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Day 204 - Blue
I refused to believe that the Chiuxatli didn't have some way to get word over to us faster than a few hours before they arrived. Instead, I was pretty sure it was a case of begging forgiveness being easier than asking permission, since any sane person would reject taking in millions of refugees. Those numbers matched or dwarfed any of the kingdoms I'd seen save Ir, and while there were probably larger pockets of sapients somewhere on the planet, incorporating a whole nation's worth of a different culture ranged from a really bad idea to actually impossible.
Regardless of the reasoning, the magnitude of the issue meant that it was no longer Iniri's problem, but mine. I didn't even wait for her to process fully, because I knew she'd try and figure out what to do without bringing me in. Not because she didn't want my help, but because her role was to act as a buffer against normal political stuff so I wouldn't have to deal with it. This was not normal political stuff.
"Yeah, that's not a good thing. I'll talk to them," I told Iniri, where she was giving the Chiuxatli thunderously displeased look. "Just let me shake Shayma free of One-Eye-Green and I'll summon them into the audience chamber." Iniri smiled at that, and it wasn't a particularly kind smile.
"I do not appreciate your Flight-Alpha's invasion of Tarnil," she said, and then ruthlessly continued onward past the wildly flashing plumage of the Chiuxatli and an attempted protest from the interpreter. "I am not completely unsympathetic to being driven from your homes by an invasion of monsters, but the threat that you have decided to pose means that Blue has taken a personal interest. You will deal with him."
"Queen Iniri, we did not intend—" the interpreter finally said, and Iniri waved a dismissive hand.
"He is not giving you a choice," she said. I had to appreciate the tone.
"Hey, Shayma," I said, interrupting her discussions with the Scalemind. My first probe had broken into a massive underground sea, which did brim with all kinds of strange life, but wasn't what the Scalemind were used to. I was trying for another bore but in the meantime they were doing their best to understand the esoteric concepts of fishing. "I need you to act as Voice because the Chiuxatli are coming with three million refugees after some Blightbeasts messed up their homeland."
"…what." Shayma said, blinking as she took that in. "That does sound like an emergency."
"Is there a problem, Miss Shayma?" One-Eye-Green asked, and Shayma favored her with a smile.
"Just a problem Blue has to deal with," she reassured the Scalemind. "I'll be back in a little bit." She blinked over to the teleport point and transferred herself to her perch in my audience chamber, at which point I grabbed the still-protesting interpreter and his Chiuxatli. They popped in right in front of the dais and Shayma practically flattened the bird-people with my Presence.
"I want to know why I should allow the Chiuxatli to come here," I said bluntly, and Shayma was no more diplomatic. Iniri had it right — I was sympathetic to their plight, but arriving here en masse without notice was not something that could go unpunished. It was an invasion that used civilians to pretend they weren't coming with an army, which made it even worse than simply invading. Colored plumage flashed as three of the four individuals struggled to remain upright, only the interpreter being spared the pressure.
"My Lord Blue," the interpreter began, "Esteemed [Slicer-of-Lies] Huyaceotl protests that he did not know anything of what was going on, and that he has not had contact with the Flight-Alpha for weeks. He agrees the situation is provocative, but does not have the authority to speak for Flight-Alpha Tlulipechua."
That was fair enough. Assuming they were telling the truth, anyway, which made me think I ought to have Taelah around just to advise Shayma the next time I had an interrogation. No matter how I squeezed those three, they weren't the ones making any decisions, though it was important they knew I wasn't happy. It would make them more convincing when they reported to Tlulipechua.
"Tell Tlulipechua that before any of his refugees enters Tarnil airspace, he will come and speak with me. If he tries to invade, well, you have seen what I can do. That is all." Shayma repeated my words to them, and then lifted the weight of Presence with a negligent wave of her hand. I took the cue and teleported them back to their tower before they could protest.
"I can't even imagine," Shayma said quietly after they were gone. "Millions of them? That's more than the entire population of Tarnil!"
"I know. I really don't want to have to kill that many people, but if they try to take things by force I will."
"If they don't? I suppose the Caldera has room…" Shayma said thoughtfully.
"Oh, I'm sure that they know that. The Chiuxatli were at the summit, after all. Though I wonder how bad it was if they decided that moving their entire population over an ocean, around the mage-kings, was a better idea than fighting back."
"That's a little terrifying to think about." Shayma said. "But I guess a lot of people did leave when the mage-kings invaded."
"There wasn't much depletion outside the actual red core dungeons, either, so this is something a little different. Poisoning the land, I guess." It was obvious why such a thing would force the Chiuxatli to evacuate. If anything, I should be marveling that the Flight-Alpha managed to get everyone loaded up and moving in such a short amount of time.
Some twenty minutes after I plunked them down in the weather tower, the scout went winging back east, so he was clearly taking things seriously. That said, if Tlulipechua was only six hours away, I was surprised I couldn't see the force already. Though, they were clearly moving a lot faster than the mage-kings, if they'd covered twice as much ocean in two days as the mage-kings had in a week. Probably more, since I imagine they had to bend their path around mage-king lands. Still, I was pretty sure I'd be able to spot them from pretty far out.
Three million people were hard to miss.
That said, I still missed it at first, because it looked like nothing more than clouds out on the horizon over the ocean. Only after the clouds got closer did I realize that they were actually ships and platforms. Tens or maybe even hundreds of thousands of them, surrounded by Chiuxatli flitting between them. The line stretched for miles, a mind-bogglingly huge column coming up from the southeast.
As they drew closer, I could see they weren't just hacked together floating pieces of wood or metal, or even oversized fortresses like Vok Lim had brought. There were intricately carved ships with sails above and below, blazing with a combination of different mana types and ranging from a crew of maybe four or five to probably multiple thousands for the huge dreadnaught at the forefront of the column.
That thing was heavily runed, all the way down to being stitched into the actual sails, and had weapons that looked quite a bit like the mana projectors the fortresses had toted around. It was also towing a number of floating platforms nearly as large as itself, each one festooned with colorful tents and swarming with the bird people. In fact, every proper ship seemed to have some extra platforms attached, though some of them were so small they could only support a single tent.
I was actually feeling a bit nervous as that huge armada got closer to Tarnil. Not because I couldn't deal with it, though they were riding higher in the sky than the fortresses. I might be forced to [Starlance] them if they actually attacked, which of course would definitely work. It was more that I didn't want to be forced to do so. Still, I started putting together the cores for new [Contained Stars] in case I needed them.
Fortunately the riotous colors of the Chiuxatli slowed down as they neared Tarnil's shore, the column crowding in to spread out without actually crossing the border. I started making preparations to relocate all the coastal population yet again, just in case, but it seemed like Tlulipechua was willing to talk first.
It was pretty obvious who Tlulipechua was, partly because he had a lot of fancy jewelry on, not to mention brightly colored cloth tied around his wrists and ankles. Mostly, though, it was the fact that he was a full size bigger than the rest of the Chiuxatli, making him a fraction taller than Annit, though broader and quite a bit fluffier. His colors were also more vibrant than any of the others, which was saying something when they could flash some pretty eye-searing shades in the first place.
He took off from the dreadnaught, accompanied by a half-dozen others and holding a massive spear in his hands. Considering how much wind Affinity mana I could see swirling around inside, it was probably something like Iniri's Torc. Maybe not an Artifact, but something pretty damn close to it.
The seven of them flew down toward the canal, taking advantage of the spatial compression to make the trip in a reasonable time. He and his companions were extraordinarily quick, their flight speed rivaling at least that of a prop atmo craft, so I called upon Shayma to take her place in the audience chamber again.
I thought that he might be going to see Iniri, so I was surprised when they shot out over the lake and aimed directly for the portal I'd installed instead. Between that and using the canal he clearly had foreknowledge of Meil, but the Chiuxatli had been around for a while so it wasn't too unreasonable. The fact that they could fly sort of subverted the ascetic stair I'd put together, but oh well. They flew through it regardless, landing on the other side.
Flight-Alpha Tlulipechua
Level 108 [He Who Rides All Winds]
He was pretty impressive to my overlay, slightly higher level than Wright, even. Definitely fifth tier, and his title was reflected in his actual name in his Status. Definitely not someone to take lightly.
Shayma watched them as they walked in, Tlulipechua in the lead with the six others in a wedge stretching out behind him, or rather, like a small flock. Tlulipechua walked straight ahead toward the dais, and while some of his compatriots paused slightly, shifting a bit as if looking about despite their eyeless heads, he did not. Instead he stepped onto the dais and immediately knelt, the spear held down and sideways and wings spread out as wind magic sparked.
"Oh, great one," Tlulipechua said through wind magic, the words thrumming and sighing. "Please, save my people."
End of Book 2
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Friday, March 5, 2021 10:05:00 PM


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Q: Comparing FPGA with ASIC design I have a fundamental question. I produced some FPGA image for some media application and
now I would like to compare my results to the ones of ASIC implementation of the same algorithm in terms of performance & area. I have heard such a comparasion does not make sense since it is somewhat comparing apples and oranges. But I have heard about the Gate-equivalence metric, cant I use this for comparison reasons?
Thanks

A: As has been pointed out, gate equivalents are only a rough guesstimate and not all that accurate for determining area in an ASIC.  There are different of ways you can go about finding out how your design would perform (and cost) in an ASIC.  You likely used an HDL (VHDL or Verilog) to implement your design.  If you have access to a synthesis tool like Synopsys' Design Compiler (DC) you can use that with one of the supplied ASIC vendor libraries to determine area.  You can also use it to generate a post-synthesis, gate-level netlist that you can use in simulation to determine performance.  DC will also give you information about critical path timing, etc. that can be used to calculate performance as well.
However, DC is a very expensive product and you likely used FPGA vendor supplied tools to synthesize your HDL design.  You could approach an ASIC vendor and ask them to analyze your design to determine size & performance (they would likely use DC - you'd have to be willing to hand your HDL over to them).  They may be inclined to do this in order to win your business.  But as has been pointed out ASIC NREs are very expensive, so unless you have a high-volume product it probably doesn't make sense to move your design to an ASIC.

A: The gate equivalence metric might get you to within an order of magnitude - if that's good enough for you?  The problem is that a 4-input LUT can implement a single AND gate, or a complex 4-input function representing several gates.  Or (in a Xilinx chip) it can be a shift register with 16 bits of memory in it.  And it has a flipflop attached to its output (with attendant control signals and the like.... another few gates).  And if you've used Block memory or the DSP blocks, they are even harder to quantify.
When you say you want to compare performance and area, do you really mean "cost"? Is this a potential product with millions of units sold, or "just" a few 10s of thousands?  ASIC NRE is big!
You can optimise your FPGA design for cost as well, which might be good enough, depending on your volumes.  For example, an image-processing design done in a traditional fashion can be 10x bigger than one designed for seriously small FPGA usage, with similar application performance... if you know what you're doing :)

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text:
Most of the children in the hospital were not vaccinated – ScienceDaily
A new University at Buffalo study conducted at John R. O'Shea Children's Hospital is one of the first to find fewer cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) in children during an epidemic Omicron wave compared to a delta wave. . MIS-C is a rare but serious complication that occurs in children who have previously had COVID-19, and it has a fatality rate of nearly 1%. Published in the journal viruses Online Jan. 7, the study showed that those that occurred during Omicron were also milder than during Delta.
As shown in many other studies, during both waves, black children were disproportionately affected by MIS-C, and were more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19. The authors attribute this to systemic and structural racial health inequalities and note that limited analysis beyond this observation was possible because the study was not directed at contributions to racial health disparities.
The study shows how the MIS-C landscape is constantly changing as new COVID-19 variants evolve. At the same time, the authors note, it's hard to say what that means for the future.
"This is the hard question," says Mark D. Hekar, MD, PhD, lead author, pediatric infectious disease specialist at UBMD and associate professor in the department of pediatrics in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo. "Because we don't know why the early strains of the virus caused more MIS-C and why the omicron caused less, it's difficult to say whether future strains will be worse or better."
Likewise, he says, it is difficult to predict what the current strain XBB.1.5 will do, as this variant is starting to flourish in national data and it takes weeks before MIS-C cases appear.
Milder cases
"Some recently published studies have indicated that MIS-C cases are becoming more severe, but those were based on 2021 data, before the Omicron wave really started," Hekar notes.
"Our study is one of the first to show that during the change to omicron, MIS-C became increasingly milder and rarer," he says. "This trend has continued and MIS-C is currently very rare according to anecdotal reports from colleagues around the country."
However, he added that it is important to remain vigilant, as new strains of SARS-CoV2 can cause an increase in the incidence or severity of MIS-C.
Data from August 2021 to February 2022
The study retrospectively covered 271 patients admitted to Oishei Children's Hospital from August 2021 to February 2022, which included the majority of delta wave and when Omicron wave (BA.1) was strongest.
One of the main strengths of the study is that a panel of three infectious disease specialists determined in each case whether a child had been hospitalized for COVID-19 or some other reason and then tested positive for the virus. . To avoid potential false positives, the UB study relied only on cases that tested positive through PCR testing.
The panel was created after Patrick O. Kenny, MD, first author and University at Buffalo Medical Fellow in Infectious Diseases, found that a number of children reported hospitalizations with only an incidental diagnosis of SARS-CoV2 on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) ). They were experiencing symptoms that were not common during the previous waves. This included diphtheria, which was first described by other groups, but also increased seizure rates, bleeding episodes and intra-abdominal inflammation including pancreatitis and hepatitis.
"It supported reports at the time that there was an increase in omicron hospitalizations of children, but those reports focused on global admissions data," Hekar explains. "We wanted to take a deep look and have a thorough review of the clinical chart by three infectious disease physicians to decide whether a case was admitted due to COVID-19 or for some other reason and happened to have COVID-19."
Hicar explains that this detailed approach helps explain how MIS-C may change over time, especially given the decrease in severe cases during omicron. The study found that during delta, MIS-C accounted for up to 12% of hospital admissions in Oishei while it accounted for only 6% of hospital admissions during omicron. Based on their data, the researchers estimate the risk of MIS-C from omicron in western New York to be 32% lower than during Delta.
The study notes that while there was an increase in Buffalo Children's Hospital admissions during the Omicron wave, which was also nationwide, cases of both COVID-19 and MIS-C were generally less severe than during previous waves of the pandemic. . In addition, the length of hospital stay at Oishei Children's Hospital as a result of either MIS-C or COVID-19 was relatively short during this period.
Researchers report that children who tested positive for COVID-19 and who did not have MIS-C during the omicron wave showed a wide range of symptoms, particularly among younger children, including seizures due to high fever, as well as croup and related conditions. By contrast, children who experienced MIS-C during omicron displayed a narrower spectrum of symptoms: they almost always had a fever along with abdominal or upper respiratory symptoms. The authors note that none of the patients in the study met even incomplete criteria for Kawasaki disease. Early in the pandemic, MIS-C was thought to be similar to Kawasaki disease.
Most patients have not been vaccinated
The authors indicate that the majority of children admitted to Oishei Children's Hospital during the omicron period with COVID-19 or MIS-C were not vaccinated. Vaccines for children 12 years of age and older became available before the start of the study and were available for ages 5 to 11 during the study. Of the 107 children admitted with severe COVID-19 during omicron, vaccine status was recorded for 88 of them; Of these, five were fully vaccinated and one received a single dose. The others were unvaccinated.
Based on local county data showing that 33% of children under 18 had been vaccinated with the onset of the Omicron wave, rising to 42.1% by the end of the study period, the researchers calculated that the vaccines were between 87.8-91.7% effective in prevention. Hospitalization for either COVID-19 or MIS-C among children.
"Our data shows that even during major changes in the virus, from Delta to Omicron variants, vaccines can be very protective in preventing hospitalizations among children," Hekar said.
In addition to Kenny and Hekar, the co-authors are Arthur J. Chang, MD, of Children's Hospital and Medical Center of Omaha and Lorna Crabel, a fourth-year medical student at the Jacobs School.
Small numbers of mites can infest many honey bees, study suggests – ScienceDaily
It is estimated that wild birds have inherited 20% to 50% of their genomes from chickens – ScienceDaily
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Emperor Yes is a musical ensemble comprising of Ash Gardner (producer, engineer and House of Strange studios owner who has worked with for the likes of Ash, Mumford and Sons, Noah and the Whale, Emmy the Great and Summer Camp), Adam Betts (of Three Trapped Tigers) and Hugo Sheppard (solo artist and member of Carl and the Saganauts, House of Strange, Ron Jetson, Arch Stanton, and briefly with Summer Camp, Clockwork Quartet, and To-mera).
Together, this nerdy-pop super-group kicked-off their career with an uplifting brace of tracks in "Fishes/Wasps", which feels like an expressive vacation from their usual roles. To enhance even further the collaborative nature of this project, Emperor Yes hosted a month-long gallery show to celebrate the release where works by graffiti artists based on each of the tracks were on show and live performances from friends such as Olubenga (Metronomy) took place. Not only that, they also had a range of limited edition screen prints made by Low Bros, press shots by the fantastic Phil Sharp and the first of two music videos created by video mega-lord Chris Boyle (Call of Duty, The Who, Dizzee Rascal, Warp).
Emperor Yes are an act who, along with their well-accomplished associates, truly celebrate the power of collaboration, delivering well-beyond the results expected from such an experienced collective. Hear it on tape or mp3, watch it live or on video, and touch/see it on walls and canvasses available from the band at their shop.


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text:
Antisemitism (an aa spelled anti-Semitism or anti-semitism) is prejudice against, hatred o, or discrimination against Jews as an ethnic, releegious, or racial group.[1][2][3]
Wikimedia Commons haes media relatit tae Antisemitism.
↑ anti-Semitism – Definition and More from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Retrieved 2 June 2012.
↑ "A Brief History of Anti-Semitism" (PDF). Anti-defamation League. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
↑ See, for example:
"Anti-Semitism", Encyclopædia Britannica, 2006.
Johnson, Paul. A History of the Jews, HarperPerennial 1988, p 133 ff.
Lewis, Bernard. "The New Anti-Semitism", The American Scholar, Volume 75 No. 1, Winter 2006, pp. 25-36. The paper is based on a lecture delivered at Brandeis University on March 24, 2004.
Antisemitism is more commonly used than "religious antisemitism"[citation needit] or "anti-Judaism." The Encyclopædia Britannica, for example, defines "antisemitism" to include religious antisemitism: "hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious, ethnic, or racial group." ("Anti-Semitism", Encyclopædia Britannica, 2006.) Also see "Anti-Semitism", Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
Taen frae "https://sco.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Antisemitism&oldid=548151"


text:
World News - Poppy farmer: 'If they spray our crops there will be a big rebellion, you'll see'
Agha Nour has had some of his poppy crop eradicated. His neighbour's has remained virtually untouched. Others in the area have lost the lot. The harvest left untouched belongs to his cousin, Haji Abdul Munaf, who just happens to be the Mayor of Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand, the province that produces around 30 per cent of Afghanistan's poppy.Mr Nour, 77, claims he does not know what influence his cousin had on the eradication. "I think they will come back and finish off what is left. We are poor people, and this is our livelihood. How will we feed our families?"Mr Nour also cultivates wheat, fruit and alfalfa on his two hectares. But while he gets 50 Afghanis (60p) for 4kg of wheat, 4kg of poppy can fetch $400....
http://news.independent.co.uk
'US ready to strike Iran on Good Friday'
The United States will be ready to launch a missile attack on Iran's nuclear facilities as soon as early this month, perhaps "from 4 a.m. until 4 p.m. on April 6," according to reports in the Russian media on Saturday. According to Russian intelligence sources, the reports said, the US has devised a plan to attack several targets in Iran, and an assault could be carried out by launching missiles from fighter jets and warships stationed in the Persian Gulf. Russian news agency RIA Novosti quoted a security official as saying, "Russian intelligence has information that the US Armed Forces stationed in the Persian Gulf have nearly completed preparations for a missile strike against Iranian territory." The Russian Defense Ministry rejected the claims of an imminent attack as "myths." There was no immediate response from Washington. The reports come as the Iranian chief of staff, Hassan Fayrouz Abadi, was quoted on Saturday by Iran's Fars news agency warning ...
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1173879220977&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
Hollywood Blaze Spreads, Causing Panic Wildfire Forces Evacuations Of 200 Southern California Homes
Residents of 200 homes were ordered to evacuate Saturday as a wildfire burned out of control in hills and canyons in this city east of Los Angeles, authorities said. The fire burned about 1,400 acres, or 2.1 square miles, and had burned a shed and the roof of a house in the area where residents were being evacuated, said San Bernardino County Fire spokeswoman Angie Samayoa. The cause was under investigation, and about 400 firefighters were fighting the blaze. Hesperia is about 80 miles northeast of Los Angeles. "It's increased substantially," Samayoa said. "Firefighters are doing their very best to protect these homes." On Friday, flames allegedly ignited by two teens sent smoke seeping into the Warner Bros. studios and towering high in the sky behind the famous Hollywood sign before losing intensity. ...
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/30/national/main2631102.shtml?source=RSSattr=U.S._2631102
Boogieman suspect moved to Guantanamo Bay
A purported al Qaeda terrorist accused in the deadly 2002 bombing of a hotel in Kenya has been transferred to U.S. custody and sent to the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Pentagon officials said yesterday. Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman identified the suspect as Abdul Malik. He is the first terrorism suspect to be transferred to Guantanamo Bay since September 2004. Mr. Whitman said Malik would undergo a military hearing to determine whether he is to be classified as an "enemy combatant." Mr. Whitman declined to provide details such as Malik's nationality or how he came into U.S. custody. He called Malik a "dangerous terrorist suspect." Mr. Whitman said Malik admitted to involvement in the November 2002 attack on the Israeli-owned Paradise Hotel in Kikambala, Kenya, in which 13 persons died, and to involvement in the unsuccessful attempted shootdown of an Israeli Boeing 757 civilian jetliner carrying 271 passengers, also in Kenya in 2002....
U.S. March toll nearly twice Iraq forces
The US military death toll in March, the first full month of the security crackdown, was nearly twice that of the Iraqi army, which American and Iraqi officials say is taking the leading role in the latest attempt to curb violence in the capital, surrounding cities and Anbar province, according to figures compiled on Saturday. The AP count of US military deaths for the month was 81, including a soldier who died from non-combat causes Friday. Figures compiled from officials in the Iraqi ministries of Defense, Health and Interior showed the Iraqi military toll was 44. The Iraqi figures showed that 165 Iraqi police were killed in March. Many of the police serve in paramilitary units. According to the AP count 3,246 U.S. service members have died in Iraq since the war began in March 2003. At least 83 American forces died in January and 80 in February, according to the AP tabulation. The Iraqi figures were gathered from officials who released them on condition of anonymity ...
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070331/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_march_casualties
The Complicated Power of the Vote to Nowhere
SO it's yes to timetables for Iraq, both the House and the Senate have now said. But don't schedule the welcome-home parades yet. For a start, the two very different spending bills passed in the last 10 days have yet to be reconciled and President Bush has promised a veto, with a veto override quite unlikely. But that isn't to say the votes were meaningless, judging from the last slow-motion collision of a wartime president and the antiwar voices in Congress. Historians of the Vietnam era suggest that those who look to Congress for decisive action to end the current war will be disappointed. But they say that today, just as in the 1960s and 70s, Congress both reflects and amplifies public disillusionment; its votes, however symbolic, could set political limits on the president's options. "Congress becomes the public voice of opposition," said Robert Dallek, the presidential historian, who has dissected the interaction of Congress with both Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard M. Nixon. "And ...
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/01/weekinreview/01shane.html?ex=1333080000&en=0303c870b977c451&ei=5090∂ner=rssuserland&emc=rss


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Start your Sunday with some fun and Yoga & Mimosas. This is an all levels Beach Yoga class followed by a complimentary Mimosa, Bloody Mary or non-alcoholic beverage of your choice. Yoga & Mimosas is a yogi favorite and a great Sunday morning girlfriend gathering, date or family event.
Note: Yoga & Mimosas is typically the 2nd Sunday of each month. This is a special date for April.


INTRODUCTON – The stretch medical health insurance is commonly used in the United States to elucidate one curriculum with the intention of helps shell out pro well being examine expenses, whether or not by privately bought insurance, social insurance or a non-insurance social welfare curriculum funded by the federal government. Persistent depressive disorder – beforehand often known as dysthymia, this is delicate persistent (long run) depression. 31 When in reality, hiding it from people prevents the child from getting the correct quantity of social interaction and therapy so as to thrive in in the present day's society.
70 Navy and civilian social staff are primary service suppliers in the veterans' health care system. Mental well being also includes an individual's means to get pleasure from life – to achieve a balance between life actions and efforts to achieve psychological resilience.
This definition of psychological health highlights emotional nicely-being, the capability to dwell a full and creative life, and the pliability to deal with life's inevitable challenges. Consultants say we all have the potential to develop psychological health problems, no matter how outdated we are, whether we're male or female, wealthy or poor, or which ethnic group we belong to.
It contains five life duties—essence or spirituality, work and leisure , friendship , love and self-course—and twelve sub duties— sense of price , sense of management , real looking beliefs, emotional consciousness and coping , problem fixing and creativity , sense of humor , diet , exercise , self care, stress administration , gender identity , and cultural id —that are identified as traits of wholesome functioning and a major part of wellness.
Good mental well being is just not merely the absence of mental well being problems. Stigma can be a well-known think about psychological sickness. Mental issues are common, but treatments are available. Examine chief and professor of psychological health, Dr. Ramin Mojtabai says extra research is needed.


Bootstrap is the CSS technology developed by Twitter. It comes with predefined styles that are used straightly to make our webpage nice look and feel. Bootstrap contains a bunch of CSS code which is usable at any place.
Bootstrap is the CSS technology developed by Twitter. It comes with predefined styles that are used straightly to make our webpage nice look and feel.
Bootstrap is the CSS technology which contains predefined Styles that are used to achieve high level of attractiveness in web designs.
Bootstrap gives the predefined CSS to make us use of them to get high level of attraction in web designs.
In HTML, Tables plays major role in making designs as good look and feel. Table fits the content in the proper way to meet the user's satisfaction. '<table>' tag is used to create a table in HTML. CSS is used to beautify the tables. Lets see how Bootstrap is helping to create different types of tables in a easy way.
In the previous article, we learnt how to crate mobile first layouts and typography in bootstrap.In this article we are going to learn how use grid system in bootstrap.


text:
Littlehey youth jail 'should not have been allowed to open on time'
ALTHOUGH the �85million young offender institution at Littlehey Prison in Perry opened on time and within budget in February last year, it was not ready to deal with the 480 new inmates, the prison's independent monitoring board says in its annual report today (Wednesday).
And the poor quality of the building work is already starting to show, with one wing already needing refurbishment and the gym floor revealing severe cracking. Specialist police officers in riot gear were also called to the YOI to quell a disturbance in which two guards were injured on January 11.
But there had been huge improvement at the YOI since the period covered by the report, which ended on January 31, board chairman Helen Boothman said today.
"The atmosphere and relationships [between officers and inmates] are now very different. It has been a challenge for management, but the staff are much more settled, and there are some really good initiatives starting now. Staff are enjoying working there agin," she added.
But when the YOI opened there were insufficient trained staff familiar with the new YOI, and programmes to help the 18-21-year-old offenders go straight had not been put in place.
"The IMB report states that the prison was not ready for opening," she said. "A significant increase in staffing (uniform and non uniform) was needed to accommodate the opening of the YOI. This meant there were many new and inexperienced staff, detached duty officers and newly-promoted managers who all needed to be trained within a short time period.
"Regimes were not specific for the 18-21-year-old population and there were no behaviour or re-settlement programmes. In addition, there was severely limited education provision due to a shortage of education staff, and no workshops or library."
The report today asks: "Who would expect a hospital to open with only half of its facilities available, or a new school to open with only a quarter of the teachers in post?"
Nonetheless the category C adult jail had continued to provide a safe and respectful environment for the adult prisoners, Mrs Boothman said.
"The board is impressed with the huge progress made in some areas since the last report, in particular the workshops, which are providing more meaningful vocational training.
"HMP Littlehey leads the way in their work on an elderly and disabled policy, which has led to the implementation of an OAP 'day room' as well as a garden specifically designed for this age group."
Littlehey now has a total of more than 1,200 inmates of 50 nationalities, with some of the adult prisoners still sharing cells designed for one man, the board says.
The report highlights the Catch 22 plight of an elderly prisoner serving an indeterminate sentence, who cannot be considered for release until he has completed a suitable training programme – but he has not been accepted onto any offender behaviour programmes because psychologists found that his failing short-term memory meant he did not retain enough information to ensure success.
"He has been waiting for two years while his offender-manager finds a solution that all parties can agree is acceptable."
The board asks what the prisons minister plans to do about such people.


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As all this was running through his mind at top speed without his being able to decide to leave his bed-the alarm clock had just struck a quarter to seven-there came a cautious tap at the door behind the head of his bed. "Gregor," said a voice-it was his mother's-"it's a quarter to seven. Hadn't you a train to catch?" That gentle voice! Gregor had a shock as he heard his own voice answering hers, unmistakably his own voice, it was true, but with a persistent horrible twittering squeak behind it like an undertone, that left the words in their clear shape only for the first moment and then rose up reverberating round them to destroy their sense, so that one could not be sure one had heard them rightly. Gregor wanted to answer at length and explain everything, but in the circumstances he confined himself to saying: "Yes, yes, thank you, Mother, I'm getting up now." The wooden door between them must have kept the change in his voice from being noticeable outside, for his mother contented herself with this statement and shuffled away. Yet this brief exchange of words had made the other members of the family aware that Gregor was still in the house, as they had not expected, and at one of the side doors his father was already knocking, gently, yet with his fist. "Gregor, Gregor," he called, "what's the matter with you?" And after a little while he called again in a deeper voice: "Gregor! Gregor!" At the other side door his sister was saying in a low, plaintive tone: "Gregor? Aren't you well? Are you needing anything?" He answered them both at once: "I'm just ready," and did his best to make his voice sound as normal as possible by enunciating the words very clearly and leaving long pauses between them. So his father went back to his breakfast, but his sister whispered: "Gregor, open the door, do." However, he was not thinking of opening the door, and felt thankful for the prudent habit he had acquired in traveling of locking all doors during the night, even at home.
His immediate intention was to get up quietly without being disturbed, to put on his clothes and above all eat his breakfast, and only then to consider what else was to be done, since in bed, he was well aware, his meditations would come to no sensible conclusion. He remembered that often enough in bed he had felt small aches and pains, probably caused by awkward postures, which had proved purely imaginary once he got up, and he looked forward eagerly to seeing this morning's delusions gradually fall away. That the change in his voice was nothing but the precursor of a severe chill, a standing ailment of commercial travelers, he had not the least possible doubt.
To get rid of the quilt was quite easy; he had only to inflate himself a little and it fell off by itself. But the next move was difficult, especially because he was so uncommonly broad. He would have needed arms and hands to hoist himself up; instead he had only the numerous little legs which never stopped waving in all directions and which he could not control in the least. When he tried to bend one of them it was the first to stretch itself straight; and did he succeed at last in making it do what he wanted, all the other legs meanwhile waved the more wildly in a high degree of unpleasant agitation. "But what's the use of lying idle in bed," said Gregor to himself.
He thought that he might get out of bed with the lower part of his body first, but this lower part, which he had not yet seen and of which he could form no clear conception, proved too difficult to move; it shifted so slowly; and when finally, almost wild with annoyance, he gathered his forces together and thrust out recklessly, he had miscalculated the direction and bumped heavily against the lower end of the bed, and the stinging pain he felt informed him that precisely this lower part of his body was at the moment probably the most sensitive.
So he tried to get the top part of himself out first, and cautiously moved his head towards the edge of the bed. That proved easy enough, and despite its breadth and mass the bulk of his body at last slowly followed the movement of his head. Still, when he finally got his head free over the edge of the bed he felt too scared to go on advancing, for after all if he let himself fall in this way it would take a miracle to keep his head from being injured. And at all costs he must not lose consciousness now, precisely now; he would rather stay in bed.
But when after a repetition of the same efforts he lay in his former position again, sighing, and watched his little legs struggling against each other more wildly than ever, if that were possible, and saw no way of bringing any order into this arbitrary confusion, he told himself again that it was impossible to stay in bed and that the most sensible course was to risk everything for the smallest hope of getting away from it. At the same time he did not forget meanwhile to remind himself that cool reflection, the coolest possible, was much better than desperate resolves. In such moments he focused his eyes as sharply as possible on the window, but, unfortunately, the prospect of the morning fog, which muffled even the other side of the narrow street, brought him little encouragement and comfort. "Seven o'clock already," he said to himself when the alarm clock chimed again, "seven o'clock already and still such a thick fog." And for a little while he lay quiet, breathing lightly, as if perhaps expecting such complete repose to restore all things to their real and normal condition.
But then he said to himself: "Before it strikes a quarter past seven I must be quite out of this bed, without fail. Anyhow, by that time someone will have come from the office to ask for me, since it opens before seven." And he set himself to rocking his whole body at once in a regular rhythm, with the idea of swinging it out of the bed. If he tipped himself out in that way he could keep his head from injury by lifting it at an acute angle when he fell. His back seemed to be hard and was not likely to suffer from a fall on the carpet. His biggest worry was the loud crash he would not be able to help making, which would probably cause anxiety, if not terror, behind all the doors. still he must take the risk.
When he was already half out of the bed-the new method was more a game than an effort, for he needed only to hitch himself across by rocking to and fro-it struck him how simple it would be if he could get help. Two strong people-he thought of his father and the servant girl-would be amply sufficient; they would only have to thrust their arms under his convex back, lever him out of the bed, bend down with their burden and then be patient enough to let him turn himself right over on to the floor, where it was to be hoped his legs would then find their proper function. Well, ignoring the fact that the doors were all locked, ought he really to call for help? In spite of his misery he could not suppress a smile at the very idea of it.
He had got so far that he could barely keep his equilibrium when he rocked himself strongly, and he would have to nerve himself very soon for the final decision since in five minutes' time it would be a quarter past seven-when the front door bell rang. "That's someone from the office," he said to himself, and grew almost rigid, while his little legs only jigged about all the faster. For a moment everything stayed quiet. "They're not going to open the door," said Gregor to himself, catching at some kind of irrational hope. But then of course the servant girl went as usual to the door with her heavy tread and opened it. Gregor needed only to hear the first good morning of the visitor to know immediately who it was-the chief clerk himself. What a fate, to be condemned to work for a firm where the smallest omission at once gave rise to the gravest suspicion! Were all employees in a body nothing but scoundrels, was there not among them one single loyal devoted man who, had he wasted only an hour or so of the firm's time in a morning, was so tormented by conscience as to be driven out of his mind and actually incapable of leaving his bed? Wouldn't it really have been sufficient to send an apprentice to inquire-if any inquiry were necessary at all-did the chief clerk himself have to come and thus indicate to the entire family, an innocent family, that this suspicious circumstance could be investigated by no one less versed in affairs than himself? And more through the agitation caused by these reflections than through any act of will Gregor swung himself out of bed with all his strength. There was a loud thump, but it was not really a crash. His fall was broken to some extent by the carpet, his back, too, was less stiff than he thought, and so there was merely a dull thud, not so very startling. Only he had not lifted his head carefully enough and had hit it; he turned it and rubbed it on the carpet in pain and irritation.
"That was something falling down in there," said the chief clerk in the next room to the left. Gregor tried to suppose to himself that something like what had happened to him today might some day happen to the chief clerk; one really could not deny that it was possible. But as if in brusque reply to this supposition the chief clerk took a couple of firm steps in the next-door room and his patent leather boots creaked. From the right-hand room his sister was whispering to inform him of the situation: "Gregor, the chief clerk's here." "I know," muttered Gregor to himself; but he didn't dare to make his voice loud enough for his sister to hear it.
"Gregor," said his father now from the left-hand room, "the chief clerk has come and wants to know why you didn't catch the early train. We don't know what to say to him. Besides, he wants to talk to you in person. So open the door, please. He will be good enough to excuse the untidiness of your room." "Good morning, Mr. Samsa," the chief clerk was calling amiably meanwhile. "He's not well," said his mother to the visitor, while his father was still speaking through the door, "he's not well, sir, believe me. What else would make him miss a train! The boy thinks about nothing but his work. It makes me almost cross the way he never goes out in the evenings; he's been here the last eight days and has stayed at home every single evening. He just sits there quietly at the table reading a newspaper or looking through railway timetables. The only amusement he gets is doing fretwork. For instance, he spent two or three evenings cutting out a little picture frame; you would be surprised to see how pretty it is; it's hanging in his room; you'll see it in a minute when Gregor opens the door. I must say I'm glad you've come, sir; we should never have got him to unlock the door by ourselves; he's so obstinate; and I'm sure he's unwell, though he wouldn't have it to be so this morning." "I'm just coming," said Gregor slowly and carefully, not moving an inch for fear of losing one word of the conversation. "I can't think of any other explanation, madam," said the chief clerk, "I hope it's nothing serious. Although on the other hand I must say that we men of business-fortunately or unfortunately-very often simply have to ignore any slight indisposition, since business must be attended to." "Well, can the chief clerk come in now?" asked Gregor's father impatiently, again knocking on the door. "No," said Gregor. In the left-hand room a painful silence followed this refusal, in the right-hand room his sister began to sob.
Why didn't his sister join the others? She was probably newly out of bed and hadn't even begun to put on her clothes yet. Well, why was she crying? Because he wouldn't get up and let the chief clerk in, because he was in danger of losing his job, and because the chief would begin dunning his parents again for the old debts? Surely these were things one didn't need to worry about for the present. Gregor was still at home and not in the least thinking of deserting the family. At the moment, true, he was lying on the carpet and no one who knew the condition he was in could seriously expect him to admit the chief clerk. But for such a small discourtesy, which could plausibly be explained away somehow later on, Gregor could hardly be dismissed on the spot. And it seemed to Gregor that it would be much more sensible to leave him in peace for the present than to trouble him with tears and entreaties. Still, of course, their uncertainty bewildered them all and excused their behavior.
"Mr. Samsa," the chief clerk called now in a louder voice, "what's the matter with you? Here you are, barricading yourself in your room, giving only 'yes' and 'no' for answers, causing your parents a lot of unnecessary trouble and neglecting-I mention this only in passing-neglecting your business duties in an incredible fashion. I am speaking here in the name of your parents and of your chief, and I beg you quite seriously to give me an immediate and precise explanation. You amaze me, you amaze me. I thought you were a quiet, dependable person, and now all at once you seem bent on making a disgraceful exhibition of yourself. The chief did hint to me early this morning a possible explanation for your disappearance-with reference to the cash payments that were entrusted to you recently-but I almost pledged my solemn word of honor that this could not be so. But now that I see how incredibly obstinate you are, I no longer have the slightest desire to take your part at all. And your position in the firm is not so unassailable. I came with the intention of telling you all this in private, but since you are wasting my time so needlessly I don't see why your parents shouldn't hear it too. For some time past your work has been most unsatisfactory; this is not the season of the year for a business boom, of course, we admit that, but a season of the year for doing no business at all, that does not exist, Mr. Samsa, must not exist."
"But, sir," cried Gregor, beside himself and in his agitation forgetting everything else, "I'm just going to open the door this very minute. A slight illness, an attack of giddiness, has kept me from getting up. I'm still lying in bed. But I feel all right again. I'm getting out of bed now. Just give me a moment or two longer! I'm not quite so well as I thought. But I'm all right, really. How a thing like that can suddenly strike one down! Only last night I was quite welt my parents can tell you, or rather I did have a slight presentiment. I must have showed some sign of it. Why didn't I report it at the office! But one always thinks that an indisposition can be got over without staying in the house. Oh sir, do spare my parents! All that you're reproaching me with now has no foundation; no one has ever said a word to me about it. Perhaps you haven't looked at the last orders I sent in. Anyhow, I can still catch the eight o'clock train, I'm much the better for my few hours' rest. Don't let me detain you here, sir; I'll be attending to business very soon, and do be good enough to tell the chief so and to make my excuses to him!"
And while all this was tumbling out pell-mell and Gregor hardly knew what he was saying, he had reached the chest quite easily, perhaps because of the practice he had had in bed, and was now trying to lever himself upright by means of it. He meant actually to open the door, actually to show himself and speak to the chief clerk; he was eager to find out what the others, after all their insistence, would say at the sight of him. If they were horrified then the responsibility was no longer his and he could stay quiet. But if they took it calmly, then he had no reason either to be upset, and could really get to the station for the eight o'clock train if he hurried. At first he slipped down a few times from the polished surface of the chest, but at length with a last heave he stood upright; he paid no more attention to the pains in the lower part of his body, however they smarted. Then he let himself fall against the back of a near-by chair, and clung with his little legs to the edges of it. That brought him into control of himself again and he stopped speaking, for now he could listen to what the chief clerk was saying.
"Did you understand a word of it?" the chief clerk was asking; "surely he can't be trying to make fools of us?" "Oh dear," cried his mother, in tears, "perhaps he's terribly ill and we're tormenting him. Grete! Grete!" she called out then. "Yes Mother?" called his sister from the other side. They were calling to each other across Gregor's room. "You must go this minute for the doctor. Gregor is ill. Go for the doctor, quick. Did you hear how he was speaking?" "That was no human voice," said the chief clerk in a voice noticeably low beside the shrillness of the mother's. "Anna! Anna!" his father was calling through the hall to the kitchen, clapping his hands, "get a locksmith at once!" And the two girls were already running through the hall with a swish of skirts-how could his sister have got dressed so quickly? -and were tearing the front door open. There was no sound of its closing again; they had evidently left it open, as one does in houses where some great misfortune has happened.
Slowly Gregor pushed the chair towards the door, then let go of it, caught hold of the door for support- the soles at the end of his little legs were somewhat sticky-and rested against it for a moment after his efforts. Then he set himself to turning the key in the lock with his mouth. It seemed, unhappily, that he hadn't really any teeth-what could he grip the key with?-but on the other hand his jaws were certainly very strong; with their help he did manage to set the key in motion, heedless of the fact that he was undoubtedly damaging them somewhere, since a brown fluid issued from his mouth, flowed over the key and dripped on the floor. "Just listen to that," said the chief clerk next door; "he's turning the key." That was a great encouragement to Gregor; but they should all have shouted encouragement to him, his father and mother too: "Go on, Gregor," they should have called out, "keep going, hold on to that key!" And in the belief that they were all following his efforts intently, he clenched his jaws recklessly on the key with all the force at his command. As the turning of the key progressed he circled round the lock, holding on now only with his mouth, pushing on the key, as required, or pulling it down again with all the weight of his body. The louder click of the finally yielding lock literally quickened Gregor. With a deep breath of relief he said to himself: "So I didn't need the locksmith," and laid his head on the handle to open the door wide.
Since he had to pull the door towards him, he was still invisible when it was really wide open. He had to edge himself slowly round the near half of the double door, and to do it very carefully if he was not to fall plump upon his back just on the threshold. He was still carrying out this difficult manoeuvre, with no time to observe anything else, when he heard the chief clerk utter a loud "Oh!"-it sounded like a gust of wind-and now he could see the man, standing as he was nearest to the door, clapping one hand before his open mouth and slowly backing away as if driven by some invisible steady pressure. His mother-in spite of the chief clerk's being there her hair was still undone and sticking up in all directions-first clasped her hands and looked at his father, then took two steps towards Gregor and fell on the floor among her outspread skirts, her face quite hidden on her breast. His father knotted his fist with a fierce expression on his face as if he meant to knock Gregor back into his room, then looked uncertainly round the living room, covered his eyes with his hands and wept till his great chest heaved.
Gregor did not go now into the living room, but leaned against the inside of the firmly shut wing of the door, so that only half his body was visible and his head above it bending sideways to look at the others. The light had meanwhile strengthened; on the other side of the street one could see clearly a section of the endlessly long, dark gray building opposite-it was a hospital-abruptly punctuated by its row of regular windows; the rain was still falling, but only in large singly discernible and literally singly splashing drops. The breakfast dishes were set out on the table lavishly, for. breakfast was the most important meal of the day to Gregor's father, who lingered it out for hours over various newspapers. Right opposite Gregor on the wall hung a photograph of himself on military service, as a lieutenant, hand on sword, a carefree smile on his face, inviting one to respect his uniform and military bearing. The door leading to the hall was open, and one could see that the front door stood open too, showing the landing beyond and the beginning of the stairs going down.
"Well," said Gregor, knowing perfectly that he was the only one who had retained any composure, "I'll put my clothes on at once, pack up my samples and start off. Will you only let me go? You see, sir, I'm not obstinate, and I'm willing to work; traveling is a hard life, but I couldn't live without it. Where are you going, sir? To the office? Yes? Will you give a true account of all this? One can be temporarily incapacitated, but that's just the moment for remembering former services and bearing in mind that later on, when the incapacity has been got over, one will certainly work with all the more industry and concentration. I'm loyally bound to serve the chief, you know that very well. Besides, I have to provide for my parents and my sister. I'm in great difficulties, but I'll get out of them again. Don't make things any worse for me than they are. Stand up for me in the firm. Travelers are not popular there, I know. People think they earn sacks of money and just have a good time. A prejudice there's no particular reason for revising. But you, sir, have a more comprehensive view of affairs than the rest of the staff, yes, let me tell you in confidence, a more comprehensive view than the chief himself, who, being the owner, lets his judgment easily be swayed against one of his employees. And you know very well that the traveler, who is never seen in the office almost the whole year round, can so easily fall a victim to gossip and ill luck and unfounded complaints, which he mostly knows nothing about, except when he comes back exhausted from his rounds, and only then suffers in person from their evil consequences, which he can no longer trace back to the original causes. Sir, sir, don't go away without a word to me to show that you think me in the right at least to some extent!"
But at Gregor's very first words the chief clerk had already backed away and only stared at him with parted lips over one twitching shoulder. And while Gregor was speaking he did not stand still one moment but stole away towards the door, without taking his eyes off Gregor, yet only an inch at a time, as if obeying some secret injunction to leave the room. He was already at the hall, and the suddenness with which he took his last step out of the living room would have made one believe he had burned the sole of his foot. Once in the hall he stretched his right arm before him towards the staircase, as if some supernatural power were waiting there to deliver him.
Gregor perceived that the chief clerk must on no account be allowed to go away in this frame of mind if his position in the firm were not to be endangered to the utmost. His parents did not understand this so well; they had convinced themselves in the course of years that Gregor was settled for life in this firm, and besides they were so preoccupied with their immediate troubles that all foresight had forsaken them. Yet Gregor had this foresight. The chief clerk must be detained, soothed, persuaded and finally won over; the whole future of Gregor and his family depended on it! If only his sister had been there! She was intelligent; she had begun to cry while Gregor was still lying quietly on his back. And no doubt the chief clerk so partial to ladies, would have been guided by her; she would have shut the door of the flat and in the hall talked him out of his horror. But she was not there, and Gregor would have to handle the situation himself. And without remembering that he was still unaware what powers of movement he possessed, without even remembering that his words in all possibility, indeed in all likelihood, would again be unintelligible, he let go the wing of the door, pushed himself through the opening, started to walk towards the chief clerk, who was already ridiculously clinging with both hands to the railing on the landing; but immediately, as he was feeling for a support, he fell down with a little cry upon all his numerous legs. Hardly was he down when he experienced for the first time this morning a sense of physical comfort; his legs had firm ground under them; they were completely obedient, as he noted with joy; they even strove to carry him forward in whatever direction he chose; and he was inclined to believe that a final relief from all his sufferings was at hand. But in the same moment as he found himself on the floor, rocking with suppressed eagerness to move, not far from his mother, indeed just in front of her, she, who had seemed so completely crushed, sprang all at once to her feet, her arms and fingers outspread, cried: "Help, for God's sake, help!" bent her head down as if to see Gregor better, yet on the contrary kept backing senselessly away; had quite forgotten that the laden table stood behind her; sat upon it hastily, as if in absence of mind, when she bumped into it; and seemed altogether unaware that the big coffee pot beside her was upset and pouring coffee in a flood over the carpet.
"Mother, Mother," said Gregor in a low voice, and looked up at her. The chief clerk for the moment, had quite slipped from his mind; instead, he could not resist snapping his jaws together at the sight of the streaming coffee. That made his mother scream again, she fled from the table and fell into the arms of his father, who hastened to catch her. But Gregor had now no time to spare for his parents; the chief clerk was already on the stairs; with his chin on the banisters he was taking one last backward look. Gregor made a spring, to be as sure as possible of overtaking him; the chief clerk must have divined his intention, for he leaped down several steps and vanished; he was still yelling "Ugh!" and it echoed through the whole staircase.
Unfortunately, the flight of the chief clerk seemed completely to upset Gregor's father, who had remained relatively calm until now, for instead of running after the man himself, or at least not hindering Gregor, in his pursuit, he seized in his right hand the walking stick which the chief clerk had left behind on a chair, together with a hat and greatcoat, snatched in his left hand a large news paper from the table and began stamping his feet and flourishing the stick and the newspaper to drive Gregor back into his room. No entreaty of Gregor's availed, indeed no entreaty was even understood, however humbly he bent his head his father only stamped on the floor the more loudly. Behind his father his mother had torn open a window, despite the cold weather, and was leaning far out of it with her face in her hands. A strong draught set in from the street to the staircase, the window curtains blew in, the newspapers on the table fluttered, stray pages whisked over the floor. Pitilessly Gregor's father drove him back, hissing and crying "Shoo!" like a savage. But Gregor was quite unpracticed in walking backwards, it really was a slow business. If he only had a chance to turn round he could get back to his room at once, but he was afraid of exasperating his father by the slowness of such a rotation and at any moment the stick in his father's hand might hit him a fatal blow on the back or on the head. In the end, however, nothing else was left for him to do since to his horror he observed that in moving backwards he could not even control the direction he took; and so, keeping an anxious eye on his father all the time over his shoulder, he began to turn round as quickly as he could, which was in reality very slowly. Perhaps his father noted his good intentions, for he did not interfere except every now and then to help him in the manoeuvre from a distance with the point of the stick. If only he would have stopped making that unbearable hissing noise! It made Gregor quite lose his head. He had turned almost completely round when the hissing noise so distracted him that he even turned a little the wrong way again. But when at last his head was fortunately right in front of the doorway, it appeared that his body was too broad simply to get through the opening. His father, of course, in his present mood was far from thinking of such a thing as opening the other half of the door, to let Gregor have enough space. He had merely the fixed idea of driving Gregor back into his room as quickly as possible. He would never have suffered Gregor to make the circumstantial preparations for standing up on end and perhaps slipping his way through the door. Maybe he was now making more noise than ever to urge Gregor forward, as if no obstacle impeded him; to Gregor, anyhow, the noise in his rear sounded no longer like the voice of one single father; this was really no joke, and Gregor thrust himself-come what might-into the doorway. One side of his body rose up, he was tilted at an angle in the doorway, his flank was quite bruised, horrid blotches stained the white door, soon he was stuck fast and, left to himself, could not have moved at ale his legs on one side fluttered trembling in the air, those on the other were crushed painfully to the floor-when from behind his father gave him a strong push which was literally a deliverance and he flew far into the room, bleeding freely. The door was slammed behind him with the stick, and then at last there was silence.


text:
Todd Olson, Pendo.io : "We made accommodations to help our customers weather this storm"
Startup Info Staff
Todd Olson : We're physically healthy, but I'd be lying if I said the pandemic hasn't had an impact on life at home. On top of all the challenges of running a company remotely during a global pandemic, I have a couple of teenagers at home that can't wait to see their friends and return to some sort of normalcy.
Tell us about you, your career, how you founded or joined Pendo
Todd Olson : I've been building software since I was 14 years old–probably because my mother oversold my capabilities to a neighbour. A lot has changed since then, but companies today still waste billions of dollars developing software features that are never used by customers. So after a long career focusing on delivering software on time and under budget, I took on a new challenge in product management, trying to figure out what the right thing was to build in the first place.
It didn't take long for me to realize how hard that was. Product managers lacked data to understand how people used the software their teams built. So, nearly seven years ago, I co-founded Pendo with Eric Boduch, Rahul Jain, and Erik Troan to create a product to help companies overcome this challenge.
How does Pendo innovate?
Todd Olson : A lot of software designers reference Henry Ford's infamous quote as a way to keep their customers at arm's length: "If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses." It's still up for debate whether or not Ford actually said that, but it's not up for debate how modern product design has changed—even in the last few years. Instinct and expertise were once all that product teams had to go off of, but in today's modern world, it's easier than ever to understand the customer's needs, desires and behaviors.
Pendo's software helps teams understand how users behave inside their software products, along with what they want and how they feel, so companies can build better digital experiences. We take a similar approach as a company, using these data-informed insights to help us decide where to invest and where to innovate. There's still an element of instinct as there was years ago, but we're using data to make sure our investments are aligned with customers' needs.
How the coronavirus pandemic affects your business and how are you coping?
Todd Olson : We're fortunate to be in a healthy financial position which lets us continue to invest in our product, and in other priorities for our company. That's not to say this hasn't been challenging. We have a number of customers and prospects whose businesses have been directly affected by Covid. We'd had to make accommodations to help our customers weather this storm. The uncertainty in the global economy has forced us (like many companies) to adjust our plans for the year too. But as I said, we are fortunate to be well-capitalized. The challenge is to ensure that we have plenty of capital to invest in the business once the economy recovers.
We're also still learning to balance our family responsibilities, our health and our work. I've been pretty impressed to see how our teams have shifted to remote work, but we're unapologetic about our office-based culture, so we're looking forward to the time we'll be able to get back together in bigger numbers.
From a product standpoint, it's been interesting to see usage of our platform increase during this time as many customers use Pendo as an in-app communication tool to share Covid-related information, and others in industries like healthcare, education and banking use it to deliver essential new products and services. For a lot of companies, it's never been more important to invest in their digital product experience. A platform like Pendo helps them understand where to invest.
Did you have to make difficult choices and what are the lessons learned?
Todd Olson : It didn't take long for us to realize our marketing, product roadmap and hiring plans had to change. Perhaps most difficult was how quickly we had to adapt—we had just set plans for the year at our company kickoff in early February. We also had to make decisions with limited information. In many ways, you have to assume the worst case scenarios, which is uncomfortable for entrepreneurs who are typically optimistic by nature. Yet, we had to make some tough choices and adjust our plans to ensure we set ourselves up to accelerate as the economy returns to normal.
How do you deal with stress and anxiety, how do you project yourself and Pendo in the future?
Todd Olson : I don't get stressed very often. But one daily practice had been walking to work each day. It helps me get my mind straight before I start the day. Since I've been working from home, I've been riding my Peloton instead. I will say that the Black Lives Matter movement has really impacted me personally these last few weeks. I'm spending a lot of time understanding the challenges of our Black community and working with our leadership team and diversity council to address them inside Pendo and around our broader communities. I'm hopeful that we will see lasting change in coming months and years.
As for the company's outlook, I'm as excited as I've ever been for the future of Pendo. We're seeing demand for our platform from some of the largest companies in the world, and I'm encouraged by the stories we're hearing from customers using Pendo to drive digital transformation and growth at their companies.
Who are your competitors? And how do you plan to stay in the game?
Todd Olson : Pendo is unique because we offer both product analytics and in-app guidance capabilities together in one tool. There isn't another solution that offers both. That said, we do compete with product analytics tools on some deals, or guidance solutions on others. And believe it or not, a lot of companies aren't using a tool like Pendo at all. They may be using Google Analytics to attempt to understand user behavior or have a homegrown solution.
We stay in the game by consistently engaging with customers and focusing on addressing their pain.
Your website ?
pendo.io
We have grown our business 30x over the past four months! Andrew Horn, co-founder of Tribute explains how he has attained this tremendous growth
Davy Stevens, BTC Direct's co-founder and CEO explains how to manage the challenge of working from home
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[Best Way] How to Recover WhatsApp Chat without Backup


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Korean immigrants
During the 660s, large numbers of Korean immigrants entered Japan following the Tang invasions of Korea … we know this both from Nihon shoki references as well as from the Korean styles and methods indicated in architecture, art and artefacts of the time. The immigrants came in two waves, one in 663 from Paekche and another in 668 from Koguryo.
From the Nihon shoki report, in the 663 migration wave, four hundred Paekche commoners were settled in the province of Omi, probably where new land was opened up for cultivating rice. According to the same report, one high-ranking Paekche refugee was granted court rank in Japan. Shortly after, two former Paekche ministers of state arrived in Japan with more than seven hundred Paekche men and women who were subsequently settled in the Kamo District of Omi Province.
In the second wave of migration, 56 persons from Koguryo were settled in the province of Hitachi and 1,799 more Koguryo migrants were placed in Suruga as well as elsewhere in the east.
Many of the immigrants were members of the elite, and among the Korean migrants flooding Japan were artisans, builders, administrators and various specialists whose special knowledge and services were used to strengthen the state, increase revenues and implement controls. In the year 671 as many as seventy Paekche officials were awarded Japanese court rank.
The various fields in which these immigrants specialized e.g., military science, medicine, yin-yang philosophy, Confucian classics and the high ranks conferred upon them showed the Japanese court intended to make extensive use of Korean experts in what was probably an accelerated program of modernization of the country.
Out of Paekche to Japan also came calendar makers, priests and diviners, temple builders, bronze casters and roof tile makers, specialists on continental music and dance and Chinese court ceremonies.
Contact with China
Until the year 600, Chinese ideas, technology and influences came via Korea (particularly Paekche). The year 600 was the year when Empress Suiko despatched an official mission to China's Sui court. Thereafter in the 7th century there was a huge increase in flow of methods and ideas directly from China.
China in the 6th century had become unified under General Yang Chien and following the new Sui dynasty, visitors to China including the Japanese, were dazzled by China's walled palace-city, empire-wide canal system and other building projects; they were impressed by the complex bureaucracy that effected efficient control, by the detailed codifications of the law and the Confucian ideology in which emperors were honored as Sons of Heaven, and who commanded obedience; the Taoist teachings that legitimized imperial control.
Through establishing its contacts with the continent, Japan then sought after the following:
1) the use of administrative techniques for increasing state power and for building of a powerful Chinese-style state
2) various forms of Chinese learning.
3) the techniques of Chinese art(s)
4) the adoption of Chinese-style codes or codifications.
2 responses to "Continental connections"
Papadopoulos Ioannis | February 15, 2010 at 11:30 pm | Reply
Do you know the year of the first wave of immigrants entered Japan ?
heritageofjapan | February 17, 2010 at 4:54 am | Reply
As mentioned in the article, the official date of the first wave of immigrants during the Asuka period by Nihon shoki was 663.
However, there were many waves of immigrants throughout prehistoric times continuing through to this date. It is doubtful that this official date represents the only immigration wave. There would have been immigrants trickling into the archipelago given the many landing points all over the country. Academics have also mentioned that the "first" Buddha introduced at court that was recorded in the texts was probably not the first one to arrive in Japan either, that smaller Buddhas were installed in homes of Korean immigrants in the provinces in Japan elsewhere.


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Authors: Yoshida, T.; Kitazawa, D.; Mizukami, Y.
Yoshida, T.; Kitazawa, D.; Mizukami, Y. (2017). Observing Fish Using Underwater Camera at the Test Site before Installing Ocean Power Generation. Paper Presented at the 36th International Conference on Ocean, Offshore and Arctic Engineering, Trondheim, Norway.
Assessment of local ocean environment is significant when devices of marine renewable energy are installed at a demonstration site. A concern about how these devices affect the existence of fish is remained among local fishermen. To confirm variation of fish before and after installing the devices of marine renewable energy, we investigated fish using an underwater camera before installation as a main objective of this paper. First, fish-eye video camera was tested to monitor in a fish cage off Kamaishi city, Iwate prefecture, Japan. We aimed to observe the abundance of fish and to specify the species of fish. The fish-eye video camera is composed of a dome-shaped lens, a container, and a digital video equipped into the container. The recorded video showed outlines of fish, consequently it may be possible to know the abundance of fish. However, specifying the species of fish has a difficulty if we use fish-eye camera since the recorded image is unclear enough to identify correctly. In addition, we examined horizontal transparency of fish-eye camera using a fish-shaped target. Before recording by the video camera, vertical transparency was measured using a white plate. Then we recorded the images by varying the water depth and the distance between the camera and target. When the target was close to the camera, it can be displayed clearly, nevertheless the outline of the target was smeared with increasing the distances between them. Our measurement suggested that the horizontal transparency might be relating to the parameters of water depth and vertical transparency. The investigation was conducted under the one condition, thus we need to obtain further data to understand horizontal transparency qualitatively. Next time, we will conduct another test using additional underwater optical video camera, which is attached on the fish-eye video camera. The combination of these two types of video cameras may enable to observe the abundance of fish as well as to specify the species of fish.


By road: Drive 4.1 miles, taking you 39 minutes.
At Holborn Underground Station, take the Central line towards Ealing Broadway Underground Station. At Notting Hill Gate Underground Station, take the District line towards Wimbledon Underground Station. Get off at Earls Court Underground Station.
The Piccadilly line can also be taken to get to Earl's Court Underground Station.
Hyde Park Corner Station, go to stop N and take the number 74 bus towards Putney Bridge. Get off at Earls Court Underground Station.
By road: Drive 2.9 miles, taking you 25 minutes.
At Holborn Underground Station, take the Central line towards Northolt Underground Station. At Oxford Circus Underground Station take the Bakerloo line towards Stonebridge Park Underground Station. Get off at Baker Street Underground Station.
Walk to Holborn Station and go to stop N. Take the number 68 bus towards Euston. From Euston Bus Station, walk to Euston stop H. Take the number 18 bus, 205 bus or 30 bus towards Marble Arch. Get off at Baker Street Station.
By road: Drive 2.1 miles, taking you 15 minutes.
Walk to Holborn Underground Station, and then take the Central line towards Epping Underground Station. Get off at Liverpool Street Underground Station.
Walk to Procter Street (WC1), and go to stop H. Take the number 8 bus or 242 bus towards Homerton Hospital. Get off at Liverpool Street Station.


The MCSD Application Lifecycle Management certification boot camp is a 7 day comprehensive deep dive into lifecycle management covering topics such as administering, installing and migrating. This instructor led face to face training camp will teach you the skills needed to support an Application Lifecycle Management environment.
While attending this training program - you take three exams to test and certify for the Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD): Application Lifecycle Management official certification. If your goal is to learn how to use lifecycle managment and pass the certification exams (70-496, 70-497 & 70-498) - you've found the right place. This course is a hybrid of actual hands on learning combined with focused materials mapped to exam objectives. Click MCSD Application Lifecycle Management to download course outline.


Emmy® nominees Debbie Matenopoulos and Cameron Mathison host the seventh season of "Home & Family." "Home & Family" airs new original episodes Monday through Friday (10a.m. ET/PT, 9C - 12p.m. ET/PT, 11C) on Hallmark Channel." The new season begins, September 3.


3 Beds 2 Baths 1,570 Sq. ft.
Come see our NEW HOMES in Brandon. This NEW 3/2 split plan sits on a private lot with a nice size back yard. This plan has a large family room that is open to the kitchen which has an island. The master has a large jacuzzi tub, separate shower and double vanities. It also has a large walk in closet that leads into the utility room to make it easy to put up you clothes. This home also comes with Granite counter tops, stainless steel GE appliances, sodded yard, alarm system, gas log fireplace, 10 year structure warranty, and more. We have other plans to choose from, so call a realtor today to view.
Directions: Greenfield station to the roundabout then take 3rd right into Greenfield crossing. Turn at first left then take the next left go down to the end and the house will be on the right.


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The Hut Group enter handbag & fashion accessories market with MyBag.co.uk
Showcasing desirable brands including Mischa Barton, Nica, Ameko, Ri2k and Max C London the boutique will present the latest trends in an accessible, yet aspirational online environment with free delivery on all orders.
Following very successful trading on TheHut.com, handbags and fashion accessories have been identified as a key growth area for The Hut Group which now intends to deliver a market leading retail proposition across Europe through its own site, MyBag.co.uk.
Using The Hut Group's existing technology platform, infrastructure and relationships, MyBag.co.uk is expected to become a leading handbag and fashion accessories retailer over the next 2 years. Launching today (Thursday 8th April 2010), MyBag.co.uk will focus on key trends, brands and delivering consumers better value than they are currently receiving elsewhere.
As part of The Hut Group's move into FMCG product areas, other sectors currently under review include Sports, Health & Beauty, Footwear and Toys.
More Information about MyBag.co.uk
Current Product Categories:
Current Brands:
Ameko: Handbags and purses
And Mary: Jewellery and purses
Bench: Bags and wallets
Max C London: Handbags and belts
Mischa Barton: Handbags
Nica: Handbags and purses
Red or Dead: Handbags
Ri2k: Handbags and purses
Suzy Smith: Handbags and purses
Yumi: Handbags and fashion scarves
Mimco: Handbags and purses
Lipsy: Handbags and jewellery
Handbags: £8 (canvas shopper) up to £200 (Leather grab bag)
Belts: from £15
Jewellery: from £8
Purses: from £9
Scarves: from £12
Sunglasses: from £9
Umbrella's: from £9
About The Hut Group
Founded in 2004 and based in Northwich Cheshire, The Hut Group is an online retailing platform focused on fast moving consumer goods including Entertainment (Games, DVDs, CDs, Books), Electricals, Health & Beauty, Footwear, Gifting, Accessories, Toys, Underwear & Sports.
The Hut Group retails online through its own sites, including TheHut.com and Zavvi.com.
In 2009, The Hut Group was ranked no.1 in the Sunday Times Tech Track 100 of the UK's fastest growing companies.
For further information, please visit THG.com
Please find below a list of websites operated by The Hut Group's retailing platform. For more information please visit their websites.
TheHut.com, Zavvi.com