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Posted inHealthcare
As Hospitals Elsewhere Mandate Vaccines for Staff, Mission and Others Resist
by PETER LEWIS July 29, 2021 August 6, 2021
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A choice to be made between an individual and their doctor
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The largest healthcare providers in Western North Carolina, including Mission Hospital in Asheville, confirmed this week that they are not requiring doctors, nurses, volunteers, or other hospital staff to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus despite a resurgence of infections and hospitalizations.
Most of the other major hospital systems in the state have made full vaccinations mandatory, citing staff and patient safety as a highly contagious COVID-19 variant spreads nationwide, almost entirely among people who have not been vaccinated or are only partly vaccinated.
Hospital administrators and clinical leaders say they agree that vaccinations represent the most effective way to stop the pandemic that has killed more than 600,000 Americans, including hundreds of people in Asheville and surrounding communities.
Few people are more familiar with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic than hospital workers. Even so, hospital administrators in Western North Carolina — where science and politics are not always compatible — said nurses, nursing assistants and other hospital workers might quit their jobs at already understaffed health facilities rather than submit to mandatory COVID vaccinations. To fill vacant positions, hospitals typically must pay premium salaries for temporary replacement doctors and nurses.
The tensions between medical science and politics, and between hospital economics and patient and staff safety, are evident in the mountain region of the state, where anti-masking and anti-vaccination sentiment is common.
As of Wednesday, "almost 56 percent of Mission Health colleagues and 67 percent of our clinical providers are fully vaccinated," a hospital spokesperson told Asheville Watchdog.
That figure for overall staff is slightly higher than the percentage of people in Buncombe County who are fully vaccinated, 52 percent as of Wednesday. The figure for "clinicians" — commonly defined as doctors and nurses and other healthcare professionals who provide direct medical care to patients — suggests that one-third are not fully vaccinated.
At Pardee UNC Healthcare hospital in Hendersonville, an estimated two-thirds of the overall staff has been vaccinated, Pardee's chief executive said.
At AdventHealth Hendersonville, 65 percent of the staff has been vaccinated, a spokesperson said.
Lindsey Solomon, coordinator for marketing and communications at Haywood Regional Medical Center in Clyde, a Duke LifePoint Healthcare hospital, said that as of Aug. 6 the hospital does not require staff to be vaccinated, but estimated that "more than 70 percent" of the staff had already received a COVID vaccination.
"There is significant evidence that grows daily indicating that the COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective," Solomon said.
Raleigh-based WakeMed Health & Hospitals, Durham-based Duke University Health System, Chapel Hill-based UNC Health, Charlotte-based Atrium Health, Greensboro-based Cone Health, Wake Forest Baptist Health and Winston-Salem based Novant Health, all announced last week that they would require everyone on staff to get COVID-19 shots as a condition of continued employment.
Dr. William Hathaway, chief medical officer for Mission Health, HCA Healthcare North Carolina Division, told The Asheville Citizen Times last week that while the new COVID-19 "delta" variant is three to four times more contagious than the "alpha" strain that led to lockdowns last year, the failure to vaccinate all the people who could benefit from inoculations is the main cause of rising cases.
Mission Health this week announced that because of resurgent cases, it has restricted visitation to allow only one visitor per patient per day at Mission and its other hospitals.
But while calling vaccinations "critical" to protecting patients and staff, Mission Health has not joined with the other large hospital systems in making the shots mandatory for staff.
"While colleagues are not required to be vaccinated for COVID-19, our infectious disease experts, as well as those at the CDC, are strongly encouraging vaccination as a critical step to protect individuals from the virus," said Nancy Lindell, Mission Health spokesperson.
"As a reminder to protect yourself and prevent the spread of illnesses follow the 3 Ws: Wear a mask, Wait 6 feet apart, Wash your hands frequently," Mission Health advised in a news release this week.
Administrators fear losing staff
"We believe vaccinations are the key to ending this pandemic and strongly encourage all of our team members to get a COVID vaccine," James M. Kirby II, president and CEO of Pardee, said in a statement last week. However, he said, "After consulting with our clinical and medical staff leadership, Pardee has made the decision to not require or mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for our team members."
James M. Kirby II
"Several factors played into this decision," Kirby said, "including an understanding of what we're experiencing regionally with our workforce, the current [emergency use authorization] status for vaccines, and what's in the best interest of sustaining services for our community."
"As the county hospital and a growing regional resource, we are focused on maintaining critical services for our broader community like treating heart attacks or cancer, and addressing day to day urgent and emergent needs," Kirby continued. "If we were to mandate the vaccine, rather than continuing to encourage and educate, we run the risk of staff departures which would diminish our ability to provide these critical services to our community."
Kirby said that because Pardee currently does not require a COVID vaccine, it has not required its staff to report whether they've been vaccinated or not. "However, based on available reporting metrics and our understanding of vaccinations provided at Pardee to date, we estimate that approximately two-thirds of our team members are vaccinated," Kirby said.
Almost all hospitals in North Carolina are struggling to attract and retain nurses and nursing assistants, and many of them currently have hundreds of open positions. But many of the largest hospitals calculated that requiring all staff to be vaccinated would be better for patient and staff safety, outweighing the possible loss of staff who decline to get the shots.
The problem is not unique to western North Carolina. "It's a real problem that you have such high levels of unvaccinated individuals in hospitals," Lawrence Gostin, director of the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, told WebMD Health News.
"We have to protect our health workforce, and we have to protect our patients. Hospitals should be the safest places in the country, and the only way to make them safe is to have a fully vaccinated workforce," Gostin said.
"Proven to save lives"
Opponents of mandatory vaccination point out, correctly, that the COVID-19 vaccines were rushed through development and have not yet been formally approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA), although they have been granted emergency use authorization (EUA) status because of the global health crisis.
In an open letter to all residents of Henderson County last week, doctors, nurses, and health officials of Pardee UNC Health, AdventHealth Hendersonville, Blue Ridge Health, and the Henderson County Department of Health all rebutted arguments by anti-vaccine proponents, including one that the "emergency use" status of the COVID-19 vaccines means they are still considered experimental and unsafe.
"The scientific data confirms to us that the COVID-19 vaccine has been proven to save lives," the clinicians wrote, citing "ample data from millions of vaccine recipients in multiple countries and in multiple settings which verify the original data on which the [emergency use authorization] was based."
Politics versus science
Vaccination rates are lower than national averages in conservative Western North Carolina. Numerous studies have found a correlation between vaccination rates and political party affiliation. In a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll, 47 percent of Republicans said they were not likely to get vaccinated, compared with 6 percent of Democrats.
Rep. Madison Cawthorn's Twitter feed Thursday
Western North Carolina's freshman Republican congressman, Madison Cawthorn, said in January that he would reject the COVID-19 vaccines, and more recently has been a vocal critic of any efforts to make vaccinations or masking mandatory.
Earlier this month, at a Republican Party conference in Texas, Cawthorn called Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the nation's foremost vaccine advocate, a "pawn of the Chinese government" who should be criminally prosecuted if Republicans retake the U.S. House in the 2022 elections.
"Now they're talking about going door-to-door to take vaccines to the people," Cawthorn said at the conference in Dallas, referring to the Biden administration's suggestion of sending volunteers into communities to offer vaccines to the unvaccinated.
Cawthorn said a door-to-door plan would require a "massive" operation.
"Then think about what those mechanisms could be used for," Cawthorn said. "They could then go door-to-door to take your guns. They could then go door-to-door to take your Bibles."
The United States Post Office began home delivery operations 219 years ago. Asheville Watchdog has been unable to find evidence that the massive government door-to-door mechanism has been used to seize guns or Bibles.
[This article was updated to include a late response from Haywood Regional Medical Center in Clyde.]
Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. Peter H. Lewis is a former senior writer and editor at The New York Times. He can be reached at plewis@avlwatchog.org
David Doe says:
This article would be far far better if you'd bothered to interview any of the nurses or hospital workers, and asked them directly why they are choosing not to take the vaccines. You'd have to do it anonymously given the righteous indignation of the vaccinated laptop crowd of course.
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Answer Man: Is Duke Energy substation on Patton Avenue still a go? Is recycling really recycled?
by JOHN BOYLE January 24, 2023 January 26, 2023
Opinion: Homelessness in Asheville Is Out of Hand, and 'Heartbreaking'
Answer Man: Asheville City Soccer Club to leave Memorial Stadium because of new track?
Answer Man: Can I Opt Out of Garbage and Recycling Service? Did Mountain XPress Paddle the Watchdogs?
Answer Man: County taxing rental property owners for refrigerators, beds, linens?
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text:
using System;
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.DataProtection.AuthenticatedEncryption;
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.DataProtection.AuthenticatedEncryption.ConfigurationModel;
using Microsoft.AspNetCore.DataProtection.KeyManagement;
using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging.Abstractions;
using Microsoft.Extensions.Options;

namespace Microsoft.AspNetCore.DataProtection.Internal;

internal sealed class KeyManagementOptionsSetup : IConfigureOptions<KeyManagementOptions>
{
    private readonly IRegistryPolicyResolver? _registryPolicyResolver;
    private readonly ILoggerFactory _loggerFactory;

    public KeyManagementOptionsSetup()
        : this(NullLoggerFactory.Instance, registryPolicyResolver: null)
    {
    }

    public KeyManagementOptionsSetup(ILoggerFactory loggerFactory)
        : this(loggerFactory, registryPolicyResolver: null)
    {
    }

    public KeyManagementOptionsSetup(IRegistryPolicyResolver registryPolicyResolver)
        : this(NullLoggerFactory.Instance, registryPolicyResolver)
    {
    }

    public KeyManagementOptionsSetup(ILoggerFactory loggerFactory, IRegistryPolicyResolver? registryPolicyResolver)
    {
        _loggerFactory = loggerFactory;
        _registryPolicyResolver = registryPolicyResolver;
    }

    public void Configure(KeyManagementOptions options)
    {
        RegistryPolicy? context = null;
        if (_registryPolicyResolver != null)
        {
            context = _registryPolicyResolver.ResolvePolicy();
        }

        if (context != null)
        {
            if (context.DefaultKeyLifetime.HasValue)
            {
                options.NewKeyLifetime = TimeSpan.FromDays(context.DefaultKeyLifetime.Value);
            }

            options.AuthenticatedEncryptorConfiguration = context.EncryptorConfiguration;

            var escrowSinks = context.KeyEscrowSinks;
            if (escrowSinks != null)
            {
                foreach (var escrowSink in escrowSinks)
                {
                    options.KeyEscrowSinks.Add(escrowSink);
                }
            }
        }

        if (options.AuthenticatedEncryptorConfiguration == null)
        {
            options.AuthenticatedEncryptorConfiguration = new AuthenticatedEncryptorConfiguration();
        }

        options.AuthenticatedEncryptorFactories.Add(new CngGcmAuthenticatedEncryptorFactory(_loggerFactory));
        options.AuthenticatedEncryptorFactories.Add(new CngCbcAuthenticatedEncryptorFactory(_loggerFactory));
        options.AuthenticatedEncryptorFactories.Add(new ManagedAuthenticatedEncryptorFactory(_loggerFactory));
        options.AuthenticatedEncryptorFactories.Add(new AuthenticatedEncryptorFactory(_loggerFactory));
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Home Environment Recycle, Repurpose, Reuse & Win some Rands!
WONDERFUL things can be made out of waste, and The Park Boulevard Centre is calling for primary school learners from Grade 1 – 7 to enter their Recycling competition, where one gets to repurpose items from recycled materials.
This competition focuses on the 3R's of the waste hierarchy' – recycle, repurpose & reuse – to show how learners can give waste a new lease on life.
Learners are invited to create either 2D or 3D reproductions, which can be individual and unique, and made entirely of used or recycled materials. This is such a great opportunity for schools to teach the children more about recycling and reducing waste while having fun. The aim is to repurpose from one form of use, to another.
Your inspiration could come from recycling plastic bags and turn them into a weaved handbag (when scrunched); or turn a 2L cool drink bottle into a pot plant holder or bird feeder.
Be sure to get your entries in before Friday, May 24th. Not only will The Park Boulevard Centre display your creations in Etchings Gallery, but you also stand to win R1 500 cash and R5 000 for your school.
Remember, the focus is on ensuring that your recycled or repurposed item can be reused. Basic judging criteria will be on the effective use of recycled or repurposed materials and creativity. This shouldn't stop you from having fun while coming up with innovative, creative ideas, showcasing your final product.
Go to www.parkboulevard.co.za for more terms & conditions.


text:
Andrea Eidinger, Ph.D
Historian and Blogger
Limited-Term Instructor, Department of History, Kwantlen Polytechnic University
Hist 1113: Canada Before Confederation (Fall 2013, two sections; Summer 2015; Fall 2015)
enrolment: 35
lecture course with group discussions
introductory course requirement for upper-level Canadian history classes
Hist 1114: Canada Since Confederation (Fall 2013; Summer 2014; Summer 2015, Fall 2015)
Hist 4499: History of Sexuality (Fall 2013)
upper-level seminar course
Limited-Term Instructor, Department of History University of the Fraser Valley
Hist 101: Canada Before Confederation (Fall 2012, two sections)
Hist 102: Canada Since Confederation (Spring 2013)
Hist 396K: Jewish History in Canada (Fall 2012)
Hist 396M: A Social History of Criminals in Canada (Spring 2013)
Hist 484: Gender History in Canada: Gender, the Body, and Sexuality (Spring 2013)
Sessional Instructor, Department of History, University of Victoria
Hist 131: Canada Before Confederation (Summer 2010)
Hist 132: Canada Since Confederation (Fall 2010, Spring 2012)
Hist 358: Women in Canada (Fall 2011)
Born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, I moved to British Columbia eight years ago. I have a Bachelor's Degree (Hon) from McGill University in History (2006) and a Doctorate of Philosophy in History from the University of Victoria (2011). My dissertation was called "What My Mother Taught Me: The Construction of Canadian Jewish Womanhood in Montreal, 1945-1980." In the past few years, I've taught Canadian history at the University of Victoria, the University of the Fraser Valley, and Kwantlen Polytechnic University. My research concentrates on second- and third-generation Jewish women and how they combined their Jewish and Canadian identities. In my spare time, I like to read, knit, do yoga, run, and uncover the mysteries of the historian's life!
View andrea.eidinger's profile on Facebook
View andreaeidinger's profile on Twitter
View andrea.eidinger's profile on Instagram
View andreaeidinger's profile on LinkedIn

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Minimum Pay
Full-time6
University of British Columbia9
UBC Sauder School of Business1
Ubc Faculty Of Forestry jobs near Vancouver Bc
UBC Sauder School of Business
Privacy Center | Privacy | Terms and Conditions
Copyright © 2020 WP Online Holdings Limited. All rights reserved.
Associate Professor or Full Professor (tenure-track) in Urban Forestry
UBC Faculty of Forestry
— Vancouver, BC
The Department of Forest Resources Management at the Vancouver campus of the University of British Columbia (UBC) invites applications for a full-time tenure…
Estimated: $86,000 - $110,000 a year
Assoc or Full Professor (tenure-track)
Instructor (tenure-track) in Urban Forestry
The Department of Forest Resources Management, Faculty of Forestry, The University of British Columbia (Vancouver Campus) invites applications for a tenure…
Research Coordinator, Climate & Urban Biodiversity
UBC Sauder
Job Posting Job ID: 36463 Location: Vancouver - Point Grey Campus Employment Group: Management&Professional (AAPS) Job Category: Research &…
$53,000 a year 12 days ago
Instructor (Tenure-Track) in Forest Management
The Department of Forest Resources Management at The University of British Columbia (Vancouver Campus) is inviting applications for a tenure-track instructor…
Instructor (Tenure–Track) in Geomatics
The Department of Forest Resources Management, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia (Vancouver Campus) invites applications for a tenure-track…
Showing 1 - 7 of 7 jobs
Create a job alert for ubc faculty of forestry in vancouver bc


text:
City police: Incident on Willis Street false call
Police investigated an incident at an industrial building.A call came in at 9:45 a.m. Thursday for a suspicious note found on the property on the 1100 block of Willis Street.Police said Thursday afternoon that it was a "false call." No further details were immediately available.Stay with WBALTV.com and 11 News for more on this developing story.Get the WBAL-TV News App
BALTIMORE —
Police investigated an incident at an industrial building.
A call came in at 9:45 a.m. Thursday for a suspicious note found on the property on the 1100 block of Willis Street.
Police said Thursday afternoon that it was a "false call."
No further details were immediately available.
Stay with WBALTV.com and 11 News for more on this developing story.
Get the WBAL-TV News App


Thanks for this post. I can totally relate.. some parents are just so oblivious/psycho that they make it hard for the rest of us. You have certainly had some pretty good encounters to share... they gave me a good laugh (in a "glad-that-didn't-happen-to-me" sort of way)!
Sweet Mary! I cannot believe that has actually happened to you. I have had weird encounters, but nothing like that. I do love hanging with my kids at the park though, and it would seriously annoy me to no end to have to cut our playtime short because of weirdo/pottymouth parents. I'm sure it'll happen at some point. I am with you, though, I do not confront people when we're out, you cannot risk any sort of retaliation when you have your kids with you, ya know? But, yes, happy spring! Enjoy!
this totally came off so crabby, and i didnt mean it too...it just really is a struggle as a parent, how to deal with parents who are so different from you, and its not just "bad" parents (though i hate that label) there are so many parenting traps that we can get caught up in or feel judged ourselves by! and sometimes, sometimes you just want a drama free trip to the park.


text:
Q: How to add toolbar above text in flutter web? I wan to add interaction with text items in flutter. For eg on selecting the selected text need to be have a highlighted colour and there is a tooltip need to be shown on top. And when user clicks anywhere outside the highlight need to disappear. I am not sure how to configure that in flutter web.
For eg in medium

A: You have to create a custom class for Controls you need. Extend the Custom Class with MaterialTextSelectionControls class
I think this Medium Article has the thing you need. Check this Link

A: You can use this third party lib for this https://pub.dev/packages/selectable
Simply wrap your text widgets inside seletable and pass pop menu item to show toolbar option. Here is an example for its usage:
    Selectable(
      popupMenuItems: [SelectableMenuItem(type: SelectableMenuItemType.copy),],
      child: Text(
        'This text is wrapped in an Selectable widget, so it is selectable.',
        style: textStyle2,
      ),
    ),

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The following 142 page report chronicles news stories and related commentary surrounding the Texas Pacific Group's bid to acquire Portland General Electric. The purpose of this archive, with dates ranging from August 26, 1998 to October 25, 2005, was to provide material to various parties involved in defeating the proposal. It is especially useful using key word browser searches, for example searching using the term, David Bonderman, CEO of TPG.
Included in the report is extensive commentary regarding Neil Goldschmidt's business practices because Goldschmidt was the point person for TPG. This includes his involvement in Renaissance Capital, a credit card company, for which he was paid $6 million as a board member. During this period interest rate ceilings were lifted in Oregon due to a succesful lobbying effort and what resulted was explosive growth in predatory lending.


Commonly used for: 0% Introductory APR, Auto Rental Insurance, Cellphone Insurance, EMV, Free Credit Score, Mobile Pay Ready, Unsecured credit card, Zero Fraud Liability.
The Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa Card is a straightforward 1.5% flat-rate cash-back credit card. However, Wells Fargo is offering a few perks on this card that set it apart from the competition. One of those perks is an additional cash back bonus on mobile wallet purchases in the first year. If you are a heavy user of Google Pay or Apple Pay, you could benefit from this bonus. Additionally, Wells Fargo offers cell phone protection if you use your card to pay your monthly phone bill. These extras could be worth a ton if you are a heavy tech user.


I was late to reading for pleasure – very late. It was not until my early thirties that I picked up anything other than a technical tome to read.
Nowadays I read every day for pleasure and I can't imagine not having a book "on the go". I am currently, unusually for me, reading a biography – Captain Scott by Ranulph Fiennes. I am fascinated by the challenges these Edwardians faced, their naivety and the utmost self-confidence.
The book that changed all of this was Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks. I simply was captivated by the storyline (those Edwardians again). The drama of the First World War is, in this centenary year, very much part of the zeitgeist. But then the concept of such industrialised killing was shocking.
I recall reading one section late at night, I started reading at just after ten, four hours later I realised my heart was pounding and I was exhausted. It had been me, not Lt Wraysford who had dragged boxed of explosives to the front line.
Words on paper, when wonderfully constructed like this can create pictures in my mind far more striking than any other media; only radio can get close.
Books are to be found in almost every room in our home they are toys for my children (dogs and cats appear from behind flaps as if my magic) but more importantly they are an integral part of our bedtime routine - bath, biscuit, brush teeth, bed and book. There are many texts I now know of by heart (including what happened to that mouse).
Books will always be part of my life, I will create an environment where my children will learn to love words – a small gift from me to them.
Dads joined in the Peterborough Literacy Campaign's Father's Day campaign by sending in a 'reading selfie' with their children for the chance to win book tokens.
Kevin Tighe is the Chief Executive of Vivacity.


text:
Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce Business Expo sees surge in participation
BusinessNortheast Arkansas
by George Jared ([email protected]) April 3, 2019 7:40 pm 366 views
Jonesboro Business Expo
Ajax Floor Center, based in Paragould, has expanded a lot in the nine or so years that Alan Jackson has owned it. The company sells carpet, hardwood, tile, back splashes, cabinets, and other building wares.
When he hired Micah Chambers to handle his outside sales, she decided to explore more markets. Nearby Jonesboro, the largest city in the region, was a natural target. To gain exposure in the city, Chambers opted to host a booth during the Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce Business Expo on Wednesday (April 3). It was held inside the 1st National Bank Arena on the Arkansas State University campus.
"It's (Ajax) literally a one-stop shop," she said.
This year, 265 vendors took part, a 22-vendor increase from last year, Jonesboro Regional Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Mark Young told Talk Business & Politics. The expo has been held in April each year for the last 29 years.
"We're up for sure," Young said.
An estimated 5,000 people attended the expo, according to the Chamber. About 3,000 visited during the chamber's members only session from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and another 2,000 came through the doors during the general public session the next two hours.
A lot of business is conducted during the expo, but there's a greater opportunity for vendors and other participants, Young said. Business owners and representatives get an invaluable day of networking with other businesses and civic leaders throughout the region, he said.
It provides other opportunities, too. A group of students and teachers from the Nettleton School District visited booths and talked with business owners. Several asked for business cards. Their teachers were educating the students on "soft skills," such as shaking hands, making introductions, and engaging in business conversation.
Planning the event is a long process, Expo Committee Chairwoman Lorie Cartwright said. The planning begins shortly after the last expo is finished and is handled by six volunteer committees: Booth sales, silent auction, move in, premium showcase, expo experience, and advertising.
"This is a true business to business experience," Cartwright said.
This year's theme was based on Mardi Gras, the New Orleans-based celebration that has been held for 300 years. Booths were encouraged to "theme" their booths and offerings based on Mardi Gras. Each year, the Expo brings in a luncheon speaker and this year's speaker was renowned Memphis chef Felicia Suzanne Willett, a Jonesboro native.
Willett chronicled how her upbringing in Jonesboro, her grandmother's kitchen in Hoxie, and her devotion to cooking in her youth led her to Johnson and Wales culinary school in South Carolina and an internship with world-famous chef Emeril of New Orleans.
Helping in his kitchen and later as he launched a high-profile television career, Willett gained the experience and confidence to open her own restaurant in nearby Memphis. She credited her Jonesboro roots and an early loan from banker Wallace Fowler for giving her the confidence and ability to leap into her entrepreneurial endeavor.
She counseled the pro-business crowd to admit when there is a struggle, it's okay to seek help. Being able to find mentors and advisors to guide you through the tough times will not only help you through choppy waters, but will help you make it in the long-run.
ASU's AI team finishes third in international competition
Sen. Hendren moving cigarette/e-cigarette tax bill to interim study
Read the NWABJ Digital Issue
Read the NEA Digital Issue


text:
World|
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman
Lieberman adding fuel to the fire of hooligans
Op-ed: The defense minister should be reminded that a boycott against Wadi Ara's residents would be the biggest victory for Sheikh Raed Salah's supporters, as that is exactly what they want: More animosity and more hostility between Jews and Arabs.
Ben-Dror Yemini |Published: 12.13.17 , 17:16
It has become a routine by now. The Wadi Ara road protesters are the best thing that happened to organizations like Lehava, and organizations like Lehava are the best thing that happened to the Wadi Ara hooligans.
They can yell the exact same cliché at each other, and in our ears: We told you so—they're all fascists, terrorists, racists. "They" refers to either Jews or Arabs, depending on who's doing the yelling.
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman added fuel to the fire Sunday, when he called on Israeli citizens to boycott the villages in the Wadi Ara area and said the Arabs there should be handled by the Palestinian Authority's security services.
Wadi Ara protest, Saturday. Several dozen or hundred violent protestors shouldn't dictate the relations between Jews and Arabs in Israel
Moving the border and annexing Arab communities to the Palestinian state, if and when it is established, is definitely an issue that can be discussed. But the resistance to the move indicates that the Wadi Ara residents favor Israel with its national insurance and improved economic conditions. But there is one thing that should be indisputable: Several dozen or hundred violent protesters shouldn't dictate the relations between Jews and Arabs in Israel.
I should mention the identity of the person behind the Islamist violence, which is occasionally stirred in the Arab sector. I'm talking about Sheik Raed Salah, who in recent years has been following the footsteps of the mufti, Haj Amin al-Husseini. The Islamist Nazi who invented the "Al-Aqsa is in danger" libel. And his followers from Umm al-Fahm were the ones who carried out the recent attack at the Temple Mount. In the past decade, Salah has been barred from entering countries like Morocco and Jordan. Turkey, on the other hand, is nurturing this evil man.
Lieberman should be reminded that a boycott against the residents of Wadi Ara would be the biggest victory for Raed Salah's supporters, because that's exactly what they want: More animosity and more hostility between Jews and Arabs. According to every survey, including polls conducted in the past year, most Israeli Arabs are in the midst of an Israelization process. They're not becoming Zionist. They're not abandoning Islam. But only a few dozen of them, tiny fractions of a percent, have actually joined hostile activity in the past two decades.
Motorcycle of Yedioth photographer smashed in rioting in Wadi Ara
A very particular part of the Israeli Left, it should be mentioned, is turning Israel into a fascist apartheid state just because it includes the La Familia and Lehava thugs (who are almost the same people) and other hooligans—not just from the territories—who protest and chant "Death to the Arabs." They are Israelis, but they don't represent Israel. The dozens or hundreds who manage to block the Wadi Ara road are Arabs. They don't represent all Israeli Arabs either.
With all due disrespect to the riots on the Wadi Ara road, it should be noted that despite the deep-rooted political disagreements, and despite the serious political conflict, most Israeli Arabs have been and still are loyal citizens to the state, even without a declaration of loyalty. Political events like US President Donald Trump's announcement send the Islamists and the nationalists—Salah's supporters and Knesset Member Hanin Zoabi's supporters—to the streets. They represent something. They must not be ignored. But they must not be turned into the exclusive representatives of Israel's Arabs.
While the latest Israel Democracy Institute poll doesn't point to harmony and satisfaction, it does point to a desire to integrate and indicates that 52 percent of Israel's Arabs live in peace with Israel's definition as a Jewish and democratic state, even if they're not in love with it.
Among Arabs who have worked together with Jews, 95 percent define their relations with Jews as "good" or "very good." They represent the Arabs much more than the stone throwers. Education Minister Naftali Bennett represented this approach too on Sunday, when he expressed his reservations over Lieberman's comments.
Ayman Odeh, the leader of the Arab Joint List, rushed to condemn Lieberman, but he didn't rush to condemn the hooligans who nearly lynched a Yedioth Ahronoth photographer on Saturday evening. Not all the Arab leadership responded similarly. Two heads of communities near Wadi Ara condemned the hooligans without any reservations and without claiming that it was because of Trump or because of Jerusalem. They represent a considerable part of Israel's Arabs.
The hooligans must be handled with a firm hand. But if we want to turn the moderates into the dominant voice, there's no need to add fuel to the fire of hooligans.
See all talkbacks "Lieberman adding fuel to the fire of hooligans"


text:
California surgeon, girlfriend face new rape, other charges
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (AP) — A California surgeon and his girlfriend were charged Wednesday with crimes against five additional victims in addition to two women they were previously charged with drugging and sexually assaulting.
Reality show doctor Grant Robicheaux and his girlfriend Cerissa Riley, second and third from left, stand outside court in Newport Beach, Calif., following their hearing on new criminal charges involving five additional victims Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2018. The pair were previously charged with drugging and sexually assaulting two women. The Orange County district attorney's office said the additional charges include kidnapping and rape by use of drugs. Robicheaux, 38, and Riley, 31, pleaded not guilty to all counts. A judge ordered their bail to be raised to $1 million each, up from $100,000 each. Others in photo are unidentified. (AP Photo/Amy Taxin)
Dr. Grant Robicheaux, 38, and his girlfriend, Cerissa Riley, 31, were charged with rape by use of drugs, kidnapping with the intent to commit a sexual offense and other crimes. The pair pleaded not guilty to all counts in court and a judge ordered their bail raised to $1 million each.
Authorities said Robicheaux, who once appeared in a reality TV show called "Online Dating Rituals of the American Male," and Riley met women at social events in and once the women were intoxicated, brought them back to Robicheaux's Newport Beach home and sexually assaulted them, prosecutors said.
"Nobody has a pass to rape or have sexual contact with you once you are unable to give consent," Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said at a press conference.
The couple was initially charged last month in the assault of two women. Prosecutors held a press conference, and then said they received new information that led to the additional charges.
Authorities now believe there could be additional victims in Los Angeles or San Diego counties as well as Nevada, Colorado and Louisiana, said prosecutor Jennifer Walker.
Robicheaux and Riley face up to life in prison if convicted.
During Wednesday's court hearing, Riley turned back briefly to see her friends and family in the courtroom gallery and fought back tears. Afterward, they walked up and hugged her, and she cried, telling them, "thanks for coming."
Philip Cohen, Robicheaux's attorney, said the couple had traveled internationally since a search warrant was served at Robicheaux's home in January and electronics were seized that allegedly contain a trove of video evidence that he has not yet seen.
"It is Grant and Cerissa's absolute position that no non-consensual sex ever took place," Cohen told reporters while standing with the defendants outside the courthouse in Newport Beach, California.
Both defendants posted bail and are due back in court on Jan. 18.
In a statement, the couple said they had "great friends, great lives and great careers" before they were arrested last month and added: "We look forward to getting our lives back."
The charges span from 2009 to 2018 and also include possession for sale of cocaine, ecstasy and the drug GHB. Robicheaux also is charged with illegal possession of two assault weapons.
Prosecutors charged the couple with crimes against five of the alleged victims and Robicheaux with crimes against the other two.
Prosecutors said that the couple was drinking with a woman at a Newport Beach bar in October 2016 until the woman became intoxicated, and then brought her home. The woman woke up to Robicheaux trying to sexually assault her and screamed until a neighbor called police, prosecutors said.
In an unusual twist, Orange County Supervisor Todd Spitzer held a press conference and handed out copies of search warrant documents tied to the case. Spitzer, who is challenging longtime District Attorney Tony Rackauckas for his job in next month's election, said the records show prosecutors should have acted sooner on the allegations after a January search of Robicheaux's home.
Later in the day, the district attorney's office complained to the judge that these records were sealed and the release could jeopardize the case. Judge Gregory Jones then ordered media outlets including The Associated Press, Orange County Register and others to return the copies and not to publish the contents.
By AMY TAXIN
Criminal Justice News, Doctors, News, Sexual Abuse
Cerissa Riley, Grant Robicheaux
2 Florida ex-officers get prison for framing black teenager
Philadelphia crime boss gets 2 years in prison
Prosecutors to drop rape charges for doctor from reality TV
Rape case to be dropped against doctor who was on reality TV
Judge reverses order on media in alleged surgeon rape case


I'm a cat lover and a lot of my fans are too! So this page is for my readers' cats hanging out beside Fallocaust books and e-readers. It also features cats who have been named after Fallocaust characters as well. If you want your cat on this page just click on the 'contact' area of my website and send me a picture of your cat with his/her name and yours. I recommened Imgur as a hosting site, works great!


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Jordan's 'Flu' Shoes Spreading to Collectors
Grey Flannel Auctions' current sale, ending Dec. 11, offers another amazing selection of game-used material, from Michael Jordan's shoes form the "flu" game in the 1997 Finals to game-used jerseys from every sport and seemingly every star.
Tom Bartsch
The flu isn't something you really want to be associated with at any time or in any form. But in the past few weeks, Grey Flannel has been spreading the flu germ (in the form of news regarding a one-of-a-kind collectible) like nobody's business.
From ESPN to Sports Illustrated and everywhere in between, tidbits about Grey Flannel's inclusion of the "Flu Shoes" – the shoes worn by Michael Jordan during Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz while he was reportedly battling the illness – have been shared for weeks.
Bidding is past $60,000 for Jordan's "flu" shoes
The result is spirted bidding for just one of the hundreds of premier items in Grey Flannel's Holiday Catalog Auction that ends Dec. 11 at www.greyflannel.com.
We'll get to the usual crop of amazing game-used jerseys in a moment, but first, here are some highlights in the realm of championship rings and signed memorabilia.
Leading off the auction is 1932 Sam Byrd N.Y. Yankees Championship players ring, with an LOA from the Byrd family. If vintage Yankees championship rings aren't your style, perhaps a 2009 N.Y. Yankees Championship ring (Mint "A" ring, coaches LOA) is more up your alley.
Other rings of note include Muhammad Ali's 1974 Heavyweight World Champion entourage ring, 1960 Jerry Lucas Olympic Team Hall of Fame induction ring, 1994 Rashaan Salaam University of Colorado Heisman Trophy ring and a pair of Green Bay Packers championships: Bob Skoronski's 1965 ring and Bernardo Harris' 1996 ring.
A couple of other unique Yankees-related items includes an Official Scorer's scorecard signed by Don Larsen from his perfect game in Game 5 of the 1956 World Series and Mickey Mantle's "Oklahoma's Outstanding Minor Leaguer of 1950" Award presented by the Tulsa Chapter Old Timers Baseball Association in 1951.
While those items are mighty impressive, let's get down to the game-used artifacts that are Grey Flannel's staple.
The game-worn jerseys cover every sport and nearly every generation. The early frontrunner is a 2009 Yankees jersey of Derek Jeter. For added measure, the item is in the condition it left Jeter's back. Sticking with baseball, you'll also find these gems in the lineup: 1965 Steve Carlton rookie St. Louis Cardinals jersey (later reissued and worn by Stan Musial as an instructor), 1982 Pete Rose Philadelphia Phillies road jersey, 1992 Nolan Ryan Texas Rangers uniform, 1969 Joe Morgan Houston Astros road jersey (only known version), 1962 Rocky Colavito Detroit Tiger uniform and 1946 Duke Snider Fort Worth Cats jersey.
Game-worn basketball jerseys are led by the following: 1975-76 Dave Twardzik Virginia Squires uniform, circa 1948 Sid Tannenbaum N.Y. Knicks jersey, 1979-80 Bill Walton San Diego Clippers road jersey, circa 1984 George Gervin San Antonio Spurs road jersey, 1975-76 John Havlicek Boston Celtics road warm-up jacket and 1974-75 Rick Barry Golden State Warriors home jersey.
Football game-used jerseys are led by the Green Bay Packers jersey worn by Brett Favre on Sept. 30, 2007, when he broke the all-time record for touchdown passes in the NFL. This will be joined by a 2010 Minnesota Vikings road jersey of Adrian Peterson and a 1979 Larry Csonka Miami Dolphins road jersey.
Other sports memorabilia expected to draw heavy bidding includes a Ty Cobb single-signed ball, 1928 N.Y. Yankees team-signed ball with Ruth and Gehrig, Roberto Duran fight-worn and signed gloves from 1980, 1938-40 Hank Greenberg game-used bat and a 1971 Thurman Munson game-used bat.
The aforementioned items are just some of the lots offered in this sale. To view the complete catalog, log onto www.greyflannel.com. Call (631) 288-7800 for more information.


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ANN: A Review of the Year
AA s the old year turns on its hinge to close another chapter of human history, it's natural to reflect on the year's events and their meaning. This brief review points out some of the highlights and trends as drawn from the news reports of the Adventist News Network.
Perhaps the one most memorable news event of 1997, for most Seventh-day Adventists around the world, will be the tragedy in Dagestan, Southern Russia, when a young Adventist couple were burned to death in the town square of Buinaksk. This horrific event touched the world membership of the Adventist Church deeply, and brought appeals to the Russian government to deal with such acts of mob law.
To this tragic incident is now added the wider concern over the future of religious liberty throughout Russia. In June, questions were raised at the International Religious Liberty World Congress in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was widely reported that Russian Adventists called the new law "counter-productive to religious freedom." Boris Yeltsin first vetoed the legislation on July 23, but approved a "compromise" version on September 4. The Russian Parliament vote to approve the new law on September 19, was vigorously protested. The fallout of the new law has already meant restrictions to the church's outreach program.
These concerns were amplified in the more recent news (December) of the Austrian vote to restrict religious liberty. "For a European nation to vote a law that is in some ways even more restrictive than the recent Russian law is of great concern to all who value religious liberty," said Dr. John Graz, Religious Liberty director at the Seventh-day Adventist Church World Headquarters, in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA.
This action parallels the increased resistance to true religious liberty as an accepted right, and the denigration of religious minorities in Europe to the status of tolerated second-class citizens. "Sect" charges leveled against the Seventh-day Adventist Church were reported from Poland, Belgium and France, as well as other countries.
On a positive note, the humanitarian work of the Adventist Church continues to grow around the world. A wide number of news stories covered this vital activity, from the Arkansas tornado relief to helping flood victims in Poland, from direct aid assistance in North Korea to a new hospital ward in Cambodia, from AIDS awareness in Thailand to anti-smoking therapy in the United States.
Frequent reports in 1997 come from one area of the world: the ongoing challenges in Rwanda and Burundi. From the beginning of the year to its end, the reports vividly illustrates both the problems and the successes for the nation and for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. In January, the reporting brought hope that "in spite of insecurity, the church in Rwanda grows." Next month, however, came news of the tragedies of ongoing tribal conflict—Adventist aid workers assisting those shot in a terrorist attack (February); Pastor Theophas Ruterahagusha, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church's North Rwanda Association shot dead at a roadblock by unknown gunmen who specifically targeted the pastor (August); over 100 Tutsis killed and others severely wounded in a machete attack at the refugee camp on the campus of the former Adventist university (August).
In September, and as an antidote to the news of violence and tragedy, the Adventist Church reported on its program of reconciliation. Seminars conducted by the Church all over the country were initiated to bring "forgiveness, recognition of wrongdoing, re-consecration and reconciliation."
Sadly, in November came the news of the death of Ranjan Kulasekere, an Adventist missionary in Rwanda, shot in his own home. In December, the killing of civilians continued with at least 272 Tutsi refugees killed on the former Adventist campus in Mudende. Trying to spread God's good news in a world of pain and death: Rwanda symbolizes the work of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Many examples of the church-in-action could be recalled from the pages of 1997: The stories behind the church's Global Mission program, which included an ongoing program to build roofs on thousands of church buildings in Africa, the Global Mission Pioneer volunteer program that saw thousands of Adventists sharing their lives in "hands of hope" activities in Asia, Africa and the Pacific region, and the first Adventist church organized in Mongolia (October).
Positioning the world-wide church as one that effectively uses media technology in its communication of the gospel, Robert S. Folkenberg, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, announced plans to develop Seventh-day Adventist TV programming running 24 hours a day that will cover the globe by 1999. The plan calls for the use of a multi-satellite broadcast system, compression technology, and wide use of the Internet to form the Adventist Global Communication Network (AGCN). Speaking during the September Annual Council, Folkenberg said, "In a world of great diversity, our challenge is to use modern methods to share our message. Using satellite delivery systems, we can broadcast programming targeted both in content and language to the areas of the world that are almost impossible to reach by other methods."
Other Adventist stories included an array of challenges, joys and concerns. Among these are many examples of Adventist faith and hope in action: the adding of new language broadcasts by Adventist World Radio, the ongoing TV evangelism, health-care assistance, disaster relief and development activities of ADRA, outreach meetings, but also the farewells to those who over the years made Adventism a rapidly expanding faith community, among them the church administrator W. Duncan Eva, educator Richard Hammill, and pastor J. Robert Spangler.
Reporting also covered world stories that caught Adventist attention: the deaths of Princess Diana and Mother Teresa; historic milestones such as the Hong Kong changeover; the recognition of Adventist Hulda Crooks, who credited her long life of 101 years to her religious faith.
All this, and more, attempts to share the Adventist communication motto: "Seventh-day Adventists will communicate hope by focusing on the quality of life that is complete in Christ." [Ray Dabrowski/Jonathan Gallagher]


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The great decline in Wikipedia pageviews (condensed version)
by VipulNaik27 min read27th Mar 201511 comments
Defining the problem
How reliable are the metrics?
Relationship with the overall numbers
Why is this important? First reason: better context for understanding trends for individual pages
Why is this important? Second reason: a better understanding of the overall size and growth of the Internet.
The case of colors
Geography: continents and subcontinents, countries, and cities
Some niche topics where pageviews haven't declined
The dominant hypothesis: shift from non-mobile to mobile Wikipedia use
Other hypotheses
It's still a mystery
To keep this post manageable in length, I have only included a small subset of the illustrative examples and discussion. I have published a longer version of this post, with more examples (but the same intro and concluding section), on my personal site.
Last year, during the months of June and July, as my work for MIRI was wrapping up and I hadn't started my full-time job, I worked on the Wikipedia Views website, aimed at easier tabulation of the pageviews for multiple Wikipedia pages over several months and years. It relies on a statistics tool called stats.grok.se, created by Domas Mituzas, and maintained by Henrik.
One of the interesting things I noted as I tabulated pageviews for many different pages was that the pageview counts for many already popular pages were in decline. Pages of various kinds peaked at different historical points. For instance, colors have been in decline since early 2013. The world's most populous countries have been in decline since as far back as 2010!
The first thing to be clear about is what these pageviews count and what they don't. The pageview measures are taken from stats.grok.se, which in turn uses the pagecounts-raw dump provided hourly by the Wikimedia Foundation's Analytics team, which in turn is obtained by processing raw user activity logs. The pagecounts-raw measure is flawed in two ways:
It only counts pageviews on the main Wikipedia website and not pageviews on the mobile Wikipedia website or through Wikipedia Zero (a pared down version of the mobile site that some carriers offer at zero bandwidth costs to their customers, particularly in developing countries). To remedy these problems, a new dump called pagecounts-all-sites was introduced in September 2014. We simply don't have data for views of mobile domains or of Wikipedia Zero at the level of individual pages for before then. Moreover, stats.grok.se still uses pagecounts-raw (this was pointed to me in a mailing list message after I circulated an early version of the post).
The pageview count includes views by bots. The official estimate is that about 15% of pageviews are due to bots. However, the percentage is likely higher for pages with fewer overall pageviews, because bots have a minimum crawling frequency. So every page might have at least 3 bot crawls a day, resulting in a minimum of 90 bot pageviews even if there are only a handful of human pageviews.
Therefore, the trends I discuss will refer to trends in total pageviews for the main Wikipedia website, including page requests by bots, but excluding visits to mobile domains. Note that visits from mobile devices to the main site will be included, but mobile devices are by default redirected to the mobile site.
As noted above, the metrics are unreliable because of the bot problem and the issue of counting only non-mobile traffic. German Wikipedia user Atlasowa left a message on my talk page pointing me to an email thread suggesting that about 40% of pageviews may be bot-related, and discussing some interesting examples.
I'll show that for many pages of interest, the number of pageviews as measured above (non-mobile) has declined recently, with a clear decline from 2013 to 2014. What about the total?
We have overall numbers for non-mobile, mobile, and combined. The combined number has largely held steady, whereas the non-mobile number has declined and the mobile number has risen.
What we'll find is that the decline for most pages that have been around for a while is even sharper than the overall decline. One reason overall pageviews haven't declined so fast is the creation of new pages. To give an idea, non-mobile traffic dropped by about 1/3 from January 2013 to December 2014, but for many leading categories of pages, traffic dropped by about 1/2-2/3.
People's behavior on Wikipedia is a barometer of what they're interested in learning about. An analysis of trends in the views of pages can provide an important window into how people's curiosity, and the way they satisfy this curiosity, is evolving. To take an example, some people have proposed using Wikipedia pageview trends to predict flu outbreaks. I myself have tried to use relative Wikipedia pageview counts to gauge changing interests in many topics, ranging from visa categories to technology companies.
My initial interest in pageview numbers arose because I wanted to track my own influence as a Wikipedia content creator. In fact, that was my original motivation with creating Wikipedia Views. (You can see more information about my Wikipedia content contributions on my site page about Wikipedia).
Now, when doing this sort of analysis for individual pages, one needs to account for, and control for, overall trends in the views of Wikipedia pages that are occurring for reasons other than a change in people's intrinsic interest in the subject. Otherwise, we might falsely conclude from a pageview count decline that a topic is falling in popularity, whereas what's really happening is an overall decline in the use of (the non-mobile version of) Wikipedia to satisfy one's curiosity about the topic.
Wikipedia has been relatively mature and has had the top spot as an information source for at least the last six years. Moreover, unlike almost all other top websites, Wikipedia doesn't try hard to market or optimize itself, so trends in it reflect a relatively untarnished view of how the Internet and the World Wide Web as a whole are growing, independent of deliberate efforts to manipulate and doctor metrics.
Let's look at Wikipedia pages on some of the most viewed colors (I've removed the 2015 and 2007 columns because we don't have the entirety of these years). Colors are interesting because the degree of human interest in colors in general, and in individual colors, is unlikely to change much in response to news or current events. So one would at least a priori expect colors to offer a perspective into Wikipedia trends with fewer external complicating factors. If we see a clear decline here, then that's strong evidence in favor of a genuine decline.
I've restricted attention to a small subset of the colors, that includes the most common ones but isn't comprehensive. But it should be enough to get a sense of the trends. And you can add in your own colors and check that the trends hold up.
Pageviews in year 2014
Black 431K 1.5M 1.3M 778K 900K 1M 958K 6.9M 16.1 Colors
Blue 710K 1.3M 1M 987K 1.2M 1.2M 1.1M 7.6M 17.8 Colors
Brown 192K 284K 318K 292K 308K 300K 277K 2M 4.6 Colors
Green 422K 844K 779K 707K 882K 885K 733K 5.3M 12.3 Colors
Orange 133K 181K 251K 259K 275K 313K 318K 1.7M 4 Colors
Purple 524K 906K 847K 895K 865K 841K 592K 5.5M 12.8 Colors
Red 568K 797K 912K 1M 1.1M 873K 938K 6.2M 14.6 Colors
Violet 56K 96K 75K 77K 69K 71K 65K 509K 1.2 Colors
White 301K 795K 615K 545K 788K 575K 581K 4.2M 9.8 Colors
Yellow 304K 424K 453K 433K 452K 427K 398K 2.9M 6.8 Colors
Total 3.6M 7.1M 6.6M 6M 6.9M 6.5M 6M 43M 100 --
Percentage 8.5 16.7 15.4 14 16 15.3 14 100 -- --
Since the decline appears to have happened between 2013 and 2014, let's examine the 24 months from January 2013 to December 2014:
Views of page Black
Views of page Blue
Views of page Brown
Views of page Green
Views of page Orange
Views of page Purple
Views of page Red
Views of page Violet
Views of page White
Views of page Yellow
201412 30K 41K 14K 27K 9.6K 28K 67K 3.1K 21K 19K 260K 2.4
201411 36K 46K 15K 31K 10K 35K 50K 3.7K 23K 22K 273K 2.5
201403 37K 136K 19K 51K 14K 123K 52K 5.5K 30K 31K 497K 4.6
201402 38K 58K 19K 39K 13K 41K 49K 5.6K 29K 29K 321K 3
201311 141K 96K 20K 65K 11K 68K 55K 5.3K 71K 34K 566K 5.3
201310 145K 102K 21K 69K 11K 77K 59K 5.7K 71K 36K 598K 5.6
201305 158K 122K 24K 79K 14K 83K 69K 11K 77K 39K 677K 6.3
Total 2M 2M 476K 1.3M 314K 1.4M 1.4M 152K 1.1M 728K 11M 100
Percentage 18.1 18.4 4.4 11.8 2.9 13.3 12.7 1.4 10.2 6.8 100 --
Tags Colors Colors Colors Colors Colors Colors Colors Colors Colors Colors -- --
As we can see, the decline appears to have begun around March 2013 and then continued steadily till about June 2014, at which numbers stabilized to their lower levels.
A few sanity checks on these numbers:
The trends appear to be similar for different colors, with the notable difference that the proportional drop was higher for the more viewed color pages. Thus, for instance, black and blue saw declines from 129K and 126K to 30K and 41K respectively (factors of four and three respectively) from January 2013 to December 2014. Orange and yellow, on the other hand, dropped by factors of close to two. The only color that didn't drop significantly was red (it dropped from 84K to 67K, as opposed to factors of two or more for other colors), but this seems to have been partly due to an unusually large amount of traffic in the end of 2014. The trend even for red seems to suggest a drop similar to that for orange.
The overall proportion of views for different colors comports with our overall knowledge of people's color preferences: blue is overall a favorite color, and this is reflected in its getting the top spot with respect to pageviews.
The pageview decline followed a relatively steady trend, with the exception of some unusual seasonal fluctuation (including an increase in October and November 2013).
One might imagine that this is due to people shifting attention from the English-language Wikipedia to other language Wikipedias, but most of the other major language Wikipedias saw a similar decline at a similar time. More details are in my longer version of this post on my personal site.
Here are the views of some of the world's most populated countries between 2008 and 2014, showing that the peak happened as far back as 2010:
China 5.7M 6.8M 7.8M 6.1M 6.9M 5.7M 6.1M 45M 9 Countries
India 8.8M 12M 12M 11M 14M 8.8M 7.6M 73M 14.5 Countries
United States 13M 15M 18M 18M 34M 16M 15M 129M 25.7 Countries
Indonesia 5.3M 5.2M 3.7M 3.6M 4.2M 3.1M 2.5M 28M 5.5 Countries
Brazil 4.8M 4.9M 5.3M 5.5M 7.5M 4.9M 4.3M 37M 7.4 Countries
Pakistan 2.9M 4.5M 4.4M 4.3M 5.2M 4M 3.2M 28M 5.7 Countries
Bangladesh 2.2M 2.9M 3M 2.8M 2.9M 2.2M 1.7M 18M 3.5 Countries
Russia 5.6M 5.6M 6.5M 6.8M 8.6M 5.4M 5.8M 44M 8.8 Countries
Nigeria 2.6M 2.6M 2.9M 3M 3.5M 2.6M 2M 19M 3.8 Countries
Japan 4.8M 6.4M 6.5M 8.3M 10M 7.3M 6.6M 50M 10 Countries
Mexico 3.1M 3.9M 4.3M 4.3M 5.9M 4.7M 4.5M 31M 6.1 Countries
Total 59M 69M 74M 74M 103M 65M 59M 502M 100 --
Percentage 11.7 13.8 14.7 14.7 20.4 12.9 11.8 100 -- --
Of these countries, China, India and the United States are the most notable. China is the world's most populous. India has the largest population with some minimal English knowledge and legally (largely) unfettered Internet access to Wikipedia, while the United States has the largest population with quality Internet connectivity and good English knowledge. Moreover, in China and India, Internet use and access have been growing considerably in the last few years, whereas it has been relatively stable in the United States.
It is interesting that the year with the maximum total pageview count was as far back as 2010. In fact, 2010 was so significantly better than the other years that the numbers beg for an explanation. I don't have one, but even excluding 2010, we see a declining trend: gradual growth from 2008 to 2011, and then a symmetrically gradual decline. Both the growth trend and the decline trend are quite similar across countries.
We see a similar trend for continents and subcontinents, with the peak occurring in 2010. In contrast, the smaller counterparts, such as cities, peaked in 2013, similarly to colors, and the drop, though somewhat less steep than with colors, has been quite significant. For instance, a list for Indian cities shows that the total pageviews for these Indian cities declined from about 20 million in 2013 (after steady growth in the preceding years) to about 13 million in 2014.
So far, we've looked at topics where pageviews have been declining since at least 2013, and some that peaked as far back as 2010. There are, however, many relatively niche topics where the number of pageviews has stayed roughly constant. But this stability itself is a sign of decay, because other metrics suggest that the topics have experienced tremendous growth in interest. In fact, the stability is even less impressive when we notice that it's a result of a cancellation between slight declines in views of established pages in the genre, and traffic going to new pages.
For instance, consider some charity-related pages:
Against Malaria Foundation 5.9K 6.3K 4.3K 1.4K 2 0 0 18K 15.6 Charities
Development Media International 757 0 0 0 0 0 0 757 0.7 Pages created by Vipul Naik Charities
Deworm the World Initiative 2.3K 277 0 0 0 0 0 2.6K 2.3 Charities Pages created by Vipul Naik
GiveDirectly 11K 8.3K 2.6K 442 0 0 0 22K 19.2 Charities Pages created by Vipul Naik
International Council for the Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders 1.2K 1 2 2 0 1 2 1.2K 1.1 Charities Pages created by Vipul Naik
Nothing But Nets 5.9K 6.6K 6.6K 5.1K 4.4K 4.7K 6.1K 39K 34.2 Charities
Nurse-Family Partnership 2.9K 2.8K 909 30 8 72 63 6.8K 5.9 Pages created by Vipul Naik Charities
Root Capital 3K 2.5K 414 155 51 1.2K 21 7.3K 6.3 Charities Pages created by Vipul Naik
Schistosomiasis Control Initiative 4K 2.7K 1.6K 191 0 0 0 8.5K 7.4 Charities Pages created by Vipul Naik
VillageReach 1.7K 1.9K 2.2K 2.6K 97 3 15 8.4K 7.3 Charities Pages created by Vipul Naik
Total 38K 31K 19K 9.9K 4.6K 5.9K 6.2K 115K 100 --
Percentage 33.4 27.3 16.3 8.6 4 5.1 5.4 100 -- --
For this particular cluster of pages, we see the totals growing robustly year-on-year. But a closer look shows that the growth isn't that impressive. Whereas earlier, views were doubling every year from 2010 to 2013 (this was the take-off period for GiveWell and effective altruism), the growth from 2013 to 2014 was relatively small. And about half the growth from 2013 to 2014 was powered by the creation of new pages (including some pages created after the beginning of 2013, so they had more months in a mature state in 2014 than in 2013), while the other half was powered by growth in traffic to existing pages.
The data for philanthropic foundations demonstrates a fairly slow and steady growth (about 5% a year), partly due to the creation of new pages. This 5% hides a lot of variation between individual pages:
Atlantic Philanthropies 11K 11K 12K 10K 9.8K 8K 5.8K 67K 2.1 Philanthropic foundations
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation 336K 353K 335K 315K 266K 240K 237K 2.1M 64.9 Philanthropic foundations
Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation 1.2K 25 9 0 0 0 0 1.2K 0 Philanthropic foundations Pages created by Vipul Naik
Ford Foundation 110K 91K 100K 90K 100K 73K 61K 625K 19.5 Philanthropic foundations
Good Ventures 9.9K 8.6K 3K 0 0 0 0 21K 0.7 Philanthropic foundations Pages created by Vipul Naik
Jasmine Social Investments 2.3K 1.8K 846 0 0 0 0 5K 0.2 Philanthropic foundations Pages created by Vipul Naik
Laura and John Arnold Foundation 3.7K 13 0 1 0 0 0 3.7K 0.1 Philanthropic foundations Pages created by Vipul Naik
Mulago Foundation 2.4K 2.3K 921 0 1 1 10 5.6K 0.2 Philanthropic foundations Pages created by Vipul Naik
Omidyar Network 26K 23K 19K 17K 19K 13K 11K 129K 4 Philanthropic foundations
Peery Foundation 1.8K 1.6K 436 0 0 0 0 3.9K 0.1 Philanthropic foundations Pages created by Vipul Naik
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 26K 26K 26K 22K 27K 22K 17K 167K 5.2 Philanthropic foundations
Skoll Foundation 13K 11K 9.2K 7.8K 9.6K 5.8K 4.3K 60K 1.9 Philanthropic foundations
Smith Richardson Foundation 8.7K 3.5K 3.8K 3.6K 3.7K 3.5K 2.9K 30K 0.9 Philanthropic foundations
Thiel Foundation 3.6K 1.5K 1.1K 47 26 1 0 6.3K 0.2 Philanthropic foundations Pages created by Vipul Naik
Total 556K 533K 511K 466K 435K 365K 340K 3.2M 100 --
The dominant hypothesis is that pageviews have simply migrated from non-mobile to mobile. This is most closely borne by the overall data: total pageviews have remained roughly constant, and the decline in total non-mobile pageviews has been roughly canceled by growth in mobile pageviews. However, the evidence for this substitution doesn't exist at the level of individual pages because we don't have pageview data for the mobile domain before September 2014, and much of the decline occurred between March 2013 and June 2014.
What would it mean if there were an approximate one-on-one substitution from non-mobile to mobile for the page types discussed above? For instance, non-mobile traffic to colors dropped to somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 of their original traffic level between January 2013 and December 2014. This would mean that somewhere between 1/2 and 2/3 of the original non-mobile traffic to colors has shifted to mobile devices. This theory should be at least partly falsifiable: if the sum of traffic to non-mobile and mobile platforms today for colors is less than non-mobile-only traffic in January 2013, then clearly substitution is only part of the story.
Although the data is available, it's not currently in an easily computable form, and I don't currently have the time and energy to extract it. I'll update this once the data on all pageviews since September 2014 is available on stats.grok.se or a similar platform.
The following are some other hypotheses for the pageview decline:
Google's Knowledge Graph: This is the hypothesis raised in Wikipediocracy, the Daily Dot, and the Register. The Knowledge Graph was introduced in 2012. Through 2013, Google rolled out snippets (called Knowledge Cards and Knowledge Panels) based on the Knowledge Graph in its search results. So if, for instance, you only wanted the birth date and nationality of a musician, Googling would show you that information right in the search results and you wouldn't need to click through to the Wikipedia page. I suspect that the Knowledge Graph played some role in the decline for colors seen between March 2013 and June 2014. On the other hand, many of the pages that saw a decline don't have any search snippets based on the Knowledge Graph, and therefore the decline for those pages cannot be explained this way.
Other means of accessing Wikipedia's knowledge that don't involve viewing it directly: For instance, Apple's Siri tool uses data from Wikipedia, and people making queries to this tool may get information from Wikipedia without hitting the encyclopedia. The usage of such tools has increased greatly starting in late 2012. Siri itself was released with the third generation iPad in September 2012 and became part of the iPhone released the next month. Since then, it has shipped with all of Apple's mobile devices and tablets.
Substitution away from Wikipedia to other pages that are becoming more search-optimized and growing in number: For many topics, Wikipedia may have been clearly the best information source a few years back (as judged by Google), but the growth of niche information sources, as well as better search methods, have displaced it from its undisputed leadership position. I think there's a lot of truth to this, but it's hard to quantify.
Substitution away from coarser, broader pages to finer, narrower pages within Wikipedia: While this cannot directly explain an overall decline in pageviews, it can explain a decline in pageviews for particular kinds of pages. Indeed, I suspect that this is partly what's going on with the early decline of pageviews (e.g., the decline in pageviews of countries and continents starting around 2010, as people go directly to specialized articles related to the particular aspects of those countries or continents they are interested in).
Substitution to Internet use in other languages: This hypothesis doesn't seem borne out by the simultaneous decline in pageviews for the English, French, and Spanish Wikipedia, as documented for the color pages.
I'd like to close by noting that the pageview decline is still very much a mystery as far as I am concerned. I hope I've convinced you that (a) the mystery is genuine, (b) it's important, and (c) although the shift to mobile is probably the most likely explanation, we don't yet have clear evidence. I'm interested in hearing whether people have alternative explanations, and/or whether they have more compelling arguments for some of the explanations proffered here.
Software Tools1
23Wikipedia pageviews: still in decline
13Wikipedia usage survey results
So, the Android app doesn't report back page views, did I get that right? With tablets the gap between mobile and non-mobile is shirking, I use a tablet for reading the web very often even when having access to a laptop, I would not use a phone for that, and with a keyboard and perhaps a larger tablet I could do much of my work on it. (Fun anecdote: there is such a thing as a country with most of its current Constitution assembled on an iPad.) I don't want to take any position on the issue but I would recommend urgently fixing the Android / Apple app to report back page views, from my angle Wikipedia-in-a-browser is rapidly becoming obsolete. It is an encyclopedia. Encyclopedias are books. I read books comfortably on the couch, on a tablet or Kindle, since they don't require high-bandwith text entry. I don't go to the desk and crouch over the laptop to read an encyclopedia, it is bad enough to do it when working or writing. (I find it funny how Gizmodo asked if people still use tablets? People still breathe? To me, tablets ergonomically book-ifying my web reading experience was the best thing that happened since the invention of the wifi.)
[-]Strilanc6y
Could you convert the tables into graphs, please? It's much harder to see trends in lists of numbers.
Another possible hypothesis could be satiation. When I first read wikipedia, it dragged me into hours long recursive article reading. Over time I've read more and more of the articles I find interesting, so any given article links to fewer unread interesting articles. Wikipedia has essentially developed a herd immunity against me. Maybe that pattern holds over the population, with the dwindling infectiousness overcoming new readers?
On second thought, I'm not sure that works at all. I guess you could check the historical probability of following to another article.
[-]John_Maxwell6y
Regression to the mean is a potential problem when you choose to examine the most extreme data points in a data set (highly viewed wikipedia pages in this case).
[-]VipulNaik6y
I didn't pick them as points that were most extreme as of earlier years, I picked them as generically popular topics. There should be no particular temporal directionality to view counts for such pages.
On the other hand, many of the pages that saw a decline don't have any search snippets based on the Knowledge Graph, and therefore the decline for those pages cannot be explained this way.
Yes it can. Knowledge graph leads to less traffic at pages that have snippets, leads to less people clicking on to pages that don't.
Because even the simplest query for someone's birth date, the kind that the knowledge graph snippet can intercept, will sometimes lead into a night-long wiki binge.
[-]Petter6y
Mobile is a larger platform than desktop 2015. That fact and the knowledge graph seem like very plausible explanations.
Eh? Desktop is still more than half:
https://stats.wikimedia.org/EN/TablesPageViewsMonthlyCombined.htm
https://stats.wikimedia.org/EN/TablesPageViewsMonthlyMobile.htm
https://stats.wikimedia.org/EN/TablesPageViewsMonthly.htm
I meant in general. I did not look up the numbers for Wikipedia.
[-]Xerographica6y
The decline happened as a result of my indefinite banishment from Wikipedia. How many page views did I generate when I was active on Wikipedia? A lot more than I generate now that I'm banned!
I'm kinda kidding around but there's more than a kernel of truth in there. When Wikipedia was first created... there were more than a gazillion bits of knowledge missing. Over time though... the "easiest" bits were filled in. As all the lowest hanging fruit was picked... there were less and less people tall enough to reach the higher fruit. Clearly this resulted in a significant decrease in editing activity and by extension... a decrease in page views.
What percentage of the total decline in page views does this explanation actually account for? Beats me. It has to account for some though.
On a tangentially related note... a few weeks after famous economists die... I like to try and grab a screenshot of the page views for their Wikipedia entries. Their page views have a huge spike as their life/death is widely discussed... but then the page views decline pretty quickly afterwards. Unfortunately, in too many cases I've forgotten to grab screenshots. And the graph doesn't look as good when you have to go back in time. :( Why economists? Well... I think they'd appreciate it more than most famous dead people. Plus, it could be interesting/informative to compare their graphs in order to try and discern some useful information about something... economical.
In exchange for my explanation... how about you try and resolve Satt's Paradox? Or, you can try and predict if/when/how quarters up are going to replace thumbs up.
[-]taygetea6y
This would rely on a large fraction of pageviews being from Wikipedia editors. That seems unlikely. Got any data for that?
No data, like I said...
I did find this...
The number of active editors on the English-language Wikipedia peaked in 2007 at more than 51,000 and has been declining ever since as the supply of new ones got choked off. This past summer only 31,000 people could be considered active editors. - The Decline of Wikipedia
That confirms a decline in editors... and by extension... a decline in edits/pageviews... but no idea what fraction of the total pageviews decline it represents. It's probably pretty small.
The Google explanation probably represents a much higher fraction. For a while Wikipedia seemed to frequently be at the top of numerous search results. This would of course equate to considerable pageviews. Now it seems like Wikipedia results aren't as frequently as high as they used to be.


Nigeria's largest city welcomes business aviation operators with new full-service FBOs. Just be careful moving about on the surface.
The administrative burden far outweighs the environmental benefit from including small operators.
Rarely has aviation history witnessed an era when so many large business jet engines have been simultaneously in development and battling for market share.
Nairobi reigns as the largest city in East Africa. Additionally, it serves as the region's financial center and a magnet for business.
Too many to mentally process, difficult to read and occasionally understand, not prioritized by importance, archaic in format and distribution in the digital age — Notices to Airmen, good old "NOTAMs" — remain both the bane and deliverance of pilots worldwide.
A spectacular city in the desert hosting the world's tallest building, Dubai has engineered a transition from oil to finance.
Doha, Qatar, is a world center for higher education and research.
Operations are straightforward and the Saudis understand business aviation.
The embarrassing thing about international procedures is what a tiny percentage business aviation represents in terms of flights [about 6%] but what a large percentage we are in terms of operational errors," lamented Nat Iyengar, captain and safety officer for a major corporate flight department.
Ever wonder what your long-range nav system would look like if your aircraft were crossing the north pole? After "90 deg. N" appeared on the display, what would the FMS do? How would it orient itself coming out "the other side," given that all directions radiating from the pole are "south"? Would the GPS sensors be able to triangulate a reliable position, given that the balk of the satnav constellation is concentrated in the mid-latitudes?
When your airplane is over the high seas far from a suitable alternate and something breaks especially at night or in bad weather—the elements grow to seem immeasurably large and hostile.
The most popular destination airport, Jorge Chavez International (SPIM), boasts two FBO/handlers—Swissport and ATSA.
If Brazil's economy is the powerhouse of South America, then São Paulo is its spark plug: The city alone accounts for more than 13% of Brazil's gross domestic product, leads Latin American cities in GDP, and is 10th by GDP among all the world's cities.


The campus of Mount Carmel West in Columbus on Jan. 30, 2019.
Mount Carmel West hospital has been placed in "immediate jeopardy" status by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, with the Ohio Department of Health, launched an investigation last month into Mount Carmel following the firing of doctor William Husel. Husel ordered what Mount Carmel calls "excessive and potentially fatal" doses of the pain medication fentanyl for at least 34 of his patients.
A hospital statement says Mount Carmel West and potentially Mount Carmel St. Ann's will work with the Centers for Medicare and Medical on a corrective action plan. If CMS determines the plans are sufficient, the status will be removed, the hospital says.
If not, the hospital is in danger of losing funding.
"We will submit Mount Carmel West's action plan next week and have already taken steps to implement the plan. We will follow the same process for Mount Carmel St. Ann's," the statement says.
The hospital says it has already taken measures to try and improve end of life care, including education on standards, a new protocol for pain medication doses in the electronic medical records, and a new escalation policy for "deviations" in the pain medication protocols.
Multiple wrongful death lawsuits have been filed against Mount Carmel and Husel by the families of Husel's patients. Husel's medical license was suspended by the State Medical Board last week.
If you are a Mount Carmel staffer who has information to share, or you believe your loved one or family member was impacted by this case, contact WOSU at paige.pfleger@wosu.org.
Since Mount Carmel Health System announced the firing of a doctor over "excessive" pain medication dosing, hospital executives and family members of patients have given their perspectives. But largely out of fear for losing their jobs, employees who worked alongside him remained silent - until now.
The Ohio Medical Board voted Friday to suspend William Husel's medical license. The move comes the same day the Ohio Department Medicaid revoked Husel's provider agreement.
The seventh and eighth wrongful death lawsuits against Mount Carmel Health System and fired doctor William Husel were filed Monday. Husel, who had his medical license suspended last week, is accused of giving excessive doses of fentanyl to dozens of patients.


text:
Live Rounds In Tokyo
Earache Records
Recorded at Akasaka Blitz, Tokyo, Japan 16th November 2000
artists Live Rounds In Tokyo
01. Intro 0:24
02. Dark Intentions 1:27
03. Bury Your Dead 3:16
04. Chasm 3:12
05. Trespass 3:53
06. Shattered 3:47
07. Hollow Ground 4:26
08. Choke Hold 3:28
09. Leech 4:39
10. In Vein 4:10
11. Revelation 1:51
12. Bullet Hole 4:12
13. Silencer 3:33
14. Three Times 3:02
15. Undead 2:12
16. Hate Song 3:22
17. Eclipse (bonus studio track) 2:54


text:
Rookie Lifeguard's First Save: A Kangaroo
Rookie lifeguard, 17-year-old Lillian Bee-Young, had the most unusual first save ever. On the north coast of New South Wales, onlookers and lifeguards alike were shocked to see an eastern grey kangaroo jumping across rock pools and tumbling into the rough surf.
Lillian's workmate, Carissa, spotted the kangaroo, and the two young women were caught by surprise, not knowing what to do.
Conditions were rough that day, and Lillian believed the kangaroo was just doing its best to avoid some fishermen when it was wiped out by the surf.
She wasn't sure what she was going to do, but still, she paddled out with her rescue board. The kangaroo was doing its best to keep its head above water but was too scared to come close to the beach due to the growing crowd of spectators.
Carissa worked to clear space on the beach while Lillian monitored the situation from the water. After a few stumbles, the kangaroo make it to land and immediately hopped off into the brush.
"It was quite special. There were people cheering and clapping… and then [the kangaroo] was just sitting there up in the bushes, almost, I thought, as a thank you… It was really serene," Lillian said.


Nautilus International has sold 49 Autonomous Guidance Systems in Australia, New Zealand, Africa, the USA, South America and Canada.
Nautilus has been developing their AGS system for a long time. The first prototype was started in 1999 and completed in 2000. Also in 2000, Nautilus completed the design and manufacture of 'Lucy' a battery powered loader used to test all Nautilus systems.
Lucy is a very small loader but she's fitted with a full AGS system. For the last 18 years, Nautilus has used Lucy and it's indoor mine to simplify, improve, miniaturize and test their systems. The Nautilus mine has a fully equipped Control Room with a main drive, two crosscuts, a 45 degree stock pile, two orthogonal stockpiles, a Y intersection and a stope.
What are the best features of the Nautilus AGS system?
It's simple and easy to understand. The equipment is small, rugged and very reliable. A mine electrician can easily maintain this system. The loader equipment can be installed in about 5 hours. The tunnel equipment is small, rugged and short-circuit proof. The maps used to guide the loader can be made by the operator.


text:
The Markeaton Brook is an  tributary of the River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. The brook rises from its source south of Hulland Ward, and flows for most of its length through the countryside north-west of Derby before entering a culvert to the north of the city centre; it reappears from this culvert and runs through a short section of open channel on the other side of the city before joining the Derwent.

The brook is closely associated with the historical development and the early industrial heritage of Derby. Originally the course of the brook passed through the city in an open channel, but it was successively bridged and piped over the years, and by Victorian times it was almost completely covered. It is now hidden from view in a series of culverts as it flows beneath the centre of the city.

Although concealed, its presence could not be ignored, with a number of notable floods occurring in Derby before significant changes, including diversions and relief culverts were deemed necessary to prevent further inundations.

Course
From its source south of Hulland Ward, the brook flows south-east where it is joined by the Black Brook, at Mercaston and is initially named after this village. To the south of Weston Underwood the name changes to the Cutler Brook, from where it flows through the parkland of Kedleston Hall. The channel through the park has been modified as part of the landscaping of the grounds in the 18th century into a series of lakes. Beside the upper lake is a neoclassical style boathouse and fishing room, beyond is a "very handsome stone bridge", where beneath the three arches, the brook also falls over a cascade.

Continuing in a south-east direction, the Cutler brook meets a minor tributary that flows from Quarndon and the name changes to become the Markeaton brook. The larger brook then flows into Markeaton Park, where it is joined by its largest tributary the Mackworth Brook which drains the area around Mackworth and Kirk Langley.

Various channels exist within the park; the brook takes the northern channel with flow also being diverted into Markeaton Lake. The channels rejoin at Britannia Mill and continue through the West End of Derby, until the brook reaches the start of the Markeaton Brook Culvert at Ford Street. This culvert takes the brook beneath the centre of Derby, where it flows under the Strand, Victoria and Albert Street, to an unseen confluence of the Bramble brook.  It crosses beneath the Morledge, before it finally re-emerges from the culvert into the Mill Fleam at the Cockpit island, and then runs alongside the Bass recreation ground, until it reaches the River Derwent.

Catchment
The brook and its tributaries drain a catchment area of , which lies to the north-west of Derby, between that of the River Ecclesbourne to the north, and various tributaries of the lower Dove, including the Hilton Brook to the south and west. The drainage basin has an annual average rainfall of , which is lower than the average of  for England. The highest point in the catchment is at ,  near Crossways farm.

It has been estimated that during a large storm the catchment can generate a flow of , within thirteen hours of intense rainfall. Summer flows are much smaller, with the brook producing a flow of only .

The brook drains a catchment with a geology consisting of mainly Mercian mudstones and Siltstone, but with some Sandstone and Shales in the upper reaches. It  has been designated as main river by the Environment Agency from Markeaton Park to its confluence with the Derwent.

Mills

There were more than twelve probable water mills sites along the course of the brook, some of them mentioned in the Domesday Book when Derby was listed with having ten mills. Nearly all of them have been lost or demolished, although the mill at Mercaston survives as a private house, and Britannia mill is now part of The University of Derby.

Nun's mill was another site recorded in Derby, and mentioned as one of the goals in the description of the mob football game that took place in Derby until the 18th century.

Floods
Due to its location beside the confluence of the River Derwent and the Markeaton brook, Derby has a long history of being flooded from either the brook or the river. In the 19th century Glover collated information on many of the earlier floods in his 'History of the County of Derby'. Those that referred to the Markeaton Brook extended back to 1610, when three prisoners in the original Derby gaol were drowned. The gaol or jail was located near the Cornmarket, and had underground cells beneath street level, that filled with floodwaters, "owing to a sudden rise" of the brook.

St Werburgh's Church, Derby which is located next to the brook, suffered greatly from flood damage, such as in 1673, when "A great flood upon the Markeaton brook, carried away the hay, filled cellars as high as the Angel, Rotten Row, and broke down three of the ten bridges", again in 1677 and in November 1698 "A great flood which washed down part of St. Werburgh's church and the steeple fell." The church faced further floods in the 18th and 19th centuries.

In December 1740 there was; "A great flood in Derby. On Tuesday last, we had the greatest inundation of water here that ever was known, occasioned by the falling of a great quantity of snow and rain, which began on Sunday, and continued (almost without intermission) till Tuesday morning, at which time several streets, and all the rooms upon the ground floor were laid a great depth under water. Great damage was done to the houses and furniture; several walls were thrown down; bridges and great quantities of wood carried away, and numbers of cattle swept from pastures perished. The parish church of St. Werburgh received considerable damage, it having made so great a breach in the pavement throughout the church so as to require it to be new paved."

Repairs to the paving in the church were also required after the largest flood in the 19th century in April 1842. Herbert Spencer, who was an engineer in Derby at that time, described the flood: "A tributary of the river Derwent which runs through Derby, called the Markeaton Brook, was raised suddenly to an immense height by a local deluge of rain, and overflowed to the extent of producing in the main street a flood of some six feet in depth: the level attained being so unusual that it was marked by an iron plate let into the wall. It occurred to me to write a report on this flood; and to make suggestions for the prevention of any like catastrophe hereafter. This report was presented to the Town Council, and afterwards printed and distributed by their order."

The iron flood mark from 1842 still exists on the Wardwick Tavern.  Glover noted that the flood level in the Wardwick as "4ft 3in" with the greatest depth of the flood being recorded in Willow row at "6 ft".Losses due to the floods was estimated at £15,000 (equivalent to £ as of ).

In the early 1930s there were two major floods caused by the brook, which provided the impetus to find a solution, and prevent further flooding in Derby. The first was in September 1931 when heavy rain across Derbyshire, caused substantial flooding from the brook in the centre of the town. Residents living alongside the course of the brook were trapped in their houses, and produce from nearby allotments was uprooted and swept through the streets.

The second flood occurred less than a year later in May 1932; again intense rainfall caused the brook to overflow, with considerable flooding throughout the central shopping quarter. A contemporary account recalls that; "Water poured into the streets and many houses were filled to a depth of six or seven feet. In the low-lying parts of the town it gathered quickly and, by ten o'clock on this memorable Sunday morning, shops in the Cornmarket, St James's Street and the bottom end of St Peter's Street were immersed half-way up the windows. The centre of town presented the appearance of a lake and the sight was unforgettable."

Following the flood, the Mayor of Derby set up a flood fund and a souvenir booklet costing 6d, was produced by the YMCA to raise money for those who houses and businesses had been affected. Damage to the town was estimated at £400,000. (equivalent to £ as of ).

Flood relief culverts

Following the floods of 1931 and 1932, the Borough council arranged for an investigation to be carried out into the flooding problem within the catchment. The planned solution was the construction of two flood relief culverts, with associated improvements to the sewerage system.
Opened in 1938, the largest of the diversion tunnels was called the Northern Flood Relief Culvert, and drains excess flows from the Markeaton and Mackworth brooks. The second, known as the Bramble brook culvert takes surplus flows for that tributary stream.

The northern relief culvert commences at Markeaton Park, near to the confluence of the Markeaton and Mackworth brooks. Each brook has its own inlet spillway, with a weir that overflows during periods of high flows. Flows from these inlets converge, and are then taken by the relief culvert eastwards for 2.2 km through the suburbs of Derby, to an outfall with the Derwent in Darley Park.

In 2006, the inlet works were improved and upgraded to cope with changes in the catchment that have occurred since the original design.

Wildlife and ecology
The brook and its tributaries supports a range of flora and fauna, and includes two protected areas of ecological importance at Muggington Bottoms and Kedleston Hall. Rare freshwater sponges, and the endangered native white clawed crayfish have been found in the brook.

Projects and groups
Since 2004, the catchments of the Mercaston & Markeaton brooks have been included in a multi-agency project designed to reduce sediment runoff in the catchment, restore hedgerows, and tackle invasive species such as American mink and Himalayan balsam. Taking part in the project are the Friends of the Markeaton Brook, an advocate group which aims to protect the brook and its surroundings, and educate the public on its history, amenities and nature.

References

Bibliography

Rivers of Derbyshire
1Markeaton
Geography of Derby

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Every year, a new Young & Hungry List is compiled from across the industry. Voted on by Hollywood's most influential players, each list spotlights a fresh slate of up-and-coming creatives preparing to take the next step in their careers. Whether it be a newcomer making their first big splash, a sophomore writer coming into their prime, or an established veteran returning to their roots, they all share one thing: the unrelenting drive to make their mark.
See what past Young & Hungry writers have been working on!
For the seventh year in a row, The Tracking Board has searched far and wide to compile the best up-and-coming writers in and out of the industry. All the hot specs on the market, all the recent pick-ups by major talent agencies, and some of the freshest, coolest writing in the business is here in this list. We are proud to share it with you and excited to see what lies ahead for these talented writers.
To access the 2017 Young & Hungry List, click the red links below. The 2017 Young & Hungry List comes in two flavors: Young & Hungry and By The Numbers. The Young & Hungry List contains the information on each writer selected, including projects, bios and rep info. By The Numbers breaks down the successes of agencies and management companies in representing writers who place onto the list.


I decided I need to start writing again. I think I stopped for awhile because I got too anxious about it–too judgmental, too worried about how it would come off, too worried about what I would dredge up. But I miss it. So here goes the first of what I hope will be a weekly (or possibly daily) tradition.
Writing Prompt: Respond to the following clip of a poem by Lisa Phoenix.
Sixth grade, Valentine's Day. My mom bought me the purple velvet dress I wanted, we put fake violets in my hair. I snuck some mascara from the pink and green tube lying in the top drawer of my parents' bathroom. My dance card trembles in my hand, and I swallow hard as I look around–at least I only have a few blank spaces, mostly on fast dances. The boys are almost all shorter than me, their eyes at an awkward chest-level. I'm only excited about one of the dances, really. The parents snap pictures from the back, hiding behind the pink punch bowls and frosted heart cookies. I'm glad I invited my mom: she would be able to capture my moment forever. She had received careful instructions from me to do so. I hoped she wouldn't come too close though–I didn't want it to seem too obvious, like I had planned the whole thing out. For weeks, maybe months. The time has come–he claps his hand on my shoulder, wraps his cookie-crumb fingers around my waist. I put both my hands (shaking) on his shoulders. Step back, left, forward, right. We somehow get into a game with another couple where my partner tries to play mash-me-into-his-best-friend-and-his-partner. I laugh, but he's ruining my plans. He's ruining my idea of the one perfect dance. The song ends, and he has only looked at me twice. I drop my hands, mumble a thank you. He runs off to go eat another red cupcake. I go home and take out the violets, laying them amid clips and barrettes chewed-up elastics. My dress had stained my white tights purple.
I wish I could tell that 12-year-old girl that there would be other dances, magical dances–swaying in the moonlight, salsa in a nightclub. But this is her first, and it is all she knows.


text:
O Grupamento Especial de Policiamento do Complexo Penitenciário de Bangu (GEPCPB) foi uma unidade operacional especial da Polícia Militar do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, sendo a unidade desta Corporação voltada exclusivamente para a guarda de prisões comuns.

Subordinada ao Comando de Unidades Operacionais Especiais (Cmdo UOpE), sua sede situa-se no bairro de Gericinó, na Zona Oeste da capital fluminense e tem como área de policiamento todo o Complexo Penitenciário de Bangu.

Está sob sua responsabilidade a guarda externa de doze unidades prisionais, e externa e interna de três (Pedro Melo da Silva, Jorge Santana e Bangu V), contando o Complexo Penitenciário de Bangu com uma população carcerária de mais de 9.000 indivíduos numa área de aproximadamente um milhão de metros quadrados, e com uma população flutuante em torno de trinta mil pessoas por semana, entre visitantes e funcionários das diversas unidades.

Em dezembro do ano de 2010 a unidade foi extinta, tendo sido seu efetivo distribuído pelas demais unidades policiais militares da capital fluminense e a guarda prisional assumida por funcionários da Secretaria Estadual de Administração Penitenciária.

Ver também
 Polícia Militar do Estado do Rio de Janeiro

Prisional