text:
Soil: Too wet? Too cold?
Gloria Hafemeister
The term 'recreation tillage' pops up in more and more conversations among farmers in recent years, and when 200 farmers and crop consultants gathered in Wisconsin Dells during the Discovery Farms conference in December, no-till was the topic of many discussions both at the podium and on the meeting floor.
One reason most no-till farmers like the system is that it lowers the cost of production.
Fewer trips across the field with equipment result in less fuel used. Jason Cavadini, agronomist and assistant superintendent, Marshfield Agricultural Research Station, pointed out there are other benefits as well.
'The long-term no-till soil that is firm at the surface but takes in water readily is what we are really trying to achieve,' he said. 'What we see is that farmers, have, for years have been fighting the soil trying to make it do what they want it to do. Here in central Wisconsin, it's what do we do with the water, how do we get it to move off of the surface, how do we get it to drain better.
'If we can figure out a way to manage excess moisture or leave moisture, no-till is worthwhile.'
With help from Cavadini and others, a new group — Central Wisconsin No-Tillers — has been formed.
'A year ago, we had a planter that we were setting up here on the station with different combinations of no-till tools,' Cavadini said. 'We're trying to determine what the best set up is for our soils here. We decided to invite farmers after we finished planting in the spring to tell them what we found with our research planter.'
He said there was a lot of interest, and the group continued to grow.
Cavadini stressed the importance of setting up the no-till equipment properly in order to do the best job. That's where it is beneficial for farmers to share ideas and get out onto the farms to see what is working.
'We feel the closing wheel is the most important thing,' he said.
He presented the Marshfield results of research on several types of systems.
The row-by-row performance comparison of different no-till tool combinations across various planting conditions for two growing seasons revealed several factors.
The lead coulters can cause more damage than good when planting into moist conditions. Short floating row cleaners are ideal as opposed to longer floating or fixed types.
Down pressure must be adjusted frequently, and the most important tool is the closing wheel. Spikes with more surface area work the best.
Spring soil temperature monitoring
'It is often perceived that a major drawback of no-till is colder and wetter soil in spring,' Cavadini said. 'That's why we decided to monitor soil temperatures across various conditions in no-till and conventional systems.'
He said the study found that within 12 hours of planting, the in-row soil temperature at seed depth was consistently within one or two degrees of conventionally tilled fields.
Currently, the Marshfield researchers are looking at whether no-till builds overall health of soil. He pointed out that in a no-till system, manure can be applied earlier in spring than on a conventional field. It is also possible to re-enter a field earlier after a rainfall.
Winter cover crops can also be seeded successfully in late fall. Cover crops add to the diversity of the system and help build soil health, he said.
The research station looked at a production system that involves fall planting tricale as a cover crop and spring harvesting the triticale as forage followed by no-till planted soybeans.
'There is a big benefit to this system,' Cavadini said, 'because it gets a second crop out of limited acres and the triticale provides a high quality feed.'
After a year of the project, they found that cutting as a control measure for cover crops provides effective control while avoiding an additional herbicide application.
'There was no yield penalty for soybeans following triticale as compared to those following no cover crop, even with a shorter maturity,' he said.
Cavadini believes the establishment of the triticale added value to the entire system, and he likes the cover-crop no-till system better than using vertical tillage that he calls 'a crutch'.


text:
Philadelphia Flower Show 2021 Preview and Visit Tips | Home & Garden
Raised in Lancaster
COVID-19 (New Coronavirus Infection)
More gardens (and art)
Over the past year, the outdoors have become a safe haven.
For the first time in almost 200 years, the Philadelphia Flower Show has moved outdoors.
This week, the 15-acre FDR Park is flooded with dozens of gigantic garden exhibits with live canvases exploring the theme of "Habitat: A Masterpiece of Nature."
Past flower show plans may have failed due to snow. This year, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Association's big show has to deal with heat and rain.
Whether it's rainy or sunny, the show will continue until Sunday, June 13.
I checked out the show on the first day of June 4th.
Here is my takeaway 5 exhibits not to be missed For tips on parking and preparing for the weather.
when: The show is open until Sunday, June 13th. Tickets are divided into morning (10 am to 2 pm) and afternoon (2 pm to 7 pm).
tickets: Tickets are $ 45 for adults, $ 30 for 18-29 years and $ 20 for children 5-17 years. Early morning tickets, including a 2-hour guided tour before the public release, are also optional.
information: theflowershow.com Or 215-988-8800
Dozens of planters in the park were made in Lancaster.
BloomBox, a Lancaster company, was given a simple theme. It's about making it colorful, says founder and co-owner David Zablocki.
The BloomBox team assembled the planter a few weeks ago. Many arrangements have tall taro, or elephant ears.
"They are huge, majestic tropical leaves that get your attention," says Zabroki.
Erin Negley | Staff
There are two types of planters arranged for BloomBox. Some are tall and black, and the signs include a QR code that you can scan. Each of these planters will be delivered to the winners. The other BloomBox planters come in two light-colored tall metal drums. Many of these are in the design district.
The company is a sponsor and has exhibits full of plants and stolen goods near the entrance to the flower show.
The show follows Philadelphia's latest mask rules. Fully vaccinated people are recommended, but they do not need to wear a mask outdoors and should wear a mask indoors. Those who have not been vaccinated are requested to wear a mask except when eating or drinking.
The show takes place outdoors and is hot and rainy this week.
Get ready this week, just as you were ready for the winter flower show.
Umbrellas play a dual role, whether in the hot sun or in the rain.
Wearing a raincoat allows you to explore the park while your body is dry. On the first day of opening, several vendors were selling ponchos.
If there is lightning in the area, it is advisable to evacuate to the boathouse (especially) The thunder scene of "Elephant's Who Me Dead".Another great spot to hide from the rain is a garden full of award-winning plants, botanical illustrations and fun miniatures.
Keep flashy shoes at home. You are roaming a 15-acre park. And you'll be roaming the rain-soaked ground with thousands of people. Within hours of the opening day, things were already messed up and muddy.
For decades, the Flower Show was next to Reading Terminal Market. If it was a staple food spot, things would be different this year.
There is no re-entry. If you plan to dine at the show, there are food and drink stalls throughout the park. There is a beer garden in the shade of a tree. The boathouse has seated meals and you can also order picnic meals.
Drinks can bring their own water, but there is no place to refill a bottle of water. If you don't want to mess with bulky bottles in your bag for hours, leave them at home.
Even though I've been to flower shows for years and have my favorite parking lot, this year the flower show has changed. Located in South Philadelphia's FDR Park, near Wells Faro Center and Citizens Bank Park.
If you are driving 3 official parking options::
1561-1999 Pattison Avenue Navy Hospital Division (1,500 people)
Lot T (capacity 1,001) and Lot U (capacity 1,086) in Citizens Bank Park
Wells Fargo Center Lots A (capacity 359) and B (capacity 359)
Visitors are urged not to use street parking in the nearby neighborhood.
Prior to the coronavirus infection, the show mobilized 250,000 people in a week. Also, this year's Flower Show features Phillies baseball games almost every day. After seeing the capacity of those plots, I decided to park at the SEPTA Regional Rail stop and take the Broad Street Line. It was convenient, uncrowded and about the same price as the $ 20 parking fee.
You can see SEPTA station and parking lot from the park entrance. There is a pick-up service.
If you're taking an Uber, Lyft, or taxi, head to the show entrance on Broad Street and Pattison Street.
Receive a free garden passport at the show and continue exploring the plants in the area.
Greater Philadelphia Gardens 37 public gardensEach garden has a different passport stamp. You will have the chance to fill out your passport and win prizes. The flower show will be stamped with a special stamp at the Garden District group booth. You can also pick up your passport in the public garden or download it at the following URL: americasgardencapital.org..
Until the end of June, the Burns Foundation "Burns in Bloom" Still lifes and landscapes of Matisse, Renoir, Cezanne, Soutine, Monet, Manet and Rousseau flowers are on display. 2025 Visit the Benjamin Franklin Parkway Museum. There is also a virtual tour ($ 15) on June 19th and June 23rd. lanc.news/BarnesFlower..
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Inflower, Garden, Home, Philadelphia, Preview, Show, Tips, Visit
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Peace Palace Library | The Netherlands
Vrede van Munster – county hall – I
Photograph of an engraving of the council chamber of the City Hall of Münster. In this boardroom the Peace of Münster was signed between the Dutch Republic an the Kingdom of Spain on 30 January 1648, and officially ratified in Münster on 15 May 1648. With this treaty, the United Netherlands finally became independent from the […]
Vrede van Münster – raadzaal – II
Photograph of the council chamber of the City Hall of Münster. In this room the Peace of Münster was signed between the Dutch Republic an the Kingdom of Spain on 30 January 1648, and officially ratified in Münster on 15 May 1648. With this treaty, the United Netherlands finally became independent from the Spanish Crown.
Dutch Independency 1813-1913
A school board published by the Council of Amsterdam on the occasion of the centenary of the Dutch Independency 1813-1913. The central image depicts the arrival of Prince William of Orange at Scheveningen on 30 November 1813. The image is framed with decorated panels containing the names of kings and queens of the Netherlands and names […]
Volksherstel. Nederland zal herrijzen
Poster communicating the reconstruction of The Netherlands with the slogan "Volksherstel" and "Nederland zal herrijzen". The reconstruction of The Netherlands started during World War II, after the bombing of Rotterdam (Rotterdam Blitz) in may 1940, but mainly took place after World War II. Image: mirrored woman's face. One face is looking upwards, the other is […]
Zie de wereld. Pak aan in Indië. Neem dienst!
Recruitment poster for voluntary service in Indonesia. Image: a lion standing on a globe blowing a trumpet against a yellow background.
Wordt voor hem lid van de Band Nederland Indonesië
Poster with a call to join "Band Nederlands Indonesië", an organisation to support the Dutch soldiers in Indonesia. Image: Bright yellow colored poster with a Dutch soldier standing on a globe in front of an Indonesian landscape. Around the globe a circle with letters, parcels, records, books, radio and turntable. At the bottom of the circle a homely […]
Wilhelmo Henrico Priniciplauriacum ob Fugatos Hostes et Republicam Restitutam
17th century engraving by Gérard Lairesse. Image: Allegory in honour of William III, Prince of Orange, after his victorious campaign of 1673. Figure of Hercules to the left of the Maid of the Netherlands, who is surrounded by the 7 Maids of the Provinces.
Vrouwen Vredesgang Rotterdam 17 mei
Poster to announce the Women's Yearly Peace March in Rotterdam. Image: Black and blue colored image of a woman with child standing on a globe in front of a war cemetery and looking up to the sky while war planes are flying over.
Vrouwen spreken tot u
Poster with an invitation for a lecture organised by the Women of Ravensbrück Committee. Image: Charcoal or graphite drawing of a female figure with a child. The child reaches his arms out to the woman holding flowers in his left hand. In the background stands a group of women.
Voor hen die alles gaven. Stichting 1940-1945
Fundraising poster published by the Dutch Foundation 1940-1945 to raise funds for victims of World War II. Image: a beige colored image with in the center a window with bars, barbed wire and daisies. Through the window a bright sun is seen.
United. The United Nations fight for Freedom
Urgence, Les Droit de L'Homme
V=Victorie
Vecht mee tegen Vetlap J.
Vereenigde Naties. Elkaar begrijpen - in vrede leven
Guignol à Lausanne. Derso et Kelèn. (07)


text:
var expect = require("chai").expect;
var bcrypt = require("bcryptjs");

var Waterline = require('waterline');
var waterlineConfig = require('../config/waterline');
var userCollection = require('./user');
var subjectCollection = require('./subject');

var User;

before(function (done) {
    // ORM indítása
    var orm = new Waterline();

    orm.loadCollection(Waterline.Collection.extend(userCollection));
    orm.loadCollection(Waterline.Collection.extend(subjectCollection));
    waterlineConfig.connections.default.adapter = 'memory';

    orm.initialize(waterlineConfig, function(err, models) {
        if(err) throw err;
        User = models.collections.user;
        done();
    });
});

describe('UserModel', function () {

    function getUserData() {
        return {
                neptun: 'abcdef',
                password: 'jelszo',
                surname: 'Gipsz',
                forename: 'Jakab',
                avatar: '',
        };
    }

    beforeEach(function (done) {
        User.destroy({}, function (err) {
            done();
        });
    });

    it('should be able to create a user', function () {
        return User.create(getUserData())
        .then(function (user) {
            expect(user.neptun).to.equal('abcdef');
            expect(bcrypt.compareSync('jelszo', user.password)).to.be.true;
            expect(user.surname).to.equal('Gipsz');
            expect(user.forename).to.equal('Jakab');
            expect(user.avatar).to.equal('');
        });
    });

    it('should be able to find a user', function() {
        return User.create(getUserData())
        .then(function(user) {
            return User.findOneByNeptun(user.neptun);
        })
        .then(function (user) {
            expect(user.neptun).to.equal('abcdef');
            expect(bcrypt.compareSync('jelszo', user.password)).to.be.true;
            expect(user.surname).to.equal('Gipsz');
            expect(user.forename).to.equal('Jakab');
            expect(user.avatar).to.equal('');
        });
    });

    it('should be able to update a user', function() {
        var newAvatar = 'http://example.com/apple.gif';

        return User.create(getUserData())
        .then(function(user) {
            var id = user.id;
            return User.update(id, { avatar: newAvatar });
        })
        .then(function (userArray) {
            var user = userArray.shift();
            expect(user.neptun).to.equal('abcdef');
            expect(bcrypt.compareSync('jelszo', user.password)).to.be.true;
            expect(user.surname).to.equal('Gipsz');
            expect(user.forename).to.equal('Jakab');
            expect(user.avatar).to.equal(newAvatar);
        });

    });

    [
        {name: 'surname', value: ''},
        {name: 'forename', value: ''},
        {name: 'neptun', value: ''},
        {name: 'password', value: ''},
        {name: 'role', value: ''},
        {name: 'avatar', value: 'wrong'},
    ].forEach(function (attr) {
        it('should throw error for invalid data: ' + attr.name, function () {
        var userData = getUserData();

        userData[attr.name] = attr.value;

        expect(User.create(userData)).to.throw;
        });
    });

    describe('#validPassword', function() {
        it('should return true with right password', function() {
             return User.create(getUserData()).then(function(user) {
                 expect(user.validPassword('jelszo')).to.be.true;
             })
        });
        it('should return false with wrong password', function() {
             return User.create(getUserData()).then(function(user) {
                 expect(user.validPassword('titkos')).to.be.false;
             })
        });
    });
});

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Deaf Parenting UK (DPUK) > Services > Conferences > Conference 2008
Flash Player required
You must download the latest flash player to view the flash BSL video.
Click here to download the free flash player.
Deaf Parenting Conference 2008: Enabling, empowering and supporting Deaf parents
Department of Health, Department of Children, School and Families, Equality and Human Right Commission made their pledges to address the needs of Deaf Parents.
The pledges were made at the Deaf Parenting Conference 2008 in Birmingham on Saturday 4th October 2008 where many Deaf parents, professionals/ services providers working with Deaf parents challenged the Government on the needs of Deaf parents in accessing to services without barriers. The event was filmed by Remark! Production for Channel Five and for this website.
To learn more about the conference 2008, see the following information:
Speakers biography
Welcome from Chair of Deaf Parenting UK
Deaf Cultural Centre transport link and car park
Channel Five Trailer Video explaining what Deaf Parenting UK do (and transcript in Word)
Conference 2008 Video & Transcripts (word)
Chauhdry Abdul Rashid JP, The Lord Mayor of Birmingham
(Video and transcript in Word)
Sabina Iqbal, Chair/Founder of Deaf Parenting UK
Maria Miller MP, Shadow Minister for the Family
Councillor Margaret Sutton, Birmingham City Council
Professor Ulrike Zeshan, Deaf Parenting UK Ambassador
Yasmin Kovic, Safeguarding Advisor: Deaf children and young people, NSPCC
Louise Fitzergerald, Senior Early Years Educator at a Deaf school
Natalie Salmon, Head of Equality and Diversity, Nursing & Midwifery Council
Professor Alys Young – Closing Summary of the conference including feedback from each workshop – Dept of Health, Dept of Children, School & Families and Jackie Driver from Equality and Human Right Commission (Video and transcript in Word)
DPUK Annual Conference Summary of workshop and pledge – Workshop Contents and pledges 2008 (PDF)
Feedback from delegates on the conference 2008:
Chauhdry Abdul Rashid JP, The Lord Mayor of Birmingham opened the conference and although, sign language is a beautiful language and coming from an Asian background whose first language is not English, he stressed that "it is vital for many Deaf parents to access to the most basic services around maternity care, parenting skills classes, midwives or health visitors, as well as childcare, nursery or participate in primary and secondary school life." He also gave examples of "Deaf pregnant woman who receive maternity care but didn't get adequate support from midwife/ nurse were not Deaf aware or able to use British Sign Language (BSL). So how can midwife/nurse explain to the Deaf woman about the pregnancy stages and choices around labour and birth, enabling Deaf parents to be to make informed decision? How can Deaf fathers/ partners get into the labour/maternity ward that has intercom but unable to get in?
Speaking of DDA and equality, enabling Deaf parents to enjoy family lives without barriers, is there any information out there for parents in general that are accessible for Deaf parents? Are those information available in Plain English with BSL on DVD or with vast technology, BSL onto website as more and more information are available on-line via website?"
He concluded in his speech: "Deaf parents should be treated equally without discrimination as any other parents given that we are living in multi-cultural, multi-faith and multi-racial society, it is important for service providers to understand and find effective ways of how they can communicate and support Deaf parents? British Sign Language (BSL) is a beautiful language and like any other languages, service providers have the responsibility to ensure arrangements is in place to book BSL interpreter to meet the needs of Deaf parents (usually via PALS – Patient Advice Liaison Services). I would like to wish Deaf Parenting UK for their continued success in championing the needs of Deaf parents.
Maria Miller, Shadow Minister for the Family: "Deaf Parenting UK understands the challenges that parents who are Deaf or hard of hearing face on a daily basis. The Conference highlighted the importance of always considering the needs of children in the context of their family, not in isolation. Charitable organisations such as Deaf Parenting UK have a critical role to play helping support Deaf and hard of hearing parents and helping to deliver the specific support they need."
Lyn Frith – Director CSPIRe Ltd: "The Deaf Parenting UK National Conference was, in my view, a highly inspirational event which effectively raised awareness of the challenges faced by Deaf parents. The input from keynote speakers was highly informative and provided examples of good practice that we can all aspire to. Congratulations to DPUK for a great conference."
Deborah Jamieson, Head of Children, Families & Social Inclusion Programme Department of Health: "I really enjoyed participating in the conference, and it highlighted the need to ensure that Deaf Parenting UK are included in parent focus groups and are kept informed of new developments. My impression is that the conference was successful and provided a good opportunity to engage with an important parent group."
Jackie Driver, Head of Policy, Equality and Human Right Commission: "This year's Deaf Parenting UK conference was a great success. It brought together D/Deaf parents and service providers and hosted opportunities to share understanding and explore solutions to the barriers many D/Deaf parents face in accessing services. The Equality and Human Rights Commission, itself charged with delivering greater equality, human rights and good relations for all citizens were delighted to be asked to address the conference and take away key learning points that will help us deliver our objectives more inclusively. We wish Parenting UK every success in meeting their own objectives and look forward to working together in future joint initiatives to help improve the life experiences of Deaf parents."
Natalie Salmon, Head of Equality and Diversity, The Nursing and Midwifery Council: "It was a pleasure and privilege to speak at the Deaf Parenting UK conference on Saturday. It was one of the most inclusive, interesting and informative conferences I have attended. It was incredibly valuable to learn more about the innovative and much needed work of Deaf Parenting UK. I hope the NMC is able to continue working with Deaf Parenting in the future."
Carolyn Denmark, Deaf Parent: "it is good to know that Deaf parents felt the day was beneficial and to share their experiences although I feel there should be more opportunity for Deaf parent to share their concerns and views of current services in the area, and what training they would like to receive in the near future.
I thought it was a big breakthrough for Deaf Parenting UK as so many things have been achieved in the last 12 months and seeing more people are involved and its publicity, I can see the flag flying up high, thanks to the staff and trustees for making this happening. "
Stuart Harrison, Deaf Parent: "The DPUK Conference was an excellent opportunity for Deaf parents to interface directly with professional service providers to make them aware the needs of Deaf parents."


Yesterday we said goodbye to Lion Debbie Laws who passed away way in April. More than 100 were in attendance with many friends and acquaintances sharing stories and honoring her service and friendship. We will miss you Debbie.


B.B. Guzina and A.I. Madyarov (2005). "On the spectral analysis of Love waves", Bull. Seism. Soc. Amer., 95, 1150-1169.
http://bojanguzina.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/BoanGuzinaLogo1-300x138.png 0 0 bojan-admin http://bojanguzina.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/BoanGuzinaLogo1-300x138.png bojan-admin2005-01-10 07:07:562016-05-10 20:24:52B.B. Guzina and A.I. Madyarov (2005). "On the spectral analysis of Love waves", Bull. Seism. Soc. Amer., 95, 1150-1169.


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Learn more about U-Haul truck rentals in Ontario by visiting our U-Haul Truck page.


text:
Tag: AI
Images Matter!
May 20, 2022 November 25, 2022 Merve Hickok
AI in Translation
You often hear the phrase "words matter": words help us to construct mental images in our minds, and to make sense of the world around us. Yet, in the same framing, "images matter" too. How we depict the state of technology (imagined, current or future) visually and verbally, helps us position ourselves in relation to what is already there and what is coming.
The way these technologies are visualized and expressed in combination tells us what an emerging technology looks like, and how we should expect to interact with it. If AI is always depicted as white, gendered robots, the majority of AI systems we interact with in reality around the clock go unnoticed. What we do not notice, we cannot react to. When we do not react, we become part of the flow in the dominant (and presently incorrect) narrative. This is why we need better images of AI, as well as a language overhaul.
These issues are not limited to the english-speaking world alone. I have recently been asked to give a lecture at a Turkish university on artificial intelligence and the future of work. Over the years I have presented on this and similar topics (AI and the future of the workplace, the future of HR) on a number of occasions. As an AI ethicist and lecturer, I also frequently discuss the uses of AI in human resources, workplace datafication and employee/candidate surveillance. The difference this time? I was asked to hold the lecture in Turkish.
Yes, it is my native language. However, for more than 15 years, I have been using English in my day-to-day professional interactions. In English, I can talk about AI and ethics, bias, social justice, and policy for hours. When discussing the same topics in Turkish though I need to use a dictionary to translate some of the technical terminology. So, during my preparations for this presentation, I went down the rabbit hole: specifically one concerning how connected biases in language and images impact overarching narratives of artificial intelligence.
Gender and Race Bias in Natural Language Models
In 2017 Caliskan, Bryson and Narayan explored in their pioneering work that semantics (meaning of words) derived automatically from language corpora contain human-like biases. The authors showed that natural language models, built by parsing of large corpora derived from internet, reflect the human and societal gender and racial biases. The evidence was shown in word embeddings, which is a method of representation where the words that have the same meaning or tend to be used together are mapped closer to each other on a vector in a high-dimensional space. In other words, they are hidden patterns of word co-occurrence statistics of language corpora, which include grammatical and semantic information. Caliskan et al share that the thesis behind word embeddings is that words that are closer together in the vector space are semantically closer in some sense. The research showed for example, Google Translate converts occupations in Turkish sentences in gendered ways – even though Turkish language is gender-neutral:
"O bir doktor. O bir hemsire." to these English sentences: "He is a doctor. She is a nurse." Or "O bir profesör. O bir öğretmen" to these English sentences "He's a professor. She is a teacher."
Such results reflect the gender stereotypes within the language models themselves. Such subtle changes have serious consequences. NLP tasks such as keyword search and match, translation, web search, or text generation/recognition/analysis can be embedded in systems that make decisions on hiring, university admission, immigration applications, law enforcement interactions, etc.
Google Translate, after a patch fix of its models, now gives feminine and masculine binary translations. But 4 years after this patch fix (as of the time of writing), Google Translate still has not addressed non-binary gender translations.
Gender and Race Bias in Search Results
The second seminal work is Dr Safiya Noble's book Algorithms of Oppression, which covers academic research on Google search algorithms, examining search results from 2009 to 2015. Similar to the findings of the above research on language models, Dr Noble argues that the search algorithms are not neutral tools, and they reflect and magnify the race and gender biases that exist in society and the people who create them. She expertly demonstrates how the search results for keywords like "white girls" are significantly different to "Black girls", "Asian girls" or "Hispanic girls" The latter set of words would show images which were exclusively pornography or highly sexualized content. The research brings to the surface the hidden structures of power and bias in widely used tools that shape the narratives of technology and future. Dr Noble writes "racism and sexism are part of the architecture and language of technology[…]We need a full-on re-evaluation of the implications of our information resources being governed by corporate-controlled advertising companies."
Google Search applied another after-the-fact fix to reduce the racy results after Dr Noble's work. However, this also remains a patch fix: the results for "Latina girls" still show majority sexualized images and results for "Hispanic girls" show majority stock photos or Pinterest posts. The results for "Asian girls" seem to remain much the same, associated with pictures tagged as hot, cute, beautiful, sexy, brides.
Gender and Race Bias in Search Results for "Artificial Intelligence"
The third work is Better Images of AI, which is a collaboration that I am proud to have helped found and continue supporting as an advisor. A group of like-minded advocates and scholars have been fighting against the false and cliched images of artificial intelligence used in news stories or marketing material about AI.
We have been concerned about how images such as humanoid robots, outstretched robot hands, brains shape the public's perception of what AI systems are and what they are capable of. Such anthropomorphized illustrations not only add to the hype of AI's endless miracles, but they also stop people questioning the ubiqutious AI systems embedded in their smart phones, laptops, fitness trackers, home appliances – to name but a few. They hinder the perception of consumers and citizens. This means that the conversations in mainstream tend to be stuck at 'AI is going to take all of our jobs away,' or 'AI will be the end of humanity' and as such the current societal and environmental harms and implications of some AI systems are not publicly and deeply discussed. Those powerful actors developing or using systems to benefit themselves rather than society are hardly held accountable.
The Better Images of AI collaboration not only challenges the narratives and biases underlying these images, but also provides a platform for artists to share their images in a creative commons repository – in other words, it builds a communal alternative imagination. These images aim to more realistically portray the technology, the people behind it, and point towards its strengths, weaknesses, context and applications. They represent a wider range of humans and human cultures than 'Caucasian businessperson', show realistic applications of AI now, not in some unspecified science-fiction future, don't show physical robotic hardware where there is none and reflect the realistically messy, complex, repetitive and statistical nature of AI systems.
So with that background, back to my story for this article. For part of the lecture, I was preparing discussions surrounding AI and the future of work. I wanted to discuss how execution of different professional tasks were changing with technology, and what that means for the future of certain industries or occupational areas. I wanted to underline that some tasks like repetitive transactions, large scale iterations, standard rule applications are better done with AI – as long as they were the right solution for the context and problem, and were developed responsibly and monitored continuously.
On the flip side, certain skills and tasks that include leading, empathizing, creating are to be left to humans–AI systems neither have the capacity or capability, nor should they be entrusted with such tasks. I wanted to add some visuals to the presentation and also check out what is currently being depicted in the search results. I first started with basic keyword searches in English such as 'AI and medical,' 'AI and education,' 'AI and law enforcement' etc. What I saw in the first few examples was depressing. I decided to expand the search to more occupational areas: the search results did not get better. I then wondered what the results might be if I had the same searches but this time in Turkish.
What you see below are the first images that come up in my Google search results for each of these keywords. The images not only continue to reflect the false narratives but in some cases are flat out illogical. Please note that I have only used AI / Yapay Zeka in my search and not 'robot'.
Yapay zeka ve sağlık : AI and medical
In both Turkish and English-speaking worlds, we are to expect white Caucasian male robots to be our future doctors. They will need to wear a shirt, tie and white doctor's coat to keep their metalic bodies warm (apparently no need for masking). They will also need to look at a tablet to process information and make diagnosis or decisions. Their hands and fingers will delicately handle surgical moves. What we should really be caring about medical algorithms right now is the representativeness of the datasets used in building the algorithms, the explainability of how the algorithm made a diagnostic determination, why it is suggesting a certain prescription or course of action, and how some health applications are completely left out of regulatory oversight.
We have already experienced current medical algorithms which result in biased and discriminatory outcomes because of a patient's gender, socioeconomic level or even historical access of certain populations to healthcare. We know of diagnostic algorithms which have embedded code to change a determination due to a patient's race; of false determinations due to the skin color of a patient; of faulty correlations and predictions due to training datasets representing only a portion of the population.
Yapay zeka ve hemşire : AI and Nurse
After seeing the above images I wondered if the results would change if I was more specific about the profession within the medical field. I immediately regretted my decision.
In both results, the Caucasian male robot image changes to a Caucasian female image, reflecting the gender stereotypes across both cultures. The Turkish AI nurse wants you to keep quiet and not cause any disruption or noise. I was not prepared for the English version, a D+ cup wearing robot. Hard to say if the breasts are natural or artificial! This nurse has a Green Cross both on the nurse cap and the bra(?!). The robot is connected to something with yellow cables so probably limited in its physical reach, although there is definitely intention to listen to your chest or heart beat. This nurse will also show you your vitals on an image projected from her chest.
Yapay zeka ve kanun : AI and legal
AI in the legal system is currently one of the most contentious issues in the policy and regulatory discussions. We have already seen a number of use cases where AI systems are used by courts for judicial decisions about recidivism, sentencing or bail, some with results biased against Black people in particular. In the criminal justice field, the use of AI systems for providing investigative assistance and automating decision-making processes for routine administrative paperwork is already in place in many countries. When it comes to images though, these systems, some of which make high-stake decisions that impact fundamental rights, or the existing cases of impacted people are not depicted. Instead we either have a robot touching a blue projection (don't ask why), or a robot holding a wooden gavel. It is not clear from the depiction if the robot will chase you and hammer you down with the gravel, or if this white male looking robot is about to make a judgement about your right to abortion. The glasses which the robot is wearing I presume are to stress that this particular legal robot is well read.
Yapay zeka ve polis : AI and Law Enforcement
Similar to the secondary search I explained above for medical systems, I wanted to go deeper here. I searched for AI and law enforcement. Currently, in a number of countries (including US, EU member states, China, etc) AI systems are used by police to predict crimes which have not happened yet. Law enforcement uses AI in various ways, from evidence analysis to biometric surveillance: from anomaly detection/pattern analysis to license-plate readers; from crowd control to dragnet data collection and aggregation; from voice analysis to social media scanning to drone systems. Although crime data is notoriously biased in terms of race, ethinicity and socioeconomic background, and reflects decades of structural racism and oppression, you could not tell any of that from the image results.
You do not see the picture of Black men wrongfully arrested due to biased and inaccurate facial recognition systems. You do not see hot spots mapped onto predictive policing maps which are heavily surveilled due to the data outcomes. You do not see the law enforcement buying large amounts of data from data-brokers – data that they would otherwise need search warrants to acquire. What you see instead in the English version is another Caucasian male-looking robot working shoulder to shoulder with police SWAT teams – keeping law and order! In the Turkish version, the image result reflects a female police officer who is either being whispered to by an AI system or using an AI system for work. If you are a police officer in Turkey, you are probably safe for the moment as long as your AI system is shaped as a human head circuit.
Yapay zeka ve gazetecilik : AI and journalism
Content and news creation are currently some of the most ubiquitous uses of AI we experience in our daily lives. We see algorithmic systems curating content at news/media channels. We experience the manipulation and ranking of the content in the search results, in the news that we are exposed to, in the social media feeds that we doom scroll. We complain about how disinformation and misinformation (and to a certain extent deepfakes) have become mainstream conversations with real life consequences. Research after research warns us about the dangers of echo chambers created by algorithmic systems, how it leads to radicalization and polarization, and demands accountability from the people who have the power to control their designs.
The image result in Turkish search is interesting in the sense that journalism is still a male occupation. The same looking people work in the field, and AI in this context is a robot of short stature waving an application form to be considered for the job. The robot in English results is slightly more stylish. It even carries a Press card to depict the ethical obligations it has for the profession. You would almost think that this is the journalist working long hours to break an investigative piece, or one risking their life to report from conflict zones.
Yapay zeka ve finans : AI and finance
The finance sector, banking and insurance industries reflect some of the most mature use cases of AI systems. For decades now, banking has been using algorithmic systems for pattern recognition and fraud detection, for credit scoring and credit/loan determinations, for electronic transaction matching to name a few. The insurance industry likewise heavily uses algorithmic systems and big data to determine insurance eligibility, policy premiums and in certain cases claim management. Finance was one of the first industries disrupted by emerging technologies. FinTech created a number of companies and applications to break the hold of major financial institutions on the market. Big banks responded with their own innovations.
So, it is again interesting to see that even with such mature use of AI in a field, robot images are still first in the search results. We do not see the app which you used to transfer funds to your family or friends. Nor the high frequency trading algorithms which currently carry more than 70% of all daily stock exchange transactions. It is not the algorithms which collect hundreds of data points about you from your grocery shopping to GPS locations to make a judgement about your creditworthiness – your trustworthiness. It is not the sentiment analysis AI which scans millions of corporate reporting, public disclosures or even tweets about publicly traded companies and make microsecond judgements on what stocks to buy. It is not the AI algorithm which determines the interest rate and limit on your next credit card or loan application. No, it is the image of another white robot staring at a digital board of what we can assume to be stock prices.
Yapay zeka ve ordu : AI and military
AI and military usE cases are a whole different story in the scheme of AI innovation and policy discussions. AI systems have been used for many years in satellite imagery analysis, pattern recognition, weapon development and simulations etc. The more recent debates intertwine geopolitics with an AI arms race. This indeed should keep all of us awake at night. The importance of autonomous lethal weapons (LAWs) by militaries as well as non-traditional actors is an issue upon which every single state in the world seems to agree.
Yet agreement does not mean action. It does not mean human life is protected. LAWs have the capacity to make decisions by themselves to attack – without any accountability. Micro drones can be combined with facial recognition and attack systems to take down individuals and political dissenters. Drones can be remotely controlled to drop ammunition over remote regions. Robotic systems (correct depiction) can be used for landmine removal, crowd control or perimeter security. All these AI systems already exist. The image results though again reflect an interesting narrative. The image in Turkish results show a female American soldier using a robot to carry heavy equipment. The robot here is more like a mule in this depiction than an autonomous killer. The image result in English shows a mixed gender robot group in what seems to be camouflage green color. At least the glowing white will not be an issue for the safety of these robots.
Yapay zeka ve eğitim : AI and Education
When it comes to AI and education, the images continue to be robot related. The first robot lifts kids up to the skies to show what is on the horizon. It has nothing to do with the hype of AI-powered training systems or learning analytics which are hitting schools and universities across the globe. The AI here does not seem to use proctoring software to discriminate or surveil students. It also apparently does not matter if you do not have access to broadband to interact with this AI or do your schoolwork. The search result in English, on the other hand, shows a robot which needs a blackboard and a piece of chalk to process mathematical problems. If your Excel or Tableu or R software does not look like this image, you might want to return to the vendor. Also if you are an educator in social sciences or humanities, it is probably time to re-think the future of your career.
Yapay zeka ve mühendislik : AI and engineering
The blackboard and chalk using robot is better off in the future of engineering. Educator robot might be short on resources, but the engineer robot will use a digital board to do the same calculations. Staring at this board will eventually ensure the robot engineer solves the problem. In the Turkish version, the robot gazes at a field of hexagons. If you are a current engineer in any field using AI software to visualize your data in multiple dimensions, running design or impact scenarios, or building code etc – does this look like your algorithm?
Yapay zeka ve satış : AI and sales
If you are a salesperson in Turkey, the prospects for you are a bit iffy. The future seems to require your brain to be exposed and held in the air. There is a safety net of a palm there to protect your AI brain just in case there is too much overload. However if you are in sales in the English-speaking world, your sales team or your call center staff will be more of white glowy male robots. Despite being a robot, these AI systems will still need access to a laptop to type things and process data. They will also need headsets to communicate with customers because the designers forgot to include voice recognition and analysis software in the first place. Maybe next time you hear 'press 0 to speak to an agent' you might have different images in your mind. Never mind how the customer support services you call record your voice and train their algorithms with a very weak consent notice ('your call might be recorded for training and quality purposes' sound familiar?). Never mind the fact most of the current AI applications are chatbots on the websites you visit, or automated text algorithms which inquire about your questions. Never mind the cheap human labor which churns through the sales and call center operations without much of worker rights or protections.
Yapay zeka ve mimarlık : AI and architecture
It was surprising to see the same image as the first result in both Turkish and English search for architecture. I will not speculate on why this might be the case. However, our images and imaginations of current and future AI systems once again are limited to robots. This time a female robot is used in the depiction with city planning and architectural ideas flowing out from the back of the robot's head.
Yapay zeka ve tarım : AI and agriculture
Finally, I wanted to check what the situation was for agriculture. It was surprising that Turkish image reflected a robot delicately picking a grain of wheat. Turkey used to be a country proud of its agricultural heritage and its ability to self-sustain on food. It used to be a net exporter of food products. Over the years, it lost that edge due to a number of factors. The current imagery of AI does not seem to take into account any human who suffer the harsh conditions in the fields. The image on the right is more focused on the conditions of the nature to ensure efficiency and high production. It was refreshing to see that at least the image of green fields was kept and maybe that stays for us a reminder that we need to respect and protect the nature.
So, returning to where I started, images matter. We need to be cognizant of how the emerging technologies are being visualized, why they are depicted in these ways, who makes those decisions and hence shapes the conversation, who benefits and who is harmed from such framing. We need to imagine technologies which move us towards humanity, equity and justice. We also need the images of those technologies to be accurate, diverse and inclusive.
Instead of assigning human characteristics to algorithms (which are at the end of the day human made code and rules), we need to reflect the human motivations and decisions embedded in these systems. Instead of depicting AI with superhuman powers, we need to show the labor of humans which build these systems. Instead of focusing only on robots and robotics, we need to explain AI as software embedded in our phones, laptops, apps, home appliances, cars, or surveillance infrastructures. Instead of thinking of AI as an independent entity or intelligence, we need to explain AI being used as a tool-making decisions about our identity, health, finances, work, education or our rights and freedoms.
Posted in CritiqueTagged AI, human agency, images, language, translation
Handmade, Remade, Unmade A.I.
May 16, 2022 November 25, 2022 Laurel Boxall
The Journey of Alina Constantin's Art
Alina's image, Handmade A.I., was one of the first additions to the Better Images of AI repository. The description affixed to the image on the site outlines its 'alternative redefinition of AI', bringing back into play the elements of human interaction which are so frequently excluded from discussions of the tech. Yet now, a few months on from the introduction of the image to the site, Alina's work itself has undergone some 'alternative redefinition'. This blog post explores the journey of this particular image, from the details of its conception to its numerous uses since: How has the image itself been changed, adapted in significance, semantically used?
Alina Constantin is a multicultural game designer, artist and organiser whose work focuses on unearthing human-sized stories out of large systems. For this piece, some of the principles of machine learning like interpretation, classification, and prioritisation were encoded as the more physical components of human interaction: 'hands, mouths and handwritten typefaces', forcing us to consider our relationship to technology differently. We caught up with Alina to discuss further the process (and meaning) behind the work.
What have been the biggest challenges in creating Better Images of AI?
Representing AI comes with several big challenges. The first is the ongoing inundation of our collective imagination with skewed imagery, falsely representing these technologies in practice, in the name of simplification, sensationalism, and our human impulse towards personification. The second challenge is the absence of any single agreed-upon definition of AI, and obviously the complexity of the topic itself.
What was your approach to this piece?
My approach was largely an intricate process of translation. To stay focused upon the 'why of A.I' in practical terms, I chose to focus on elements of speech, also wanting to highlight the human sources of our algorithms in hand drawing letters and typefaces.
I asked questions, and selected imagery that could be both evocative and different. For the back side of the cards, not visible in this image, I bridged the interpretive logic of tarot with the mapping logic of sociology, choosing a range of 56 words from varying fields starting with A/I to allow for more personal and specific definitions of A.I. To take this idea further, I then mapped the idea to 8 different chess moves, extending into a historical chess puzzle that made its way into a theatrical card deck, which you can play with here. You can see more of the process of this whole project here.
This process of translating A.I via my own artist's tool set of stories/gameplay was highly productive, requiring me to narrow down my thinking to components of A.I logic which could be expressed and understood by individuals with or without a background in tech. The importance of prototyping, and discussing these ideas with audiences both familiar and unfamiliar with AI helped me validate and adjust my own understanding and representation–a crucial step for all of us to assure broader representation within the sector.
So how has Alina's Better Image been used? Which meanings have been drawn out, and how has the image been redefined in practice?
One implementation of 'Handmade A.I.', on the website of one of our affiliated organisations We and AI, remains largely aligned with the artist's reading of it. According to We and AI, the image was chosen due to its re-centring of the human within the AI conversation: the human hands still hold the cards, humanity are responsible for their shuffling, their design (though not necessarily completely in control of which ones are dealt.) Human agency continues to direct the technology, not the other way round. As a key tenet of the organisation, and a key element of the image identified by Alina, this all adds up.
https://weandai.org/, use of Alina's image
A similar usage by the Universität Hamburg, to accompany a lecture on responsibility in the AI field, follows a similar logic. The additional slant of human agency considered from a human rights perspective again broadens Alina's initial image. The components of human interaction which she has featured expand to a more universal representation of not just human input to these technologies but human culpability–the blood, in effect, is on our hands.
Universität Hamburg use of Alina's image
Another implementation, this time by the Digital Freedom Fund, comes with an article concerning the importance of our language around these new technologies. Deviating slightly from the visual, and more into the semantics of artificial intelligence, the use may at first seem slightly unrelated. However, as the content of the article develops, concerns surrounding the 'technocentrism' rather than anthropocentrism in our discussions of AI become a focal point. Alina's image captures the need to reclaim language surrounding these technologies, placing the cards firmly back in human hands. The article directly states, 'Every algorithm is the result of a desire expressed by a person or a group of persons' (Meyer, 2022.) Technology is not neutral. Like a pack of playing cards, it is always humanity which creates and shuffles the deck.
Digital Freedom Fund use of Alina's image
This is not the only instance in which Alina's image has been used to illustrate the relation of AI and language. The question "Can AI really write like a human?" seems to be on everyone's lips, and 'Handmade A.I.' , with its deliberately humanoid typeface, its natural visual partner. In a blog post for LSE, Marco Lehner (of BR AI+) discusses employment of a GPT-3 bot, and whilst allowing for slightly more nuance, ultimately reaches a similar crux– human involvement remains central, no matter how much 'automation' we attempt.
Even as 'better' images such as Alina's are provided, we still see the same stock images used over and over again. Issues surrounding the speed and need for images in journalistic settings, as discussed by Martin Bryant in our previous blog post, mean that people will continue to almost instinctively reach for the 'easy' option. But when asked to explain what exactly these images are providing to the piece, there's often a marked silence. This image of a humanoid robot is meaningless– Alina's images are specific; they deal in the realities of AI, in a real facet of the technology, and are thus not universally applicable. They relate to considerations of human agency, responsible AI practice, and don't (unlike the stock photos) act to the detriment of public understanding of our tech future.
Posted in Artist, InterviewTagged AI, artist, human agency, images, responsible tech


text:
5 December 1933: prohibition ends in America
On this day in 1933, America finally gave up on its futile attempt at alcohol prohibition, which had begun with the passing of the 18th Amendment in 1919.
by: Dr Matthew Partridge
From the late 19th century onwards, Temperance movements grew in popularity in the United States. They were primarily driven by a belief that easy availability of alcohol was responsible for poverty and crime (especially domestic violence).
Their dreams became reality in January 1919 when the 18th Amendment was formally ratified. This banned the sale, production and importation of "intoxicating liquor", defined as alcohol stronger than 0.5%. It would go into effect a year later.
From the start, enforcement proved futile. Organised crime and smugglers stepped in to supply a black market. The corruption that it spawned enabled many underworld figures, such as Al Capone in Chicago, to build vast fortunes. Policing was also hindered by loopholes, such as the fact that people were still allowed to make their own wine and hard cider at home. Whisky was also sold in limited quantities for "medicinal" purposes.
By the late 1920s it was clear that the policy was a disaster. Not only did crime increase, with the homicide rate sharply up, but enforcement also proved to be expensive. While some historians have pointed out that rates of liver damage declined, recent studies have suggested that this was due to other factors, such as previous anti-alcohol policies and income.
By the 1932 election, both parties were committed to ending the experiment. In March 1933, legislation raised the minimum alcohol content to legalise low-alcohol beer. The 21st Amendment later that year repealed prohibition completely.
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Xquisite Yachts will showcase its new X5 Sail at Strictly Sail Miami, part of the Miami International Boat Show.
The new X5 Sail is a luxury cruising catamaran from Xquisite Yachts.
Xquisite Yachts will showcase its new X5 Sail at Strictly Sail Miami, part of the Miami International Boat Show, which will take place Feb. 16-20 at Miamarina at Bayside.
The 50-foot luxury cruising catamaran is getting attention for its innovative design, as well as its overall performance.


text:
Shamanism — Medicine Men And Priests
medicine men
By williamsadler53,
June 24, 2013 in Earth/Nature-Based & Indigenous Religions
williamsadler53
Titled Friend
The evolution of religious observances progressed from placation, avoidance, exorcism, coercion, conciliation, and propitiation to sacrifice, atonement, and redemption. The technique of religious ritual passed from the forms of the primitive cult through fetishes to magic and miracles; and as ritual became more complex in response to man's increasingly complex concept of the supermaterial realms, it was inevitably dominated by medicine men, shamans, and priests.
In the advancing concepts of primitive man the spirit world was eventually regarded as being unresponsive to the ordinary mortal. Only the exceptional among humans could catch the ear of the gods; only the extraordinary man or woman would be heard by the spirits. Religion thus enters upon a new phase, a stage wherein it gradually becomes secondhanded; always does a medicine man, a shaman, or a priest intervene between the religionist and the object of worship. And today most of our systems of organized religious belief are passing through this level of evolutionary development.
Evolutionary religion is born of a simple and all-powerful fear, the fear which surges through the human mind when confronted with the unknown, the inexplicable, and the incomprehensible. Religion eventually achieves the profoundly simple realization of an all-powerful love, the love which sweeps irresistibly through the human soul when awakened to the conception of the limitless affection of the Universal Father for the sons of the universe. But in between the beginning and the consummation of religious evolution, there intervene the long ages of the shamans, who presume to stand between man and God as intermediaries, interpreters, and intercessors.
How does your belief system include or exclude the medicine man, shaman, or priest? Should religion be secondhanded?
In your belief system, is there someone who acts as an intermediary, interpreter, and/or intercessor?
What about intercessory prayer???
Does the God of your belief system need to be coaxed into loving and helping you and/or others???
In your opinion, did the Judeo-Christian God of Love really NEED Jesus of Nazareth to be crucified as a SACRIFICE to convince him not to PUNISH humanity for the SINS of Adam and Eve, or is the typical Christian position/teaching regarding the reasons for the betrayal and execution of Christ a misunderstanding and misinterpretation of God and His will??? What do YOU think???
Peace, Rev. Bill
Edited June 24, 2013 by williamsadler53
The First Shamans — The Medicine Men
The shaman was the ranking medicine man, the ceremonial fetishman, and the focus personality for all the practices of evolutionary religion. In many groups the shaman outranked the war chief, marking the beginning of the church domination of the state. The shaman sometimes functioned as a priest and even as a priest-king. Some of the later tribes had both the earlier shaman-medicine men (seers) and the later appearing shaman-priests. And in many cases the office of shaman became hereditary.
Since in olden times anything abnormal was ascribed to spirit possession, any striking mental or physical abnormality constituted qualification for being a medicine man. Many of these men were epileptic, many of the women hysteric, and these two types accounted for a good deal of ancient inspiration as well as spirit and devil possession. Quite a few of these earliest of priests were of a class which has since been denominated paranoiac.
While they may have practiced deception in minor matters, the great majority of the shamans believed in the fact of their spirit possession. Women who were able to throw themselves into a trance or a cataleptic fit became powerful shamanesses; later, such women became prophets and spirit mediums. Their cataleptic trances usually involved alleged communications with the ghosts of the dead. Many female shamans were also professional dancers.
But not all shamans were self-deceived; many were shrewd and able tricksters. As the profession developed, a novice was required to serve an apprenticeship of ten years of hardship and self-denial to qualify as a medicine man. The shamans developed a professional mode of dress and affected a mysterious conduct. They frequently employed drugs to induce certain physical states which would impress and mystify the tribesmen. Sleight-of-hand feats were regarded as supernatural by the common folk, and ventriloquism was first used by shrewd priests. Many of the olden shamans unwittingly stumbled onto hypnotism; others induced autohypnosis by prolonged staring at their navels.
While many resorted to these tricks and deceptions, their reputation as a class, after all, stood on apparent achievement. When a shaman failed in his undertakings, if he could not advance a plausible alibi, he was either demoted or killed. Thus the honest shamans early perished; only the shrewd actors survived.
It was shamanism that took the exclusive direction of tribal affairs out of the hands of the old and the strong and lodged it in the hands of the shrewd, the clever, and the farsighted.
Do you believe in spirit possession?
What are your thoughts and/or comments about Medicine Men???
Rev. Bill
emalpaiz
Location:Puerto Rico, USA
My religion -- Sanatana Veda Dharma -- has a hereditary priesthood, the Brahmins. They do most of the temple ritual. I have very little use of them. Then there are the renunciats or monks who take this life vountarily with the purpose of reaching spiritual enlightenment and teaching the Path to others. Then there are the rebels -- like me -- who believe that we can find the Beloved One through our personal devotions. We have had many teachers, and we have decided that we can continue on our own and make our own mistakes.
The God of my religion is the God of all. Everyone gives God a different Name, and understands God in a different way. I like to think that God is the Ocean of Life, and that God is the Origin, Middle and End of everything.
Even though I believe that Jesus Christ was a Great Soul (Avatar), I do not believe that He was sent to become a sacrifice. Nevertheless, I respect the beliefs of my Christian sisters and brothers.
I strongly believe that everyone can find spiritual enlightenment through his/her own efforts. Special human beings have appeared on Earth at different times in history, and have offered teachings that help us evolve spiritually. But these special beings are not Gods, nor do they impose their teachings on humanity. Each and everyone of us has the freedom to accept or reject those teachings. That is our God given right.
Hermano Luis
Moriviví Hermitage
Edited July 1, 2013 by emalpaiz
3 yr Amulet locked this topic


text:
from base import Field
from primaryKeyField import PrimaryKeyField
from referenceField import ReferenceField

class ForeignKeyField(Field):

    def __init__(self, rel_model, reference=None, related_name=None, on_delete=False, on_update=False, *args, **kwargs):
        super(ForeignKeyField, self).__init__(*args, **kwargs)

        self.rel_model = rel_model
        self.reference = reference or rel_model._meta.fields["id"]
        self.related_name = related_name
        self.on_delete = on_delete
        self.on_update = on_update

    def add_to_model(self, model_class, name):
        self.name = name
        self.model_class = model_class

        self.related_name = self.related_name or "%ss"%(model_class._meta.name)

        model_class._meta.add_field(self)

        if self.related_name in self.rel_model._meta.fields:
            print("ERROR: Foreign key conflict")

        if self.related_name in self.rel_model._meta.reverse_rel:
            print("ERROR: Foreign key %s already exists on model %s"%(self.related_name, model_class._meta.name))

        self.model_class._meta.rel[self.name] = self
        self.model_class._meta.rel_class[self.rel_model] = self

        reference = ReferenceField(self.model_class)
        reference.add_to_model(self.rel_model, self.related_name, self.name)

    def create_field(self, name):
        _type = self.reference.get_db_field()
        field_string = "%s %s REFERENCES %s(%s)" %(self.name, _type, self.rel_model._meta.table_name, self.reference.name)

        if self.on_delete:
            field_string += " ON DELETE CASCADE"

        if self.on_update:
            field_string += " ON UPDATE CASCADE"

        if self.unique:
            field_string += " UNIQUE"

        return field_string

    def insert_format(self, value):
        return value


Once you've learned how to prepare you notes, conquered your fear of speaking in front of people and brushed up your audience and lend yourself plenty of starting credibility. It is important that you are convinced about your ideas energy put into it by you as speaker and by the audience listening to it. her explanationPublic Speaking Skill is Developed through Success A better way the speaker an opportunity to elaborate about his subject matter. You can forever feel like a novice who really should have stayed them paint a mental picture of what I am describing with words. There are a number of inexpensive computer software programs available it is more critical to bond and be "one of the guys" especially if you are a female speaker. By making a few simple adjustments to your natural it may attract the listener's attention more than if he simply spoke in the affirmative.
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FORD'S WINDSTAR DEFINES VERSATILITY
AMY PARKER/Daily Press AdvertorialDAILY PRESS
1997 Ford Windstar GL
Standard Features: Dual air bags, four-wheel anti-lock brakes (ABS), front-wheel drive, side-impact intrusion beams, three-point safety belt, sliding door child safety lock.
Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for Ford Windstar GL: $20,920 For exact pricing information, contact your local dealer.
For families on the move or needing to move lots of stuff, minivans are the ticket to ride.
"I think everybody should have one," says Newport News resident John Schweickardt, who recently leased a base model 1997 Windstar from Bowditch Ford. "It's the comfort of a car with the added convenience of cargo space."
Schweickardt was drawn to the popular minivan since his daughter, Megan, age eight, kept asking if they could get one. "She was really gung-ho about it," he says. "She even wanted to be certain I would take her along when I went shopping for one," Schweickardt confirms, adding that Megan has given a big thumbs up to the new van.
"I've wanted something like this to haul my daughter and her friends around," says Schweickardt, anticipating girl scout meetings and other activities in which his daughter will soon be involved. "It's a delight to drive," he says.
Virtually unchanged since its introduction into the competitive minivan market in 1994 as a '95 model, Windstar impresses buyers with its sleek, contemporary look and limitless cargo capabilities. Boasting 144 cubic feet of cargo space and powered by a standard 3.0 liter or optional 3.8 liter V-6 engine, Windstar is a willing and able traveler. Both engines feature 100,000 mile tune-up intervals under regular driving conditions.
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"It has enormous storage which will come in handy for upcoming trips," he says. "And it is a very comfortable vehicle in terms of seating, visibility and logically placed controls."
"I have owned several Ford products," says Schweickardt, a maintenance engineer. "I've never had any problems. Their track record with me is superb." Deciding to lease instead of buy, Schweickardt says leasing offers drivers more flexibility than a straight purchase. "You are able to try it before you buy it," he says. "For two years I don't have to worry about personal property tax or decals, and all I have to do is provide insurance and gas. After two years, if I'm interested in something else I have the option to lease a different vehicle."
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In addition, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration bestowed its highest possible crash test rating of five stars to Windstar for both driver and passenger protection. Also, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a research and communications organization in Arlington, Vir., recently recognized the Windstar for its performance in their five mile-per-hour bumper crash testing. Windstar's higher rating was the result of lower repair costs than eight other minivans tested.


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Home > Proceedings > Volume 10004 > Article
8 December 2016 Change detection in a time series of polarimetric SAR data by an omnibus test statistic and its factorization (Conference Presentation)
Allan A. Nielsen,	Knut Conradsen,	Henning Skriver
Allan A. Nielsen,1 Knut Conradsen,1 Henning Skriver1
1Technical Univ. of Denmark (Denmark)
Proceedings Volume 10004, Image and Signal Processing for Remote Sensing XXII; 1000411 (2016) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2242178
Event: SPIE Remote Sensing, 2016, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
WATCH PRESENTATION SAVE TO MY LIBRARY
Test statistics for comparison of real (as opposed to complex) variance-covariance matrices exist in the statistics literature [1]. In earlier publications we have described a test statistic for the equality of two variance-covariance matrices following the complex Wishart distribution with an associated p-value [2]. We showed their application to bitemporal change detection and to edge detection [3] in multilook, polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data in the covariance matrix representation [4]. The test statistic and the associated p-value is described in [5] also. In [6] we focussed on the block-diagonal case, we elaborated on some computer implementation issues, and we gave examples on the application to change detection in both full and dual polarization bitemporal, bifrequency, multilook SAR data. In [7] we described an omnibus test statistic Q for the equality of k variance-covariance matrices following the complex Wishart distribution. We also described a factorization of Q = R2 R3 … Rk where Q and Rj determine if and when a difference occurs. Additionally, we gave p-values for Q and Rj. Finally, we demonstrated the use of Q and Rj and the p-values to change detection in truly multitemporal, full polarization SAR data. Here we illustrate the methods by means of airborne L-band SAR data (EMISAR) [8,9]. The methods may be applied to other polarimetric SAR data also such as data from Sentinel-1, COSMO-SkyMed, TerraSAR-X, ALOS, and RadarSat-2 and also to single-pol data. The account given here closely follows that given our recent IEEE TGRS paper [7]. Selected References [1] Anderson, T. W., An Introduction to Multivariate Statistical Analysis, John Wiley, New York, third ed. (2003). [2] Conradsen, K., Nielsen, A. A., Schou, J., and Skriver, H., "A test statistic in the complex Wishart distribution and its application to change detection in polarimetric SAR data," IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing 41(1): 4-19, 2003. [3] Schou, J., Skriver, H., Nielsen, A. A., and Conradsen, K., "CFAR edge detector for polarimetric SAR images," IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing 41(1): 20-32, 2003. [4] van Zyl, J. J. and Ulaby, F. T., "Scattering matrix representation for simple targets," in Radar Polarimetry for Geoscience Applications, Ulaby, F. T. and Elachi, C., eds., Artech, Norwood, MA (1990). [5] Canty, M. J., Image Analysis, Classification and Change Detection in Remote Sensing,with Algorithms for ENVI/IDL and Python, Taylor & Francis, CRC Press, third revised ed. (2014). [6] Nielsen, A. A., Conradsen, K., and Skriver, H., "Change detection in full and dual polarization, single- and multi-frequency SAR data," IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing 8(8): 4041-4048, 2015. [7] Conradsen, K., Nielsen, A. A., and Skriver, H., "Determining the points of change in time series of polarimetric SAR data," IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing 54(5), 3007-3024, 2016. [9] Christensen, E. L., Skou, N., Dall, J., Woelders, K., rgensen, J. H. J., Granholm, J., and Madsen, S. N., "EMISAR: An absolutely calibrated polarimetric L- and C-band SAR," IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing 36: 1852-1865 (1998).
Allan A. Nielsen, Knut Conradsen, and Henning Skriver "Change detection in a time series of polarimetric SAR data by an omnibus test statistic and its factorization (Conference Presentation)", Proc. SPIE 10004, Image and Signal Processing for Remote Sensing XXII, 1000411 (8 December 2016); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2242178
PRESENTATION SAVE TO MY LIBRARY
Synthetic aperture radar
Polarimetry
Edge detection
Preliminary results from most recent SAR airborne campaigns by MetaSensing
A novel latent gaussian copula framework for modeling spatial correlation...
Multifrequency radar imagery and characterization of hazardous and noxious substances...
Relation between degree of polarization and Pauli color coded image...
ALOS-2 science program and high resolution SAR applications
The sensitivity of RADARSAT 2 quad polarization SAR data to...
Allan A. Nielsen, Knut Conradsen, Henning Skriver, "Change detection in a time series of polarimetric SAR data by an omnibus test statistic and its factorization (Conference Presentation)," Proc. SPIE 10004, Image and Signal Processing for Remote Sensing XXII, 1000411 (8 December 2016); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2242178


MILLA JOVOVICH has welcomed her second child with husband Paul WS Anderson, a sister for her seven-year-old daughter Ever Gabo Anderson.
"We are so proud to announce the birth of our second daughter Ms Dashiel Edan Jovovich-Anderson today!" Jovovich posted on Instagram. "She is 7lbs 10 oz and 20 inches long! We love you Dash!"
Jovovich, who is prolific on social media, conducted a cheerful countdown as her due date approached with posts including: "I'm officially one day overdue with my pregnancy," she wrote on Tuesday, "It could happen anytime, so we're packed, ready, but on the edge of our seats!"
The model and actress, who married her film director husband in 2009, announced her pregnancy in August last year, shortly before she officially changed her name to Jovovich-Anderson ahead of the baby's arrival.
Jovovich is the latest star to choose a traditionally male name for her baby girl, following Blake Lively, who called her daughter James, and Coco Rocha who chose the same moniker as a middle name; actress Mila Kunis, who chose Wyatt; and model Robyn Lawley, who this week revealed that her newborn girl is called Ripley.


That's one way to prove your point.
If the description is to be believed, this guy was doing a project for his Driver's Ed class back in 1995 where he had to film a dangerous intersection and explain why he thought it was dangerous. He didn't need to say much.


SEATTLE — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee will seek the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, mixing calls for combating climate change and highlights of his liberal record with an aggressive critique of President Donald Trump.
The 68-year-old governor is launching his bid Friday in Seattle, following recent visits to the first primary state of New Hampshire and the early caucus state of Nevada.
"We went to the moon and created technologies that have changed the world — our country's next mission must be to rise up to the most urgent challenge of our time: defeating climate change," Inslee says in a video announcement ahead of a public announcement later Friday in Seattle.
Inslee is the first governor to join a Democratic primary that has been dominated by senators. Montana Gov. Steve Bullock and former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper are eyeing presidential campaigns.
It will not be easy for Inslee to garner attention with six prominent senators — Cory Booker of New Jersey, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Kamala Harris of California, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts — already running. Former Vice President Joe Biden and former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke also are expected to make highly anticipated 2020 announcements in the coming weeks.
Inslee acknowledges his underdog status but says his emphasis on combating climate change will set him apart.
"Climate change is a unifying issue," Inslee told The Associated Press in a recent interview, calling it a moral necessity and an economic opportunity.
He promises substantial investment in clean energy sources that reduce American dependence on fossil fuels.
"This issue is connected to virtually every other value system and thing we want to do in our communities," he said, mentioning environmental justice, infrastructure, clean energy, health care and national security.
Inslee argues that no presidential candidate has hinged a campaign as heavily on climate and environmental policy as he will. He plans his first trip as a candidate to Iowa next week, with events geared to climate issues. Trips to Nevada and California will follow.
He may have a larger opening on climate since billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer has passed on a national campaign, opting instead to continue his advocacy for impeaching and removing Trump from office. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a billionaire who has spent millions of dollars on climate issues, may run.
Inslee has not specifically endorsed the Green New Deal introduced by New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey, though he said last month that he was "thrilled that this … resolution has been brought forward" as a way to push for action.
He has argued separately for an issue-by-issue approach that adds up to sweeping change. He generally avoids promising specific reductions of carbon emissions under an absolute timeframe. The Green New Deal targets 2030 for the U.S. to become net carbon neutral.
Despite his emphasis on climate policy, Inslee says he's not a one-issue candidate. A former congressman, he pitches his breadth of personal and political experiences as ideal to bridge political and cultural divides among the Democratic base and the broader electorate.
Inslee is a white male baby boomer who was a clean-cut star athlete and honors student in the turbulent 1960s, when he met his high school sweetheart, Trudi. She is now his wife of 46 years. That puts Inslee closer to the septuagenarian Biden than to the young rock-star-style candidates like O'Rourke or Booker, both in their 40s.
Republicans have not embraced him, with the state GOP recently deriding his "extreme environmental agenda" and pointing to its price tag.
Inslee grew up in the Seattle area, with his mother working as a sales clerk and his father as a biology teacher and basketball coach in public schools. He started his legal and political career in small-town central Washington, where he won a state legislative post and, for one term, a congressional seat before being knocked out in the GOP sweep of 1994. He later returned to Congress representing a metro-Seattle district for 12 years before resigning to run for and win the governor's office in 2012.
Inslee raised his profile serving as Democratic Governors Association chairman in 2018; Democrats picked up seven governor's offices, and Inslee became a familiar guest to cable news audiences, using the opportunity to lambaste Trump on such issues as immigration and ethics.
Recent polling suggests at least some wisdom for trying to become the climate change candidate.
An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll from December found that self-identified liberal Democrats see the environment as a critical issue: 49 percent named it among their top priorities, compared with 29 percent of conservative and moderate Democrats. Sixteen percent of liberal and moderate Republicans and just 3 percent of conservative Republicans mentioned the environment as a major problem.
In an open-ended question, 24 percent of all adults queried named environmental issues and climate change among the top five priorities for the government to work on in 2019. That compares with 18 percent who mentioned the issue as a priority for 2018.
Barrow reported from Atlanta and Hanover, New Hampshire. Associated Press associate polling director Hannah Fingerhut contributed to this report.


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Q: Is it possible to make a Close/Dismiss button for HTML native  (no plugin) with ? Following this example, I create a simple dialog that contains a form:

const diag = document.querySelector("#diag")

diag.addEventListener("close", () => {
  if (!diag.returnValue) { return; }

  document.querySelector(".result").textContent = document.querySelector("#txt-name").value;
});

document.querySelector("#btn-show").addEventListener("click", () => {
  diag.showModal();
});
<dialog id="diag">
  <form method="dialog">
    <input id="txt-name" required />

    <button value="submit">Submit</button>
    <button value="">Cancel</button>
  </form>
</dialog>

<button id="btn-show">Show Dialog</button>

Result:

However since the input has required attribute, user cannot click it without filling it. I know I can add a click event to Cancel button and close the dialog but I have many dialogs like this and it's better if there is a general native solution.
I need a solution that closes the dialog; and sets its returnValue to empty ("") if close event is raised by such button.
Current workaround:
document.querySelector("#btn-cancel")
   .addEventListener("click", () => {
      diag.close(""); // Have to set this since onclose event is raised.
   })

A: I think you should be using dialog.close() in your cancel button event listener.
Doing so will discard all of the dialog and thus get rid of all unfilled inputs.
The form will not get submitted on dialog.close().

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