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House Republicans Block Democrats' Push To Approve Trump's $2,000 COVID-19 Relief Checks | Beaufort County Now | The 12-minute session "morphed into unconvincing theater..." | daily wire, house republicans, democrats, donald trump, coronavirus, covid-19, relief checks, december 24, 2020
with Stan Deatherage
Pete Benton
Bringing Light to Darkness
House Republicans Block Democrats' Push To Approve Trump's $2,000 COVID-19 Relief Checks
Published: Saturday, December 26th, 2020 @ 8:25 am
By: Daily Wire ( More Entries )
Publisher's Note: This post appears here courtesy of the The Daily Wire. The author of this post is Joseph Curl.
House Republicans on Thursday blocked a bid by Democrats to pass President Donald Trump's call for $2,000 direct payments to most Americans as part of a COVID-19 relief bill.
In a $900 billion bipartisan bill passed Monday, millions of Americans are set to receive $600 from the federal government, half the amount they received after the first relief bill was passed in March. Trump has implied that he might veto the bill and called for $2,000 checks.
Democrats control the House and convened for a pro forma session on Thursday morning. The 12-minute session "morphed into unconvincing theater in response to Trump's veto musings about the package, which was negotiated by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Trump's behalf," the Associated Press reported. "House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, the No. 2 House Democrat, sought the unanimous approval of all House members to pass the bill, but GOP leader Kevin McCarthy, who was not present in the nearly-empty chamber, denied his approval and the effort fizzled."
In response to Hoyer, Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA) tried to reopen debate on foreign aid included in a companion bill, but that also failed, due to Democrats blocking the effort.
The government will shut down on Tuesday if Trump doesn't sign the bill or if Congress doesn't approve a short-term funding measure. Hoyer said that won't happen.
"We're not going to let the government shut down, nor are we going to let the American people down," Hoyer said. "There are continuing discussions going on between the speaker, and the secretary of the Treasury, and the administration."
When the first relief bill passed, the Internal Revenue Service cut 153.1 million checks and direct deposits all the way through August, totaling $269.3 billion, the AP reported.
The payments began rolling out in mid-April, about two weeks after the bill was passed. More than 81 million payments were disbursed within weeks, totaling more than $147 billion, all through electronic transfers to recipients' bank accounts, according to the Government Accountability Office.
In August, as lawmakers continued to debate more direct payments to Americans, Mnuchin said the federal government could roll out new checks the week after Congress passed a bill. "We did it the first time — I can get out 50 million payments really quickly, a lot of it into people's direct accounts," Mnuchin told reporters then.
But fewer Americans will receive the checks this time around, Fox News reports.
"American adults who earned less than $75,000 in 2019 will receive the full $600 check, while couples who earned less than $150,000 will receive $1,200. The payments will be tapered for higher-earners (5% of the amount by which their adjusted gross incomes exceeded the initial threshold) and phased out completely for individuals who earn more than $87,000 and couples who earn more than $174,000," Fox wrote.
Dependents under the age of 17 are also eligible for $600 payments, which means an eligible family of four could receive as much as $2,400.
"People are going to see this money [at] the beginning of next week," Mnuchin said during an interview this week with CNBC. "Much needed relief — and just in time for the holidays."
Pelosi's Support Plummets Guest Editorial, Editorials, Op-Ed & Politics CDC Announces 1 Million COVID-19 Vaccinations; Trump Admin Strikes Deal for More Pfizer Vaccines


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Q: How to get current logged in user in my java web app but not in servlet context? After get current user info I store it in session for later use, but most of the situation I need to get current user info not in a servlet context. Such as in non-servlet environment I need to call something like this:
UserUtils.getCurrentUser();

Any ideas on this?
Further question, I use Guice-servlet, maybe there is a way to inject current user?

A: If i where you i would realy consider to use spring security!
It provides everything you need for security!

A: What security framework you are using? Try Shiro it can integrate with Guice quite easily Shiro Guice  and you can use to annotation to handle Permission like this and other cool stuff.
 @Requires("supervisor")
 public void securedResource() {
 ...
 }

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


In last article we have seen about the detail description about the 3rd level of software testing process. Now let's move to the other level. Level 4, in which we have to define exit criteria. In First level we have Planned about testing phases, In 2nd level we have design the test cases, In 3rd level we have executed & implement the testing phases & Now in level 4, we will define the exit criteria and In level 5 final Test closure procedure & Activity will be done.
Sometimes it happens that the application have so many module and it has large number of test cases but we have less resource for testing the same application. At that time we have to define a risk level of the application. This kind of situation is taken case in this phase.
Other scenario is application is not that much big but the estimation for application is given less by client so we have to manage each activity of application development in less timings. At this time also we need to define risk criteria of an application.
As per the requirement, risk have been taken for the application plus exit criteria is define here.
Exit criteria is define like enough testing. We have to decide that by how many test cases should be run for doing enough testing of the application. This will define by exit criteria. This exit criteria can be define differently for different kind of project.
Exit criteria will be used when less number of pass test cases have been logged in the Test log.
This kind of situation is clearly define that Less number of test cases have been passed so application is not that much stable to deliver to the client.
Next situation is lots of bug for that application have been post by testing team. Thus, again application is not stable to deliver the client before resolving the issues.
Other situation is, Dead line is near but we cannot deliver the application as it is not stable enough. Here we need to define like by what way we can deliver the application and how many critical issues only will be solved by developer team.
By above points we can define several tasks for exit criteria is, To verify the testing logs towards exit criteria which is related with Test plan.
For Example, We have define 50 test cases for the exit criteria. If this 50 test cases have been passed successfully then our application will be stable and we can deliver to the client. Make sure that this 50 test cases have high & critical priority & it must cover all the requirements of the client.
Here if low and medium priority test case have been failed still application will be delivered to the client if dead line is arrived as in exit criteria we have define on 50 test cases which needs to be pass successfully.
2nd task is, If client will define more requirement then we have to define exit criteria with more number of test cases.
We have to writer detail test summary reports to our client about our testing activities and all the member of the project should be aware about this. Thus, in exit criteria we need to send an email for Test summary report.
This is all about the defining exit criteria in software testing process.
This is the last step of software testing procedures. This activity will be taken place when application or software have been delivered to the client.
Another reason for closing the testing is, when all the information regarding project is not shared properly by the client. In this case we can close the project as there are no reason to start developing the same.
If Project is cancelled by client itself then also we have to create a documents for test closing and define the reason that why it happened.
Testing will be closed when enough target have been achieved and no further enhancement is required by clients. They are happy with the product then we can close the testing.
To achieve the test closure activity, we have to do several tasks like to verify about the deadlines and make sure that product have been delivered on time with all the reports and logs?
All the information regarding automation scripts and environment should be saved to use further.
To maintain the application, all the handover process have been done within the team for supporting software or application.
All lessons which have been learnt during the testing phase that must be shared with team.
This all about the Test Closure phase in software testing process.


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Functional status, health-related quality of life and symptom severity in patients with chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction and enteric dysmotility
Iwarzon, Marie
Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital.
Gardulf, Ann
Red Cross University College of Nursing. Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital.
Lindberg, Greger
2009 (English)In: Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology, ISSN 0036-5521, E-ISSN 1502-7708, Vol. 44, no 6, p. 700-707Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Objective. To investigate whether patients with chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction (CIP) differ from those with enteric dysmotility (ED) regarding self-reported measures of functional status, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and gastrointestinal symptoms. Material and methods. The study comprised 28 patients with CIP (median age 48, range 28-80 years) and 26 with ED (median age 50, range 20-75 years). Three self-administered questionnaires were used: the Sickness Impact Profile (SIP), the Swedish HRQoL Questionnaire (SWED-QUAL) and the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS). Results. Patients with CIP reported significantly greater functional impairment in the aggregated physical dimension of SIP (15.4 SD 19.7) than did patients with ED (5.0 SD 7.2, p0.01). They also reported significantly poorer general health (SWED-QUAL) (28.0 SD 20.8) compared to those with ED (44.8 SD 25.2, p 0.01). Symptom severity correlated with several measures of HRQoL and functional status in patients with CIP but abdominal pain severity was the only independent predictor of HRQoL. Abdominal pain alone explained between 21% and 67% of the variance in SWED-QUAL subscales. Likewise, the severity of indigestion symptoms among patients with CIP explained 20-24% of the variance in the SIP subscales, emotional behaviour and work. Much less correlation between symptom severity and functional impairment or HRQoL was found in patients with ED. We found no difference in symptom severity (GSRS) between the two groups. Conclusions. Patients with CIP reported a greater impairment of functional status and HRQoL than did patients with ED. Symptom severity had a stronger influence on functional status and HRQoL in patients with CIP.
URN: urn:nbn:se:rkh:diva-1191DOI: 10.1080/00365520902840806OAI: oai:DiVA.org:rkh-1191DiVA, id: diva2:760507
Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I'm on a Quest to learn some "Traditional Diatonic Instrumentals" from Dave's "Essential Blues Harmonica Listening" list.
To show you a difference in my development I share my first-ever backtrack recording using a Hohner Rocket C harmonica.
It is interesting because I sent it to Mr. Ronnie Shellist who wrote me a few building criticism.
"Sounds to me like you are trying to feel your way around the instrument for now. Focus on opening up your breathing and holding notes and creating good tone!"
Yesterday in the evening I first-ever touched the jazz. I used a Smooth Jazz Ab minor backtrack which was rather long enough to get familiar with and catch the feeling (7 min 26 sec). I uploaded only the last 2:18 of my trial recording.
The honor was for me to mix the recorded tracks of my Hungarian friends' band for the memory of Muddy Waters.
My Hungarian blues harmonica mentor (Mr. Bela Sandor) recommended me the www.Bluesharmonica.com who is playing on harmonica and singing using my Bugera V5 Infinium combo system. I arranged the technical assembly, the mic arrangements and the post-processing of this track.
He used a Hohner Super Chromonica 48 Chromatic C for this masterpiece.
I was blown away by the diatonic solo on David Barrett's Dark Night, so I learned it by ear and played it acoustically as accompaniment to Gary Smith's Can't Get Through to You. The harp solo is directly lifted from David Barrett's My Blues, then I improvise more accompaniment with licks from both songs.
I'm not in love with the later accompaniment piece, but this was a fun and practical experiment in recording and editing.
I created the bckground using my Mixcraft Pro software and then over laid my vocal and harmonica tracks using my Fostex digital recorder.


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Not crazy - proof at last!
The latest wheeze of TPTB (the powers that be) is to register and evaluate all foreign language teachers in China online, and evaluate how good they are with a series of tests. (No similar test for Chinese language teachers I note!). So yesterday, I took all three tests; General Knowledge, Psychological and Written, all timed.
It was actually very amusing, with some fantastic Chinglish and a bizarre mix of questions ranging from, "What money do people use in China?" (if you live here and don't know that, you should really consider your position!) to "What did Jerome Bruner propose about hermeneutic composability?" (Who? What? I've since looked Mr Bruner up on the internet and am none the wiser about the correct answer!). All the questions were multiple choice though, so I had a punt even if I couldn't understand the question! Some questions made me laugh out loud, eg "How much alcohol do you drink, (a) too much, (b) a lot, but under control, (c) a little each day, or (d) only on special occasions. It seems nobody can imagine a tee-total foreigner!
You get your results immediately. I got a respectable 67% in General Knowledge, with top marks in "Chinese Knowledge" and "World Affairs". Psyschologically, I scored a whopping 71% with top marks in "Drink, Mental Health, Motivation, Communication Skills, Sense of Achievement, Expressive Ability, Emotion Stability, Tendency for Violence, Tolerant Capable, Inspiring Capacity, Professional Spirit, Sense of Responsibility and Optimism"!! So, acccording to the TPTB at least, I'm sane, peaceful and optimistic. So there!
Don't travel with these people....!
I got a funny e-mail from my friends Susie and Chris the other day which recounted the latest of their many travel jinxes! They claim that it's all a coincidence and that they are in no way responible, but you be the judge from this list of their recent trips:
1999 - Flew into Holland as a fireworks factory blew up half the town
2001 - Stood on the "Twin Towers" in New York less than a month before they were destroyed in 9/11
2002 - Toured Europe during the worst floods for decades
2003 - Toured France during the worst heatwave and forest fires in living memory
2004 - Toured Asia as the tsunami struck
2005 - Flew into London as the Bunsfield Oil Refinery blew up (largest postwar explosion in Britain. Saw the explosion from the plane)
2006 - Coup started in Thailand as they flew out ...and they landed in Burma just as a dissident crackdown started
2010 - Visited Poland just before the Prime Minister and wife died in a aeroplane crash
2010 - Flew into UK just as Icelandic volcano ash closed down all air travel
So if you see their names on your flight manifest, I suggest you take the next plane...... no, really....!!
Water kerfuffle
Today I was part of a team delivering water to a drought-stricken part of Yunnan. Our school had raised enough to buy 250 large bottles of water and the money to replace a broken water tank there. We set off in a convey of a truck (carrying the water) and three cars but, within 20 minutes, we had all become separated from each other and everyone was equally lost! It turned out that only the truck driver knew the way there, and he was long gone. The "2 hour" journey finally took us 5½ hours! The Primary School is in a very picturesque setting, but although the school buildings looked quite modern, the state of the children's clothing showed the very real poverty in the area.
After the water bottles were unloaded by the excited students [see photo] there followed the usual inappropriate school meeting on the playground - 250 little kids forced to stand to attention in 40ºC heat while leaders shouted at them with microphones and I gave a short, and probably unintelligible, speech in simple Chinese. Then we handed out a bottle of water, a notebook, a pencil and an eraser to each student.
We also brought a large poster, signed with the best wishes of hundreds of our Kunming students [see photo]. As I wandered around the school, the students were very fearful of me at first (their first foreigner up close?) but warmed up with a couple of magic tricks and a few smiley handshakes.
Later we visited a local village perched on a hill but were asked not to take photographs as (a) it was so poor that the villagers were embarrassed, and (b) it isn't actually as poor as some people think and they didn't want donations (like the surrounding fields) to "dry up"! A great example of Chinese "doublethink"! However, it's no laughing matter to be dependent on crops that fail when the rains don't come.
Lose win(dows)
D-Day has arrived (D standing for dirt and destruction)! The wreckers from TBTB (the powers that be) have finally arrived to demolish the balconies in my living room and bedroom. Thankfully the kitchen and spare room can keep their balconies, as they don't overlook a public road. Since those two are used to house my kitchen sink and for drying clothes respectively I am, at least, losing the two least used balconies. The workers have been smashing and crashing all day long, so I've been resigned to not leaving the house and yet getting very little done (at least I managed to get to the gym yesterday for my first "gentle" workout in 8 months!).
The first crew arrived at 8am this morning and put in some new and very poor quality windows flush to the wall - a really shoddy job - and left my wooden floor strewn with glass shards, nails and screws, excess lumps of grouting, cigarette butts and a thick layer of dust. Then, this afternoon, just as I cleaned away the worst of rubbish, the second crew arrived and proceeded to smash the balconies off, and screw hideous silver burglar bars to the outside of the windows (the sort that ensure you can't possibly escape in the event of a fire). Yet more cleaning up and now my flat is, apparently, "legal and beautiful" once more.
A real aerial
My landlord paid a visit the other day to say goodbye to his balcony, fix a leaking tap and install a digital aerial box for me. I haven't been able to watch Chinese TV for over a year (though I rarely bother anyway), but for £30 a year, I can now see China's "Sports Channel" (occasionally of interest), the "English Language Channel" (useful if there's an interesting world news story) and amazingly a previously unknown (to me, at least) "WIN TV Channel" which actually shows Premiership League football - both live and highlights. So suddenly I can follow my team on TV rather than just online! Shame the season's just about to end...
Tall story?
Having visited "Dwarf Empire" earlier this week, and then finding that no less than two of my lessons this weekend involve stories about hippo attacks(!) it was somewhat bizarre to stumble across this story in the newspaper.
Sadly, a quick Google search reveals it's a hoax, and a pretty old one at that. Undoubtedly good news for the dwarf concerned, but disappointing to those of us that enjoy a bizarre story!
A little trip
After weeks of nagging, Ava finally laid aside her various excuses and took a day off work to drive me to the "Dwarf Empire". We were told it was just 30 minutes away, but we finally arrived after an exhausting 2½ hrs - a combination of a rather wild underestimate and getting a bit lost! First stop was an enormous plastic fake tree stump [see photo] atop a hill. Despite being hollow, you weren't allowed in it or on it and no one could quite explain what the point of it was. But it was big!
Next door was "the biggest butterfly park in China". There were disappointingly few butterflies actually there though (I think we spotted a dozen in half an hour). But it was certainly big!
And then on to the highlight of the day, the "Dwarf Empire". About 80 dwarves from all over China live and work here, none more than 1.3m (4ft) high. They were all very friendly and, when asked, said they really enjoyed living and working in the park. They quite genuinely asked me to invite some western dwarves to come join them there... as if!
The big show was due to start at 3.30pm. The park claims to get 4000 visitors a day (surely a typo?) but as the singing and dancing started, Ava and I were the only visitors in the huge outdoor auditorium. So when she sidled off (claiming the sun was too hot) there were nearly a hundred dwarves performing just for me - quite bizarre! All were dressed in fancy clothes, singing, dancing, doing magic and acrobatics, it was a wild spectacle. Where else but China could you see something like that?
After the show Ava and I wandered around the mushroom houses where the dwarves are supposed to live (they actually told me they have accommodation outside the park). But the houses are still very cute [see photo]. We also climbed a steep hill behind the houses to explore a huge (fake) castle, devoid of visitors, before heading back. It was such a nice feeling for me to "climb a hill" without any dizziness or headaches.
Ava didn't enjoy the long drive to the park, and suggested I drive back to the main highway as, "there are never any police on the country roads". I decided not to risk it (I haven't got my Chinese license ...yet) and it turned out to be a very wise decision as we came across a flipped car [see photo] right outside the park gates, with police and ambulance in attendance!
The Chinese biomedical industry needn't panic just yet but, very tentatively, I think I can say I'm feeling a little better! After 8-9 months of various ailments, including persistent headaches and dizziness, Dr Yang last week suggested I simply stop taking almost all of my vast daily pill regime [see photo!] and see which syptoms improve, which persist and whether any of them return. I was delighted to do that - I'm not a fan of taking lots of medicine, but I have tried to follow medical advice as far as possible. For a change, this was a doctor telling me to stop taking medicines! Within a couple of days, I was noticing a clear-headedness that I've not had for months. A week later, I'm only having occasional and short-lived light-headedness, and none of the all-day headaches I had before. What was causing them, I still don't know, but I'm now feeling well enough to plan little trips out and think about some gentle workouts at the gym. I have a Uric Acid test later this week to see if the gout is still an issue I need to take preventative medicine for but otherwise, blip or otherwise, I am finally feeling a bit more like myself.
Do it your shelf
I had a visit from the "Balcony Police" today. For those who haven't followed this crazy story so far, TPTB (the powers that be) have decided that all overhanging balconies are ugly and, in an effort to win a "Beautiful City of China" award, they are currently demolishing literally thousands of them. (You might think that their money would be better spent helping the hundreds of villages around the city that currently have no water or crops due to the ongoing drought?). The lady who came today to measure my balcony agreed with me privately that the new flattened facades and silver gratings were, in fact, a lot uglier than the old ornate cages [see photo], but that she was just "doing her job". The demolishers are coming sometime next week.
It seems my recent blog entry recording "only" hundreds of deaths in the Qinghai earthquake was premature. The number of dead has now risen to over 2000. And yet how soon it drops off the international news agenda.
Translation irritation
I have the occasional look at the blog of my good friend Nita, and was a bit concerned to see a photo of her on an IV drip yesterday. However, her blog is largely in Chinese, and so I couldn't work out the reasons for her hospital trip. Undeterred, I used Yahoo's website translator, and now I know that she, "trickles the creek and roars the gallium to flog aboard. Pigtail houses change Jan in a careless brook, in the sea of the village domain." I'm glad I cleared that up!
Toothache and headaches
I've managed to have 4 fillings this week after the toothache of last week. There's still more to do, but my kindly dentist, Prof. Liu, told me to let my mouth settle for a month or so before tackling the next bunch of cavities! She was even kind enough to ring me up this morning to check I wasn't in any further pain. The dental visit was the usual circus - patients wandering into the treatment room [see photo], drilling interrupted by phonecalls from the dentist's friends, and a gang of trainee dentists all taking the chance to gawp at the foreigner's mangled teeth.
Another visit to Dr Yang in the army hospital last Tuesday led to him suggesting I stop virtually all the medicines I've been taking for various ailments, and see how my headaches and dizziness are affected. So far, I've felt no worse. The all-day headaches are now just an occasional light-headedness, which is an improvement of sorts.
Worse news from home though, with my Dad finding out that a recently removed tumour was cancerous. None of the doctors thought it would be, so it was quite a shock for him and all the family. They will monitor him closely now, and don't think it's likely to spread. But still, not nice.
More shocking news
Another day, and another disaster stikes China. I was sleeping when the magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit Qinghai, and I live quite some distance away [see photo], but I did feel one of the aftershocks. I wasn't sure it was a quake though and didn't bother checking online until later in the day, when I realised how bad it was.
"Only" hundreds of people have died, and not thousands, thanks to it being a sparcely populated area of West China. No consolation for those caught up in it, though. With 10,000 people injured and many thousands more without houses or possessions, it will be a struggle to rebuild the area, especially because of its remoteness.
Leoving
My school seems to be experiencing better-than-ever quality amongst its teaching staff these days. Certainly, the current ten foreign teachers are as professional and reliable as any I've worked with over the last few years. So it was particularly sad to say goodbye last week to a top teacher - Leo [left in photo] - off to Eastern China to seek his fortune in the cabling market!? He was one of the few Chinese teachers who regularly interacted with the foreign teachers, helped by his fluent English, but also because he's a genuinely kind and outgoing chap. We're still in touch by e-mail. Next to him in the photo is Rex (who supplied the UFO photos in the previous blog entry) and then Sherry, my Chinese teacher. Robert and Rachel are in the middle, though I'm not sure who the strange guy in front of them is...?
In plane sight
A Chinese teacher from my school showed me these photos last week and swears they are genuine. Taken on a phone camera from a plane window on a recent flight, he says there was a bright light below the plane, but above the clouds, which seemed to be tracking the plane. After a while it fly up above the plane, looking a lot less bright and more metallic, before shooting up out of sight. The photos look pretty impressive.
At the recent "Tomb Sweeping Festival", families gather at their ancestral graves to remember their dead family members. They burn a variety of symbolic objects which they hope will then materialise in the afterlife. Ava burnt fake money, but we also saw paper cars, little paper clothes, fake gold, etc. I've since seen even more extravagant items to burn, include paper credit cards, fake marriage certificates, various "birth control" items(!?), mahjong pieces, speedboats, jewellry, alcohol bottles and even paper buildings. And if you have a car materialise in the afterlife, you'll need to fuel it, hence this paper petrol station [see photo], rather disconcertingly called "Hell Gas Station". It makes you wonder where the family think the dead member ended up!
Go go gecko
I've had geckos in some of the previous houses where I've lived in China, but yesterday evening was the first time I've seen one in my Kunming flat, scuttling along the tiled shower wall. Being eaters of mosquitoes, mayflies and cockroaches they are all jolly welcome here!
Want tur ban the Chinglish?
Plane trips are always enlivened by the odd Chinglish, like this wet handtowel I was given on yesterday's flight!
The right Attitude
I flew back this afternoon from a hectic (4 hour meeting) but comfortable (5 star hotel) Lattitude Conference in HangZhou. The 40 or so attendees included the Heads of the Provincial Education Departments that work with Lattitude (except for Yunnan, tut tut! Hence, I was introduced as "representing Yunnan", all of the 45 million population, presumably?). There were ex-volunteers and current volunteers, Lattitude Programme Managers and the new head of Lattitude [see photo] on his first visit to China. The early (Chinese!) 10-minute speeches were taking 20-30 minutes each and by the time my slot came along, we were already overrunning by an hour. So I ditched my planned (and much practised!) attempt to speak in English and Chinese, and left the Chinese to the professional translator. That meant I finished in only 8 minutes, doing my bit to get things back on schedule!
It was good to make new friends and meet folk I'd only ever contacted by e-mail before. It was also really nice to catch up with the volunteers I last saw tentatively flying off to their projects after our training course. And perhaps the highlight was seeing Helen again [see photo]. We last met three years ago, in a Hani tribal village, singing and dancing with the locals (long story!). Then, she was "just" the mother of a Lattitude volunteer living in my town and I was "just" a VSO volunteeer. Now though we've both ended up working for Lattitude part-time! Strange world!
Tomorrow morning I am due to fly to Hangzhou (3 hours away) on China's East coast. It's a city renown for it's beauty [see photo], though I won't have much time to see any of it as I'm only staying for 24 hours, attending a celebration of Lattitude's 20 years working in China. Lattitude is the UK-based "gap year" charity I do training for twice a year.
At least, I'm hoping to be there - this week has been another very difficult one, healthwise. On Monday I wasn't able to walk in a straight line, such was my dizziness. Tuesday's trip to the hospital resulted in a very confident (cocky?) doctor saying his medicine would cure me in three days. I''m now halfway through the third day with no sign of improvement. My gout returned yesterday morning (though I can walk on it) and I broke a tooth (dentist booked for next week). Neckache, headache, toothache, runny nose, itchy rash, sore throat, dizziness, swollen glands, haemorrhoids, gout - it seemed like nothing was working yesterday. I didn't leave my flat - just rested and felt sorry for myself. Twelve hours sleep later, I feel a little chirpier (although all the syptoms are still here) and I'm heading to the school today to practice the talk I'm giving in Hangzhou (in English and Chinese!) and then teach my adults class in the evening.
Clothesed for redecoration
Jiajia's store has been refurbished over the last 2-3 weeks. It finally re-opened the other day, looking much fresher and more modern. There's already been an increase in new customers. The shop's name hasn't changed though, despite my many suggestions. It's still just called, "Clothes Shop"!?
O-fish-ally a drought
Anyone doubting Yunnan's current drought need only check out this photo of a nearby river bed. Even the poor fish didn't realise how bad it would get!
Diary entry
I had a visit today from "Diary", who was a student of mine in YiLiang over 4 years ago. Her spoken English was always better than others of her age but, after further study in Zhaotong and Kunming, it's even better now and it was a pleasure to chat to her. The daughter of potato farmers from a small village in the YiLiang countryside, Diary is a real inspiration in the way she smiles through hardships, insists on heavy-duty study (even when others are sleeping or relaxing), and refuses to give up when faced with constant challenges (eg she opted to retake her last year of Senior School in order to improve her exams scores and get to a better University). She has such a refreshingly independent mind, and always sees the "big picture" despite her fellow students bemoaning the minutiae of University life. Perhaps it's her humble upbringing? When arriving at her new University dormitory (yes, even University students in China are required to share bunk bed dorms with 5 others!) she was amazed to find them complaining at the poor conditions. She decided not to tell them that, for her, "...it's the cleanest and warmest place I've ever slept". Whilst her classmates take breakfast back to their dorms to eat, Diary prefes to eat in the canteen because, for the price of the cheapest food there - a 1RMB (10p) dumpling - she's allowed unlimited free cabbage soup! "...I'm used to it, and it seems to keep me healthy". She's such a grounded young lady.
On the subject of health, I met Diary in my flat, rather than at a restaurant, because I woke at 5am to a "spinning" bedroom and have been so dizzy today that I'm having to walk from room to room with my hand touching the wall. Previously, I've "only" been light-headed, so this is a worrying new development. I've got an appointment tomorrow with the doctor who diagnosed my blood-brain problem and hope it's just a bad reaction to the Chinese herbal medicine he gave me.
Well-spoken
This weekend marks the first round of my school's annual English Speaking Competition. Students are required to write and memorise a 1-2 minute speech (or for the lazier or more confident ones, make an impromptu speech on a random subject) and then recite it in front of the class and a visiting "judge" teacher. The second round is in two weeks time, when the 3-4 class winners compete against winners from other classes. The photo shows my crazy Friday evening class who tend to do particularly well in these competitions - not because of their teacher, but because the class was initially formed to "hothouse" the most gifted students from other classes.
Egg-spert painters
To celebrate Easter and raise money for Yunnan's drought victims, our school boiled up over 100 eggs, got all the teachers to paint them and then sold them to the students for a 10RMB (£1) donation each. Some sold better than others, and I was told my three were amongst the last to go! I can't believe a self-portrait, a snake wrapped around an egg and an alien face were that unpopular!
Easter eaters
The adult students from all the school's classes were invited to a party yesterday evening to celebrate April Fool's Day and Easter. There were plenty of snacks, drinks, silly games [charades in the photo] and prizes so, after a little reticence, the students mixed well, using only English (nearly!). Two of my students, "Sally" and "Alice", are on the far left (one behind Mark's arm) and another, "Rose", is in the centre in checks. About 20 students came, plus another ten staff and teachers. Much enjoyed by all.


text:
Q: Why can't I return bigger values from main function? I am trying to return a bigger value like 1000 from my main function, but when I type echo $? it displays 0.
If I return a smaller value like 100 it displays the correct value.
My Code:
int main(void)
{
     return 1000;
}

Is there any limitation on the values which we can return?

A: The return value of main (i.e. the exit status of the application) is limited to the range [0, 255] on *NIX. 1000 is out of range, and the OS treats it as 0, presumably.

A: There are two related concepts here: C exit status, and bash return code. They both cover the range 0-255, but bash uses numbers above 126 for it's own purposes, so it would be confusing to return those from your program.
To be safe limit exit status codes to 0-127, as that is most portable, at least that is implied by http://docs.python.org/library/sys.html#sys.exit.
The C exit status is put into the bash $? variable after execution, but bash uses 127 to indicate 'command not found' so you may want to avoid that. Bash reference page.
Bash also uses 128-255 for signals - they indicate the process was killed with a signal:
exit code = 128 + signal number. So you might be able to get away with using numbers close to 255 as it unlikely that signal numbers will go that high.
Beyond those common guide-lines there are many attempts to define what different numbers should mean: http://tldp.org/LDP/abs/html/exitcodes.html.
So it you want to return an arbitrary integer from your program, it's probably best to print it to stdout, and capture it with VALUE=$(program) from your bash script.

A: In Unix-land the return value of main is limited because exit there is limited to the range of an 8-bit byte.
In Windows there is a single value, STILL_ACTIVE with value 259, that is best avoided as process exit code.
Other than that, in Windows you can return a 32-bit code such as an HRESULT and that is commonly done.


text:
← Chinese internet users up to 210 million
Tollway linking ring roads still awaits nod →
Removing the Mahakan Fort Community (2003-2008)
Overview: The area behind the city wall by Mahakan Fort was slated to be turned into a "tourist park" (like Santichaiprakarn Park) which would involve the relocation of a community of people living in old wooden houses and shanties on the site. Activists have countered with proposals to use part of the land which is already unoccupied for a park and allow the residents to stay. The push to remove the community seems to have lost steam amid the political turmoil of 2006.
City Hall to delay evictions - Bangkok Post, April 9, 2008
...The community behind the centuries-old fort on Ratchadamnoen avenue sits on a four-rai land plot which is set for expropriation.
Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayodhin has indicated he prefers a compromise to eviction. But the expropriation decree demands prompt eviction of the community, a move backed by the Council of State which was asked by City Hall to look into the legal aspects of the issue.
''We've never wanted to drive them out. In fact, we want to fix their problems,'' said Mr Buddipongse at yesterday's meeting.
Up to 312 residents of the Mahakan Fort community have fought for 14 years to maintain the community, which has been earmarked for development into a public park.
Community leader Tawatchai Voramahakun said the legal changes would be a solution to the problem.
However, a source said it was against the principle of any law to change the decree to benefit a certain group of people. The fact remained that the community is on public land.
(Photo: 2Bangkok.com)
The Golden Mount from the parking lot behind the city wall.
Mahakan Fort community awaiting decision on its future - The Nation, January 19, 2006
...Visitors to the community can still see early Rattanakosin-period (late 18th century) traditional Thai houses, with their characteristic large open spaces underneath; Western-style houses built during the reigns of King Rama V (1868-1910) and Rama VII (1925-1934); and modern wooden houses up to 50 years old. The wooden houses are crowded together without fences, Chatri pointed out in his initial research proposal...
New deal saves Mahakan Fort community - Preserved as village of vintage houses - Bangkok Post, December 7, 2005
The remaining residents of Mahakan Fort community are now technically safe from eviction as the city administration has agreed to their plan to develop the area into a village of preserved vintage wooden houses...
Chatree Prakitnontakarn, of Silpakorn's faculty of architecture, said about 10% of the remaining houses may have to be demolished for the project development...
"Urban development is bad news for residential communities. For me, the idea of urban development is to keep the affected community first and figure out how to develop the area later," he said...
Also: 2Bangkok.com secrets: Inside Fort Mahakan
Also: A walk through the Mahakan Fort Community
A related story: Removing the Soi Luenrit community
Map of the Mahakan Fort Park - December 2, 2005
City plan for the Mahakan Fort/Golden Mount area photographed on a Mahakan Fort community bulletin board. Note that it requires the removal of the row of shophouses in front of Golden Mount that makes up the old lumber district.
BMA demolishes house in Fort Mahakan community - The Nation, November 29, 2005
After 13 years of conflict, the first house in the Fort Mahakan community was razed by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) Tuesday. This happened despite disagreement of other 38 homeowners who did not take compensation money from the city.
Ten more homes were the next to be demolished since the homeowners have received all compensation payments, BMA Public Works Department director Banyat Ooyyamwong said Tuesday...
MAHAKAN FORT: BMA, residents in tense stand-off - The Nation, August 19, 2005
Passions run high as the remaining community members continue to resist efforts to evict them from historic area. City council officials were abused and came close to being attacked when they tried to enter the Mahakan Fort community yesterday, reportedly to do a survey...
The officers were allowed into the community and posted notices on every door telling villagers to move out before October. Throughout their visit the villagers repeated they would not comply with an enforced eviction...
BMA renews efforts to clear fort community - Bangkok Post, August 19, 2005
..."We are terribly sorry. But the city administration already made a decision to clear the community as the project has been delayed for over 13 years,'' Mr Apirat told the residents who lined up to prevent the team of officials from getting into the community.
MAHAKAN FORT: Apirak snubs locals trying to save homes - The Nation, March 25, 2005
Mahakan Fort suit rejected - The Nation, March 9, 2005
...The lower Administrative Court earlier ruled that of the 104 community members, only 13 were damaged parties with the right to claim compensation for expropriated land. The court ruled that the BMA had the right to proceed with the demolition of the damaged parties' houses because they had received 75 per cent of the compensation but failed to remove their assets from the land within 60 days. The higher court upheld the decision on the same grounds...
Court upholds city's right to evict residents - Bangkok Post, March 9, 2005
The Supreme Administrative Court yesterday upheld the lower court's endorsement of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's right to evict residents of Fort Mahakan community to turn the area into a tourist park...
Mahakan Fort: City may allow long-term lease - Bangkok Post, December 7, 2004
City hall may agree to allow residents of Mahakan Fort to lease the disputed land instead of relocating them. Abhayuth Chatarabha, adviser of the Four Region Slums Network, said the residents had high hopes they would be able to stay on under a 30-year lease contract, ending a decade-long land conflict between the state and the people...
First look at the Mahakan Fort park - August 13, 2004
Full-size image (589kb). The wooden houses are still there, but the parking lot area by the pier has been turned into a park.
Missing Mahakan Fort house - May 3, 2004
One of the most atmospheric houses in the Mahakan Fort community is gone (left).
(from Residents 'shut out' from city fort plan, Bangkok Post, April 25, 2004) ...the community has lost one of its ancient teak houses which was demolished by its owner.
Initially, the community had intended to buy the two-storey house, built 100 years ago, and turn it into a community museum, but the owner sold it to someone else it so they lost their chance.
Above: August 31, 2003 - Below: May 2, 2004
Residents 'shut out' from city fort plan - Bangkok Post, April 25, 2004
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is ignoring the public with its plan to develop Pom Mahakan Fort into a park for tourists, academics say.
The old community would be evicted under the development plan, approved by the Committee for Conservation and Development of Rattanakosin and Old Towns.
...The eviction of the fort community caused panic in other communities occupying the inner part of Rattanakosin who feared that the state officials might try to kick them out too.
Meanwhile, Pornthep Buranaburidet, a fort resident, said the community has lost one of its ancient teak houses which was demolished by its owner.
Military men move in to uproot community park - Bangkok Post, Janaury 21, 2004
Army men moved in yesterday to uproot the Mahakan Fort community park so that it could be replaced by a new public park designed by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration... Sakchai Boonma, of BMA's Public Works Department, confirmed the eviction plan. He lashed out at activists and academics who lent support to the residents, saying their occupancy, which was unlawful, would not be tolerated.
Phan Fah Pier moved - January 15, 2004
Wisarut reports: Phan Fah Pier has been moved the bank opposite near King Prajadhipok Museum to allow the creation of a new park around Mahakan Fort. It has a budget of 9 million baht for grass and trees, the renovation a 100-year-old building with the dimension 6 x 12 meters, and an archeological excavation of the area.
It seems that instead of removing the entire community as originally planned, authorities are starting with the park area and are going to restore rather than demolish the mystery building near the Phan Fah Pier. Residents had previously pointed out that the date on the building and the design were worthy of study and preservation. No word on when or if the rest of the wooden houses will be removed.
Fort ruling due - Bangkok Post, August 29, 2003
The Administrative Court is expected to rule today on Bangkok Metropolitan Administration plans to evict residents of Mahakan Fort in the Rattanakosin area to make way for a public park....
...the Mahakan Fort community dates back to the early Rattanakosin era of Bangkok, to the late 18th century, and some scholars who recognise the importance of the fort want it preserved and its residents given the opportunity to stay where they are and maintain their livelihoods.
...The eviction of the community would undermine the constitution, which recognises the rights of communities to a say in development projects. The problem goes beyond city regulations. The United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has raised the possibility of the move violating international laws on human rights with the national government...
Community loses battle in court - Bangkok Post, August 21, 2003
Probably best to see it while you can... This is the kind of situation where an unfortunate accidental fire occurs and clears the land: The Mahakan Fort community lost a battle with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration yesterday as the Administrative Court backed the city's efforts to evict them...
Michael Herzfeld, an anthropologist from Harvard University, urged the BMA to review its eviction position. The city could lose a great opportunity to create a slice of Bangkok culture that would attract tourists. No western tourists would be interested in a plain park, but a community within a park would make for a real tourist attraction. ``The BMA wants a park, now the community has created its own park in the place,'' he said. The professor lauded the community's land-sharing proposal in which residents agreed to give up part of their land for a public park. The BMA had ignored the proposal, which was backed by academics and housing rights activists.
From the Post: Deputy city clerk Sanan Tothong refused to discuss whether the army had been approached to help. However, Mahakan residents said a group of men in green had surveyed the place twice. The visits sparked fears about the use of force.
Fort dwellers get support - Bangkok Post, July 31, 2003
City council chairman Samart Maluleem yesterday voiced support for a land-sharing proposal for Mahakan Fort residents, saying the city administration should allow them to continue living in the area.
More about old buildings - Bangkok Post, July 21, 2003
Antique houses threatened by city hall's eviction plans - Bangkok Post, July 14, 2003
Court rules city hall may evict residents - Bangkok Post, August 30, 2003
The Administrative Court yesterday ruled in favour of city hall in the Mahakan Fort land dispute, paving the way for it to uproot the century-old community. Chief Judge Pornchai Manassiripen said city hall's eviction, issued on Jan 24 this year by Governor Samak Sundaravej and Winai Limsakul of the Public Works Department, was legal because the administration had completed all required eviction procedures in May 1995, when it partly paid compensation to eligible land owners.
This entry was posted in The Mahakan Fort Community. Bookmark the permalink.
<< Chinese internet users up to 210 million
Tollway linking ring roads still awaits nod >>


text:
package org.jclouds.vcloud.domain;

import org.jclouds.javax.annotation.Nullable;
import org.jclouds.vcloud.domain.network.IpAddressAllocationMode;

/**
 * describes a single network connection.
 */
public class NetworkConnection {
   public static Builder builder() {
      return new Builder();
   }

   public static class Builder {

      private String network;
      private int networkConnectionIndex;
      private String ipAddress;
      private String externalIpAddress;
      private boolean connected;
      private String MACAddress;
      private IpAddressAllocationMode ipAddressAllocationMode;

      public Builder network(String network) {
         this.network = network;
         return this;
      }

      public Builder networkConnectionIndex(int networkConnectionIndex) {
         this.networkConnectionIndex = networkConnectionIndex;
         return this;
      }

      public Builder ipAddress(String ipAddress) {
         this.ipAddress = ipAddress;
         return this;
      }

      public Builder externalIpAddress(String externalIpAddress) {
         this.externalIpAddress = externalIpAddress;
         return this;
      }

      public Builder connected(boolean connected) {
         this.connected = connected;
         return this;
      }

      public Builder MACAddress(String MACAddress) {
         this.MACAddress = MACAddress;
         return this;
      }

      public Builder ipAddressAllocationMode(IpAddressAllocationMode ipAddressAllocationMode) {
         this.ipAddressAllocationMode = ipAddressAllocationMode;
         return this;
      }

      public NetworkConnection build() {
         return new NetworkConnection(network, networkConnectionIndex, ipAddress, externalIpAddress, connected,
               MACAddress, ipAddressAllocationMode);
      }

      public static Builder fromNetworkConnection(NetworkConnection in) {
         return new Builder().network(in.getNetwork()).networkConnectionIndex(in.getNetworkConnectionIndex())
               .ipAddress(in.getIpAddress()).externalIpAddress(in.getExternalIpAddress()).connected(in.isConnected())
               .MACAddress(in.getMACAddress()).ipAddressAllocationMode(in.getIpAddressAllocationMode());
      }
   }

   private final String network;
   private final int networkConnectionIndex;
   @Nullable
   private final String ipAddress;
   @Nullable
   private final String externalIpAddress;
   private final boolean connected;
   @Nullable
   private final String MACAddress;
   private final IpAddressAllocationMode ipAddressAllocationMode;

   public NetworkConnection(String network, int networkConnectionIndex, @Nullable String ipAddress,
         @Nullable String externalIpAddress, boolean connected, @Nullable String MACAddress,
         IpAddressAllocationMode ipAddressAllocationMode) {
      this.network = network;
      this.networkConnectionIndex = networkConnectionIndex;
      this.ipAddress = ipAddress;
      this.externalIpAddress = externalIpAddress;
      this.connected = connected;
      this.MACAddress = MACAddress;
      this.ipAddressAllocationMode = ipAddressAllocationMode;
   }

   /**
    * @return The name of the network to which this connection connects.
    */
   public String getNetwork() {
      return network;
   }

   /**
    * @return The value in the rasd:AddressOnParent element of the device supporting this
    *         connection.
    */
   public int getNetworkConnectionIndex() {
      return networkConnectionIndex;
   }

   /**
    * @return IP address of this connection
    */
   @Nullable
   public String getIpAddress() {
      return ipAddress;
   }

   /**
    * @return If the network that the NIC is connected to has NAT or port mapping, the external
    *         address is populated in this element.
    */
   @Nullable
   public String getExternalIpAddress() {
      return externalIpAddress;
   }

   /**
    * @return If the vApp is deployed, specifies the current state of its connection. If the vApp is
    *         undeployed, specifies whether this connection should be connected at deployment time.
    */
   public boolean isConnected() {
      return connected;
   }

   /**
    * @return MAC address of this connection
    */
   @Nullable
   public String getMACAddress() {
      return MACAddress;
   }

   /**
    * @return specifies how an IP address is allocated to this connection
    */
   public IpAddressAllocationMode getIpAddressAllocationMode() {
      return ipAddressAllocationMode;
   }

   @Override
   public int hashCode() {
      final int prime = 31;
      int result = 1;
      result = prime * result + ((MACAddress == null) ? 0 : MACAddress.hashCode());
      result = prime * result + (connected ? 1231 : 1237);
      result = prime * result + ((externalIpAddress == null) ? 0 : externalIpAddress.hashCode());
      result = prime * result + ((ipAddress == null) ? 0 : ipAddress.hashCode());
      result = prime * result + ((ipAddressAllocationMode == null) ? 0 : ipAddressAllocationMode.hashCode());
      result = prime * result + ((network == null) ? 0 : network.hashCode());
      result = prime * result + networkConnectionIndex;
      return result;
   }

   @Override
   public boolean equals(Object obj) {
      if (this == obj)
         return true;
      if (obj == null)
         return false;
      if (getClass() != obj.getClass())
         return false;
      NetworkConnection other = (NetworkConnection) obj;
      if (MACAddress == null) {
         if (other.MACAddress != null)
            return false;
      } else if (!MACAddress.equals(other.MACAddress))
         return false;
      if (connected != other.connected)
         return false;
      if (externalIpAddress == null) {
         if (other.externalIpAddress != null)
            return false;
      } else if (!externalIpAddress.equals(other.externalIpAddress))
         return false;
      if (ipAddress == null) {
         if (other.ipAddress != null)
            return false;
      } else if (!ipAddress.equals(other.ipAddress))
         return false;
      if (ipAddressAllocationMode == null) {
         if (other.ipAddressAllocationMode != null)
            return false;
      } else if (!ipAddressAllocationMode.equals(other.ipAddressAllocationMode))
         return false;
      if (network == null) {
         if (other.network != null)
            return false;
      } else if (!network.equals(other.network))
         return false;
      if (networkConnectionIndex != other.networkConnectionIndex)
         return false;
      return true;
   }

   public Builder toBuilder() {
      return Builder.fromNetworkConnection(this);
   }

   @Override
   public String toString() {
      return "[network=" + network + ", connected=" + connected + ", ipAddress=" + ipAddress + ", externalIpAddress="
            + externalIpAddress + ", networkConnectionIndex=" + networkConnectionIndex + ", ipAddressAllocationMode="
            + ipAddressAllocationMode + ", MACAddress=" + MACAddress + "]";
   }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Colder Than Here
From: 25/01/2017
To: 29/01/2017
Starting at: 07:45 PM
Main Auditorium
North Street, Bromley, BR1 1SB
By Laura Wade
Directed by Phil Cairns
"A tragicomedy about death and how life goes on."
Nobody can ignore the fact Myra is dying, but in the meantime life goes on. There are boilers to be fixed, cats to be fed and the perfect funeral to be planned. As a mother researches burial spots and biodegradable coffins, her family are finally forced to communicate with her, and each other, as they face up to an unpredictable future.
Colder Than Here was the debut play by the acclaimed British playwright Laura Wade (Breathing Corpses, Posh). It won the Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Most Promising Playwright in 2005 and an Olivier Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre.
Myra: Deborah Hedges
Alec: Patrick Neylan
Harriet: Ami Whittaker Standing
Jenna: Nomi Bailey
"Laura Wade's play is a 90-minute masterpiece, a jewel, dark but translucent. It is a play of love, death and grief: the grief that is hardest to bear, because it begins before the loved one dies."– Sunday Times
"Wade's original and beautifully observed play balances raw emotion with a deliciously delicate black humour." – The Stage
"…its bittersweet combination of morbid black comedy and heartrending pathos is a pleasure." – British Theatre Guide


10%96°78°Thunderstorms with a high of 97 °F (36.1 °C). Winds from N to WNW at 1 to 6 mph (1.6 to 9.7 kph).Night - Mostly clear. Winds variable at 4 to 6 mph (6.4 to 9.7 kph). The overnight low will be 79 °F (26.1 °C).
Today - Thunderstorms with a high of 97 °F (36.1 °C). Winds from N to WNW at 1 to 6 mph (1.6 to 9.7 kph).


text:
Q: Checking dependency of variables in a contingency table I want to know if what I understood in class is right, and it's something regarding the verification of dependence between variables in a contingency table.

According to what I understood in class, if there is independence between the variables then:
$f_{ij} = f_{i \cdot} \times f_{\cdot j}$
Should be true for each cell, if it is false for one or more cell, then there is dependency between the variables.
So, let's check when $i = 1$, and $j = 1$.
$f_{11} = \frac{42}{100}$
$f_{1\cdot} = \frac{52}{100}$
$f_{\cdot 1} = \frac{51}{100}$
Because $\frac{42}{100} \neq \frac{52}{100} \cdot \frac{51}{100}$ we can say that there's dependence, I'm right?
I ask because I feel I didn't understand well what the teacher said and also I find that it's almost impossible that $f_{ij} = f_{i \cdot} \times f_{\cdot j}$ is satisfied for each cell.

A: A 'population' of 100 animals. If your population has only 100 animals, and your probability
structure is based only on those 100, then you could divide
the count in each cell by 100 to get probabilities. In that
case your answer would be correct.
A sample of 100 animals.
However, it seems more likely to me that this is a sample
of size 100 from a larger population of animals and you
want to test whether categorical variable Gender (M/F) is
independent of categorical Species (cat/dog) in the population.
Statistical tests of independence. There are two common procedures to test the null hypothesis
that these two variables are independent against the alternative
that they are not. One method is called the Fisher Exact Test
and it is based on the hypergeometric distribution. The other
method is a chi-squared test for independence and it is based
on a statistic that has approximately the chi-squared distribution
with 1 degree of freedom. If you are supposed to one of these
tests, you can find explanations of them in a statistics textbook
or online.
Brief view of the ch-squared test of independence. The chi-squared test is based on an idea very much like the one
you show. Consider the top left cell for 'Dog and Male'
We estimate the probability of Dog is this population as 52/100 and the probability of Male as 51/100. Under the hypothesis of
independence the probability of both Dog and Male is estimated
by the product  0.2652. Based on this assumption, we would
have $E_{11} = 0.2652(100) = 26.52$ as the estimated count
in the upper left cell. But we actually see $X_{11} = 42.$ Intuitively,
this is not good agreement, and tends to make us disbelieve
independence of Gender and Species.
A common measure of the disagreement in this cell is $Q_{11} = (X_{11} - E_{11})^2/E_{11} = 9.036.$
For a formal test, one does this same procedure for each cell
and adds the four $Q_{ij}$ together, for an overall chi-squared
statistic. If this total is greater than 3.85 we reject the
null hypothesis of independence at the '5% level of significance'.
(The number 3.85 cuts off 5% of the area from the right tail of the density
function of a chi-squared distribution with 1 degree of freedom.)
I used software to get the total 38.4, which is hugely larger
than 3.85, so it seem pretty clear that Gender and Species are
associated rather than independent categorical variables in the
population from which your sample of 100 animals was randomly chosen.
Perhaps these are pets sampled at vet clinics. If so, the
clients tend to prefer male dogs and female cats.


text:
IOW / News / News
Job Advertisements and Scholarships.
Press Archives.
Leibniz Nordost.
Webcam.
This page contains latest news regarding the institute. Some entries are only available in German.
Raising data treasures with ODIN 2 by easily surfing through over 60 years of Baltic Sea monitoring
This year, the first international agreement on joint monitoring of the Baltic Sea marine environment turns 50: As early as 1969, the riparian states for the first time carried out measurements along a coordinated station network as part of a so-called "Baltic Year". The Warnemünde oceanographers have been involved ever since and are making a significant contribution to this valuable long-term data set. Their more than 70 million data, some of them even dating back to 1951, are now freely accessible and can be visualised user-friendly with the ODIN 2 research tool developed by the IOW: https://odin2.io-warnemuende.de.
» Read more … Raising data treasures with ODIN 2 by easily surfing through over 60 years of Baltic Sea monitoring
Bad food?
How mesozooplankton reacts to blue-green algae blooms
A group of marine researchers around the IOW biologist Natalie Loick-Wilde has succeeded in deciphering the mysterious feeding behaviour of mesozooplankton in the presence of cyanobacterial blooms by analysing stable nitrogen isotopes in amino acids. They found that contradictory observations, according to which both the dominance of herbivorous and carnivorous diets occurred, can be explained by the aging process of a blue-green algal bloom. In view of an assumed future worldwide increase in such blooms, their findings open up new perspectives on potential developments within a key group of the marine food web.
» Read more … Bad food?
Model results: Baltic Sea could return to a good environmental status
In the largest model comparison ever carried out for the Baltic Sea region, an international team of authors led by Markus Meier, oceanographer from Warnemünde, came to the conclusion that a good status of the Baltic Sea environment can be achieved if the measures planned in the Baltic Sea Action Plan to reduce nutrient discharges are consistently implemented. They thus contradicted the view that climate change in general makes it impossible to achieve this goal. At the same time, however, they confirmed that climate change would lead to an increase in eutrophication if the nutrient load remains high.
» Read more … Model results: Baltic Sea could return to a good environmental status
Is climate change a threat to marine ecosystems in the Benguela upwelling system? New project kicks off
The three-year research project EVAR to investigate possible climate change impacts on key biogeochemical processes in the Benguela upwelling system off South West Africa, a very important fishing ground, was launched on January 2, 2019. The project is funded by the German Ministry of Research with about 3 Mill. euros and is headed by the IOW. Scientists from the MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences at Bremen University and the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel are also participating, together with their colleagues from the University of Namibia and the National Marine Information and Research Centre NatMIRC.
» Read more … Is climate change a threat to marine ecosystems in the Benguela upwelling system? New project kicks off
New climate report for the Baltic Sea region (BACC III) underway
The Second Assessment of Climate Change in the Baltic Sea Region (BACC II) of 2015 is currently being updated by scientists from the international Baltic Earth network. As for the previous two BACC reports (2008, 2015), Baltic Earth experts from various research fields such as meteorology, hydrology, oceanography, biology and biogeochemistry will compile the updated report. Furthermore, there will again be a close cooperation with HELCOM (Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission - Helsinki Commission).
» Read more … New climate report for the Baltic Sea region (BACC III) underway
Microplastics in the Sea
Alarming news about the growing littering of the seas and the omnipresence of microplastics trigger the public concern. Marine scientists are working with special emphasis to answer open questions related to this highly topical environmental issue. At the IOW, we investigate
• whether microplastics might serve as an ideal transportation vehicle for pathogenic germs
• how methods to determine microplastics, which today are still very time-consuming, can be improved
• which are the sources and pathways of microplastics into the sea.
Read more … Microplastics in the Sea
>> All entries
Contact persons in all matters of press and public relation at the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research are
Dr. Kristin Beck
Tel.: 0381 5197 135
E-Mail: krisnulltin.beck@io-warnemuende.de
Dr. Barbara Hentzsch
E-Mail: barbnullara.hentzsch@io-warnemuende.de
Satellite image of the month
Mean Sea Surface Temperature of Baltic Sea on 25.03.2019 produced from data of NOAA- and MetOp weather satellites.
read more in >> satellite images
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Some genius at Scienceworks had an amazing idea to have an 18+ night of fun, so of course being the big kids we are, we went along. As soon any anyone stepped foot inside Scienceworks they were instantly turned into an 8 year old again, whether they were actually 18 or 50. Sugar high on our side and with our limited attention spans, we scurried around Scienceworks pressing every button we found and playing with anything that didn't require too much effort.
One of my favourite thing visually was playing with light (photos below) because you could make all kinds of cool patterns with a couple of clear plastic blocks.
Our tickets covered a viewing at the Planetarium which we all decided we should've been drunk for (fairly sure someone was high). It was pretty. The lady needed to stop talking a bit, we didn't really care about what she was saying, we just wanted to look at the pretty lights.
We then saw a show at the Lightning Room with lots of chemicals and fire making pretty colours. The MC/experimenter guy kept telling us to act like we were 8, we didn't have to act. We also saw some lightning (hence the name) as it struck various modes of transport and a mannequin who looked like 10 year old David Bowie.
Scienceworks are currently hosting a Wallace & Gromit exhibition, which was mainly about inventions. I tantrumed because they didn't have the pants (anyone who's seen Wallace & Gromit will know what I'm talking about). In my opinion (and many other people's) they didn't have enough Wallace & Gromit and there was too much other random crap.
We definitely learnt our lesson that if Scienceworks ever have something like this again, we need to turn up drunk (and bring more alcohol).
Another thing to note is on June the 6th, you will be able to see Venus as a little black dot on the sun. So go ahead, stare at the sun.


Congratulations to our Senior Scholar Athletes from the Class of 2019!
SPRING IS HERE - GO KNIGHTS!
Sam Barton '18 Headed to D1 Golf at Lehigh!
S.A.L.T. attends NHIAA Student Leadership Conference!
The JV baseball team had a strong home opener as the Knights defeated the John Stark Generals 14-0 in 5 innings. Justin Stirt pitched a no-hitter, striking out 11.


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text:
A Celebration of A Writing Life and Honorary Fellowship
Sheldonian Theatre
One of the world's most prolific novelists Alexander McCall Smith talks about a writing life that has seen him publish more than 80 books. After this event, he will receive the honorary fellowship of the FT Weekend Oxford Literary Festival.
McCall Smith became a household name with the publication of his series The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency, which has sold more than 20 million copies in English alone. He is also author of the popular 44 Scotland Street novels, the Isabel Dalhousie novels, the von Igfeld series, standalone novels, works of non-fiction, and children's books. The volume of his literary output is even more extraordinary when you consider he had a successful career as a professor of medical law before turning to full-time writing.
McCall Smith publishes up to four or five new books a year. His latest ones include To the Land of Long Lost Friends in the The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, and The Peppermint Tea Chronicles. A second instalment on the new Detective Varg series, The Talented Mr Varg, is published shortly.
Previous recipients of the honorary fellowship have been Joanne Harris (2019), Anthony Horowitz (2018), Dame Penelope Lively (2017), Sir Alan Ayckbourn (2016), David Lodge (2015), Jan Morris (2014), Philip Pullman (2013), William Boyd (2012), Sir Kazuo Ishiguro (2011), Dame Antonia Byatt (2010) and Baroness P D James (2009).
*recently added
irish programme
jewish and hebrew programme
John Carey Interviewed by Bernard O'Donoghue
A Little History of Poetry
Claudia La Malfa
Raphael and the Antique
St Cross College 10:00am Fri 3 Friday, 3 April 2020 See this event
The Story of China: A Portrait of a Civilisation and a People
Sheldonian Theatre 10:00am Fri 3 Friday, 3 April 2020 See this event
Vivek Singh
Indian Cooking Masterclass
Westgate Centre: Cinnamon Kitchen 11:00am Fri 3 Friday, 3 April 2020 See this event
Diego Zancani
How we Fell in Love with Italian Food
Weston Lecture Theatre 12:00pm Fri 3 Friday, 3 April 2020 See this event
Catherine Horwood
Beth Chatto: A Life with Plants
St Cross College 12:00pm Fri 3 Friday, 3 April 2020 See this event
Infamy: The Crimes of Ancient Rome
Oxford Martin School: Seminar Room 12:00pm Fri 3 Friday, 3 April 2020 See this event
James Hanratty
The Making of an Immigration Judge
Oxford Martin School: Lecture Theatre 12:00pm Fri 3 Friday, 3 April 2020 See this event
Janet Ellis and Kirsty Wark Interviewed by Lucy Atkins
How it Was and The House by the Loch
Bodleian: Divinity School 12:00pm Fri 3 Friday, 3 April 2020 See this event
Bernard O'Donoghue
Poetry: A Very Short Introduction
Blackwell's Marquee 1:15pm Fri 3 Friday, 3 April 2020 See this event
The Other Bennet Sister
Bodleian: Divinity School 2:00pm Fri 3 Friday, 3 April 2020 See this event
John Took
Oxford Martin School: Seminar Room 2:00pm Fri 3 Friday, 3 April 2020 See this event
Here Comes the Sun: How it Makes us What we are
Sheldonian Theatre 2:00pm Fri 3 Friday, 3 April 2020 See this event
Mamtimyn Sunuodula
A Book Written Upside Down: Origins of Chinese Learning in the UK
Clementine Fiell, Nipa Doshi and Kim Colin Chaired by Charlotte Fiell
Women in Design
Oxford Martin School: Lecture Theatre 2:00pm Fri 3 Friday, 3 April 2020 See this event
Ian Fraser
Shredded: Inside RBS, The Bank that Broke Britain
Helen Taylor
Why Women Read Fiction: The Stories of our Lives
St Cross College 4:00pm Fri 3 Friday, 3 April 2020 See this event
Philip Mansel
The Sun King and the English: from Francophobia to Francophilia
The Beauty and the Terror: An Alternative History of the Italian Renaissance
SLAM! You're Gonna Wanna Hear This
Susan Llewelyn
Clinical Psychology: A Very Short Introduction
Donna Leon Interviewed by Peter Kemp
Hugo Mercier
Not Born Yesterday: The Science of Who We Trust and What We Believe
Rebecca Abrams
Jewish Treasures from Oxford Libraries
Philipp Ther and Peter Gatrell Chaired by Ian Goldin
Migration and Europe: The Story of Today and our Yesterdays
Women of Westminster: The MPs who Changed Politics
The Oxford festival is the most elegant and atmospheric of literary festivals. It's a pleasure to both attend and perform there.
Colin Thubron , travel writer


Bully Pulpit games has offered a sneak peek into a new version of Fiasco. Now Fiasco is a game I like but it can be a little bumpy to get the most out of your first few games.
One thing that might be daunting is how wide open game elements can be. It's interesting that the designer has thought about reining potential outcomes in some, and offering more concrete scenarios. I dig the idea that of sets of cards represent everything you need to play.
For uninitiated folks this might be a fun way to jump into the game and not have to wrack your brain over details of relationships and needs. As a product, it's an interesting idea how to sell new content. You buy a pack of cards that can have everything in a playset. Even more interesting, you can mix and match playset elements, making games unique and add some replay.
It appears to be striving for a more structured, and a little more approachable, play experience. I always felt Fiasco was a solid introduction to RPGs for people that dabbled in gaming. You didn't need to worry about character generation and learning any game mechanics like hit points, abilities, or skills. You could just think up a character and play out a scene. However it still could be too cerebral for some folks to get. This new version might offer an easier introduction (and faster playthrough) to the game.
I imagine the idea of cards and more structured game elements will put some off. There is still a huge number of free playsets available, even one done by yours truly though. Regardless glad to see Fiasco getting a potential face lift and maybe another release for more people to enjoy in the near future.
One slight complaint I had with the base campaign for the Arkham Horror LCG was that after a few playthroughs things were going to get repetitive. You'd have the same location cards, the same agenda and act cards, nothing really would change and repetition would creep in. This is alleviated some in the 2nd and 3rd scenarios as there are excess location cards, throwing a little variety into the layouts for those scenarios. I mentioned a small expansion that could add some additional location cards would be great to stretch out the replay of the core set. Seems folks at Fantasy Flight had the same idea.
Return to Night of the Zealot is a new campaign that has just been announced. With roughly 60 cards, this mini-expansion supplements the original core set campaign, adding new agenda and location cards to provide a different experience. Additionally there are new monsters and encounter cards that ramp up the challenge. I'm happy to see this being explored for the core set. A small tweak like having additional location cards really opens up the replay potential for it.
In addition to the new scenario cards are new investigator cards. Most seems to be improved versions for those in the original box. Get a few XP and you can change out a couple of level 0 cards with better versions. On this point I am a little disappointed. It's wonderful to have more investigator cards for the game, but I wish more were included to lessen the need for buying a 2nd core. Why not also include the full spread of neutral cards and a couple of key level 0 cards for every class? That could potentially allow 3 or 4 people to play and add a ton more value to this expansion.
It's also alluded that there are challenges introduced into the game. Sort of some type of achievement which might offer additional rewards or player abilities. The details on that seem a bit murky, but might offer a fun side event to the main game. Lastly the packaging seems to allow for you to store all the core set encounter and scenario cards together inside this box, offering a better way to organize your cards. A nice touch to make the packaging more functional.
Despite my niggles, overall I am excited to see this. The jury is out, but I could see this as a solid 'next step' purchase for those wanting to get into the game a little more. I'm still working my way through the Dunwich Legacy expansion. Overall it's great and the base expansion set adds a ton to the game, but I have a reservation with it.
The base expansion set only has 2 scenarios and essentially sets the stage for a full blown campaign. You really need to purchase all the mythos scenario packs to complete Dunwich Legacy. That is a huge buy in. Return of the Zealot offers additional play with just the core set and a smaller initial purchase. If you dig Arkham Horror but didn't necessarily want to try out a long, extensive campaign, this product seems to be an ideal choice. Something to add to the core set experience, but not require you to purchase a ton of scenario packs to get an entire campaign.
We'll see how it fares. Tad disappointed that more effort wasn't made to expand the player count and open deck building options with this expansion. However I'm glad to see the campaign was revisited and some love given to it. Great to see cards added to offer a different play experience and stretch out the replay value of the core set.
New Netrunner core set announced.
I'll be dipped in poop. Fantasy Flight is releasing a new core set for Netrunner.
On other social media I've been lamenting about Netrunner a bit. It was odd that GenCon came and went and the official Fantasy Flight presentation made no comment about the game at all. When pressed there was a non-specific comment about the last data pack being released and potentially rotation hitting before the World's tournament, but nothing else.
Quietly as the game has evolved and errata crept in, the core set was in a little trouble. Most notable was that Astroscript Pilot was changed so that only one card was allowable in a deck. That really broke the box in a way, making it impossible for a player to make a legal NBN deck out of the core set. Mind you this wasn't a change made to reflect any tournament games, this was a full out change to the card. So some type of product was needed to fix it.
Additionally rotation for Netrunner has finally hit. To explain for some that are scratching their head, Fantasy Flight introduced a concept of rotating out older expansions. Their expansion packs are released in cycles with each pack part of an overall theme. After a certain number of cycles, earlier expansion packs will drop out of tournament play. The cycles are typically 6 expansion packs, each full cycle being around 120 unique cards. The idea is that after so many years there is a bloat to the competitive game from a huge card pool. Allowing expansion cycles to retire reduces the overload of cards new players have to take in and allow new expansions to do different stuff (since they don't have to be worried about how it will combine with abilities from card X in the very first card expansion released years ago).
Aside from these expansion cycles however are larger, big box expansions (Terminal Directive is included in this). They're considered evergreen products. The cards in these expansions, along with the ones in the core set will never rotate out and always be usable for tournaments. A nice stepping stone if you will, that allows new players to expand their card pool on a budget and never have to worry about their cards being retired in 4 or 5 years.
So now it looks like instead of another evergreen expansion, Fantasy Flight decided to go all in and release a new core set. From the blurb on the announcement page, it will be 247 player cards split between 133 Corp cards, and 114 Runner cards. Interestingly, while it will be a new player introduction to the game they will not introduce any new cards.
Something notable is that players that have data packs (card expansions) from the first two cycles, Genesis and Spin will already own all the cards potentially in this set. So it won't be adding anything new. It also appears to answer a burning questions many have had. What will be replacing staples from the Genesis and Spin cycles now that rotation has come?
Many considered the Genesis and Spin cycles were core 2.0. They had cards that filled in a lot of gaps from the initial core set. So much so that a handful of cards are considered standards to competitive decks even years later. Now it appears that they might have a second life as part of the new core set (and more notably will never rotate out of the tournament scene).
Another very interesting change is the core IDs and a few other cards will be retired. It looks like HB: Engineering the Future has been replaced with Stronger Together. The runner factions have also had a huge shift. The Anarchs how have Reina Roja instead of Noise, while Shapers now have Chaos Theory instead of Kate "Mac" McCaffrey. This is a big change, especially for Anarchs. Some folks have always mentioned Noise was a little too disruptive to the normal game and it looks like from an introductory perspective, Fantasy Flight decided to go in a different direction.
Along with this of course is the removal of some core cards. Looks as if a few icon standards for Anarch (Medium, Parasite, Yog) along with Criminal (Account Siphon and Desperado) will be removed from the game. Another big corp card to leave is Scorched Earth. There'll be some replacements but not quite the same. I'm surprised by this but think the undercurrent is these core cards have slowly strangled the design space, especially Parasite as ice destruction will always be hovering over any future combos because of this card. Aside from a new distribution of cards and IDs, it looks like there will be new card art. On another small note it also appears the box is a tad smaller in depth, more akin to the Arkham Horror LCG.
I do wonder if some cards might get reintroduced as doppelgangers in function for future cycles. I'm curious if some'll sneak in the new expansion that was announced. Certainly hope a few will, but maybe it's been decided that those cards from the core need to be retired for good. Either way, exciting times ahead for Netrunner.
"Rebel Publishing Ltd was formed in July 2002 and traded successfully for a number of years. Spartan Games was launched in 2008 and grew rapidly. However, the tabletop games market is challenging and has changed over recent years, and suppliers are predominantly a small number of large well-known names and several small, cottage industry, type businesses.
Initially the business outsourced production but following quality control and production management issues, manufacturing was moved in house between 2009 and 2011. Over this time and since, significant investment was made into machinery and infrastructure. The business also expanded to provide models for a well known video game, moving this into the tabletop games arena. However, significant new development costs, timing issues and the deflection of management time from the core games brands resulted in a significant trading loss for 2015/6. The business was able to continue to trade by raising additional finance and refocusing on core brands, and direct / online trading improved significantly. Results for 2016/17 were significantly improved.
I wondered about them trying to expand too fast and dabble into too many systems. The Halo property was picked up and offered as another space fleet game which to me was sort of butting heads with Firestorm Armada. I heard there were rumors floating about having another trimmed down fleet ruleset for FA too. A reboot of sorts with Dystopian Wars also got a mixed reception with long time fans.
PlanetFall looked cool and appeared Spartan Games had some interesting ideas mixing it in with FA as a combined planetary invasion game. But makes me wonder with competition of Dropzone Commander, and Games Workshop always having Epic 40K in their back pocket, how the rule system would fare in the long run. It also appears some of their Kickstarter campaigns have been cancelled (see pic below).
I think fun, fleet game systems are sort of lacking and with the vacuum it looks like no one will ever take a real stab at them in the future. Either for fantasy or sci-fi, Games Workshop can just act as a market juggernaut with a re-release of old properties, essentially guaranteeing getting a chunk of cash from die-hard fans and out compete any newcomers. Shame.
If folks still have questions looks like email to spartangames@mail.com is your best bet.
A while back I reviewed Broken Earth, a post-apocalyptic setting for Savage Worlds. I liked it. It had a nice flavor of not being too out there as a setting with enough twists and weird mutant stuff to make it interesting. One big gripe I had was the maps however. They were pretty hard to navigate using the book.
Seems a free map is available at Drivethru RPG. It's still a little sparse on details and certainly keyed for locations in the setting, but overall I think much of an improvement from what was presented in the physical book. Worth checking out, and a shout out to the folks that run the Savage Bloggers Network for circulating this.
I've been pretty fortunate over the past few years to get into a circle of local gamers. There seems to be a decent community behind a lot of them too. Alleycon will be running next month and what started out as an afternoon of gaming at a local expat restaurant has slowly morphed into a full fledged con. This year it'll be 2 full days of gaming and geekery September 19 and 20, with a local meetup the night before for beer and trivia.
So if you are in Korea and keen to play some games, do some cosplay, or rub elbows with fellow geeks, be sure to check it out. From what they've got listed as events there's lots to do (or plenty of space to run your own thing). Online registration is open now. Scoop up tickets before they sell out!
I've avoided the siren's call of Reaper Kickstarter campaigns of past. But the temptation to pick up a slew of minis is just too much. Their current Kickstarter campaign wraps up in less than 3 days. As usual, you get a ton of plastic minis. The bonus for me is that you don't need to prime them.
I prefer to use tokens for my RPG sessions over using minis. But I am pretty deep into miniature gaming and been taking a gander to some different systems as of late. Pulp Alley looks neat and Frostgrave is certainly on my radar for something to pick up. As a back up, there is always Chain Reaction which is generic enough for a variety of light arms skirmish games. Yet, I've heard some cool things about Songs of Blades and Heroes too for fantasy melee. Yeah…. guess I'll have plenty of games to run with these KS goodies.
Those that check my blog out regularly know I love me some 6th gun. It's a great comic and a setting I mined for my own Weird West game. Deadlands is cool but it's a little too out there with spooky and steampunk stuff in the setting. I opted for an alternate history with some supernatural bits thrown in.
What I like about 6th gun is for the most part it's the world today with a smattering of the supernatural. The players themselves are knee deep in it, but the world around them only occasionally steps into the boundaries of this alternate spiritual world. I see it as a little easier fit that Deadlands, which to me needs a bit more work conveying the setting. Deadlands is certainly the wild west, but there are a lot of changes to the landscape. 6th Gun doesn't have this issue.
While people could dabble in the game setting, I expect it could serve as a great epic campaign too. For folks unfamiliar with the comic, the story revolves around the acquisition of 6 guns which give the wielders supernatural powers. I cant totally see a game where players focus on a single gun, or try to wrestle a larger story where all 6 come into the picture and the greater implications of their role in the fate of the world. There is a lot to toy around with here.
So the kickstarter campaign is running along and has reached it's funding goal. It's all extras from here on out and some look nice. I particularly like that there are add-ons that incorporate picking up the comic, and those minis look pretty cool too.
If you want to dabble in a supernatural western setting, this looks like a good fit. While not quite as gonzo as Deadlands, 6th Gun should still scratch that itch of the wild west with one foot firmly planted in creepy territory, and not sway too far into steampunk like Deadlands does. Might be worth a gander for folks.
Last year a small geek fandom con dubbed, Alleycon, was run at a local eatery in Gwangju, Korea. This Sept. 27 it'll be hosted in a larger venue at the Gwangju Women's University. Last year the event was pretty fun and it looks like it'll be bigger this year with some more guests and organized events.
Pre-registration I believe is closed, but seems there is still quite a few passes left so registration at the door shouldn't be an issue. Not certain about the costs, but all day passes should run between 20,000-30,000 kwon. Best of all many con events will have proceeds going to a local orphanage. So you can spend some cash picking up (and playing) some geek-centric items and ease that guilt a little knowing you are doing some good at the same time.
There'll be a cosplay contest, video games, some Q&A sessions via skype with some sci-fi authors, and a bevy of tabletop gaming. Along with set events, there will also be a room with open tables. So if you are itching to throw down and try out a game in your collection, this might be a great chance to try it out with a few like minded folks.
I'll be running a Bolt Action demo game and also a Savage Worlds WWII game. Last year I did something similar and had a good time running events as most of my players had not tried RPGs or miniature wargames before. So it's always a treat to give folks a chance to see what the hubub of gaming is all about.
Why is the starter set for D&D ignored?
So news has hit like a ton of bricks about the release schedule for DnDnext. EN World got a scoop and have followed up the official announcement over on the WotC main page. Two big things that stand out are a staggered release for the core books with the DMG rounding up the group last. The next bit of news that seems to get a lot of chatter are the prices, which tips in at $50 a book.
That's pretty hefty. I can totally see how folks could be put off by that. Some also have been pretty vocal about the price of entry for the new edition being too high, so high they aren't going to bother. What I don't get is how the starter set is completely ignored by them.
I guess people are imagining the worst with the starter set. Honestly I felt much of the past introduction products for 4E were lackluster. However I have hopes for the new boxed set. I really have a vibe they are going for a more complete product with the introductory box.
Lots of questions about character creation and the starter set – you will definitely be able to make characters when it comes out.
Lots of Q's about the staggered release: You will not need the MM or DMG to run a campaign. Or the PH or Starter Set to make a character.
This last bit makes sense. The public playtest rules are out in the wild. While torrents are illegal, folks at WotC have to recognize stuff is out there, so why not embrace it somewhat and provide free, legal PDFs of their own? More importantly, if there are tweaks to abilities, spells, and powers, an electronic version can be pulled and a new errata version put up. It could be a nice way to ensure players are bringing up-to-date characters around the table at public play events.
The starter set might be lackluster with just pregens and a simple basic adventure. However it might also be a pretty phenomenal product. It might have the muscle in rules and material to be the only thing needed to play D&D. If you really want options and the full plethora of creatures, treasure, and classes, the core books are the way to go. But if you want to play a game and get a few levels in for some characters, the starter set might be a solid option.
It may very well be the product that everyone points to and says, 'This is what you need to play D&D.' It's only $20 too. A great price for hopefully a great product to get people playing D&D. Maybe with all the gnashing of teeth and ire over the core books, folks need to remember there is a product that will be out there made especially for those that want to try D&D out, and it's far less than the $150 price tag of the core books.


The California Reentry Council Network (CRCN) is a state-wide network of local reentry councils, roundtables or task forces composed of diverse stakeholders who work together to improve the policies and programs that affect people returning to their communities from jails and prisons. CRCN aims to increase the organizational capacity of reentry councils, roundtables and task forces, improve the participation of county partners in local reentry councils, and to maintain a network for ongoing communication and information sharing on successes and challenges of reentry policies and practices across the state.
There are currently 12 reentry groups representing 10 California counties involved with CRCN. If you are involved with a reentry group in California that is not currently a part of CRCN, please contact us for more information about how to join CRCN.
CRCN has created calreentry.com as a resource for local community collaborations working to promote safe and successful reentry for people leaving jails and prisons. Calreentry.com provides an opportunity to: (1) learn about similar reentry work in cities and counties across California, (2) access resources on areas of interest, and to (3) share information about what is happening within local reentry collaborations across California.
CRCN is currently being staffed by consultants from The Bridging Group. The Bridging Grouping is a consulting firm focused on the impact of incarceration on public health, families and community reentry with expertise in capacity building, evaluation and research, fund and program development, policy development, and training and dissemination.
This work is sponsored by the Rosenberg Foundation, in partnership with the Institute for Local Government the Reentry Council of the City & County of San Francisco and Californians for Safety and Justice.


Our research in the Multimodal Interfaces group aims at solving the problem of information explosion by fusing several of the available perceptual and user feedback modalities. The results will be applied in interactive interfaces, for example in content-based multimodal retrieval.
The inter-modal cross-over of semantics such as image, audio and text segments corresponding to each other can be accomplished, e.g., by a so-called point-and-tell interface like the one above.
The Multimodal Interfaces group coordinates our work on relevant subtopics, namely image retrieval, speech recognition, proactive information retrieval, and natural language processing.


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