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It's Time to Downsize the US
In difficult circumstances, such as the current economic crisis, it's normal to work out how one got there as a means to avoid repeating the process. In the current situation, the discussion seems to range between those who feel that the situation is already working itself out, to those who feel that structural dangers remain and proper regulation is required, to those who feel that the problems were the result of regulation and government programs in the first place.
Count me somewhat on the side of the last group. I say somewhat because I think that the problem has to with the inappropriateness of the regulations that were employed, but unlike them I do not think that the problem is humans using morals and reason to regulate the marketplace. In other, more localized, words, I reject the notion that the Tenth Amendment prohibits spending programs and regulations.
My sense is that the regulations that were deployed to prevent economic disaster were structurally and functionally inadequate because they half-heartedly represented the Great American Project as manifest in the Constitution of the United States. The problem with the regulations wasn't that they were half-hearted. That half-heartedness is symptom of the larger problem. They were structurally and functionally inadequate because the US can no longer afford to provide its citizens the rights and freedoms guaranteed in its Constitution. The regulations failed because they had a relationship to expectations that are suited to an America that does not exist, in an economic sense. The problems with the public education system, illegal immigration, crime and punishment, and social security, to name a few, are all relatively easy to solve, once the very costly, burdensomeness of the Constitution is overcome. It's time for America to wake up and downsize its' dream, the dreams of its citizens, and smell the aroma of the box store, bulk size, generic coffee reality that its best and its brightest have packaged for Uncle Sam's future.
Downsizing America
Given the economic realities of the new US of A, what aspects of the American vision should no longer be seen as part of the covenant between the citizens and their government? A quick look at some fundamentals of democracy should provide some context about what avenues should be open to being cut. Then the process of contracting out the bureaucratics to the private sector can begin. This said, these are preliminary thoughts, so all that I will provide is a rough and general sketch.
Democracy is expensive and inefficient, even when it's practised by politicians who are not neo-conservative Republicans. This is unsurprising by design. After all, it's said that, in an ideal democracy, the populace is educated, they have access to all of the information they need to make a good decision, and they are free to make that decision. How does this ideal fare when it faces the real world?
Immediately, one is struck by the gross redundancy in the ideal system. Providing that much information to so many amounts to an excessive effort for minuscule return. The set of possible decisions for any question is extremely limited, given the options for action, and polling research has already proven that we only need small sample populations to get the gist of what people want. In fact, given the history of their wants, and given the nature of the question, there is probably no need to poll them further because it should be derivable from past decisions. The cost savings to be gained by dismantling the information network should be substantial. Mainstream media can remain as is.
The efficacy of sampling also suggests a direction for schooling provision. Once again, the system is entirely redundant. Imagine, though it's a laughable thought, that a university degree was all the education one needed to be capable of making good decisions. What do you think it would cost to bring the 71% of Americans who do not have a degree, into the range of democratic competence? How could it possibly be worth the cost? In fact, apart from the decreasing number of specialty jobs that actually require a well-schooled employee, there is no good reason to maintain anything, but a shell of the existing system, apart from creating athletes for the circus part of social diversion. This is because we can use the same polling methodology and randomly choose children from the masses to receive schooling similar to the one that is provided today, and then poll them to find what the rest would have wanted, if they had the schooling.
Given the earlier recommendation of using past polling to extrapolate their wants, this process is admittedly redundant, but it does double duty in terms of providing training for the small percentage of jobs that actually require advanced schooling. Then again, perhaps it is wasteful to randomly select children, as this disregards the advantages of choosing children who are more likely to do well at university, based on their family background. Given past polling, it's probably best to err on the side of efficiency. The point to take here is that there is no value in giving people more schooling than they need to do the small range of relatively unskilled jobs that await them. Furthermore, think of the dissatisfaction that is avoided when people don't have enough education to be hired below their level of training.
If the vast majority of people are no longer making decisions, then there's no reason to prop up the facade that they actually are involved in decision-making. If voter turnout is any indication, many will appreciate avoiding the exercise. To be fair, eternal vigilance is an unwieldy burden to bear, if the only benefits people accrue is to not have decisions made for them by their betters.
In fact, if they are not needed for decision-making, their representatives are redundant for the same structural reasons. The cash to be gained, by trading in the clunker of a public decision-making structure, should be sigificant.
All of these actions would save the economy trillions and once again put America front and center as an economic powerhouse, through the tax dollars it would free up and save. At the same time, it would give Americans a leg up on the rest of the developed/undeveloping world, by readying its citizens for a life of diminished possibilities long before the others face the challenge, should they.
The Constitution is in the way of progress in the US, to the extent it promotes the values of the ideal democracy. Perhaps it was prescient to send home Churchhill's bust because his notion that "Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.", seems to have gone bust for America.
This is "a frayed thread" in honor of GW's administration crying wolf at election time.
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Filed under: Democracy as a form of liberal goverment, Economy, education, General, going forward, government, Human Rights, Justice, Politics | Tagged: 10th Amendment, activism, Alexander Hamilton, Bachmann, Barack Obama, Beck, DeMint, downsize, education, FDR, James Madison, limited government, Perry, Politics, re-structuring, recession, The New Deal, U.S. Constitution, Washington, White House |
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MrMike, on August 23, 2009 at 10:20 am said:
Why even bother? The size of the group polled doesn't matter since the information to make any decision will be filtered by the corporate media. The end result will be the same.
To paraphrase" What's good for Big Business is good for America". Turn governance over to the board rooms, most Americans will be relieved that they don't have to watch or listen to political ads or debates. Shut down C-Span and use the cable space for three more reality TV channels. Most people won't even notice.
Karolina NYC, on August 23, 2009 at 11:32 am said:
I love this wonderful essay. I am smiling in nostalgic hope that these kinds of propagandas might truly bring the USA to the kind of fascism and everyday gray, powerless reality that I remember experiencing from the population I saw on my trips to the absolutely fascist state that we all called the COMMUNIST Soviet Union. Maybe SOON we will have that here, eh?
Of course, that natural fear and hatred that people have of being held in a spiritual stupor and leading a powerless life makes them very defensive and brings them to "fight or flight". And funny how the very word "communism" was used do push them charging toward "safe" fascism, masquerading as American patriotism.
dakinikat, on August 23, 2009 at 11:44 am said:
Wow, Steven! That's all I can say! I can see why this one was sneakily scheduled! Maybe we need a national dialogue here on the idea of the tyranny of the masses vs. the tyranny of the few.
Probably the biggest export we've ever had is what's in our Constitution. It's a shame that so many politicians twist its words for their gain. It's also a shame that so many of its people do misunderstand what it means for them and for our system of government.
bravo, brave thinker!
DandyTiger, on August 23, 2009 at 1:08 pm said:


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Agyriaceae is een botanische naam voor een familie van korstmossen behorend tot de orde Pertusariales. Het typegeslacht is Agyrium.

Geslachten
De familie bestaat uit de volgende twee geslachten:
 Agyrium (32)
 Miltidea (5)

Schimmelfamilie

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


New Hieromartyr Peter, Metropolitan of Krutitsy was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church at the Synod of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church on February 23, 1997.
Saint Peter was born in the Voronezh region, and studied at the Moscow Theological Academy, graduating in 1892, where he then continued as inspector. After a short stay at the seminary of Zhirovits in Belarus as inspector, he was appointed secretary of the Synodal Education Committee becoming de facto inspector of all the theological schools of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Unlike many of his contemporaries who had graduated from a theological academy, Peter Polyansky did not seek ordination, and for a long time remained a layman. As secretary of the Synodal Education Committee he traveled widely, visiting innumerable theological establishments, meeting and knowing many people. Gifted with an outstanding intellect, a firm character and a sociable nature, he was widely known and made many friends. He exercised a beneficial influence on the religious education of future priests.
In 1917-18, Peter Polyansky took part in the work of the local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, when Saint Tikhon (April 7) was elected Patriarch. The latter made Peter Polyansky one of his closest aides, and persuaded him to become bishop; the Patriarch wished to consolidate the leadership of the Church in what was fast becoming the darkest time for the Church in many centuries. In 1920 Peter Polyansky was made a monk and auxiliary bishop for the diocese of Moscow; in a matter of months he was appointed Metropolitan of Krutitsy, one of the highest ranking bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Patriarch Tikhon died on April 7, 1925, the day of the Annunciation (March 25). Foreseeing increasing troubles and uncertainty for the Church, thinking that the government would not allow a Church council to assemble and elect the next patriarch, Saint Tikhon took an administrative decision aimed at securing a smooth succession when he died. He nominated three bishops in order of priority, as locum tenens; the third was Metropolitan Peter Polyansky. When the first two choices were found to be in prison and thus unable to assume the leadership of the Church, this heavy task befell Metropolitan Peter.
Persecution against the Church was raging, the government gave its support to the splinter group "The Living Church" in an attempt to discredit and destroy the official Orthodox Church. A great number of bishops had been imprisoned or exiled to remote parts of the country, and were unable to have a clear understanding of the prevailing situation. The whole country was in turmoil; the so-called Living Church energetically tried to replace the true Church.
In the absence of a patriarch, people did not know whom to believe and to whom to give their allegiance. Metropolitan Peter then issued an uncompromisingly firm "Letter to the Russian Church" where he described the position of the Church vis a vis the authorities and vis a vis the "Living Church." He made no compromises with anybody, and stood firm in the truth of Christ. This letter helped the Church to strengthen itself but caused the Metropolitan to be arrested.
The history of the few months in which a campaign was master-minded by the Commissar for religious affairs, Tuchkov, to compromise and weaken Saint Peter, shows how determined the government was to defeat the head of the Church, but this did not break him. On December 10, 1925, Saint Peter was put under house arrest, and two days later sent to the Lubianka prison; in May 1926 he was transferred to the Suzdal fortress, then back to the Lubianka, and finally, in December, he was sent to Siberia, first to Tobolsk, then to the village of Abalak on the banks of the river Irtysh which he reached in 1927. Many of the other bishops had experienced a similar fate, the dioceses remaining without their shepherds.
In August 1927, Metropolitan Peter was taken to another destination beyond the Arctic Circle, a place called Khe on the mouth of the Ob, in the frozen tundra. For a little while he lived there peacefully, recovering from the arduous journey. However, on August 29, the day of the Beheading of the Saint John the Baptist, he suffered his first attack of angina and had to stay in bed. Two paramedics who came from a far distance by river in a boat manned by a native, advised him to be seen by a doctor and be transferred to a hospital. The Metropolitan wrote to the authorities at the GPU, but never got a reply, or money, or provisions, although he knew that several parcels had arrived in Tobolsk addressed to him.
The damp, cold climate of this northern region was extremely harmful to him in his condition. Eventually, towards the end of September, he was taken back to Tobolsk. Unexpectedly, he had an interview with Tuchkov who offered him freedom if he surrendered his title of locum tenens, but he remained firm and refused to compromise. He was then sent back to Khe for another three years of exile, but he was never granted his freedom. In Moscow in 1936, ten years after his first imprisonment, believers were waiting for his return, counting on the end of his ten-year term of exile. They never saw him again. He may have been moved for the last time to a monastery nearer central Russia where he was a little less constrained, but with no freedom to write or communicate with the world. He was shot by decision of the Soviet authorities after years of prison and exile.


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French Government seeks clarification from Ryanair following documentary
Ryanair has threatened to sue the makers of Dispatches over the safety claims made in Monday night's programme.
By Daragh Brophy Wednesday 14 Aug 2013, 9:23 PM
Aug 14th 2013, 9:23 PM 15,337 Views 52 Comments
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Monday's programme featured anonymous pilot interviews
Image: Screengrab from C4 Dispatches
Updated at 9.24pm
The French Government has asked for clarification from Ryanair over treatment of its pilots after a representative group voiced concern over the carrier's safety procedures.
Transport Minister Frederic Cuvillier said today he was "determined to obtain the necessary clarifications on the veracity of the allegations that pilots are discouraged from reporting incidents".
It follows Monday night's broadcast by Channel 4 of a Dispatches documentary that focused on a survey carried out by the Ryanair Pilot Group, a body not recognised by the no-frills carrier, but which claims to represent over half of all captains and first officers.
1,000 pilots were contacted as part of the survey. Of those who responded, more than eight out of ten said they believe the airline does not have an "open and transparent safety culture".
In addition, just over two thirds of those surveyed said they didn't feel comfortable raising safety-related issues through the company's own internal systems.
Ryanair has threatened to sue the makers of Dispatches, and has insisted that the documentary-makers failed to produce any "shred of evidence" to support the pilots' claims.
A series of letters between Ryanair and the production company reveals the airline's frustration at the producers' decision not to include the Irish Aviation Authority's recent confirmation that "Ryanair's safety is on a par with the safest airlines in Europe".
The IAA also released a statement yesterday saying it was disappointed at the Channel 4 programme's "misguided attack" which it said was based on "false and misleading" information.
While last night, the Ryanair Pilots Group defended its findings, saying the safety opinions of 1,000 professional pilots could not be ignored by safety regulators and that they were "unambiguous".
The survey was conducted in response to a memo sent by Ryanair to pilots which threatened disciplinary action if pilots did not submit their safety reports exclusively to Ryanair and/or the safety regulator.
"Such practices, if they are confirmed, are concerning and would be a violation of applicable rules," Cuvillier said in the statement. The minister added:
Ryanair, like other companies, is subject to strict controls, which to this day have not revealed any particular breaches of regulations by this company.
- Additional reporting by AFP
Related: "We don't want boy racers flying our planes" – Michael O'Leary hits back >
More: Ryanair to sue Channel 4 over Dispatches programme on pilots and safety >
Read: Ryanair pilots reveal serious concerns about passenger safety >
Daragh Brophy
daragh@thejournal.ie
See more articles by Daragh Brophy
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Q: How to reference cell (sum function) in another worksheet and display as value There are multiple worksheets in my workbook. One worksheet named 'Region 1' contains a formula in cell B17, =Sum(B3:B16). I'd like a formula to put in a different worksheet named 'Order Regions', cell B9, that displays the value of cell B17 in 'Region 1'. Thanks for your help.

A: "Name" the cell in the worksheet "Region 1" ... call it "Region_1_Sum" or something.
In Order Regions, cell B9 put:
=Region_1_Sum

A: Could you possibly just reference the cell with
='Region 1'!B17

?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The Porsche 911 has been called this since 1963 despite the fact that there has been several versions of the luxury ride within the 911 moniker. The "997" was made from 2005 to 2012 and can go from rest to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds, turning heads with its appealing good looks.
To add to its already eye-catching looks, the crew at LTMW added an Old & New exclusive bodykit straight from Japan. The kit not only accentuates the car's fine curves of the Porsche, but also elevates its style. With the popularity of more aggressive lines, the Old & New kit provides that widebody allure in a classier look. The look combines the presence of a modern Porsche with elements from the 1980s slant-nose Porsches that exuded classiness. With a philosophy that fuses together the past and present, Old & New created a kit like no othehttps://www.instagram.com/impressivewrap/?hl=enr. Impressive Wrap then dressed it with some Martini livery to give it some more appeal!
To finish of the look, a set of Forged SV63-P wheel were added! Our forged wheels are cut from the best aluminums on there market. We create create luxury wheels any ride will benefit from. If you're looking for Porsche wheels, then look no further than a set of forged Savini Wheel!


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LADY AT THE BAT
I'm not Casey and this isn't Mudville.™ A mostly Yankees blog, created By Bernadette Pasley
At Bat Since 2007
Our 12th season!
Lady At The Bat (LATB) is a (mostly) Yankee blog, published by Bernadette Pasley. Feedback, questions, suggestions? Advertising inquiries? Contact ladybatting@gmail.com.
Now This Gives New Meaning To The Term "A-Fraud"
The other day I criticized SI for posting fluff on their website about Derek Jeter and, by extension, Alex Rodriguez. Well, no more criticizing, at least for the time being. If the four sources they mention are reliable, they've broken some major news about A-Rod that no one can scoff at.
I guess Jeter can relax now. No one will ask him anything about his relationshiop with Alex Rodriguez during Spring Training this year. Maybe no one will ask him about it the whole season. He won't have to say anything like this again:
"...it's old hearing the same questions. It's something that's been addressed before in the past. Everyone's moved beyond it. And it doesn't really need to be addressed again."
You got that right, Jeter. Everyone's moved beyond it, or maybe I should say, behind it, back to 2003, when Alex was alleged to have tested positive for two anabolic steroids during MLB survey testing. This is bigger than a relationship between two teammates. It's even bigger than a book written by an ex-manager. Indeed, the only thing worth mentioning from Joe Torre's book is the nickname given to him by players who may or may not have been kidding: A-Fraud. Today's news definitely gives new meaning to that name.
by Bernadette Pasley at 11:22 AM
Tags: Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Steroids, The Yankees
A-Fraud. What a headache these past 6 years have been, and now this? Moron.
Bernadette Pasley said...
What concerns me about all this is that a)he apparently was tipped to another test in '04 and b)the players association failed to destroy the '03 test results (they were supposed to be an anonnymous "survey").
Let's see Boras get him out of this one. I think, ultimately, he comes out and acknowledges the truth and hopes that by the time he retires the HOF writers are feeling more forgiving.
More importantly, for me at any rate, is what does this do for his 2009 season? The Yankees need him to have a representative season.
He might not be able to acknowledge anything right away, even if he wants to. This looks like it might be about more than just him, namely the players association and Gene Orza.
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Q: If we change the regional and language options, our ActiveX throws this error: Class Doesn't Support Automation We have an ActiveX that is working perfectly in IE running on Windows 7 ... as long as the Regional and Language Options is set to English (United States).
If we close the browser, switch to French (Canada), re-open the browser, and repeat the test, we get this error: Class Doesn't Support Automation
We've checked the registry and we don't see anything language/locale specific for our component.
Anyone know what might be causing this?
Thank you!
Glen

A: We found the problem .. it was in the JavaScript.


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Interest Rates Advisory Centre P.O. Box 9034-00100
Ambassador Court, Block A, Flat No. 3, Jakaya Kikwete Road, Nairobi, Kenya
Interest Verification
Really, why Litigation?
Finance Cost Assurance
IRAC's business model is premised on one fact; that banks, like any other business concern, make mistakes in their handling of Loans, Overdrafts, Mortgages and other accounts. Banks, as a matter of fact, invite the lender to verify the transactions as reported on the bank statements of account.
Interest Recalculation, Finance Cost Assurance and reconstruction of financial facilities is a complicated process. Everything turns on the interpretation and meaning of contractual documents and the applicable law governing these contracts. If and when a dispute between a Client and a bank goes to litigation, the basis of the Interest Recalculation becomes critical.
The software behind FCAS has been developed in Kenya over a period of 7 years. It is specific to Kenya's banking environment. It caters for and can deal with every and any possible operational permutation practiced by any bank in Kenya. It has been developed by lawyers, mathematicians, accountants and auditors.
Data Analysis /Interest Verification
Service Output - Report Generation
IRAC understands the highly sensitive nature of the work involved. Strict confidentiality during the entire period of engagement is therefore maintained. On initial engagement with the client, a confidentiality agreement is signed. (The Mutual Non-disclosure Agreement)
With all entries into the account verified, IRAC then re-computes the interest on the Overdraft and Loan Accounts to ensure it is mathematically accurate and legal in conformity with your Banking Facility Letter/s and with The Banking Act and The Central Bank of Kenya Act.
This is in hard and/or soft copy. The following is a listing of the various reports generated as a result of the Finance Costs Assurance process;
Interest recalculation sheets in detailed or summary form of the period verified.
Our Target Clientele
We serve both clients and all Licensed Banks and Specified Financial Institutions in Kenya that are governed by The Banking Act and The Central Bank of Kenya Act. This means any individual borrower or company with credit(borrowing) facilities with a bank or financial institution.
The key benefit is Peace of Mind – that your finance costs (interest charged) are accurately stated and that you are paying only what you should pay and not a cent more. Our other value-adding services include: –
1. Detection of interest overcharges leading to claims for refunds.
What we require for the IRAC process is clear copies of:
All bank account statements, from the first to the most recent one.
All Banking Facility Letters or Hire Purchase agreements relating to your bank account or associated bank accounts.
All correspondence from the bank and to the bank, e.g. notification of interest rate change or enhancement or reduction of limits. The Security document – Legal Charge, Mortgage Deed or Guarantee.
Copyright © 2023 irac | Powered by THE AP KOMPANY


Domino's new series may have just started, but due to popular demand (according to a Marvel press release), Marvel is giving fans even more with an Annual this September. And they're pulling out all the stops.
Gail Simone, Fabian Nicieza, Dennis Hopeless, and Leah Williams are all writing for the series, along with artists Victor Ibanez, Juan Gedeon, Natacha Bustos, Leonard Kirk, and More (who we presume to be a Franco-Belgian comic artist — it's pronounced More-ay). As if that weren't enough star power, the series will see guest stars, not limited to Domino's usual gal-pals Diamondback and Outlaw, but also Cable, Colossus, and "More" again.
Plus, Dennis Hopeless will kill off a beloved teen character! Okay, it doesn't actually say that, but it will probably happen.
Everyone's been asking where this partnership between Domino, Diamondback, and Outlaw began. But there's so much to cover in the present with Domino's newest antagonists that we couldn't take a pause from the action. When the opportunity arose to break that story in Domino Annual #1, the team jumped at it!
Domino Annual #1 hits stores on September 26th, competing with Valiant's Harbinger Wars Aftermath #1 and DC's Heroes in Crisis #1. Given the choices, we'd definitely go with Domino, which has been a very entertaining series so far.


The world premiere of the Radon K (MSAS-5.56K) Basic Rifle in classical configuration was held at the AUSA Annual Meeting and Conference in Washington, DC, October 22-24, 2012. The participation of the Fabryka Broni in the Association of the United States Army show was arranged by one of our American partners. The AUSA is a military-only themed exhibition, showing the newest and the best by the domestic and international martial hardware manufacturers, supplying the America's military. The annual show is frequented by countless scores of American servicemen, first responders, military experts and tradesmen, as well as foreign delegations, including Polish. The Radon-K rifle was met with great interest, also from the US servicemen, enchanted by its modern design and functionality. The Fabryka Broni was the only Polish manufacturer to take part in this year's AUSA show.


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Council proclaims May 6-12 as Mental Health Week in Blackfalds
posted on May 3 2019
Blackfalds, Alberta (May 3, 2019) – Council proclaimed May 6 – 12, 2019 as Mental Health Week in Blackfalds at the April 23 Regular Council Meeting. This is part of the Canadian Mental Health Association's (CMHA) awareness campaign that is asking all Canadians to "Get Loud" on social media and in their communities, workplaces and schools about what mental health really is. It is another opportunity to help clear up the difference between "mental health" and "mental illness" and suggest what good mental health looks like.
"According to CMHA, mental illness is increasingly recognized as a serious and growing problem. It is estimated that 1 in 5 Canadians will develop a mental illness in any given year. Many of these Canadians are our family, friends and colleagues which is why every order of government needs to be involved," states Mayor Richard Poole.
Mental health means striking a balance in all aspects of one's life: social, physical, spiritual, economic and mental. At times, the balance may be tipped too much in one direction and one's footing must be found again. Everyone's personal balance is unique and the challenge is to stay mentally healthy by keeping the right balance. Mental health is as important as physical health.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has always considered mental well-being as an integral part of the general definition of health. WHO defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity". CMHA believes that everyone must have good mental health, including people living with mental illness daily.
During the week, the Town will share helpful tips and create awareness for where you can get help. For more information about CMHA Mental Health Week, or for information or tools about your own mental health and how to celebrate, protect and promote it, please visit www.mentalhealthweek.ca. Be sure to watch for those updates all week by following us on Twitter: @blackfalds and Facebook: @blackfaldsAB using: #GetLoud #MentalHealthWeek
Mental Health Week was introduced by CMHA in 1951 and has since become a Canadian tradition.
Town of Blackfalds
rpoole@blackfalds.com
Dean Turnquist
dturnquist@blackfalds.com
Fast Facts about Mental Illness Who is affected?
Mental illness indirectly affects all Canadians at some time through a family member, friend or colleague.
In any given year, 1 in 5 people in Canada will personally experience a mental health problem or illness.
Mental illness affects people of all ages, education, income levels, and cultures.
Approximately 8% of adults will experience major depression at some time in their lives.
About 1% of Canadians will experience bipolar disorder (or "manic depression").
By age 40, about 50% of the population will have or have had a mental illness.
Schizophrenia affects 1% of the Canadian population.
Anxiety disorders affect 5% of the household population, causing mild to severe impairment.
Suicide accounts for 24% of all deaths among 15-24 year olds and 16% among 25-44 year olds.
Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in both men and women from adolescence to middle age.
The mortality rate due to suicide among men is four times the rate among women.
What causes it?
A complex interplay of genetic, biological, personality and environmental factors causes mental illnesses.
Almost one half (49%) of those who feel they have suffered from depression or anxiety have never gone to see a doctor about this problem.
Stigma or discrimination attached to mental illnesses presents a serious barrier, not only to diagnosis and treatment but also to acceptance in the community.
Mental illnesses can be treated effectively.
What is the economic cost?
The economic cost of mental illnesses in Canada for the health care system was estimated to be at least $7.9 billion in 1998 – $4.7 billion in care, and $3.2 billion in disability and early death.
An additional $6.3 billion was spent on uninsured mental health services and time off work for depression and distress that was not treated by the health care system.
In 1999, 3.8% of all admissions in general hospitals (1.5 million hospital days) were due to anxiety disorders, bipolar disorders, schizophrenia, major depression, personality disorders, eating disorders and suicidal behavior.Sources: The Report on Mental Illness in Canada, October 2002. EBIC 1998 (Health Canada 2002), Stephens et al., 2001
How does it impact youth?
It is estimated that 10-20% of Canadian youth are affected by a mental illness or disorder – the single most disabling group of disorders worldwide.
Today, approximately 5% of male youth and 12% of female youth, age 12 to 19, have experienced a major depressive episode.
The total number of 12-19 year olds in Canada at risk for developing depression is a staggering 3.2 million.
Once depression is recognized, help can make a difference for 80% of people who are affected, allowing them to get back to their regular activities.
Mental illness is increasingly threatening the lives of our children; with Canada's youth suicide rate the third highest in the industrialized world.
Suicide is among the leading causes of death in 15-24 year old Canadians, second only to accidents; 4,000 people die prematurely each year by suicide.
Schizophrenia is youth's greatest disabler as it strikes most often in the 16 to 30 year age group, affecting an estimated one person in 100.
Surpassed only by injuries, mental disorders in youth are ranked as the second highest hospital care expenditure in Canada.
In Canada, only 1 out of 5 children who need mental health services receives them.
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Japanese sports store ASICS has opened its first branch in Kolkata, and it's what every sports freak ever dreamed of. Joggers and muscle tees, their clothing range starts at INR 999. They have some amazing stuff in really cool shades, they are making sports - wear more fun than ever. They also give spaces on their racks to socks, caps, gym bags and backpacks. But what we really want to focus on are their shoes. They have the widest range of shoes. Colours and patterns and shapes - you need it, you get it. Mostly specialising in running shoes, they are custom made with alot of thought put behind the structure of the shoe, with respect to the varied shapes of the feet. These things are already enticing you? We haven't even gotten to the coolest part yet - they can brag about having the only GAIT calculating procedure present in store. This is a 6-step procedure which helps you figure out the best shoe for you, based upon your foot shape, size and your running/walking techniques. It's also free of cost. This helps them understand the project pair of shoes for you and your feet health. Their shoes usually start at INR 3,500 and go up to about INR 24,000. Also, for all you shoe freaks - they house some really cool pairs like Gel-Kayano 25 and Gel-Nimbus 20. If this wasn't Latin and Greek to you, but instead made you jump with joy, ASICS is definitely the place for you.
We think their prices could be slightly more reasonable.


Zaya Gran Reserva is produced in Trinidad and Tobago – known as the "Land of the Hummingbird". It is believed these extraordinary birds contain the souls of the native ancestors. This celebrated symbol of the country can be found on the national coat of arms, currency and passport. Like the hummingbird, Zaya's extraordinary blend of barrel aged rums captivates the senses with a vibrant and alluring island experience.produced in Trinidad and Tobago – the southernmost island of the Caribbean.


Seminar "Examples of good practice in developing partnership network between R&D institution and industry 2012"
Two day educational seminaron 18 to 19 September 2012 will take place in Brno, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University. The aim of the seminar will to show on the basis of practical examples, the possibillities for establishing cooperation with R&D teams and industry. Promised participation from industry and research institutions.
Seminar languages were Czech and English.
All presentations were in a form of oral contribution.
Length of invited lectures: 30 and 60 minutes.
To subscribe to the conference, please, use the mandatory application form, which can be found in the section ANNEX.
Binding application, please, complete and send to the contact person (Mgr. Skácelová and Mgr. Jaroslav Hnilica).
Participation in the conference's participants from academic and R&D staff and students in selected fields (nanotechnology, nanotreatment) subsidized by the projectNANOcontact.
The final program of seminars is in the section ANNEX.


text:
TV commercial for the launch of the new O bag unique
1st prize at the
53rd Media Key Awards
Category "Special Effects and Animation"
An award given by the Media Key Publishing Group certifying teamwork and the ability to create new things, with courage and a desire to amaze.
Surreal environments and harmonious colours for a fairy-tale launch.
The launch of the O bag unique line comes with a satisfying video in 3D, with a mix of dreamy settings and metaphysical environments. Shapes and colours unite and come to life in an imaginary production process, where bags are born as if by magic in a succession of fluid situations in complete harmony. The result is a playful storytelling in which the brand captivates with new and unexplored facets.
The scheduling of the 'telefilm' is set for the Sky networks (TV8 and Cielo), Amazon and Twitch.


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News Sports Business Entertainment Opinion Lifestyle Obituaries eNewspaper Legals
New Mexico House committee kills bills to support donations for rural road projects
Adrian Hedden
Carlsbad Current-Argus
Two bills that would incentivize private donations to county road projects were tabled by the House Taxation in Revenue Committee with opponents of the legislation citing concerns that wealthy companies could direct local government priorities if the bills moved forward.
New Mexico Rep. Cathrynn Brown (R-55) sponsored both House Bill 276, which would create a tax deduction for donations and House Bill 104 which would add a tax credit.
Both bills would have allowed a donor, whether and person or company, to choose which project their donation would be used for to get the tax benefit.
They were voted down in committee and failed to reach the House Floor.
Support State politics coverage. Subscribe to the Carlsbad Current-Argus.
Brown said the intention was to create new mechanisms and incentives for funding for county roads, particularly in her district in southeast New Mexico where oil and gas production boomed and added dramatic increases of industrial truck traffic to the rural area.
"This bill is addressing a need we have for getting more money for county road departments, really throughout the state," she said during the Monday hearing for HB 276 before the House Taxation and Revenue Committee.
She said she initially proposed a 100 percent tax credit for donations during the 2019 Legislative Session, but that was tabled. This year, Brown said she "trimmed" the credit to 50 percent in HB 104 but that was also subsequently tabled before reaching the floor.
More:NMDOT: Permian Basin oilfield roads receive millions in state funds, projects underway
As an alternative, HB 276 would allow for a tax deduction of 50 percent of the donation, but not more than $1 million.
This move could make it easier for lawmakers to support the bill, Brown said.
"Now we're back to the deduction idea," Brown said. "This suggestion was made by Speaker (Bryan) Egolf to make that a little easier for the state to accommodate. We have people who are willing to donate to their county roads, but they don't know the mechanisms for doing so.
"This bill clarifies that it can be done. It also incentivizes them. It's kind of a public-private partnership."
More:New Mexico House bills could support rural road projects
Eddy County Public and Government Affairs Director Jerry Fanning said the bill would benefit southeast New Mexico by creating more revenue to keep the roads safe for locals and oil and gas workers alike.
He said companies and locals in the region had asked for such a measure.
"This is a fantastic bill for our part of the world," Fanning said before the committee. "We continually come here asking for money for our roads, and we appreciated what you've done for us fashion. This allows private people and companies to be able to help out in that effort."
More:Eddy County Public Works: Potholes on London Road to disappear
Support was also voiced by the City of Carlsbad's Deputy City Manager Wendy Austin, echoing the benefits mentioned by Fanning.
Patrick Killen, a lobbyist for Chevron also voiced support of the bill.
Aimee Barabe, director of government affairs at the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association said the bill would increase safety for oil and gas operators in the Permian.
"We stand in strong support of this bill," she said. "Safety remains a top priority for our member companies, many of which are in southeast New Mexico."
More:17 people died on Eddy County roads last year
Contentions to the bill centered around what Brown called "donor advising" which allows donors to specify how their donations would be used.
Rep. Christine Chandler (D-43) said she was concerned the bill would allow private companies to make decisions regarding public infrastructure that should be left up to government, and that communities without wealthy companies could miss out.
"One of the concerns I have about mechanisms like this is it sort of subsumes what government does," she said. "County government, city government make priorities for road projects. Under-served areas have the potential for not getting that attention because we have a wealthy entity kind of directing what it believes the priorities should be.
"It sort of interferes with the natural governance process."
More:Death highway: A massive oil boom in Permian Basin made rural roads dangerous
Co-chair of the committee Rep. Javier Martinez (D-11) said state lawmakers have already supported road projects, particularly in the southeast, and that local governments at the city and county level should do more to raise revenue for such work.
"I think we all agree our roads need more attention," Martinez said. "This legislation has been working toward that. There are mechanisms locally for you to raise the revenues aside from what we do here at the state level."
Martinez also said he was concerned about private companies deeming which public infrastructure projects could get funding.
More:Carlsbad leaders demand state support as community struggles to adapt to oil and gas boom
"I think it's a slippery slope if we start giving tax benefits for donations for what are supposed to public projects," he said. "I'm a big believer in private-public partnerships, but there is some limit. We can have buildings and we can have economic development, but once we start building roads and water lines at some point, and sewer lines, it gets tricky for me."
Brown argued that the bill was a new way of addressing rural roads that long struggled for funding.
"If there's not the money in the county road fund, then the roads just don't get built or maintained up to where they need to be," she said. "This is just trying to be innovative and trying to get some to the roads."
Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter.
© 2023 www.daily-times.com. All rights reserved.


Nowadays electronic development has made our eyes to work hard for long hours in a day. Computer usage, TV watching, video games, mobile games and other communication systems, all need our eyesight to consume regularly. We have become so addictive that all these things are included in our basic requirements, and we can't think remaining without them.
Try to use the diet with full of vitamin A as it improves eyesight. Spinach, cabbage, pumpkin, turnip cabbage, maize and pea having vitamin A are very much helpful in connection with eyesight improvement. Try to use balanced diet as it is necessary to maintain over all health state.
Pure rose extract (Arq-e-Gulaab) is very much useful for eye lotion. Two three drops for each eye is sufficient daily to improve eyesight.
Water is life; no doubt it is the necessary part of life and dehydration may affect on eyesight also. Drink sufficient quantity of water daily; at least 6-8 glass daily in order to avoid dehydration.
While working with computer ensure your head must above from the level of your computer screen to avoid direct radiation in your eyes.
While watching the TV proper distance should be maintained from the TV screen.
If you have to work with a computer for hours, try to get breaks during work to avoid constant eye focusing on the screen.
During long office working to relax immediately, close your eyes, put your head back and empty divert your mind to some beautiful memories for just 3 minutes.
Light of the room and the screen contrast should be matching, avoid doing work with a computer or watching TV in dark; it has the bad effect on eyesight.
Looking to the sun with naked eye should be avoided; UV rays coming from the sun may harm your eyes and skin as well; if exposure is long.
Exercise-1 Rotate your eye balls in the circle clockwise for ten times, then anti-clock wise for ten times.
Exercise-2 Heat up your hands by rubbing with each other and place your palms on eyes.
Exercise-3 Hold a pencil or any other thing in your hand, with keeping stare on its tip, move pencil towards your nose slowly, and back slowly. Repeat it for 10 times. This exercise improves accommodation flexibility of eye lens.
Exercise-4 Massage your temples with your thumbs for two minutes, then your forehead center above eyebrows with forefinger for 2 minutes, then under your eyes on both sides of Nose Bridge for 2 minutes.
Note Whenever you feel a headache by reading books, newspaper or with any visual exertion, take it seriously and consult your doctor to check your eyesight. He may advise you to wear glasses, in case your eyesight is being weakened.


Everyday we make sure that what we do makes a difference to our communities. Whether it's responding to emergencies or educating people.
Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service undertakes a number of activities, all aimed at making the community safer and stronger. We are committed to secure the benefits that Apprenticeships bring to an organisation - unlocking talent within existing staff and local communities whilst ensuring that we have a workforce equipped with the skills needed for today and tomorrow.
We offer a comprehensive programme of learning on which to build a skilled and flexible workforce - combining work-based training with vocational knowledge and education.
The Learning and Development function operates out of it's HQ in Stone, but is flexible to deliver throughout the County and beyond.


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Q: Trying to randomly run some functions in an array for my SpriteKit game, but they are not appearing in the Simulator I want 8 functions to be called at random. I know the functions individually work, but when I try and run them randomly with this code they do not appear in the Simulator...
    func randomizeBuildingFunction() {
    let wait = SKAction.wait(forDuration: 6)
        let randomBuildings = [createBuildingOne, createBuildingTwo, createBuildingThree, createBuildingFour, createBuildingFive, createBuildingSix, createBuildingSeven, createBuildingEight]
    let useRandomResult = SKAction.run {
        let randomResult = Int(arc4random_uniform(UInt32(randomBuildings.count)))
        return randomBuildings[randomResult]()
    }
    SKAction.repeatForever(SKAction.sequence([useRandomResult, wait]))

   }
    randomizeBuildingFunction()

This code is in the .didMove function. Here is an example of one of the functions since they are all essentially the same except for slight interval modifications and texture changes.
func createBuildingOne() {
            let one = SKSpriteNode(imageNamed: "BuildingOne.png")

            one.anchorPoint = CGPoint(x: 0.5, y: 0.5)
            one.physicsBody = SKPhysicsBody(rectangleOf: one.size)
            one.physicsBody?.affectedByGravity = false
            one.physicsBody?.contactTestBitMask = ColliderType.Buildings.rawValue
            one.physicsBody?.categoryBitMask = ColliderType.Buildings.rawValue
            one.physicsBody?.collisionBitMask = ColliderType.Buildings.rawValue
            self.addChild(one)

            one.zPosition = 2
            one.position = CGPoint(x: self.frame.width * 0.5, y: -self.frame.height * 0.5 + one.size.height / 1.5)

            let moveLeft = SKAction.moveBy(x: -self.frame.width - one.size.width, y: 0, duration: 6)

            one.run(SKAction.sequence([moveLeft, SKAction.removeFromParent()]))
        }

Is there something wrong with my randomizing code at the top? The app builds fine and there are not any errors...
Thanks in advance!

A: Thanks for the comment @Knight0fDragon! Yes you are right, and after hours of wondering what I was missing, and a little help from a friend of mine who is an Apple Developer, I finally realized that I had to call the run block somehow...
Hence the answer to my question were these 2 little lines of code:
let useFunctionForever = SKAction.repeatForever(SKAction.sequence([useRandomResult, wait]))

    run(useFunctionForever)

I had to run the repeatForever action, which would then call and run my block. I had the repeatForever Action already there, but my mistake was expecting it to run automatically when the entire function was called.
So I guess my issue wasn't necessarily with the arc4Random, but with the repeatForever part of my code.


text:
* take nothing for granted
Sydney Harbour from Mosman
Ha'penny Bridge over the River Liffey Dublin Ireland
The Kalyan Minaret Bukhara Uzbekistan
Dubrovnik Croatia
Dushanbe Tajikistan
Bucharest Romania - from Palace of Parliament
Great Wall Shuiguan China
Terracotta Warriors Xian China
Giza Pyramids and Sphinx Cairo
Jemaa el-Fnaa Marrakesh Morocco
Damascus Syria - (Oct 2010 pre destabilisation)
Cappadocia Turkey
Saltzburg Austria
Cezky Krumlov Czech Republic
Prague Czech Republic
Champs Elysees Paris France
Oberbaum Bridge (over the Spree) Berlin Germany
Florence Italy
Valletta Malta
Lisbon Portugal
Limerick across the Shannon River Ireland
Seville Spain
Alhambra Granada Spain
Mosque–Cathedral Córdoba Spain
Moscow Russia (from Moscow State University)
Trafalgar Square London England
Udaipur India
Taj Mahal - Agra India
Varanasi (Benares) India
Madurai India (the cow insisted I move out of its way)
Lake Iskanderkul Tajikistan
Pyramid of the Sun Teotihuacán Mexico
Zócalo Mexico City
Ipanema Rio De Janeiro Brazil
Iguazu Falls Argentina-Brazil
Machu Picchu Peru
Lake Titicaca Peru-Bolivia
Grand Canyon National Park Arizona USA
Boston USA (across the stern of USS Constitution)
Washington DC USA (from Arlington House)
San Francisco USA (from Alcatraz Island)
Los Angeles USA (from the Getty Museum)
Flame towers Baku Azerbaijan
Havana Mummers Cuba
Bucharest Romania from Palace of Parliament
Registan Square Samarkand Uzbekistan
Lake Bled Slovenia
Mount Ararat behind ancient Zvartnots Cathedral Yerevan Armenia
Kiriwina Island Papua New Guinea Dancers
Lake Sevan Armenia
Peace Bridge Tbilisi Georgia
Unless otherwise indicated all photos © Richard McKie 2005 - 2020
The McKie Family
Stace and Hall family histories
Australia in the 1930s
USA - middle bits
Egypt, Syria and Jordan
In the footsteps of Marco Polo
Reminiscing about the 50's
How does electricity work?
When did people arrive in Australia?
The Password
Bonfire (Cracker) Night
Medical fun and games
The race for a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine
More on 'herd immunity'
More Silk Road Adventures - The Caucasus
The First Man on the Moon
Electric Cars revisited
Members can view additional content.
Biology - we can't escape it
> Medical Fun and Games
Recently I become aware of a medical problem that's exclusive to men - so if you are a woman you need read no further.
I had prostate cancer. And according to Cancer Australia I was but one of nearly 17 thousand men to be diagnosed in Australia in 2020, most of whom were around my age. Indeed 50% of men my age have some level of prostate disease.
So I've been having some medical 'fun and games' and my experience may be helpful, or at least interesting, to other men out there.
> The Prospect of Eternal Life
When I first began to write about this subject, the idea that Hamlet's apprehension concerning 'that undiscover'd country from whose bourn no traveller returns' was still current in today's day and age seemed to me as bizarre as the fear of falling off the Earth should you sail too far to the west.
Yet it has become apparent to me that some intelligent, educated, people still identify the prospect of eternal life, in either heaven or hell, as an important consideration when contemplating their own life and death.
> The Chemistry of Life
This article - that begins with 'What everyone should know' was written back in 2013 as an appendix to The Meaning of Life, my wide-ranging essay for my children about understanding: what we can know and what we think we do know.
Since I began The Meaning of Life in 1997 my children have, to my pride and delight, each surpassed my knowledge in these areas of medicine and science. But now I have grandchildren to inform.
I recently updated the brief chapter on viruses to include an image of a cell infected with Covid-19
Some readers might find it interesting.
> More on Technology and Evolution
2018 will be remembered for one thing in particular: this was the year that a scientist successfully took the Human genome into our own hands for the first time.
"Is this the beginning of the end of the 'natural' human race?" I wondered at the time.
Dr He's stated goal was to protect the children of HIV infected parents from the virus by editing the CCR5 gene to prevent expression of a protein required for the virus' replication. Would this immunity be passed on to their children and to successive generations?
A year later, at the end of 2019, a new virus evolved and jumped to humans: Covid-19. And like HIV, some people seem to be invulnerable while for others, particularly in some ethnic groups, it's fatal. So again geneticists are asking: "to what extent are genes involved?"
> Love in the time of Coronavirus
The July breach of quarantine in Melbourne and subsequent wildfire spread of Covid-19 has echoes of 1919 when the Spanish Influenza got loose after a breach of quarantine in Melbourne.
To that point Australia was effectively free of the disease.
An estimated 15,000 Australians died of Spanish Influenza at a time when the total population was just 5.3 million. The Australian population is now almost five times that number.
Fortunately, the Victorian outbreak was extinguished, by a draconian lock-down and border closures, until elimination was achieved. Victoria has improved contact tracing to match that in NSW and testing campaigns across the Nation have achieved effective elimination, allowing borders to be reopened and tourist and family travel to resume, as in New Zealand and a handful of other countries.
Yet many international arrivals are infected and cases in quarantine are numerous. Several have been sent to ICU's and there have been three Coronavirus related deaths since mid October. Thus breaches of quarantine remain a significant risk and sewerage testing occasionally identifies an area requiring increased testing. But otherwise it will be Christmas as usual in much of OZ (except Sydney's northern beaches - thanks to another quarantine escapee).
Worldwide it's a different story.
> The race for a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine
Developing; manufacturing; and distributing a vaccine is at the leading edge of our scientific capabilities and knowledge and is a highly skilled; technologically advanced; and expensive undertaking.
Yet the rewards are potentially great, when the economic and societal consequences of the current pandemic are dire and governments around the world are desperate for a solution and well over a hundred research teams have joined the race.
So when can we expect to be lining up for a jab?
> Conspiracy
Social Media taps into that fundamental human need to gossip. Indeed some anthropologists attribute the development of our large and complex brains to imagination, story telling and persuasion.
Among the imaginative nonsense that results are many erroneous rumours and conspiracy theories.
For example, at the moment, we are told by some that the new 5G mobile network has, variously, caused the Coronavirus pandemic or is wilting trees, despite not yet being installed where the trees have allegedly wilted, presumably in anticipation.
Of more concern is the claim by some that the Covid-19 virus was manufactured in a laboratory. Recently a malicious fabrication along these lines was attributed to Nobel Laureate Tasuku Honjo who has had to take pains to refute this slander.
So who is responsible for this malicious misinformation and what is their motivation?
> Clean Coal
Coal is one of Australia's largest exports, second only to iron ore. In export value last year coal outsold the nearest rural export, beef, sixfold. The next largest rural export was wheat - against which coal contributed eighteen times more value to our economy - followed by wool, just one twentieth the export value of coal.
Australia's third largest export, by value, is petroleum gasses and now, with fracking, methane. This export is getting closer to the value of coal - perhaps overtaking coal in 2020 under the influence of the Covid-19 caused world recession.
Iron ore remains the king of exports but it would be useless to the buyer without metallurgical coal and or natural gas, so it goes hand-in-hand with the coal exports.
Almost all Australia's coal is mined in Queensland and New South Wales. So it's very important to the economy of those two States but also to the prosperity of all Australians. Australia is after all a 'commonwealth'.
Australia's third largest energy export is uranium. Australia has the world's largest proven deposits of uranium and is the world's third largest producer/exporter, after Kazakhstan and Canada.
In electrical energy terms, each ton of uranium replaces 18,000 tonnes of coal. Yet, for a variety of reasons, some domestic, uranium exports are lower now than a decade ago. They are valued at less than a billion dollars (around 2% of the value of coal) but several countries are building new nuclear power stations to meet their climate commitments so this market could improve.
To this end it has been seen by some necessary to mitigate the poor carbon credentials of coal and to a lesser extent petroleum (in comparison to uranium and renewables) by spruiking: 'clean coal'. By which, clean coal advocates mean the sequestration of carbon dioxide: Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).
> Hydrogen Economy
Back in 1923, scientist and polymath, J B S Haldane, proposed a network of hydrogen-generating windmills for Britain. Since then the idea of storing electricity as hydrogen has hardly ever been off the drawing board.
It seems very attractive:
Hydrogen can be produced in any high school science lab (or kitchen) in a tub of water with two electrodes, topped by inverted test tubes (or jam jars), and a battery. We all did it as kids.
And when you burn it (or explode it by mixing it with the oxygen - don't) you get energy and your water back.
And of course, as NASA will attest, it's also a pretty good rocket fuel, perfect in some conditions, but not for high powered boosters. And not quite so good in a Zeplin.
As young adults we were all converts. Hydrogen offered pollution free urban transport to compete with electric vehicles.
The only problem seemed to be storage. You need to keep it cryogenically, at below -253°C, or compress it to 70MPa. But it's a very common feed-stock in the chemical industry (and at NASA) and they manage it. And then there are the light metal hydrides, that resemble hydrogen batteries - you put it in and take it out when you need it.
It was an 'easy sell' to a shop-floor politician or the commerce educated CFO of a corporation. And many scientists and some engineers just want to experiment or to make a working prototype. They don't care about the overall economics or energy balance.
Consequently there have been many many trials. Ford and GM produced hydrogen fuelled cars - for a while. Toyota is at it again.
The short answer is - physics. As school children we didn't notice that we got back just a tiny fraction of our battery's energy.
Using electricity to make hydrogen and then hydrogen to make electricity (to drive wheels) adds two, very energy consuming, steps to just using the electricity directly. Modern batteries on the other hand, lose a lot less conversion energy, back and forth, and allow for regenerative braking, recovering up to 20% of that committed to getting the vehicle moving. Ask Elon Musk at Tesla.
For a full energy balance analysis read: Does a Hydrogen Economy Make Sense?
Hydrogen is generally used in a fuel cell to produce electricity as it's even worse in an internal combustion engine. As a fuel it's not nearly as: easy and safe to transport and store; energy efficient; or energy dense as petrol or a hydrocarbon gas - burning carbon again.
But my real gripe is not with so called 'green hydrogen', produced as Haldane suggested, by electrolysis, using over produced energy from turbines (Haldane's windmills) or other green sources like: solar panels or waves. This makes sense in some situations where the electricity is surplus or incurs a cost - for example when the spot price goes negative, due to low demand and overproduction of wind or solar.
My concern is with hydrogen produced by 'steam reforming', employing hydrocarbons or coal. This is how over 90% hydrogen used today is produced. And it's how it's proposed that Australia produces hydrogen for export. Used as a transport fuel this 'dark hydrogen" releases more than double the carbon dioxide to deliver the same power to the wheels, than does a conventional petroleum fuelled vehicle; or even an electric vehicle that is charged from the grid using 'dirty' coal fired power. It's the opposite of 'green'.
> Climate Change - a Myth?
Bushfires started early in the annus horribilis, 2020, and were the worst for many years. We had a very smoky Christmas. Then came the floods in some of the very same areas. Many claimed God or Gaia was punishing us for Climate Change. Then came Covid-19. God or Gaia again?
Yet several friends and acquaintances continue to assert that the climate is beyond our control or that 'Climate Change' is a myth.
Might this be true?
Travel - Remember that
> Turkey
In August 2019 we returned to Turkey, after fourteen years, for a more encompassing holiday in the part that's variously called Western Asia or the Middle East. There were iconic tourist places we had not seen so with a combination of flights and a rental car we hopped about the map in this very large country.
We began, as one does, in Istanbul - the end of the Silk Road.
> The Balkans
In September 2019 we left Turkey by air, to continue our trip north along the Adriatic, in the Balkans, to Austria, with a brief side trip to Bratislava in Slovakia.
The Balkan Peninsula was among the first regions on Earth to be civilised. The ancient Vinča culture of the area developed Old European Script, the oldest form of writing known, and clay tablets have been found in the area dating back to around 5,300 BCE.
Consequently it is a much contested geopolitical area, prized by conquerors and by those who want to capture the hearts and minds of their followers.
> The Caucasus
More Silk Road Adventures
One of the birthplaces of the Bronze Age, the Caucasus Mountains have long acted as a barrier between Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
Sitting astride one of ancient humanity's most important trade routes, the Silk Road, added to their strategic significance.
Having followed the Silk Road from Xian and Urumqi, in China, across Tajikistan and Uzbekistan (see 'In the footsteps of Marco Polo' below) our next step had to be to the Caucasus.
So in May 2019 we joined an organised tour to Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia.
> Ireland
In October 2018 we travelled to Ireland. Later we would go on to England (the south coast and London) before travelling overland (and underwater) by rail to Belgium for a few days and then on to Berlin to visit our grandchildren there.
The island of Ireland is mainly rural and not very densely populated. It was unusually warm for October in Europe and Ireland is a very pleasant part of the world. It's not unlike Tasmania, and in many other ways familiar, due to a shared language and culture. Yet it's history over the past few thousand years is labyrinthine in its complexity. Over two weeks we spent many hours in museums around both countries that share this island, fascinated. As a result, this article contains a long, yet much abbreviated, 'Potted History'. There are also smaller articles on fourteen of the towns we meandered between in our trusty rental car.
If my spin on the history is no interest to you, you can avoid the verbiage and philosophising. Take a shortcut. I've put some of our photos into a Google Photos album, instead of making the article even longer:
In June 2018 we travelled to China before joining an organised tour in Central Asia that, except for a sojourn in the mountains of Tajikistan, followed in the footsteps of Marco Polo along the Great Silk Road.
In medieval times China lay hidden to Europe behind the veil of the terrifying Mongol Empire. Yet Venetians still traded in Chinese silk so at the end of the 13th century Marco Polo, with his father and uncle, followed the thread of silk all the way to China.
After his return he became a prisoner of war in Genoa where he related his amazing experiences at the Court of Kublai Khan to Rustichello da Pisa who subsequently published them as the Travels of Marco Polo.
The things they didn't know they didn't know so shocked and amazed educated Europeans that the Travels of Marco Polo is credited by some historians with initiating the European Renaissance and the collapse of monasticism, leading to the Scientific Revolution and the modern world.
In Central Asia we too would learn things we didn't know we didn't know.
> Hawaii
We were there in February and had noticed that it was hot underfoot on Kilauea.
Less that 100 days later, on May 3, a 6.9 level earthquake shook the Island, damaging buildings we had stood in in downtown Hilo, including the Post Office. Several lava vents simultaneously opened east of the Kilauea summit and 2,000 people had to be quickly evacuated as poisonous gasses belched out.
Why is it always just after we leave that things get exciting?
See the May 2018 Addendum at the end of The Volcanos chapter at the end of the Big Island page...
> United States of America - 'middle bits'
In October 2017 we returned from the United States where for over six weeks we travelled through a dozen states and stayed for a night or more in 20 different cities, towns or locations.
In these travel notes I've provided a separate chapter for each significant stop along our way, whether we stayed overnight or not. My notes have turned out to be very long but could well have been much longer - as it's a fascinating country that has so much history, culture and language in common with us that it's extremely accessible and interesting.
Much of our time was spent in states that were for a short time in a separate country: The Confederate States of America. Thus slavery, The Civil War and its consequences loomed large there.
By far the longest chapter is Andrew Jackson's Hermitage - Tennessee that contains an explanatory short history leading up to that period and beyond that informs many of locations we travelled to.
Readers might like to 'cherry pick' chapters that could interest them for other reasons, like Graceland or NASA or the Grand Canyon, from the contents table.
> Japan
Here is the story of our 2017 Japanese sojourn, when we took a short introductory package tour: Discover Japan 2017 visiting: Narita; Tokyo; Yokohama; Atami; Toyohashi; Kyoto; and Osaka.
Japan has been an important theme throughout my life. Their unconditional surrender came exactly four weeks before my birth, as a result of the first A-Bombs.
So that my life spans the nuclear age, the cold war, the space race, Japanese recovery, détente, the digital revolution, biomedical science, and the rise of China.
I couldn't help making one or two historical observations.
> Romania
Here it is at last. I've finally given up my fight with Google Pictures and accepted URLs the length of small essays, just so that I can store my images in The Cloud.
The essay on Southern England uses the old Picasa image storage. But in the middle of writing this, a few days later, Google withdrew it and introduced their mega-URLs. Then, before I could get any further with a solution, I found myself in hospital. See below.
Anyway I hope this was worth the wait - particularly for those of you who like to travel and have not yet been to Romania.
> Korea - addendum or: - How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb
The biggest news of 2017 was on American Independence Day, the 4th of July 2017, when North Korea had launched a rocket that travelled vertically to reach an altitude of 2,802km (1,731 miles) well beyond the orbit of the International Space Station. Thus demonstrating that they could put a nuclear weapon into orbit, to strike anywhere on the planet. That N Korea is not bound by The Outer Space Treaty, the convention that prohibits putting these weapons in orbit, is a point the media seemed to ignore.
Since then there have been even better performing rockets and an H bomb test.
So in the new year I've brought this article up the list a bit and added a further update. Yet irrespective of these recent advances, not a lot has changed.
As was already evident last July, it is now even more obvious that a land attack on N Korea would risk a retaliatory nuclear attack on the US or an indefensible ally like Australia and ,as ever, any solution needs to be diplomatic.
But like Kubrick's Dr Strangelove, we've learned to 'stop worrying and love the bomb'.
This is largely because of MAD - mutually assured destruction.
So, strangely, I find I'm not too worried.
Unless President Trump really is mad.
Read more Travel...
> The McKie Family
This is the story of the McKie family down a path through the gardens of the past that led to where I'm standing now. Other paths converged and merged as the McKies met and wed and bred.
Where possible I've glimpsed backwards up those paths as far as records would allow.
In six generations, I, like most people, have 126 ancestors. Around half have become obscure to me. But I know the majority had one thing in common: they lived in or around Newcastle-upon-Tyne in England.
During that time Newcastle grew from a small port town into one of the World's most important and innovative cities. Thus they contributed to the prosperity, fertility and skill of that blossoming town during the century and a half when the garden there was at its most fecund.
So it's also a tale of one city.
> Luther - Father of the Modern World?
Continuing the religious theme, 2017 also marked 500 years since Martin Luther nailed his '95 theses' to a church door in Wittenberg and set in motion the Protestant Revolution.
It's caused me to recall an exhibition in Germany in 2016 - Luther and the Witches - and to wonder how much impact this superstitious man might still have on my descendents, two of whom are German.
My research and speculations made this article quite long enough. So if you're interested in the witch hunts Luther contributed to click on the linked album within and see the exhibition for yourself.
> Alternative Facts and other Untrue Tales
Most fiction has it's roots in real events. Yet the flights of fancy (untruths) these inspire can be more fun.
Some of these tales can be read in a few minutes others like: The Cloud and The Craft, require a good bit longer.
Have you read this??? - this content changes with each opening of a menu item
The United States of America – East Coast
In the late seventies I lived and worked in New York. My job took me all around the United States and Canada. So I like to go back occasionally; the last time being a couple of years ago with my soon to be wife Wendy. She had never been to New York so I worked up an itinerary to show her the highlights in just a few days. We also decided to drive to Washington DC and Boston.
Fiction, Recollections & News
The fellow sitting beside me slammed his book closed and sat looking pensive.
The bus was approaching Cremorne junction. I like the M30. It starts where I get on so I'm assured of a seat and it goes all the way to Sydenham in the inner West, past Sydney University. Part of the trip is particularly scenic, approaching and crossing the Harbour Bridge. We'd be in The City soon.
My fellow passenger sat there just staring blankly into space. I was intrigued. So I asked what he had been reading that evoked such deep thought. He smiled broadly, aroused from his reverie. "Oh it's just Inferno the latest Dan Brown," he said.
Opinions and Philosophy
Tragedy in Norway
The extraordinary tragedy in Norway points yet again to the dangers of extremism in any religion.
I find it hard to comprehend that anyone can hold their religious beliefs so strongly that they are driven to carefully plan then systematically kill others. Yet it seems to happen all to often.
The Norwegian murderer, Anders Behring Breivik, reportedly quotes Sydney's Cardinal Pell, John Howard and Peter Costello in his manifesto. Breivik apparently sees himself as a Christian Knight on a renewed Crusade to stem the influx of Muslims to Europe; and to Norway in particular.
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As a trusted adviser to our clients, we routinely have a seat at the table during the hiring debate. Business owners will want to weigh a handful of factors when considering the timing of their next hire (eg: what to pay, to whom the new employee will report, how he or she will be trained, etc.). But at the top of the list should be quantifying what your firm can afford and when.
Understanding whether your company can afford that next hire has emerged from our experinece as one of the most important elements of the decision on when to hire an employee. To determine when your firm will be able to absorb the overhead of another employee, you should ideally budget for it in advance. However, if you don't have a budget and don't have time to build one, you should at least forecast your firm's cash needs over a long enough time period to test your organization's capacity to pay for the new employee.
Include the incremental benefit your new employee will bring (eg: new revenue or enhanced throughput) in your projections so you can determine when your new employee's activities will cover his or her cost. Be sure to consider both upside and downside scenarios in your projections.
Sound financial projections help keep emotions in check when making investment decisions, whether it's a key hire or a new technology.
If you could use a hand with projections, here's a step-by-step how to project cash flow.
Driven Insights serves as outsourced finance department for small businesses, taking over the day-to-day finance function and delivering insightful reporting. We help client owners make informed investment decisions - like hiring - on a regular basis. If you would like to cost effectively inform your business decisions so you don't need to depend solely on gut instinct, let's talk: info@driveninsights.com, 888-631-1124.


Stefan has been behaving oddly.
Anne assumed Pascal was hiding something from him.
Kathleen is now looking very tired.
Rajiv was sitting on a bench in the park, reading a book.
I hesitate to ask Roland to help.
Tell Joyce that I'm thirsty.
Phiroze has his reasons for doing that.
Cliff said he cried every day.
Shaw heard from Hein several months ago.
I'm going to go talk to Neal again.
The store where Carlo was working recently closed.
I know where Rathnakumar went to school.
I thought Jones would be hungry.
Ravindran wasn't homosexual, but Brodie's friends told Steve's girlfriend Lance was gay.
Jingbai is a hard person to please.
Are you sure you want to go to Boston with No?
I'm glad you introduced me to Hillel.
Rhonda used up all his water.
Syed said that he and Geoffrey had had a fight.
Ritalynne needs to be with Jerald.
Edith was the only one drunk at the party.
Tell Kirk I'm not in.
Juan was in perfect health.
Actually, Stevan doesn't have insurance.
How did your date go with Nou?
Do you think that bothered Sue?


Our Growers mean the world to us, and we'd like to introduce you to them, and tell their rich stories. It truly is a labor of love by these amazing people who tend to and grow all of the trees in our Orchards. Many of the families are multi-generational farmers working the same land their parents and grandparents worked. Following are their stories.
Jeff Boldt and his family proudly grow Summeripe peaches, plums and nectarines. He and his family have been farming for over 100 years. Jeff hopes that you can see, feel, and taste the passion he and his family puts into their farming.
Rudolf Laemmlen arrived in the Central Valley of California in 1925. He had a passion for farming and a desire to grow great tasting fruit. Rudolf started with 30 acres, and a vision of progress. He passed his farming legacy, to his son Arthur and eventually his grandson Eric. Today Eric farms over 200 acres of Summeripe peaches, plums and nectarines. Eric is proud of his family heritage, and he hopes consumers will see, taste and enjoy the fruits of his family's labor.
John is a third generational farmer. His grandfather came to The San Joaquin Valley from Holland in 1911 and started a small farming operation. Eventually John's father, John N. Warmerdam took over. John and his father now farm over 350 acres of delicious Summeripe fruit. However, John Warmerdam breaks the mold when it comes to the usual generational farmer. His intent was to get off the farm, and teach English. But, as we all know, our plans don't always fall into place. Today, John loves farming, and couldn't see himself doing anything else. John's favorite fruit is a White Nectarines, and his favorite variety is the Arctic Mist.


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text:
Q: Implementing RFC 5219 (MPA-Robust payload for RTP): How does one know they have read an entire ADU? I'm attempting to implement RFC 5219: A More Loss-Tolerant RTP Payload Format for MP3 Audio.
I understand that, for a given MP3 frame, you can identify where the corresponding ADU starts by parsing out the "main_data_begin" backpointer and reading from the "bit reservoir" (i.e. the audio data in the previous few frames).
However, I cannot understand how, for a given MP3 frame, you know when an ADU finishes?
For example, consider the following 2 MP3 frames:

*

*Frame1 has a main_data_begin = 0.

*Frame2 has a main_data_begin = 20

Therefore, ADU1's length is
Frame1.Length - Frame1.HeaderLength - 20 bytes

But how can I know that? Am I able to generate ADU1 from Frame1, or must I read in Frame2 before I can determine that Frame1 is complete and generate ADU1?
Note that there is a sample algorithm in RFC 5219 Appendex A.1 which contains the following pseudo-code:
do
{
     // read a frame
}
while (totalDataSizeBefore < newFrame.backpointer ||
       totalDataSizeAfter < newFrame.aduDataSize);

but nowhere does it define "aduDataSize" or how it's calculated, so it's not super helpful...
The only other clue I have is a vague suggestion I can read the part_2_3_length from the Side Information and that will tell me how long the ADU is - however, I can't find a really effective source for how to actually parse the part_2_3_length - I just know it's a 12/24-bit structure which would give me a value far too high to be a frame-size.

A: Eventually we found the answer in the Live555 source code (specifically MP3Internals.cpp).
Basically, you need to read the part_2_3_lengths for each granule in each channel, and then maths them.
Roughly:
uint numBits = 0;
for (int channelIdx = 0; channelIdx < isMono ? 1 : 2; channelIdx ++)
{
    for (int granuleIdx = 0; granuleIdx < 2; granuleIdx ++)
    {
        numBits += SideInfoGranules[channelIdx][granuleIdx].Part_2_3_Length;
    }
}

// Now maths this number. I don't know where the magic constants 7 and 8 come from though.
var aduDataSize = (numBits + 7) / 8;

The parsing of the part_2_3_length is a bit too involved to explain here, but is well explained in the getSideInfo1 and getSideInfo2 methods of MP3Internals.cpp (for example, here);


Sometimes, for Valentine's Day, a blank note card is all you need to write to that special someone. In this case, the front of the card should be able to stand alone and really make a statement. For today's project, I'm using the Folk Heart die from DoCrafts to create a lovely, layered greeting.
This entry was posted in Cardmaking, Valentine's Day and tagged Card Making, Cardmaking, Die Cutting, DIY Valentine, Valentine's Card, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Card on February 9, 2019 by Heidi.
If you have a lot of Valentine's Day cards to send out, a scrapbook kit is a great way to put some together quickly. Plus, you can use the leftovers for scrapbooking your fun memories of the day!
This entry was posted in Cardmaking, Valentine's Day and tagged Card Making, Cardmaking, Simple Stories, Valentine's Cards, Valentine's Day on January 31, 2019 by Heidi.
Food puns and Valentine's Day cards go hand in hand in my opinion. This cute sushi-themed stamp set from Sizzix called Sushi Roll is no exception.
This entry was posted in Cardmaking, Rubber Stamping, Valentine's Day and tagged Card Making, Cardmaking, Die Cutting, Rubber Stamping, Sizzix, Stamping, Sushi, Valentine's Card, Valentine's Day on January 29, 2019 by Heidi.


text:
<?php

/*
 * Mineur/twitter-stream-api package
 *
 * Feel free to contribute!
 *
 * @license MIT
 * @author alexhoma <alexcm.14@gmail.com>
 */

namespace Mineur\TwitterStreamApiTest;

use Mockery\MockInterface;

use Mineur\TwitterStreamApi\Http\StreamClient;
use Mineur\TwitterStreamApi\Model\Tweet;
use Mineur\TwitterStreamApi\PublicStream;
use Mineur\TwitterStreamApiTest\Stub\StreamTweetArrayStub;
use Mineur\TwitterStreamApiTest\Stub\TweetEntityStub;
use Mineur\TwitterStreamApiTest\TestCase\UnitTestCase;

final class PublicStreamTest extends UnitTestCase
{
    /** @var StreamClient|MockInterface */
    private $streamClient;

    /** @var PublicStream|MockInterface */
    private $publicStream;

    /** Setup */
    public function setUp()
    {
        parent::setUp();

        $this->streamClient = $this->mock(StreamClient::class);
        $this->publicStream = $this->mock(PublicStream::class);
    }

    /** @test */
    public function it_should_return_tweet_object_when_start_consuming()
    {
        $streamTweetArray = StreamTweetArrayStub::create();
        $tweetEntityStub = TweetEntityStub::create($streamTweetArray);

        $this->returnTweetArraysWhenReadingStream($streamTweetArray);
        $this->openPublicStream($tweetEntityStub);

        $this->assertInstanceOf(
            Tweet::class,
            $this->publicStream->consume()
        );
        $this->assertEquals(
            $tweetEntityStub,
            $this->publicStream->consume()
        );
    }

    private function openPublicStream($tweet)
    {
        $this->publicStream
            ->shouldReceive([
                'open' => $this->streamClient,
                'consume' => null
            ])
            ->andReturn($tweet);
    }

    private function returnTweetArraysWhenReadingStream($streamTweetArray)
    {
        $this->streamClient
            ->shouldReceive('post')
            ->andReturn();

        $this->streamClient
            ->shouldReceive('read')
            ->once()
            ->andReturn($streamTweetArray);
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


This is a placeholder page for Bryant Dennis, which means this person is not currently on this site. We do suggest using the tools below to find Bryant Dennis.
You are visiting the placeholder page for Bryant Dennis. This page is here because someone used our placeholder utility to look for Bryant Dennis. We created this page automatically in hopes Bryant Dennis would find it. If you are not Bryant Dennis, but are an alumni of Parkside High School Salisbury, MD, register on this site for free now.


text:
Making the Dean's List: Ron May Dean of Applied Technology and Allied Health
By admin 7 years ago
Ron May reveals his passion for science as the Dean of Applied Technology and Allied Health.
Chris Bonner
Dean of Applied Technology and Allied Health Ron May is a soft-spoken and genial man. His eyes light up and his voice quickens though when he talks about a subject that fascinates him. Like skunks.
May didn't plan on becoming an educator. As far as he was concerned, earning his master's degree in zoology at the University of Idaho was the first step in his career as a research scientist.
His first research subject was the reproductive cycle of the Western Spotted Skunk. May studied why this creature fertilizes its eggs in winter, but unlike other skunks, doesn't give birth until spring. Little did he know at the time that his background in reproductive biology would be put to use teaching college students about human anatomy.
"I had always envisioned myself being a scientist," May said, "but when I was doing research for my master's degree, I saw my professor spend all of his time in his office writing grants."
He realized it was difficult to break into the research realm.
"It was somewhat of a rude awakening for me," said May, who began teaching part-time at Walla Walla Community College.
"I discovered I really enjoy teaching," May said.
May enjoyed being able to learn, study and share his passion for science with his students.
His part-time position at Walla Walla turned into a tenure-track position for eight years. He began teaching biology and anatomy classes at Pierce in 1992 to students entering the health field.
As a dean, May has an opportunity to serve students in a new capacity. May served on the main steering committee and the instructional subgroup for the creation of the new administrative structure.
"What we wanted to do was be as efficient as possible from an administrative standpoint," May said. "…what happened was that as the campus grew…it was a matter of adding divisions along the way. There's a point in our growth that we need to strategically look at the best way to serve the faculty and the students."
While the deans are happy to listen to student concerns and ideas, and are willing to help in any way they can, May sees his role as a behind-the-scenes coordinator. If teachers are actors, then deans are directors. He wants to create the best environment possible for the core job of the college: teaching students.
"The goal of the dean is to do everything he or she can do to make the faculty members have the resources they need to serve the students," May said.
The situation where a dean is most likely to directly support a student is when an issue arises between a student and a faculty member. May encourages any student with an issue or a concern to get in touch with him.
"I'm approachable and I will listen," he said. "While I can't guarantee that an issue or problem will always be resolved in the way that a student might think it will, I will always strive to gather information `from all parties and attempt to come to a solution that is fair and squares with the facts."
May is already at work building a new program in his division to offer students a modern education with applications in the future of the economy. The Health Information Integrated Technology program brings together faculty from the Business Information Technology, Computer Information Systems and Allied Health departments. They are coordinating with May to educate students on the use and management of digital health record formats that are currently being deployed in health care facilities.
May's commitment to finding efficiencies and new processes is all about improving the educational experience for Pierce College students. He encourages students to point out issues that need attention or make suggestions that could contribute to student success.
"We are here because of the students and for the students," he said.
The ongoinginvestigation of Kristopher Gutierrez - March 12, 2019
Letter to the Editor: Campus Parking - January 24, 2019
Letter to the Editor: Public Education - January 24, 2019
Tags: Applied Technology and Allied Health, Ron May
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Next Making the Dean's List: Tom Broxson Dean of Natural Sciences
by admin time to read: 3 min
News	Making the Dean's List: Tom Broxson Dean of …
News	Making the Dean's List: Greg Brazell Dean fo…


I was fortunate to attend a truly spectacular wedding a few weekends ago in Colorado. Kay & Shane were married in front of their 80 closest friends and family with the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains at Lionscrest Manor, just outside of Boulder. This wedding held a special meaning for me. Six years ago, on a rainy day in Portland, Kay introduced me to a pretty lady named Lydia. That day changed my life and for that I'll always be indebted to Kay. I was totally honored when she asked me to photograph her wedding.
I met Shane's mother in the lobby of the hotel prior to the ceremony and she explained to me that Shane is her only child. When I asked her how it was living so far apart (she lives in Virginia and he in Colorado) she told me it was pretty rough. She explained to me that when Shane was in college, she would drive 3 hours every weekend to his college town to see him (and do his laundry)! So to see the ear to ear smile on her face as she sang every word of their first dance to her only son, it was an absolute joy. These little moments make me truly feel inspired to be a wedding photographer. I couldn't be happier for these two.
Cheers to a lifetime of love, hiking and IPA! I love you guys!
To see more from the wedding and to buy prints, click here.