclosure if necessary. Therefore, both can be manufactured, tested, and characterized independently and in parallel. This nonlinear manufacture capability helps to reduce schedule and cost. The full aluminum assembly, sans the Titanium optical mounts, will be a little more than 9 kg in mass, shown in Figure 5.
The GEDI laser design requires active conductive cooling in order to maintain the desired Nd:YAG absorption pump wavelength from the LDAs (Laser Diode Arrays). Additionally, stable operating temperature must be maintained in order to guarantee the required turn-on time while in orbit. The JEM-provided liquid cooling loop requires additional active control since the fluid's temperature arriving at each laser experiences a 6ºC temperature swing, depending on the other heat loads in its path. Therefore, a pair of TECs (ThermoElectric Coolers) will reside between the laser base and the JEM liquid thermal plate. This will keep the pedestal and LDAs within the 350 (±2)ºC when the laser if off or in standby mode. Otherwise, the optical bench and enclosure are designed such that internal thermal stresses will not affect laser performance. The laser system will be tested over a full survival range of 50ºC to -10ºC during thermal vacuum testing.
Each GEDI laser fires at 242 Hz and produces 11-16 ns Q-switched pulses at 10-17 mJ, with a TEM00 beam quality at 1064 nm. This mission needs a reliable laser that will last a minimum of 3.2 billion shots (33% duty cycle on average per orbit) over the lifetime of the mission. We recently published a complete lifetime dataset where we ran our HOMER-2 laser for over 15 x 109 shots. This was the equivalent of 2 years of continuous operation with a measured decay rate of only ~ 0.1 mJ/Billion. Therefore, this laser design provides plenty of life-time margin for the GEDI mission.
This life test demonstrated the advantages of an oscillator-only design, with a specific set of requirements, over an equivalent MOPA system when producing TEM00 laser pulses under 20 mJ. Even with the extensive development history, qualification, and data sets of the HOMER laser design, the GEDI mission laser performance requirements required that design be modified slightly from the HOMER-2 TRL6 system. These modifications have since been implemented in the HOMER-1 engineering unit which readily achieved 3.2 billion shots (the mission requirement) at the necessary energy output levels in a recent long term run. Pre-, and post-run inspections show damage-free operation at these parameters, further demonstrating the validity of the HOMER oscillator concept. Any remaining laser performance requirements were tested on the GEDI laser breadboard system. It is to be noted that as part of this testing, known damage triggers for the laser system, including longitudinal model beating and small scale self focusing, are monitored continuously through out the testing process. Finally, the highest risk optics, determined from laser induced damage testing and high precision mathematical models, (the GRM and laser slab), are inspected for optical damage after each major experiment or any step change in operation. A summary of the laser performance can be seen in Figure 17.
The laser team has been tasked with delivering an ETU (Engineering Test Unit) laser, three flight units, and a flight spare. The GEDI ETU laser hardware has been fabricated and has started assembly. The ETU and flight lasers will go through the same assembly and test processes with the general exception that "lessons learned" during the ETU build will be carefully documented, evaluated and implemented on the flight builds. Both ETU and flight units will use custom designed electrical and optical GSE (Ground Support Equipment). The electrical GSE will have the role of simulating the LEU along with taking all of the required data needed to record laser performance. The comprehensive performance test will be run in this configuration before and after each phase of environmental testing. The optical GSE seen in Figure 7.
The GEDI Laser units will run vibration testing as spelled out in the GEDI Structural/Mechanical Loads Document. The lasers will be tested unpowered in the X, Y and, Z axis. The laser will be performance tested in between vibration runs primarily looking for any change in laser beam quality and any movement on the alignment bore sight.
The ETU and Delivered flight units will carry out TVAC (Thermal Vacuum ) tests as spelled out in the GEDI Thermal Interface Control Document. At this time each flight laser will go through 8 survival cycles. Survival temperatures range from 50 to -10 ºC. During each cycle the laser will pause at the operating temperature ranges to check powered on laser performance. The TVAC test will also serve as another confirmation of the pressurized cavity design.
Once the environmental testing is completed the ETU will start life testing well before the delivery of the flight units. During the testing monitoring laser requirements will be monitored continuously and it will engineering unit interface testing with other hardware such as the BDU (Beam Dithering Unit). The flight units will be delivered straight for integration with the GEDI instrument and then will support instrument level performance and environmental as required.
In summary, the GEDI Instrument installed on the ISS JEM platform will produce a valuable 3D, multi-seasonal, global biomass data set. The GEDI mission is employing a robust HOMER class laser, which has been thoroughly tested over several different models, and meeting key performance parameters. The GEDI laser has large overhead in LDA derating, well known and measureable damage triggers, and quantified margins in thermal and optical space. Sound and proven development processes, qualification plans, and infrastructure hardware is in place or under assembly at this time as the project readies for the completion of the ETU unit, and prepares for the arrival of flight hardware soon after. Finally, based on HOMER's extensive data set, and the GEDI laser's solid foundation and relative performance adjustments, the riskspace for each laser is approximately equal, and thus the project expects a similar life time capability should the GEDI mission be extended.
GEDI will address its mission science questions by making lidar waveform (i.e., vertical profile) observations between 51.6° N and S latitudes. Each GEDI laser shot will result in a waveform that contains information about the vegetation canopy and the topography underneath. Scientists will use this information to quantify canopy vertical structure, canopy height, and ground elevation (Table 2).
The GEDI instrument includes three identical laser transmitters. One will be used at full power, while the output from the other two will be split into two beams each, creating a total of five beams. Each of the beams will be optically dithered across-track to create a total of ten ground tracks, with between-track spacing of ~600 m, and a total across-track width of 5.4 km. The average along-track distance between the footprints will be 60 m). The across-track dithering is fully programmable on orbit so that any pattern of along-track contiguous footprint patterns are possible. By the time the beam reaches the surface it has an approximate diameter (footprint) of 22 m —as illustrated below.
Note: Dithering of the beam creates two parallel ground tracks for each beam instead of one, which increases across-track coverage.
Legend to Table 2: * Several Level-4 "demonstration" products are planned to be produced later in the mission; they will have various gridded sizes that will be specified at a later date.
GEDI data enable important opportunities for vegetation studies other than biomass estimation, by producing example products for specified regions globally.


text:
One dead in shooting in South Louisville
One person died Saturday in a shooting in South Louisville, near Churchill Downs and University of Louisville campus
One dead in shooting in South Louisville One person died Saturday in a shooting in South Louisville, near Churchill Downs and University of Louisville campus Check out this story on courier-journal.com: https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/crime/2018/08/25/fatal-shooting-m-street-near-university-louisville/1097958002/
Kate Talerico, Louisville Courier Journal Published 1:26 p.m. ET Aug. 25, 2018 | Updated 10:21 a.m. ET Aug. 27, 2018
Fourth division LMPD officers respond to a fatal shooting in the 400 block of M St. on August 25, 2018.(Photo: Kate Talerico)
One person died Saturday in a shooting in South Louisville, near the University of Louisville campus and Churchill Downs.
A MetroSafe dispatcher said it happened at 12:42 p.m. in the 400 block of M Street.
Alicia Smiley, a spokesperson for the Louisville Metro Police Department, said the victim has not been identified.
There are no suspects at this time, Smiley said. The Homicide Unit is investigating.
Judy Peck, who lives a few houses down from the shooting, said she heard about four to five gunshots go off rapidly.
"Didn't sound like guns that we usually hear around here," she said. "Around this neighborhood we hear gunshots in the back alley almost every night."
Read or Share this story: https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/crime/2018/08/25/fatal-shooting-m-street-near-university-louisville/1097958002/
6 months after Savannah Spurlock disappeared, her body is found. What to know
Father of Nick Sandmann still wants 'doxing bill'
Louisville could fine panhandlers, others on main roads under proposal
KSP: Body found in Garrard County confirmed as Savannah Spurlock
McGrath's stumbles ignite call for Democratic primary challengers
How Kentucky's nearly $200M budget surplus will be used

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


As a Pitt alumnus I am all too familiar with the menial perseverations of a frustrated fanbase. In a typical year, Pitt fans look at their .500 record and begin chatter about bringing back the old script Pitt logo.
Well last year they got their wish - the script Pitt logo is back for all sports and just look at the results.
Because of the new/old logo Pitt beat their arch rival, beat the eventual national champion (Youtube link) and still couldn't fill Heinz Field.
All of that is to say I think most uniform news is meaningless. This year, Army will add one meaningful addition to their helmets. ESPN looked at all the notable uniform changes this year, Army will have a decal in memory of Brandon Jackson placed on their helmets. It looks good, and apparently it may stick around for a while. Clearly, #28 is loved and missed by many - if you are interested in wearing some #28 apparel there are some classy designs that you can personalize here.
Looking ahead to another great season, 2017 looks like it could be a special year.
Bleacher Report projects the 2017 top rushing offenses. They chalk Army up for #1. Not everyone will agree with that, but not everyone likes Army or follows their year to year roster strength.
Army opens up on Friday Sept. 1, hosting the Fordham Rams in a rare Michie Stadium night game.
Army felt the wrath of Fordham two years ago, getting the ram's horns in their 2015 night game at Michie. The recent series has been tight: a 2-1 edge for Army since 2011, the teams have split the last two games.
A quick glance at the Fordham roster shows that Fordham returns perennial All America running back Chase Edmonds (250 all-purpose yards in the 2015 game) as well as QB Kevin Anderson (330 all-purpose yards in the last meeting). Anderson won the 2015 duel - luckily our QB comes back too, Bradshaw had 250 all purpose yards in that 2015 loss.
It's been a good 8 years since Fordham recommitted to their football program and just look at the good they have done. They have participated in the last three FCS playoffs going 2-3 in those games.
Fordham has done a lot in the last 8 years to re-emphasize football - a look at recent results shows how that re-emphasis has paid off for them.
Since going 1-10 in 2011 Fordham has simply gone 58-18 with three FCS playoff appearances.
Fordham is ranked FCS # 22 in the STATS FCS top 25.
Lenoir Rhyne has a collection of yearbooks available, the Lenoir Rhyne Hacawa. It's another good one, this one brings to light the works of the Lenoir Rhyne Bears football team. The Bears have experienced a recent resurgence beginning under head coach Mike Houston and continuing with Former Army coach Ian Shields. After coaching for Army, Lenoir Rhyne was the first stop for former Army offensive coordinator Ian Shields. Previous West Point coaches Rich Ellerson and Tom Simi as well as former QB Trent Steelman are now all members of Coach Shields' staff at Jacksonville University.
Lenoir Rhyne's golden era was the stretch of time during the entirety of the 1950's and the early years of the 1960's. Former Lenoir Rhyne Bears head coach Clarence Stasavich directed the team to three early minor postseason bowl appearances in 1951 (Pythian Bowl), 1952 (Cigar Bowl) and 1955 (Palmetto Shrine Bowl) as well as back to back NAIA championship game appearances in 1959 and 1960, with another championship game appearance in 1962. Coach Stasavich's early success using the single wing formation dedicated him to the concept and his teams operated mainly out of that formation in a time when most of football had moved on to T formation backfields (and beyond).
The yearbooks are great reminders of Bears history with photos and game notes available for many of their best seasons. Photographs, by nature don't age particularly well, but the spirit and lore of these past Lenoir Rhyne football seasons do, and it makes for a classic yearbook addition.
This collection comes from what is a nice aggregation of small college yearbooks. We've seen school-led yearbook digitization projects and, this one, Digital NC is another state-led digitization project. I'm particularly excited about this one because it gives me some very nice content for my yearbook posts and include some relevant football schools, so we have a bunch more yearbooks to look forward to.
The next cycle of Army/Navy games (what a relief to never have to call it Navy/Army again) was announced today in Pennsylvania. No surprise, Philadelphia will host four of the five games from 2018-2022.
This year's game will be Saturday, Dec. 9 at Lincoln Financial Field at 3 p.m. After that, Philly will host the match up in 2018, '19, '20 and '22.
The 2021 Army/Navy game will be played at Met Life Stadium in New Jersey.
The 2021 game in East Rutherford will mark the fifth time Army and Navy have played at that location, and it will be the first time at MetLife.
The 2022 game will mark the 91st time Army/Navy has been hosted by Philly.
I'm glad to be back, thanks for dropping by, and I hope you'll stop by frequently regarding another thrilling season of Army football.
UPDATE: Saturday Blitz has an Army football preview for you to check out. They miss on some of the roster moves, but they have a pretty favorable outlook on the year. Go on over for one more preview.
Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician offers up a power ranking of New York state college football.
Call me crazy, but I'd like to think Army would thump Cuse. It's a new year, but last year Syracuse gave up a full 100 yards per game more then they gained, and that's an environment that Army can flourish in. I'll put the NYC masthead up until the season starts just because I think West Point brings New York's best brand of football.
Athlon's preview lists Army at FBS #80.
College football news has an Army 2017 preview out.
Forgotten 5 has been around for about a year now and it's a good looking website largely focused on the have-nots of college football. Their Army season preview is a couple days old now, as is the link to Forgotten 5 on my sidebar.
SB Nation has Army's preview up, They see the Cadets going 6-6, somehow rounded down to 5.2-7.8.
Danno's Lair has a preview up. Old boy put a lot of effort into the preview, so if you haven't seen this site, make sure to go over and check this one out.
A triple-option attack that ranked second in the nation in rushing last season (339.5 ypg) returns its top five ball carriers. The group is led by junior fullback Andy Davidson, who made the move from linebacker following his freshman season and ran for 961 yards and 12 touchdowns. Another junior fullback, Darnell Woolfolk, capped a 600-yard season with a career-high 119 in the bowl victory over North Texas. Sophomore Malik McGue, a jack of all trades last season who even served as the No. 3 quarterback, impressed at slot back during the spring.
College sports madness lists Army at #76.
It was the surprising play of the defense that took Army to the next level. They ranked fourth in the country allowing a mere 291.5 yards per game. It helps when the offense can run out the clock, but the defense was very good too. The depth of the front three is strong and that is very important for a line that is undersized. There are significant losses at linebacker with Jeremy Timpf and Andrew King moving on, but Kenneth Brinson and Alex Aukerman, who tallied 59 tackles and 7.5 sacks last season, are a solid duo to build around.
Hero Sports has Army in at #72.
Yesterday's Army preview by Get More Sports is the most recent preview. They missed the recent blurb that QB Chris Carter will miss the season, pretty big loss considering how McGue is taking slot reps now and in light of how Coach Monken has shared reps through with the top two QBs.
I couldn't be more pumped to see how this season plays out.


Shravan opposes Bala and Kiran's marriage. He gets into an argument with Bala. Shravan decides to leave the house. Bala and Kiran try to stop him. Kiran doesn't want Bala's house to break. She tells Shravan that she wanted to become part of their family, she never wished to come between their family. She tells Bala that she will not marry him against Shravan's wish. She asks Shravan to stay back.
Shravan doesn't agree and creates big scene. Everyone tries to stop him. Simmi asks everyone to let Shravan leave and not get scared by his threatening. She asks Shravan to understand what Bala does for him, what parent means, friends will not support them. She asks Shravan to take help from friends if he can. Shravan fails to get help. He gets angry and goes back home. Simmi asks Bala and Kiran to give some time to Shravan. Simmi solves Bala's problem. She shares old things with Parmeet. She know living alone is tough and understands Bala needs Kiran in his life. Parmeet too offers help to Simmi. They decide to convince Shravan for accepting Kiran as his mum.
Riya hides Nikhil's matter from Pooja. Raman scolds Ruhi and Pihu for lying to them and meeting Nikhil. Ruhi accepts everything. She tells the entire truth. Raman asks them not to meet Nikhil again. Ruhi gets upset with Raman and Ishita don't trust her. Ishita asks Ruhi to be true to them and not hide anything. Ruhi tells Ishita that its getting tough for her to forget Nikhil. Raman offers a big price to Nikhil to make him leave from Ruhi's life. Nikhil accepts Raman's offer.


Manage benefits, access self-service tools, view reports and more.
Medicare Advantage plans consist of Medicare Part A (hospital insurance), Medicare Part B (medical insurance) and are administered by a private insurer, such as Aetna. Medicare Advantage with Prescription Drug plans further integrate coverage by adding Medicare Part D, so hospital, physician and drug coverage are all covered under one plan.
There's more than one way to offer a group Medicare Advantage plan. You can choose to offer your retiree benefits through an exchange solution with multiple plan options or through a single, defined contribution plan on a fully-insured basis.
1 Avalere Health, "Medicare Advantage Achieves Cost-Effective Care and Better Outcomes for Beneficiaries with Chronic Conditions Relative to Fee-for-Service Medicare." July 2018.
2 Pipes, S. "Medicare Advantage's Popularity Shows Americans Won't Like Single-Payer." October 2018.
This material is for information only. Health information programs provide general health information and are not a substitute for diagnosis or treatment by a physician or other health care professional. Information is believed to be accurate as of the production date; however, it is subject to change.


For 2018, we have rolled out a new feature for our website: recording of qualification scores!
Most of our event participants strive to "shoot a score" on the qualifying tests run at our events. Henceforth, we will be recording all qualification scores on the website; they will be accessible to you as a record of your achievements at Revere's Riders events.
Note that we can record multiple scores for each qualification test (i.e., if you have shot a For those that have shot a score at past Revere's Riders events and still have their target, simply scan or photograph the target (make sure you include your score as well as the date and location of the event) and email it to gro.s1555792790redir1555792790serev1555792790er@re1555792790tsamb1555792790ew1555792790 to have your score recorded.
At the moment, this is only a handy summarization of your achievements on the qualification tests at Revere's Riders events. In the future, we may extend special offers and discounts to those having achieved a particular score.


text:
North Korea's Sorry Politics
September 8, 2015 John Feffer
by John Feffer
In the famous tearjerker Love Story, a young woman dying of cancer tells her boyfriend that "love means never having to say you're sorry." North Korea has generally adopted the same attitude toward South Korea, with a small twist: juche means never having to say you're sorry.
Indeed, Pyongyang has never been very good about apologizing for its conduct. Recently, it expressed "regret" over a landmine explosion that injured two South Korean soldiers. In exchange for that expression of regret, South Korea agreed to stop blasting K-Pop and news bulletins across the DMZ, an audio barrage it had restarted after 11 years of silence.
But North Korea has been careful to point out that "regret" is not "sorry." In other words, North Korea regrets that the incident took place but refuses to take responsibility for it or apologize.
It's not that Pyongyang never apologizes. In 2002, Kim Jong Il officially acknowledged and apologized for the abduction of Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s. "The special forces were carried away by a reckless quest for glory," Kim said at the time. "It was regretful and I want to frankly apologize. I have taken steps to ensure that it will never happen again."
But instead of heralding a new era in Japan-North Korean relations, the official revelation merely deepened Japan's distrust of its neighbor.
North Korea's ambassador to Bangladesh apologized to the country when one of his colleagues was caught last spring trying to smuggle gold out of the country. Last year, the North Korean government apologized to its own people after a building collapse in Pyongyang claimed the lives of hundreds of residents.
North Korea has even apologized, more or less, to the United States. Kim Il Sung offered his regrets after the infamous ax incident, when North Korean soldiers stopped a patrol of U.S. and Korean army personnel cutting off tree branches in the DMZ, seized their axes, and killed two U.S. officers.
North Korea has also been apologetic to the South. It took four years, but North Korea eventually apologized in 1972 for the assassination unit that tried and failed to breach South Korea's Blue House in 1968. It expressed "deep regret" after a 1996 submarine incursion in the South resulted in a gun battle that left 24 North Korean infiltrators dead. It offered its regrets over an escalating dispute in summer 1999 over crab-fishing grounds in the West Sea, a naval clash in the same region in 2002, and the shooting of a South Korean tourist at the Kumgang Mountain resort in 2008.
But there are many incidents that South Korea still awaits some official acknowledgment and apology from the North, including the sinking of the Cheonan, which Pyongyang continues to insist that it had nothing to do with.
In general, the North Korean government doesn't want to appear to be kowtowing to the South. It's hard to define juche beyond its general sense of self-reliance. But it's easy to define its opposite, sadaejuui, which translates to flunkeyism. South Korea's "flunky" relationship with the United States is precisely the kind of dependency that North Korea wants to avoid developing with any country (and that complicates its current relationship with China). Apologies are what flunkeys do, so Pyongyang generally avoids them.
North Korea's leadership also feels a pressing need to demonstrate that it is not weak. World leaders pay tribute to the Kim family, other countries apologize to them, and not the other way around.
It's always possible that Seoul will manage to wring more apologies or "deep regrets" from Pyongyang in the future. But it just doesn't make sense for the South Korean government to build a policy around such an expectation. It's not as if expressions of regret prevent a country from engaging in such behavior again, as North Korea has demonstrated on numerous occasions.
Ultimately, North-South relations will only improve through very concrete exchanges of actions, not exchanges of words. It's telling that even as tensions rose between North and South over the latest DMZ incidents, the two countries continued to engage in very practical exchanges. North Korea declared a state of semi-war, but North Korean workers and South Korean managers continued to manufacture various goods in the Kaesong Industrial Complex just north of the DMZ. Historians continued their investigation of the Manwoldae site of a Koryo Dynasty palace, and South Korean players participated in an international youth soccer competition in Pyongyang.
Despite their reputation in the West, North Koreans are quite pragmatic. They are often more interested than even the most committed capitalists in the bottom line. They want to see results, not rhetoric. Certainly Pyongyang produces its fair share of propaganda. And negotiators from the North have to operate within certain ideological constraints. But when it comes to concrete matters, North Koreans usually adopt a very business-like approach.
That's why it's important for North and South to follow up on the specific items outlined in the recent agreement, particularly the talks on divided families (the two countries just negotiated a new set of reunions) and the pledge to pursue more inter-Korean exchanges.
I can understand the importance of apologies. Victims want some acknowledgment of their suffering. Governments want to be able to demonstrate that they are advocating effectively on behalf of their citizenry. But insisting on apologies from North Korea is like trying to import high-grade sushi from a landlocked country. You're knocking on the wrong door. North Korea just doesn't do apologies very well.
So, let's just take their "regrets" and move on to the business of inter-Korean cooperation. Maybe when there's a little more love between North and South, there won't be as much of a need for apologies.
This article originally appeared in Hankyoreh. Photo courtesy of yeowatzup via Flickr.
North Korea apologies, divided families, flunkeyism, John Feffer, juche, Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, North Korea, reunification, south korea
John Feffer
John Feffer is the director of Foreign Policy In Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies. He is also the author, most recently, of Aftershock: A Journey into Eastern Europe's Broken Dreams (Zed Books). He is also the author of the dystopian Splinterlands trilogy (Dispatch Books). He is a former Open Society fellow, PanTech fellow, and Scoville fellow, and his articles have appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Review of Books, Salon, and many other publications.
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Details: Zip out front, two back doors with ventilation net, light panels in roof, Advanced Air System, two height options, Attached floor, inner tent in beathable material with ventilation net, sewn in Luxor White curtains, attachment for LED strips, well-known Isabella materials, reflective guy straps, pockets for guy straps, attachable flooring in connector section, fitted with 2 beading diameter options, double air pump.
Optional extras: Ventura Air Simplex Sun canopy, beading connector for freestander option, roof poles.
With a light and spacious feel to it Ventura Air Simplex is a great travel porch for outdoor camping adventures. The height options makes the Ventura Air Simplex model fit for almost any outdoor adventure.
The light panels in the roof, inner tent and front sun canopy option are just some of the great features that make Ventura Air Simplex unique. Ventura Air Simplex has everything you need for a great outdoor holiday. Attached floor, sewn in curtains and easy set up makes you ready for vacationing almost instantly. You get the perfect little base when travelling with the Ventura Air Simplex model.
Simplex Low: For vehicles of heights between 180 and 220 cm.
With Freestander Kit – Multi-fit, adding a new awning or accessories onto your caravan is easy – even if you have an older awning rail.


Walk the path to the Fort called " il Fortino degli Amici". An expert guide will tell you historical facts about the Great World War happened around you. To make it even of an experience, dinner will be served as "the soldier's Tranch Food" in the Fort! A unique experience, in close contact with history, nature, and traditions of the place.
You will be welcomed by your historical guide specialized in the Great World War. Once on the naturalistic path, you will discover the particularities of the surrounding territory, once a place of clashes and refuge for the soldiers.
After about 20 minutes of walk, you will see the fort (dating back to the First World War), once used to protect and monitor the surrounding area. The war structure is called "Fortino Degli Amici" and it is an Austro-Hungarian bunker then adapted from the Royal Italian Army in the Second World War.
Here you will spend some time with stories and facts about this place at the time of war while a dinner that recreates the soldier's tranch food will be served. The meal includes an appetizer with black bread and speck, goulash with potatoes or potato soup, a drink and dessert (typical dishes of the Austro-Hungarian army).


Numerous creams can lead to acne and clogged pores. It is possible to irritate sensitive skin.
Shaving will cause razor burn and redness towards the surface of the epidermis. When you have finished shaving, put some lotion on the epidermis. This will help to soothe any irritation thus making you feel much better.
Use lotions which can be harmful to your skin layer. Whether it has any alcohol or any fragrance inside the ingredients, don't use that product, check the label of each and every product that you acquire..
You have to exfoliate regularly to help keep the pores of your skin unclogged in order to avoid the development of both blackheads and whiteheads if your skin is unusually dry and flaky. Exfoliation may give your skin layer the skin by whisking away dead and dry skin. This assists the facial skin to appear more radiant and encourage it to search hydrated.
Make use of a sponge to evenly apply sunscreen.This ensures a much more even application and prevents from needing to touch the lotion's greasy texture and also spread it evenly over your skin layer.
Drinking adequate water on a daily basis is vital to healthy skin.Beauty starts inside, and remaining hydrated is vital for overall health and for the look of the skin.
If you wear them on a regular basis, clean your eyeglasses or sunglasses a minimum of weekly – especially. Cleaning your nose with soapy water is an easy method to get this done.
Below are a few things you can do to help alleviate several of eczema. Usually do not use any detergents or body lotions that include a powerful perfumed scent. Wearing clothes made of natural plant fibers for example cotton is just one more helpful tip. Synthetic fabrics and in many cases wool can make eczema worse. Use natural make-ups that include no artificial dyes or additives. Through taking these steps, you will ensure your skin isn't irritated.
Vitamin H is a crucial addition to a wholesome glowing skin quality. Vitamin H can impart an all-natural glow.
Getting 8 hours of sleep is important to keeping your skin care. Try sleeping no less than eight hours of sleep every evening for better skin looking healthy and to help keep your stress down.
There are lots of things to do when struggling with age spots on the face a result of sun-damage. These procedures may be used alone or with many other procedures. There are actually nonsurgical facials that can assist.
Excessive exposure to sun could cause wrinkles and spots, and may ultimately bring about severe problems like cancer of the skin. Wear enough sunscreen in order to avoid these dangers.
Don't ever pick in a cold sores! This can help it heal and you may get an infection. Fever blisters can yield scars once they become infected or take a long time to heal.
You'll find that you can fix your problems without expensive treatments, as long as you care for the skin daily. Happy skin can certainly make a contented person, filled with confidence.


Kennedys has a long association with the rail industry with a number of our team having worked in house. The team has extensive experience of advising and representing clients on a wide range of matters.
Kennedys has a long association with the rail industry with a number of our team having worked in house. The team has extensive experience of advising and representing clients on a wide range of matters including public inquiries and investigations, manslaughter, health and safety, environment, employment, nuisance, loss and damage claims, dispute resolution and catastrophic personal injury.
The team has been involved in public inquiries, criminal investigations and prosecutions arising from the major UK rail disasters of the last 30 years including, Clapham, Kings Cross, Southall, Ladbroke Grove, Hatfield, Potters Bar and Lambrigg, and it is involved in ongoing criminal investigations and prosecutions and related inquest hearings, as well as other regulatory defence work arising from rail accidents and incidents.
The team has an especially prominent employment practice in the rail industry acting for several major train operators with particular expertise in handling industrial action, litigation and change management matters for large transport operators, in industrial disputes and reorganisation matters.


text:
InternationalPolitics
by Lord Sutch February 2, 2017
Over in the dumpster fire that is the United States Government, Trump has announced his Supreme Court nominee, one Justice Gorsuch. A known Christian conservative. This appointment is to replace the late Justice Scalia who died in February last year.
When Justice Scalia died, it was President Obama's right to choose his replacement. That's part of the job of President. If a Supreme Court judge dies or retires, you name the replacement. At the time the court was split 5-4 in favour of conservatives, so with Obama able to make his choice it would have reversed that to create a 4-5 liberal majority. And so the Republicans shat the bed.
Obama, as history shows, chose Justice Merrick Garland who by all accounts was a 'moderate'. Still on the left of the (American) spectrum but not a Bader-Ginsburg lefty. And so more shitting of the bed occurred. Through obstruction and general fuckery the Republicans blocked Garland's appointment hearing from occurring at all. They didn't even hear his qualifications for the job (he'd been the head of the second highest court in the country in case you were wondering). The just straight out said "nah". They tried to argue that because it was the final year of Obama's presidency that he shouldn't get to choose, as though somehow some arbitrary time-line existed where Presidents were able to do their job and then if they got to a year out, well they might as well stop.
So the Republicans did the dick-thing and refused to have the hearing. This resulted in a 4-4 split in the Supreme Court. Any judgement that ends at 4-4 means that the appeals court decision stands. Basically rendering the Supreme Court irrelevant.
Fast-forward to today's situation and Trump has named a conservative to replace Scalia. A number of people have called for the Democrats to use the filibuster option to prevent the appointment of Gorsuch while others have said that they shouldn't do this as it's the same behaviour as the Republicans, and if the Dems do act like this then they're no better.
Well here's the thing, the Republican behaviour cannot be rewarded. A shit-tonne of law experts in the US wrote open letters (so powerful) that said the Republicans' behaviour over Garland was appalling and they needed to suck it up and stop being dicks. They didn't. And now they're getting the chance to have the Supreme Court stacked in their favour? Fuck that. And you know what, the electorate didn't even punish them. They retained control of the Senate, won the presidency and kept the gerrymandered House of Representatives. So shitty behaviour doesn't get punished by the people. In fact there's a case that it's been rewarded.
So if the Democrats truly believe that Gorsuch would be a bad appointment, and that the best course for America's future is to keep the Supreme Court at 4-4 then they should absolutely obstruct as much as they can. They should try and stop any law they disagree with. Don't fight with reason, fight with every archaic and unknown loophole you can find. Stop every piece of legislation. It's time to stop fighting clean because your opponents haven't fought clean for nearly a decade and they're now the current champions.
Supreme CourtTrumpUnited States
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Mum February 2, 2017 - 7:27 pm
Hi David, still not certain who Obama had as supreme Court Judge if Garland didn't get it. What was done in the interim?
Lord Sutch February 2, 2017 - 7:31 pm
Hi mum!
There was no appointment. The court was left with 8 judges instead of 9.


text:
In March 2022, the government imposed price controls in response to protests. In July 2022, peaceful protests were held in Tirana, Albania, against corruption and the cost of living crisis. It was organised by the Democratic Party and was attended by its leader former Prime Minister Sali Berisha. The protestors are demanding for the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama and his government. Price hikes have reportedly made food and energy costs raise.

References

2022 protests
July 2022 events in Europe
2022 in Albania


The ETS Intercooler for the Mitsubishi Evolution is the best on the market, bar none. It features bolt on installation and fills the whole grill with core for a killer look and maximum efficiency. This unit also retains the factory crash bar and splash pans on the 3" and 3.5" Intercooler. The kit includes the intercooler, mounting hardware, black silicone couplers, and SS T-Bolt Clamps.


The temperature is supposed to climb above zero degrees today. Daylight Savings Time starts this weekend, and March break has begun. Despite the snowbanks that surround us, I can feel the promise of spring. The days are getting longer and the sun is feeling warmer.
I know I said there wouldn't be any more snow pictures, but looking at all that snow makes me wonder what sort of a mess we're in for when it all starts to melt.
We celebrated a couple of birthdays this past week, and it was all about hockey. Hockey cupcakes, a commemorative hockey jersey from the New Year's Eve NHL Winter Classic, a new hockey stick, and a trip to Detroit for a Red Wings game on the same night that Nicklas Lidstrom's jersey number was being retired.
And I made biscuits. And they were the best biscuits. We've been having a lot of pasta, soups & stews, and there's nothing better than warm, fresh rolls on the side. The problem is rolls take time. Kneading time, rising time, more kneading, more rising... not an option when you walk in the door at 5pm and hope to have dinner on the table by 6pm.
Biscuits are a quick and easy alternative. I've tried a few different recipes... some were good, some were horrible. I've tried buttermilk, yogurt, and butter. They've come out puffy, flat, salty, tasteless, hard, soft, dry, and crumbly. Now that I've had consistently good results by combining and tweaking a few different recipes, I can honestly say these are the best biscuits I've ever made.
It's all about sour cream. Full fat sour cream. Honestly, those low fat dairy products sort of scare me. The ingredient list is four times longer than the list on a container of regular sour cream. Seriously, what on earth do they add in order to make up for the bit of fat they're removing? Besides, our brains need fat... I read it somewhere.
So if you're looking for a good biscuit recipe, try this one. It's easy, it uses real ingredients, and the result is soft, flaky deliciousness.
Add the sour cream and butter. Stir until it just holds together.
Roll dough out on a floured surface, about 1/2 - 3/4 inch thick. Use a round cutter and press straight down to cut out biscuits. If you twist the cutter you won't get those nice looking layers on the side of the biscuit.
Bake until they are golden brown, about 12 - 15 minutes.
These are best freshly baked and still warm from the oven. If you want to make them ahead of time, freeze the unbaked biscuits and then bake them straight from the freezer, adding a few minutes cooking time.
Don't over overwork the dough, it should be just combined and still lumpy before you roll it out. Overworking the dough will result in tough biscuits.
When measuring the flour, don't just scoop and dump. This compacts the flour in the measuring cup, resulting in too much flour and hard, dry biscuits. Instead, fluff the flour with a scoop and add it to the measuring cup scoop by scoop. Read how to properly measure out a cup of flour here: King Arthur Flour.
I've gone easy on the salt. If you prefer a saltier biscuit you could use up to a teaspoon. Alternately, if you prefer a sweeter biscuit, the sugar can be increased up to one tablespoon.
Jenn, those biscuits look delicious, and I agree with you about "low fat" foods...sometimes, the calories are even higher in them! Your biscuits look easy to make, I might have to try them. Also, I think you have us beat with snow amounts, but our parking lots look quite similar...I dread the muddy spring!
I love biscuits. These sound great.
I agree with you about those "low fat" food. I don't like to eat things that have an ingredient list that long. I can't wait to try these biscuits. Thanks for sharing at Food on Friday.
My mom said 3M over in MN might still have melting snow from their giant pile melting in July...so the good news? Maybe we'll see snow...the bad news? Like you said, I'm a bit worried for y'all! But those biscuits look like they might chase away all sorts of cold. Thanks for sharing them on Let's Get Real Friday!
I love homemade biscuits! Thanks for sharing it with the Let's Get Real party.
We can sure relate to your heavy snow issues out here in Central Alberta! But you're right, spring is definitely in the air.
These biscuits look scrumptious! We are big fans of biscuits in this house; so good with soups and stews! I will be making some of these for sure. And yes, our brains do need the fat. Low-fat no-fat does not get in the door at my house.
These are perfect for a morning breakfast with the family. I hope the warm temps has melted most if not all of that snow. Thanks for sharing and linking up with us at the #WWDParty!
These biscuits look so yummy!!
These biscuits look great - they make me want to get in the kitchen and get to baking! :) Thank you for sharing at #GetHimFed Fridays, hope you have a nice week!!
I absolutely love biscuits and these look incredible. Thanks for sharing on the weekend re-Treat link party!
Ohhhh, I want a biscuit now with some jam. These look delicious.
Yum! And I agree whenever I see low-fat/diet/sugar-free I think chemical cocktail. No thanks!
Those biscuits look so yummy! My husband loves it when I make biscuits. He eats biscuits and gravy or puts jelly and butter on them. I feel like biscuits are the perfect side dish for any meal.
These biscuits look fantastic! Perfect dipper for all the soups and stews we've been having this winter. Thanks for sharing at Simple Supper Tuesday.
That is a lot of snow! Goodness! Your biscuits look so good. I love biscuits. Thank you for linking up to Tips and Tricks!
Is there anything sour cream doesn't improve? These look delish and I just pinned them to try! Would love for you to share at Fridays Unfolded!
Mmm!! This sure looks delicious! Thanks for linking up with us for What We Eat Wednesdays!!
We are sitting at 32 degrees and that looks warm compared to your weather. I love homemade Biscuits and your Biscuits look like a special treat on such a cold night. Happy St. Patrick's Day to Ya and thanks so much for sharing your awesome post with Full Plate Thursday!
Hi Jen, your "boxcar" received the most clicks from the March Great Blog Train!!
I love biscuits about just as much as I love finding fellow Canadian bloggers! Your biscuits look fabulous. Let's hope Spring makes an appearance soon. I am so over this snow and cold! Thanks for sharing at Simple Supper Tuesday.
Your snow pictures are terrifying!!! lol!!! Wow! Your biscuits sound really yummy! I agree with the need for fat. And it helps them taste yummy.
I can't get over all of that snow!
I'm also pretty amazed by how tall your biscuits are. They look awesome! Thank you for sharing at See Ya in the Gumbo this week.
They look yummy, perfect for dunking into some warming dishes. Hope Spring arrives quickly. Thanks for linking to Sweet and Savoury Sunday! Stop by and link up again this weekend!


You can help us celebrate 25 years of this magical community event by donating a decorated holiday tree to the Festival of Trees. Your beautiful and creatively decorated tree will be displayed for three weeks and viewed by thousands of people from throughout New England. Whether you're advertising your business, promoting your organization, showcasing your children's creations or decorating a tree for yourself or your family, you'll be proud to be an important part of this exciting annual event.
Last year, over 30,000 visitors attended the Festival – from 20 states plus Puerto Rico and Canada and 388 communities – and our tree winners came from 70 communities in five states.
Best of all, your tree donation contributes to the mission of the Festival of Trees Organization. To date nearly 2 million dollars have been committed to historic preservation projects throughout the Merrimack Valley and Southern New Hampshire!
Creativity is encouraged! Tree size may range from mini trees (up to 24″) or as tall as 10'6″. Every year the Festival receives more tree registrations than there is room to display, so return your registration early in order to ensure your participation! Register online or return the above registration form by September 30, 2018.
If you have questions about donating a tree for 2018, please call 978-685-8878 or email the 2018 Tree Coordinator at trees@methuenfestivaloftrees.com leaving your name, address, email, and telephone number. Your tree theme is up to you and a name for your tree is required.
Your decorated tree is a tax deductible donation which will be raffled as part of the fundraising efforts of the Methuen Festival of Trees. The Methuen Festival of Trees is a 501(c)(3) private non-profit organization as defined by the US Internal Revenue Service code. The Festival will provide you with a donation verification letter should you desire it for tax purposes.


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