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SHARE Hunting Diversity At Fitted Festival
Hunting Diversity At Fitted Festival
Matthew Everingham
19th June 2017 20 Comments
Without a shadow of a doubt, Australia is home to one of the greatest car scenes on the planet. That said, it's not without flaws.
Are you a fan of JDM? No worries, see these guys on a Thursday. Prefer muscle? Head over to that group next Saturday night. Oh, you have a penchant for vintage metal? That group meets on the first Sunday of the month. Regardless of your automotive passion, you're guaranteed to find a scene of owners and enthusiasts just as passionate as you are.
Sadly though, what you won't find is any form of overlap, or interaction between scenes and styles. Well, not on a regular basis anyway. I feel like it's a missed opportunity for everyone to share, learn and grow.
My role behind the camera allows me a freedom to walk between the many and varied groups that make up Australia's broader car culture. But there aren't too many people who move so freely between scenes though, and it's a bit of a shame. At the risk of sounding a little John Lennon, imagine all the people, sharing the scene as one. It seems as though that lofty ambition is the goal of the group behind Fitted Festival.
A Universal Fit
Fitted Festival secures its place as a highlight on Australian East Coast calendars with its ability to overcome our self-segregating policies. The event unites the very best cars and the biggest crowds from all corners of our varied and fragmented scenes. If it's petrol powered, it's welcome.
The show has transformed substantially in the five years since its inception, 2017 having ushered in a new era with a name change from Fitted Friday.
The new name is a perfect fit (damn, I'm funny). While the show began life as essentially a well-planned carpark meet, it now bears more resemblance to a well-staged music festival complete with light shows, regular DJ sets, and of course a custom built main stage for the real stars of the show – the cars. It's unlike any other car show in the country.
The unique location was further enhanced by Fitted's strong production value; the event looked more like a movie set than a car festival. Just a single barbed wire fence separated the show from Sydney Airport's international runways.
Having aircraft taxiing, landing and launching less than a quarter-mile from the show was certainly a new experience for me. It also made for some potentially once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunities, and I wasn't the only one taking advantage of the setting. Proud owners beamed as wave after wave of enthusiastic car photographers did their best to capitalize on the situation.
I felt like an extra walking through a movie scene, but the general vibe of the audience inside the gates was still very chilled and extremely friendly. No doubt the extra attention to presentation and the chance to drool over different styles of builds created an additional level of excitement in the crowd.
It all still felt very comfortable and familiar though; car owners and fans alike were both more than happy to stop for a quick chat.
One owner we plan on chatting with soon is Chris Palazzo, whose completely custom, stroked 393ci V8 Ford XC Falcon coupe received the 'Most Valuable Car' award. Regular Speedhunters might recognize Chris's name from Paddy's coverage last year of the King Kong Cuda and the Outlaw Rod Shop.
I wasn't sure how big of a turnout to expect. Fitted Festival was originally slated to happen months ago, way back in April, but a week or two before the original date the wider region was pummelled by a severe and unexpected storm system that damaged hundreds of millions of dollars worth of property with no warning at all. In the following weeks, the Australian government was quick to issue severe weather warnings for absolutely anything other than a perfect blue sky.
Not only was the original Fitted date postponed due to incoming storms and weather warnings, but the follow-up date was also delayed for the same reason. Talk about bad luck. Ironically, both of those postponed dates ended up being somewhat dry as the storms mostly blew out to sea.
The third date was set, and again the weather threatened to spoil all the fun. While there were no severe warnings present this time around, the day was marred with patchy rain, but nothing substantial enough to delay Fitted Festival's third attempt.
Ultimately, the looming rain and delays had minimal effect on fans and drivers planning to show up. In fact, there were record numbers of both.
For the most part, Fitted remained dry. It wasn't until towards the end of the evening until the dark sky acted on its threats and bucketed down on the show. The rain was heavy, intense and short. I've got hand it to both the fans and organizers though, because the award ceremony continued uninterrupted.
Those that remained until after the storms passed were treated to an unexpected and incredible sight. Did you think the cars on display already looked amazing?
Nothing looks as amazing as wet, glossy paint, or chrome dripping in water. Countless of beads of rainwater twinkled as the lights of the show danced across panels of wet, perfect paint.
Colorful reflections formed on the wet asphalt and pools of color created the illusion of cars and roads merging as one. Rain and mist mixed the headlamps and spotlights, creating brightly colored halos everywhere you looked. The best way I can describe it is only to say it was beautiful.
Promoting Diversity
Aside from the world famous parking areas of Tokyo or the insanity that is Gatebil, few places display the breadth of the tuning scene like Fitted Festival.
This wide-body S15 Nissan Silvia and Australian-built Holden Torana SL/R (packed with close to 1000hp) couldn't be more different in heritage, style or application. Under usual circumstances, the owners of these two machines would probably never have crossed paths.
I'd like to imagine that these guys stopped, checked out each other's builds and had a chat, sharing build tales and knowledge, and hopefully planting the seed for what could come next. Something that crosses boundaries and throws the status quo out the window.
Amongst the cars on show, a few rides were hand-picked for future features. I've curated a selection based on the very same philosophy that makes Fitted Festival shine: I'll be aiming to showcase a wide and more eclectic snapshot of the quality builds on Australia's East Coast. Feel free to trawl the Cutting Room Floor chapter below for some hints.
Diversity has been a buzz word mercilessly bandied across the media the past few years, at least here in Australia. You're probably sick of hearing the term, but stay with me for a second. Apply it to our world and just imagine what could be possible if the scene united more than once or twice a year…
Instagram: matthew_everingham
matt@mattheweveringham.com
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6:13 pmJune 19, 2017 Spanksy
Chris Palazzo's Falcon coupe was built by metal genius Adam Le Brese (lebrese customs). Genuinely amazing car in the flesh and has been to SEMA after winning MotorEx. http://freestylerides.com/3297/adam-lebreses-ford-xc-falcon-coupe/
+2 Share
9:37 pmJune 20, 2017 Thommo
Its an amazing build, no doubt. I think as far as any XA, XB or XC goes though, looks wise, it does nothing for me. I've seen probably 50 or so more of this model Falcon look so much tougher. In saying all that! I have never seen it in the flesh, it may change my mind completely and building a car is definitely a personal thing.
6:30 pmJune 19, 2017 Matthew Everingham
It's always been a build I've admired. It's undergone a few changes under Chris. I'm looking forward to giving you guys a closer look in the near future.
It'd be great to get in touch with Adam and show the world what is in his shed also. Not a big one on social media yet he pumps out these amazing cars. Glad it went to someone like Chris who has the respect for the original build yet still has a vision for changes to enhance.
6:20 pmJune 19, 2017 Dino Dalle Carbonare
It's an amazing build!
6:51 pmJune 19, 2017 Trevor Ryan
Amazing work, especially considering the conditions. Some really nice cars out there.
Thanks dude. The rain was cold but tye images made it worth it.
7:15 pmJune 19, 2017 kizza
I'm loving those vanity plates! Especially "69 ROFL", that got me!
7:16 pmJune 19, 2017 Blake
beautiful photos wow
8:09 pmJune 19, 2017 Smacca
Your depiction of Australia's mutually exclusive car cultures is unfortunately all too accurate Matthew. But you're right in that great events like this are starting to challenge the hate and now build appreciation between different scenes.
Another new event that's braking down the barriers is Central Coast Coffee and Cars, held monthly on a Sunday morning. The random (mostly road going) rides that turn up each month is an awesome sight to see together. From JDM to Aussie Muscle, British Vintage and Italian Exotics, there is something new to see every month. And it's only an hour north of Sydney, straight off the M1. You should come check it out mate!
https://www.facebook.com/cccarsandcoffee/
Author11
I'd like to head up for the next showdown. They're always really impressive!
11:22 pmJune 19, 2017 StealthStar17
Looking through the photos in this article, I could've sworn I was looking at screenshots of NFS 2015. (Not that that's a bad thing. NFS 2015's graphics are almost lifelike!)
11:54 pmJune 19, 2017 GEE
Definitely a show that has been ahead of it time. Make the trip down from Darwin 48hrs drive to check it out!
Awesome atmosphere and vibe with awesome cars and bikes.
Speedhunters your missing the bikes??
1:16 amJune 20, 2017 Darryl
Im not sure you have heard of powercruise? but Powercruise brings several areas of the scene together, and not just to park up but to enjoy the cars on the track. Now im pretty sure you have heard of powercruise, but hard to then go and say no other event brings the scenes together like this one, when PC is such an obvious one, just more of the cars arent just show ponies that drive on the street. But this event does look like an awesome way to spend a friday night. Got to love the ozzy car scene, as a kiwi, I think other than their shit road laws towards modified street cars, OZ has the best scene in the world, easy!
10:00 pmJune 20, 2017 Matthew Everingham
Powercruise is something I plan on exploring at a later date. They're good fun.
I never claimed this is the only show, I claimed that it's one of only a few. More importantly the point I was trying to make is that MORE events that aim to bring everyone together need to happen in Australia.
6:50 pmJune 20, 2017 johnh875
S15 to Torana- "Nice overfenders bro"
ha ha, its funny, the one car that's probably had the most abusive life, is the one under the cover!
11:54 amJune 21, 2017 Irving
There should be a photoshoot with the gray GTR R33
5:17 amJune 22, 2017 Lukas
What is it with australians and those absurdly huge wheels on muscle cars?
Otherwise nice cars!
6:07 amJune 22, 2017 Sam
Great event! Huge turnout and some amazing cars on show. Looking forward to the next one!


I've read quite a few blog post in the past few days reviewing other peoples 2017 exploits. I enjoyed them so much I thought I'd do the same. Good excuse to look back through my photos and remember what we got up to. At my age I need help remembering stuff!.
Acutely conscious of the modern trend for these awful "round robin" letters you get at Xmas (we get one of these smugograms every year) I tried to select photos that bring back a particular memory for me so its more a personal, family introspection on outdoorsy stuff, than a blow by blow account of the year. As its based on my photo collection if I didn't photograph it, it ain't here!
2017 is the year I rediscovered cycling – mainly to help my knee and also to be less of a lazy layabout during the week. The Hardman – a VERY keen and VERY fit cyclist caught wind and insisted we meet up in the Peak for a trip along a couple of the old railway trails. A cracking sunny day and I survived cycling with the Hardman!
More cycling and solo trip through the Brecon Beacons on the "Gap" route. Cycling to over 600m was a first for me and I started to feel that I almost, might, actually enjoy cycling.
Another "local walk for local people" – this time Garway Hill where we reached the top, saw this nasty storm approaching and raced it back to the car. We won.
Back to earth with a bump. A few days after the heat and sun of Europe we were walking in the Black Mountains in driving rain and cold winds!
Nothing finer than a stroll in the warm sunshine along a Mediterranean beach.
On our last evening we headed back over to the fountains near Placa Espanya and the Palau Nacional. There was already a massive crowd there and seating room on the steps was at a premium. What had everyone come here to see? The Magic Musical Fountain Show of course!
A bit tacky and cheesy but very well put on, and, a real novelty in Barcelona, free!
The views from the top were impressive but very much obscured by protective mesh and scaffolding.
Back down and we picked up our audio guide (which was excellent by the way) and gave this extraordinary building, the pinnacle of Gaudi's ambitions, the attention its deserves. The level of detail is staggering to try to take in.
It feels kind of special to be able to witness a building of such complexity and design taking shape and what the intentions are rather than historians trying to re-create those intentions from historical artefacts.
The hustle and bustle of the place is intoxicating and I absolutely loved it. Eating freshly cooked Tapas sitting a bar in the market where they source the food is quintessentially Barcelona. It would be the first place I'd head for when I visit again. I could have lived in the place.
There was a resident Marilyn Monroe lookalike (at least that's who I assumed she was supposed to be). We declined the offer to go in. Not really a family outing.
You need to "eat" Barcelona as well as see it!
There is a metal gangway you walk along and its really rather excellent. The old heart of the city has many large churches and from our wanders you can visit the roof of most of them, all claiming to have the best views in Barcelona!
Only me and TJS went for a poke around. You can do a tour of the stadium but as with all things in the city they make a hefty charge. Its a huge stadium holding close to 100,000 and and I'd assumed it would be a towering structure. In fact most of the terraces are below ground level so from the outside it doesn't look much.
The heart of the park is the Cascada Monumental.
After a lazy afternoon sunning ourselves on the roof terrace we set off for one of the city's lesser known sites. It's a bit off the beaten track but as luck would have it there was a regular bus there from just round the corner that had us up in the hills above the city in about half an hour.


text:
\section{Introduction}
The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a large metropolitan
university located in Orlando, Florida. Shortly before this study was started, the U.S. Department of
Education National Center for Education Statistics ranked UCF as
the sixth largest university in the country based on a Fall 2006
enrollment of 46,646 students \cite{USDE}. Since that time, the
university's enrollment has grown to over 55,000, making UCF the
third largest university in the United States going into the Fall
2009 semester \cite{WFTV,UCF1}.
 The calculus-based
introductory physics courses, Physics I (Newtonian Mechanics) and
Physics II (Electricity and Magnetism with some Optics) are
required for all students of the College of Engineering and
Computer Science. This college alone had an enrollment of over
6000 in the spring of 2009 \cite{ECS}. The large number of
students going through the introductory classes each semester,
along with the students from the College of Sciences, which
includes the Physics Department, and a large contingent of
students from other colleges taking the department's physical
science class make UCF's Physics Department the second-largest in
the country based on the number of credit-hours taught per
semester \cite{AIP}. The teaching of these introductory classes is
a large-scale operation, with ten to twelve lecture sections of
eighty to over one-hundred students taught each semester, along
with twenty to twenty-two lab sections of thirty to thirty-five
students each. Retention of the students within the majors that
make up the science, technology, engineering and mathematics
fields (STEM) is a challenge for UCF as well as universities
nationally \cite{NSF}. The introductory physics courses are one of
the first large hurdles that students must clear on their way to a
STEM degree.

There are many innovative approaches to teaching introductory
physics (see Ref. \cite{Redish} and references therein). One that has been demonstrated to effectively improve
students' conceptual learning is curriculum presented in \emph{The
Physics Suite} \cite{Redish,PS}. Some elements of \emph{The Physics
Suite} apply readily to the large-scale approach to the teaching
of the introductory classes at UCF, with little or no change to
the scheduling format or the infrastructure used by the
department. \emph{Interactive Lecture Demonstrations} (ILD) \cite{ILD}
can be used effectively in a large lecture hall setting, so they
can be implemented in any of the sections scheduled at UCF.
Similarly, \emph{RealTime
Physics} (RTP) \cite{MOD1,MOD3,MOD4} is designed for use in a
lab setting with groups of two to four students performing
experiments using computers and probeware, much of which is
already used in the UCF introductory physics labs. These elements
of \emph{The Physics Suite} bring physics education research-based
curriculum into an existing large-scale physics instruction
program while maintaining the department's existing method of
scheduling and class structure and making use of the department's
existing equipment.

The evaluations outlined in this paper provide evidence of
improved student learning due to the effectiveness of including
\emph{The Physics Suite} methods as a major part of the
instruction in the introductory physics classes. The large scale
of UCF's introductory physics program has allowed a comparison of
conceptual learning between significant numbers of students taking
part in the new method of instruction with those in traditional
instruction, as well as those with partial involvement in both
methods, over a short span of time. The number of sections of each class available for this survey has also provided the opportunity to study the relative benefits of \emph{Interactive Lecture Demonstrations} and \emph{RealTime Physics} when implemented seperately as well as in concert.

\section{Introductory Physics classes at UCF, and changes made to implement \emph{The Physics Suite}}
The lecture sections of the introductory physics classes at UCF
are taught in an auditorium-style lecture hall seating 80-120
students. Traditional format lectures are taught in a visual method
determined by the instructor ---
that is,
either projected powerpoint  slides or flashing of transparencies or blackboard/whiteboard presentation. A few
instructors have made occasional use of electronic student
response systems (ERS) to incorporate some active student
participation into the format and/or have used a combination of the visual methods for the delivery
of the lectures.

The sections chosen for participation in \emph{The Physics Suite}
project used \emph{Interactive Lecture Demonstrations}
during one lecture class each week. A demonstration relating to
the current topic being addressed in the class is set up. Students
are asked to make a prediction of what results will be seen during
the demonstration. The predictions are recorded as a poll, using
the ERS. Students are then encouraged to interact in small groups,
discussing their predictions and explaining their reasoning. After
the discussion interval, students are polled again and the results
are displayed. The demonstration is then conducted and students
can see the actual results. Finally, the physical principles
involved are discussed, with participation both from students who
had reasoned correctly and from some who had based their answers
on incorrect preconceptions. This approach of direct confrontation
of preconceptions with actual demonstrations, requiring the
students to thoroughly reason through the problem both before and
after the demonstration has been shown to be an effective teaching
method. It develops deeper understanding by connecting students'
intuition to the concepts addressed, and it is effective in
changing flawed preconceptions
\cite{CBZ,RRH,MCD,ST1}.

The lab component of the introductory classes is a separate, one
credit-hour class. The classrooms are arranged for eight stations
of four students each, and each station equipped with a computer
and Pasco CI-6560 interface. The experiments used in the
traditional format lab are mostly``cookbook''-style. The students
present their results in a report composed outside of class and
turned in the following meeting. The format of the report is
determined by the instructor. Part of the focus of the manual is
on experimental set-up and method, and there is some introduction
to error analysis.

The lab sections using \emph{RealTime Physics} as their lab
manual are set in the same rooms and make use of much of the same
equipment as the traditional format labs.  The RTP manual makes
use of a guided-inquiry approach to the execution of the
experiments. After a brief outline of the experimental set-up, the
students are asked to make predictions of the results they expect
to see. Like the ILDs in the lecture sections, this prediction
step will target preconceptions and lead to discussion of the
underlying principles among members of the lab group. For most
activities, the data is plotted in real time, as the experiment
takes place. The students are encouraged to make multiple runs of
each experiment, watching the relation between the physical
activity and the mathematical plot. The actual results are
compared with the predictions made earlier. Questions are asked to
get the students to think about the physical principles
determining the experimental results. Some mathematical analysis
is done with the graphs and data from the experiment to show
relations between physical quantities.

An example of an activity performed during one of the
one-dimensional motion labs from Physics I follows:  A student
holds a ball above a motion detector that is hooked to a computer.
The students in the group predict what will happen to velocity and
acceleration for the ascent, turning point, and descent of the ball thrown vertically.  Then the
ball is thrown in the air so the motion detector can plot velocity
versus time and acceleration versus time.  Now students discuss
the results and can see that even though velocity
changes, acceleration is constant. The plots of velocity and
acceleration are compared, illustrating the mathematical relation
between the quantities. Careful attention to the graphs also helps
illustrate the vector nature of the quantities \cite{MRZ,RJB,GA}.

The lab report is completed within the lab class time, consisting
of answering the questions posed during the activities. There is a set of
homework questions following each lab, designed to reinforce concepts
developed through the activities in the lab. Through the Fall 2007
semester, the first semester of the project, the homework was
optional. Since then, the students have been required to turn this
in at the start of the following lab. The emphasis of the RTP labs
is on understanding the physical concepts addressed and
interpreting the graphs of mathematical relations followed by the
physical quantities \cite{ST2,RSS}.

\section{Method of evaluation}
To evaluate the effectiveness of these portions of \emph{The Physics Suite} method
at UCF, all the students in the introductory physics classes were
given a pre-test during the first meeting of the lab section, and
a post-test on the last day of the lab. The tests used are concept inventory-style
tests and the same tests were given to all students both times.
The Physics I test is the \emph{Force and Motion Concept
Evaluation} and is included as an appendix to the
Thornton/Sokoloff article cited \cite{LM}. The Physics II test is
the \emph{Electric Circuits Concept Evaluation}, also created by
Sokoloff and Thornton. The difference between each student's score
between the pre- and post-tests was not the score evaluated.
Instead, students' pre- and post-test scores were compared based
on the percentage of material that they learned during the
semester. The improvement score, normalized gain as introduced by Hake, calculates what
percentage of the questions missed on the pre-test are answered
correctly on the post-test. The formula used to calculate the
normalized gain is $\mbox{Gain}=\frac{(Post~Correct)-(Pre~Correct)}{(Perfect~Score)-(Pre~Correct)}\times 100$. \cite{RRH2}

The students in each semester registered for their lecture and lab
classes without knowing if either would include a component of
\emph{The Physics Suite}, so their placement was random. A small
number of students each semester take either the lab or lecture
component alone. The students taking only the lecture component
did not take the concept evaluation tests.

The scores from the pre- and post-tests were grouped into four
categories: students taking an ILD lecture section and an RTP lab,
students taking an ILD lecture section and a traditional format (TF) lab, students
taking a traditional format (TF) lecture and an RTP lab, students taking
a TF lecture and a TF lab. Students who missed
either test due to add/drop of a class or an absence on either
test day were not counted.  Also, for any student who had taken a
pre-test and switched sections and took it again the lower score
was kept. These statistics were used to evaluate the effect of
\emph{The Physics Suite} elements on conceptual learning.

The students' successful completion of the course, defined as
attaining a ``C'' or better, is compared among the four
categories. The percentage of each category that successfully
completed the course during the study is presented for both
Physics I and Physics II.

Finally, student opinions were solicited. Interviews were
conducted with student volunteers after two semesters, the Spring
2008 semester and the Spring 2009 semester. The students did not receive any monetary
or grade compensation for the interviews. In the spring of 2008,
twenty-eight students were interviewed, eight students from
Physics I and twenty from Physics II.  Six of the students were
Physics II RTP students who had taken Physics I during the fall
with the RTP method. A survey was given to all sections of the lab
classes at the end of the Spring 2009 semester. Excerpts from the
 interviews and results from the  survey are presented.

\section{Evaluation: Concept Test Results}
The students' conceptual learning as measured by the performance
on the \emph{Force and Motion Concept Evaluation}(FMCE) and
\emph{Electric Circuits Concept Evaluation} (ECCE) pre- and
post-tests is presented first. The comparison is made between
students taking sections using either \emph{Interactive Lecture
Demonstrations}(ILD) in their lecture, \emph{RealTime
Physics}(RTP) in their lab, or both components of \emph{The
Physics Suite}(ILD \& RTP) and those taking only traditional
format classes(TF) in both their lecture and lab component.

\begin{figure}
    \centering
        \includegraphics[width=0.50\textwidth]{2048cumulative}
    \caption{Cumulative Physics I results}
    \label{fig:2048cumulative}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure}
    \centering
        \includegraphics[width=0.50\textwidth]{2049cumulative}
    \caption{Cumulative Physics II results}
    \label{fig:2049cumulative}
\end{figure}
Figures \ref{fig:2048cumulative} and \ref{fig:2049cumulative} show
the two-year cumulative performance in Physics I (PHY2048) and
Physics II (PHY2049) separately. The gains for all formats are
higher in Physics I, with students taking both ILD and RTP
components gaining over 50\% compared to 19\% for students having
both components in the traditional format. In Physics II, the
gains are less for all formats, but students taking any component
of \emph{The Physics Suite} more than doubled their gain over the
TF-only group.

The remaining figures for this section show the performance of
students in the introductory classes by semester for the first two
years of the project, from the most recent results back to the
start of project. Note that in PHY2049 there are no students in
the TF lab categories after the first semester of implementation.
After positive results in the initial semester of the project, all
sections of the Physics II lab component were switched to the RTP
format.
\begin{figure}
    \centering
        \includegraphics[width=0.50\textwidth]{sp2009}
    \caption{FMCE \& EECE results for Physics I \& II from Spring 2009}
    \label{fig:sp2009}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure}
    \centering
        \includegraphics[width=0.50\textwidth]{f2008}
    \caption{FMCE \& EECE results for Physics I \& II from Fall 2008}
    \label{fig:f2008}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure}
    \centering
        \includegraphics[width=0.50\textwidth]{sp2008}
    \caption{FMCE \& EECE results for Physics I \& II from Spring 2008}
    \label{fig:sp2008}
\end{figure}
\begin{figure}
    \centering
        \includegraphics[width=0.50\textwidth]{f2007}
    \caption{FMCE \& EECE results for Physics I \& II from Fall 2007. This was the only semester to include TF labs in Physics II.}
    \label{fig:f2007}
\end{figure}

The latest results from the Spring semester of 2009 are shown in
Figure \ref{fig:sp2009}. Figure \ref{fig:f2008} shows the results
from the Fall semester of 2008. Figure \ref{fig:sp2008} shows the
performance in the Spring of 2008. Finally, Figure \ref{fig:f2007}
shows the Fall of 2007, the first semester of implementation.

For Physics I, the number of students in each category and for
each semester is given in Table \ref{physics1_numbers}. The Physics II numbers are in Table \ref{physics2_numbers}. Fall 2007 was the only semester with traditional format labs in Physics II.

\begin{table}[htdp
\centering
\large{{\bf Physics I Numbers by Semester}}
\begin{tabular}{lcccc}

\small{Semester} & \small{ILD\&RTP} & \small{ILD\&TF} & \small{TF\&RTP} & \small{TF\&TF}\\
\hline

Fall 2007 & 26 & 57 & 72 & 270 \\
Spring 2008 & 15 & 42 & 43 & 186 \\
Fall 2008 & 19 & 49 & 60 & 104 \\
Spring 2009 & 32 & 121 & 34 & 120 \\
\hline
Total & 92 & 269 & 209 & 680

\end{tabular}
\caption[Physics I Numbers by Semester]{The number of students taking the FMCE, by semester.}
\label{physics1_numbers}
\end{table}

\begin{table}[htdp
\centering
\large{{\bf Physics II Numbers by Semester}}
\begin{tabular}{lcccc}

\small{Semester} & \small{ILD\&RTP} & \small{ILD\&TF} & \small{TF\&RTP} & \small{TF\&TF}\\
\hline

Fall 2007 & 17 & 21 & 66 & 191 \\
Spring 2008 & 15 &  & 141 &  \\
Fall 2008 & 46 &  & 210 &  \\
Spring 2009 & 78 &  & 210 &  \\
\hline
Total & 156 & 21 & 627 & 191

\end{tabular}
\caption[Physics II Numbers by Semester]{The number of students taking the EECE, by semester.}
\label{physics2_numbers}
\end{table}
\section{Evaluation: Successful Class Completion}

The FMCE and ECCE test conceptual understanding. Another important
measure of the success of a course is given by the percentage of
students that successfully complete the course. In the case of the
introductory physics courses, the majority of the students are
from the College of Engineering and Computer Science, which
requires a C or better in the core courses.
\begin{figure}
    \centering
        \includegraphics[width=0.50\textwidth]{percent_pass2048.eps}
    \caption{Percentage of students successfully completing the introductory physics classes (Fall 2007-Spring 2009)}
    \label{fig:abc}
\end{figure}
Figure \ref{fig:abc} shows the percentage of students attaining at
least a C grade in Physics I from the Fall 2007 semester through
the Spring 2009 semester. Again, the performance is divided into
the categories based on the combination of lecture and lab
instruction method. This is the one area where taking both ILD and
RTP components has not shown to be an advantage.
The effect may be masked by less grade inflation in the ILD classes taught by the project's PI(C.E.), and by the stricter rules of student evaluation he has established in the RTP labs.
Since the combination of the two elements of \emph{The Physics Suite} created the largest gain measured in conceptual
understanding, it may be that it leads to a bigger split between
the successful students and those that are still struggling. This
may lead to a higher withdrawal rate.
At this point the
investigation has not differentiated between withdrawals and
failures. The retention issue is an important one and the other
apparent successes of the project make it seem that it should help
with this also.

\section{Evaluation: Student Input}

The evaluation also involved student input. A survey was given to
all students taking the post-test at the end of the Spring 2009
semester. The survey consisted of fifteen statements relating to
the benefits of the lab component of the course, the correlation
between the lab and lecture components, the recitation sessions
conducted during the lab meeting time, and possible ways to
maximize the benefit of the lab component. Students were asked to
rank their agreement with each statement on a five-point scale:
strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, or strongly disagree.

Here the responses of Physics I students are shown for two
statements that are key to both the motivation for, and the
success of the implementation of \emph{The Physics Suite}. They
refer to the goal of challenging common preconceptions held by
students of the introductory physics classes, which \emph{The
Physics Suite} curriculum is written specifically to address, and
the goal of better coordinating the lab component topics with the
lecture component topics chronologically during the semester.
\begin{figure}
    \centering
        \includegraphics[width=0.50\textwidth]{survey_q8_2048}
    \caption{Percentage of student responses to the statement: ``The experiments performed in the lab have caused me to
               change my mind about how some physical process works.''}
    \label{fig:survey q8 2048}
\end{figure}

Figure \ref{fig:survey q8 2048} shows the responses to the
statement, ``The experiments performed in the lab have caused me
to change my mind about how some physical process works.'' The
students who had taken a \emph{RealTime Physics} lab (RTP) had a
higher percentage of positive responses than those taking the
traditional format lab (TF). The strongest positive response came
from students taking the RTP lab, with the traditional lecture
component. These students seemed to have a strong sense that the
lab exercises contributed to their understanding of the physical
principles involved. The responses of the students taking an RTP
lab component with an ILD lecture, although still positive, were
not as strong as the RTP lab with traditional lecture students.
This is the group that performed the highest on both the
conceptual test and in the lecture component grade. The lower
positive response may be due to the wording of the statement.
These students may feel that their preconceptions were challenged
during the ILD lecture as well as during the RTP lab experiments.
\begin{figure}
    \centering
        \includegraphics[width=0.50\textwidth]{survey_q2_2048}
    \caption{percentage of student responses to the statement: ``There is a connection between the concepts addressed by the
               lab experiments and the theory covered in the lecture class.''}
    \label{fig:survey q2 2048}\end{figure}

Figure \ref{fig:survey q2 2048} shows the percentage of the
responses to the statement, ``There is a connection between the
concepts addressed by the lab experiments and the theory covered
in the lecture class.'' Again, students have responded more
positively if they had the RTP lab than if they had a TF lab.

Student volunteers were interviewed following both the Spring 2008
and Spring 2009 semesters. The earlier interviews have been
transcribed and the student feedback is summarized here.

On major items, such as `Do you like the format?', `Have the
experiments changed misconceptions?', and `Do the experiments help
you learn physics?', the majority of students gave positive
feedback.  The interactive nature of the RTP labs was praised by a
number of students. Many students claimed to have had
preconceptions modified by conducting the experiments in the RTP
lab. A question in the interview addressed the homework and most
students had a positive response. It was an indication the
homework was fulfilling its intended purpose. The interviews were
conducted in a focus group setting. Examples of two questions and
typical student responses follow. The responses have been
paraphrased to accommodate grouping of like responses.
\begin{enumerate}
\item {\bfseries Do you like this (overall) format as compared to
a traditional lab format where you take all the data and later
write a report? Why?}
\begin{itemize}
\item [-]  Much more interactive
\item [-]  More effective because you forget when you try and write the report at home
\item [-] Somewhat, explains to a point that makes you find out a purpose
\item [-] Good to answer questions as going through
\item [-] Does more to reinforce
\end{itemize}
\item {\bfseries Do the lab report questions help understand the material?}
\begin{itemize}
\item [-] Helps understand
\item [-] Makes you stop and think
\item [-] Helps if you take your time to do it
\item [-] Observing then writing reinforces
\item [-] Seeing the result really helps with concept
\end{itemize}
\end{enumerate}
\section{Implementation Issues}

Although the students are encouraged to do their best on the pre-
and post-tests, and most do, there are some who just quickly mark
down an answer. There needs to be an incentive for all to try
their best. It cannot be directly related to their grade because,
in the case of the pre-test, it would be unfair to grade students
on material they have not seen. The graduate teaching assistants
have been asked to offer some form of extra credit to students as
an incentive to give a full effort on both tests. Some methods
that have been tried are rewarding the top-scoring students on the
pre-test, rewarding both the top scoring and highest normalized
gain students on the post-test, and counting the post-test as a
full-score replacement quiz grade based on effort (as judged by
the instructor).

Another issue is that as time goes on students from the past RTP
labs will have corrected homework that they can share with
current RTP students. Although this would not show directly in the
pre/post test results, some students may not put full effort into
learning. A possibility may be to have different homework sets
appended to those in the lab manual.

Attaining a good correlation between the lab and the current topic
being covered in the lecture component is always a challenge and
was part of the motivation for undertaking the project. Much of
the problem involves the different pace of the various lecture
instructors. The RTP labs for Physics I have been in fairly good
agreement with the lectures. Physics II has been more difficult.
The labs start immediately with circuits, while the lecture deals
with static charges, electric force and electric fields. There is
also a point where the lecture starts addressing magnetism and
there are no corresponding labs. The geometric optics labs have
been inserted into the lab curriculum at this point, and then
circuits are resumed once the lecture begins with some
introduction of induction. Although students have had some
complaints about the disconnect between the two components, most
have been glad for the experience with circuits when that topic is
reached in lecture.

\section{Conclusion}
There is strong evidence, based on the results from the pre- to
post-test gains on the FMCE and ECCE, that \emph{The Physics
Suite} elements implemented into the introductory physics classes
at UCF have a positive effect on students' conceptual learning.
This is especially true when both the \emph{Interactive Lecture
Demonstrations} and \emph{RealTime Physics} labs are used in
conjunction. However, the investigation shows evidence that either component benefits student learning when used alone.
This makes \emph{The Physics Suite} a good option for a large-scale physics program with many different instructors.
\emph{RealTime Physics} as a stand-alone method for lab instruction pairs well with the lecture component of the course,
whether or not the lecture instructor chooses to include \emph{Interactive Lecture Demonstrations} as part of the course.

This improved performance does not seem to have affected the
number of students who successfully complete the courses, although
those that do succeed are doing so at a higher level. The students
that withdraw or fail often do not attend class, or do not put any
effort into their studies of the subject. Even if the presentation
of the material is improved, it does not have an effect on this
group. The effort to stimulate learning in the lowest performing
students is an area that will require further focus.

There is also evidence that the students themselves feel that the
approach of \emph{The Physics Suite} has positively impacted their
learning. Responses to the survey questions and statements made
during the interviews indicate a perception among the students
that the inquiry-based activities of \emph{RealTime Physics} and
the active participation in lecture required in \emph{Interactive
Lecture Demonstrations} play a large role in helping them grasp
the difficult material of the introductory physics classes.

The success of the project through the first two years, based on
the evaluations done and also on positive feedback from the
students themselves indicates that there is good reason to
continue with, and expand, the implementation of \emph{The Physics
Suite} at The University of Central Florida.

\section{Acknowledgments}
The authors would like to extend thanks for the help provided by Professors David Sokoloff, Ronald Thornton and Priscilla Laws, who have been
the consultants in the implementation of the \textit{The Physics Suite} at UCF, and Professor Ken Krane,
who has been the evaluator. The lab manuals and concept inventory tests used for Physics I and II have been created by David Sokoloff,
Ronald Thornton and Priscilla Laws.
\cite {ILD,MOD1,MOD3,MOD4}.

This work was supported by the Department of Undergraduate Education
in the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DUE 0633157.  S. McCole was supported by an REU grant of
the National Science foundation (DMS 0649159).

Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed
in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily
reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


text:
Silvercorp Reports Increased Reserves and Resources at the GC Mine
Posted on September 3rd, 2019 | Filed under Press Releases
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 03, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Silvercorp Metals Inc. ("Silvercorp" or the "Company") (TSX/NYSE American: SVM) is pleased to report the results of an updated National Instrument 43-101 Technical Report with an effective date of June 30, 2019 (Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves effective December 31, 2018), prepared by AMC Mining Consultants (Canada) Ltd. ("AMC") on the Gaocheng silver-zinc-lead property (the "GC Mine") in Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China (the "Gaocheng NI 43-101 Technical Report").
The four authors of the Gaocheng NI 43-101 Technical Report all qualify as independent Qualified Persons. Two of the authors visited the GC Mine in January 2018. AMC examined all aspects of the project, including drill core, underground workings, processing plant and surface infrastructure. The Gaocheng NI 43-101 Technical Report will be made available for review on the SEDAR system and on the Company's website at www.silvercorp.ca in due course.
Highlights of the Gaocheng NI 43-101 Technical Report
From the start of operations at the GC Mine in 2014 through to December 31, 2018, 1,251,000 tonnes have been mined at average head grades of 96 g/t silver, 1.5% lead and 2.7% zinc.
Despite mine production depletion, there has been a 7% increase in tonnes of Proven and Probable Reserves compared to the Mineral Reserve estimate in the previous Technical Report (effective date of report June 30, 2018).
Based on Proven and Probable Reserves only, the GC Mine has a projected life of mine (LOM) of 12 years through to 2031, at an average annual production rate of approximately 300,000 tonnes, and with average silver equivalent grades1 of approximately 334 g/t for the first six years and then 271 g/t for the remainder of the mine life. The GC Mine also has the potential to extend the LOM beyond 2031, via conversion of existing Mineral Resources to Mineral Reserves, and further exploration and development.
Measured and Indicated Mineral Resource tonnes increased by 42%, which is due to an increase in the number of veins and conversion of Inferred material to a higher classification level. Inferred tonnes have decreased by 3%.
The results of the underground drilling program at the GC Mine show that vein structures are still open at depth.
1The equivalency formula is Ag g/t + 46.1*Pb% + 42.8*Zn% using prices of $18/oz Ag, $1.00/lb Pb and $1.25/lb Zn, estimated recoveries of 77% Ag, 88% Pb, and 84% Zn, and respective payables of 85%, 90% and 70%.
2018 Mineral Reserve and Mineral Resource Update
Silvercorp completed its first phase of diamond drilling at the GC Mine in 2008. Systematic drilling commenced on the property in 2011 and continued through to 2018. The previous independent Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve estimates on the property were at December 31, 2017 (Technical Report effective date June 30, 2018). All Silvercorp drilling was completed as NQ-sized core. Drillhole collars were surveyed using a total station and down hole surveys were completed every 50 m downhole. Core recoveries varied between 42% and 100%, averaging 97%.
Mineral Reserves
The Mineral Reserve estimates for the GC Mine were prepared by Silvercorp under the guidance of an independent Qualified Person, Mr. H. A. Smith, P.Eng, of AMC, who takes QP responsibility for those estimates. The assumption has been made that current stoping practices will continue to be employed at the GC Mine, namely predominantly shrinkage stoping (73% of projected LOM) but also with some cut and fill resuing (27% of projected LOM), using hand-held drills and hand-mucking within stopes, and loading to mine cars by rocker-shovel or by hand. Minimum mining widths of 1.0 m for shrinkage and 0.5 m for resuing are assumed.
Average dilution beyond planned mining widths has been estimated at between 13% and 14%, while assumed mining recovery factors are 92% for shrinkage stopes and 95% for resuing stopes.
The Gaocheng NI 43-101 Technical Report defines Mineral Reserves of 3.82 million tonnes in the Proven and Probable categories, grading 95 g/t Ag, 1.5% Pb, and 3.2% Zn, containing 11.7 million ounces of silver, 125 million pounds of lead, and 271 million pounds of zinc. Mineral Reserve tonnes are noted to be 42% of Mineral Resource (Measured plus Indicated) tonnes. Silver, lead, and zinc Mineral Reserve grades are 113%, 125% and 114%, respectively, of the corresponding Measured plus Indicated Mineral Resource grades. Metal content conversions for silver, lead, and zinc from Measured plus Indicated Mineral Resources to Proven plus Probable Mineral Reserves are 48%, 53% and 48%, respectively. Mineral Reserves are detailed in Table 1 below.
Table 1: GC Mine – Mineral Reserves
Reserve Tonnes Ag Pb Zn Contained metal
classification (kt) (g/t) (%) (%) Ag (koz) Pb (Mlbs) Zn (Mlbs)
Proven 1,865 94 1.6 3.5 5,611 65 142
Probable 1,955 96 1.4 3.0 6,064 60 129
Proven and Probable 3,820 95 1.5 3.2 11,675 125 271
Notes to Mineral Reserve Statement:
Full breakeven cut-off grades: Shrinkage = 200 g/t AgEq: Resuing = 245 g/t AgEq.
Marginal material cut-off grade: Shrinkage = 160 g/t AgEq; Resuing = 205 g/t AgEq.
Dilution (zero grade) assumed as a minimum of 0.1 m on each wall of a shrinkage stope and 0.05 m on each wall of a resuing stope.
Mining recovery factors assumed as 95% for resuing and 92% for shrinkage.
Metal prices: Silver US$18/troy oz, lead US$1.00/lb, zinc US$1.25/lb, with respective payables of 85%, 90% and 70%.
Processing recovery factors: Ag – 77%, Pb – 88%, Zn – 84%.
Effective date December 31, 2018.
Exchange rate assumed is RMB 6.50: US$1.00.
Rounding of some figures may lead to minor discrepancies in totals.
Mineral Reserve cut-off grade and key estimation parameters are shown in Table 2 below.
Table 2: Mineral Reserve Cut-off Grades and Key Estimation Parameters
Item GC Mine
Foreign exchange rate (RMB:US$) 6.5 6.5
Shrinkage Resuing
Operating costs
Mining cost (includes development & exploration) ($/t) 35.39 53.29
Milling cost ($/t) 15.06 15.06
G&A and product selling cost ($/t) 6.82 6.82
Sustaining & non-sustaining capital ($/t) 6.33 6.33
Mineral Resources tax, etc. ($/t) 6.90 6.90
Total operating costs (US$/t) 70.50 88.40
Mining recovery (%) 92 95
Mill recoveries
Ag (%) 77 77
Pb (%) 88 88
Zn (%) 84 84
Breakeven COG (AgEq g/t) 200 245
Metal price assumptions: Ag $18/oz; Pb $1.00/lb; Zn $1.25/lb; respective payables of 85%, 90%, and 70%.
Mineral Resources:
The Mineral Resource estimates for the GC Mine were prepared by Mr Shoupu Xiang, Resource Geologist of Silvercorp, and were reviewed by an independent Qualified Person, Ms. Dinara Nussipakynova, P.Geo of AMC, who takes responsibility for the estimates. Resources were estimated using a block modelling approach, with Micromine™ software. Interpolation was carried out using inverse distance cubed (ID3) for all the veins. Estimates were made for a total of 110 mineralized vein structures for the GC Mine.
The Mineral Resources are reported above a cut-off of 100 g/t silver equivalent (AgEq). Cut-off grades are based on in situ values in AgEq terms in grams per tonne (after application of mining recovery and payable values) and incorporate all mining and processing costs (no capital, G&A, or exploration drilling and tunnelling costs) provided by Silvercorp and reviewed by AMC.
Mineral Resources at December 31, 2018 total 9.1 million tonnes (inclusive of Mineral Reserves) in the Measured and Indicated categories, grading 84 g/t Ag, 1.2% Pb, and 2.8% Zn, containing approximately 24.5 million ounces of silver, 233 million pounds of lead, and 564 million pounds of zinc and are detailed in Table 3 below.
Table 3: GC Mine – Measured & Indicated Resources (Inclusive of Mineral Reserves), and Inferred Mineral Resources
Resource Tonnes Ag Pb Zn Contained metal
classification (Mt) (g/t) (%) (%) Ag (koz) Pb (Mlbs) Zn (Mlbs)
Measured 3.366 96 1.4 3.3 10,350 107 246
Indicated 5.686 77 1.0 2.5 14,155 126 318
Measured and Indicated 9.052 84 1.2 2.8 24,505 233 564
Inferred 7.245 91 1.0 2.4 21,167 166 391
Notes: CIM Definition standards (2014) were used for reporting the Mineral Resources
Mineral Resources are reported at a cut-off grade of 100 g/t AgEq
The equivalency formula is Ag g/t+46.1*Pb% + 42.8*Zn% using prices of $18/oz Ag, $1.00/lb Pb and $1.25/lb Zn and estimated recoveries of 77% Ag, 88% Pb, and 84% Zn.
Sample results up to 31 December 2018.
Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability.
The numbers may not compute exactly due to rounding.
Source: Silvercorp, reproduced as a check by AMC Mining Consultants (Canada) Ltd.
Qualified Persons
D. B. Nussipakynova, P.Geo., H. A. Smith, P.Eng., A. Riles, MAIG and P. R. Stephenson, P.Geo. of AMC Mining Consultants (Canada) Ltd. are Qualified Persons as defined by National Instrument 43-101. D. B. Nussipakynova, H. A. Smith, P. R. Stephenson and A. Riles have reviewed and consented to this press release and believe it fairly and accurately represents the information in the Technical Report that supports the disclosure.
About Silvercorp
Silvercorp is a profitable Canadian mining company producing silver, lead and zinc metals in concentrates from mines in China. The Company's goal is to continuously create healthy returns to shareholders through efficient management, organic growth and the acquisition of profitable projects. Silvercorp balances profitability, social and environmental relationships, employees' wellbeing, and sustainable development. For more information, please visit our website at www.silvercorp.ca.
Lon Shaver
Silvercorp Metals Inc.
Toll Free: 1(888) 224-1881
Website: www.silvercorp.ca
CAUTIONARY DISCLAIMER – FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain of the statements and information in this news release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian provincial securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). Any statements or information that express or involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance (often, but not always, using words or phrases such as "expects", "is expected", "anticipates", "believes", "plans", "projects", "estimates", "assumes", "intends", "strategies", "targets", "goals", "forecasts", "objectives", "budgets", "schedules", "potential" or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements relate to, among other things: the price of silver and other metals; the accuracy of mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates at the Company's material properties; the sufficiency of the Company's capital to finance the Company's operations; estimates of the Company's revenues and capital expenditures; estimated production from the Company's mines in the Ying Mining District and the GC Mine; timing of receipt of permits and regulatory approvals; availability of funds from production to finance the Company's operations; and access to and availability of funding for future construction, use of proceeds from any financing and development of the Company's properties.
Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, risks relating to: fluctuating commodity prices; calculation of resources, reserves and mineralization and precious and base metal recovery; interpretations and assumptions of mineral resource and mineral reserve estimates; exploration and development programs; feasibility and engineering reports; permits and licences; title to properties; property interests; joint venture partners; acquisition of commercially mineable mineral rights; financing; recent market events and conditions; economic factors affecting the Company; timing, estimated amount, capital and operating expenditures and economic returns of future production; integration of future acquisitions into the Company's existing operations; competition; operations and political conditions; regulatory environment in China and Canada; environmental risks; foreign exchange rate fluctuations; insurance; risks and hazards of mining operations; key personnel; conflicts of interest; dependence on management; internal control over financial reporting; and bringing actions and enforcing judgments under U.S. securities laws.
This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements about the future and are inherently uncertain, and actual achievements of the Company or other future events or conditions may differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements due to a variety of risks, uncertainties and other factors, including, without limitation, those referred to in the Company's Annual Information Form under the heading "Risk Factors". Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, described or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.
The Company's forward-looking statements are based on the assumptions, beliefs, expectations and opinions of management as of the date of this news release, and other than as required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's assumptions, beliefs, expectations or opinions should change, or changes in any other events affecting such statements. For the reasons set forth above, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
title: "GitLab.com storage limit raised to 10GB per repo"
date: 2015-04-08
author: Sytse Sijbrandij
author_twitter: sytses
image_title: '/images/unsplash/milkyway.jpg'
---

We want to congratulate GitHub on [launching git-lfs today](https://github.com/blog/1986-announcing-git-large-file-storage-lfs), their method for storing large files.
Their command line client looks easy to use since you can use existing git commands, a very nice innovation.

We think that a solution for storing large files will benefit the entire git ecosystem.
GitLab.com and GitLab Enterprise Edition have included support for the open source git-annex [since February](https://about.gitlab.com/2015/02/17/gitlab-annex-solves-the-problem-of-versioning-large-binaries-with-git/).
GitHub has based their solution on git-media but chose to make it a new format.

We would love to see one standard emerge over time and we're glad to see that git-lfs is open source and that they [didn't call it assman](https://github.com/github/git-lfs/commit/10a8eceefdb081edf6114eda6f68c1f4db204a96).
We hope that going forward development happens in the open so that the different large file solutions can grow to a unified solution.

To celebrate today's good news we've permanently raised our storage limit per repository on GitLab.com from 5GB to 10GB. As before, public and private repositories on GitLab.com are unlimited, don't have a transfer limit and they include unlimited collaborators.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Welcome! As discussed more fully in my introductory post, this website contains a mix of stories and essays, and it is meant to reflect my impressions of life in a society that is changing more rapidly than any other in history—a society that is just beginning to discover the vast diversity it contains, to understand and feel comfortable with differences instead of suppressing them, and to draw strength from our shared stories and traditions in positive ways while navigating this complex cultural shift. I've always had an interest in how changing cultural narratives shape the development of our society.
Make yourself comfortable here, and I hope that you enjoy the visit.


text:
Putin and Xi's possession of power: Patterns and rhetoric
Home /Asia/East Asia/Russia/Putin and Xi's possession of power: Patterns and rhetoric
Written by Olga Krasnyak.
Xi Jinping's recent announcement ending the term limits of China's presidency cannot be considered as shocking, at least for those who are familiar with how the signs of authoritarianism emerge. The changing of a state constitution to suit a national leader's ambitions is as much the story of Putin's Russia as Xi's China.
The original constitution of the Russian Federation in 1993 stipulated a four-year presidential term and a maximum of two terms. After the eight years in the presidency from 2000-2008, Vladimir Putin managed to "skip" the following four years, giving the seat to Dmitry Medvedev whilst taking on the portion of prime minister. At that time, a change in the constitution was made expanding the presidential term to six years. Putin was re-elected for his fourth term in March 2018 and is thus eligible to run in the upcoming presidential election in 2024.
If the past is prologue, there is a very low probability that anyone other than Vladimir Putin will be Russia's president and thus Russia will have been governed for 24 years by a single man who has consolidated all the powers of the state.
The patterns of emerging authoritarianism in Russia and China are threatening for the liberal democratic world. In this regard, acknowledging the situation from different angles including a very careful look at the personal characteristics and the background of national leaders may be a help in constructing and simulating future geopolitical scenarios.
Russia and China are very different powers, whether viewed from an economic or demographic perspective. One is rising, the other is surely falling. However, common trends can be identified — the consolidation of authoritarian power followed up by geopolitical ambitions and plans of regional and global predominance at the expense of the liberal international order.
Russia pursues a very active foreign policy, searching to reclaim the empire it lost in 1991 and reclaim the Soviet legacy based on its existing military and nuclear capability. With Beijing's recent missile deployment in the South China Sea, the Doklam crisis of 2017 and the drive to integrate Hong Kong and Taiwan into the mainland, China has signaled a similar intention. For now at least its ambitions are limited to Asia, specifically the maritime spaces along its border and the regions where the West intruded in the 1800s.
The absence of working democratic institutions is dangerous. Countless historical examples of how authoritarian and totalitarian regimes emerge and evolve contain one similar feature which is a personal ambition of a "strong" leader to obtain even greater power.
History also tell us that the results are easily predictable and lead either to a systematic crisis and stagnation at best or to a catastrophe at worst. The role of a "strong" leader is important, dangerous, and should not be obscured. Personal biographies shed light on a "strong" leader's behavior. Going through a biography is not a tale about poking around someone's laundry but an attempt to understand and explain a leader's political style and manners, even to foresee their further steps. There is a real chance that Putin's and Xi's passage to power might be predetermined by their background. The biographies of both are different but demonstrate similar characteristics of a desire to claw the way to the top.
Putin and Xi were born in 1952 and 1953 respectively. Putin came from a very ordinary family. The official version of his biography made reference to the very modest circumstances the family came from. Putin's fascination with martial arts may be taken as necessary to prove his masculinity and physical power. According to this logic, once he achieved power it could not be lost. In contrast, Xi came from a high-level family within the Communist Party. His father fought alongside Mao in the Chinese Civil War, but was arrested and eventually imprisoned for the duration of the Cultural Revolution. Xi was sent to the countryside for the "re-education" for seven years, doing manual chores and subsisting on rice gruel. Xi was hardened by the experience. The recent change in the Chinese constitution confirms this, once he had achieved power, he would not relinquish it easily.
The rhetoric of 'brutal power' and strong persuasion reappears as a cornerstone in Russia's and China's foreign policies. In his above mentioned election speech, Putin argues that areas of geopolitical conflict are escalating and that Russia is ready to use weapons. This warning may cause turmoil and distort the world order but once again it must be seen through the lens of his personal traits. It is very dangerous that a nation is hostage to the personal ambitions of a leader. Unfortunately, Russian and Chinese allegations have already provoked regionally and globally nervousness e.g. the discussion of Russia's role in American politics or Australia's attempts to push against China's growing influence.
Olga Krasnyak is a Lecturer of International Studies and World History at Underwood International College of Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea. She tweets at @OlgaKrasnyak. Image credit: CC by the President of Russia.
Hong Kong after 1997: The rise of the anti-mainland movement
Bangladesh: Islamists resume their attack on secularism
TAGS: China Xi Jinping


text:
FAQ - CLICK HERE
RANGERS TO DON REMEMBRANCE DAY JERSEYS THIS FRIDAY
community jersey auction Notices/Announcements remembrance day
The 2013 Kitchener Rangers Remembrance Day Jersey will be worn on Friday, October 25 when the Rangers host the Windsor Spitfires at 7:30pm. This is the ninth year that the Rangers have worn a commemorative jersey, each with a unique design in tribute to over 700,000 veterans and members of the Canadian Forces. The game-worn jerseys will only be available for fans to own through silent auction during the game.
The 2013 Remembrance Day Commemorative Jersey pays homage to the Royal Canadian Air Force, its service men and women, and its tremendous hockey legacy. After local hockey heroes Bobby Bauer, Milt Schmidt and Woody Dumart (the 'Kraut Line') put their hockey careers on hold and enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1942, they joined the Ottawa RCAF hockey team, leading them to victory in the 1942 Allen Cup. Named the Greatest Military Athletes of the 20th Century, the 1948 Ottawa RCAF Flyers won the Gold Medal at the Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
This year's sweater colours are inspired by the jerseys worn by athletes like Bauer, Schmidt and Dumart, and the numbers and font are replicas of those found on RCAF aircraft and ships.
Fans may bid on these special jerseys through a silent auction during the game on Friday, October 25. Bidding will start at 6:00pm and close 10 minutes after the end of the game. Winners will be notified by telephone. All proceeds from the auction will benefit the 78th Fraser Highlanders Fort Conestoga Garrison and the Kitchener-Waterloo Poppy Fund. Over the past eight years, the Rangers commemorative jersey auctions have raised more than $200,000 for various beneficiaries.
In addition to unveiling the new 2013 Remembrance Day Jersey, fans will have the opportunity to remember the sweaters of years past in a special display in our Hall of History. The Remembrance Day jersey exhibit opens Friday at 6:00pm for ticket holders, and will remain on display in the Hall of History through November 11.
We also ask that fans attending the game wear red in support of our troops and to pay tribute to our veterans.
Reserved seating tickets may be purchased by phone at 519-578-1570 or 1-800-265-8977, via the internet, in person at the Aud Box Office or Centre in the Square Box Office.
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