text:
Gaming and Fantasy Sports Blog
Various topics related to gaming, pari-mutuel and fantasy sports business
Different Sport, Same Result: The Failure of Montana Sports Action
(Data Source: Montana Sports Action)
This is another post that discusses the implementation of a fantasy sports wagering game by the Montana Lottery (Lottery), on behalf of the Montana Board of Horse Racing (BHR or Board). You can review the other posts in order of publication here, here and here. I strongly recommend reading them because in my very humble opinion, they are quite good. Actually, one of these posts was read into the record (not by me) as testimony to the Montana Legislature earlier this year during a committee hearing on HB 503 that sought to amend the fantasy sports wagering law.
After promises of improvement from the Lottery after their inept fantasy football wagering game last year, they perform even worse with their current game based on NASCAR. Although the pitiful result could have been easily predicted, to be fair, enough races needed to be completed to have a reasonable base of results in order to make an assessment.
Now I don't want to brag about my prognostication skills, but I did predict that the auto racing game would be less attractive than the football game with a similar handle trend - some initial interest, realization that the game is poor, and a steady gradual decline in handle. The chart above appears to bear out that hypothesis. To the racing game's credit, it is generating almost 90% of the football game's handle, but 90% of little isn't really that much of an accomplishment.
As disclosed in one of the earlier posts, projections for fantasy sports betting were on the order of $12 million in handle per year. So far, being in operation almost 9 months, the geniuses at the Montana Lottery haven't even generated $150,000 in handle with a SPORTS BETTING GAME. There are possibly bookies in Billings generating that kind of handle. If the game was generating handle as projected, approximately $9 million would have been wagered to date. The game under current management is only generating one-sixtieth (1/60) of the handle projected.
Relevant statistics for the racing game (after 12 races):
Cumulative Handle (Est) - $58,660
Horse Racing Revenue (Est) - $9,385
Lottery Revenue (Est) - $3,520
Retailer Commission (Est) - $2,345 (divided among approx 175 retailers)
This is pretty sad since fantasy sports betting was supposed to generate sufficient revenue to keep the Board of Horse Racing operating and allow live racing to survive in Montana.
Given the continued contraction of live racing dates, perhaps someone at the Board of Horse Racing might be bright enough to figure out that the Lottery handling this isn't working? Oh, that's right, those Einsteins at BHR signed a sole source agreement with the Lottery for, as it is understood, 8 YEARS. Horse industry in Montana, don't worry! Apparently the Board can exercise an out clause giving 1 year notice. However...the Board had the chance earlier this year to do just that, but didn't, when given a bona fide request by a party in January to offer a game in compliance with HB 616. That story will be told in more detail in a future post.
Posted by YouGaming Inc at 6:52 PM
Labels: fantasy sports, gambling, government, pari-mutuel
Robin Tooke said...
Sad, but true. This is nothing more than another lottery game and has nothing to do with Fantasy Sports. The board of horse racing kicked the people that could have made the whole thing work to the curb. Then they broke their own rules to allow the Montana lottery an 8 year contract.
YouGaming.com said...
Thanks for the comment! I find it odd that the Board didn't do any queries, RFIs, etc., to see what kind of vendors could have provided a compliant pari-mutuel fantasy sports game, then used that lack of due diligence to justify handing this over to Lottery claiming there wasn't anyone else available.
With regard to YouGaming, the RFI/RFP was eagerly anticipated so that an official response and proposal could have been presented. Unfortunately no such solicitation, common in public sector contracting, was undertaken by the Board of Horse Racing, a public agency.
What is also odd is that the Legislature seems to be dragging its feet with regard to an audit of the Board of Horse Racing regarding its performance in this matter.
Can the live racing industry in Montana survive until this mess gets sorted out? I feel bad for the horsemen that put their faith in these folks to make sound decisions. The horsemen will ultimately suffer the consequences with regard to this fiasco.
Ya - what about the audit? Seems only the IRS gets away with those. Would love to see that happen.
John Tooke said...
The promise of HB616 was derailed by a "perfect storm" of politics, impatience, and people who were ignorant of the nuances of this type of game. The underlying purpose of 616 was to provide for a symbiotic, mutually beneficial relationship between Montana's tavern industry and horse racing, which could enhance and hold bar traffic, give racing an income stream, while at the same time, develope players for racing through parimutuel fantasy betting. The Board of Horse Racing together with the State Lottery have provided a game which does none of the above, and have poisoned the environment by delivering a lousy game with a short shelf life, causing most meaningful gaming businesses to run away from this activity because these bodies have demonstrated that they are questionable business partners. To the Lottery's credit they have grown their revenues by selling traditional lottery products in venues where they previously had no exposure. The lottery has stated they sold $400,000 in lottery tickets versus $85,000 fantasy products. Racing gets none of the revenue from traditional lottery products. The marketing costs of fixing this mess make it almost impossible to consider investing the capital necessary to offer a more attractive game. Unfortunately, Montana's horse racing industry does not have much time to fix itself and may have squandered the best chance it ever had.
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The downside is they tend to embarrass me on a regular basis.
I got an email one New Year's when the boys were seven from a lovely neighbor who is also the Neighborhood Christmas Martha Stewart. Her tree is perfectly done up in white and gold ornaments like a display at William's Sonoma, and despite two small children and a full time job, she manages to bake and deliver cheesecake pies to everyone on the street.
Neighbor, opening the door: Oh hi! What's this?
Takes pie plate and opens hand made thank you note.
Neighbor: What a lovely note. Did you enjoy the pie?
Axel: No. I didn't have any. Only Daddy and Grampie eat the pie.
Neighbor: Really? Why is that?
Axel: Mom says it's gross.
Somehow we managed to get left off the pie distribution list this year.
Mother: Oh crap! (Yelling down the stairs) Get the door!
Sound of door opening. Enter neighbors Tom and Simone.
Simone: Hi there! We're having a Super Bowl party next Sunday and wanted to stop by and invite you.
Aidan: Oh, well, you know, we already have so many Super Bowl parties to go to, I doubt we'll be able to make it. We have a lot of friends. There's Jackson's party, and Thomas', and of course we have to go to Grampie's house because he loves the Patriots…..
Mother (frantically grasping at too small towel and projecting her voice down the stairwell): OK Aidan! That's enough! Of course we'll stop by, thanks for including us!
While I'm not sure any of our neighbors will be speaking to us by the time the twins reach high school, I just have to hope that I will still get the full scoop on keggers in the woods, who's using their mother's medical marijuana prescription, and who got to second base behind the bleachers.
Ellen, your posts are priceless! I'm really going to love your blog! Your boys are a breath of fresh air in the tsunami of life. And you write so well. Congratulations!
Ellen, you had me laughing out loud. Love your stories and can clearly hear your voice in my head as I read along. You are so talented! Keep it up!
Thank you Ellen for making me laugh! I think you should start a cartoon strip of your adventures with the twins.
I hope they figure out the foot odor thing before they meet prospective wives. I think even skunks get to remove their shoes for outdoor activities!! You best keep writing before they are old enough to forbid you to share their stories, In the meantime this is hysterical stuff.
Nice blog and great way to keep up on the goings on.
Hope the honesty continues through all the years!
Thank god for Grandmas remedy from NZ! I hope they are still using it! I had a good laugh at the dead raccoon, but eventually even Aidan will think having to leave his shoes on all the time or have the girls dropping like flies would not be cool.
What grand fun! I can't wait to hear what they think of being outed here when they are 14, 15 and 16 years old. Hold onto your britches!!! I needed to lighten up my evening and you really delivered.
Funny! Just invite all your neighbors to this blog.
…or eventually you guys have to move back to California.
BOYS!! They don't even have to be twins but they are clearly boys – keep the funnies coming, this old granny (mother of boys aged 31 and 35) loves them.
These stories are really quite refreshing as well as very funny. How did you create this behavioral outcome? Others might like know!
Those boys of yours are to great for words. Tell the story about, Mom I am not done yet.
I'm reading this in Afghanistan and realizing how much the boys have grown up since I last saw you guys! I remember when they were learning their first groups of words and Axel was pronouncing "duck" as "#uck" 🙂 Good times, keep them rolling!
Your stories are always the best! Love it!!
Funny piece , Ellen. Thanks.
Trust me (the father of three boys), eventually they learn how to play with the truth as well as they could once build with Legos.


Akin Gump is a global law firm serving clients ranging from individuals and corporations to nonprofits and sovereign states. The firm provides creative, effective transactional, litigation and public policy counsel and representation in industries ranging from the traditional to tomorrow's technology. From a single office and two lawyers in Dallas, Texas, the firm has grown to 21 offices, spanning the U.S., Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and a diverse workforce of more than 900 lawyers and advisors who work alongside clients to address challenges and achieve goals where they live and work.
Our strength and depth across practices, our collaborative work style and our position at the intersection of public policy, business and advocacy give our practitioners the perspective and know-how to help clients tackle their challenges and achieve their goals.


text:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<!--
Copyright (c) 2013 The Chromium Authors. All rights reserved.
Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style license that can be
found in the LICENSE file.
-->

<!--
TODO(charliea): Make all UI files depend on tracing/ui/base/base.html in the same way that
all non-UI files depend on tracing/base/base.html. Enforce this dependency with a presubmit.
-->
<link rel="import" href="/tracing/ui/base/base.html" data-suppress-import-order>

<link rel="import" href="/tracing/extras/lean_config.html" data-suppress-import-order>

<!--
The lean config is just enough to import uncompressed, trace-event-formatted
json blobs.
-->
<link rel="import" href="/tracing/ui/side_panel/file_size_stats_side_panel.html">
<link rel="import" href="/tracing/ui/side_panel/metrics_side_panel.html">

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
int _tmain(int argc, _TCHAR* argv[])
{
    return RunArduinoSketch();
}

int led = 13;  // This is the pin the LED is attached to.
int ledLow = 9;
int ledChange = 10;
bool on = false;
bool onLow = false;

void lightUp()
{
    digitalWrite(led, HIGH);
}

void lightOff()
{
    digitalWrite(led, LOW);
    detachInterrupt(3);
}

void lightLOW()
{
    digitalWrite(ledLow, onLow?HIGH:LOW);
    onLow = !onLow;
}

void lightChange()
{
    digitalWrite(ledChange, on ? HIGH : LOW);
    on = !on;
}

void setup()
{
    // TODO: Add your code here

    pinMode(3, INPUT);
    pinMode(4, INPUT);
    pinMode(5, INPUT);
    pinMode(6, INPUT);
    pinMode(led, OUTPUT);
    pinMode(ledLow, OUTPUT);
    pinMode(ledChange, OUTPUT);

    digitalWrite(led, LOW);
    digitalWrite(ledLow, LOW);
    digitalWrite(ledChange, LOW);

    attachInterrupt(3, lightUp, RISING);
    attachInterrupt(4, lightOff, FALLING);
    attachInterrupt(5, lightLOW, LOW);
    attachInterrupt(6, lightChange, CHANGE);
}

// the loop routine runs over and over again forever:
void loop()
{
}


Maybe you think it doesn't matter. You haven't heard much about this before now. Or maybe you have heard about it but don't think it applies to you. The problem is, there's no hard and fast rule on this, so until the language of the Americans With Disabilities act is clarified, all businesses are at risk.
Let me explain further. The law is murky about whether the ADA applies to websites, all websites or just some websites. We already know that the ADA applies to businesses, museums, movie theaters, retail stores, and other "places of public accommodation." The websites of federal websites along with schools and financial institutions are required to be accessible to people with disabilities. What isn't clear is whether the website of a privately owned business is also a "place of public accommodation." Some appeals courts have said yes.
Even if it isn't clear right now, all signs point to the law changing to include all websites. This means that any website is potentially at risk for a lawsuit if it is not accessible. Since the law isn't clear, it also leaves little or no defense for businesses. They can't simply claim that their business is not a "place of public accommodation" because a precedent has been set in previous lawsuits that it is. If the Department of Justice gets involved in a lawsuit, the defendants can seek civil fines and penalties.
If there is a lawsuit, the sites that have been sued before are required to make their site compliant. There's little defense at this point for businesses other than to show that they are actively working on becoming compliant. If you're actively working on compliance, there's not much a lawsuit can do to you, and you have much more of a defense than simply doing nothing.
That's why we are urging businesses to come into compliance before you become a target. To make things even more uncertain for businesses, there is not a sure-fire checklist to ensure 100% compliance. However, there are respected guidelines that most people believe will be the standard for when the legal language does change. This standard is the WCAG 2.1 guidelines. These guidelines were most recently updated June 5, 2018.
WCAG guidelines cover three levels of compliance: A, AA, and AAA. The DOJ has hinted that websites should aim to conform to the Website Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, Levels A and AA. If you're a business owner and you don't know where your site stands with regard to these guidelines, you need a site audit to find out.
Web developers who are knowledgeable about compliance are few and far between. Since they have this specialized knowledge, they are often much more expensive than "regular" developers. Who can you trust? Let me tell you, it will be a lot less expensive and you'll have far more peace of mind if you can go to your developer and let them know what needs to be updated on the site, as opposed to going to them and asking what needs to be updated on the site.
When you run a site audit from OnlineADA.com, you'll know exactly what elements on your site violate accessibility. After the scan, you'll own the results. Take it to another developer if you want, or fix the site issues yourself. Either way, every day you wait is another day you're putting yourself at risk from unclear laws and predatory lawsuits, not to mention the customers you're not serving. Contact us to learn more about your site audit.


Work & Happiness takes a provocative look at the welfare system.
Meet Heidi Kole, a subway performer.
Meet Cecilia Brentlinger, a New York City on-demand driver.
What if your business and livelihood was constantly under threat?


Gartner's Avivah Litan says low-powered DDoS attacks are being used to divert attention away from fraudulent money transfers.
According to Avivah Litan, vice president and distinguished analyst at Gartner, at least three banks have been hit in the last few months by low-powered DDoS attacks that are intended to divert attention away from fraudulent money transfers being made at the same time (h/t SC Magazine).
Litan told SC Magazine that the attacks "added up to millions [lost] across the three banks."
This is part of a new form of attack that's just emerged over the past few months, according to Litan. "Once the DDoS is underway, this attack involves takeover of the payment switch (e.g. wire application) itself via a privileged user account that has access to it," she wrote in a blog post. "Now, instead of having to get into one customer account at a time, the criminals can simply control the master payment switch and move as much money from as many accounts as they can get away with until their actions are noticed."
As a result, Litan advises banks to implement a policy of slowing down the money transfer system during a DDoS attack -- and, more generally, to deploy a layered fraud prevention and security approach.


text:
| Since  | Origin / Contributor  | Maintainer  | Source  |
| :----- | :-------------------- | :---------- | :------ |
| 2020-11-30 | [vsky279](https://github.com/vsky279) | [vsky279](https://github.com/vsky279) | [file_lfs.lua](../../lua_modules/file_lfs/file_lfs.lua)|

Provides access to arbitrary files stored in LFS.

An arbitrary file can be stored in LFS and still can be accessed using `file` functions. This module is an overlay over `file` base functions providing access to such LFS files.

The module tries to be transparent as much as possible so it makes no difference where LFS file or standard SPIFFS file is accessed. LFS file is read only. If the file is open for writing a standard SPIFFS file is opened instead.
Both basic and object model can be used to access LFS file (see [file](../../docs/modules/file.md) module documentation).

## `resource.lua` file

Files to be stored in LFS needs to be preprocessed, i.e. a Lua file with its contents needs to be generated. This file called `resource.lua` is then included in the LFS image. A Lua script [`make_resource.lua`](../../lua_modules/file_lfs/make_resource.lua) can be used to generate `resource.lua` script.

A structure of the `resource.lua` file is simple. It returns a string, i.e. file content, depending on filename parameter passed to it. It returns table with list of files stored when called without any parameter.
```Lua
local arg = ...
if arg == "index.html" then return "<!DOCTYPE html><html><body>Hi, there!</body></html>" end
if arg == "favicon.ico" then return ""\000\000\000\000\000\000..." end
if arg == nil then return {"index.html", "favicon.ico"} end
```

## `make_resource.lua` script

Lua script to be run on PC to generate `resource.lua` file.

### Syntax
```bash
 ./make_resource.lua [-o outputfile] file1 [file2]
 ```

### Example
Create `resource.lua` file with all files in the `resource` directory
```bash
./make_resource resource/*
```

## Basic usage
```Lua
file = require("file_lfs")

f = file.open("index.html") -- let's assume the above resource.lua file is embedded in LFS
print(f:readline())
-- prints: <!DOCTYPE html><html><body>Hi, there!</body></html>
f:close()

f = file.open("init.lua")
-- init.lua file is not stored in LFS (does not have entry in resource.lua stored in LFS) -> SPIFFS files is opened instead
print(f:readline())
f:close()
```

Methods implemented - basically all `file` module functions are available though only some of them work with LFS files. The other functions are just passed through to the base `file` functions.

## file_lfs.list()

Lists all files in the file system. It works almost in the same way as [`file.list()`](../../docs/modules/file.md#filelist)

#### Syntax
`file.list([pattern], [SPIFFs_only])`

#### Parameters
- `pattern` only files matching the Lua pattern will be returned
- `SPIFFs_only` if not `nil` LFS files won't be included in the result (LFS files are returned only if the parameter is `nil`)

#### Returns
a Lua table which contains all {file name: file size} pairs, if no pattern
given.  If a pattern is given, only those file names matching the pattern
(interpreted as a traditional [Lua pattern](https://www.lua.org/pil/20.2.html),
not, say, a UNIX shell glob) will be included in the resulting table.
`file.list` will throw any errors encountered during pattern matching.

## file.rename()

Renames a file. If a file is currently open, it will be closed first. It works almost in the same way as [`file.rename()`](../../docs/modules/file.md#filerename)

#### Syntax
`file.rename(oldname, newname)`

#### Parameters
- `oldname` old file name
- `newname` new file name

#### Returns
`true` on success, `false` when the file is stored in LFS (so read-only) or on error

## file_lfs.open()

Opens a LFS file included in LFS in the `resource.lua` file. If it cannot be found in LFS not standard [`file.open()`](../../docs/modules/file.md#fileopen) function is called.
LFS file is opened only when "r" access is requested.

#### Syntax
`file.open(filename, mode)`

#### Parameters
- `filename` file to be opened
- `mode`:
    - "r": read mode (the default). If file of the same name is present in SPIFFS then SPIFFS file is opened instead of LFS file.
    - "w": write mode - as LFS file is read-only a SPIFFS file of the same name is created and opened for writing.
    - "r+", "w+", "a", "a+": as LFS file is read-only and all these modes allow file updates the LFS file is copied to SPIFFS and then it is opened with correspondig open mode.

#### Returns
LFS file object (Lua table) or SPIFFS file object if file opened ok. `nil` if file not opened, or not exists (read modes).

## file.read(), file.obj:read()

Read content from the open file. It has the same parameters and returns values as [`file.read()` / `file.obj:read()`](../../docs/modules/file.md#fileread-fileobjread)

#### Syntax
`file.read([n_or_char])`

`fd:read([n_or_char])`

#### Parameters
- `n_or_char`:
	- if nothing passed in, then read up to `FILE_READ_CHUNK` bytes or the entire file (whichever is smaller).
	- if passed a number `n`, then read up to `n` bytes or the entire file (whichever is smaller).
	- if passed a string containing the single character `char`, then read until `char` appears next in the file, `FILE_READ_CHUNK` bytes have been read, or EOF is reached.

#### Returns
File content as a string, or `nil` when EOF

## file.readline(), file.obj:readline()

Read the next line from the open file. Lines are defined as zero or more bytes ending with a EOL ('\n') byte. If the next line is longer than 1024, this function only returns the first 1024 bytes.
It has the same parameters and return values as [`file.readline()` / `file.obj:readline()`](../../docs/modules/file.md#filereadline-fileobjreadline)

#### Syntax
`file.readline()`

`fd:readline()`

#### Parameters
none

#### Returns
File content in string, line by line, including EOL('\n'). Return `nil` when EOF.

## file.seek(), file.obj:seek()

Sets and gets the file position, measured from the beginning of the file, to the position given by offset plus a base specified by the string whence.
It has the same parameters and return values as [`file.seek()` / `file.obj:seek()`](../../docs/modules/file.md#fileseek-fileobjseek)

#### Syntax
`file.seek([whence [, offset]])`

`fd:seek([whence [, offset]])`

#### Parameters
- `whence`
	- "set": base is position 0 (beginning of the file)
	- "cur": base is current position (default value)
	- "end": base is end of file
- `offset` default 0

If no parameters are given, the function simply returns the current file offset.

#### Returns
the resulting file position, or `nil` on error

## file.stat()

Get attribtues of a file or directory in a table. Elements of the table are:

- `size` file size in bytes
- `name` file name
- `time` table with time stamp information. Default is 1970-01-01 00:00:00 in case time stamps are not supported (on SPIFFS).

    - `year`
    - `mon`
    - `day`
    - `hour`
    - `min`
    - `sec`

- `is_dir` flag `true` if item is a directory, otherwise `false`
- `is_rdonly` flag `true` if item is read-only, otherwise `false`
- `is_hidden` flag `true` if item is hidden, otherwise `false`
- `is_sys` flag `true` if item is system, otherwise `false`
- `is_arch` flag `true` if item is archive, otherwise `false`
- `is_LFS` flag `true` if item is stored in LFS, otherwise it is not present in the `file.stat()` result table - **the only difference to `file.stat()`**

#### Syntax
`file.stat(filename)`

#### Parameters
`filename` file name

#### Returns
table containing file attributes


Alamos Chardonnay, made by the high-volume division of the Catena family's Argentinean wine empire, is pretty good at being what it's supposed to be. It's a tasty Chardonnay, with a varietally correct profile of citrus, toasted bread, and vanilla. It's not too big, drinks easily—and costs under $10 in most places in the US. Overall, the Alamos is actually a lot more pleasant than many other equivalent brands at equivalent prices. What's missing is a sense of place, a more precise definition of character, beyond the varietal one. That extra layer of personality is something you'd be disappointed not to find in your glass, if you're going to spend $50 on one of the higher end wines from the Catena Zapata range. But for a pleasant summer quaffer, technical achievement can do the trick. Recommended.


University of Cambridge researchers developed a new sensor platform that measure masses of small particles, which can be applied to environmental monitoring, according to the university.
The newly developed gravimetric sensors detect mass load through acoustic waves. Cambridge scientists were able to compensate for the nonlinear effect of temperature on acoustic readings, which is a new development for this type of sensor.
A resonator in the sensor emits a certain frequency that is affected by events in the environment, and the changes tell researchers what's happening there. A second resonance reacts to temperature. This separates temperature from mass loading measurements, which negates temperature's effects.
The sensor can measure masses as small as a virus in the air.
Gravimetry is measurement of the strength of a gravitational field.


text:
Chelsea may have found a buyer for Loïc Rémy
By David Pasztor@D_Peezy Jul 5, 2017, 6:52am BST
Share All sharing options for: Chelsea may have found a buyer for Loïc Rémy
UPDATE: Rennes want in on this action, too!
Rennes have contacted Chelsea for Loïc Rémy https://t.co/WN19KtYhCg
— Get French Football (@GFFN) July 5, 2017
By rule, we ignore transfer rumors from Turkey; there's just far too much nonsense there even by rumor mill standards.
But there's been so little action around poor ol' Loïc Rémy that we're slightly desperate and thus are looking at this report from whatever Sporx is as a semi-reasonable solution to the Rémy situation.
Beşiktaş, Remy için Chelsea'den yanıt bekliyorhttps://t.co/peol6J0cOt
— Sporx (@sporx) July 4, 2017
Sporx claim that Turkish champions Besiktas, with whom Chelsea have dealt with in the recent past over a center forward, namely Demba Ba, are dipping back into that Blues-well to the tune of a €2m bid for Loïc Rémy. An agreement with Rémy himself has already been reached to "a great extent" apparently — a three year deal with a club option for a fourth — but Chelsea need a bit more convincing (i.e. money). Why Chelsea would need any such thing is a mystery, but if Besiktas want to throw in a few bags of balls or perhaps some lovely Turkish coffee, then I'd be all for that.
Rémy last played for Chelsea in April of 2016, following up a useful 2014-15 with an injury-filled and ineffective 2015-16. He spent last season on loan at Crystal Palace but was limited to just 8 appearances thanks to (more) recurring injuries and general crapness. The 30-year-old does have a year left on the four-year contract he signed in 2014 after Chelsea paid his buyout clause at QPR, but it's hard to imagine him ever playing for us again. If someone wants to give us €2m or even €2 at this point, we should be thanking our lucky stars.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Shortly after my return from New York, I had a holiday shopping evening planned in downtown Seattle. It was with old friends of mine from High School and a welcome change of pace from feeling down about losing dad. I needed to kick my holiday spirit into gear and figure out how to enjoy this Christmas. The year before, we'd spent it at mom and dad's and we were in a caretaking mode for the majority of it, and dad ended up in the hospital right before we left. It was not an ideal holiday but it was so important to have spent time with him, so we had no regrets. This year, however, was going to be different.
I got a call on my way home from my husband saying that mom had been trying to reach me. I thought that was unusual, so I called her right back. She told me that she'd gone to the doctor as we'd asked and they'd found the source of the pain in her hip. She had multiple tumors on her spine, in her bones, and on her organs. She was, in short, now a terminal cancer patient. Once again, I was spun around. How do you even take this information in? What do you say to your mother when her world has just crashed around her.
I must have said the right words but I have no memory of what. I know that I kicked in to action to get help to her right away. But another blow had been struck and instead of looking forward to Christmas, I was dreading it again. I had been actively wishing 2010 a not so fond farewell, hoping the new year would bring a brighter future. I was pretty sure this was not going to help make that wish come true.
This entry was posted in Anger, Cancer, Family, General Rambling and tagged cancer, mom. Bookmark the permalink.


Equilibrium Asset Management has appointed economist Dr John Ashcroft as a consultant.
John was Chief Executive of pro-manchester for nine years up to October 2018 and has previously worked with Goldman Sachs, Bain and Company, First Boston, Wasserstein Perella and S.G. Warburgs.
Over the next 12 months John will advise Cheshire-based Equilibrium on global macro-economics and investment portfolio allocations.
He will also develop positional papers on economics, investment and finance, work closely with Equilibrium's management and investment teams while also providing market overviews at quarterly client presentations.
John, who was founding Chairman of the North West Business Leadership Team, has served on the board of Marketing Manchester, the CA Business Leadership Council and as Chief Economist for the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, said he is delighted to be working with Equilibrium.
"Equilibrium currently manages over £850 million of assets for over 1,000 families and is a Chartered wealth management company that offers genuinely personalised financial planning to its growing client base.
John, who has served on numerous Boards including Marketing Manchester and was formerly Managing Director, then Chief Executive and Chairman of international public company Coloroll, will also use his status to boost the profile of Equilibrium among professional service firms, large corporates and high-net-worths in Manchester and across the north west.
Wilmslow headquartered Equilibrium specialises in all areas of wealth management, investment, pensions, tax planning and estate planning.
Founder Colin Lawson said: "Equilibrium is more committed than ever to delivering exceptional services to all our clients, making a positive difference for them and ensuring they can enjoy life to the full.
With an additional office in Chester, Equilibrium's headcount now stands at 81, an increase of 14 during the financial year to September 2018.
Last month, and for the third consecutive year, the £8.9m turnover company was named in the top 10 'Best Small Companies to Work For in the UK' by The Sunday Times.


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ASCO Reading Room 08.14.2019 Comment
Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in HL: Special Considerations
Immune-related events and 'pseudo-progression common in patients
Latest In ASCO Reading Room
01.08.2020 ASCO Reading Room
Smoldering Multiple Myeloma: Recent Research Context
Models to Expedite Diagnosis of Lymphoma: Recent Research Context
Relapsed/Refractory Follicular Lymphoma: Update on Treatment Strategies
by Jeff Minerd
Contributing Writer, MedPage Today
This Reading Room is a collaboration between MedPage Today® and:
Expert Critique
FROM THE ASCO Reading Room
Adi J. Klil-Drori Clinical fellow Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre Toronto, Canada
Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a hematologic malignancy with an overall favorable outcome. Nevertheless, treatment failure is seen in about 10% of the patients with limited-stage HL, and 20-30% of the patients with advanced HL relapse after initial treatment (Kuruvilla, Blood, 2011). For those who are refractory to first-line treatment or relapse, salvage chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) is the current standard of care. Unfortunately, about 35% experience disease progression after transplant and represent an unmet clinical need.
Programmed death-1 (PD-1) inhibitors have shown remarkable overall response rates of 70-80% in this patient population, but pose several challenges. The first and obvious challenge concerns the immune-related adverse events which are seen in almost two thirds of patients with HL treated with PD-1 inhibitors, with about 11% experiencing grade 3-4 events (Brave, ASH 2018). While these rates are close to those seen with ipilimumab in melanoma (Hodi, NEJM, 2010), a unique risk factor in HL patients is prior receipt of ASCT (Brave, ASH 2018).
A second challenge that has emerged with PD-1 administration in HL patients is pseudo-progression. Given the usefulness of PET scans in this patient population, new sites of metabolic activity while on PD-1 inhibition are concerning, and often warrant further work-up such as repeat scans or biopsy.
Lastly, while the overall response rate with PD-1 inhibitors is high, the complete remission rate in relapsed/refractory HL is 10-20% and has not increased to date with several combinations. Indeed, as Stephen Ansell suggests in his review in Trends in Immunology (2019), some treating physicians ignore areas of PET uptake that are not known disease sites (and thus CR is not uniformly assessed). That said, increasing CR rates with PD-1 blockade in this patient population remains an important objective for future trials.
Full Critique
With two immune checkpoint inhibitors approved for classical Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), and more in development, clinicians should be aware of certain safety and other issues associated with the unique mechanism of action of these agents, experts said.
This class of drugs has been successful in HL because the disease is vulnerable to programmed death ligand-1 (PD-1) blockade, due to HL's distinctive biology and tumor microenvironment, explained Stephen Ansell, MD, PhD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, writing in a review in Trends in Immunology.
Malignant Reed-Sternberg cells, the hallmark of the disease, comprise only 1-2% of the total tumor volume, he noted. These malignant cells are surrounded by an extensive infiltrate of normal immune cells. But the cancerous cells express high levels of the PD-1 ligand, which prevents immune cells from recognizing and eliminating them. "The use of a blocking antibody to prevent signaling through PD-1 aims to prevent the suppression of CD8+ effector cytotoxic T cells, thus resulting, in part, in the clinical responses seen with immune checkpoint blockade."
However, this novel mechanism of action comes with a unique safety profile, said Diego De Goycoechea, MD, and colleagues at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, writing in the Journal of Oncology.
"Adverse events consecutive to immune checkpoint inhibition are distinctly different from the ones related to conventional chemotherapy," the authors noted. "The blockade of the immunological checkpoints with [monoclonal antibodies] can trigger autoimmune complications that can affect any organ. These so-called immune-related adverse events (irAEs) vary in incidence and the spectrum of affected organ systems depending on the agents used. The incidence of irAEs of any grade is variable and can affect up to half of patients under anti-PD-1 therapy."
Summarizing recent clinical trial data, the team noted that the most common grade 3-4 adverse events in patients with relapsed/refractory classical HL treated with any immune checkpoint inhibitor were enterocolitis (up to 13% of patients); pulmonary events including pneumonitis, dyspnea, and respiratory infections (2%); and hepatic events (approximately 2%). Other reported high-grade adverse events were fever and fatigue (1%) as well as cardiovascular, endocrine, rheumatological, renal, mucocutaneous, and electrolyte disorders (1% or less).
"Hematologists should be aware of such possible complications in order to initiate early and adapted immunosuppressive treatments," De Goycoechea and colleagues advised. "Most immune-related adverse events are reversible, except in the case of endocrine dysfunction, and are treated effectively by delaying the administration of the immune checkpoint inhibitor and proper immunosuppressive treatments including corticosteroid and/or biological agents targeting key inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha."
Pseudo-progression
Positron emission tomography (PET) scans used to assess metabolic response to therapy may be misleading in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors, Ansell cautioned.
"With the advent of immune checkpoint blockade, the use of PET scans to determine complete metabolic response has proven challenging, because evidence of immune activation, as well as active malignancy, may be detected in patients receiving this therapy," he explained. "Complete metabolic responses are often difficult to confirm due to increased 18F-FDG avidity on PET scans at new, previously uninvolved sites; these might be areas of inflammation present in response to immune checkpoint therapy, rather than reflecting disease progression or lack of response to treatment."
In some cases, doctors may discontinue therapy prematurely because of misleading PET findings that seem to indicate disease progression, De Goycoechea and co-authors said. "The immune activation and abundance of T-cell infiltration related to checkpoint inhibition has been linked to a phenomenon called 'tumor flare' or 'pseudo-progression' under the form of new lesions, or lesions increasing in size and metabolic activity. A new biopsy or repeated imaging is advocated in these cases, mostly if the patient is experiencing clinical benefit from immunotherapy, before deciding to stop the treatment. Some patients showing these pseudo-progressions may experience late responses and even long-lasting clinical benefit from anti-PD-1 therapy."
Added Ansell: "In clinical practice, providers often adjust their assessment of the patient's response and may ignore minor areas of FDG uptake on a PET scan, particularly if those sites were not previously known to be involved."
Current Landscape, Future Directions
Despite therapeutic advances, classical HL remains the most common lymphoma in adolescents and young adults in the U.S., with an estimated 8,500 new cases a year.
As Nicole Carreau, MD, and Catherine Diefenbach, MD, both of New York University School of Medicine, wrote in Therapeutic Advances in Hematology, "although up to 80% of HL patients are cured with first-line chemotherapy, either alone or combined with radiation, a cure for patients with relapsed and refractory HL remains challenging, and approximately 1,150 primarily young patients succumb to this disease annually in the United States."
Currently, two PD-1-blocking antibodies, nivolumab and pembrolizumab, are approved by the FDA for relapsed/refractory classical HL, on the basis of clinical trial data demonstrating high response rates, Ansell said. He was the lead author on a phase II trial of nivolumab showing an overall response (OR) rate of 87% in patients with relapsed/refractory disease. Another study reported an objective response rate of 69% with a median duration of response of 16.6 months and a median progression-free survival of 14.7 months.
"Similarly, treatment with ... pembrolizumab was effective in classical HL, with similar high ORs, resulting in durable benefit; approximately half of the patients remained progression-free at 1 year," Ansell continued. "Based on these excellent results, both nivolumab and pembrolizumab were approved by the FDA for patients with relapsed and refractory classical HL. Although treatment with these agents has resulted in high OR, the number of patients in complete remission ... has been low, with patients continuing to progress despite presenting an initial response."
"An obvious next step to improving the outcome with immunotherapy in this disease has been to add additional agents to the PD-1 blockade," he said. "Thus far, the addition of other immune checkpoint therapy agents, such as ipilimumab, or the addition of antibody drug conjugates, such as brentuximab vedotin, or standard chemotherapy, has been tested."
However, the data so far has not been encouraging, at least in terms of OR rates, he noted. In one study he and his colleagues conducted of 31 patients treated with nivolumab and ipilimumab, the OR was 74%, similar to what could be achieved with nivolumab alone. In another study of nivolumab in combination with doxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine chemotherapy, which included 51 patients with advanced-stage disease, the OR was 84% -- again about what would be expected with chemotherapy alone, Ansell said.
These data "suggest that the OR will not necessarily increase when immunotherapy is added in combination with other agents," he said. "Thus, to determine the superiority of a combination treatment that contains an immune checkpoint inhibitor relative to a standard approach in these clinical trials, it may be more important to assess other endpoints as primary endpoints, such as progression-free survival and duration of response."
De Goycoechea, et al. were supported by the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences and other organizations; none of the authors reported having any conflicts of interest.
Ansell reported financial relationships with Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck, Affimed, Celldex, Pfizer, Trillium, LAM Therapeutics, and Seattle Genetics.
Diefenbach reported financial relationships with Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck, and Seattle Genetics.
Journal of Oncology
Source Reference: De Goycoechea D, et al "Immune checkpoint inhibition in classical Hodgkin lymphoma: from early achievements towards new perspectives" J Oncol 2019; DOI: 10.1155/2019/951370.
Secondary Source
Trends in Immunology
Source Reference: Ansell SM "Immunotherapy in Hodgkin lymphoma: the road ahead" Trends in Immunology 2019; 40: 380-386.
Additional Source
Therapeutic Advances in Hematology
Source Reference: Carreau NA, Diefenbach C "Immune targeting of the microenvironment in classical Hodgkin's lymphoma: insights for the hematologist" Ther Adv Hematol 2019; DOI: 10.1177/2040620719846451.


Welcome to the School of Communications. Please take a minute to visit the biblical worldview learning projects we are developing for the purpose of enhancing academic learning and spiritual growth in PK - 12th grade students.
We will be rolling out this online teacher tool July 1, 2012. Kingdom teachers mentor their students in the area of service, and JOT introduces unique service opportunities to teachers and homeschool parents.
SOC deeply appreciates the following organizations who have so generously given of their time and expertise to assist in the development of these learning projects.


text:
The Ashes 2021-22 »
They lost to India recently at this venue: Jos ...
The Ashes 2021-22
They lost to India recently at this venue: Jos Buttler confident England can beat Aussies at the Gabba
Tags: The Ashes 2021-22, Australia vs England, 1st Test at Brisbane, Dec 08-12, 2021, Australia, England, Joseph Charles Buttler
England's wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler feels the team can beat Australia the Gabba, where the hosts have a stupendous record, if they play to their absolute potential. Buttler pointed out that India recently defeated Australia in Brisbane and there is no reasons why the Englishmen cannot do the same. Australia tasted their first defeat at the Gabba since 1988 when a young and spirited Indian outfit led by Ajinkya Rahane stunned them at their fortress.
Speaking ahead of the first Test in Brisbane, which begins on Wednesday, Buttler said, "Any time you come and play in Australia as an England team it's a huge challenge, history tells you that. That makes it exciting. Australia tend to play well here (Brisbane) but they obviously lost to India recently at this venue, which proves it's not impossible to beat them here.
"We know to be able to do that we have to perform close to our best as a side. We focus a lot on ourselves - the opposition are a fantastic team - but we know if we bring our A game we will be there or thereabouts," Buttler added
He also cleared the confusion regarding lead pacer James Anderson. The 31-year-old told the media that the team's pace spearhead is fit but will be rested for the first Test keeping workload management in mind.
Buttler explained, "Jimmy's not going to play but he is fit. It's obviously a very long series and we want a guy like that to be available to play as much of a part as possible. It's just precautionary. He bowled well yesterday and again today. He's fit but the guys are just being cautious."
The Gabba Test will mark the comebacks of veteran cricketers Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes. While Broad picked up an injury during the Test series against India, Stokes was on a mental health break. Speaking about Broad, Buttler said, "He's good to go I think. He obviously had an injury at the end of the summer in England but he's been coming back well from that. The way the build up has been it's been a little bit challenging in certain ways. He bowled well in the nets yesterday and looks pretty good."
About Stokes, the experienced cricketer asserted that he is fit to play and has been performing very nicely in the nets and did very well in the warm up game as well.
England drew the 2019 Ashes 2-2 with the Aussies. However, Australia retain the urn having clinched the previous Ashes.
I'm surprised that he took it: ...I'm surprised that he took it: Ricky Ponting on Rahul ...Nov 18, 2021


Just got new iMac 2.5 base model. observations etc.
Discussion in 'iMac' started by celi8071, May 3, 2011.
3. Perhaps apple has addressed the yellow screen issues with the 21.5. Mine is near perfect and uniformly white. My screen is model AOOC, seems like a new manufacturer.
4. Shipped with 10.6.6, and 10.6.7 doesnt appear in software update. Not sure why?
As for the 10.6.6, it's a one-off build designed specifically for these new iMacs. They do this for any new model that has hardware that hasn't been used before.
Would you mind posting some gaming benchmarks of it? Either on OS X or Windows? I'm really interested in seeing how the 512MB 6750M will handle games.
So since it has a special build of 10.6.6 does that mean that Portal 2 won't run on the new iMacs since it will fail to launch if it detects anything below 10.6.7?
So I assume the geekbench score you posted was 32 bit? Even so, that is lower than I expected. Doesn't the quad core MBP with the base 2.0 score 9,000-10,000? I believe so.
And that's exactly why I don't understand how worked up people get over these scores. It's synthetic. No possible way is that mbp faster than the iMac in real-world usage.
+1 I'll hopefully be getting this exact model this week. Would love to know!
do you mind uploading all ATI* kexts from your system ?
Well, either way it is surprising to say the least. The base DUAL CORE 3.6 from last year scored a 7,000 in 32 bit geekbench. It doesn't seem that the new base is much of an improvement.


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Party like it's 325
St Augustine's at UK Chaplain Uncategorized April 22, 2022 2 Minutes
While I am a well-known skeptic of combining the powers of Church and State, especially when one tries to control the content of the other, I look back on the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE and recognize they did a lot of good, despite the Emperor Constantine calling the council and tasked them with making a unified Christianity to unify the Empire. One of the wildest parts of the Empire calling this council is that many of the bishops still had the scars of Roman persecution which had only ended in 313 CE.
In case you've forgotten the basics, the first Council of Nicaea was primarily called to settle the question of Christ's divinity. The question was, was Christ uncreated and equal to God the Father or was he the first creation and slightly less equal to God. The Council decided that Jesus Christ was full God and full Human. (Interesting side note: Constantine would eventually side with other side, the Arians, who said that Christ was the first creation because that theology put the Christ on a more similar level to the deified Emperor and thus give the Emperor more worldly and religious authority. History is full of egomaniacal men.). The Council also wrote the first 2/3 of the Nicaean Creed, set the date for Easter, and promulgated some early canon law.
The canon that interests us today is the last one which is the "prohibition of kneeling on Sundays and during the Pentecost (the fifty days commencing on Easter). Standing was the normative posture for prayer at this time…" See also the rest of the Wikipedia article for a good summary of the Council. In the early Church, and in liturgical Churches today, Easter is not a one day celebration, but rather a season of 50 days mirroring the 50 days between the festivals of Pesach (Passover) and Shavuot (Weeks). Observant Jews count the days between these festivals even now (Today is the 6th day of the Omer.).
You see these aren't just any fifty days. These days are to be one, long, continuous celebration of Jesus' resurrection. The canon to stand on weekdays tells us that each and every day, not just Sundays, were to be a commemoration and celebration with the full honor of Sundays. In fact one of the poetic names for the season is "The Great Sunday." We were to party for fifty days. No confession, no kneeling, no fasting. We are meant to enjoy these fifty days!
So between now and June 5th, how are you going to celebrate? How are you going to live the resurrection life?
Previous Post Christ is risen! Alleluia!
Next Post Senior Reflection: Paige Barricklow


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Tag Archives: Discover
SOUTHFIELD: American Dreaming
There was once a blissful time in the United States when Americans believed anything was possible. After the Great Depression and two World Wars the country was recovering. The Big Three were back in the business of building cars. The public was in need of personal modes of transportation that would take them to newly developed suburban neighborhoods, shopping malls and trips across the country. Manufacturers grew huge styling departments, hiring artists to capture this new futuristic spirit. It was the "Golden Age" when cars were a thing of beauty, they stirred our imagination, put us in the mind of outer space, science fiction didn't seem so far-fetched. These talented, mostly unknown, artists took eye appeal to a whole new level that shaped not only the auto industry but every facet of American design.
We are at Lawrence Tech University in Southfield to view a historic collection of sketches assembled by Robert Edwards called 'American Dreaming' Detroit's Golden Age of Automotive Design. The exhibition takes us inside the styling studios of the American auto manufacturers from 1946 to 1973. The walls of a small banquet room are covered with framed sketches; created in pencil, pastels, ink and airbrush, their mere existence is incredible. Back then due to fierce competition between companies all drawings were ordered to be destroyed, preventing them from ending up in someone else's hands. These drawings were smuggled out by the wildcat artists themselves under the threat of termination if they were ever caught. Today the room is crowded with appreciative viewers enjoying the works of Rodell Smith, Don Hood, Bill Brownlie, Allen Young, Del Coates, Carl Renner, George Krispinsky, John 'Dick" Samsen and many others who names you may not recognize, but their designs you would.
We move around the room slowly, sidestepping others, dodging cameras, in effort to get a closer look. The designers were predicting the future and showing us how we would get there. The early sketches are more conservative in nature, traveling forward on the timeline bodies become exaggerated, elongated, surrounding landscapes are futuristic with rocket ships blasting off in the background; cars look like they could join them in space. There are renderings of Corvettes, Barracudas, Toronados and Gremlins, Studebaker, Packard, AMC, DeSoto and so many more. There are studies of interiors, wheel covers, hood scoops and badges. Model cars are displayed in plexiglass cubes, placards give us insight to the artists and their careers. The evolution of the automobile and the country is laid out in front of us, what an incredible ride it is!
We take a brief walk around campus before going back to the Jeep. LTU was founded as a private university in 1932, classes were held in the former Model T assembly plant in Highland Park before moving to Southfield in 1955. Theory and Practice have always been the schools motto, offering degrees in Engineering, Architecture and Design. You may recognize the names of these former students: A. Alfred Taubman, Steven A Ballmer, Donald W Date, John Z DeLorean. Buildings are a mix of old and new, all modern in design; my favorite is the architecture and design building with its glazed brick, folded plate roof and courtyard. Landscaped gardens and sculpture dot the campus.
Sticking with the Modern theme of the day, we decide to drive through some of Southfield's noteworthy neighborhoods. We start in Northland Gardens off 8 Mile Rd, ranch models sprawl with breezeways, car ports and forecourts. Most are brick accented with stone, lots of windows, skylights and large entryways. One of the most unusual sits on Westland Ave, built in 1961 it is long and low, the stepped roof lend an Asian feel to it. Leaded glass windows contain blue circular patterns, the glazed brick cylinder in front is one of a kind.
Further north we pop into Washington Heights and Cranbrook subdivisions with multiple California Modern ranch style homes. Low sloping roofs, wide eaves, large fireplaces and tall windows are prevalent. Many of the homeowners put forth great effort keeping the homes architecturally correct from the colors of the time period right down to the lighting. The Ravines neighborhood is nestled into a wooded area along the Rouge River; palatial homes are built on sweeping, rolling lots above the waterway. Several homes are completed in the same style as the "Brady Bunch" house. Most of the homes in these subdivisions were built in the 1950's and 60's when Southfield was booming.
We're having dinner at Sweet Lorraine's Cafe & Bar on Greenfield Rd, Chef-Proprietor Lorraine Platman has been in the restaurant business since 1982. Know for her "world beat cuisine" she has a reputation for turning out tasty dishes made with interesting combinations through the decades. The dining room is a lively space with colorful murals, attractive lighting, glossy wood tables and booths. We are greeted at our table immediately with menus and glasses of ice water. There's a lot to read making a decision difficult. The flavors cover the globe, there's something for everyone from meat-eater to vegan. Kris and I each pick a dish to share.
While we wait for our dinner, our server brings us each a piece of focaccia bread and a shallow bowl of red sauce for dipping, it's outstanding. I could have added a glass of red wine to that, had a second portion and been completely satisfied. I'm glad I didn't, as our entrée's were delicious. The pear brie quesadilla is stuffed with thin-sliced pear, melted brie, drizzled with a cilantro cream sauce and served with a side of red pepper jelly. Basic ingredients when combined give a variety of flavors and textures. The Veggie Vietnamese "bahn mi" is a crusty roll filled with organic tofu steak, portobello, spicy slaw, sriracha, cucumbers and cilantro, so flavorful, so good! At the end of the day our appetites for art, architecture and delectable food have all been satisfied.
Tags: Automotive Design, Discover, Everything cool has already been done.., Explore, Field Trip, Lawrence Tech Unversity, Mid Century Design, Modernism, Southfield MI, Space Age, Sweet Lorraine's, Travel
Categories Eat, Happenings, Visit


text:
package org.atlasapi.channel;

import com.fasterxml.jackson.annotation.JsonProperty;
import com.google.common.base.MoreObjects;
import org.atlasapi.entity.Id;
import org.atlasapi.entity.ResourceRef;
import org.atlasapi.entity.ResourceType;
import org.atlasapi.media.entity.Publisher;

import static com.google.common.base.Preconditions.checkNotNull;

public class ChannelEquivRef extends ResourceRef {

    private final String uri;

    private ChannelEquivRef(Id id, String uri, Publisher source) {
        super(id, source);
        this.uri = checkNotNull(uri);
    }

    public static ChannelEquivRef create(Id id, String uri, Publisher publisher) {
        return new ChannelEquivRef(id, uri, publisher);
    }

    @Override
    public ResourceType getResourceType() {
        return ResourceType.CHANNEL;
    }

    @JsonProperty("uri")
    public String getUri() {
        return uri;
    }

    @Override
    protected MoreObjects.ToStringHelper toStringHelper() {
        return super.toStringHelper().add("uri", uri);
    }

}


Officials said that when it came to vegetable seeds, only hybrid variety seeds were largely being taken for testing and certification, while the regular varieties directly — without testing — were.
Harvest & Preserving. Like most vegetables, cucumbers are tender and tastiest when harvested young before their seeds are fully developed. Slicing cucumber varieties are generally ready for harvest when about six to eight inches long; pickling cucumber types at three to five inches- both in about 50-60 days from seeding.
Moving between the shelves of bulk seed containers in her warehouse in New Freedom. Melera of Landreth Seed personally sells one-third of her vegetable and herb seeds at flower shows in late winter.
Buying one or two individual vegetable or herb seed packets from garden centers is fine for beginner microgreens growers to try. It is not economical, though, for gardeners who wish to regularly grow.
Vital Seeds is an independent seed company set in the rolling Devon countryside producing and selling organic and ecological vegetable, herb and flower seed of open-pollinated varieties for home-gardeners and small-scale market growers. As a DEFRA- inspected company, our seeds meet stringent standards of quality and germination.
If you trust the culinary pleasures of some gardeners, vegetables grown from heirloom. and Bonnie Plants, a wholesale company specializing in heirloom (and hybrid) seeds sold to retailers. More.
but also educating consumers on the importance of eating fruit and vegetables. "Locally, I just speak to people and ask do.
The oil is made by extracting CBD from the cannabis plant, then diluting it with something called a carrier oil, usually.
Heirloom Arugula Seeds : Heirloom Asparagus Seeds : Heirloom Beet Seeds: This salad green adds a tangy, peppery or mustard-like flavor to salads and mesclun mixes.
Vegetable Seed Bulk Packets GMO Free. Bulk vegetable seeds are a great way to buy quality vegetable seeds at a low cost. Whether planting a few vegetables for your own home use, getting into a fun science project, selling at market or creating a cash crop, we have a large selection of open-pollinated seeds to choose from, including heirloom vegetable seeds.
Ahsan Ahmad, a wholesale dealer in Empress Market said domestic seeds cater around 57 percent of vegetable needs while imports cater around 35 food needs of the country. Our agriculture research.
Glycerin Supplier / Manufacturer. Also known as "VG" or even sometime spelled glycerine, our pure kosher USP Vegetable Glycerin has countless uses.
With the help of our vegetable seeds, all UK sourced, you can grow healthy and tasty food. We have hundreds of varieties to choose from, whether you are after wonderful kale or unusual tomatoes.
But plastic packaging still remains on many fruit and vegetables in. up with grains, nuts, seeds, or sauces. The teller.
Vegetable Seeds Feel the pleasure of harvesting your own fresh, organic vegetables!
Officials said that when it came to vegetable seeds, only for hybrid varieties seeds were largely being taken for testing and certification by the farmers, while the regular varieties directly –.
This is a favorite meal, homemade hummus topped with roasted delicate squash, kale, pomegranate seeds and feta. The latest in.
While chia seeds are nutritious, they also tend to be expensive. While saturated oils like coconut oil and palm oil store well, other oils should not be purchased in bulk. Vegetable oils that.
Organic Arugula Seeds : Organic Asparagus Seeds : Organic Beet Seeds: This salad green adds a tangy, peppery or mustard-like flavor to salads and mesclun mixes.
Bratwurst and sauerkraut with apple has one more ingredient that makes all the difference: caraway seeds. The lightly crushed.
Largest selection of heirloom, non GMO vegetable garden seeds worldwide. Shop online for rare vegetable garden seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.
HUDSONVILLE, MI – Julie Slezak says heirloom vegetables changed her diet and garden. home-based business on Ransom Road near Hudsonville. Most of their seeds come from wholesale suppliers who sell.
Welcome to The Italian Gardener and the World of Italian Vegetables! For the best seed available with guaranteed germination and purity, buy Franchi Sementi seed from The Italian Gardener.
. a surge backed up by consumer's preference for natural and non-GMO fruits and vegetables. Based on the formulation, inorganic seeds have a high share. Further, due to bulk demand of fruits and.
The varieties of vegetable plants you'll be able to buy for your next spring garden are being selected right now. Wholesale growers are busy trying to foresee what you'll want so they have the young.
He's growing vegetables, drying fruit, and buying in bulk. He reels off the cornucopia of cans filling. a water filter and a fire-starter for almost $400. In London, seed importer Paolo Arrigo put.
Healthy spaghetti alternative. Burpee. How to Grow. Keep weeds under control during the growing season. Weeds compete with plants for water, space and nutrients, so control them by either cultivating often or use a mulch to prevent their seeds from germinating.


Citynet - iTone: Combined Voice & Data - Voice, Data, Internet Provider.
Experience high-speed Internet and Business Class phone service!
Citynet can provide Voice, Data, Internet and Fax lines directly to your business. Citynet installs a fixed symmetrical high-speed data line into your building. Our technology seamlessly integrates with yours so there is no need to replace your phone system or your data network. The only thing you need to do is decide how many phone lines and how much Internet you need (up to 24 in total)... iTone does the rest.
The high-speed bandwidth your business needs for faster access to files, applications, email, databases and more.
Increase savings on local and long-distance calling, reduce capital costs, and simplify administration by dealing with a single vendor for support and billing.
Viiew current invoices, manipulate services, examine past invoices, access trouble tickets, view payment history, view available product and service offerings, and make payments easily.
Keep connected with your customers during emergencies, power outages and other events by simply re-routing inbound calls to mobile numbers or alternate locations.
Staffed with highly trained, super-certified technology support professionals, and based out of our corporate headquarters in Bridgeport, WV. Our skilled team undergoes ongoing, intensive traning in all Citynet services and meet our commitment to providing the best, in fact, award-winning, customer service in the business, bar none.


TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Eastern forces and troops loyal to the Tripoli government battled on the outskirts of Libya's capital on Wednesday as thousands of residents fled the fighting.
The Libyan National Army (LNA) forces of eastern commander Khalifa Haftar held positions in the suburbs about 11 km (7 miles) south of the centre. Steel containers, sand barriers and pickups with mounted machine-guns blocked their way into the city.
The LNA forces moved out of their stronghold in east Libya to take the sparsely-populated but oil-rich south earlier this year, before heading a week ago towards Tripoli, where the internationally recognised government sits.


Help set the performance standard for Canadian snowboarding events.
Competitive freestyle snowboarding is a judged sport. Freestyle snowboard judges are required to provide a very specific set of skills and abilities in order to effectively run freestyle snowboard events, and accurately produce competition results. Judges are responsible for evaluating the performance of each competitor using a set of criteria, comparing each rider's performance against the field of competition and produce a final ranking sorted from best to worst.
The most common types of freestyle snowboard events are Slopestyle, Rail Jams / Sessions, Halfpipe and Big Air.
Please check back here from time to time as we will be adding content, material, resources, pocket guides, and other tools. Please know that all snowboard judges are approachable and should be able to answer any questions you may have about judging during an event, on or off the snow. If they don't have the answer, then contact the regional Judge Educator or Coordinator in your area by looking under our "Structure" section.
Have a great season, good luck, have fun, and stay healthy!


Address: Migration Institute of Finland, Eerikinkatu 34; Åbo Akademi, Arken, Tehtaankatu 2; more "tba".
International migrations have created new types of connections between sending, receiving and third countries and have created many transnational practices and linkages. The mobility of individuals and groups, and their associated cultural practices and institutions have been and still are widely debated in migration scholarship. Questions relating to migrant integration in a new social context are again acute due to the growth of international mobility.
Finns in Finland and elsewhere have had their own share of these phenomena in the remote past, as well as in the present day. The largest waves of emigration from Finland were to North America at the turn of the 20th century and to Sweden during the 1960s and 1970s. Since then, Finns have increasingly moved to new destinations in Europe and worldwide. The backgrounds and experiences of Finnish migrants have been diverse.
The aim of the conference is to gather scholars, experts, and others interested in the destinies and experiences of Finns and Finnish related people in North America, Northern Europe, and other regions where Finns have settled. We welcome contributions from various disciplines, including cultural and art studies, geography, history, linguistics and sociology.
The series of FinnForums started in 1974 in Duluth, Minnesota. FinnForum XI is organized jointly by the Migration Institute of Finland, the John Morton Center for North American Studies and the Department of European and World History at the University of Turku, and the Åbo Akademi University.
Professor Thomas DuBois, University of Wisconsin-Madison: "Recalling—Reconstituting—Migration: Sami Americans and The Immigrant Experience"
Professor Marlou Schrover, University of Leiden: "Transnationalism: theory and Practice from a Historical Perspective"
Director General Jussi Nuorteva, National Archive of Finland: "In Search of Eldorado - What Archives Tell about The Finns Looking for a better future from abroad"
Professor Timothy Heleniak, Nordregio, Stockholm, "The Cool Embrace: Recent Migration Trends into the Nordic Region"


I'm really trying to stick to a skincare routine a little more than usual although the usual isn't really that bad. I love a good cleanser but sometime skip face mask (still been skipping them, oops) and serums but I'm working on it. I think putting in a little more effort can really make the world of difference and adding a few extra steps has meant getting lots of lovely compliment on my skin so today I am sharing a few of my current favourites.
My current cleanser of choice is the Radical Hydrating Cleanser and I feel like I've been raving about it for months now but it's just my favourite pampering cleanser that my skin loves too. A completley new product to my skincare regime has been the Rodial Super Acids x-treme pore shrink cleansing pads, which Rodial claim do pretty much everything from cleansing the face and removing makeup to improving hydration and reducing pore size. I use these after I have cleansed to make sure everything has been removed and find it's helped reduce blemishes whilst keeping my skin hydrated. I haven't been using them for too long so haven't seen much difference in pore size but think they are a great addition for anyone especially someone who has a slightly lazier take on skincare.
My moisturiser of choice has been the Ole Henriksen Truth Creme Advance Hydration as I really help it helps balance out my dehydrate skin, isn't too heavy and sinks into the skin almost immediately. That said I don't love the smell, it smells of oranges but with a slightly off-ness to it although it's years within its use-by date and I only recently opened it. I've done a whole blog post on the Sarah Chapman Morning Facial here but it really does give my skin a beautiful glow no matter how I feel in the morning.
Everything I've spoken is a little on the higher end of the price scale but I just haven't tried any drugstore skincare in a while. I would love some recommendations in the comments!
With the sales finally started I thought I would pick my favourite beauty items that have been discounted. They are old favourites, new discoveries of my own or products top of my own wishlist.
It's no secret that I adore the Juicy Couture Perfumes and I can't get over how much of a bargain this one is! It's not very often you can a good quality perfume for less than £40 and especially not under £20! Perfect summer scent, I own this and have been using it loads.
Not really the most generous of discounts especially as it is an expensive product to begin with however I have heard this is one of the best fake tans going, just a little out of my price range.
I love Nuxe and actually have been using this cream for a while now, its ideal for anyone with very dry skin but looking for something that isn't too heavy or going to irritate their skin.
I've fallen in love with this recently and although it's reasonable priced to begin with the discount means it would simply be rude to not add one (or three) to your basket.
This set comes with the classic Benefit Hoola Bronzer and They're Real Mascara which alone retail for £40 and since both products are amazing it makes this a bargain! I also think the smaller size primers are ideal to travel with.
I used this tan a while back and it offers a beautiful natural looking tan and the discount helps make this expensive tan a little more affordable.
Tweezerman Tweezers aren't cheap and I wasn't too sure they were worth the money initially but they are life changing, nothing else I have ever tried compares to these. They make what I usually find to be a chore, much easier and less painful. Since this set comes with a mirror for just £12 I think it's very reasonable, I also know it's a slightly christmasy print but I don't think that should be a problem.
This is a favourite with most and an excellent body cream but at the normal £13 it isn't the most inexpensive which is why it's a great time to stock up. They aren't all discount but there are still some great ones to chose from.
What Sale Beauty items have you picked up recently?
A while ago I fell in love with the Rodial bathing balm, it is ultimate in luxury bathing. It smells amazing, has beautiful packaging, provides a gorgeously relaxing amount of bubbles and has a price tag to prove it. £35 is a little more expensive than my usual Radox bubble baths so I soon tucked it away for special occasion when I really needed a pamper.
Recently I discovered The Body Shop HoneyMania Bubble Bath Melt which is a more affordable but still luxurious, smells A-mazing and leaves the bath filled with bubbles. Although I still think there is something a little more luxurious about the Rodial Balm, I think The Body Shop HoneyMania is a great alternative. If you are looking for a bath which smells of honey and is filled with bubbles this is your product.
What is your favourite luxury bubble bath? Have you tried the Laura Mercier Creme Brulee?


text:
Dan Hardy breaks down UFC Vegas 30 headliner between Ciryl Gane and Alexander Volkov
Dan Hardy recently provided his analysis for the upcoming heavyweight clash between Ciryl Gane and Alexander Volkov. In a recent episode of 'The War Room,' Hardy broke down the bout scheduled to headline UFC Vegas 30.
Watch the episode of The War Room below:
According to Dan Hardy, Alexander Volkov (33-8) will have a huge advantage over Ciryl Gane (8-0), who is comparatively new to MMA. While the former UFC welterweight lauded Ciryl Gane for his mobility at heavyweight, he also admitted that the No.5-ranked Volkov was excellent at using his height and length. Dan Hardy said:
"I mean it could be a very frustrating night for (Alexander) Volkov. You know, where he can't actually find Ciryl Gane the whole time in the Octagon. It might be very frustrating. But I still feel like the experience that Volkov's got, especially in mixed martial arts…I feel like he's gonna be able to force Ciryl Gane into smaller spaces in the Octagon. Force him into a choke point up against the defense panel and maybe make him start to work there."
Dan Hardy wants to see Ciryl Gane under pressure
Ciryl Gane is currently ranked No.3 in the UFC's heavyweight division and is undefeated in his professional career. Gane came into the mixed martial arts scene with a kickboxing pedigree and surprised everyone by earning back-to-back submission victories in his first two UFC outings. Since then, Gane has defeated top-level competition like Tanner Boser, Junior Dos Santos and, most recently, Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
As per UFC analyst Dan Hardy, it's now time to see how Ciryl Gane reacts under adversity. Speaking of the surging French contender, Dan Hardy further said:
"I would like to see Ciryl Gane under pressure. Because someone that's 8-0, we need to see where the limitiation is in his game is right now. I don't want to see him keep climbing up the rankings when we have not found out whether he is really a fully well-rounded mixed martial artist or not. I would rather have him a couple of more fights against some tougher fighters and see if he can really be tested. But the heavyweight division is absolutely electric. And when you pick up a win over someone like JDS and then shut down another top contender like (Jairzinho) Rozenstruik, you are gonna find yourself in these situations."
2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class – Stock Market Pioneer
France have fairly incredible strike force but I have card to play as well, claims Olivier Giroud


The Geography department has a dedicated undergraduate advisor, Fred Chambers. He can assist you with any number of questions concerning the geography major options or minors and act as your guide to your academic progress.
Advising for the university general education requirement, CLAS core requirements, as well as college and university policies and procedures, should be done with Student Advising Services.


OOP! I think i post at the wrong tread, Admin kindly please moving it to the SPORT tread. thanks in advance.
You are good at panning man..
Good panning shots taken. nice to see them here.
Koan wrote: OOP! I think i post at the wrong tread, Admin kindly please moving it to the SPORT tread. thanks in advance.


text:
Hilpertsau ist ein Stadtteil von Gernsbach im Landkreis Rastatt in Baden-Württemberg. Der Teilort liegt südlich von Gernsbach im Tal der Murg. Die Hauptsiedlungfläche befindet sich über einem Gleithang rechts der Murg. Am Ort entlang verlaufen die Bundesstraße 462 sowie die Murgtalbahn, die ins Stadtbahnnetz des Karlsruher Verkehrsverbunds integriert ist.

Geschichte
Die erste urkundliche Erwähnung findet sich im 1339/40 angelegten Lehnbuch des Hochstifts Speyer. Der dort erwähnte Name Hilboltzowe deutet vermutlich auf einen Personenbezug hin. Im Lehnbuch ist Hilpertsau als speyrisches Lehen im Besitz der Grafen von Eberstein verzeichnet. Entsprechende Lehnbriefe liegen jedoch nicht vor. Nach dem Verkauf der halben Grafschaft an die Markgrafen von Baden im Jahr 1387 war das Dorf geteilt zwischen Baden und Eberstein, ab 1505 wurde es gemeinschaftlich durch das badisch-ebersteinische Kondominat verwaltet. 1624 schieden jedoch die Grafen von Eberstein aus, da ihr Teil im Rufacher Vertrag den Grafen von Wolkenstein und von Gronsfeld zugesprochen wurde. Die Gronsfelder veräußerten ihr Viertel 1673 an den speyrischen Bischof, wogegen der Markgraf von Baden-Baden intervenierte und 1676 in die Kaufverträge von 1673 eintreten konnte. Mit dem Aussterben der schwäbischen Linie der Grafen von Wolkenstein im Jahr 1695 gelangte auch deren Viertel in badischen Besitz, da es ebenfalls 1673 von den Wolkensteinern dem Bistum Speyer zu Lehen aufgetragen worden war.

Am 1. April 1970 vereinigten sich Hilpertsau und Obertsrot. Am 1. Juli 1974 wurde die Gemeinde Obertsrot in die Stadt Gernsbach eingemeindet.

Politik
Der Ortschaftsrat Obertsrot ist neben dem Gemeinderat ein eigenständiges Gremium für Angelegenheiten in Obertsrot und Hilpertsau. Vorsitzender dieses Gremiums ist der Ortsvorsteher.

Wappen

Das Hilpertsauer Wappen führt in Blau ein geschliffenes silbernes Kreuz, belegt mit einem silbernen Herzschild, darin eine blaubesamte rote Rose, die das Wappen der Grafen von Eberstein darstellt.

Sehenswürdigkeiten

Von Hilpertsau führt der Kunstweg am Reichenbach nach Reichental.

Bauwerke
Als technische Besonderheit gibt es in Hilpertsau eine Hochspannungsleitung in einer seltenen Sonderbauweise, die Kompaktfreileitung Hilpertsau-Weisenbach.

Literatur
 Landesarchivdirektion Baden-Württemberg, Landkreis Rastatt und Landesmedienzentrum Baden-Württemberg (Hrsg.): Kreisbeschreibungen des Landes Baden-Württemberg – Der Landkreis Rastatt. Jan Thorbecke Verlag, Stuttgart 2002. Band 2, ISBN 3-7995-1364-7, S. 114–116.

Weblinks

 Hilpertsau – Stadt Gernsbach

Einzelnachweise

Geographie (Gernsbach)
Ort im Landkreis Rastatt
Ehemalige Gemeinde (Landkreis Rastatt)
Ersterwähnung 1339
Gemeindeauflösung 1970
Ort an der Murg (Nordschwarzwald)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


There isn't anything that I have ordered that is not beautiful, and I am so pleased to work with thi..
Very beautiful necklace, great luster and a great buy.
Very beautiful necklace, great luster and a great buy. ..


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Elon Musk hopes to put a computer chip in your brain. Who wants one? – CNN
e-News.US Science-Tech
Musk hopes the implant, created by his brain-computer interface startup Neuralink, could one day help quadriplegics control smartphones, and perhaps even endow users with a sort of telepathy. Like existing brain-machine interfaces, it would collect electrical signals sent out by the brain and interpret them as actions.
Neuralink, which was founded in 2016, has already tested an early, wired version of this implant in rats (and Musk indicated it has enabled a monkey to control a computer with his brain, too); Musk said human trials could start by the end of next year, though the company doesn't yet have approval from the US Food and Drug Administration for such a study. (And, it should be noted, Musk, who is also CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has a history of making outlandish technological claims: for instance, the he said in a recent interview that getting humans to Mars in 4 years "sounds doable.")
Neuralink's promise of a brain-connected device that looks as nondescript as a hearing aid — the kind of thing you could hide with hair or a hat — is exciting to scientists who have spent years working on this technology.
"The general idea and their motivation, I think, are spot on," said Andrew Schwartz, a professor of neurobiology at the University of Pittsburgh and pioneer in the brain-machine interface field.
And, in fact, a number of experts told CNN Business that Neuralink could, in the coming years, be a boon for people with conditions such as quadriplegia, enabling increased independence and ushering potentially life-transforming technology out of the lab and into the real world.
But will it be, as Musk envisions, the kind of device that the average person will one day sign up for, too? Probably not, Schwartz and other experts who spoke with CNN Business agreed.
How a brain chip could help
The idea of a brain-machine interface is not new; scientists have been working on them for decades, and they have been implanted and tested in animals such as monkeys as well as in people. There are some FDA-approved deep-brain stimulation devices meant for, among other things, controlling tremors in people with Parkinson's disease, and several tech companies have worked on their own methods for connecting the brain to computers: Facebook, for instance, has worked on a non-invasive device to let you send text messages by thinking.
Yet these efforts tend to be confined to labs for a number of reasons: they're expensive, bulky, require training (of both the user and the computer), and, when it comes to an under-the-skull implant, the person outfitted with it generally must be physically tethered to a computer for it to work.
Virginia de Sa, a professor studying brain-computer interfaces at the University of California San Diego, said several of Neuralink's ideas sound "very promising," such as the use of very fine wires to implant electrodes in the brain — the thinner they are, she said, the less damage they'll do to the brain, and, hopefully, the longer they'll last.
Schwartz sees the potential in Neuralink's design, particularly its plans to miniaturize the components of the implant, make it wireless, and improve the electrode technology.
He believes the wireless aspect of it is key, noting that getting FDA approval for such an implant includes a risk assessment, and the riskiest part of today's brain-computer interfaces involves a connector that comes through the patient's skin to link the implant to a computer.
"By removing that whole thing, it becomes a much safer technology," he said, as it reduces the risk of an infection in the patient.
Neuralink president Max Hodak said during the presentation that the company's plan for its first product includes it being able to control mobile devices and a keyboard or mouse, though he noted that, as of now, "these are aspirations."
It doesn't sound outlandish, though. Schwartz has already worked with systems that can let paralyzed patients pick up objects with a robotic hand and even get some sensory feedback (Musk said Tuesday that Neuralink's device would also be able to both read brain signals and send feedback). He can imagine that, some day in the future, a person with a severe impairment who is outfitted with a device such as the one Neuralink outlined could become much more autonomous.
A paralyzed person, for instance, would still be sitting in a wheelchair, he said, but perhaps they'd be able to drive it by thinking rather than using a joystick, and even control a prosthetic arm connected to the chair as well.
"They could potentially do their own laundry," he said.
It's still brain surgery
During his presentation, Musk said Neuralink aims to make the surgery for the company's implant "equivalent to a LASIK type of thing where you sit down, a machine does its thing, and you can walk away within a few hours," all without a hospital stay.
He spoke about the wires that would be implanted under a person's skull as threads; a robot for implanting them would bypass blood vessels and cause "minimal trauma," he claimed.
It sounds simpler than the way people receive implants today. Essentially, as things work now, the skull is cut open, the brain is exposed, chips are installed, connectors are mounted to the skull, and the head is stitched up.
Yet the reality is that implanting a device underneath the skull will remain brain surgery. Neuralink acknowledges it will still need to bore a hole in your skull, for instance.
"It's still surgery; it's still risky," de Sa said. "People can die in even the simplest surgeries."
Beyond the risks of a medical procedure, there are security concerns, too. Nataliya Kosmina, a postdoctoral associate at the MIT Media Lab, said she "freaked out" when she saw the portion of the presentation in which Neuralink president Max Hodak mentioned that the implant is meant to be controlled with an iPhone app; she pointed out that someone hacking into such an app could be far more dangerous than if they were to, say, hack your bank account.
"As much time and effort as we're all going to spend to make these kinds of devices and implants accessible and safe and put them out there, we would need to spend the same amount of time and energy on first, ethical issues, and second, privacy and security," she said.
Who will want one?
For now, Neuralink said it is working on a brain chip to help with serious medical conditions, but Musk eventually wants it to appeal to all kinds of people. Several experts said they can't envision most people clamoring for Neuralink's brain chip, however.
"It's really like a sort of a science-fiction vision that gets some people excited about it, but I don't see the market for something like that," said Andrew Hires, an assistant professor of neurobiology at USC. "The technological development would have to go so far beyond what would currently be capable with a device like this."
Schwartz agreed, saying that while scientists can decode fairly complex brain signals related to, say, how we move our hands and fingers, they are just starting to understand things such as how to apply force to objects or manipulate them in the real world.
When it comes to more futuristic applications of the technology to things like thought transmission, memory enhancement or working with artificial intelligence, he said, "we're nowhere close to understanding anything like that."
Source : Link
chip • Computer • Elon • Hopes • Musk
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CHIANG RAI, Thailand (Reuters) - As a search in Thailand for 12 boys and their soccer coach missing inside a flooded cave entered a sixth day on Friday, police dropped survival packages through a shaft drilled in the mountainside not knowing if anyone was there.
The fate of the boys, aged between 11 and 16, and their 25-year old coach has gripped the country since they went missing on Saturday after they decided to explore the 10-km (6 mile) long Tham Luang cave complex in Chiang Rai province, despite warnings that the maze of passages and chambers is prone to flooding.
Bicycles and soccer shoes belonging to the boys were found near the entrance, and rescue workers think muddy handprints inside the cave could have been left by the group.
But the search has yielded no other trace.
International rescue teams, including one sent by the United States Pacific Command, are helping the Thai military and police in a search that has been hampered by heavy rain.
Police have been scouring mountain slopes above the cave in search of other ways in as divers tried to find their way through the flooded passages.
Twenty packages filled with water, food, medicine, flashlights and a note for the missing team were dropped down a fissure in the cave, police said.
Unsure of the boys' location, they hoped the boxes would reach them.
"If the children find this box we want them to float the box out of the cave," police Colonel Kraiboon Sotsong told reporters.
There has been an outpouring of support for the missing 13.
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha visited the site on Friday to urge on the rescuers and assure relatives keeping vigil that every effort was being made.
A group of school children has posted a video on Facebook featuring a song they wrote for the missing boys.
"Heavens please have mercy ... Please let them be safe, I pray to Mae Nang Non, please have mercy," the children sang, pleading to a deity, known as Mae Nang Non, who is believed to protect the Tham Luang cave.
Thailand is predominantly Buddhist and while it is hurtling toward modernity, animist beliefs and superstitions exert a strong influence over many people.
Several hashtags have appeared on Twitter in support of the 13 including "don't give up", "stay strong" and "13 Hope".
International soccer clubs, including the British teams Liverpool and Chelsea, have also expressed concern for the boys.
"Our hearts are in Tham Luang. We're praying for the boys and every rescue officer to return home safely. YNWA," wrote Liverpool, referring to its "You'll Never Walk Alone" anthem.


Microsoft Excel is prone to a remote code-execution vulnerability. Attackers may exploit this issue by enticing victims into opening a maliciously crafted Excel file ('.xls'). Successful exploits may allow attackers to execute arbitrary code with the privileges of the user running the application. This may facilitate a compromise of vulnerable computers.
Microsoft released fixes and an advisory to address this issue. Please see the references for more information. NOTE: On March 13, 2008, Microsoft updated security bulletin MS08-014. The vendor reported that some users may experience problems caused by this update. An issue in this update may lead to incorrect results from Excel calculations where a Real Time Data source is used in a user-defined Visual Basic for Applications function. Customers using Microsoft Excel 2003 Service Pack 2 or Service Pack 3 with a Real Time Data source for a user-defined Visual Basic for Applications function are advised to test additions before deploying this update. The vendor recommends considering the workarounds in security bulletin MS08-014 if this update cannot be deployed because of this issue.