Hi, I'm back with my Synfire tests to be sure I somewhat grasped a decent workflow.
This time I grabbed only one measure from Bach's Three Voices Invention no. 1 in C and vandalized it into the Pool Editor of a freshly created library.
The initial two-voices motive has been reversed and flipped in five or six different ways e thrown into a simple chordal progression without a specific plan in mind.
I have attached to this post the related files, should anyone be interested in listeing to the result. As I already stated, this is a great software.
Are you running out of space on your server?
This is a known bug. We are trying to fix it for days. No luck yet. We will keep trying.
Thanks for sharing this nice snippet. I've uploaded an MP3 (attached).
I'm working on containers, in these days: I need to grasp the underlying "philosophy" of Synfire, because I realized it seems to be somewhat analogue to the OOP, object programming, with movable "macros" made of sounds rather than of source code.
I guess your aim when programming Synfire was to follow the mental workflow of a composer, rather than simply record-and-play some more or less improvised midi sequences like in a Midi/DAW software like Cubase, Logic etc.
Nice example. I will have a look at the project Files later.
Here is another version om my counterpoint.
I tried to re-assemble the piece using containers as much as I could.
When you get a little bit of confidence with the containers' logic, it's pretty fun; but I'm not yet done.
To be honest, I feel that I have just scratched the surface.
At bar 3, first beat, I choose a C bebop-minor vertical scale to add some chromaticism which enhances the right hand flowing.
The scale selection menu on the right is a powerful tool which quite often alters dramatically the meaning of whole passages. Try it!
I'm aware that I could have done it in a single container. The deafult container alone would have been perfectly suitable.
But I assigned each voice to its own container to make practice. Furthermore, moving the blocks along the timeline, even randomly, can lead you to unpredictabile and not rarely good-sounding results.
Sometimes, letting Synfire going where he wants to go is a source of fresh ideas.
I realized it seems to be somewhat analogue to the OOP, object programming, with movable "macros" made of sounds rather than of source code.
Absolutely! This movable marco thing is what containers are built for.
Yes. Synfire is a top-down oriented platform, that is, a structure is built from the top down to the details.
One of the big time-saver features I appreciate in Synfire is its ability to connect the segments in logical, good sounding and good flowing lines.
One has to move up and down, flip or rotate the segments or choose a different scale here and there; but with a bit of patience -and let's say it, lots of fun-, the musical equation could be solved in minutes.
I took the final chord (Container C) and copied/pasted/shortened it here and there just for fun.
Andre, could you please implement a global marker track in a future release? I would take into account, also, the option of adding something similar to the Scratchpad of StudioOne or the Project Alternatives menu of Logic Pro. The more tools/views you can fit in a single window, the easiset will be working in Synfire, IMO.
Wow. This is getting better by the day. Thanks for sharing your experiments with us!


text:
Vassar Bushmills, guest columnist
The Times They are A'Changin', So, Do We Need to Change Party Names?
…just to avoid confusion between "classical", "modern" and "new-and-improved" Republicans and Conservatives.
I watched Peter, Paul & Mary sing this live in 1964 on the campus of the University of Kentucky. Of course, Bob Dylan wrote it, but I liked their voices better than his gravely-voice.
The words matter a lot here, so listen to them carefully, for not one person of the AOC (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) generation of "liberal" would agree with any of the sentiments expressed here, only, they still proclaim themselves the heirs of these sentiments, including the likes of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, where Dylan's songs were sung by this same trio in 1963, as part of MLK's "I Have a Dream" March to the Washington Mall, in 1963.
I was part of folk-singing group in high school then. We were good, even traveling down to the Blue Grass to sing on university campus. Before the Vietnam War, our songs were about civil rights and freedom; not war protest. We sang Woody Guthrie, Dylan, "How Many roads must a man walk down…" Stuff like that.
But five years later Dr King's Dream was safely hijacked, the Vietnam War lost, (coincidentally at the same period in 1968), not to mention stampeding environmentalist-nature lovers, replacing them with lawyers and their briefcases, easing hikers and birdwatchers aside. So, by 1976 Democrats could finally proclaim both MLK to be one of their founding fathers while scuttling all his dreams, and the Vietnam War won by their "peace movement", thus renaming themselves "Modern Liberals" or "New Left", taking over the Democrat Party, pushing "classical liberals" aside, saying:
"Modern liberalism stands for the proposition that all human behavior should be subject to the political process"
…a concept that stands so openly against the expressed natural law purposes of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution about the aspirations of free men and women, as to make your skin crawl.
And thousands of thousands of us found "conservative" a better choice than "liberal".
But on the whole, I doubt the Republican Party actually got those nuances. And that is when the nomenclature-game began, multiple definitions of "liberal", multiple definitions of "conservative" and a growing distinction between types of Republicans, such as "Rockefeller Republican" (today RINO), all very suitable to the "Democrats", whose name remained unchanged.
Still, unless you're a totally self-involved mind-numbed spoiled bratling from Manhattan's Upper East Side…I can think of several Democrat-cum-leftists, from AOC to Adam Schiff, representing three generations now…who would still mouth their approval for Bob Dylan's sentiments in "Time's Are a'Changin'", or accept Martin Luther King as one of theirs…as would their fawning media, who, I might add, speaks for only about 25%-30% of the American public. (The same 30% that has ruled mankind since the pharaohs, if you're into history.)
But in 1964 they were considered exclusively "liberal", not only because of the philosophy those words sung out, but because of their sentimentality…including the patriotic sentimentality that caused high school kids to sing "How many roads must a man walk down…" in 1964, then still hit the mud a'running in 1967 at Dak To. You can strip away the intellectualism in Dylan's music which is why I like him. Classical liberals of the 1960s were more touchy-feely, while modern conservatives like WFB were coldly analytical, and thus exclusivist, allowing liberalism to paint itself as being more "of the people" than conservatives. But as I've related elsewhere, in 1991 I read the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence as a toast to a group of Soviet college professors and everyone, standing, glass held high, began to cry, never having heard of any of the prominent people I've mentioned here.
I reported that story to WFB (William F. Buckley, Jr.), by the way, after I returned in 1992, but that sort of sentimentality we need to have more of, don't you think?
And that seems to be the button Donald Trump pushed in 2015.
The world was still full of "classical liberals" in the 60s and 70s. I believe Jonathan Turley to still be one. Maybe Alan Dershowitz as well. Buckley believed the principal difference between liberals and conservative was in the liberals' belief that "government could do good" which we now know, fifty years later, it cannot, for very clear natural law reasons; a government built on process management will kill itself within a predictable period of time.
With that one thought in mind, relisten to Bob Dylan's lyrics.
Only it seems "Conservative" has seen better days too, as has "Republican", both because of the branding they allowed.
I never liked to use "Classical conservative" for that term "conservative" came from the House of Lords stigma of representing the ruling class of Britain: Tories. One of the 20th Century's finest intellectual minds and Christian moralist, G K Chesterton, (and like Buckley, a practicing Roman Catholic) couldn't abide Tories, and proclaimed himself a "Liberal" in England, which itself had been the principal opposition party until Labour replaced them after WWII. It would be Margaret Thatcher, a PhD scientist (chemistry) and a commoner, who would transform the Tories in the Reagan era, and save Britain, and in the process project the same aura onto the term "conservative" in England as Buckley had done in America. She died in 2003 and WFB died in 2008, and in both cases, it appears "classical conservatism" died with them, save a few old war horses such as myself. England is close to being a lost cause.
Not being sure what will follow me is why I am writing this.
Perhaps we need new names in order to recover those old sensibilities for Democrats and the media have appropriated the power to name us, and call us what they like…at least to that 30% representing their natural stake in the population.
The truth is "liberal" no longer means anything unless you are a historian and use it in precise historical terms. And then you have to spend half your time equivocating as an annoying morning radio talk show host here does. The same goes for "conservative" since I can no longer call myself "conservative" so long as old National Review alums such as Jonah Goldberg and David French (both a little older than my eldest boy) or colleague Stephen Hayes of Weekly Standard, the age of my baby boy, are still out there proclaiming themselves to be "exclusivist" conservatives. They just don't want to rub elbows with that sort of person.
There is virtually nothing about America-as-founded that connects me to them.
If the truth were known, Donald Trump was never a conservative, but more of the classical liberal type, only, and here's the rub, Trump was of the back-slapping, flag-waving variety, which has not been common among society's better-educated and more affluent citizens since Daniel Webster. But this was how Trump found our lost Army, long since buried for at least a generation. He was the right man at the right time to wake those several millions up to citizenship and liberty again. Despised by the Left for having wakened them up, he is also hated by those superficial conservatives because he reminds them that these are the people they will have to actually keep company with and learn to speak their language if they can have any actual impact on how America is governed.
(I've often called Trump the world's "largest small-businessman", which explains everything modern corporate America hates about him…he knows his employees by their first names, thus defying stereotyping of virtually every corporate protocol and identifier, and runs his businesses like a friendly corner candy store owner.)
Trump is not a process businessman. He graduated from Wharton before they taught that sort of swill, nor a process Republican, and America can do with another 30 years' worth of that sort of government just to get things back on the straight and narrow.
I just don't think "Republican" can carry the name anymore. It has too many wounds in its chest that are self-inflicted. And it hadn't represented the "brand", much less paid public honor to it, since Ronald Reagan. And even in RR's day, the GOP establishment didn't like him inviting people like us to come through the front door. (Although all the hobos that came thru my town knew where the houses were that would give them a handout, my mother still sent them 'round to the kitchen door to get it. I understood stigma at an early age.)
There's nothing about "being Republican" to wax poetic over anymore. Only Donald Trump was able to reignite the original "Doctrine of Liberty" brand in the souls of ordinary Americans.
Now, with the growth of the Precinct Project*, a brainchild of a friend of mine, Dan Schultz, (a West Point grad, btw) and the neighborhood foot-power it creates, that charged out of the gate in Virginia in 2021, and which may possibly kill most of Democrat plans to steal in 2022, maybe the brand can be saved…but only as a people's brand, a doctrine-of-liberty brand to which many Republicans of the political class don't want to bow their heads to.
If you can't get rid of those squids who are afraid to get their hands dirty, get a better name.
"Con los pobres de la tierra"
Vassar Bushmills @bushmillsvassar is the pen name of one of our Twitter friends, author and host of the Vassar Bushmills website and co-author, with David M. Poff, of Unwashed Philosophy: A User's Guide For Our Imperfect Union available on Amazon through this link.
*The Precinct Project won the CHQ Liberty Prize and is covered in some detail in CHQ Chairman Richard A. Viguerie's book Takeover: The 100-Year War for the Soul of the GOP and How Conservatives Can Finally Win It
Classic liberals
William F. Buckley

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


It is important to know about the agriculture credit policy. So that we should start reading agricultural blogs instead of grademiners blogs. Agriculture cannot be an industry in Pakistan. We just try to read and understand the blog quality.


text:
\section{Introduction}

The overlap formalism provides a way of realizing exact chiral
symmetry on the lattice. For vector gauge theories, there is now
promise that this formalism can be made practical.
The Overlap-Dirac operator derived from the overlap
formalism~\cite{overlap} of chiral fermions is~\cite{herbert1}
\begin{equation}
{\bf \rm D}\!\!\!\!/\,_o={1\over 2}[1 + \gamma_5\epsilon({\bf \rm H}_w)]; \ \ \ \ \
\epsilon({\bf \rm H}_w)= {{\bf \rm H}_w\over |{\bf \rm H}_w|}
\label{eq:ov_dirac}
\end{equation}
where
\begin{eqnarray}
{\bf \rm H}_w &=& \pmatrix{{\bf \rm B} - m & {\bf \rm C} \cr {\bf \rm C}^\dagger & -{\bf \rm B} + m}; \\
\label{eq:hamil}
{\bf \rm C}_{i\alpha,j\beta}(n,n^\prime) &=& {1\over 2}
\sum_\mu \sigma_\mu^{\alpha\beta} \bigl[
U^{ij}_\mu(n)\delta_{n^\prime,n+\hat\mu} - (U^\dagger_\mu)^{ij}(n^\prime)
\delta_{n,n^\prime+\hat\mu}
\bigr] \\
\label{eq:cmat}
{\bf \rm B}_{i\alpha,j\beta}(n,n^\prime) &=& {1\over 2}\delta_{\alpha,\beta}
\sum_\mu \bigl[ 2\delta_{ij}\delta_{nn^\prime}-
U^{ij}_\mu(n)\delta_{n^\prime,n+\hat\mu} - (U^\dagger_\mu)^{ij}(n^\prime)
\delta_{n,n^\prime+\hat\mu}\bigr]
\quad
\label{eq:bmat}
\end{eqnarray}
is the Hermitian Wilson-Dirac operator. We will refer to $m$ as the
overlap mass. This is a parameter that has to be in the range $(0,2)$
for ${\bf \rm D}\!\!\!\!/\,_o$ to describe a single massless Dirac fermion.  In
principle, any value of $m$ in this region will yield the same
continuum theory. But at finite lattice spacing the cutoff effects can
be quite different, for different choices of $m$. In particular one
needs $m > m_1(g^2)$, for some $m_1(g^2)$ going to zero in the
continuum limit, in order for the overlap fermions to ``feel the
topology of background gauge fields''\cite{rough}.

It is necessary to efficiently deal with the action of
$\epsilon({\bf \rm H}_w)$ on a vector for practical implementations of this
operator in four dimensional theories. Recently, one representation of
$\epsilon(x)$ as a sum of poles of $x^2$ was used to demonstrate that
a practical implementation of the Overlap-Dirac operator is possible
in three dimensions~\cite{herbert}.  One can also represent
$\epsilon(x)$ as an optimal rational function~\cite{Remez}. Another approach is
to use Gegenbauer polynomials to represent ${1\over \sqrt{x^2}}$
resulting in an iterative procedure to compute the action of
$\epsilon({\bf \rm H}_w)$ on a vector~\cite{Bunk}.  In this paper we compare
these three methods from a practical point of view.  We start by
presenting some spectral properties of ${\bf \rm H}_o = \gamma_5{\bf \rm D}\!\!\!\!/\,_o$ and
${\bf \rm D}\!\!\!\!/\,_o$ and then use a smooth SU(2) instanton background as an
example to illustrate these spectral properties. The example will also
enable us to compare the three practical implementations of
$\epsilon({\bf \rm H}_w)$. We also present some results in SU(2) gauge field
backgrounds at $\beta=2.5$ on an $8^4$ lattice.

\section{Spectral properties of ${\bf \rm D}\!\!\!\!/\,_o$}

In this section, we build on some results of Neuberger~\cite{herbert1,herbert2} by
considering the eigenvalue problem of the Hermitian Overlap-Dirac operator,
\begin{equation}
{\bf \rm H}_o = \gamma_5{\bf \rm D}\!\!\!\!/\,_o = {1\over 2}[\gamma_5 + \epsilon({\bf \rm H}_w)]\quad .
\label{eq:ov_ham}
\end{equation}
We do not use the explicit expression for ${\bf \rm H}_w$ in this section and
we only use the fact that $\epsilon^2({\bf \rm H}_w)=1$. The exact chiral
symmetry built into the overlap formalism has been reemphasized in
the context of the fermionic action with ${\bf \rm D}\!\!\!\!/\,_o$ in Ref.~\cite{Luscher}.
We therefore expect the spectrum of ${\bf \rm H}_o$ to essentially reproduce
all the important continuum properties.  The spectral properties of
the continuum operator ${\bf \rm H}=\gamma_5{\bf \rm D}\!\!\!\!/\,$ are
\begin{itemize}

\item Exact zero eigenvalues of ${\bf \rm H}$ are associated with topology.
The associated eigenvectors are also eigenvectors of $\gamma_5$.
The zero eigenvalues are not paired in any sense. We can have $n_+$ zero
eigenvalues with positive chirality and $n_-$ zero eigenvalues with
negative chirality. The difference $(n_+-n_-)$ is the topology of
the background gauge field.

\item Non-zero eigenvalues of ${\bf \rm H}$ come in pairs that are equal
in magnitude and opposite in sign. The associated eigenvectors are
not eigenvectors of $\gamma_5$, but rather $\gamma_5$ has zero expectation
value in the eigenvectors, $\psi^\dagger \gamma_5 \psi = 0$.
\end{itemize}

On a finite four dimensional lattice, the matrix ${\bf \rm H}_o$ is a finite even
dimensional matrix and $\det{\bf \rm H}_o$ is the overlap formula in a fixed
gauge background. The overlap exactly vanishes if the topology is non-trivial;
therefore, ${\bf \rm H}_o$ should have exact zero modes in a gauge field background
that is topologically non-trivial. These zero modes should have definite
chirality and the difference in the positive and negative modes is the
topology of the gauge field. If the topology is odd, then ${\bf \rm H}_o$ should
have an odd number of exact zero modes. Therefore it should also have
an odd number of non-zero modes. This implies that the number of positive
eigenvalues cannot be equal to the number of negative eigenvalues.
It is then interesting to explore the properties of the spectrum of
${\bf \rm H}_o$ with the aim of establishing the equivalence of the two
continuum properties listed above. We prove the following properties
of ${\bf \rm H}_o$ on the lattice:
\begin{itemize}

\item The spectrum of ${\bf \rm H}_o$ is bounded by the region $[-1,1]$.

\item Zero eigenvalues of ${\bf \rm H}_o$ have a definite chirality and need
not occur in pairs.  Eigenvalues of ${\bf \rm H}_o$ equal to $\pm 1$ also
have definite chirality.  These eigenvalues also need not occur in
pairs.

\item Non-zero eigenvalues of ${\bf \rm H}_o$ that have a magnitude less than
one come in pairs that are equal in magnitude and opposite in sign,
namely $\pm\lambda$.  The associated eigenvectors are not eigenvectors
of $\gamma_5$, but rather $\gamma_5$ has expectation value
$\pm\lambda$ in the eigenvectors,
$\psi^\dagger \gamma_5 \psi = \pm\lambda$ for ${\bf \rm H}_o \psi = \pm\lambda \psi$.

\end{itemize}
Since ${\bf \rm H}_o$ is an even dimensional matrix, the unpaired zero eigenvalues
have to be matched by unpaired eigenvalues equal to $\pm 1$. This is what
is expected to happen in a topologically non-trivial background.

We present the proofs to the properties of ${\bf \rm H}_o$ listed above.
\begin{itemize}

\item
Squaring ${\bf \rm H}_o$ in (\ref{eq:ov_ham}) we get
\begin{equation}
{\bf \rm H}_o^2 = {1\over 4} \Bigl[ 2 + \gamma_5\epsilon({\bf \rm H}_w) +
\epsilon({\bf \rm H}_w)\gamma_5 \Bigr ]
\label{eq:ov_hamsq}
\end{equation}
The above equation can be rewritten using (\ref{eq:ov_ham}) as
\begin{equation}
2{\bf \rm H}_o^2 = \gamma_5{\bf \rm H}_o + {\bf \rm H}_o\gamma_5
\label{eq:gin_wil}
\end{equation}
and is commonly referred to as the Ginsparg-Wilson relation.
As pointed out in~\cite{herbert1}, $\gamma_5\epsilon({\bf \rm H}_w)$ is an
unitary operator and $\epsilon({\bf \rm H}_w)\gamma_5$ is its Hermitian
conjugate. Therefore, all the eigenvalues of $[\gamma_5\epsilon({\bf \rm H}_w) +
\epsilon({\bf \rm H}_w)\gamma_5]$ are bounded by $[-2,2]$. Therefore all
eigenvalues of ${\bf \rm H}_o^2$ are bounded by $[0,1]$ and from this the
first property of ${\bf \rm H}_o$ follows.

\item
Let us first find all eigenvectors of ${\bf \rm H}_o$ that are also
eigenvectors of $\gamma_5$. Let $\psi$ be an eigenvector of ${\bf \rm H}_o$
with eigenvalue $\lambda$ and let $\gamma_5\psi=\pm\psi$.  With the
aid of (\ref{eq:gin_wil}) one concludes that $\lambda(\lambda \mp 1)=0$.
Therefore we have either $\lambda=0$ or $\lambda=\pm 1$, and we
have shown that chiral eigenvectors of ${\bf \rm H}_o$ have eigenvalues equal
to zero or $\pm 1$.  The subspace spanned by the zero eigenvalues of
${\bf \rm H}_o$ can be split into two further subspaces. One with dimension
of $n_+$ will have positive chirality and one with dimension of $n_-$
will have negative chirality. The number $n_+$ need not be equal to
$n_-$ and if $(n_+ - n_-)$ is not equal to zero then the gauge field
carries a non-trivial topology. All eigenvalues of ${\bf \rm H}_o$ equal to
$+1$ have positive chirality and vice-versa.

\item
Let $0 < \lambda < 1$ be an eigenvalue of ${\bf \rm H}_o$ with eigenvector
$\psi$ that is normalized to unity. Clearly,
\begin{equation}
\phi = {\gamma_5\psi - (\psi^\dagger\gamma_5\psi)\psi \over
\sqrt{1-(\psi^\dagger\gamma_5\psi)^2} }; \ \ \ \
\psi^\dagger \phi = 0
\label{eq:phi}
\end{equation}
is a new vector that is orthonormal to $\psi$ since
$\psi^\dagger\gamma_5\psi\ne \pm 1$.
We can now compute ${\bf \rm H}_o\phi$ using the Ginsparg-Wilson relation,
(\ref{eq:gin_wil}), and find that
\begin{equation}
{\bf \rm H}_o\phi = -\lambda \phi + {2\lambda(\lambda-\psi^\dagger\gamma_5\psi) \quad .
\over \sqrt{1-(\psi^\dagger\gamma_5\psi)^2} } \psi
\label{eq:ham_phi1}
\end{equation}
This shows that ${\bf \rm H}_o$ acting on the subspace spanned by $(\psi,\phi)$
results in vectors in that subspace. From ${\bf \rm H}_o\psi=\lambda\psi$
and $\phi^\dagger\psi=0$, it follows that $\phi^\dagger{\bf \rm H}_o\psi=0$.
From the hermiticity of ${\bf \rm H}_o$, we also have $\psi^\dagger{\bf \rm H}_o\phi=0$.
This along with (\ref{eq:ham_phi1}) results in
\begin{equation}
\psi^\dagger\gamma_5\psi = \lambda
\label{eq:chiral1}
\end{equation}
since we have assumed $\lambda\ne 0$. We have also assumed that
$\lambda \ne 1$ in the beginning and therefore $\phi$ is indeed a
non-zero vector with
\begin{equation}
{\bf \rm H}_o\phi = - \lambda \phi;\ \ \
\phi = {\gamma_5\psi - \lambda \psi \over \sqrt{1-\lambda^2} } \quad .
\label{eq:ham_phi2}
\end{equation}
This establishes the last property of ${\bf \rm H}_o$.

\end{itemize}

Comparing the properties of ${\bf \rm H}_o$ with the desired properties of
${\bf \rm H}$ in the continuum, we conclude that ${\bf \rm H}_o$ reproduces topology
correctly, as expected. The eigenvectors of the non-zero eigenvalues
of ${\bf \rm H}_o$ do not have a zero expectation value of $\gamma_5$.
Eigenvalues of ${\bf \rm H}_o$ have to be scaled by the lattice spacing to
get the eigenvalues of the continuum operator and then only the
eigenvalues of ${\bf \rm H}_o$ close to zero have a continuum relevance.  The
last property tells us that the corresponding eigenvectors also have
an expectation value of $\gamma_5$ close to zero as expected in the
continuum.

It is trivial to find the eigenvalues and left eigenvectors of
${\bf \rm D}\!\!\!\!/\,_o$ since ${\bf \rm D}\!\!\!\!/\,_o$ also maps the subspace
spanned by $(\psi,\phi)$ onto itself. The eigenvalues of
${\bf \rm D}\!\!\!\!/\,_o$ are zero when $\lambda=0$, unity when $\lambda=\pm 1$
and the complex conjugate pairs $(\lambda^2 \pm i\lambda\sqrt{1-\lambda^2})$
for $0 < \lambda < 1$. This proves that the only real eigenvalues of
the Overlap-Dirac operator are zero and unity. The massive
Overlap-Dirac operator is given by ${\bf \rm D}\!\!\!\!/\,_o + m_f$ with
$-1/2 < m_f < \infty$~\cite{herbert3}~\footnote{
The fermion mass $m_f$ should be written as $m_f={\mu\over 1-\mu}$ with
$\mu$ in the range $[-1,1]$. Positive values of $\mu$ correspond to
positive quark masses and vice-versa.~\cite{herbert3}}.
Clearly the operator has a
zero eigenvalue only when $m_f=0$. Occurrence of zero eigenvalues
for a lattice Dirac operator at positive quark masses in certain
gauge field backgrounds are referred to as ``exceptional'' configurations.
Such ``exceptional'' configurations are actually generic for the Wilson-Dirac
operator but non-existent for the Overlap-Dirac operator. As pointed
out in Ref.~\cite{herbert4} the only difficulty arises in defining the
Overlap-Dirac operator if ${\bf \rm H}_w$ has a zero eigenvalue since
$\epsilon({\bf \rm H}_w)$ is then not well defined. In such a background configuration,
one can define the operator at a value of $m$ slightly away from the
one where ${\bf \rm H}_w$ has a zero eigenvalue since the continuum limit is
expected to be independent of $m$.

Finally, one can also trivially get the spectral flow of the massive
${\bf \rm H}_o(m_f)$.  If ${\bf \rm H}_o(0)$ has a zero eigenvalue then
${\bf \rm H}_o(m_f)$ has an eigenvalue equal to $\pm m_f$ corresponding to
positive and negative chirality of the eigenvector.  If ${\bf \rm H}_o(0)$
has an eigenvalue equal to $\pm 1$, then ${\bf \rm H}_o(m_f)$ has an
eigenvalue equal to $\pm (1+m_f)$.  For the paired eigenvalues $\pm
\lambda$ of ${\bf \rm H}_o(0)$ in the range $0 < \lambda < 1$, ${\bf \rm H}_o(m_f)$
has paired eigenvalues equal to
$\pm\sqrt{ \lambda^2 + 2\lambda^2m_f + m_f^2 }$. This again shows that
zero crossings in the region $ -1/2 < m_f < \infty$ occur only at
$m_f=0$ and these are due to the topological content of the gauge
field.

\section {Algorithms}

The key element in the application of the Overlap-Dirac operator
(\ref{eq:ov_dirac}) on a vector is how to apply $\epsilon({\bf \rm H}_w)$ on a
vector. The meaning of $\epsilon({\bf \rm H}_w)$ is defined through the
$\epsilon$ function on the eigenvalues of ${\bf \rm H}_w$. Hence, the
diagonalization of ${\bf \rm H}_w$ is one possible method and has been
applied in two dimensional systems~\cite{schwinger}.
However, on larger systems of interest, exact diagonalization is
prohibitive.

\subsection{Fractional inverse method}

By representing $\epsilon({\bf \rm H}_w)$ as
\begin{equation}
\epsilon({\bf \rm H}_w) = \left({\bf \rm H}_w^2\right)^{-1/2} H_w
\label{eq:eps_frac_inv}
\end{equation}
we can directly apply $\epsilon({\bf \rm H}_w)$ on a vector by using a Krylov
space iterative solver for the fractional inverse based on Gegenbauer
polynomials \cite{Bunk}. In this method, one parameterizes
the system to be solved,
\begin{equation}
M^\gamma \phi = \chi\quad ,
\label{eq:frac_eq}
\end{equation}
by
\begin{equation}
M = c ( 1 + t^2 - 2 t A)\quad ,
\label{eq:gegen_param}
\end{equation}
The key to solving (\ref{eq:frac_eq}) is then the generating function for
Gegenbauer polynomials
\begin{equation}
( 1 + t^2 - 2 t A)^{-\gamma}  = \sum_{n=0}^{\infty} t^n C_n^\gamma(A)\quad .
\label{eq:gegen_gen}
\end{equation}
Using the recursion relations for the $C_n^\gamma$
one can construct an iterative solver for $\phi$ in (\ref{eq:frac_eq}).
We refer the reader to \cite{Bunk} for details.
For the case of interest, $\gamma = 1/2$ and $M={\bf \rm H}_w^2$ is
hermitian and positive (semi-)definite.
We restrict the bounds of $A$ to be in $[-1,1]$ and obtain uniform
convergence of $A$ and hence $M = {\bf \rm H}_w^2$ in (\ref{eq:gegen_gen})
provided  $|t| < 1$. It is important for the best convergence to match
the extremal eigenvalues of
${\bf \rm H}_w^2 \in [\lambda_{min}^2,\lambda_{max}^2]$ to those of $A \in
[-1,1]$. Then, the $t$ and $c$ are determined and
\begin{equation}
t = 1 - {1 \over \kappa} ,
\label{eq:conv_fact}
\end{equation}
where $\kappa = |\lambda_{max} / \lambda_{min}|$ is the condition
number of ${\bf \rm H}_w$. The parameter $t$ is the convergence factor for
the algorithm.  Typically, $\lambda_{max} \mathrel{\spose{\lower 3pt\hbox{$\mathchar"218$} 8$, but
$|\lambda_{min}|$ can be quite small \cite{rough}. Control of the
lowest mode is important since the number of iterations expected to
reach a given accuracy $R$ is bounded by $-\log(R)\kappa$, and
numerical tests have shown this bound to be saturated. We remark that
the same bound also applies to the Conjugate Gradient (CG) algorithm
but is not expected to be saturated. The polynomials generated by the
Gegenbauer expansion are not optimal, while the CG algorithm is
optimal.  Eigenvectors with small eigenvalue can be projected out of
(\ref{eq:eps_frac_inv}) to improve convergence.

\subsection{Pole methods}
\subsubsection{Polar decomposition}\label{sec:tanh}

Another approach is to consider $\epsilon(z)$ as the limit of some function
that switches quickly between $\pm 1$ on $z$ changing sign.
Recently, Neuberger showed \cite{herbert,pensacola} that
\begin{equation}
\epsilon(z) = \lim_{N\rightarrow\infty} f_N(z) ,
\end{equation}
with
\begin{equation}
f_N(z) = {{(1+z)^{2N} - (1-z)^{2N}} \over {(1+z)^{2N} + (1-z)^{2N}}} \quad .
\label{eq:f_N}
\end{equation}
In particular, $f_N(z)$ provides a good approximation for
$\epsilon(z)$ at finite $N$ for $1/N \mathrel{\spose{\lower 3pt\hbox{$\mathchar"218$} z \mathrel{\spose{\lower 3pt\hbox{$\mathchar"218$} N$, and can
be expressed quite simply, by matching poles and residues, as a sum over
poles
\begin{equation}
f_N(z) = z \sum_{k=1}^N  {{a_k} \over {z^2 + b_k}}\nonumber
\end{equation}
\begin{equation}
a_k = {1 \over {N \cos^2({\pi\over{2 N}}(k - \frac{1}{2}))}}\ ,\qquad
b_k = \tan^2({\pi\over{2 N}}(k - \frac{1}{2}))\quad .
\label{eq:tanh_pole}
\end{equation}
Since $\epsilon(s z) = \epsilon(z)$ for positive $s$, the argument $z$
can be rescaled into the region suitable for the approximation.
For the application of $f_N({\bf \rm H}_w)$ on a vector, one can use a
multi--shift CG solver \cite{multi_shift} for the $N$ terms in
$f_N({\bf \rm H}_w)$ \cite{herbert}. The convergence is governed by the
smallest shift; however, the overall cost is not much more than the
inversion for the smallest shift. The representation of $f_N({\bf \rm H}_w)$
in terms of poles is the key observation to making the algorithm
practical.

While the smallest shift, $b_1$, in (\ref{eq:tanh_pole}) governs
convergence, the choice of $N$ is determined by the condition number
of ${\bf \rm H}_w$.  The optimal choice for the scale factor $s$ is
${1\over \sqrt{\lambda_{max} \lambda_{min}}}$. The maximum deviation
of $f_N(sz)$ away from unity occurs at $z=\lambda_{max}$ and
$z=\lambda_{min}$, and the maximum deviation monotonically decreases
in $N$.  The desired accuracy $\delta$ over the spectral range of
${\bf \rm H}_w$ fixes $N$ depending on the condition number $\kappa$, namely
$N=0.25\sqrt\kappa\ln{\delta\over 2}$.  Hence, the condition number is
the real measure of convergence for small $\lambda_{min}$ if a good
uniform approximation is to be achieved.  This requirement may not be
needed in practice as long as the lowest modes are well represented,
but will be used throughout this work since it is not difficult to
achieve.

\subsubsection{Optimal rational approximation}

Other approximations to $\epsilon(z)$ over a finite interval can be
suggested. A polynomial approximation like Chebyshev over the interval
$[-1,1]$ is particularly bad since it is only logarithmically
convergent. A better choice is the ratio of polynomials called an
optimal rational function approximation.  Since $\epsilon(z)$ is odd, we
choose the form
\begin{equation}
g_N(z) = z {{P_N(z^2) \over {Q_N(z^2)}}}
\label{eq:ratio_approx}
\end{equation}
where we assume the polynomials are irreducible of degree $N$. We
choose the highest order coefficient in $Q_N(z)$ to be one. The
normalization is contained in $P_N(z)$ and is defined to be $c_0$.
As in the previous section, since $\epsilon(s z) = \epsilon(z)$ for
positive $s$, the argument $z$ can be rescaled into the region
suitable for the approximation.

To cast into a suitable form, we change variables to $y = z^2$ and
consider $h(y) = (1/z) \epsilon(z)$ over the interval $[0,z_{max}^2]$.
One can show \cite{Rivlin} that there exist best approximations of
$r(y) = P_N(y)/Q_N(y)$ for a continuous function in a uniform norm
over the interval $[y_{min},1]$ (with no loss of generality, we
restrict the upper bound). The deviation of $r(y)$ from the intended
function $1/\sqrt{y}$ can be shown~\cite{Rivlin} to have $2 + 2 N$
extrema with two always the endpoints.
An algorithm, sometimes called the Remez algorithm
\cite{Remez,Rivlin,Moshier}, exists to find the best approximation
$r(y)$. The version used here requires the extrema of the relative
error to be constant. For our application, this implies the worst
error in $g_N(z)$ is for the smallest $z$. Other weighting functions
can be chosen.

The numerical evaluation of (\ref{eq:ratio_approx}) is most stable in
factored form
\begin{equation}
g_N(z) = z c_0\,{{\prod_{k=1}^N (z^2 + p_k)} \over
  {\prod_{k=1}^N (z^2 + q_k)}}
\label{eq:ratio_factored}
\end{equation}
where we find the roots $p_k$ and $q_k$ to be real and positive.
We can cast this expression as a sum over poles as in Section~\ref{sec:tanh}:
\begin{equation}
g_N(z) = z \left(c_0 + {\sum_{k=1}^N {c_k \over {z^2 + q_k}}}\right);\qquad
c_k = c_0 {{\prod_{i=1}^N (q_k - p_i)} \over
  {\prod_{i=1,i\ne k}^N (q_k - q_i)}}
\label{eq:ratio_pole}
\end{equation}

We choose the value of $N$ so that the deviations of $|g_N(z)|$ over
the interval $[z_{min},1]$ are some acceptably small value
$\delta$. We show examples in Fig.~\ref{fig:remez} of $N=6, 8$ and
$10$ for the fit interval $[0.005,1]$, which admits a condition number
of $200$. We see the method rapidly converges in $N$. In our tests, we
have chosen $N=8$ where we see less than $0.5\%$ of an error. However,
we observe that since we are approximating a flat function, we can in
practice extend the acceptable upper bound beyond $1$. For $z > 1$,
$g_N(z)$ monotonically increases. For $N=8$, we can choose
$z_{max} = 2.8$ and still maintain a $1\%$ error. We can use this trick to
effectively increase the useful allowable condition number to over
$500$. In Table~\ref{tab:remez}, we show the roots and normalizations
for the polynomials shown in Fig.~\ref{fig:remez}.

\section{Results}

We will consider a gauge field background with a
single SU(2) instanton to compare the performance of
the three algorithms described in the previous section.
The SU(2) link elements on the lattice obtained from
an exact evaluation of the path ordered integral of the
continuum instanton take the following form~\cite{Laursen}.
In the singular gauge,
\begin{equation}
U_\mu(n) = \exp \Bigl[ib_\mu(n)\cdot\sigma
\bigr(\vartheta_\mu(n;0)-\vartheta_\mu(n;\rho)\bigl)\Bigr]
\label{eq:Inst_s}
\end{equation}
\begin{equation}
\vartheta_\mu(n;\rho) = {1\over \sqrt{ \rho^2 + \sum_{\nu\ne\mu}
(n_\nu-c_\nu)^2}}
\tan^{-1} { \sqrt{ \rho^2 + \sum_{\nu\ne\mu} (n_\nu-c_\nu)^2} \over
\rho^2 + \sum_{\nu} (n_\nu-c_\nu)^2 + (n_\mu-c_\mu) }
\label{eq:phi_inst}
\end{equation}
\begin{eqnarray}
b_1(n) & = & (-n_4+c_4, n_3-c_3, -n_2+c_2),\cr
b_2(n) & = & (-n_3+c_3, -n_4+c_4, n_1-c_1),\cr
b_3(n) & = & (n_2-c_2, -n_1+c_1, -n_4+c_4),\cr
b_4(n) & = & (n_1-c_1, n_2-c_2, n_3-c_3)
\label{eq:b's}
\end{eqnarray}
Here $c$ denotes the center of the instanton, and $\rho$ is the size of
the instanton measured in lattice units.
We work on an $8^4$ periodic lattice and set $\rho=1.5$ and
$c_\mu=4.5$ with the lattice sites in each direction numbered from $1$ to $8$.

We first present the results. We used the explicitly real
representation of ${\bf \rm H}_w$~\cite{herbert2}.  We computed a few low
lying eigenvalues of ${\bf \rm H}_o$ using the Ritz algorithm~\cite{ritz} to
compute the lowest eigenvalues of ${\bf \rm H}^2_o$. From our previous work
on the spectral flow of the hermitian Wilson-Dirac operator, we know
that a level of ${\bf \rm H}_w$ crosses zero between $m=0.5$ and
$m=0.6$~\cite{smooth}. This flow is shown as a solid line in
Fig.~\ref{fig:flow_inst}. The low lying eigenvalues of ${\bf \rm H}_o$ as a
function of $m$ are also shown in the same figure as octagons.  For
$0 \le m \le 0.5$, fourteen low lying eigenvalues are shown and for
$0.6 \le m \le 0.9$ fifteen low lying eigenvalues are shown. The non-zero
eigenvalues come in opposite pairs with their chirality being equal to
their eigenvalue.  This is in accordance with the last property of
${\bf \rm H}_o$.  The seven positive and the seven negative eigenvalues are nearly
degenerate.  For $0.6 \le m \le 0.9$, there is a single zero
eigenvalue for ${\bf \rm H}_o$. This is due to the instanton background.
The abrupt appearance of a zero eigenvalue with chirality $+1$ is
accompanied with the appearance of an eigenvalue of $-1$ with chirality
$-1$. It is difficult to confirm this numerically because of the
observed high density of eigenvalues near $\pm 1$.
The shape of the zero mode for $0.6 \le m \le 0.9$ is shown in
Fig.~\ref{fig:zero_inst}.
The $z(t)$ plotted is equal to $\sum_{\vec x a} \psi^2(\vec x, t, a) $
and the continuum mode is plotted as a solid line. The zero mode is
remarkably stable under change of the overlap mass $m$.

We have made comparisons of the average number of ${\bf \rm H}_w^2$
operations to obtain the result of the action of $\epsilon({\bf \rm H}_w)$ on
a vector.  The average is over all the Ritz iterations needed in
solving for the lowest eigenvalue in Fig.~\ref{fig:flow_inst}. The
main comparison is between the pole method and the fractional inverse
method. The two pole methods are expected to be comparable in the
average number of ${\bf \rm H}_w^2$ operations on a vector. Since we are
using the method of pole shifts the number of poles only affect the
memory requirement and some additional multiplications of vectors by
scalars and additions of vectors.  We show in
Fig.~\ref{fig:iters_inst} the scaling of the number of ${\bf \rm H}_w^2$
operations versus the condition number $\kappa$ of ${\bf \rm H}_w$ at masses
below and above the crossing. We used the $N=8$ polynomial in
Tab.~\ref{tab:remez} (c.f. Eq.~(\ref{eq:ratio_pole})). The fractional
inverse method scales quite linearly in $\kappa$ and the ${\bf \rm H}_w^2$
operation count grows to large values while in the optimal rational
approximation it grows very slowly. This is because the bound on
the rate of convergence is saturated in the fractional inverse method
while in CG it is not.  As expected, no substantial difference in the
number of ${\bf \rm H}_w^2$ operations was found between a $N=50$ order
$f_N({\bf \rm H}_w)$ in Eq.~(\ref{eq:tanh_pole}) and the $N=8$ optimal rational
approximation.

Although the two pole methods need similar number of ${\bf \rm H}_w^2$
operations there are some differences. For a fixed accuracy (maximum
deviation $\delta$ away from unity in the realization of
$\epsilon(z)$) and a fixed condition number the number of poles needed
in the optimal rational approximation is smaller than the one needed in the
polar decomposition. For example, with $\delta = 0.01$, the
optimal rational approximation needs seven poles for a condition number of 200
and twelve poles for a condition number of 1000. In contrast,
the polar decomposition needs 19 poles for a condition number of 200
and 42 poles for a condition number of 1000. This indicates that the
number of poles needed grows with the condition number at a slower
rate in the optimal rational approximation than in the polar decomposition.

A comparison of the number of poles needed for the optimal rational
approximation as a function of the accuracy for a fixed condition
number is shown in Fig.~\ref{fig:error}.  The number of poles needed
depends logarithmically on the accuracy, $\delta$, and the slope is
smaller for larger condition number.  As mentioned before, the number
of poles needed only affects the memory requirement and results in a
few additional operations of two types: addition of two vectors and
multiplication of vector by a scalar.  For a fixed memory requirement,
the optimal rational approximation will admit a larger condition number.

We also present the results of the spectral flow of ${\bf \rm H}_o$ in
three pure SU(2) gauge field backgrounds generated at $\beta=2.5$
on an $8^4$ lattice to further emphasize the feasibility of
the algorithms described here. The flows are shown in
Fig.~\ref{fig:flow_cfg17}--\ref{fig:flow_cfg11}.
Fig.~\ref{fig:flow_cfg17} is the flow in
a background that contains a single instanton
and this results in an exact zero mode of
${\bf \rm H}_o$. We verified that it is an exact zero mode by computing
its chirality which was found to be equal to $-1$.
Fig.~\ref{fig:flow_cfg1} is the flow in
a background that has no topological object and we do not find
any exact zero mode in this case.
Fig.~\ref{fig:flow_cfg11} is the flow in
a background that contains an instanton and an anti-instanton.
These will result in approximate zero modes and one can see
evidence for this in the sharp drop in the flow between
$m=0.6$ and $m=0.7$ and also by comparing to the flow
in Fig.~\ref{fig:flow_cfg1}. The modes in Fig.~\ref{fig:flow_cfg11}
are definitely not exact zero modes and, in accordance with the
last property of ${\bf \rm H}_o$, have chiralities equal to their eigenvalues.
Finally we also show
the exact zero mode found in the flow in Fig.~\ref{fig:flow_cfg17}.
We plot it for all $m >0.8$ and find that the mode is essentially
the same and it also agrees with the zero mode of ${\bf \rm H}_w$
computed close to the point in $m$ where ${\bf \rm H}_w$ has a zero crossing.

\section{Concluding remarks}

We have compared three implementations of the Overlap-Dirac operator
in four dimensions.  We find that the pole methods are superior in
convergence to the fractional inverse method.  The main advantage of
the optimal rational function approximation is that a suitable error can be
achieved for a smaller order polynomial.  This saves some work in the
multi-shift CG since fewer vectors are need. Also, memory can be
saved. No difference in convergence properties is expected otherwise.

For the massive Overlap-Dirac operator, one can again use the
multi-shift CG solver~\cite{multi_shift} to solve for the inverse with
several quark masses. The action of $\epsilon({\bf \rm H}_w)$ is only applied
on one vector and the quark masses can be expressed as a shift.

In practice it may be worth projecting out a few small eigenvectors of
${\bf \rm H}_w$ before the action of $\epsilon({\bf \rm H}_w)$ on a vector.  This is
useful if there are a few well separated small eigenvalues.  The
projection can have a dramatic effect in the fractional inverse method
since the number of ${\bf \rm H}_w^2$ operations is linear in the condition
number. It will also decrease the operation count in the pole methods.
We have verified these effects on the configurations studied in this
paper.

The pairing of the non-zero eigenvalues of ${\bf \rm H}_o$ can be used
to reduce the computation of the spectrum of ${\bf \rm H}_o$.

We have demonstrated the feasibility of using the Overlap-Dirac
operator in a four dimensional gauge theory by computing the spectral
flow of ${\bf \rm H}_o$ in SU(2) gauge field backgrounds at $\beta=2.5$ on an
$8^4$ lattice. Chiral properties have been shown to be properly
reproduced.  Exact zero modes have been shown to be related to
topology. They are clearly differentiated from almost zero modes in
that the exact zero modes have chirality $\pm 1$ while the almost zero
modes have chirality equal to their eigenvalue, namely very small.

\ack{
The authors would like to thank Tony Kennedy and Stefan Sint for
useful discussions. This research was supported by DOE contracts
DE-FG05-85ER250000 and DE-FG05-96ER40979.  Computations were performed
on the CM-2, the workstation cluster at SCRI, and the Xolas computing
cluster at MIT's Laboratory for Computing Science.
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


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text:
Home Bitcoin The Crypto Tax Bill by North Carolina's Representative Ted Budd
The Crypto Tax Bill by North Carolina's Representative Ted Budd
By Grace Muthoni -
Ted Budd, the representative of North Carolina's (NC) 13th congressional district has submitted a tax proposal to the United States House of Representatives. This bill focuses on enhancing how the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) handles cryptocurrencies in order to eliminate the profits and losses surrounding like-kind exchanges.
No More Double Taxation
Budd seeks to revise the 1986 Internal Revenue Code (IRC). Being the internal section of the United States tax law, the code declares that neither losses nor profits will be considered when transferring real assets used productively for investment or commerce purposes. As such, like-kind coin and real property exchanges will be handled similarly. Some of the scenarios arising from the absence of like-kind exchanges include double taxes, excessive book-keeping loads on citizens and hindrances on blockchain ventures.
This is not the first time the NC rep is endorsing the bill. On July 25, he brought it into congress where it was directed to the Ways & Means Commission. Prior to the act, Budd had observed a close to 40% charge on digital units during a recent interaction with the Ways & Means Commission. According to him, using digital assets is regarded as a sale despite the reality of the deal being the purchase of an ordinary consumer product. And so, the tax change would impede digital unit usage. Buying a flat-screen television with Bitcoin, for instance, would result in double taxes. They include a capital gain on the digital currency and a sales tax upon purchase. He went on to state that the technology was essential for national security.
In addition to the Virtual Value Tax Fix that he is advocating for, he also sought assistance on the Cryptocurrency Tax Fairness Act. Both of these legislations are crucial for tackling low crypto adoption figures. In his opening remarks, he explained how important the blockchain network was to him. He added that his policy amendment suggestions would prevent this network from going abroad to countries like Singapore and Malta.
Part of his agenda during the June 4 sitting was to expand the de Minimis exclusion for transactions in foreign money to cater for blockchain tokens. This is because the IRS classified virtual tokens as property. As such, the conversion of these tokens to fiat money or other products and services would attract tax. Budd gave the example of a consumer who used 65 cents in Bitcoin to get a soda from a dispensing machine. In this case, the user is supposed to incur the tax liability for the process. Note that this act does not apply to exchanges concluded after December 31, 2024.
Previous Attempts
Budd has been vocal about the digital market. In May, he was part of a group of legislators that urged the president's advisors to list blockchain as an upcoming technology. In a letter to the National Economic Council (NEC), the lawmakers stressed the potential of this technology to revolutionize different sectors through its capability to enhance effectiveness, security, and transparency. The letter also encourages collaboration with the academic community, private entities and policymakers in blockchain research to maintain the country's place as a giant in tech innovations.
In December 2018, Ted Budd tabled two bipartisan proposals with his Florida counterpart Darren Soto. In a bid to stop coin price manipulation and put the United States on the crypto map, the congressmen came up with the United States' Virtual Currency Market and Regulatory Competitiveness Act of 2018 together with the Virtual Currency Consumer Protection Act of 2018. These bills push the U.S Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and similar regulators to enhance the administrative environment for the sake of consumers and business growth.
What's more, Budd led fifteen representatives to seek explanation on crypto and Initial Coin Offering (ICO) regulations from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) boss Jay Clayton in September 2018. The members wanted to know the criteria used by the agency to establish whether digital assets can be classified as securities within federal laws. In the letter, the representatives agreed with Clayton that digital assets attracting sales comprising of securities and investment contracts should obey securities regulations.
Likewise, they acknowledged that some digital tokens did not fall under securities. However, it was unclear which tokens fit in this category. They also wanted the agency to reveal the instruments they used to educate innovators on cryptocurrency matters. Although they did not indicate when they needed the feedback, the congress members urged the SEC to be conscious of the rate at which the digital market was developing.
According to them, this uncertainty was hurting the United States crypto scene and would eventually drive business to other countries. Earlier on, the SEC chief stated that he would not compromise cryptocurrency laws to describe securities. Being independent, the SEC can only clarify the current regulations. To update them, the regulator would require a congress act.
In March 2019, Jay Clayton declared that neither Ethereum nor related cryptocurrencies are securities. This declaration was in response to Budd's previous inquiry about the exact nature of securities. In the reply, Clayton added that the interpretation of a digital asset being a security was not cast on stone but subject to change with time.
Featured image via BigStock.
Grace Muthoni
Looking at Realio – Project Review
Kraken makes exchange better for U.K. traders and BCH community
Looking for a Secure Yet Free Cryptocurrency Wallet?


text:
```bash
composer require socialiteproviders/yahoo
```

## Installation & Basic Usage

Please see the [Base Installation Guide](https://socialiteproviders.com/usage/), then follow the provider specific instructions below.

### Add configuration to `config/services.php`

```php
'yahoo' => [
  'client_id' => env('YAHOO_CLIENT_ID'),
  'client_secret' => env('YAHOO_CLIENT_SECRET'),
  'redirect' => env('YAHOO_REDIRECT_URI')
],
```

### Add provider event listener

Configure the package's listener to listen for `SocialiteWasCalled` events.

Add the event to your `listen[]` array in `app/Providers/EventServiceProvider`. See the [Base Installation Guide](https://socialiteproviders.com/usage/) for detailed instructions.

```php
protected $listen = [
    \SocialiteProviders\Manager\SocialiteWasCalled::class => [
        // ... other providers
        \SocialiteProviders\Yahoo\YahooExtendSocialite::class.'@handle',
    ],
];
```

### Usage

You should now be able to use the provider like you would regularly use Socialite (assuming you have the facade installed):

```php
return Socialite::driver('yahoo')->redirect();
```

### Returned User fields

- ``id``
- ``nickname``
- ``name``
- ``email``
- ``avatar``

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Coloman
king of Hungary
Alternative Titles: Coloman the Possessor of Books, Könyves Kálmán, Koloman
Coloman, also spelled Koloman, byname Coloman The Possessor Of Books, Hungarian Könyves Kálmán, (born c. 1070—died Feb. 3, 1116), king of Hungary from 1095 who pursued expansionist policies and stabilized and improved the internal order of Hungary.
Coloman was the natural son of King Géza I by a Greek concubine. King Ladislas (László), his uncle, would have made him a monk, but Coloman refused and eventually escaped to Poland. On Ladislas' death (1095), Coloman returned to Hungary and seized the crown. His legitimately born half brother, Álmos, continued to plot against the usurpation until 1113, when Coloman imprisoned him and his infant son, Béla, and had them blinded.
Though his accession to the throne was irregular, Coloman was a wise and just ruler. He permitted the crusaders, under Godfrey of Bouillon, to cross his territory, and he won considerable fame throughout Europe for this diplomatic gesture. He continued his predecessor's policy of trying to secure a seaboard for Hungary. In 1097 he made good Hungary's claim to Croatia by overthrowing King Petar Svačić, the king of Croatia, and by 1102 Coloman controlled the greater part of Dalmatia, though this latter acquisition brought him into conflict with other major powers interested in the fate of that province.
It was as a legislator and administrator, however, that Coloman was greatest. He was not only one of the most learned sovereigns of the early Middle Ages (hence his byname) but was also one of the most statesmanlike. Under him the feudal system was consolidated in Hungary, and strict but just laws were passed to preserve the state, the church, the central government, and private property and to strengthen the economic and military position of Hungary. He is noted particularly for enacting a law forbidding trials of witches, whose existence he denied.
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Hungary: The early kings
Ladislas's successor, Coloman (Kálmán; 1095–1116), who was the elder son of Géza I, had his own brother, Álmos, and Álmos's infant son, Béla, blinded to secure the throne for his own son Stephen II (1116–31). Béla II (1131–41), the blinded boy, whom his father's friends had brought…
Árpád dynasty
… (László; reigned 1077–95) and King Coloman (Kálmán; reigned 1095–1116) were able to extend Hungary's control over Croatia. In the 12th century it was the Byzantine emperor who gained significant influence in Hungary by intervening in the succession struggles of Ladislas II (reigned 1162–63) and Stephen IV (reigned 1163–65) against their…
Godfrey of Bouillon
Godfrey of Bouillon, duke of Lower Lorraine (as Godfrey IV; 1089–1100) and a leader of the First Crusade, who became the first Latin ruler in Palestine after the capture of Jerusalem from the Muslims…
Croatia, country located in the northwestern part of the Balkan Peninsula. It is a small yet highly geographically diverse crescent-shaped country. Its capital is Zagreb, located in the north. The present-day republic is composed of the historically Croatian regions of Croatia-Slavonia (located in the upper arm of…
Dalmatia, region of Croatia, comprising a central coastal strip and a fringe of islands along the Adriatic Sea. Its greatest breadth, on the mainland, is about 28 miles (45 km), and its total length, from the Kvarner (Quarnero) gulf to the narrows of Kotor (Cattaro), is about 233…
More About Coloman
In Árpád dynasty
Hungarian history
In Hungary: The early kings
In Hungary: Consolidation and expansion
title / office
king, Hungary (1095-1116)
house / dynasty
Matthias I
Ladislas I
Napoleon I
Frederick II
Peter I
Kangxi
Barack Obama, 44th president of the United States (2009–17) and the first African American to hold the…
Vladimir Putin, Russian intelligence officer and politician who served as president (1999–2008, 2012–…
Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the United States (1861–65), who preserved the Union during the American…


For daily commutes, our parka coats, wool coats and fleece vests for men block the elements so you can focus on the workday ahead. With our winter coats, you'll stay dry and cozy as you're catching the train, bus, or subway to work. Our fleece jackets for men and other men's coats ward off the rain and snow while you're getting into and out of your car. When you purchase our fleece vests for men or other men's clothing items, rest easy that they're covered by our Guaranteed. Period.® return policy: If you're not satisfied with any item, simply return it to us at any time for an exchange or refund of its purchase price. To personalize our best warm coats, find out about adding a monogram.
Our parka coats for men combine warmth, protection, and performance. Wear our winter coats as you push through the rain and snow to make it to the office.
Nothing is more refined than a wool topcoat. And this refined dark gray windowpane is no exception. Its classic looks are appropriate for almost every occasion or trip. Smart details include plenty of extra pockets inside to store keys, wallet, glasses, cell phone and any other gadgets you have; adjustable cuffs, and single rear vent for ease of movement. The full lining ensures it's easy to slip into. Impeccably tailored with neat stitching throughout.
We're going to go ahead and issue a decree: every man should own a denim trucker jacket. You just can't top its versatility. Over T-shirts, over button-ups, with jeans, with chinos – you name it, it goes with it. Ours has a trick that many others don't: a hint of stretch for moves-with-you comfort. Plus, it's garment-washed to feel soft and broken in the first time you put it on.
Our parka coats for men provide vital coverage during your daily commutes to the workplace.
When you're wearing our parka coats for men, your daily commutes will be more comfortable and dry, thanks to the rugged and warm construction of our hardworking men's parkas. Essential winter coats for workdays, our parka coats for men, wool coats and fleece vests are built for Wisconsin, ready for anywhere, and will repel the elements and seal in the heat. We have fleece vests for men for easy-to-layer winter wear with just the right amount of heft for chilly offices. You'll find our best warm coats and jackets in regular, tall, big and tall, and big sizes for a perfect fit allowing for plenty of movement.
Our parka coats for men are ready for the toughest winters. Our men's parkas can range from bomber-style parkas to down parkas packable into their own chest pockets. Our winter coats can feature HyperDRY™ down insulation, which stays warm when wet and dries quickly to regain its loft. Along with fleece vests for men, we have down winter vests for excellent warmth without weight. Consider monogramming our best warm coats for truly personalized men's winter coats you can call your own.


In late 2005, I received my DONA certification and began doula work in earnest. I took about 2 -3 clients a month regularly until I became pregnant in late 2006. After a few months, off in 2007, I started up again and continued with the work that I loved. My DONA certification was up for re-certification in 2008 and I completed it as required without any issues. In 2009, I started YourDoulaBag.com and began selling products for doulas. Also in 2009, another pregnancy and birth of my own (baby #4) took me out of doula work for about 4 months. Right about summer of 2010 I was enthusiastically back to a full client load and was busy building my doula products business. At this time, I also created the doula data management program YourDoulaBiz. Doula business was good. I was "all in" as a doula. This was my profession and I embraced it completely. To be honest, I was juggling a lot of balls at this time in my life. Four kids and a start up business was a lot for me to handle and things sometimes slipped through the cracks.
What I didn't do was pay attention to my re-certification date.
January 15th and 16th I traveled to Louisville, Kentucky to take part in the DONA birth doula training taught by my friend and amazing DONA trainer, Robin Elise Weiss. It was a great trip! I recruited Kathleen Leathers, my doula buddy and SupportingHercollaborator, to join me for the trip. It was a great weekend filled with lots of doula fun. A highlight of the trip included Saturday night dinner with a group of awesome 100percentdoulas from the area. We dinned in the capital city of Franklin, Kentucky and had a wonderful doula dinner.
So, I'm one my way back to becoming certified again. If you are a certified doula or planning to get your certification, heed my warning and don't let your certification lapse!


text:
Facebook: ad policy unchanged, users in control
Facebook said Friday that ads on the social network featuring user endorsements and pictures were nothing new, and that members remain in control of their own content and images.
Amazon enters original TV fray with 'Alpha House'
Online retail giant Amazon jumped on the original Internet TV programming bandwagon Friday with a character-driven political sitcom created by the man behind the "Doonesbury" comic strip.
UK warns of ransom scam targeting 10s of millions
(AP)—British officials issued an unusually stark alert about a cyberscam that locks users out of their computers unless they pay a ransom, saying Friday that tens of millions of people may soon be targeted.
'Montana Dueling Dinosaurs' to sell at NYC auction
(AP)—Two fossilized dinosaur skeletons found on a Montana ranch in 2006 are going on the auction block in New York City. They're expected to fetch between $7 million and $9 million.
NASA-led firefly mission to study lightning (w/ Video)
Somewhere on Earth, there's always a lightning flash. The globe experiences lightning some 50 times a second, yet the details of what initiates this common occurrence and what effects it has on the atmosphere – lightning ...
Overcoming brittleness: New insights into bulk metallic glass
From the production of tougher, more durable smart phones and other electronic devices, to a wider variety of longer lasting biomedical implants, bulk metallic glasses are poised to be mainstay materials for the 21st Century. ...
Safety in numbers? Not so for corals
Traditionally, it was assumed that corals do not face a risk of extinction unless they become very rare or have a very restricted range. A team of scientists from the University of Hawaii – Manoa (UHM), Joint Institute ...
Whither the teakettle whistle: Breakthrough in breakfast musings
Despite decades of brewing tea in a whistling kettle, the source and mechanism of this siren sound of comfort has never been fully described scientifically. Acknowledging the vibrations made by the build-up of steam escaping ...
Hacker linked to Anonymous gets 10-year sentence
A computer programmer linked to the online hacktivist group Anonymous who pleaded guilty to hacking the intelligence firm Stratfor was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison, prosecutors said.
Researchers develop algorithm to identify individual grains in planetary regolith
Instruments on the Curiosity Mars rover not only measure the chemistry of rocks, elemental abundances of soils and wind speeds, but also take an incredible number of images from both mast-mounted cameras and up-close imaging ...


text:
Timex Sinclair 1000 – komputer domowy będący amerykańską wersją komputera Sinclair ZX-81. Trudno dostępny poza USA.

Wersja TS-1000 wprowadzona na rynek w 1982 r. w USA wyposażona była w mikroprocesor Zilog Z80A 3.25 MHz.
Komputer pozwalał na wyświetlanie tekstu w rozdzielczości 32 znaków w 24 liniach (2 linie zarezerwowane na komunikaty systemu), natomiast wyświetlanie grafiki w dwóch kolorach (czerń-biel) o rozdzielczości 64x44 pikseli.

 Pamięć ROM: 8 KB
 Pamięć RAM: 2 KB
 Porty: szyna Z80, magnetofon, wyjście TV
 Wymiary: 167 × 175 × 38 mm / 350 g
 Zasilanie: 9 V stałe
 System operacyjny: Sinclair BASIC

Zobacz też
 Timex Sinclair 1500

Komputery domowe

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


This wine was made entirely from fruit grown here at the House Block in Bowral.
Gewurztraminer suits our cool climate vineyard well boasting distinctive spicy fragrances of rosewater, lychee, rock melon, and musk.
Neither too big and heavy, nor too light, this style illustrates the spicy nature of Gewurztraminer in a light-medium bodied frame featuring delicacy and finesse.
The palate is crisp and juicy with spiced ripe apple, lychee, and kiwifruit flavours featuring through the long and textural finish. A very slight spritz gained by retaining as much of the natural fermentation gas (CO2) has provided a welcome zing to compliment the soft and juicy flavours.
This wine is delightfully different and perfect as an aperitif, and great with Asian-styled food. Serve chilled. Drink now to 2021.


text:
1934 Nick 2016
Nick W Donahue
October 28, 1934 — February 23, 2016
Nicholas "Nick" Donahue Nicholas W. Donahue, 81 of Peru, passed away February 23, at 2:06 PM in St. Francis Medical Center, Peoria, IL. A Mass of Christian burial will be at noon Saturday in St. Valentine's Church, Peru. Monsignor J. Brian Rejsek will officiate. Burial will be at St Columba Cemetery in Ottawa. Full Military honors will be accorded by members of Ottawa Veterans Group. Visitation will be 9-12 PM Saturday in the Church. Arrangements are entrusted to Ptak Funeral Home in Peru. Nick was born October 28, 1934, in Ottawa to John J. and Anne (Clark) Donahue. He married Marylyn Dornis on April 27, 1957 in St. Francis Church in Ottawa. Nick worked 43 years until his retirement for Illinois Power as an Electrical Meter Foreman. He also was the Sexton for St. Valentine Cemetery in Spring Valley for 20 years. Nick could also be seen at the church doing whatever needed to be done. He was a member of St. Valentine's Church, served on the Parish Council. He served on the Peru Catholic School Board, Vice- President of Peru Boys Baseball Board and was treasurer of the Bedan Club at St. Bede for 25 years. It doesn't stop; He was a member of Local 51 IBEW, Lifetime Member of the Knight of Columbus council #634 in Ottawa. He was the treasurer of Utility Employees LaSalle Service Area Credit Union for over 40 years. He served in the United States Army from 1957-1959. Nick is survived by his wife, Marylyn, daughter Joan (Leon) McKinney of Town and Country, MO; 5 sons, Nick (Raye-lynn) of Pompano Beach, FL; Dan (Renee) of Plainfield; Jim (Mindy) of Plainfield; Keith (Samantha) of Bloomington and John (Laura) of Lake Barrington; 11 grandchildren, Nathan, Eric, Brett and Colin Donahue; Bridget McKinney; Emma Petinga; Brandi, Lexi, Morgan, Harper and Maggie Donahue, 2 brothers Tom (Emma) Donahue of Ottawa and Earl (Phyllis) Donahue of Serena; 3 sisters, Ivis (Robert) McGrath of Ottawa; Mary Schaibley of Ottawa, and Josephine (William) Parrott of Ottawa and many nieces and nephews. Nick was preceded in death by his parents, 2 brothers John and Francis and one sister Claire Rohlman. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to St. Bede Academy, Marquette Academy or St. Valentine's Church. Online condolences may be left at PtakFH.com
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Nick W Donahue, please visit our flower store.
9:00am - 12:00pm (Central time)
St Valentine Church
1109 Pulaski St, Peru, IL 61354
12:00 - 12:45pm (Central time)
Burial with Military Service
St. Columba Cemetery
1800 N 2990th Rd, Ottawa, IL 61350


I take time in a one-on-one setting to understand each client's current needs and goals and then design a program just for them.
Everyone receives a HEP- Home Exercise Program.
The Yoga therapist talks with the individual regarding that history, as well as asking questions about their living situation, current lifestyle, diet, activities.
The Yoga therapist asks the student to do simple movements so that she can observe what is happening with the student on the physical level. During this process we will often talk with the student about aggravating and relieving factors involved in their problem.
The Yoga Therapist will instruct each student individually so that she can develop a relationship with each of their students, and the personal element or relationship aspect of our approach is important. Once the teacher understands the individual's issue(s) and circumstances, she will develop a home Yoga program that emphasizes three things: conscious breathing, physical movements, and individualized purposeful sequencing of those movements in coordination with the breath.
Each course is carefully constructed to stay well within the physical limits of that person.
Then the Yoga therapist instructs this personalized program to the student, revising it according to the student's response. Students will receive written practices using traditional stick figures for visual reference.
The initial consultation typically lasts 60-75 minutes, but follow up sessions are usually shorter, approximately 60-45 minutes in length.
*Session packages expire 12 months from purchase date. PACKAGES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE AFTER PURCHASE, BUT ARE TRANSFERABLE.
Private sessions are available at Yoga Within in Aptos or Pacific Edge in Santa Cruz.
Call Kym at 831-254-6100 to schedule your appointment!
I am a certified Viniyoga therapist. Viniyoga is evolved from the teachings of T.Krishnamacharya and T.K.V. Desikachar. Viniyoga is a traditional form of hatha yoga often used for yoga therapy that focuses on applying adaptations for individuals.
Yoga therapy is yoga for healing. Yoga therapy can work with all levels of your being by integrating the ancient practices of yoga to help effect your unique condition, whether it is physical, emotional, stress related, energetic or spiritual. Practices are individualized, including but not limited to the use of yoga postures to bring balance to the structure, pranayama (breathing exercises), meditation and visualization practices may be appropriate for your unique goals or condition.
Yoga therapy practices are written out for home practice with traditional stick figure drawings.
Who might get yoga therapy?


text:
VAS Latvijas Valsts radio un televīzijas centrs
Both, the rich history of the company itself as well as the fact that length of employment of many employees of the company lasts for several tens of years or the company is their only place of work, provides an opportunity to use this historical experience and gradual replacement of generations for growth of the company.
The name of the company has been changed for several times since the foundation:
1944-1945 Riga Radio Communication and Radio Programme Board,
1945-1955 Riga Reception and Republicanic Broadcasting Centre,
1972 - 1996 Latvia Radio and
1972 – 1996 Latvia Radio and Television Centre
1996 - 2004 non-profit organisation VAS Latvijas Valsts radio un televīzijas centrs (Latvia State Radio and Television Centre).
In 2004 the company acquired the current name and status - VAS Latvijas Valsts radio un televīzijas centrs (Latvia State Radio and Television Centre).
The origin of VAS Latvijas Valsts radio un televīzijas centrs is related to the history of radio in Latvia, which started in 1924, when the radio exchange was established in the composition of the central board of the Post and Telegraph Office of the Ministry of Transport.
During the thirtieth it was transformed into the Radio Department, later on into the Radio Division, but since 1938 into the Latvian Radio Centre. A technical department was established within the framework of it, which administered the radio central exchange, transmitters, connection and traffic department, laboratory and workshops.
Until September 1940 the Latvian Radio Centre was lead by the engineer Jānis Linters (1879-1963). During this period of time there were broadcasting stations were built in Riga, Madona, Kuldīga and Liepāja.
In 1944 the Communication Authorised Department with services was organized, which started to renew the destroyed systems. Later on the Ministry of Transport was arranged, under the subordination of which there were broadcasting, television, operation and development of technical systems performed.
On 1 January 1972 the company was renamed as the Latvian Radio and Television Centre. Romualds Grabovskis was appointed as the Director thereof. The Latvian Radio and Television Centre became as an economic accountability company and the technical services of radio programmes and television studios, movie production department, power economy, road vehicles, capital construction department and other administrative and economical services - in total 11 workshops, 32 departments and stations - were delivered under the management of it. At that time the company employed 432 employees.
The company had always united technically creative and excellent personalities, without the creative initiative of whom it would not be possible to achieve such impressive achievements at that time. Jānis Linters and Harijs Bauers have significantly contributed during the initial period of the development of the Latvian Radio, but Georgs Lurie and many other employees of the company - for the implementation of television in Latvia.


The Tertiary Upper Castle Hayne Aquifer (UCHA) is one of the most productive aquifers in North Carolina's Coastal Plain; however, localized zones containing high, dissolved-iron concentrations ([greater than]0.3 mg/L) are present near the recharge area. Iron-rich groundwater is an expensive water quality and infrastructure problem affecting water suppliers in eastern North Carolina but the evolution of high-iron zones in the UCHA is poorly understood. This study integrates geochemistry, mineralogy, sedimentology, and geochemical groundwater modeling to identify likely sources and sinks of dissolved iron near Washington, NC. Two adjacent sediment cores were collected from the Yorktown and surficial aquifers, which overlie the UCHA at the core site in western Beaufort County. Orangish-brown sediments, extracted between 3.7 and 6.1 meters below the land surface (m BLS), have the highest iron concentrations measured in the core sediments (ranging from 2.2 to 9.0 wt. %). Several additional anomalies occur within this depth range including the highest increase in pH (from 4.9 to 8.1), the largest increase in cation-exchange capacity (from 2.3 to 124.6 meq/100 cm3), and the highest mud content (87.1 wt. %). X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy indicate that amphiboles, ilmenite, glauconite, iron-oxyhydroxides, and pyrite are important iron-bearing minerals in the coastal plain overburden. Three hydrogeochemical zones, distinguished by variations in sediment composition, depth, and inferred biogeochemical and hydrologic processes, are identified in the sediments overlying the UCHA. The Iron Depletion Zone, extending from the ground surface to approximately 3.8 m BLS, may be characterized by progressive depletion of iron-bearing constituents over time. The Iron Pigmentation Zone (IPZ), extending from the basal portion of the IDZ to approximately 6.4 m BLS, likely transitions from oxidizing conditions to reducing conditions, resulting in iron-oxyhydroxide precipitation in the upper IPZ and the reduction of ferric iron to ferrous iron in the lower IPZ. High-dissolved-iron concentrations in the UCHA are most likely derived from conditions that are similar to those of the lower IPZ, where in the presence of organic matter, microbially catalyzed reduction of abundant iron-oxyhydroxides results in the production of dissolved-ferrous iron. Geochemical groundwater modeling confirms that microbially catalyzed reduction of iron-oxyhydroxides via organic-matter oxidation yields the highest, dissolved-iron concentrations in slightly acidic, surficial-aquifer water. Below 6.4 m BLS, evidence suggests that the dominant electron-accepting process in the Iron Sulfide Zone is microbially catalyzed sulfate reduction, resulting in the attenuation of dissolved-iron concentrations via the formation of iron-sulfide minerals. Iron-oxyhydroxide reduction, proximal to the upper contact of the UCHA, may be essential to the development of high-iron groundwater along the western edge of the UCHA recharge area. Geochemical modeling indicates that cation-exchange reactions between ferrous iron and glauconite may substantially deplete dissolved iron after groundwater enters the UCHA. Future studies integrating contemporaneous investigation of groundwater geochemistry, sediment composition, and redox-related microorganisms are necessary to better elucidate the formation of high-iron zones in the UCHA.
Akland, Mark J. Origin and geochemical evolution of localized, high-ferrous-iron zones in the Upper Castle Hayne Aquifer, Beaufort County, North Carolina. Master's Thesis. East Carolina University, April 2017. The Scholarship. http://hdl.handle.net/10342/6141. April 24, 2019.
Akland, Mark J, "Origin and geochemical evolution of localized, high-ferrous-iron zones in the Upper Castle Hayne Aquifer, Beaufort County, North Carolina" (Master's Thesis., East Carolina University, April 2017).
Akland, Mark J. Origin and geochemical evolution of localized, high-ferrous-iron zones in the Upper Castle Hayne Aquifer, Beaufort County, North Carolina [Master's Thesis]. Greenville, NC: East Carolina University; April 2017.


text:
The Marriage of Opposites
Alice Hoffman. Simon & Schuster, $27.95 (384p) ISBN 978-1-4516-9359-1
More By and About This Author
Children's Bookshelf Talks with Alice Hoffman
Surviving Survivor's Guilt: Alice Hoffman
BEA 2013: Hoffman Meets New Challenges
The Quest for a Blue Rose and Other Unexpected Gifts
Q & A with Alice Hoffman
Skylight Confessions
THE PROBABLE FUTURE
Scribners Best of the Fiction Workshops 1997
The Third Angel
The Foretelling
Turtle Moon
Horsefly
BLUE DIARY
BLACKBIRD HOUSE
The Story Sisters
WATER TALES: Two Novels, Aquamarine & Indigo
The Museum of Extraordinary Things
The River King
Illumination Night
The Red Garden
The Cruikshank Chronicles: Anecdotes, Stories, and Memoirs of a New Deal Liberal
Local Girls
Hoffman (The Museum of Extraordinary Things) finds inspiration for her particular brand of magical realism in the Caribbean island of St. Thomas and the personal history of a nonfictional woman named Rachel Pomié, who lived on the colony in the 19th century. Rachel begins the story as the headstrong daughter of a French merchant, whose Jewish ancestors came to the New World in pursuit of religious freedom and found refuge under the protection of the King of Denmark, a champion of civil rights who also outlawed slavery on the island. Rachel grows up with her best friend Jestine, the beautiful daughter of her family's servant, Adelle, but upon adulthood, their paths separate. Rachel, caught up in the expectations set for her as a member of the small community, marries Isaac Petit, a widower nearly 30 years her senior with three small children, in order to help her father's business interests. She puts away her dreams of moving to Paris and accepts the role of dutiful wife, producing more children and becoming distant from Jestine, who faces her own challenges finding her place in society. When Rachel's husband dies and his nephew arrives to oversee the family business, Rachel is swept into an encompassing love that violates the community's moral code and isolates her family—but produces a son, Camille, whose peculiar way of seeing foretells his role as a leader of French Impressionism. Hoffman's subject matter and her evocative writing style are a wonderful fit for this moving story, which illuminates a historical period and women whose lives were colored by hardships, upheavals, and the subjugation of personal desires. (Aug.)
Paperback - 384 pages - 978-1-4711-1210-2
Compact Disc - 978-1-4423-8580-1
Open Ebook - 384 pages - 978-1-4516-9361-4
Downloadable Audio - 978-1-4423-8581-8
Hardcover - 384 pages - 978-1-4711-1209-6


For my personal site, I wanted a clean design that deferred focus to the content while creatively accommodating both a blog and a portfolio.
A full width expandable layout defers focus to the main column of content, while allowing for different layouts to exist within the content area.
For my personal site, I wanted a design that deferred focus to the content while creatively accommodating both a blog and a portfolio.


text:
package org.ethereum.db;

import org.ethereum.core.BlockWrapper;
import org.ethereum.datasource.mapdb.MapDBFactory;
import org.ethereum.datasource.mapdb.Serializers;
import org.ethereum.util.CollectionUtils;
import org.ethereum.util.Functional;
import org.mapdb.DB;
import org.mapdb.Serializer;
import org.slf4j.Logger;
import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;

import java.util.*;
import java.util.concurrent.locks.Condition;
import java.util.concurrent.locks.ReentrantLock;

import static org.ethereum.config.SystemProperties.CONFIG;

/**
 * @author Mikhail Kalinin
 * @since 09.07.2015
 */
public class BlockQueueImpl implements BlockQueue {

    private final static Logger logger = LoggerFactory.getLogger("blockqueue");

    private static final int READ_HITS_COMMIT_THRESHOLD = 1000;
    private int readHits;

    private final static String STORE_NAME = "blockqueue";
    private final static String HASH_SET_NAME = "hashset";
    private MapDBFactory mapDBFactory;

    private DB db;
    private Map<Long, BlockWrapper> blocks;
    private Set<byte[]> hashes;
    private Index index;

    private boolean initDone = false;
    private final ReentrantLock initLock = new ReentrantLock();
    private final Condition init = initLock.newCondition();

    private final ReentrantLock takeLock = new ReentrantLock();
    private final Condition notEmpty = takeLock.newCondition();

    private final Object writeMutex = new Object();
    private final Object readMutex = new Object();

    @Override
    public void open() {
        new Thread(new Runnable() {
            @Override
            public void run() {
                try {
                    initLock.lock();
                    db = mapDBFactory.createTransactionalDB(dbName());
                    blocks = db.hashMapCreate(STORE_NAME)
                            .keySerializer(Serializer.LONG)
                            .valueSerializer(Serializers.BLOCK_WRAPPER)
                            .makeOrGet();
                    hashes = db.hashSetCreate(HASH_SET_NAME)
                            .serializer(Serializer.BYTE_ARRAY)
                            .makeOrGet();

                    if(CONFIG.databaseReset()) {
                        blocks.clear();
                        hashes.clear();
                        db.commit();
                    }

                    index = new ArrayListIndex(blocks.keySet());
                    initDone = true;
                    readHits = 0;
                    init.signalAll();

                    logger.info("Block queue loaded, size [{}]", size());
                } finally {
                    initLock.unlock();
                }
            }
        }).start();
    }

    private String dbName() {
        return String.format("%s/%s", STORE_NAME, STORE_NAME);
    }

    @Override
    public void close() {
        awaitInit();
        db.close();
        initDone = false;
    }

    @Override
    public void addAll(Collection<BlockWrapper> blockList) {
        awaitInit();
        synchronized (writeMutex) {
            List<Long> numbers = new ArrayList<>(blockList.size());
            Set<byte[]> newHashes = new HashSet<>();
            for (BlockWrapper b : blockList) {
                if(!index.contains(b.getNumber()) &&
                   !numbers.contains(b.getNumber())) {

                    blocks.put(b.getNumber(), b);
                    numbers.add(b.getNumber());
                    newHashes.add(b.getHash());
                }
            }
            hashes.addAll(newHashes);

            takeLock.lock();
            try {
                index.addAll(numbers);
                notEmpty.signalAll();
            } finally {
                takeLock.unlock();
            }
        }
        db.commit();
    }

    @Override
    public void add(BlockWrapper block) {
        awaitInit();
        synchronized (writeMutex) {
            if (index.contains(block.getNumber())) {
                return;
            }
            blocks.put(block.getNumber(), block);
            hashes.add(block.getHash());

            takeLock.lock();
            try {
                index.add(block.getNumber());
                notEmpty.signalAll();
            } finally {
                takeLock.unlock();
            }
        }
        db.commit();
    }

    @Override
    public BlockWrapper poll() {
        awaitInit();
        BlockWrapper block = pollInner();
        commitReading();
        return block;
    }

    private BlockWrapper pollInner() {
        synchronized (readMutex) {
            if (index.isEmpty()) {
                return null;
            }

            Long idx = index.poll();
            BlockWrapper block = blocks.get(idx);
            blocks.remove(idx);

            if (block != null) {
                hashes.remove(block.getHash());
            } else {
                logger.error("Block for index {} is null", idx);
            }

            return block;
        }
    }

    @Override
    public BlockWrapper peek() {
        awaitInit();
        synchronized (readMutex) {
            if(index.isEmpty()) {
                return null;
            }

            Long idx = index.peek();
            return blocks.get(idx);
        }
    }

    @Override
    public BlockWrapper take() {
        awaitInit();
        takeLock.lock();
        try {
            BlockWrapper block;
            while (null == (block = pollInner())) {
                notEmpty.awaitUninterruptibly();
            }
            commitReading();
            return block;
        } finally {
            takeLock.unlock();
        }
    }

    @Override
    public int size() {
        awaitInit();
        return index.size();
    }

    @Override
    public boolean isEmpty() {
        awaitInit();
        return index.isEmpty();
    }

    @Override
    public void clear() {
        awaitInit();
        synchronized(this) {
            blocks.clear();
            hashes.clear();
            index.clear();
        }
        db.commit();
    }

    @Override
    public List<byte[]> filterExisting(final Collection<byte[]> hashList) {
        awaitInit();
        return CollectionUtils.selectList(hashList, new Functional.Predicate<byte[]>() {
            @Override
            public boolean test(byte[] hash) {
                return !hashes.contains(hash);
            }
        });
    }

    @Override
    public Set<byte[]> getHashes() {
        awaitInit();
        return hashes;
    }

    private void awaitInit() {
        initLock.lock();
        try {
            if(!initDone) {
                init.awaitUninterruptibly();
            }
        } finally {
            initLock.unlock();
        }
    }

    private void commitReading() {
        if(++readHits >= READ_HITS_COMMIT_THRESHOLD) {
            db.commit();
            readHits = 0;
        }
    }

    public void setMapDBFactory(MapDBFactory mapDBFactory) {
        this.mapDBFactory = mapDBFactory;
    }

    private interface Index {

        void addAll(Collection<Long> nums);

        void add(Long num);

        Long peek();

        Long poll();

        boolean contains(Long num);

        boolean isEmpty();

        int size();

        void clear();
    }

    private class ArrayListIndex implements Index {

        private List<Long> index;

        public ArrayListIndex(Collection<Long> numbers) {
            index = new ArrayList<>(numbers);
            sort();
        }

        @Override
        public synchronized void addAll(Collection<Long> nums) {
            index.addAll(nums);
            sort();
        }

        @Override
        public synchronized void add(Long num) {
            index.add(num);
            sort();
        }

        @Override
        public synchronized Long peek() {
            return index.get(0);
        }

        @Override
        public synchronized Long poll() {
            Long num = index.get(0);
            index.remove(0);
            return num;
        }

        @Override
        public synchronized boolean contains(Long num) {
            return Collections.binarySearch(index, num) >= 0;
        }

        @Override
        public boolean isEmpty() {
            return index.isEmpty();
        }

        @Override
        public int size() {
            return index.size();
        }

        @Override
        public synchronized void clear() {
            index.clear();
        }

        private void sort() {
            Collections.sort(index);
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    }
}


We supply tattoo cartridges and equipment to tattoo studios across the UK & Europe. Tattoo Inks, Needles, Disposable Grips, Tattoo Cartridges, Aftercare, Tattoo Studio Furniture & Lighting, Medical & Hygiene Equipment, Tattoo Stencil Products & Paper and much more, including promoting products manufactured by UK Tattoo Artists!!
Jungle Tattoo Supplies was formed in 2014 – we had been supplying professional tattooists in the UK & Europe for four years previous to this as CAM Supply (UK) who are one of the world's largest manufacturers, wholesalers and suppliers of tattoo equipment.
Tattoo cartridges are preassembled, self-contained tattoo needle groupings inside a plastic tip. The drive of the machine repeatedly forces the needle forwards and backwards by sitting against the plunger inside the cartridge, rather than by a needle bar. A bonus of this is that it is quick and easy to switch between different needle sizes throughout the tattooing process. Typically, cartridge systems are used with rotary machines rather than traditional coil machines.
We currently stock and supply EZ Cartridge, as well as our own amazing Cleanline and Cleanline+tattoo catridge ranges.
We also carry our range of high quality tattoo needles and disposable tattoo grips and tips, all at brilliant prices!
Fusion Inks - 90+ individual colours and 15 ink sets, including Signature Ink Sets!
Effortless Tattoo Ink - black, dark, darkest dark, zero, light and medium!
Nocturnal Tattoo Ink - World renowned tattoo artists Franco Vescovi and Jack Rudy have come together to provide an ink line that works like the drawing inks used in the industry with one important thing in mind: this ink is actually made for tattooing!
Tattoo machines from top names in the tattoo industry such as Rotary Works, CAM Supply Legend Pens, Sabre tattoo machines and the incredible Killer Bee!
Yayo tattoo skincare products are handmade in Sheffield, cruelty free and vegan friendly. For use during and after the tattoo process. Range includes soaps, serums, aftercare cream and sachets.
Tattoo furniture and lighting, including Tattoo Stools, Tattoo Studio Lighting, Tattoo Armrests and tattoo studio couches.
The wonderful Kannaway range of CBD oil products, works synergistically with sustainable hemp oil for ultimate results!
The Ronnie Starr range includes RCA Cables, clip cords, the Cube Power Pack and clip cord adaptors. High quality, UK made tattoo power equipment that lasts!
Power accessories for tattoo studios, including power units, foot switches, leads and cords.
General tattoo studio hygeine products, such as Demon Green Soap, Intenze Cleanze, Demon Isoporanol, Viroklenz, Witch Hazel and sterilisation pouches.
Don't leave yourself open to a costly mistake. Make sure you've got a decent stock of tattoo consent forms. Order your duplicate book for clients to declare health issues before being tattooed.


Wisdom, justice, compassion and integrity: the words which are inscribed on the mace of the Scottish Parliament have helped to define values for our democracy.
It is one of the prime purposes of education to make our young people aware of the values on which Scottish society is based and so help them to establish their own stances on matters of social justice and personal and collective responsibility. Young people therefore need to learn about and develop these values. The curriculum is an important means through which this personal development should be encouraged.
In essence, it must be inclusive, be a stimulus for personal achievement and, through the broadening of pupils' experience of the world, be an encouragement towards informed and responsible citizenship.
Our aspiration for all children and for every young person is that they should be successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors to society and at work. By providing structure, support and direction to young people's learning, the curriculum should enable them to develop these four capacities. The curriculum should complement the important contributions of families and communities.
…With support from education authorities and schools, teachers will have the task of providing activities which will enable each learner to develop to their full potential in the four capacities. Much of what is needed already exists, but it also requires clear guiding principles to assist teachers and schools in their practice and as a basis for continuing review, evaluation and improvement. These principles will apply to the curriculum at national, education authority, school and individual levels.
Challenge and enjoymentYoung people should find their learning challenging, engaging and motivating. The curriculum should encourage high aspirations and ambitions for all. At all stages, learners of all aptitudes and abilities should experience an appropriate level of challenge, to enable each individual to achieve his or her potential. They should be active in their learning and have opportunities to develop and demonstrate their creativity. There should be support to enable young people to sustain their effort.
BreadthAll young people should have opportunities for a broad, suitably-weighted range of experiences. The curriculum should be organised so that they will learn and develop through a variety of contexts within both the classroom and other aspects of school life.
ProgressionYoung people should experience continuous progression in their learning from 3 to 18 within a single curriculum framework. Each stage should build upon earlier knowledge and achievements. Young people should be able to progress at a rate which meets their needs and aptitudes, and keep options open so that routes are not closed off too early.
DepthThere should be opportunities for young people to develop their full capacity for different types of thinking and learning. As they progress, they should develop and apply increasing intellectual rigour, drawing different strands of learning together and exploring and achieving more advanced levels of understanding.
Personalisation and choiceThe curriculum should respond to individual needs and support particular aptitudes and talents. It should give each young person increasing opportunities for exercising responsible personal choice as they move through their school career. Once they have achieved suitable levels of attainment across a wide range of areas of learning the choice should become as open as possible. There should be safeguards to ensure that choices are soundly based and lead to successful outcomes.
CoherenceTaken as a whole, children's learning activities should combine to form a coherent experience. There should be clear links between the different aspects of young people's learning, including opportunities for extended activities which draw different strands of learning together.
RelevanceYoung people should understand the purposes of their activities. They should see the value of what they are learning and its relevance to their lives, present and future.
Although all should apply at any one stage, the principles will have different emphases as a young person learns and develops. So, for example, the need for breadth will apply very strongly in the earlier stages, to ensure that a child will gain knowledge and understanding across a wide range of areas of learning. More options for specialisation will be available later, once essential outcomes have been achieved. The nature of choice will also change as a child develops, for example starting with choices in play activities, moving through choices in topics and contexts for learning and eventually reaching opportunities for decisions between programmes which may have implications for subsequent careers.
There will need to be sufficient flexibility in the way in which teaching and learning is managed to find the right blend and balance for each young person for their particular stage and circumstances. To enhance opportunities and allow greater personalisation of learning, schools will need to look beyond their own expertise and resources so that their students can have access to suitable provision. This may be through technologies to make connections between learners and teachers at a distance, or partnerships with other schools and colleges.