Insomniac has announced the Electric Daisy Carnival New York 2013 lineup set for May 17 & 18 at Citi Field and it's filled with a lot of names! The names range from Richie Hawtin to ATB to Ed Rush & Optical to Headhunterez, a little bit of everything for everyone.
The two day event is dubbed as "On the Road to Vegas" and will be held over two days with five stages, over 50 performers and as Insomniac says the most important headliner of all, YOU!
It's easy to focus on the list of performers but don't forget that Insomniac prides itself on the entire event and experience and not like the fact that you're just going to a concert.


How do you know if change is the best thing, when you're happy with what you have?
The only way to find out is by making the change.
Because if you don't, you'll always be stuck with the question of what taking that chance could have meant.
And it isn't scary, because to wherever you've been, you can always return.
If true love really is true love, then it will be there; ready and waiting, when you finally realize it.
"Because it's your life and it's no one else's, sweetheart, don't let someone put you in a box."


A pushrod is basically a metal tube designed to transfer the reciprocating motion of a valve lifter, riding on the camshaft, to the valve.
I found the pushrod fascinating 20 years ago, back when I was a high-school car geek devouring car magazines. It was about the time the Japanese car invasion began and Detroit started to worry about loss of market share here. In the mid-'80s, Detroit stuck by the pushrod, and nearly every available engine used it. Domestic cars were for the most part, however, mediocre contraptions that allowed foreign automakers to make inroads into the U.S. market. Back then our 10Best Cars competition had five spots for domestics and five for imports. In 1983, the pickings were so slim that the Chevrolet Caprice Classic made the list.
When asked what made Japanese cars better, critics gave a variety of answers, but one stuck in my mind: While the Americans produced crude, underperforming pushrod engines, the Japanese were turning out sophisticated four-cylinder, single- and double-overhead-cam engines with twice the number of valves per cylinder.
The idea of locating the camshafts in the cylinder head was not new, but to a populace still unaware that a 1929 Duesenberg Model J, for example, had double overhead cams and four valves per cylinder, the overhead-cam engine sounded advanced, exotic.
The pushrod was the scapegoat for all that was wrong with Detroit. "No doubt about it. In the '80s, the pushrod was a hated component, a symbol of the uncompetitiveness of the domestic industry," says Sam Winegarden, GM's chief engineer for small-block V-8s.
I called Winegarden because I've always been fascinated by GM's decision to stick with the pushrod when it introduced a new small-block V-8 in 1996.
By the '90s, many domestic four- and six-cylinder pushrod engines had been scuttled in favor of overhead-cam designs. In 1995, Ford axed its venerable pushrod 16-valve V-8 for a V-8 that still had just 16 valves but now ran with a pair of overhead cams.
Keeping the pushrod seemed like yet another example of the General's hanging on to its glory years. But since then, I've come to see that, for a mass-produced V-8 engine, the pushrod layout has more advantages than disadvantages.
"Power is a function of airflow, pure and simple," says Winegarden. "If you're not going to fill the cylinder with valves, why have an overhead cam?"
Although you could design a V-8 engine that uses pushrods to operate four valves per cylinder, the layout lends itself to using just two. Four valves generally have greater total valve area than two, thus creating greater airflow and more power. In the case of the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and its pushrod two-valves-per-cylinder 405-hp, 5.7-liter V-8, Winegarden says, "We've been able to meet the performance requirements by using more displacement. Two more valves per cylinder would get us another 10 percent in total valve area."
A modern engine is a dizzying array of compromises as designers strive to meet power, cost, reliability, and emissions demands. The Vette V-8 would ultimately have more power if it had four valves per cylinder, but it would lose ground in cost, complexity, and physical size.
"On the Vette, performance density is only beaten by some of the big Ferrari or heavily boosted engines," Winegarden continues. One of the huge advantages of the pushrod V-8 layout is its clever use of space. The camshaft and the pushrods lie in the unused area between the cylinder banks. A DOHC or SOHC V-8 is much wider and a little taller because the camshafts are on top of the cylinder heads.
Enthusiasts often talk about how much power an engine produces as a function of the combined volume of the cylinders (power per liter). But what's often overlooked is the power produced compared with the outside dimensions of a motor.
The small-block is a compact engine. I did some rough measurements of the Z06's V-8, the DOHC V-8 in the Porsche Cayenne S (335 hp, 4.5 liters), and the Northstar V-8 in the Cadillac SRX (320 hp, 4.6 liters). The small-block was about six inches narrower than the Porsche V-8, two inches shorter than the Caddy's V-8, and close in length.
That may not sound like much, but it gives designers more freedom to position the engine for good weight distribution and leaves ample room for suspension and steering components.
GM also used this architecture for its truck engines. Spreading the tooling and design costs over a large number of vehicles reduced the per-unit engine cost. That's one reason the $52,385 Z06 can compete with sports cars costing twice as much.
So if the pushrod design makes such a good V-8, why does GM make a DOHC V-8 Northstar? "I'm not going to touch that one," laughs Winegarden. GM's party line is that some customers want what it calls "high-feature engines." Winegarden does admit there are some refinement benefits to the DOHC layout, but personally, I don't find the Vette's engine to be a bit unruly.
GM is no longer the pushrod's sole champion. Dodge has reintroduced the pushrod Hemi V-8. And this year, Toyota is running in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with a newly developed pushrod V-8. Of course, that's a motor used only for racing, but is it so far-fetched to wonder if Toyota would make a production pushrod V-8?
Such an engine would be cheaper to build than the complex DOHC V-8 that's now in the Tundra pickup, and Toyota would also realize some marketing benefits from the huge racing investment. The irony is almost too sweet to imagine.


^ Drill a hole install "fleshlight" - Profit !!
Needs a little ranch dressing, for lube.
Thank god HRM is finally taking the time to collect all those leaves.
I saw that already, totally awesome.
A lot of fish in there, got a glimpse of a shark roaming around too.
Interesting symbols on his grave.
Yeah, the one facing looks almost like the Assassin's symbol from Assassin's Creed.
Gahh! @ bug close ups!


text:
David Narey, MBE, (Dundee, Escocia, 12 de junio de 1956 es un exfutbolista escocés. Se desempeñaba en posición de mediocentro defensivo.

Selección nacional
Fue internacional con la Selección de fútbol de Escocia en treinta y cinco ocasiones entre 1977 y 1989, disputando la Copa Mundial de Fútbol de 1982 y la de 1986.

Clubes

Palmarés

Campeonatos nacionales

Enlaces externos
 Perfil y estadísticas

Futbolistas de la selección de fútbol de Escocia en los años 1970
Futbolistas de la selección de fútbol de Escocia en los años 1980
Futbolistas del Dundee United Football Club
Futbolistas de Escocia en la Copa Mundial de 1982
Futbolistas de Escocia en la Copa Mundial de 1986

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Money talks: Can you understand what it's saying? The Japan TimesDigital currencies and smartphone apps are changing the way we do business with the yen, but some monetary habits die hard.
Copyright © 2006-2019 クレジットカード & 電子マネー NEWS. All Rights Reserved2.


text:
Dimi Chakalov: on 12/12/08 at 15:58pm UTC, wrote P.S. I tried to vote for your Essay, but somehow the system didn't like it,...
Dimi Chakalov: on 12/11/08 at 20:14pm UTC, wrote Adam: Glad to learn that the ideas in your Essay are related to the...
Adam Helfer: on 12/10/08 at 4:03am UTC, wrote Carl, Thanks for yor comments. I recall the Schwinger measurement...
Dr. E (The Real McCoy): on 12/3/08 at 4:30am UTC, wrote Hello Adam. Nice paper! Love the focus on meausrement, for without...
Dimi Chakalov: on 12/3/08 at 3:37am UTC, wrote Dear Adam, You claim (p. 2) that "the main unanswered question in quantum...
Venerando: on 12/2/08 at 22:53pm UTC, wrote I think that it is a great job. I not only agree with the exposed ideas,...
Carl Brannen: on 12/2/08 at 22:11pm UTC, wrote I like this idea. You might be interested in Julian Schwinger's version of...
Adam Daniel Helfer: on 12/2/08 at 14:43pm UTC, wrote Essay Abstract I suggest that measurement in quantum theory should...
CATEGORY: The Nature of Time Essay Contest (2008) [back]
TOPIC: The Production of Time by Adam Daniel Helfer [refresh]
Adam Daniel Helfer wrote on Dec. 2, 2008 @ 14:43 GMT
I suggest that measurement in quantum theory should be regarded as a sense of time (of things *happening*), which is as important as the conventional relativistic notion of time. A key question -- of basic physical interest whether one accepts the arguments here or not -- is, What physical criteria determine when a measurement takes place? I suggest a way in which the answer to this may be bound up with the resolution of some pathologies associated with the stress-energy operator, and may at the same time determine the cosmic flow of time. The problem of reconciling the quantum sense of time (measurement) and the conventional relativistic one gives some indication that the the correct "quantization" of gravity is essentially different from that of other fields.
Adam Helfer works on general relativity and quantum field theory.
Carl Brannen wrote on Dec. 2, 2008 @ 22:11 GMT
I like this idea. You might be interested in Julian Schwinger's version of QM devoted to measurements. Do a google search for "measurement algebra"+Schwinger and see what comes up.
Venerando wrote on Dec. 2, 2008 @ 22:53 GMT
I think that it is a great job. I not only agree with the exposed ideas, but also think they are well exposed, even for a low level degree in physics knowledge as mine. I've enjoyed this phrase:
"Is it really plausible that the Universe was in a gross macroscopic superposition of states until consciousness developed?"
:DDD
Good luck with your job and in the contest.
Dimi Chakalov wrote on Dec. 3, 2008 @ 03:37 GMT
You claim (p. 2) that "the main unanswered question in quantum theory is, When does a measurement occur?", and stressed (Sec. 5) that "a natural approach to understanding time in quantum theory is via its classically conjugate variable, energy." All this reminded me of the invisible cat, Macavity, which shows up only when no one is looking at it, just like the negative energy density in QFT (arXiv:gr-qc/9709047v2). Perhaps Macavity is always unobservable or gauge-dependent, and can be "located" only with a Gedankenexperiment from Wikipedia here.
I like your essay very much. The more I read it, the more I learn from you. Thank you.
Best regards -- Dimi
Dr. E (The Real McCoy) wrote on Dec. 3, 2008 @ 04:30 GMT
Hello Adam.
Nice paper! Love the focus on meausrement, for without meausrement, there is no time, nor physics!
You write, "A key question -- of basic physical interest whether one accepts the arguments here or not -- is, What physical criteria determine when a measurement takes place?"
Consider the irreversible collapse of the photon's wave funcation in an act of...
Consider the irreversible collapse of the photon's wave funcation in an act of measurement.
As Einstein wrote x4=ict, implying dx4/dt=ic, photons are but mass surfing the fourth expanding dimension. Thus a photon appears as a spherically-symmetic wavefront of probability, as the fourth dimension's expansion distributes locality. When a photon is measured, or when it blackens a grain on a photographic plate, it is because it has left the fourth expanding dimension in encounerting matter, and hence the expanding probability wave collapsed.
So it is that both quantum mechanics and relativity describe an invariatiant *physical* reality that exists independent of us! And Moving Dimensions Theory proposes a new, more fundamental invariance underlying both relativity and quantum mechanics--an invariance that also accounts for entropy and time's arrows and assymetries in all realms: the fourth dimension is expanding relative to the three spatial dimensions or dx4/dt = ic. MDT represents that kind of tehory that we have not seen for awhile--a simple postulate and equation reflecting a fundamental invariance underlying all change--a new postulate and equation exalting a novel feature of this universe that has hitherto remained unsung, and suddenly time is unfrozen and we are liberated from the block universe! Relativity, QM, and entropy are given a common foundational framework, and time in all realms is shown to be an emergent phenomenon.
Consider the photon. Measurement of its position relies on the collapse of a wavefunction--the irreversible localization of the photon's momenergy. When a photon is emitted, it is carried along by the fourth expanding dimension, which defines a nonlocal spherically-symmetric probabilistic wavefront expanding at the rate of c through the three spatial dimensions. The expanding fourth dimension is responsible for nonlocality--it "smears" locality throughout all of space, and hence the photon is ageless--it remains in the exact same place in the fourth dimension, no matter how far it travels, as it surfs the fourth expanding dimension. And hence entanglement--two initially-interacting photons remain fundamentally connected no matter how far apart they travel, as they yet inhabit a common locality that resulst because of the nonlocal expansion of the fourth dimension. And hence a photon's ageless (from relativity) and entanglement (from qm) derive from a common principle, which also presents a *physical* model for measurement, entropy, and time and its arrows in all realms.
Consider the timeless, ageless photon.
Relativity tells us that the photon stays in the same place in the fourth dimension. Again--the proof:
Relativity tells us that the photon stays in the same place in the fourth dimension. Here's a proof:
a) the only velocity through our 4D space-time for all objects is c (stated by Brian Greene/Einstein)
b) if a photon, which is always measured to travel at c through the three spatial dimensions by all observers (a postulate of relativity), had any velocity component in the fourth dimension, then its velocity would be other than c through our 3D space.
c) ergo a photon can have no velocity component in the fourth dimension
d) ergo a photon's velocity through the fourth dimension is 0
Quantum Mechanics tells us that a photon's motion is described by a spherically-symmetric probabilistic wavefront expanding at c.
While staying in the same place in the fourth dimension, a photon is also manifested as a spherically-symmetric probabilistic wavefront expanding at c.
Ergo the fourth dimension is expanding at c, distributing locality as a spherically-symmetric wavefront.
Hence entanglement, as two intially-interacting photons yet share a unique locality in the fourth expanding dimension, which distributes locality. Hence quantum mechanics' nonlocality.
Einstein already demonstrated that dimensions can bend, warp, amd move in General Relativity, and MDT extends this fundamental *physical* principle in a simple and natural manner--the fourth dimension is expanding relative to the three spatial dimensions at the rate of c, or dx4/dt=ic.
No other theory comes close to uniting entropy, entanglement, and relativity in a simple *physical* model, which celebrates a fundamental *physical* universal invariant, while providing a physical mechanism for time and all its arrows and assymetires across all realms.
Why does radiation manifest itself as expanding spherical wavefronts, but not as contracting ones? Because dx4/dt=ic--the fourth dimension is expanding relative to the three spatial dimensions.
"According to Einstein's general theory of relativity, mass and energy warp spacetime. The undulations then affect the trajectories of passing objects, producing the effects we call gravity. In Einstein's theory, spacetime is a stretchy, dynamical entity." --http://focus.aps.org/story/v14/st13
Spacetime is a dynamical entity in Einstein's theory. Ergo, dimensions move.
So it is that MDT is small extension of something we already knew! The fourth dimension is expanding relative to the three spatial dimensions at c, in units of the Planck length!
You would enjoy my paper! Time as an Emergent Phenomenon: Traveling Back to the Heroic Age of Physics by Elliot McGucken
"In his 1912 Manuscript on Relativity, Einstein never stated that time is the fourth dimension, but rather he wrote x4 = ict. The fourth dimension is not time, but ict. Despite this, prominent physicists have oft equated time and the fourth dimension, leading to un-resolvable paradoxes and confusion regarding time's physical nature, as physicists mistakenly projected properties of the three spatial dimensions onto a time dimension, resulting in curious concepts including frozen time and block universes in which the past and future are omni-present, thusly denying free will, while implying the possibility of time travel into the past, which visitors from the future have yet to verify. Beginning with the postulate that time is an emergent phenomenon resulting from a fourth dimension expanding relative to the three spatial dimensions at the rate of c, diverse phenomena from relativity, quantum mechanics, and statistical mechanics are accounted for. Time dilation, the equivalence of mass and energy, nonlocality, wave-particle duality, and entropy are shown to arise from a common, deeper physical reality expressed with dx4/dt=ic. This postulate and equation, from which Einstein's relativity is derived, presents a fundamental model accounting for the emergence of time, the constant velocity of light, the fact that the maximum velocity is c, and the fact that c is independent of the velocity of the source, as photons are but matter surfing a fourth expanding dimension. In general relativity, Einstein showed that the dimensions themselves could bend, curve, and move. The present theory extends this principle, postulating that the fourth dimension is moving independently of the three spatial dimensions, distributing locality and fathering time. This physical model underlies and accounts for time in quantum mechanics, relativity, and statistical mechanics, as well as entropy, the universe's expansion, and time's arrows."
http://fqxi.org/community/forum/topic/238
Adam Helfer wrote on Dec. 10, 2008 @ 04:03 GMT
Carl,
Thanks for yor comments. I recall the Schwinger measurement algebrea as an attempt to formalize the ideas of probability and interference.
Venerando, Dimi and Dr. E.,
Thanks for your comments. Yes, Dimi, the ideas here are related to those I figuratively associated with Macavity.
Dimi Chakalov wrote on Dec. 11, 2008 @ 20:14 GMT
Glad to learn that the ideas in your Essay are related to the "invisible" (gauge-dependent?) cat Macavity (arXiv:gr-qc/9709047v2).
Please check out the so-called Buridan donkey paradox. Perhaps Macavity facilitates all "negotiations" between the donkeys. As you conjectured in your Essay (p. 3), "perhaps time is not merely a parameter, but another sort of thing, in quantum theory."
To the best of my knowledge, you are the first person to propose a new sort of time-energy uncertainty relation (Sec. 5.3, p. 8). I hope you will be awarded 10xFirst Prize in this contest.
Best - Dimi
P.S. I tried to vote for your Essay, but somehow the system didn't like it, and you still don't have any votes. Perhaps it will be a good idea if you elaborate more on your time-energy uncertainty relation (Sec. 5.3) and its implication to GR (Sec. 5.4), and then submit your research manuscript to PRL.
If there is anything I can do, just whistle.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Posted by Brent Marchant | Jan 10, 2021 | Movies With Meaning | 0 |
Learning To Take Flight
Launching a new endeavor can be a daunting prospect, especially if we lack the practical experience and know-how for proceeding. However, if we're to elevate our knowledge, wisdom and insights to new heights, we must take the initiative at some point to pursue the goal in question. The rewards of doing so can be immeasurable, enabling us to become experts in our fields that mere study from a distance alone cannot accomplish. Such was the case for a scientist who upped his game with a bold undertaking, an experience chronicled in the new, fact-based wilderness saga, "The Dark Divide" (web site, trailer).
When lepidopterist Dr. Robert Pyle (David Cross) initially contemplates a field study to find uncatalogued and endangered species of butterflies and moths in Washington's Gifford Pinchot National Forest – one of the most remote and undeveloped wildlife areas in the nation – he's torn about what to do. As much as he would like to make the journey, he's guilt-ridden about leaving behind his wife, Thea (Debra Messing), who's courageously but unsuccessfully battling ovarian cancer. Despite her illness, however, she urges him to pursue his dream, to get away from the stress of caring for her, which she can see is clearly taking a toll on him.
In making plans for the project, though, it becomes apparent that he's woefully unprepared for the trip to the foreboding territory that even locals look upon with a healthy respect, calling the area "the Dark Divide." He's basically a neophyte when it comes to camping, and he has virtually no wilderness experience for dealing with things like the elements, bears and lack of a support network. Two of his professorial colleagues (Shelly Lipkin, Tom Doupe) pointedly remind him of this, too, asking him if he's truly ready for what he'll be up against. Then there's Thea's worsening condition, which prompts Robert to reconsider this undertaking – that is, until she makes the decision for him. And, with the subsequent awarding of a prestigious research grant not long after her passing, the deal is sealed for the intrepid professor to go butterfly hunting.
Lepidopterist Dr. Robert Pyle (David Cross) embarks on a journey to catalog unknown and endangered butterfly and moth species in Washington's remote Gifford Pinchot National Forest in the new, fact-based saga, "The Dark Divide." Photo courtesy of The Dark Divide.
Now on his own, Robert embarks on his journey in almost Quixotic fashion, not knowing what to expect – and even less prepared for knowing how to respond. He initially experiences some significant stumbles, like losing his butterfly net (being left without it thus providing a fitting metaphor for the state of his life at the time). He also makes some beginning hiker's mistakes, like starting out on his journey with a pair of boots that aren't already broken in. Nevertheless, despite these foibles, he seems to adapt to his new surroundings reasonably well, even if not always as planned or hoped for.
Robert indeed accomplishes what he set out to do, discovering a number of new butterfly and moth species. But, more importantly, the trip provides him with an opportunity to reflect upon his life with his beloved (told through a series of flashbacks) and how to get on without her. He takes time to look inward, introspectively assessing who he is and finding himself growing in ways he likely never imagined. It's as if he's going through a metamorphosis of his own, finally getting a chance to do for himself what his lepidopteran companions innately consider second nature. He gains a new appreciation for his winged subjects, at last growing his own airworthy appendages as he seeks to symbolically take flight in his own unique way.
Mind you, even though Robert is by himself much of the time, he's by no means alone. He encounters an array of colorful characters along the way, all of whom help contribute to his personal growth and development, including a skeptical supply store clerk (Carmen Esposito) who questions the wisdom of Robert's venture, a Girl Scout troop more accustomed to wilderness ways than he is, and a disgruntled logging crew chief (Gary Farmer) who despises the local "tree huggers," prompting the professor to keep mum about his preservationist leanings. He also comes upon evidence of phenomena outside his everyday experience, such as an oversized footprint that local Native Americans (Kimberly Guerrero, Dyami Thomas, Harvest Moon) matter-of-factly recognize as a hallmark of Bigfoot, a being they're convinced is absolutely real, a contention that challenges (and helps to reframe) Robert's iron-clad scientific worldview.
Washington's remote Gifford Pinchot National Forest, one of the most undeveloped wilderness areas in the nation, provides the backdrop for Professor Robert Pyle (David Cross) in his search for new butterfly and moth species in director Tom Putnam's "The Dark Divide," now available for streaming online. Photo courtesy of The Dark Divide.
The further Robert journeys, the more "primal" his odyssey becomes. He strips away everything but the bare essentials both literally and figuratively, forcing him to come face to face with himself and his life. He ends up crawling through a lava tube clad only in his underwear, a painful experience that signifies his own rebirth. It's an ordeal he manages to survive – and pushes him to ask himself, "What do I want for my new life?" It's a question that only he can answer, but at least he recognizes the opportunity it affords, something we should all be so fortunate enough to experience and take advantage of when it presents itself.
It's somewhat ironic how we can become so-called experts in a particular area purely on an intellectual level without ever engaging in firsthand practical experiences with our subject matter. Robert, for example, is quite knowledgeable about the study of lepidoptery, but he appears to have done most of his work in classrooms and laboratories; he's never really engaged in the hands-on field work that allows him to know what it's like to be the subjects he's studying. When his life is turned upside-down, though, there's nothing to hold him back from doing so, and so he plans to proceed with an undertaking to find out for himself.
For whatever reason, Robert has not pursued such a venture before. Now, however, with his other obligations fulfilled, he has an opportunity to make it happen. He thus sets in motion the process of setting up his field study, and, as the elements fall into place, he's able to proceed. The reason those project components come together is because he now believes he can pull this off, despite his obvious lack of practical experience. Those beliefs, in turn, work like magnets, drawing the resources to him that he needs (such as the study grant), a prime example of the law of attraction at work, the philosophy that maintains we tap into our thoughts, beliefs and intents to manifest the reality we experience – even if it means taking us into highly uncharted territory.
Like the butterfly that morphs into its celebrated form from that of a mere caterpillar, Robert is about to do the same on his journey, even if he's not entirely sure of how – or that – it's going to happen. Fortunately for him, he experiences a number of synchronicities – those perfectly attuned "coincidences" that seemingly appear out of the blue just when we need them to provide us with exactly what we need at the moment. They enable his odyssey to unfold, taking him to where he needs to go, even if he doesn't always know it at the time.
In the process, this allows Robert to rewrite his beliefs as a means to reshape his existence. He considers possibilities he hadn't thought of before, especially in the area of expanding beyond established limitations. For instance, his encounter with evidence of Bigfoot – and its apparent validation by the Native Americans he meets – prompts the diehard scientist to think in terms he may have never previously contemplated. In fact, the real world counterpart of this fictionalized version of himself has since added study of this legendary cryptid to his work as a butterfly expert, quite a remarkable change indeed.
Thea Pyle (Debra Messing), the supportive spouse of an acclaimed lepidopterist, encourages him to go butterfly hunting in the wilderness to give him a break from the ongoing care he provides her in her battle against ovarian cancer in the new fact-based saga, "The Dark Divide." Photo courtesy of The Dark Divide.
It's interesting to see how Robert goes about all this, too. In many respects, he approaches this endeavor with a sense of playfulness, allowing his inner goofball to emerge. Some may question the wisdom of this given the conditions of the quest he's embarking upon. In fact, there are some situations that truly place him in peril, yet he doesn't unduly panic (at least most of the time). He goes with the experience, because that's what he's drawn to him, something that he apparently recognizes on some level is meant to provide him with a necessary learning opportunity. Such circumstances give him a chance to expand his life experience and to learn certain life lessons, all of which contribute to the ongoing unfolding of his personal growth, development and metamorphosis – again, just like the winged subjects he studies.
The upshot of this is that it allows Robert to go through a personal evolution and rebirth. And, in light of what he underwent prior to taking on this challenge, he's in need of reinventing himself, of becoming Robert without Thea. Given how much he loved and cared for his wife, her death was a tremendous loss. But, in the wake of her transition, he's still here and needs to build a new future for himself – something he can only do by reframing his destiny, an opportunity made possible by shifting his beliefs and the manifestations they enable.
Thanks to this experience, Robert comes to understand the concept that everything is in a constant state of becoming, again mirroring the existence of the butterfly. And, also like the butterfly, it enables him to learn how to take flight, to spread his wings and truly soar in ways he never dreamed imaginable. That's quite an aspiration – especially when one sees it fulfilled.
Loving partners Robert Pyle (David Cross, seated) and his wife, Thea (Debra Messing, standing), struggle to work through the dilemma of battling a devastating illness while trying to maintain a semblance of normality in "The Dark Divide." Photo courtesy of The Dark Divide.
Filmmaker Tom Putnam's fact-based chronicle of Dr. Robert Pyle's odyssey encompasses a range of emotions, from laughter to tears to revelation, a picture whose story line particulars parallel films like "Wild" (2014). The professor's experience in discovering himself while working through profound grief is inspiring and cathartic, qualities that many of us may find easy to appreciate. Though somewhat episodic at times, the overall narrative rings true to its mission and does so with whimsical humor, beautiful cinematography and an excellent score. Its greatest strength, however, lies in its performances, with Cross and Messing (who is barely recognizable here) easily turning in the best work of their careers. The film has been playing the festival circuit and had a brief theatrical run before becoming available for online streaming on a number of internet platforms.
There comes a point in many of our lives when we're faced with the choice of stretching or stagnating. The implications of each are often quite clear, too. But, even with that knowledge, we must take action – or purposely choose not to do so – to see them materialized. Making the decision and subsequently acting upon it may be challenging, even difficult. However, if we're to move forward and realize advances in our lives, we must choose to forge ahead to see what grand opportunities await us – and avoiding regrets that we never chose to pursue them.
A complete review is available by clicking here.
Gently Invoking Meaningful Change
When we're stuck in a rut, it feels like change will never come. In severe cases, it's as if we're at the bottom of a deep pit from which escape is unimaginable. But circumstances need not remain that way, and making adjustments doesn't have to be traumatic – provided we give ourselves permission to allow it. Such is the challenge brought up for review in the gentle domestic drama, "Driveways" (web site, trailer).
When the older sister of middle-aged single mother Kathy (Hong Chau) passes away, she's forced into traveling out of town with her eight-year-old son, Cody (Lucas Jaye), to clear out her sibling's home to get it ready for sale. The two sisters haven't been close since childhood, so Kathy knows little about the adult sibling she hasn't seen in years. Consequently, taking on such a task for a virtual stranger is not something she's especially looking forward to. And that dread becomes all the more onerous when she discovers that her sister April was a pathological hoarder. Suddenly the undertaking becomes far more burdensome than Kathy ever imagined. However, as the heir to April's estate – and her only living immediate family member – Kathy dutifully but reluctantly launches into what seems like an overwhelming venture.
Middle-aged single mother Kathy (Hong Chau) faces a number of challenges on the road to happiness in the heartwarming drama, "Driveways," now available for streaming online and cable TV. Photo courtesy of FilmRise.
As taxing as this task may appear, though, cleaning out April's home is not the only challenge Kathy faces. She must also tend to Cody's fragile emotional state. The sensitive, lonely youngster is growing up without a father and has few friends, and, now that he's indefinitely living in a new town where he knows no one, he feels even more isolated. That situation becomes even more apparent when his mom informs him that they have to move into Aunt April's house because their motel is quickly becoming too expensive for a long-term stay. Kathy's and Cody's circumstances haven't been particularly encouraging for some time, and their future is beginning to look increasingly uncertain – and ever more bleak.
Not all is lost, though. In short order, Cody meets his late aunt's neighbor, Del (Brian Dennehy), a kindly, widowed Korean War veteran. Even though Del has a few buddies (Jerry Adler, Stan Carp, Bill Buell) with whom he plays bingo at the local VFW post, he, too, is alone much of the time. His only other relative, his daughter, Lisa (Samantha Jones), lives across the country and rarely visits, so he welcomes the company afforded by the new arrivals. Del is especially taken with Cody, who helps the aging senior feel young at heart. Cody, in turn, enjoys having a grandfatherly figure in his life, the kind of positive, supportive male role model who has long been absent from his day-to-day routine. And, even though the neighborhood is home to peers closer in age to Cody (Sophia DiStefano, Jeter Rivera, Jack Caleb, James DiGiacomo), he still seems to prefer the company of someone who understands him, appreciates his presence and willingly helps to guide him on the ways of the road of life in a manner that his contemporaries are incapable of doing.
Kathy benefits from Del's presence, too. In addition to having someone who can help her raise her son, she learns to begin trusting people again, something she obviously hasn't been able to do for a long time (at least since the time she was left a single mother with no family support). She's almost shocked at the kindness offered by strangers like Del and her socially awkward but well-meaning neighbor, Linda (Christine Ebersole). But, when she can see that their gestures are genuine and don't have agendas tied up with them, she learns to let her guard down and graciously accept their help. Before long, this new neighborhood in which she finds herself begins to feel like a home, a startlingly welcome development if there ever were one.
Lonely eight-year-old Cody (Lucas Jaye) takes comfort in the companionship of his video games in director Andrew Ahn's latest, "Driveways." Photo courtesy of FilmRise.
Thus begins a warm, gentle story of friendship and connection that comes at a time when it's least expected yet most needed. The premise here is a simple one, yet it's astounding how it seems so incredibly foreign – not only to the characters in the film, but likely in the minds of many of the picture's viewers. It's sad that we've reached a point where something once considered the norm has become an almost inconceivable concept to many of us (even more so in the age of quarantining and social distancing). In that regard, then, this could be just the kind of story we need these days to help reacquaint us with, and to reaffirm, the merits of this kind of neighborly fellowship, a reminder that could prove valuable once we emerge from our lockdown cocoons and rejoin the world of the living (whenever that happens).
Of course, if we want that to happen, we must work at cultivating it, to intentionally bring it about for ourselves as the foundation of our existence. If we indeed wish to live in a world where such qualities are commonplace and attainable, we must forge and adhere to thoughts, beliefs, intents and actions rooted in those principles. In short, we must embrace the power of the possible to see it realized.
The company of widowed Korean War vet Del (Brian Dennehy, left) provides comfort to lonely eight-year-old Cody (Lucas Jaye, right) in "Driveways." Photo courtesy of FilmRise.
Kathy, Cody and Del all seem to have wanted this for some time, but, for whatever reason, they didn't allow themselves to believe in its attainability. However, as their circumstances changed, so, too, did their perspectives and the beliefs underlying them. On some level, they must have tapped into this idea, regardless of whether or not they were consciously aware of doing so at the time. And, before they knew it, they found themselves in the midst of what they had been seeking for quite a while. From all appearances, it doesn't appear they object to the changes, either.
Invoking change can be a daunting prospect, and that fear in itself can be enough to keep it from happening. The same is true for doubt and contradiction, which arguably could be said to have played roles to lesser degrees here. However, by failing to address these hindrances, we'll never achieve any kind of meaningful change. Kathy, for example, truly dreads having to take on the task of clearing out her sister's home, but, if it weren't for addressing that obligation, she, Cody and Del never would have been able to reap any of the benefits associated with having assumed that responsibility. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
By overcoming the limitations that hold us back – no matter what cause they're rooted in – we can achieve great things for ourselves, and the experience of the three principals in this film bear this out. They provide us with an excellent example to draw from in seeking to bring about meaningful change in our own lives. We'd be wise to pay attention.
The company of a grandfatherly figure, widowed Korean War vet Del (Brian Dennehy, right), provides comfort to lonely eight-year-old Cody (Lucas Jaye, left) in director Andrew Ahn's "Driveways." Photo courtesy of FilmRise.
This gentle, touching story exudes warmth, growing ever stronger as the picture progresses. Director Andrew Ahn's latest effectively illustrates how to fill a huge void in our lives without succumbing to exercises in schmaltz or obvious manipulation. Though some of the picture's themes are familiar, they're often handled in unconventional ways and always addressed with deft skill and subtlety. There are a few story elements that could have used a little further development, and the ending – though effective – seems to come about somewhat abruptly. However, these minor shortcomings aside, "Driveways" is a genuine pleasure, especially for its performances, most notably that of Dennehy in one of his last roles, a virtual love letter to his fans. This fine offering is most worthy of its two 2019 Independent Spirit Award nominations for best first screenplay and best female lead (Chau). The picture is now available for streaming online and on cable TV.
There are times when the world feels like a terrible, scary, uncaring place whose trials and tribulations can seem relentless. But, just as easily as it got that way, it can be transformed to something more preferable as long as we can envision and are willing to enable the possibility. As this film illustrates, if a lonely little boy can accomplish such a change, it should be a snap for those of us who have more worldly experience and an ability to imagine alternatives. And it just may be possible that the solution is as close as our own driveway.
The Rigors of Integrity
Operating from a standpoint of integrity can be difficult enough under the best of conditions, but, when extenuating circumstances adversely impinge upon it, that can make matters much more challenging. Indeed, it can be hard to remain respectable and forthright when conditions become demanding or menacing, threatening our interests or even our survival. But even making an honorable attempt at doing so can assuage any ill feelings we might have about our level of conscientiousness, yielding results that could prove ennobling or even rewarding. Such are the circumstances facing a group of vulnerable seniors in the new dark comedy, "The Weasel's Tale" ("El cuento de las comadrejas") (web site, trailer).
Life is not what it used to be for a quartet of aging Argentinean movie industry veterans. The once-famous cinematic icons live together under tenuous conditions on a rundown rural estate outside of Buenos Aires, making ends meet mainly through pension income, their entertainment fortunes having been frivolously squandered. And, even though the four colleagues have known each other for years, they frequently get on each other's nerves, trading barbs and pushing their fellow residents' respective buttons.
So who make up this cantankerous foursome? The matron of the household is Mara Ordaz (Graciela Borges), a glamorous former leading lady who spends most of her time watching her old films when she's not overacting for her housemates or grasping to hold on to her reality (not unlike Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) from "Sunset Boulevard" (1950)). Mara is married to Pedro De Córdova (Luis Brandoni), a wheelchair-bound former actor who strived for (but never attained) the fame of his wife, especially once he was injured in a serious car accident; he now spends his days plying his talents as a would-be painter and sculptor, displaying about as much virtuosity at this as he did as an actor. The long-married couple is joined by Norberto Imbert (Oscar Martínez), an acerbic-tongued director of several of Mara's past projects who now has a penchant for shooting the wildlife (mostly rats and weasels) overrunning the estate, and Martín Saravia (Marcos Mundstock), a once-brilliant screenwriter who fell on hard times after producing a controversial left-leaning documentary during the Argentine Dirty War of the 1970s, leaving him blacklisted and forced to pen inane projects like "Gertrude the Goose is on the Loose." Norberto and Martín came to live in the house years ago when Mara extended an invitation to them to move in with their respective wives, Stella (Adriana Marcela Garibaldi) and Elvira (Dana Gabriela Basso), Mara's sister and best friend, respectively. But, when Stella and Elvira mysteriously disappeared and died, Norberto and Martín stayed on, even if not formally invited to do so.
Once-famous leading lady Mara Ordaz (Graciela Borges) desperately tries to hold on to past glory during her sunset years in director Juan José Campanella's "The Weasel's Tale" ("El cuento de las comadrejas"). Photo courtesy of Outsider Pictures.
The estate on which Mara, Pedro, Norberto and Martín live is almost as much a character in the story as the four principals. It may not be much to look at, and it may be falling apart, but it is nevertheless home to its argumentative residents, even if they frequently complain about it – and one another. Yet, quite unexpectedly one day, it takes on a new significance that no one saw coming.
During one of their many grousing sessions, Mara, Pedro, Norberto and Martín receive unexpected visitors. While sitting on their front porch, the foursome is greeted by the arrival of two young, well-dressed visitors driving a nice car, Francisco (Nicolás Francella) and Bárbara (Clara Lago). They claim to be lost and running late for an important meeting in Buenos Aires. They ask to use the phone to get directions, and, when Bárbara makes her call, she learns that the meeting has been canceled.
While all this unfolds, Francisco suddenly realizes whose company he and Bárbara find themselves in. As a longtime fan of Mara's work, Francisco gushes about her movies, lavishing her with praise that she eats up. And the more Mara swoons over the unsolicited compliments, the more Francisco and Bárbara skillfully manage to slip in additional requests for favors, most notably to tour the house and surrounding property. Mara gladly obliges, but the others smell a rat and turn a skeptical eye toward their uninvited guests.
Once-famous leading lady Mara Ordaz (Graciela Borges, right) is an easy mark for smooth-talking con man Francisco Gourmand (Nicolás Francella, left) in the deviously delicious dark comedy, "The Weasel's Tale" ("El cuento de las comadrejas"), now available for online streaming. Photo courtesy of Outsider Pictures.
The longer the visit goes on, the more Francisco sweet-talks Mara about her work and her talent – and how she should really consider making a triumphant return to the silver screen, something she has been secretly desiring for years. To do that, however, Francisco suggests that she needs to raise her public profile more, returning to the spotlight and becoming more visible, the sort of thing that can only be accomplished by living in a place where she can be more readily seen – like Buenos Aires. He recommends that she sell her house and move to the city, something that he can oh so conveniently help her with, given that he works in the real estate development business.
With Francisco having hit all the right notes, and given Mara's contempt for her housemates, she decides to begin the process of putting the estate on the market. Mara blithely goes along with everything that Francisco and Bárbara recommend, raising the eyebrows of Pedro, Norberto and Martín. Not only do they fear that Mara is falling for a trap, but they also have concerns for what a sale of the house would mean for them. Where would they live? How would it affect them financially? And how would it change the lives that they seem to have grown comfortable with?
Thus begins an intricate game of cat and mouse as everyone seeks to protect their own interests, no matter what it takes. As Francisco and Bárbara work their scam with Mara's complicity, Pedro, Norberto and Martín look to protect their stake in the game. And, as the sales process unfolds, new wrinkles develop in which long-hidden secrets are revealed, prompting everyone on both sides of the deal (and, in some cases, even on the same sides) to manipulate one another. They dig up dirt on one another and accumulate potentially damning evidence to throw everything out of whack. Personal, professional and criminal matters surface, weaving a tangled web whose successful disentanglement grows ever more questionable as time passes.
Con artists Francisco Gourmand (Nicolás Francella, right) and Bárbara Otamendi (Clara Lago, second from right) believe they can easily hustle skeptical marks Norberto Imbert (Oscar Martínez, center), Martín Saravia (Marcos Mundstock, second from left) and Pedro De Córdova (Luis Brandoni, left) in the new dark comedy, "The Weasel's Tale" ("El cuento de las comadrejas"). Photo courtesy of Outsider Pictures.
How will this all play out? That's what remains to be seen. But viewers can be sure that there will be ample twists and turns along the way, some of which are rooted in the present and others of which dredge up the past, all the while pitting generational factions and alleged colleagues against one another. It's quite a ride to a wild conclusion.
When adversity rears its ugly head in our lives, we may believe it to be patently unfair. By contrast, there are the optimists among us who insist that we can make lemonade from those proverbial lemons. But how exactly do we go about that? The notion may be easy to say but far more problematic to accomplish. In many instances, it comes down to the attitude we take when we approach the problem. And that attitude is governed by what we believe. That's important to recognize, because our beliefs help to govern what we experience.
So are there any particular types of beliefs that are most useful in a scenario like this? If the players involved in this game want to realize the outcomes they seek, they had better approach them with intents rooted in integrity and living up to one's responsibility. But, given the scurrilous nature of the characters here, that could prove to be quite a tall order.
The residents of the rural estate obviously have much to lose, and the ante is continually upped as the story progresses. There's much more to be lost than merely a piece of property, and everyone has his or her own vested stake in the unfolding of events. But, when they operate from a standpoint of desperate self-interest and are willing to do almost anything to protect what they have – even if it means lying to or potentially shafting those whom they supposedly care about – that sense of integrity and responsibility fly out the window. By not upholding such crucial qualities in their beliefs – knowing full well that this is essential to successfully achieving their hoped-for results – they increase the likelihood of failure or, at the very least, distortions of what they seek. For seniors with much to lose, that could be disastrous.
The rundown estate of four aging movie industry icons becomes a target ripe for con artists in the new dark comedy, "The Weasel's Tale" ("El cuento de las comadrejas"), now available for online streaming. Photo courtesy of Outsider Pictures.
As unfortunate as that could be, however, the situation for the con artists could be even worse. Given that their schemes are rooted in deception, integrity and accountability are absent from the outset. Francisco and Bárbara may think themselves eminently clever with what they perceive as an airtight plan, but, when they match wits with those who sincerely seek to preserve what they stand to lose, they're suddenly up against opponents who do have integrity and responsibility factored in to their plans right out of the box. Care to take bets on who will come out on top in a conflict like this?
Mara, Pedro, Norberto and Martín have an added advantage that comes from working collectively. Their cooperative approach represents a co-creation, one in which their power is amplified by their mutual efforts. With four against two, those are some hefty odds in their favor. What's more, even though they may be well on in years (and seemingly easy to take advantage of), they have far more life experience than their younger counterparts, a potent and valuable resource that they can tap to come up with creative solutions when matching wits with their less practiced adversaries. Indeed, as playwright David Mamet observed, "Old age and treachery will always beat youth and exuberance." Francisco and Bárbara would be wise to bear that in mind.
Con artists Francisco Gourmand (Nicolás Francella, second from right) and Bárbara Otamendi (Clara Lago, left) believe they can easily hustle skeptical marks Norberto Imbert (Oscar Martínez, second from left), Martín Saravia (Marcos Mundstock, center right) and Pedro De Córdova (Luis Brandoni, right), as well as easy target Mara Ordaz (Graciela Borges, center left), in the new dark comedy, "The Weasel's Tale" ("El cuento de las comadrejas"). Photo courtesy of Outsider Pictures.
To be sure, there are a number of nasty influences afoot on each side of the equation in this tawdry little story, and no one is truly innocent. Nevertheless, considering what's at stake, each player in this scenario must assess what needs to be done in light of his or her interests, examining the seriousness and magnitude of what stands to be gained or lost and how earnestly each is willing to pursue or protect what's up for grabs. And that's where those potentially thorny issues of integrity and accountability once again raise their stern and exacting heads. Good luck to all involved.
This devilish little dark comedy is a delicious guilty pleasure filled with tasty twists and turns, nicely seasoned with snappy writing, creative photographic effects, superbly campy performances, a spot-on soundtrack and a story line where cinema imitates life (and vice versa). Director Juan José Campanella's latest offering sizzles throughout, nicely paced and crisp in virtually every frame, including those that cleverly poke fun at the movie industry through the picture's narrative. The look and feel of the film and the tone of the story draw upon influences from a wide array of other movies, including "Sunset Boulevard" (1950), "Grey Gardens" (2009), "Knives Out" (2019) and "The Ladykillers" (1955), all making for a hilarious and visually appealing morality play that's a bona fide joy from start to finish. "The Weasel's Tale" is available for streaming online.
Remaining faithful to our sense of personal integrity can be challenging, much like trying to abide by the dictates of a conscientious taskmaster. But taking steps to make that happen can prove highly rewarding, even in dicey circumstances. It's worth making the effort, too; if we don't, we might find ourselves uncomfortably trying to weasel our way out of a tight spot.
Copyright © 2020-2021, by Brent Marchant. All rights reserved.
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text:
04. January 2022 Press release
GRENKE achieves EUR 1.7 billion in new leasing business for financial year 2021, reaching the upper end of the forecast
New leasing business in the 2021 financial year amounts to EUR 1,657.8 million
(FY 2020: EUR 2,027.9 million, -18.3%)
New leasing business in Q4 2021 reaches EUR 521.2 million (Q4 2020: EUR 426.7 million, +22.1%)
Contribution margin 2 in full-year 2021 at 17.6% (2020: 18.4%); in Q4 2021 at 16.3%
(Q4 2020: 19.5%), mainly due to increased refinancing costs and measures to boost sales
Baden-Baden, January 4, 2021: The GRENKE Group, a global financing partner for small and medium-sized enterprises, generated new leasing business of EUR 1,657.8 million during the past 2021 financial year, which was marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and global supply bottlenecks in the second half-year. This figure represents 81.7% of the previous year's level (FY 2020: EUR 2,027.9 million) and is at the upper end of the EUR 1.5 to 1.7 billion forecast for new business adjusted in November. In the fourth quarter of 2021, new leasing business was EUR 521.2 million, or 22.1% higher than in the same quarter last year. New leasing business corresponds to the total acquisition costs of all newly purchased leased assets.
Michael Bücker, CEO of GRENKE AG:
"Our finish in the last quarter of the year was successful because our measures to boost sales have taken effect. The positive trend, especially in the final weeks of December, also clearly indicates a returning willingness to invest by European SMEs. We are entering the New Year at full speed ahead."
Regional development of new leasing business
An increase in new leasing business was achieved in all regions in the fourth quarter compared to the same quarter of the prior year. The region Western Europe without DACH achieved the strongest growth with 44.5%, followed by Northern/Eastern Europe with an increase of 35.6%, and Southern Europe with a rise of 18.9%. Other regions generated a year-on-year increase in new leasing business of 17.0%. The DACH region registered a slight improvement in new leasing business of 1.1% in the fourth quarter of 2021 compared to the same period of the previous year.
Development of the percentage contribution margin
Contribution margin 2 (CM2) of the leasing business amounted to EUR 85.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2021 (Q4 2020: EUR 83.3 million, +2.1%). The CM2 margin decreased to 16.3% (Q4 2020: 19.5%) after the extraordinarily profitable fourth quarter of 2020.
Contribution margin 1 (CM1) reached EUR 55.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2021 (Q4 2020: EUR 56.0 million), recording a decline of 1.2%. The CM1 margin decreased to 10.6% (Q4 2020: 13.1%).
The primary reason for the CM margin development was higher refinancing costs and a clear focus on generating new business with a return to higher contract values. The mean acquisition value per lease contract equalled EUR 8,677 (Q4 2020: EUR 7,595).
Dr Sebastian Hirsch, CFO of GRENKE AG:
"We are excellently positioned. Our liquidity and refinancing options form a strong foundation for our sales activities. Even though our funding costs continue to currently be above pre-COVID levels and we continue to be in a complex market environment, we are satisfied with our contribution margin for full-year 2021. In 2022, we will utilise our available refinancing and tap into new sources of financing to ensure that the growth of our new leasing business is secured by liquidity based on matched maturities for the long term."
Regional development of the contribution margins
The decline in contribution margins (CM2) in the fourth quarter of 2021 resulted primarily from the DACH, Southern Europe and other regions. The DACH region recorded a decrease in contribution margin of 12.4%, Southern Europe of 4.3% and other regions of 7.8%. The regions Western Europe without DACH and Northern/Eastern Europe showed favourable performance, achieving an increase in contribution margin 2 of 15.6% and 16.0%, respectively.
The GRENKE Group received a total of 119.825 lease applications in the fourth quarter of 2021. Of these, 19,074 applications originated from the DACH region and 100,751 applications from international regions. At the Consolidated Group level, 60,064 new lease contracts were concluded from these applications, corresponding to a conversion rate of 50%.
Development of the factoring business
GRENKE Group Factoring's new business recorded a purchased receivables volume of EUR 191.8 million in the fourth quarter, amounting to a year-on-year increase of 6.5% (Q4 2020: EUR 180.0 million). New factoring business for the full year of 2021 amounted to EUR 700.9 million, representing year-on-year increase of 8.2% (2020: EUR 647.8 million).
Development of GRENKE Bank
GRENKE Bank's new SME lending business reached EUR 11.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2021, similar to the level in the same prior-year quarter (Q4 2020: EUR 15.0 million, or -23.6%). Total new lending business in the full financial year amounted to EUR 33.2 million (2020: EUR 119.3 million, or -72.2%). GRENKE Bank's deposit business continued to be an important pillar of the Consolidated Group's refinancing with a portfolio volume of EUR 1,412.0 million as of December 31, 2021 (December 31, 2020: EUR 1,537.3 million).


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LULTRA AP (pour ) est un prototype de véhicule militaire dévoilé en septembre 2005 par le  (GTRI), la section dédiée aux recherches du , en contrat avec l'office des recherches navales. Il a été suivi en 2009 par lULTRA II, plus axé sur le développement et l'amélioration du compartiment de l'équipage.

L'ULTRA AP a été vu dans de nombreux magazines spécialisés, parmi lesquels , , , et .

Actuellement, les militaires américains ainsi que le département de la défense des États-Unis travaillent activement à trouver un moyen de remplacer l'ancien HMMWV (ou Humvee), car il est trop souvent employé dans des missions pour lesquelles il n'a pas vraiment été conçu, telles que le fait d'encaisser des impacts de munitions de petit calibre, de lance-roquettes (RPG) et d'engins explosifs improvisés (EEI).

L'ULTRA AP n'est qu'un véhicule prototype, il ne fait pas partie du « programme de remplacement du Humvee » (), pour lequel sa candidature n'a pas été retenue.

Ultra AP

Caractéristiques
Le véhicule est construit sur le châssis d'un pick-up Ford F-350, combinant les caractéristiques de sécurité et la manœuvrabilité d'un véhicule disponible dans le commerce civil, avec les avancées effectuées en matière de déflexion de souffle et de matériaux absorbant les impacts. Il a été construit spécifiquement dans le but de montrer aux militaires américains les améliorations effectuées dans tous les domaines par-rapport au Humvee.

L'ULTRA AP ne pèse que  (), dispose d'une consommation et d'un rendement énergétique six fois meilleurs que ceux d'un Humvee et a été conçu et construit en seulement quelques mois. L'appartenance du véhicule lui-même a été transférée de l'office des recherches navales vers le  en , afin que les recherches puissent continuer leur chemin.

Il dispose, pour l'équipage, d'une capsule à facettes en forme d'œuf surnommée «  » (que l'on pourrait traduire par « Seau à souffle »). Il est formé de manière à dévier le souffle d'une explosion et les impacts de balles, en même-temps qu'il agit comme un arceau de protection en cas de retournement du véhicule (comme l'arceau-cage des voitures de rallye). Les quatre occupants prennent place adossés les uns aux autres, dans un arrangement en forme de losange, ce qui leur permet de voir les menaces venir de toutes les directions, comme il a longtemps été suggéré par les troupes sur le terrain. Cela permet aussi d'écarter les occupants au maximum des logements des roues, qui sont en général les premières responsables des déclenchements de mines. L'ULTRA AP intègre également des technologies de voitures de course empruntées au monde du NASCAR, comme des harnais multipoints et des sièges absorbant les chocs en Skydex, un matériau amortissant utilisé pour les parois extérieures des stades de baseball. Il inclut également les dernières avancées technologiques en matière de blindages légers et de verre balistique.

Il utilise également une multitude d'ordinateurs embarqués pour contrôler la direction, les suspensions et les freins du véhicule, ce qui lui offre un très haut niveau de mobilité et de sécurité. Son châssis intégré lui donne également une avance considérable sur ses adversaires, tandis que la forme de sa capsule « en facettes » lui permet de mieux dévier les ondes de choc des explosions.

Développement
Pour le développement de l'ULTRA AP, les ingénieurs et les scientifiques du GTRI ont réuni une équipe de professionnels de l'industrie, parmi lesquels Scott Badenoch, qui est maintenant un professionnel chevronné du développement en course automobile, Tom Moore, ancien vice-président de , le centre d'ingénierie avancée de Chrysler, Walt Wynbelt, ancien officier chargé des programmes avec la section  de l, et Dave McLellan, ancien ingénieur en chef de Corvette pour la General Motors.

Le concept d'ULTRA a vu le jour avec le programme TARDEC COMBATT de l, sponsorisé par le . Ce programme avait pour but d'exploiter l'utilisation de plateformes de véhicules commerciaux comme base de départ pour construire des véhicules militaires plus robustes. Michael Dudzik (GTRI) et David McLellan étaient les principaux acteurs de la rapide transition des résultats du programme COMBATT vers la plateforme d'ULTRA. Partant de ces expérimentations, ULTRA a été en mesure de mettre au point des conceptions révolutionnaires en matière d'intégration de blindages et de systèmes embarqués, permettant une survivabilitée accrue.

Ultra II
Le  (GTRI) a continué de travailler sur le projet, débouchant sur la fabrication d'un nouveau prototype, l'ULTRA II, lui aussi conçu et testé pour l'office des recherches navales. Le nouveau concept de protection de l'équipage s'appuie sur les recherches précédentes du GTRI sur des concepts de véhicules blindés légers.

Un test de résistance au souffle, mené avec l'ULTRA II au centre de tests d'Aberdeen Center, prouva que le véhicule était parfaitement en mesure de protéger ses occupants contre les engins explosifs improvisés (aussi appelés ).

Caractéristiques
Le compartiment équipage est conçu pour embarquer six personnes : Un conducteur et un chef de bord assis côte-à-côte et quatre autres derrière, assis par paire et faisant face aux parois latérales du véhicule. Cette conception a pour but d'éloigner les occupants des parois extérieures pour réduire les risques de blessures en cas d'ondes de choc latérales, permet aux sièges anti-souffle d'être montés en grappes, et réduit le temps nécessaire à l'évacuation rapide du véhicule en cas de problème.

Le compartiment équipage utilise une structure «  » tubulaire en acier, similaire à celle des véhicules tout-terrain, particulièrement ceux de compétition (). Une carapace en acier trempé apporte une protection contre le souffle et les impacts à la structure et à l'équipage. Des blindages composites additionnels peuvent être boulonnés sur le véhicule et sont facilement reconfigurables.

Un autre point-clé du projet est la protection apportée à l'équipage par un blindage , qui est fixé par des boulons sous le plancher du véhicule. Ce «  (« angle à souffle »), construit en acier trempé soudé, absorbe et dévie l'énergie du souffle d'une mine, en agissant comme une zone tampon. Une fois qu'il a servi, il n'est plus utilisable et sacrifié au profit d'un autre neuf qui sera boulonné à sa place. On parle parfois aussi de , étant-donné son caractère de système à usage unique.

Utilisateur

Notes et références

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Véhicule blindé de transport de troupes
Véhicule militaire post-Guerre froide
Blindé des Forces armées des États-Unis
Blindé post-Guerre froide
Véhicule militaire blindé
Camion militaire


text:
Psychiatric boarding in Washington state and the inadequacy of mental health resources
Joseph D. Bloom
Psychiatric boarding is a term derived from emergency medicine that describes the holding of patients deemed in need of hospitalization in emergency departments for extended periods because psychiatric beds are not available. Such boarding has occurred for many years in the shadows of mental health care as both inpatient beds and community services have decreased. This article focuses on a 2014 Washington State Supreme Court decision that examined the interpretation of certain sections of the Washington state civil commitment statute that had been used to justify the extended boarding of detained psychiatric patients in general hospital emergency departments. The impact of this decision on the state of Washington should be significant and could spark a national debate about the negative impacts of psychiatric boarding on patients and on the nation's general hospital emergency services.
Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
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Emergency Medicine Medicine & Life Sciences
Bloom, J. D. (2015). Psychiatric boarding in Washington state and the inadequacy of mental health resources. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 43(2), 218-222.
Psychiatric boarding in Washington state and the inadequacy of mental health resources. / Bloom, Joseph D.
In: Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, Vol. 43, No. 2, 01.06.2015, p. 218-222.
Bloom, JD 2015, 'Psychiatric boarding in Washington state and the inadequacy of mental health resources', Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, vol. 43, no. 2, pp. 218-222.
Bloom JD. Psychiatric boarding in Washington state and the inadequacy of mental health resources. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. 2015 Jun 1;43(2):218-222.
Bloom, Joseph D. / Psychiatric boarding in Washington state and the inadequacy of mental health resources. In: Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. 2015 ; Vol. 43, No. 2. pp. 218-222.
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title = "Psychiatric boarding in Washington state and the inadequacy of mental health resources",
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AB - Psychiatric boarding is a term derived from emergency medicine that describes the holding of patients deemed in need of hospitalization in emergency departments for extended periods because psychiatric beds are not available. Such boarding has occurred for many years in the shadows of mental health care as both inpatient beds and community services have decreased. This article focuses on a 2014 Washington State Supreme Court decision that examined the interpretation of certain sections of the Washington state civil commitment statute that had been used to justify the extended boarding of detained psychiatric patients in general hospital emergency departments. The impact of this decision on the state of Washington should be significant and could spark a national debate about the negative impacts of psychiatric boarding on patients and on the nation's general hospital emergency services.
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text:
NightlyCrashTriage
We aim to analyze the crashes for every Nightly build.
1 Roster
3 Data sources, tools, documentation, communication
4.1 Triage HOWTO
4.1.1 Crash Report Basics
4.1.2 Crash Report Inspection
4.1.3 Filing Bug Reports
4.1.4 Sharing crash dumps
4.1.5 Miscellaneous
5 What if a Nightly Build is Super Crashy?
Nightly builds are produced twice daily, usually at 9am and 9pm (GMT).
Monday (Netherlands time): gsvelto analyzes Friday's builds.
Monday (N/A): unassigned slot for Saturday's builds.
Tuesday (German time): Emilio analyzes Sunday's builds.
Wednesday (US East time): unassigned slot for Monday's builds.
Thursday (US East time): sefeng analyzes Tuesday's builds.
Thursday (US West time): mccr8 analyzes Wednesday's builds.
Friday (N/A): unassigned slot for Thursday's builds.
A live calendar is also available for Mozilla employees. Please use it to schedule deviations from the usual roster, e.g. for PTO.
Triage notes are kept in the following pages.
2021 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4
2016 Q2 Q3 Q4
Use the date you are doing the triage, rather than the date of the build, to decide which page to put your notes in. The reason for this is that the triage date has a heading, which makes it more prominent in the notes than the build date.
Data sources, tools, documentation, communication
Crucial links
Nightly and Aurora crashes by build
All MOZ_CRASH crashes.
Display stacks from multi-dump hangs/crashes
Spiking crash signatures
The stability email list is a low-volume mailing list for discussing crashes and related issues.
Understanding crash reports
A guide to searching crash reports
Triage HOWTO
This is a rough guide on how to analyze the crash reports for a particular day's Nightly build.
Crash Report Basics
The first thing you should do is watch David Baron's talk about crash reports. Watch it all the way through. It's full of useful information.
Also, see the documentation about reading individual crash reports on MDN.
Finally, you should install the Crash-stats: State of the bug extension. It adds extra information to bug links in crash-stats, which is extremely useful.]
Crash Report Inspection
The start point is this page. You should look at the Nightly crashes for all four platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux, Android) for the the build you are analyzing.
We keep notes at (see above). Please add your notes to the top of the appropriate page. You don't need to write a lot. The logs serves two main purposes:
To show which builds have been analyzed (and any that might have been missed).
To communicate anything that might be useful to the people coming up in the roster (e.g. if crash reports are currently broken on one platform, or something like that).
Nightly builds are created at 3am California time. It's generally best to wait at least 24 hours before doing a full analysis a build, because that gives enough time for a decent number of crashes to come in. Having said that, it can be useful to check in earlier than that to see if there are any explosive new crashes that might require action (see below).
Windows crash numbers are much higher than the other and you will likely spend most of your time looking at them. Typical numbers for the #1 crash signature on Windows will be anywhere from 10--50 crash reports, though there is plenty of variation from day to day.
The basic goal of triage is to get a sense of the current crash situation and take steps to improve it.
Look closely at most/all of the top crash signatures (e.g. top 10--15 on Windows, top 5 or so on other platforms). (There are certain ones that are hard to act on, e.g. "ShutdownKill", "OOM | Small", Flash crashes.)
When appropriate, file bugs for signatures that lack them (more details about this are below). If a signature only has an old bug, filing a new one might be appropriate.
Check bugs for signatures that have them to see if they need additional information.
If a bug has been closed but the crash is still happening, the bug might need to be reopened.
If a bug is open but stalled, adding a NEEDINFO request might help, and adding information about crash frequency can be helpful. (Polite nagging can be effective!)
Look for distinct crash signatures that might be related, e.g. multiple signatures relating to a11y, or to the JavaScript JITs.
The lower-ranked signatures are less important, though filing bugs for signatures that lack them can still be useful.
One caveat is that sometimes multiple crashes (possibly even 10s or 100s) with a particular signature all come from a single installation. Those ones are usually best ignored, because it's difficult to tell if it's a real problem or a problem with the user's machine or installation, and there are enough other crashes to deal with. Likewise, if a crash appears on one Nightly build but none before or after, it's probably not worth filing.
To determine how many installations a particular crash signature has affected:
Look at the "Product*" box, which has an "installations" column. Note that this box gives results for the past 7 days, unlike the other boxes.
Look at the "install time" fields in a signature report. If the install times are all identical it's almost certainly a single installation.
JS engine crashes can be difficult to deal with, especially those involving the JITs and the GC, because crashes with different causes can get lumped into the same signature.
Filing Bug Reports
To file a bug report about a particular crash signature, view one crash report and use the relevant "Report this bug in" link. This pre-populates the bug report with the "crash" keyword and a link to the particular crash report.
When you file a bug report, things to mention include the following.
The signature and the crash reason (or pattern of crash reasons)
The Nightly build id, which looks like "20160506052823".
How many crashes have occurred with this signature.
Anything unusual (crash only on specific platforms, only in certain locales or on certain sites, extension or dll correlations of interest, whether it's a startup crash, etc.) The correlations tab in crash-stats is great for this.
The rank (e.g. "this is the #1 top crash for Nightly 20160506052823").
How many installations are involved.
If the signature is new, and if so, which Nightly build it started in. One way to determine this is to modify the search parameters (by modifying the URL, or by modifying the search in the crash-stats UI) to broaden the search, e.g. by removing the particular Nightly build identifier and changing the date parameters.
If possible, a regression window for that Nightly. You can get regression Windows by using the "Choose regression window" button on the start page.
If possible, an indication of which bug's patches may have caused the crash.
Don't worry too much if you can't get all of these things. Getting the right person to look at a crash report is the most important thing. Therefore, you should always NEEDINFO someone in a bug report. If you look at the top few frames of one or more reports, try to see if there are any lines that changed recently. If so, that's a good clue as to what change caused the crash and you can NEEDINFO the author. Failing that, NEEDINFO someone appropriate based on your knowledge of the codebase, or by looking at who has modified nearby lines, or by consulting the module owners or triage leads lists.
Sometimes a single crash cause will result in multiple signatures. It's useful to link all the relevant signatures to the same bug. bug 1229252 is a good example, where the "crash signature" field grew steadily over a period of weeks.
A crash that occurs more than 10 times a day, across multiple installations, is probably impactful enough to be worth tracking. Set the appropriate tracking flag to '?' in the bug report, so that release drivers will be aware of it.
When you file a new bug for a crash signature, that bug won't show up in the "Bugs" columns of crash-stats for a few hours. Which is a shame, because it would be nice to double-check the linking immediately, but it's understandable that crash-stats doesn't ping Bugzilla all the time.
Sharing crash dumps
Occasionally, we run into a difficult to analyze crash where we need help from engineers at an external company. In those cases we have two options for getting help: Sharing a crash dump with user permission from a verified owner of that crash data, or debugging with a privacy agreement in tandem with a Mozilla employee. This is described in more detail in a bug and on the Data Collection page:
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1282824
https://wiki.mozilla.org/Firefox/Data_Collection
When we're contacting A/V or other third party companies we also should check in with Christopher Arnold (BD) and Mika Devi Shah (Legal) to give them a heads-up that we were reaching out to a particular A/V vendor about a problem.
At the end of each development cycle, it's worth paying attention to which crashes affect both Nightly and Beta, and therefore have fixes that need uplift to Beta.
What if a Nightly Build is Super Crashy?
Occasionally a Nightly build is super crashy. When this happens, there are a few things to be done.
First, tell an appropriate person (ping in #releng so that updates can be stopped as soon as possible.
Then, get a tracking bug (Release Engineering :: General) filed, either by you or the person stopping the updates.
Then, if the regressing patch can be identified, get it backed out from mozilla-central.
Then, consider asking an appropriate person (via #sheriffs, #taskcluster, #releng, or the sheriffs mailing list) to "respin" Nightly, i.e. rebuild and re-release it. This takes a couple of hours, so is only worthwhile if the next day's Nightly build is still some time off.
Finally, once the issue has been resolved and new Nightly builds are ready to go out to users, contact the person who froze updates in step 1 so that updates can be unfrozen.
Retrieved from "https://wiki.mozilla.org/index.php?title=NightlyCrashTriage&oldid=1239881"


text:
What's happening in Langford
Read All Latest News
Pacific FC Defeats Hamilton to Bring Canadian Premier League Soccer Championship to Island
Paint the town purple.
Island-based Pacific FC won the Canadian Premier League soccer championship with a 1-0 upset victory over two-time defending champion Forge FC in the CPL final Sunday at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ont., to lift the North Star Shield.
"It's indescribable," said PFC Alessandro Hojabrpour, who scored the lone goal on a header off a set piece at 59 minutes.
Forge FC has been the standard bearer for the CPL in its three seasons of existence as Canada's long-awaited professional soccer league.
"There was a lot written and talked about the [Forge FC] three-peat," said PFC head coach Pa-Modou Kah. "But this one was the only game we were talking about."
Third-seed PFC, previously winless all-time against top-seed Forge FC at 0-8-1, couldn't have picked a better time to record its first victory against the team.
"Credit to Forge. They put the CPL on the map. But I'm not a fan of stats. History is meant to be re-written," said Kah.
Re-write history is exactly what his team did in Canada's Steel City. It is the first men's pro soccer championship won by a B.C. team since the 2008 Vancouver Whitecaps in USL-1.
Victoria has produced numerous national and league champions across a variety of sports, from UVic and Dominoes in basketball to Bates/Budgets in softball to Shamrocks in lacrosse.
But this was the first at the professional level since the Toronto farm-club 1966 Victoria Maple Leafs of the old pro Western Hockey League, and joins the championship won by the Double-AA pro baseball Victoria Athletics/Tyees, farm team of the New York Yankees, in the old Western International League in 1952. That was a year after Lester Patrick's Victoria Cougars of the old pro WHL won the league title in 1950-51.
And, of course, Patrick's Victoria Cougars won the 1925 Stanley Cup.
"Our players deserve this moment," Kah said. "It is their moment."
They did it with a version of the rope-a-dope. Known for its free-flowing and expansive offensive approach, PFC instead went defensive in the final and absorbed Forge's pressure in the first half before patiently waiting and pouncing on one of its few chances in the second half.
"Muhammad Ali took the punches and exhausted George Foreman," said Kah, referring to the Rumble in the Jungle championship boxing match of lore. "[Similiarily], there are multiple ways to win a game of football."
It seems PFC picked the right one Sunday.
"All credit to PFC," said Forge FC head coach Bobby Smyrniotis. "They had a game plan and stuck to it. They sat back and waited. It was a different style [than PFC's usual]. That's football. It's a game of margins. This time the margins went the other way."
The deciding moment came when a lurking Hojabrpour headed home a whiplash, bang-bang free kick from Dutch-import Gianni dos Santos, who had earned the free kick on a Forge FC foul dos Santos caused with his pure speed and energy.
"To be honest with you, I can't believe I scored," said Hojabrpour, who is one of three nominees for CPL under-21 player of the year.
"Anything can happen, right? I looked over and ball was in the net and our guys on the bench were cheering and running out."
About the end of Forge's league reign, captain and 18-time Canada-capped Kyle Bekker said: "We've had some incredible moments over three years."
Forge FC's success has given it a far denser schedule than other CPL franchises. As defending CPL champions, the Hammers are also in the CONCACAF League and played in the second game of the two-game semifinal of that competition against Club de Fútbol Motagua on Wednesday in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Since the four semifinalists in the CONCACAF League are guaranteed passage to the CONCACAF Champions League for 2022, Forge FC has become the first CPL club to qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League. It is the top club competition in the region and is CONCACAF's equivalent of the UEFA Champions League.
But the midweek trip to Honduras and back might have cost Forge dearly in terms of fatigue Sunday in the CPL final.
That is the pathway that awaits PFC next year as 2021 CPL champion.
"Playing in CONCACAF [will] mean a lot," said Kah. "You have to be ambitious or why do you play the games?"
It is that ambition that has carried PFC to the top of the CPL heap in three years.
The team arrives at Victoria International Airport at 4:30 p.m. Monday.
cdheensaw@timescolonist.com
https://www.timescolonist.com/sports/pacific-fc-beat-defending-champs-forge-fc-to-claim-1st-canadian-premier-league-title-4832361


text:
Lo stadio comunale Giovanni Biazzo, conosciuto come campo ENAL, è un impianto sportivo dedicato al calcio situato a Ragusa. Fu il primo campo calcistico della città.

Storia
Costruito nel 1928, ed inaugurato con una partita fra le rappresentative di Ragusa e di Rosolini, ospitò le partite dell'Unione Sportiva Ragusa fino al 1972, anno in cui fu inaugurato l'attuale stadio Aldo Campo di contrada Selvaggio.

La tribuna originaria dello stadio si trovava sul lato nord-est del campo ed aveva una lunghezza di circa 60m per una capienza di 800 spettatori. Demolita durante gli anni settanta fu sostituita da una struttura di modeste dimensioni sul lato sud-ovest. Negli anni novanta sul sito della vecchia tribuna è stato realizzato un campetto per calcio a cinque. Oltre alle partite di calcio il campo Enal ha ospitato gli incontri di rugby del Ragusa Padua durante i primi anni in cui la squadra ha militato nel campionato di Serie B. Nel 2009 lo stadio è stato ristrutturato ed il terreno di gioco in terra battuta è stato rimpiazzato con una superficie in erba sintetica. Costruito in quella che allora era la periferia sud della città, oggi l'impianto si ritrova al centro dell'agglomerato urbano di Ragusa e viene usato per le partite di Prima Categoria.

Note

Altri progetti

Impianti sportivi di Ragusa


We always use USB thumb drives or USB external drives as our portable storages. The size is small and lightweight make it easier for us to bring it anywhere we go. But, did you know, most of computer virus infections come from USB drives? I will tell you how the infection works in a few paragraphs later.
USB WriteProtector is a freeware software that can enable or disable the write function to USB through Windows registry. When you choose, "USB write protection ON", USB WriteProtector will change the USB write value in registry to 0. When the write function is disabled, we cannot write anything such as paste, save, or create new files in our connected USB drives. To enable the USB write function, just choose "USB write protection OFF" to allow write access to our USB drives.
Ok now, how a virus can spread its infection? When you plug in your USB drive to an infected computer, the virus from the computer will copy itself into your USB drive and create autorun.inf file. This file will execute the virus inside your USB drive when you double-click the USB drive icon in My Computer. When the virus is triggered, it will infect your computer and will do the same infection to other connected USB drives.
With USB WriteProtector, you can block the write access to any USB drives. Before you connect a USB drive, make sure to "USB write protection ON" and then plug in your USB drive. If the computer contains a virus, it will unable to write itself to your USB drive because of write access is disabled. Then, when you want to copy or write a data into your USB drive, just turn off the write protection using USB WriteProtector and copy the data you want to your USB drive.
In my opinion, all cybercafe owners should install this tool in their computers to protect the customers' USB drives from virus infections. But the problem is, how to teach the customer, or how to let them know about this tool before they can connect the USB drives to the computer?
that is cool and super useful tool. thanks man.
Kit Kat – Thanks for the info bro. Will try out the Panda USB Vaccine.