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Rare Coexistence of a Cerebellar Hemangioblastoma and Angiomatosis of the Breast without Underlying Phakomatosis
Urszula Wegner1, Sabine Balschat2, Thomas Decker2, Anthony G. Ryan3
1Department of Breast Imaging Unit, Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals, UK, 2Department of Radiology and Neuroradiology, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Klinikum, Neubrandenburg, Germany, 3Department of Radiology, University Hospital Waterford, Ireland.
Date of Submission: 26-Nov-2018, Date of Acceptance: 22-Dec-2018, Date of Web Publication: 28-Mar-2019.
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Corresponding Author:
Urszula Wegner
E-mail: urszula.wegner@nnuh.nhs.uk
DOI: 10.25259/JCIS-9-8
Angiomatosis of the breast is an unusual benign vascular process which may affect middle aged women and simulate carcinoma. We report a unique case of a female patient with cerebellar hemangioblastoma and coexisting breast angiomatosis. We discuss the neuroradiology and breast imaging, illustrating the diagnostic pearls and pitfalls in the setting of this extremely uncommon combination. A 50-year old patient with a history of right-sided cerebellar hemangioblastoma resection 10 years previously presented with a recurrent left sided palpable breast mass. She was referred for triple breast assessment and subsequent ultrasound-guided biopsy. On physical examination, the lesion was hypoechoic, ill-defined and located in the upper outer quadrant as are most breast malignancies. Ultrasound and mammography showed suspicious features. The ipsilateral axilla was normal. Histopathology revealed a diagnosis of breast angiomatosis with no evidence of associated malignancy. Vascular tumors of the breast are very rare, present diagnostic challenges and are prone to local recurrence. Complete excision with clear margins is recommended. Mastectomy is a consideration for diffuse disease that cannot be fully cleared with lumpectomy or Wide local excision. Cerebellar hemangioblastoma and breast angiomatosis is a very unique combination, particularly in the absence of an underlying phacomatosis. Radiological features of angiomatosis mimicking malignancy without pathognomonic imaging signs have been observed. Knowledge of these rare vascular breast tumors is key to making this unusual diagnosis and helps to reduce the number of radical surgical procedures.
Keywords: Angiomatosis of the breast, hemangioblastoma, benign breast lesions, sonography, mammography, biopsy
Vascular tumors of the breast are uncommon neoplasms which can be benign, premalignant, or malignant. Angiomatosis of the breast is a rare condition that can simulate carcinoma and mislead specialist breast imagers regardless of experience. Angiomatosis most commonly appears in isolation, may be large, and, due to shared imaging features, needs to be differentiated from angiosarcoma.[1]
We report a very unique and complex case of a patient with coexisting recurrent breast angiomatosis and cerebellar hemangioblastoma in whom no underlying phakomatosis was identified.
The clinical presentation, physical findings, mammography, ultrasonography, and neuroradiology are presented and discussed, in combination with a review of the literature with regard to this extremely rare combination of pathologies.
In 2015, a 47-year-old female was referred to the triple breast assessment clinic with a left-sided breast lump. She had no history of breast pathology. Physical examination revealed a painless, palpable mass. A subsequent ultrasound of the whole left breast was performed which demonstrated a solitary hypoechoic, irregular mass measuring approximately 2 cm located at 2 o'clock in the upper outer quadrant. There was no associated axillary lymphadenopathy.
Bilateral mammography was performed demonstrating an irregular suspicious mass with features suggestive of malignancy, thus assigned BI-RADS 5 [Figure 1].
Figure 1: A 47-year-old female with a history of painless palpable mass within the left breast. Bilateral mammography showing an ill-defined mass in the left upper outer quadrant in keeping with biopsy-proven mammary angiomatosis (white arrow).
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After administration of local anesthetic, ultrasound-guided core biopsies using a 14-Gauge needle were performed, and multiple samples sent for histopathologic examination. Histopathology revealed a diagnosis of breast angiomatosis with no evidence of malignancy or atypia.
Given the tendency of these rare tumors to recur, wide local excision with clear margins was performed. The mass was clearly palpable and thus there was no need to perform wire localization. Routine follow-up was advised.
Three years later, the patient re-presented to the triple breast assessment clinic with suspected local recurrence. The mammographic and sonographic features were suspicious, again showing a similar irregular lesion, which was indistinguishable from cancer [Figures 2 and 3].
Figure 2: Three years later, the same patient represented with a history of recurrent left-sided palpable breast mass. Mammography: Local recurrence of the previously diagnosed left-sided angiomatosis demonstrated on mediolateral oblique and craniocaudal views. The mass appears much more dense and is more conspicuous than on prior imaging (white arrows).
Figure 3: Three years later, the same patient represented with a history of recurrent left-sided palpable breast mass. Ultrasound of the left upper outer quadrant showing an irregular hypoechoic mass correlating with the mammographic abnormality and palpable lesion (white arrows).
Microscopic examination revealed recurrent angiomatosis with vascular spaces lined by endothelial cells without any features of malignant transformation, nuclear atypia, or low-grade angiosarcoma.
The initial vascular lesion recurred despite the previously noted clear margins, and the complete excision was again recommended.
Thus, it is important to highlight the risk of recurrence with regard to this uncommon entity.
Seven years before her initial breast presentation, she had been referred to the neurology department with nausea, dizziness, and unsteady gait. Neuroradiology demonstrated typical appearances consistent with right-sided cerebellar hemangioblastoma on both computed tomography and postcontrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) [Figure 4].
Figure 4: (a-d) Seven years before the initial symptomatic breast presentation, the patient had been admitted to the hospital with a history of nausea, dizziness, and unsteady gait. Noncontrast computer tomography (a) and T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (b) showed a well-defined posterior fossa cystic lesion in keeping with right-sided hemangioblastoma (white arrows). Pre- and postcontrast T1-weighted coronal sequences (c and d) confirm the typical appearances of a hemangioblastoma, i.e., a large cystic component and a small enhancing mural nodule (short white arrows). No enhancement evident in relation to the cystic component. Associated hydrocephalus also evident (long white arrows).
MRI of the brain revealed cerebellar tumor consistent of a large cystic component and a small associated enhancing mural nodule on T1 post-gadolinium sequence. The cystic component remained unchanged on both pre- and postcontrast images. There was associated subsequent hydrocephalus. No other findings or associated symptoms to suggest phakomatosis were evident. After successful neurosurgery, the patient was discharged with no immediate complications.
In general, angiomatosis of the breast is extremely rare with few cases reported in the literature.[2] These vascular tumors may demonstrate as palpable masses on physical examination.[3]
The possible age of presentation is between 20 and 60 years.[4] It is important to note that this unusual entity may appear in both sexes, with a female predominance.[4]
Angiomatosis may recur after local excision and thus complete excision with clear margins is recommended.[2] Mastectomy is a consideration for diffuse disease that cannot be fully treated with breast-conserving surgery.[1]
Hemangioblastoma is a benign vascular neoplasm mostly occurring in the cerebellum, which may be related to von Hippel–Lindau disease or appear in isolation.[5] Juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma is the main differential; however, the latter occurs in a younger group of patients.[6,7]
Given the vascular nature of the presented coexisting tumors, both cerebellar hemangioblastoma and the breast angiomatosis, an underlying phakomatosis with regards to von Hippel–Lindau syndrome was a consideration. This has not been confirmed in the subsequent multidisciplinary diagnostic process, and the groups suggested no overt connection between the lesions.
Thus, it remains uncertain if there is a causal relationship between these symptomatic presentations with vascular lesions of the central nervous system and the breast or if it is purely coincidental. The rarity of angiomatosis means research has been limited.[8] To the best of our knowledge, there is no overt association between angiomatosis of the breast and von Hippel–Lindau disease.[9]
However, more cases need to be reported to establish the significance of this combination and to evaluate if there is a predisposing genetic mutation or connection.
Angiomatosis of the breast is a very unusual vascular tumor, and only limited cases have been reported. Moreover, cerebellar hemangioblastoma and breast angiomatosis is a very exceptional combination and research needs to be performed to establish the exact significance of this coexistence. It remains unknown if there is an underlying genetic abnormality that could contribute to the formation of both vascular tumors in this particular case.
No specific mammographic or sonographic features were visualized to support the diagnostic breast imaging process. Even armed with the broad knowledge of potential vascular breast cancer mimickers, it is not possible to make such a diagnosis based on imaging alone. Thus, histopathological confirmation is required. The mammary angiomatosis can be fully cleared with breast-conserving surgery in most cases, and the overall prognosis is excellent.
Mekhail Y, Prather A, Hanna C, Rosa M, Weinfurtner RJ. Focal angiomatosis of the breast with MRI and histologic features. Radiol Case Rep. 2017;12:219-22
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Krishna L, Sunetri P, Ramana PV, Kumar S. Angiomatosis of breast –An extremely rare benign vascular lesion of the breast:A case report. Int Surg J. 2015;2:115-7
Ciurea A, Dudea SM, Lebovici A, Fodor L, Crisan D. Diffuse angiomatosis of the breast –Sonographic appearance. J Clin Ultrasound. 2014;42:498-501
Reusche R, Winocour S, Degnim A, Lemaine V. Diffuse dermal angiomatosis of the breast:A series of 22 cases from a single institution. Gland Surg. 2015;4:554-60
Ji J, Hemminki K. Familial blood vessel tumors and subsequent cancers. Ann Oncol. 2007;18:1260-7
Khan AN, Turnbull I, Al-Okaili R. Imaging in von Hippel-Lindau Syndrome. Manchester, UK: Medscape.
de la Fuente CR, Aizpurua JE, Chato RP, Rodriguez-Vigil JB, Calvo AC, de Guerenu Ortuoste BM. Phakomatoses:what every radiologist should know. Educational Exhibit ECR. 2014;
Sundaram M. Angiomatosis of the breast:A rare lesion. J Clin Diagn Res. 2012;6:709-11
Leung RS, Biswas SV, Duncan M, Rankin S. Imaging features of von Hippel-Lindau disease. Radiographics. 2008;28:65-79
Wegner U, Balschat S, Decker T, Ryan AG. Rare Coexistence of a Cerebellar Hemangioblastoma and Angiomatosis of the Breast without Underlying Phakomatosis. J Clin Imaging Sci 2019;9(8):1-4.
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Terre Thaemlitz
The Minnesota-born, Kawasaki-based artist, writer, DJ and composer explores gender and systolic systems, and argues against reconciliation
Terre Thaemlitz Lovebomb/Ai No Bakudan 2003-05
Terre Thaemlitz is a writer, deep house DJ, artist and composer; she also runs Comatonse Recordings from her adopted home of Kawasaki in Japan, where she moved from the Bay Area in 2001. Across Thaemlitz's composition, video work and DJ sets, the collage form of her work never settles or reconciles, an aesthetic that also maps onto her politics. Amid what has become an increasingly fraught set of debates on gender and feminism, Thaemlitz's work sounds out a militant and somewhat nihilistic note, stressing that there can be no reconciliation with one's gender under current conditions. Thaemlitz identifies as a queer, pansexual, non-binary, non-essentialist trans person who consistently switches pronouns between he and she. As he explains, because the 'he/she/he/she rotation is disorienting and annoying to most everyone, I feel I am inviting the reader to share in the awkwardness and inconvenience I continually feel around issues of gender identification'.
In relation to liberal, 'born this way' narratives around sexuality that have guided increasing recognition and acceptance of LGBTQ+ struggles, alongside recent events which would seem to prioritise the permission of trans people to join the military as the forefront of struggle, Thaemlitz's writing stands as a vital source. Her 2015 manifesto 'The Revolution will not be Injected' cautions against belief in self-actualisation under current conditions of patriarchal, racial capitalism and opens with the statement that 'You will not be able to gender reconcile, sister'. His critique takes aim at figures such as Caitlyn Jenner, whose dominance within trans narratives is underpinned by her conservatism and promotion of individualised quests for success. Thaemlitz also excoriates the art world and academia; my first encounter with her was at Tate's 'Charming for the Revolution' symposium in 2013, where he heaped scepticism on the event's legitimisation of talent, charm, camp and other categories of gender non-conformity that have been more easily digested by the mainstream media. As she writes, 'The revolution will not be brought to you by the Guggenheim, Whitney, MoMA or Tate, and will not star Jack Halberstam reading Gaga Manifesto then preaching mob mentality by quipping "a million people liking Lady Gaga must mean there's something to it." The revolution will not thank wealthy patrons of the arts.' As a result of such diatribes, Thaemlitz cuts a frequently solitary figure, both in her unrelenting refusal towards self-congratulatory gestures of diversity and 'criticality' within the art world, and in his role as one of few voices within the dance music world that speaks in an actively political tone. Theoretically, however, Thaemlitz's analysis relates to the history of Marxist-feminist thought on reproduction, love and the family, as well as trans perspectives that emphasise gender abolition rather than reconciliation, a body of thought providing sustenance for continuing struggles.
Thaemlitz's current exhibition at Auto Italia in London presents Interstices (2000-2003), an electroacoustic audio/video installation and a text-based work made in collaboration with Michael Oswell which reproduces his liner notes from the original recording of Interstices, released in 2000 on the now-defunct label Mille Plateux. Across Thaemlitz's work as a DJ, composer and artist, her practice rests on collage, with Interstices developing a technique she calls systolic composition. The word systolic in this context reaches out in two interrelated directions: on the one hand, drawing from the prosodic definition that describes the contraction of a syllable to achieve metrical regularity, and on the other, in reference to the ventricular contraction of the heart. Thaemlitz's systolic method contracts sound sources to produce new compositions, usually erasing the most recognisable vocal parts. For example, in Interstices, the frustrated snatches of Nina Simone's 'Wild is the Wind' ring out, her voice never breaking through, meaning that the sound is both frustrating and tantalising. On the 1964 live recording of 'Wild is the Wind' that Thaemlitz subjects to systolic contraction, my favourite moment is where Simone utters an odd 'ahemmm' at the end of a passage. Interstices releases that utterance, before the sound gives way to an abrasive alarm.
Interstices opens with a black screen and a voice-over of a woman calmly describing her administering of a dildo to a man, who exclaims in both pain and pleasure. The video then proceeds to a cut-up audio montage of jazz, funk and disco as flashes of imagery punctuate the black screen. The voice-over exclaims 'you've almost got the whole thing in your butt, honey!' as the volume alters rapidly. Throughout, a refrain goes 'there was a girl, there was a boy', with the sound of these lines increasingly slipping out of sync as the video progresses. As the sound falters and layers, the accompanying pixelated shot of a couple kissing also blurs, producing a dreamy, foggy chorus that is interrupted by extracts from chat shows and pornography. Throughout the video, surgery forms an interstice between people, with a voice-over explaining how 'his double mastectomy was the same operation his mother received under the recommendation of her oncologist'. Moving forward, we hear voices discussing surgery for intersex children that range from the fearful, 'if you have intersex they're gonna cut you', to the critical, 'the parents' goal was to pre-emptively reconcile the desires of the child'. The medical profession is scrutinised, 'help the doctors score points professionally', and other voices sound out a quizzical tone: 'exactly what is my opposite sex?' Painfully, we also hear that 'they detested their parents and hated the doctors, they were ruined people'. Some of these utterances play over so porn: a woman roleplaying a nurse caresses her body then undresses, before 'paid in full' appears as an inter-title on screen. Elsewhere, talk show extracts ring out, with the title 'Help! ... Turn my tomboy teen into a ravishing Queen!' appearing alongside the logo 'Terre', mimicking 'Ricki', 'Maury' or 'Jerry'.
A week prior to visiting the exhibition at Auto Italia, I saw Thaemlitz play as DJ Sprinkles at Panorama Bar in Berlin. Sprinkles performs in what Thaemlitz calls 'boy drag', a decision emerging from his time as the resident DJ at Sally's II, a New York transsexual sex-worker club during the early 1990s. The ease of physically resting into the soulfulness of Sprinkles' set was persistently undercut, antagonising the pervasive mythic structure of the nightclub as a space of release and gratification. At one point he released samples of domestic violence which, though inaudible in terms of their specificity, directed a violent pitch against the deep house his set was dominated by. This gesture is less about juxtaposition for shock-value, and perhaps more an attempt to antagonise the severance of house music from its origins in black, brown and queer communities. Violence appears in order to memorialise the violences those communities were and still are subjected to, with Thaemlitz writing that his DJ sets stand as 'attempts to publicly carry forward these long dead musics that were the soundtrack to a lost era of queer/HIV-AIDS/trans-activism'.
Thaemlitz's electroacoustic audio and video installation Lovebomb/Ai No Bakudan, 2003-05, was recently presented in the Museum für Sepulkralkultur at Documenta 14. Lovebomb/Ai No Bakudan engages with the ideology of love in popular music and beyond, drawing in Thaemlitz's adolescent experiences of homophobic bullying, the history of lynchings in her hometown of Springfield, Missouri, the fascism of Futurism, as well as samples from radio broadcasts made by the ANC. Visually, these sources are rendered through photographs, Thaemlitz's drawings and video footage, and, as with Interstices, collage, which also underpins the audio component. If Lovebomb/Ai No Bakudan operates under the principle that 'rather than songs of love and unity, I long for audio of love's irreconcilable differences', Thaemlitz's 2012 multimedia album Soulnessless critiques appeals to the 'soul' and spirituality in music and religion. Soulnessless stands as the longest album ever recorded, released on 16GB microSD card with accompanying text and video. Closing with a 30-hour canto entitled 'Meditation of Wage Labor and the Death of the Album', Soulnessless also stands as a response to the increasing demands for endless content, often freely provided, within online commerce and culture. Viewed alongside the ever-proliferating and often naval-gazing debate on artistic labour within the art world, the Soulnessless project stands as an all too rare aesthetic – rather than only discursive – attempt to grapple with the conditions of overproduction and free labour.
If Thaemlitz's practice tends to rely on a set of formal procedures rooted in collage, the stakes of this lie in opposing collage's dominant, contemporary function of presenting a postmodern medley of never-ending, equally appealing and interchangeable aesthetic and political choices. Instead, Thaemlitz situates collage as an argument, a footnote, homage and critique, with these different registers refusing reconciliation and appeals to organic wholeness. What this demands of the viewer is attention and a clarifying of one's position, a request that rings out as a real challenge to art's pluralistic absorption and domestication of radical politics. Thaemlitz's precision of form demands precision in politics, and her precision in politics demands precision in form. Like her switching between pronouns as a challenge to the idea of gender reconciliation, this process invites the reader/listener/viewer to share in her demands.
Larne Abse Gogarty is a writer and art historian.
First published in Art Monthly 412: Dec-Jan 17-18.
Art Monthly 412: Dec-Jan 17-18
>>Full contents list
Richard Grayson: Possessions_inc. Jul-Aug 2019
Jamie Sutcliffe navigates the vortex of superstition and techno-consipiracy in Richard Grayson's online video series
Letter from Zurich June 2019
Aoife Rosenmeyer is peeved by the art market's framing of older female artists as Cinderellas waiting gratefully to be discovered
Call & Response May 2019
Morgan Quaintance takes issue with the political claims made in Stephanie Bailey's article 'Athens: Future Past' and Stephanie Bailey responds
Harry Meadley: But what if we tried? April 2019
Tom Emery finds out what happens when a public gallery attempts to exhibit every artwork in its collection at once
Letter from Houston March 2019
Astrid Korporaal finds a pioneering spirit full of hope for positive change in a city with a surprisingly rich art heritage
>>Read more articles
From the Back Catalogue
Artists Must Eat March 2015
But at what price asks Lizzie Homersham
The Art Right April 2017
Larne Abse Gogarty charts the rise of the right in art
Frontline May 1994
Caroline Juler reports on art under fire from Belgrade and Sarajevo
Group Practice March 2007
Paul O'Neill on the collective alternative to the romantic cliché of the lone artist, curator and critic
The Artist is Present September 2011
Marina Abramovic interviewed by Iwona Blazwick
>>Read more from the back catalogue

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Providing Food, Hope, and Stability
March 16, 2020, started with a food distribution in Pine Lawn, Mo. where we distributed more than 25,000 meals for local families. Standing in the parking lot of the Skate King that day, you could feel the tension in the air. The coronavirus was coming to our region. There was already one confirmed case in St. Louis County. It was a scary time because there were so many unknowns, kids were home from school much earlier than anticipated, and many grocery store shelves were bare.
Items like toilet paper and hand sanitizer were almost impossible to find, but one thing that never seemed to be in short supply around the Foodbank was hope. Hope took the form of thousands of pounds of fresh produce, dairy products, and protein arriving at our warehouse daily to nourish the newly unemployed. Hope showed up as parents who brought their suddenly out-of-school kids to our warehouse to box up the influx of food coming in. Hope looked like volunteers handing out food and supplies in their community because they knew it was the right thing to do to help their neighbors that unexpectedly found themselves in need of assistance.
When people said, "we need food," our staff, local businesses, community leaders, and individual supporters said, "we're here to help." That attitude resulted in an increase of more than 30 percent in the amount of food that we distributed compared to the same time period last year.
In April, we announced a goal to distribute more than 10 million meals by the end of June. Thanks to you and other generous friends, more than 15 million meals were provided to area families affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Thank you!
Our work is not done. We anticipate that the road to recovery will be long, with a few twists and turns
along the way. However long recovery takes, with your continued support, we will build stronger
communities by empowering people with food and hope – now and well into the future.
Learn more about the Foodbank's Covid-19 relief and recovery efforts at: STLFoodbank.org/Covid19
Our Resolution: Creativity, Courage, and Commitment to our Community!
Meredith Knopp January 13, 2023
Happy New Year from the St. Louis Area Foodbank! This is a time of year that brings out so many emotions from people- but perhaps none stronger than the
Meredith Knopp December 2, 2022
The dichotomy that exists around the holidays is one that has baffled me for years. How can a season that is based around love, hope and joy be so stressful


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Home / About / Nashville / Sports
Music City, Sports City. From sport clubs to professional teams, you're sure to find a fun-loving, competitive community at your doorstep — and a team to cheer on year-round.
Nashville is home to four professional sports teams: the Nashville Predators, the Tennessee Titans, the Nashville Sounds, and Nashville SC. Whether you're a sports fanatic or casual spectator, you'll feel the energy that the Nashville community brings to our teams. And you'll feel the connection with nearly two million people in support of athletics that speak to a bigger truth: Nashville is a place that makes dreams a reality.
Between the ticket giveaways from our Student Activities board and massive championship watch parties on campus, you'll be in the thick of it. But in addition to Nashville's four, you'll have 17 more teams to cheer on: that's how many NCAA Division 1 sports Lipscomb plays, consistently garnering national attention. Horns up!
Students with football fever can catch NFL action at Nissan Stadium. The Tennessee Titans are part of the American Football Conference South division.
Welcome to Smashville. Get your fang fingers ready! Living here means you'll be able to join the raucous Predators fans in cheering on Music City's ice hockey team in Bridgestone Arena. The Predators are members of the central division of the NHL's Western Conference.
Nashville Sounds
Head over to First Tennessee Park and enjoy America's pastime. The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team (Pacific Coast League) and AAA-affiliate of the Texas Rangers. The Sounds have three league titles under their belt.
Yes, Nashville is a soccer city, too. Nashville Soccer Club made its debut in the United Soccer League in 2018. Join The Roadies and support your new soccer club.
Fairgrounds Speedway
This former NASCAR racetrack is the oldest continually operating motorsport track in the U.S. The ARCA Racing Series takes place here, as does the All American 400.
Amateur & Club Sports
Nashville Rollergirls
Cheer on or (if you're a woman 18 or older) join Music City's flat track roller derby team. Founded in 2006, this nonprofit team is a member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association.
Nashville Grizzlies Rugby FC
Whether you have experience or not, this USA Rugby team welcomes new members.
Nashville Sports Leagues
Basketball, bowling, cornhole, dodgeball, flag football, kickball, softball, ultimate frisbee and more on a social and competitive level.
Nashville Rowing Club
Learn to row, develop your rowing skills or compete with other Nashville-area rowers.
Nashville Gaelic Athletic Club
Try something new: Gaelic sports such as hurling, camogie or Gaelic football provide a great opportunity to have fun and stay in shape.


text:
Nadi Airport workers preparing to return to work
In Fiji the 225 Air Terminal Services workers preparing to return to work in Nadi Airport today.
Many who gathered at a thanksgiving church service at the ATS camp site outside the company headquarters in Nadi said the impasse had tested their faith in God. They also said they learnt a lot about how the company operated, and most importantly, the role that the Federated Airline Staff Association and ATS Employees Trust played in their lives, Fiji Times reports.
Peni Tagiteci, an ATS employee for the past 23 years, was not part of the original group refused entry on Saturday December 16. His wife, Sala, was.
"I work in the Cargo Department and Sala works as a cook," the 53-year-old explained. "When she joined them after the meeting on December 16, I didn't say anything because we have six kids and I respected her decision. But when I saw the sheds go up, I knew I had to join them.
"They did not do anything wrong and they should not have been locked out.
"I made a decision and joined them from Wednesday, December 20 and I did not regret it. Before I used to just come to work, get paid and go home. But now I know what ATS as a company really means, I know what my rights are, I know what being a beneficiary means and I know who FASA and ATSET are and what they stand for."
Cook Islands: infrastructure can not keep up with growing tourism
Freedom in the World 2018 index: Vanuatu scores 81 out of 100


Notes: From Los Angeles, CA. Saw limited action early as a freshman in 2014, then was sidelined due to injury. Played in every game, contributing at cornerback, nickel back and on special teams, with 8 tackles, 1 TFL and 1 FR in 2015. Played in all 13 games and started 7, with 76 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 2 FF, 2 FR and 4 PBU in 2016. Started all 12 games and finished with 88 tackles, 1 TFL, 5 PBU, 1 INT (returned 11 yards) and 1 FF in 2017. Completed his undergraduate degree in medicine, health and society in the summer of 2018, and has begun postgraduate work toward a Master's of Education from Vanderbilt's Peabody College.
Positives: Nice size and frame with above-average speed and range. Flies up aggressively on run support. Good open-field tackler.
Negatives: Does not truly stand out.


text:
Q: How to Convert a string to date in batch scripting? I want to create task Scheduler  using batch script to run a .exe file to remove all setup after 40 days from installation. So I am calculating and getting  the date after current date in string format.
::After Executing some command line now my values are
::newDD=22
::newMM=7
::newYYYY=2017
echo "%newMM%/%newDD%/%newYYYY%"
set nxtDate=%newMM%/%newDD%/%newYYYY%
echo %nxtDate%

schtasks /create /tn "laptopAuditseldsestrt" /tr
"D:\LatestTest\LaptopAudit\exe_files\uninstall.exe"  /sc once /st 23:59:00 /sd %nxtDate% /f

Now my problem is am getting
ERROR: Invalid Start Date (Date should be in "mm/dd/yyyy" format). while creating task scheduler. Please help how to solve this.

A: ::newYYYY=2017
set /a newmm+=100
set /a newdd+=100
echo "%newMM:~-2%/%newDD:~-2%/%newYYYY%"

It would appear that the required format is 2 digits for day and month, so by adding 100 to the values calculated in newxx, then using only the last 2 characters of the value, the leading zeroes are generated.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Are you running your development environment with different packages than production? And your tests? Or even different parts of production?
Looking to delete old entries from a table because they've expired? Want to do it in an elegant way?


text:
Home > Agency News > Frontier Services centenary reaches a high note
Frontier Services centenary reaches a high note
Posted by: Journey in Agency News 14/09/2012	813 Views
ON 26 September, up to 2000 people will celebrate 100 years of continued support for the people of remote Australia in a celebration in Melbourne.
Moved by John Flynn's vision for the church to extend "a mantle of safety" across the outback, the Australian Inland Mission was established on that date in 1912.
A century on, Frontier Services continues to provide the services and care needed to build sustainable communities in remote areas of Australia.
Frontier Services Patron Tim Fischer AC will formally welcome those attending and Uniting Church President Rev Prof Andrew Dutney will deliver the message.
Songs specially written for the centenary will be sung on the night as part of a special liturgy led by Chair of the John Flynn Foundation and past Uniting Church President Rev Gregor Henderson.
Ted Egan will perform a song by Rev David MacGregor.
The evening will be the high point for centenary celebrations throughout 2012.
Hundreds of Frontier Services staff will travel from remote parts of the country to attend, including Queensland staff from as far afield as Cape York, Georgetown, Hughenden, Longreach, Charters Towers, Charleville and Cunnamulla.
These include primary health-care nurses from remote communities, early childhood education specialists who provide mobile services for isolated families and patrol ministers who provide practical and spiritual care for people.
"Thousands of people have played a part in keeping the dream alive across the century," said Frontier Services National Director Rosemary Young.
"This year we celebrate all those people, their determination, their hard work and commitment. We also look to the challenges and opportunities ahead and remain determined to continue to support people, when and where they need us."
At the 13th Assembly of the Uniting Church in Adelaide, delegates of the church passed a resolution to "commit anew to the people of remote Australia".
Those gathered in Melbourne will give a rousing affirmation to this century-long commitment.
The service will be held at the Dallas Brooks Centre in East Melbourne. All are welcome.
The event is not ticketed, but if you plan to attend please RSVP on 1300 787 247 or at www.frontierservices.org/centenary/centenary-events.
If you are unable to attend, you can still tune in online. Go to the Frontier Services website www.frontierservices.org on 26th September and click on the Live Streaming link at 7pm to watch the celebration live from the Dallas Brooks Centre.
Photo : Frontier Services staff will travel across remote Australia to attend the centenary celebration in Melbourne. Photo courtesy of Frontier Services


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text:
Talk:X-COM
Shouldn't this page be named "X-Com" instead of "X-COM"?--Ethereal Cereal 19:55, 13 October 2006 (PDT)
Technically, X-COM in caps is the correct form. At least, that is how it is shown in the manuals, boxes and liturature. ;)--Zombie
You know, I think I checked that at one point and confirmed it was 'X-COM', but I've seen it typed so many ways I can't even remember anymore. Even in-game it's spelled "XCom"... but I'll go with X-COM as the official spelling.--Ethereal Cereal 15:43, 14 October 2006 (PDT)
In UFO, it was originally XCOM, no hyphen. Then the later games came along and introduced the hyphen and somehow we ended up using it in sentence case. - NKF
NKF, you mean the original European release, right? I have the US release (X-COM: UFO Defense box (c)1994 with floppies) and it looks just like the pic seen here. Everywhere in the manual says "X-COM", including in sentences (not just titles). So by "later games" you include the US release eh? FWIW I used to type it various ways in this wiki in the past, but now just use X-COM. --MikeTheRed 07:37, 15 October 2006 (PDT)
I was referring more to in-game usage. 'X-Com' is rarely used in the game, when you think about it. Speaking of covers, do we have scans or images of both of the original covers? They'd be nice to have up here for comparison. - NKF
In game for the Powerplus edition I get XCom in game (like on the graphs for XCom Activity in the graphs) and occasionally XCOM (for XCOM AGENTS LOST, buts its all in caps so that doesnt say much). Its XCom throughout the manual that I can see as well, so seems fairly consistent for that version at least. Still the graphic in the top right is X-COM, so its probably best to keep consistent with that as various variants are used at times. --Sfnhltb 14:12, 7 March 2007 (PST)
1 What to name articles?
2 Game Files Category
3 Intro text
4 Steam
5 Page for uploaded mods/editors?
6 UFO Classes
7 Difficulty Pages
What to name articles?
Do we name everything specifically about the first game as Whatnot (UFO Defense) or Whatnot (Enemy Unknown) or just Whatnot hoping there's no collision? Heckruler 13:11, 30 January 2007 (PST)
Hiya Heck, and welcome.
Good question. :) Seriously... originally the Main Page was smaller, and all the big "leading pages" appearing on it had (Game Name) in parentheses... and then there were a ton of "smaller" pages without the parens, past those leading pages. But later the Main Page got highly re-organized so that a lot more info could be found at once, and a bunch of the smaller pages (without parens) appeared there. So it's a mix, now.
Also I think that part of the original idea was that many of the various X-COM games would all have their individual pages and thus need the parens... but since many aspects are the same across games, that didn't really come about. (Why repeat something practically identical?)
The upshot - at least for me - being, you don't need to add (Game) unless you are making a point of it, such as if you are specifically making a topic for one game, when a topic of the same name also exists for another one of the X-COM games. But although you rarely have to do it, you can always do it simply if you want, shrug.
That's my two cents. Why not give it another couple of days to see if anybody else chimes in. Our usual rule here is, it's a democracy unless somebody presents a real convincing argument or wants to put in the effort to effect a change, assuming no one objects. :P
BTW you don't really need to worry about collisions; you can readily see if a page exists just by monkeying with the URL. If there is one and it is indeed on your topic, just add to it. If it's the same name but you mean something different, probably you should slightly change the name you want to give to yours so that you make a new page. Clear as mud?
Welcome again! - MikeTheRed 16:24, 30 January 2007 (PST)
We didn't really have any proper naming conventions at first, but things have evolved since then. UFO was the core title that the wiki started on, we added the other games as we went along. If you spot any articles that have (UFO Defense) or (Enemy Unknown) in them, feel free to rename them and repair the wikilink that points to it.
Anyhow, this is how I see where we are at:
UFO - no title required.
TFTD - only topics specific to TFTD need to be labelled, otherwise it piggybacks on UFOs topics to a T.
Every other title in the series including fan-made games like UFO2000 must be labelled to avoid ambiguity.
- NKF
Works for me. Thanks for the clarification, NKF. I probably should've just waited until you spoke. :P - MikeTheRed
That's only how I see it and how I've been operating. There's no real general consensus on how it should work. Just use your discretion when deciding. - NKF
Maybe it should be better to adopt a formal style for page naming by voting or whatever and then post it on a special page available on the left Navigation menu named Style or something (including all other formatting issues). Hobbes 18:57, 31 January 2007 (PST)
Well, I vote for it. UFO is the main focus, (and what everything spawns off of), tftd isn't really a different game (except where noted), and everything else is simply everything else.Heckruler 15:55, 2 February 2007 (PST)
A long time ago, in a place not so far away, there were many pages on this site which were a conglomeration of both EU and TFTD info. In an effort to separate the two, some pages were split and renamed. I remember renaming a few of those pages with "UFO Defense or "TFTD": it's my analytical brain at work at keeping things separate. Suppose we really don't need the "UFO Defense" in EU page names if the extension is assumed to be understood. GazChap started the "UFO Defense" naming convention and most of us just followed what he did.
(BTW, I sent GazChap an email way back in November but haven't received a reply yet. I know he's been having some personal problems and went through a messy divorce, so these could be playing a role). I'll try sending another email to get his views on the naming conventions, but make no promises. In the mean-time, I suggest we follow standard wiki protocol. Since the quorum has spoken, we'll shoot first and ask questions later.
What really needs to be standardized is the Terror From The Deep page names. I'd much rather we use "TFTD" instead of "Tftd" (hence why I use that abbreviation exclusively). Me thinks it's time to rename so that all the Terror From The Deep pages have the "TFTD" extension. I'll probably have some time tomorrow (finally), so I'll get to work renaming.
Sound like a plan guys? --Zombie 20:24, 31 January 2007 (PST)
Works for me, Z. A Style page wouldn't hurt either, Hobbes. - MikeTheRed 20:39, 31 January 2007 (PST)
Who in their right mind types Tftd? Rolls eyes and somesuch. For all I know, it's been me. a-heh. Um. Anyway, then there's Apocalypse. I lean towards using (Apoc) myself, but should it be full or abbreviated?
We do have a Guidelines to writing articles section - but I suppose a separate style guide is worth having. Will keep things standard. Under the Community Portal, I'll add it and a stub link for an index of transclusion templates that we use. I think it would come in handy, as we've created a small but useful selection of templates. This is also an excuse to remove my map kit from the main UFO listing - it's not really related to the game as such. - NKF
Apoc in the abbreviated form will be the standard. It's a lot easier to type.
For shame! Wikis are should be for everyone, not just the creators. Spell it out, least we have idiots asking for XCOM Apoxy, the all-glue-based-attacks tactical squad-based combat game. You know they're out there. Heckruler
We aren't technically the creators. Just the regular contributors. A bit here, a bit there, and suddenly we've made a grandfather's axe. And you're right, it should be for everyone. I wish they knew that. Still, no rush. The Apocalypse, Interceptor and Enforcer sections are bare-bones at the moment, and the two that we do have a lot of articles on work well with less than 4 character abbreviations. Plenty of time to mess up later. Heh. -NKF
Anywho, you guys probably saw I went to town standardizing the naming for EU. That was a ton of work, but I think I got most (if not all) of them taken care of. There are a couple categories with the (UFO Defense) ending, but seeing as I can't move them (only delete) we might have to do a cut-n-paste job to get 'er done. That's all I can possibly do today, but if I get some time between tomorrow and the weekend I'll work on the TFTD section next. --Zombie 19:31, 1 February 2007 (PST)
Personally I would suggest that only articles that collide and are not basically identical (although that potentially includes links within the article going to different areas for different games) need extra in the title to differentiate them. So Large Sonar, not Large Sonar (TFTD), but it would link back to Base Facilities (TFTD) because that is common to at least that and and UFO. Base Facilities should probably then be a disambiguation page that points to both Base Facilities (TFTD) and Base Facilities (UFO) and then someone would need to ensure nothing points to the disambiguation pages created. --Sfnhltb 08:26, 7 March 2007 (PST)
Game Files Category
Well I started in on giving all the related articles on game files the category tag, and it soon become a long winded effort. Got to looking around and I found a nice bot Pywikipedia. Once I figured it out adding that one line to the end was a breeze. If you guys have some tedious tasks or what not I can see if I can write a script to do them and run this.
It's built in to wait a few seconds or so between edits, so it shouldn't spam the server with requests. On a side note, do you think I should register an account for this bot, right now I just had it use my user name. Also I'm not sure how to flag edits as 'bot', this site has the capability but I'd have look into documentation on it. Pi Masta 17:45, 7 February 2007 (PST)
I made some slight modications to the intro text, one thing to note is that it is basically a direct copy of one of the manual pages (the Introduction, unsurprisingly). Maybe it would fit under fair use, but its on the borderline at least, although its very unlikely the copyright holder would be bothered by it as we are effectively promoting one of the pieces of software, so they are likely to be fairly flexible. Something to be aware of though. --Sfnhltb 08:29, 7 March 2007 (PST)
Can someone test to see if the version of X-COM on Steam is effected by all of the exploits/errors? It comes with DOSBOX, so i am assuming it is effected by all the DOS problems. Thanks! Muton commander 11:58, 22 September 2008 (PDT)
Page for uploaded mods/editors?
There are plenty of files added containing editors or mods. Should we create a specific page for those? Hobbes 11:18, 8 December 2009 (EST)
Already have a page for it under Game Editors. Might need a separate page for mods though. --Zombie 17:52, 8 December 2009 (EST)
Ah, forgot about that one, thanks for remembering. One thing I just realized is that I have a ton of different mods/editors (from other authors, my own mods can remain hosted at my site) that I've collected over the years, some of them rare to find nowadays. But I'm not sure if I should upload them since in another discussion there was some concern about the wiki traffic. Any thoughts on the matter? Hobbes 19:59, 8 December 2009 (EST)
Can you zip them all up and send them my way? I've been adding editors to StrategyCore's files section for a while now and have a really good start, but the more the merrier. That said, there shouldn't be an issue uploading them here - we probably will never see enough downloads to even make a dent in our bandwidth. My only concern is having a whole page with nothing but editors on them as nobody will find what they want. StrategyCore's files section is probably a lot better at handling files than the wiki software can, and it will be more organized that way too since I'll just create a new category if the need arises. ;) --Zombie 22:30, 8 December 2009 (EST)
Most of the ones I got recently are for Apocalypse, I had already thought that some would go nice to StrategyCore but I meanwhile got a lot of stuff from nearly defunct web pages and internet archives. I'll try to sort them out (some I only tried years and years ago) and send the ones that are not at Strategy Core. Hobbes 20:56, 9 December 2009 (EST)
What is the policy for adding content to pages.. can i add my mod, UFO Classes, to the list at Game Editors? --Necuno 18:01, 9 December 2009 (EST)
Basically, if you have access to edit a page, go ahead. It's generally considered bad form to edit another user's own discriptive page, though. Anyway, I think perhaps the game editor page should be locked to sysop/admin access only - too much risk of people posting viruses or something there.
I mean, sure, they could do that anywhere on the wiki - but that'd be where it'd accomplish the most damage the fastest. - Bomb Bloke 18:28, 9 December 2009 (EST)
Good point Bomb Bloke. Maybe we should lock the page after the current round of edits spurred by Necuno's contribution. Probably would be good though to split the page up into Editors vs Mods, and maybe spawn a new Mods page. Spike 19:41, 9 December 2009 (EST)
Yes, probably with a notice at the beginning saying that the wiki admins should be contacted for any additions to the page for security reasons. Hobbes 21:00, 9 December 2009 (EST)
UFO Classes
I recently finished a mod for X-COM UFO: Enemy Unknown that automatically assigns class and level to soldiers based solely on their stats. It would have been nearly impossible if not for all the reseach into game mechanics i gleaned off this site.
In hope that my work improves the best game of all time, for all the people who made this possible, I proudly present: UFO Classes
--Necuno 15:19, 9 December 2009 (EST)
Difficulty Pages
We have a Specific Page for Superhuman Difficulty but not one for the other four levels? Just wondering why that it.
and Genius
Whereas we do have Superhuman
--Ditto51 08:58, 21 October 2013 (EDT)
Retrieved from "https://www.ufopaedia.org/index.php?title=Talk:X-COM&oldid=51145"


I have fallen in Love. I have fallen out of love. Each time I thought it will stay, I'd hold it tighter. The next moment it would slip out of my fist like sand. Never have I believed in the institution of marriage, nor will I do. The tag comes with a price I don't wish to pay.
But I often think of walking down the aisle holding my fathers hand, only to run away.
The concept of Runaway Bride has always excited me. What would it be to run away, leaving behind all the worldly bonds, societal norms and everything you are forced to do because that is how it has always been.
All this only looks glittery in novels, and I have read many where the man and the woman live happily after. But I deny to believe in forever. I would instead like to believe in Never.
While all this stands true, it is all true that every time I see a bride I wish I were her. I wish to be her to be able to be in that grand wedding gown.
That one dress which is better than any dress you have ever worn or will wear. The one dress you don't want to get out of. I might not believe in weddings, but I certainly crave to wear one of those luxurious wedding gowns. And when I saw this one at Label Nitya Bajaj, I knew it was time I lived my pretend wedding.
The peach silk gown with intricate swarovski work was no less than a living dream. The second I wore it, I knew my moment had arrived.
Nitya knows and understands womanhood like no one I have met till date. She makes sure her garments fit you like a dream and you feel like a princess living in that dream.
Her store at 37A Shahpur Jat had my mouth open when I saw the elaborate gowns and dresses she weaves like a dream for her customers.


text:
Decision fusion using channels with communication constraints
Yu, C. T. & Varshney, P. K., Dec 1 1997, In: Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering. 3067, p. 94-105 12 p.
Decision Tree Design for Classification in Crowdsourcing Systems
Geng, B., Li, Q. & Varshney, P. K., Feb 19 2019, Conference Record of the 52nd Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems and Computers, ACSSC 2018. Matthews, M. B. (ed.). IEEE Computer Society, p. 859-863 5 p. 8645073. (Conference Record - Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems and Computers; vol. 2018-October).
Entropy 17%
Costs 8%
Decision tree regression for soft classification of remote sensing data
Xu, M., Watanachaturaporn, P., Varshney, P. K. & Arora, M. K., Aug 15 2005, In: Remote Sensing of Environment. 97, 3, p. 322-336 15 p.
remote sensing 100%
pixel 57%
decision 54%
land cover 16%
Denosing noisy images with noise
Chen, H., Varshney, P. K. & Michels, J. H., Dec 1 2007, Conference Record of the 41st Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems and Computers, ACSSC. p. 513-517 5 p. 4487265. (Conference Record - Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems and Computers).
Image denoising 100%
Image processing 22%
Design, implementation and evaluation of parallel pipelined STAP on parallel computers
Choudhary, A., Liao, W. K., Weiner, D., Varshney, P., Linderman, R. & Linderman, M., 1998, Proceedings of the 1st Merged International Parallel Processing Symposium and Symposium on Parallel and Distributed Processing, IPPS/SPDP 1998. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., p. 220-225 6 p. (Proceedings of the 1st Merged International Parallel Processing Symposium and Symposium on Parallel and Distributed Processing, IPPS/SPDP 1998; vol. 1998-March).
Choudhary, A., Liao, W. K., Weiner, D., Varshney, P., Linderman, R., Linderman, M. & Brown, R., 2000, In: IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems. 36, 2, p. 528-548 21 p.
Choudhary, A., Liao, W. K., Weiner, D., Varshney, P., Linderman, R. & Linderman, M., Jan 1 1998, Proceedings of the International Parallel Processing Symposium, IPPS. Anon (ed.). p. 220-225 6 p. (Proceedings of the International Parallel Processing Symposium, IPPS).
Design and evaluation of hierarchical hybrid automatic modulation classifier using software defined radios
Jagannath, J., O'Connor, D., Polosky, N., Sheaffer, B., Foulke, S., Theagarajan, L. N. & Varshney, P. K., Mar 1 2017, 2017 IEEE 7th Annual Computing and Communication Workshop and Conference, CCWC 2017. Saha, H. N. & Chakrabarti, S. (eds.). Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., 7868362. (2017 IEEE 7th Annual Computing and Communication Workshop and Conference, CCWC 2017).
Quadrature amplitude modulation 40%
Quadrature phase shift keying 21%
Phase shift keying 21%
Design and evaluation of I/O strategies for parallel pipelined STAP applications
Liao, W. K., Choudhary, A., Weiner, D. & Varshney, P. K., 2000, Proceedings of the International Parallel Processing Symposium, IPPS. IEEE Computer Society, p. 655-662 8 p.
Scalability 19%
Radar signal processing 17%
Merging 11%
Design of Binary Quantizers for Distributed Detection under Secrecy Constraints
Nadendla, V. S. S. & Varshney, P. K., May 15 2016, In: IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing. 64, 10, p. 2636-2648 13 p., 7405352.
Design of Survivable Communications Networks under Performance Constraints
Newport, K. T. & Varshney, P. K., Oct 1991, In: IEEE Transactions on Reliability. 40, 4, p. 433-440 8 p.
Telecommunication networks 100%
Design of transmit-diversity schemes in detection networks under secrecy constraints
Nadendla, V. S. S., Liu, S. & Varshney, P. K., Apr 4 2016, 2015 53rd Annual Allerton Conference on Communication, Control, and Computing, Allerton 2015. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., p. 794-801 8 p. 7447087
Detection and tracking of moving objects in image sequences with varying illumination
Xu, M., Niu, R. & Varshney, P. K., Dec 1 2004, 2004 International Conference on Image Processing, ICIP 2004. p. 2595-2598 4 p. (Proceedings - International Conference on Image Processing, ICIP; vol. 4).
Lighting 100%
Detection diversity of spatio-temporal data using Pitman's efficiency for low SNR regimes
Khanduri, P., Sharma, V. & Varshney, P. K., Apr 19 2017, 2016 IEEE Global Conference on Signal and Information Processing, GlobalSIP 2016 - Proceedings. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., p. 143-147 5 p. 7905820. (2016 IEEE Global Conference on Signal and Information Processing, GlobalSIP 2016 - Proceedings).
Signal to noise ratio 100%
Detection of dependent heavy-tailed signals
Subramanian, A., Sundaresan, A. & Varshney, P. K., Jun 1 2015, In: IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing. 63, 11, p. 2790-2803 14 p., 7054546.
Asymptotic analysis 100%
Detection of Single Versus Multiple Antenna Transmission Systems Using Pilot Data
Wimalajeewa, T., Varshney, P. K. & Su, W., Mar 2017, In: IEEE Transactions on Signal and Information Processing over Networks. 3, 1, p. 159-171 13 p., 7544507.
Antennas 100%
Channel estimation 31%
Detection of Sparse Signals in Sensor Networks via Locally Most Powerful Tests
Wang, X., Li, G. & Varshney, P. K., Sep 2018, In: IEEE Signal Processing Letters. 25, 9, p. 1418-1422 5 p., 8423500.
Detection of Sparse Stochastic Signals with Quantized Measurements in Sensor Networks
Wang, X., Li, G. & Varshney, P. K., Apr 15 2019, In: IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing. 67, 8, p. 2210-2220 11 p., 8666734.
Detection performance limits for distributed sensor networks in the presence of nonideal channels
Cheng, Q., Chen, B. & Varshney, P. K., Nov 2006, In: IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications. 5, 11, p. 3034-3038 5 p.
Distributed Sensor 100%
Distributed Networks 82%
Detection performance limits of channel impaired distributed sensor networks
Cheng, Q., Chen, B. & Varshney, P. K., Dec 1 2004, In: Conference Record - Asilomar Conference on Signals, Systems and Computers. 2, p. 2213-2217 5 p.
Detection with multimodal dependent data using low-dimensional random projections
Wimalajeewa, T. & Varshney, P. K., Jun 16 2017, 2017 IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing, ICASSP 2017 - Proceedings. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., p. 4621-4625 5 p. 7953032. (ICASSP, IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing - Proceedings).
Probability density function 100%
Development of a novel methodology for indoor emission source identification
Han, K. H., Zhang, J. S., Knudsen, H. N., Wargocki, P., Chen, H., Varshney, P. K. & Guo, B., Jun 2011, In: Atmospheric Environment. 45, 18, p. 3034-3045 12 p.
source identification 100%
emission source 83%
methodology 46%
material 32%
mass spectrometry 22%
Digital mammogram enhancement based on ROI enhancement and background suppression
Peng, R., Varshney, P. K., Chen, H. & Michels, J. H., May 22 2008, Medical Imaging 2008: Image Processing. 69141D. (Progress in Biomedical Optics and Imaging - Proceedings of SPIE; vol. 6914).
retarding 100%
Decision Theory 70%
Dimensionality reduction for registration of high-dimensional data sets
Xu, M., Chen, H. & Varshney, P. K., 2013, In: IEEE Transactions on Image Processing. 22, 8, p. 3041-3049 9 p., 6508926.
Dimensionality reduction 100%
Image registration 51%
Textures 18%
Dimensionality reduction of hyperspectral images for color display using segmented independent component analysis
Yingxuan, Z., Varshney, P. K. & Hao, C., 2007, 2007 IEEE International Conference on Image Processing, ICIP 2007 Proceedings. IEEE Computer Society, p. IV97-IV100 4379963. (Proceedings - International Conference on Image Processing, ICIP; vol. 4).
Dimensionality reduction 98%
Discrete-Time Analysis of Integrated Voice/Data Multiplexers With and Without Speech Activity Detectors
Sriram, K., Varshney, P. K. & Shanthikumar, J. G., 1983, In: IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications. 1, 6, p. 1124-1132 9 p.
Detectors 100%
Interpolation 16%
Multiplexing 10%
DISCRETE-TIME ANALYSIS OF INTEGRATED VOICE-DATA MULITPLEXERS WITH AND WITHOUT SPEECH ACTIVITY DETECTORS.
Sriram, K., Varshney, P. K. & Shanthikumar, J. G., 1982, Unknown Host Publication Title. IEEE Computer Society, Vol. 1. p. 288-292 5 p.
Distributed asynchronous modulation classification based on hybrid maximum likelihood approach
Wimalajeewa, T., Jagannath, J., Varshney, P. K., Drozd, A. & Su, W., Dec 14 2015, Proceedings - IEEE Military Communications Conference MILCOM. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., Vol. 2015-December. p. 1519-1523 5 p. 7357660
Maximum likelihood 100%
Parallel algorithms 33%
Distributed Bayesian Detection in the Presence of Byzantine Data
Kailkhura, B., Han, Y. S., Brahma, S. & Varshney, P. K., Oct 1 2015, In: IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing. 63, 19, p. 5250-5263 14 p., 7134807.
Distributed Bayesian Hypothesis Testing with Distributed Data Fusion
Chair, Z. & Varshney, P. K., 1988, In: IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man and Cybernetics. 18, 5, p. 695-699 5 p.
Data fusion 100%
DISTRIBUTED BAYESIAN PARAMETER ESTIMATION.
Hoballah, I. Y. & Varshney, P. K., 1987, Proceedings of the IEEE Conference on Decision and Control. IEEE Computer Society, p. 2223-2228 6 p.
Parameter estimation 100%
Distributed Bayesian Signal Detection
Hoballah, I. Y. & Varshney, P. K., Sep 1989, In: IEEE Transactions on Information Theory. 35, 5, p. 995-1000 6 p.
Distributed Binary Integration
Han, J., Varshney, P. K. & Srinivasan, R., Jan 1993, In: IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems. 29, 1, p. 2-8 7 p.
Distributed cfar detection in homogeneous and nonhomogeneous backgrounds
Üner, M. K. & Varshney, P. K., 1996, In: IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems. 32, 1, p. 84-97 14 p.
Distributed CFAR target detection
Gowda, C. H., Uner, M. K., Varshney, P. K. & Viswanathan, R., 1999, In: Journal of the Franklin Institute. 336, 2, p. 257-267 11 p.
Fusion Rule 81%
Robust Performance 43%
Distributed classification under statistical dependence with application to automatic modulation classification
He, H., Choi, S., Varshney, P. K. & Su, W., Sep 14 2015, 2015 18th International Conference on Information Fusion, Fusion 2015. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., p. 1597-1602 6 p. 7266747
Distributed compressive detection with perfect secrecy
Kailkhura, B., Wimalajeewa, T., Shen, L. & Varshney, P. K., Feb 6 2015, Proceedings - 11th IEEE International Conference on Mobile Ad Hoc and Sensor Systems, MASS 2014. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., p. 674-679 6 p. 7035763. (Proceedings - 11th IEEE International Conference on Mobile Ad Hoc and Sensor Systems, MASS 2014).
Distributed Cross-Entropy δ-GLMB Filter for Multi-Sensor Multi-Target Tracking
Saucan, A. A. & Varshney, P. K., Sep 5 2018, 2018 21st International Conference on Information Fusion, FUSION 2018. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc., p. 1559-1566 8 p. 8455604
Multi-target Tracking 100%
Cross-entropy 84%
Filter 60%
Distributed detection and data fusion with heterogeneous sensors
Iyengar, S. G., He, H., Subramanian, A., Niu, R., Varshney, P. K. & Damarla, T., Jan 1 2017, Multisensor Data Fusion: From Algorithms and Architectural Design to Applications. CRC Press, p. 127-146 20 p.
auditory signals 57%
Positron emission tomography 47%
Distributed Detection and Decision Fusion with Applications to Wireless Sensor Networks
Cheng, Q., Niu, R., Sundaresan, A. & Varshney, P. K., May 31 2016, Integrated Tracking, Classification, and Sensor Management: Theory and Applications. wiley, p. 619-660 42 p.
Distributed detection and fusion in a large wireless sensor network of random size
Niu, R. & Varshney, P. K., Sep 15 2005, In: Eurasip Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking. 2005, 4, p. 462-472 11 p.
Poisson distribution 24%
Distributed detection in a large wireless sensor network
Niu, R., Varshney, P. K. & Cheng, Q., Dec 2006, In: Information Fusion. 7, 4 SPEC. ISS., p. 380-394 15 p.
Distributed Detection in Massive MIMO Wireless Sensor Networks under Perfect and Imperfect CSI
Chawla, A., Patel, A., Jagannatham, A. K. & Varshney, P. K., Aug 1 2019, In: IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing. 67, 15, p. 4055-4068 14 p., 8744263.
Channel state information 100%
Scaling laws 24%
Distributed Detection in Tree Networks: Byzantines and Mitigation Techniques
Kailkhura, B., Brahma, S., Dulek, B., Han, Y. S. & Varshney, P. K., Jul 2015, In: IEEE Transactions on Information Forensics and Security. 10, 7, p. 1499-1512 14 p., 7065266.
Error detection 45%
Distributed detection in tree topologies with byzantines
Kailkhura, B., Brahma, S., Han, Y. S. & Varshney, P. K., Jun 15 2014, In: IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing. 62, 12, p. 3208-3219 12 p., 6810176.
Distributed Detection in Wireless Sensor Networks
Varshney, P. K., Masazade, E., Ray, P. & Niu, R., Jan 1 2017, Distributed Data Fusion for Network-Centric Operations. CRC Press, p. 65-94 30 p.
Distributed Detection in Wireless Sensor Networks under Multiplicative Fading via Generalized Score Tests
Ciuonzo, D., Rossi, P. S. & Varshney, P. K., Jun 1 2021, In: IEEE Internet of Things Journal. 8, 11, p. 9059-9071 13 p., 9344705.
Distributed detection in wireless sensor networks using dynamic sensor thresholds
Ray, P. & Varshney, P. K., Jan 2008, In: International Journal of Distributed Sensor Networks. 4, 1, p. 5-12 8 p.
Distributed detection of a nuclear radioactive source based on a hierarchical source model
Sundaresan, A., Varshney, P. K. & Rao, N. S. V., 2009, 2009 IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing - Proceedings, ICASSP 2009. p. 2901-2904 4 p. 4960230. (ICASSP, IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing - Proceedings).
Network architecture 27%
Distributed detection of a nuclear radioactive source using fusion of correlated decisions
Sundaresan, A., Varshney, P. K. & Rao, N. S. V., Dec 1 2007, FUSION 2007 - 2007 10th International Conference on Information Fusion. 4408143. (FUSION 2007 - 2007 10th International Conference on Information Fusion).
Radiation counters 48%


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Mum with two wombs defies the odds as she has child from each one
Emily Taylor struggled for almost a decade to conceive a baby until she found out she had two wombs and two cervixes - she later defied the odds after having two children from each of her two wombs
Emily Taylor and her two sons Richi and Arlie (Image: Gareth Everett/Triangle News)
Emily Taylor has two reasons to smile – her two children each came from one of her two wombs.
The NHS administration assistant, 31, has uterus didelphys, meaning she has two wombs and two cervixes.
She struggled for almost a decade to conceive and almost gave up on ever being a mum.
But then Emily finally got pregnant twice – and grew one son in each womb.
She said: "I kept having miscarriages and no-one could tell me why. My two boys really are miracles."
Emily first tried for a baby 10 years ago and soon got pregnant. But her 12-week scan showed the embryo had not survived.
Emily met husband Richard Taylor on a night out in 2013 and they married two years later. But they had no idea of the heartbreak that lay ahead as they tried to start a family.
Emily Taylor, 31, from Brecon, has two wombs (Image: Gareth Everett/Triangle News)
Expecting mum mocked over gender reveal cake that looks much ruder than intended
Rare condition makes 15-year-old girl look like a 60-year-old granny
They endured three miscarriages between 2013 and 2017. Emily, of Brecon, Powys, said: "After the fourth miscarriage I went to see a
gynaecologist for internal scans. He was like, 'Oh this is different'. I was like, 'What's going on?'
"My husband was with me and he asked what was wrong. And he said, 'You've got two cervixes'. He explained what it was and that they wanted to have a better look around."
Emily then had a laparoscopy, in which a camera was inserted through her belly button.
It showed she had two cervixes and two wombs, both slightly smaller than usual.
Emily was devastated and was convinced the condition was causing her miscarriages.
Emily was devastated and convinced her condition was causing her miscarriages (Image: GETTY)
World famous conjoined twins defy fears by learning to drive and going to university
She said: "I was gutted. I didn't think I'd be able to have children, even though he told us to keep trying. I thought, 'It's not going to work'."
But in May 2016, Emily and NHS maintenance assistant Richard, also 31, found out they were expecting. A 12-week scan showed the tot was happily growing in Emily's right womb.
Baby Richi was born by C-section on January 11, 2017, weighing 6lb 9oz. He was delivered a few weeks early because he had run out of room to grow.
Doctors cut just her right womb. Emily said: "I was constantly worrying. The whole pregnancy I thought something would go wrong. I didn't even stop worrying after my scan.
"I was thinking all the time that something would happen. I didn't relax at any point."
Baby Richi was born by C-section on January 11, 2017, weighing 6lb 9oz (Image: GETTY)
Woman turns 100 with sister, 108, by her side after enjoying first McDonald's at 93
Terrified she wouldn't be able to have more children, the pair began trying for another one as soon as baby Richi turned one.
Emily became pregnant on the second month of trying and discovered the baby was growing in her left womb this time.
Little Arlie was born on October 26 last year at 6lb 3oz, with Emily only using gas and air during her eight-hour labour at Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny.
She hasn't ruled out more children and says she'd take bets over which womb they would end up in.
She added: "We're chilled about it now. But when you think about it, it is amazing really."


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Q: checkbutton color using tkk in tkinter? i have been trying to change the colour of my check buttons for days now, tried Style() and that didn't work, and now i have tried .configure but it doesn't do anything at all...this is my code please help me out if possible, i've gone over the DOCS many times and tried what they said, i'm so lost...this is my code:
#define check buttons
check1 = ttk.Checkbutton(window, text="Meat Lovers", variable=cvar, onvalue=1, offvalue=0).configure(foreground="white", background="black")
check1.grid(column=0, row=1, padx=(5, 95))
check2 = ttk.Checkbutton(window, text="Supreme", variable=cvar2, onvalue=1, offvalue=0).configure(foreground="white", background="black")
check2.grid(column=0, row=3, padx=(10, 120))
check3 = ttk.Checkbutton(window, text="Vegetarian", variable=cvar3, onvalue=1, offvalue=0).configure(foreground="white", background="black")
check3.grid(column=0, row=5, padx=(10, 120))

A: I believe this depends on the particular platform. Some platforms won't allow certain elements to change from the system default styling no matter how you configure them.


Carol Brady – Program Director In 1995 Lynda Guerrero asked me if I would consider working for Friday NITE Friends so parents would have a consistent person to go to each week. I was not sure if I wanted to give up every Friday night but I decided to give it a try. I quickly fell in love with the program and am still here after all these years. I was the coordinator of the program for 15 years and after retiring from Plano I.S.D. in 2010, I became the program director.
I have 2 adult children, one of whom was born with Spina Bifida. I am fully aware of the challenges involved in raising a child with a disability. I also have a 2 year old grandson that is showing me the world in a whole different light.
I am proud to be part of Friday NITE Friends. I have met so many wonderful people, from the families to the volunteers. There is not one night that goes by that I am not touched by something or someone.
What a blessing Friday NITE Friends has been to me!
Additional Staff Information, including photos, to be added soon.


A funny thing happens to many American expats - like your's truly - this time of year. Nostalgia creeps in. Longings for America and absent friends and family seep through tightly-locked emotional doors bleating for attention. We scan the far westerly horizon wishing - sometimes desperately - that we could grab hold of a passing cloud and drift home.
It's Thanksgiving, of course, which is the cause of all the emotional ruckus.
I'm amazed at how many Americans don't realize that Thanksgiving is a holiday not celebrated in Ireland. Only the other day, for instance, I was seated in my local having a pint when I noticed a small group of tourists standing at the back window admiring the view of Coulagh Bay in my new home of Eyeries. It's odd how I've learned to detect the presence of fellow countrymen and women over the years. They could have been from anywhere - England, Italy, Spain, or elsewhere - but I knew instantly that they were American.
I introduced myself. As usual, they could not believe that I had lived in Ireland for over 30 years. "You've lived here all that time? How lucky you are!" a woman from Iowa squawked. Yes, I agreed, I'm lucky. Mind, I still miss America. "After all this time? Well don't you worry. Thanksgiving is around the corner. I'm sure you and the entire country will have a fine time then."
I had to explain that Thanksgiving is a decidedly North American holiday. "What?" she gasped. "They don't celebrate Thanksgiving here? You poor person!" No, I replied. Just like they don't celebrate the 4th of July.
You'd thought that I'd shot her, such was her disbelief.
Of all the days that I miss from home, it's Thanksgiving. On this day, a day of family, a day of friendship and gratitude, a day of loving warmth, I scan the far horizon and wish I could transport myself to those far shores. I wish I could walk down a central Illinois neighborhood street and breath in the smell of basting turkey and hot pumpkin pie. I wish I could watch sons and daughters and grandchildren pile out of cars into the waiting arms of their parents and grandparents. I wish I could secretly march in the Macy's parade, proudly waving an American flag.
Instead what I'll do today is work. Then later, I'll take out a TV dinner and sit in front of the fire and warm my toes. And I'll reflect on Thanksgiving's past, and of all the people that I miss. And then I'll walk up to the pub and wish my fellow villagers a Happy Thanksgiving. And they in turn, and even though they are not entirely certain of the significance of the day to a long-lost Yank, will return the compliment.
It's Thanksgiving. And no, they don't celebrate it in Ireland. But that does't mean that Thanksgiving still isn't in my heart. And I'll say a prayer of gratitude for the life that I've been given and the family and friends that mean so much to me.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Where ever you might be.


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RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE IN UKRAINE
Why Russia has failed to secure a quick victory in Ukraine
A shortage of troops, low weapon precision and a rigid chain of command are some of the factors slowing down Moscow's plan to capture the main cities
Ukrainian soldiers in Kharkiv.ARIS MESSINIS (AFP)
Andrea Rizzi
Madrid - 29 Mar 2022 - 07:59 UTC
Cities have been the seats of power for millennia and their importance has only increased as the world has become more urbanized. As a result, these urban centers have become more significant than ever in times of war. And the Russian offensive in Ukraine is no exception.
When the Russian invasion began, Moscow sought to control Ukraine by going directly to Kyiv, the capital; Kharkiv, the second-largest city in the country; and other important centers. But one month on, Russia has failed to take any significant city, despite its aggressive attacks and the high number of soldiers who have died in combat. The port city of Mariupol is resisting, and in Kyiv, Ukrainian forces have pushed back Russian troops, who are now consolidating their positions instead of advancing.
The price that Russians are facing for rejecting the war in Ukraine: Threats against activists and soldiers summarily sacked
In response to these setbacks, Russia has resorted to heavy bombardments. Although it announced on Friday that it was changing strategies and focusing on the Donbas region, fighting and attacks continued across the country over the weekend, with even the western city of Lviv targeted.
What is clear is that the Kremlin has not achieved its goal of a quick win in Ukraine. In this analysis, we look at five factors behind this failure.
Local residents sit on a bench near an apartment building destroyed in Mariupol.ALEXANDER ERMOCHENKO (REUTERS)
1. The defenders' advantage
Military experts agree that in urban warfare it is the defender who has the advantage. The buildings and different structures of a city provide many opportunities to hide and take refuge, especially if there is a subway system, as well as to launch surprise attacks on the enemy.
The attackers, in contrast, have fewer options and in order to penetrate the city, are forced to move through predictable routes such as streets and avenues. It's such unequal combat that military guides suggest a ratio of 10 offensive soldiers for every defender.
2. Lack of precision
In order to militarily weaken the adversary, precise information on their location and on the fighting is needed. "Russian forces have demonstrated that they are not very competent in this area, as a sign of this they have still not been able to annihilate Ukraine's anti-aircraft defense," explains Anthony King, a professor of war studies at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom. Either Russia does not have good information about their location or their attacks have not been precise. It's likely to be a mix of these two factors. The Pentagon estimates that Russia still has many missiles in its arsenal, but is seeing shortages in guided missiles.
3. Troop shortages
Another important factor in Russia's struggle to control major cities is that it simply does not have enough troops. To begin with, many military experts say that the number of soldiers for the invasion – which is estimated to be between 150,000 and 190,000 – is not enough for such a big operation, particularly given the size and population of Ukraine. The strategy of attacking on multiple fronts at once has dispersed the force and led to serious logistical and supply problems. "At no moment have the land forces achieved real supremacy," says King.
What's more, as well as being short of troops at the start of the invasion, it's evident that Russia has also suffered a considerable number of losses, although the exact number is unclear. According to Moscow, the figures stand at 1,300 deaths and 3,800 soldiers injured. The Pentagon, however, believes Russia has lost more than 10% of its force, while NATO believes this number could be even higher.
4. Chain of command
Urban warfare also requires special sophistication when it comes to the chain of command and control. In contemporary military offensives, a wide range of lines of action and technology must be orchestrated. "Western countries, especially the United States, have evolved towards very sophisticated command structures," explains King. "In Russia, if you look at the Gerasimov doctrine [named after Valery Gerasimov, the chief of staff of Russia's armed forces], you might imagine that the armed forces had modernized by moving away from the traditional, authoritarian model that is very rigid and top-down. I thought they had moved towards another model. But the last weeks have shown total inefficiency in managing a 21st-century war."
5. Ukrainian resistance
Ukrainian forces have so far been putting up a strong, agile and effective resistance. Their commitment has not been broken. The supply of Western arms, although limited, is supporting their efforts, as is the flow of information from intelligence agencies and advisories. The Ukrainians have blocked Russia's advance by blowing up bridges, fighting airborne troops head on, targeting logistical support and courageously resisting within the besieged cities.
The combination of these factors has made it difficult for Russia to take control of Ukraine's main cities, leading it to turn to long-distance bombardments of civilian cities. The Kremlin's latest announcement of a new stage may also be seen as recognition that it lacks the capacity to conquer all the cities that it is simultaneously attacking.
English version by Melissa Kitson.
The Ukraine war as of April 1: The counteroffensive makes gains in Kyiv and Kherson
Mariano Zafra / Kiko Llaneras / Daniele Grasso / Luis Sevillano Pires / Montse Hidalgo Pérez


The holidays are coming! I was in Michael's last night to pick up yarn for a baby blanket I am crocheting for my great-niece, and their stock of Christmas decorations is already bigger than their Halloween and Thanksgiving displays.
Cranberries have been on my mind, and I want to share this delicious recipe with you.
My husband told me about Cranberry Orange Bread, which his mother used to make for Christmas morning. This recipe is close to the one she used to make; she died in 2003, and we didn't find a recipe. I searched online, and made adjustments to a couple that I found.
It's a very wet batter, and the resulting bread is very soft and moist. I've made it using cranberry-orange relish, and it's delicious! My husband's family has nut issues, so I always skip the walnuts, but I think they'd be a delightful addition.
NOTE: Optional – Substitute 2 1/4 C Cranberry-Orange Relish for chopped cranberries, orange zest, and orange pieces.
Sift the dry ingredients together into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the liquids. Mix only to moisten. Fold in the remaining ingredients.
Spoon into a greased and floured 9x5x3 loaf pan; spread out evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Remove immediately and cool on a rack.


text:
RossvilleKansasGenealogy
Genealogy for the Rossville, Kansas area, compiled by the Rossville Community Library.
myfirstname: Last Name: ID:
You are currently anonymous
Family: Creed T Queen / Hallie E Hays Queen
m. 15 May 1915
Anniversary- Queen, Creed and Hallie 2
Mr. and Mrs. C. T. Queen will be honored guests at an open house May 16 at the Grove Community Hall in celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary.
The open house hours will be from 2 to 5 p.m. and guests will be received by their children. No invitations are being issued but friends and relatives are asked to call. The couple requests that no gifts be presented.
Mr. and Mrs. Queen were married May 15, 1915 at Caldonia, Missouri, and have lived in the Grove community for 31 years. Mr. Queen was section foreman for the Union Pacific Railroad for 40 years until he retired eight years ago.
Mr. and Mrs.; Queen are the parents of seven children, Mrs. Geraldine Edwards, Junction City; Mrs. Ruth Blush, Silver Lake; Mrs. Imogene Reese, Tecumseh; Mrs. Doris Anderson, Topeka; Calvin Queen, Lakewood, California; Donald Queen, Silver Lake and Bill Queen, Silver Lake.
There are 13 grandchildren.
File name Anniversary- Queen, Creed and Hallie 2.jpg
Dimensions 1321 x 2011
Linked to Family: Queen/Hays Queen (F5818)


text:
Hypocrisy of Olympic Proportion (and Other Annoying Sports Stuff)
Let me get this straight. An athlete can qualify for the 2021 Olympic Games, and then punctuate this incredible achievement by making pained faces of exasperation while turning her back on the flag as the National Anthem plays. And that's okay.
Meanwhile another athlete can qualify for the Tokyo Olympics and have her accomplishment rendered null and void for "failing" a blood test that detected cannabis usage. And that's not okay.
The question these headlines have created for those of us who from time to time feel like that curmudgeon who hates everything and everybody when it comes to the modern day world of sports, is how do we identify where the line is between right and wrong anymore?
Someone smarter than I (and yes, I realize that doesn't really narrow it down much) once said "change isn't hard, but resisting change sure is." So as I find myself steamrolling headlong toward old age, I'm doing my damndest to acknowledge and accept the warp speed pace at which our world is changing these days.
But does being accepting of a changing world mean giving everybody a free pass for whatever type of behavior they choose to engage in? Hell no, and call me curmudgeon if you must, but I'm not signing up for that kind of laissez faire attitude just yet. So go ahead and send us your cards and letters decrying such old fashioned ideals (yeah, I know, it's email nowadays — that was on purpose, kids), but to me if one of these athletes has to be tossed from our Olympic team, it really ought to be the one who openly disrespects the very team/country she will be representing.
And oh by the way, that doesn't mean I'm against social justice or the people striving to make the world a more fair and equitable place for all (the excuse put forth as justification for the histrionics on the medal stand by the athlete in question). In fact, the equality dialogue engulfing our country these days is long overdue, desperately needed, and finally mainstream enough not to be easily dismissed or swept under the rug any longer.
However, maybe it's that suppressed curmudgeon in me that asks why commitment to equality/social justice, and pride in our country have to be mutually exclusive. How about using the platform and notoriety that accompanies Olympic excellence to further a constructive dialogue on equality and systemic change among all Americans? I realize many consider such a suggestion to be pollyannaish, but shouldn't there be some level of accountability to the institution an athlete willingly chooses to represent in international athletic competition? Just sayin'.
And what of the young woman who chose to use cannabis while dealing with the pain of losing her mother? A woman who accepted the results of her blood test unflinchingly, with no alibis or blaming of others. She just effin' owned it, looking every one of us in the eye and reminding us that she's just another perfectly imperfect human, like the rest of us. Yet she's the one we are going to say can't be an Olympian? If only she'd chosen to knock back a liter of vodka every night as a way of dealing with her sorrow. No worries there, right? Acceptable behavior, even for an Olympian. Not cannabis, though. Give me a break.
And if all that wasn't enough to make me say "what the fuck" over and over this week, then we go and let that piece of shit rapist Bill Cosby out of jail? But this is a sports blog, so I'm just going to have to trust that there's a horrific and eternal damning heading in the direction of America's Dad, and here's hoping whatever such fury may be, it reaches him very soon.
Back to sports:
*Maybe part of the reason I'm so out of sorts is because the first Subway Series game of the year was postponed due to inclement weather in the New York area. At least I can now look forward to two games on Sunday (even if they are of the seven-inning, farcical variety). And just a reminder for those of you not paying close attention — the first-place New York Mets will be visiting the fourth-place New York Yankees.
*Sticking with baseball, when Joe Girardi used to manage the Yankees, one of the highlights of that era was watching that stress-vein in the tightly wound Yankee skipper's neck bulge whenever something would go wrong with his Bronx Bombers. I'm pleased to tell you that the Girardi vein-pop remains every bit as enjoyable today, as we watch the Phillies bullpen torch lead after lead while Joe grinds his teeth in the Philly dugout.
*Why is Tom Brady being pissed off at whatever team that chose not to sign him over a year ago suddenly big news? Didn't Tommy win the freaking Super Bowl (again) with the team that did sign him? Next thing you know we'll care about Brady's golf game…
*I guess somebody finally played The Last Dance for Scottie Pippen. Either that or he's just grown jealous of seeing his ex-wife getting all the headlines for preposterous statements and behavior.
*Who are these two asshole Paul brothers that seem to be parlaying celebrity boxing and 15 minutes of social media fame into a small fortune? Would you pay a hundred bucks right now to see them both get their blocks knocked off on Pay Per View? Yeah, me too.
*I've written frequently about how I no longer follow hockey. I can't name a single skater currently on the New York Islanders roster. Yet somehow I was still bummed when the Isles were eliminated by Tampa.
*It's starting to look like Serena Williams will never gets that elusive record-tying Grand Slam win she's been seeking. That's a shame, but shouldn't diminish one iota what she's accomplished over the past twenty-plus years. She's done it on her terms, often while staring down major hostility from fans and the media. Here's hoping she gets healthy between now and the U.S. Open and has one more exciting finals run left in her.
*On the other hand, if Novak Djokovic never won another match, let alone a Grand Slam title, I'd be just fine. Jackass.
*How did the Mets play first-place baseball while throwing out a M*A*S*H unit lineup every night, but now that their "stars" are healthy again they suck?
*Apologies to Geno the Sawx Fan, who has a perplexing and irrational dislike of Jacob deGrom, but we are watching the best of our generation every fifth day when deGOAT takes the mound (and yes, Geno, we are using the term "deGOAT" just to piss you off).
*Will the 2021 New York Yankees be the modern day version of the 1965 Yanks, who followed a World Series appearance in '64 by finishing sixth, twenty-five games out of first? I sure hope so.
*How do the San Francisco Giants keep winning? I've written their fast start off as a fluke at least three times already, and here we are at the midyear point of the season and they still lead the best division in baseball. Hmmm…
*I guess I have to take Patrick Beverley off my "NBA players I like" list, huh? Yeah, his gutless shove of Chris Paul was one of the lamest displays of poor sportsmanship I've seen in a very long time. That being said, is Chris Paul by far the most annoying player in professional basketball, or what? Always flopping, whining, chirping…
*And yet when he opts out of his bloated contract after the Suns win the title this year (yes, folks, the Phoenix Suns will be NBA champs very soon), I don't see any way Paul doesn't become a New York Knick. And given the Knickerbockers history with such signings, look for Paul to be completely stripped of any semblance of hoops skill between now and training camp in the fall.
*I'm so tired of stories about spin rates and the different types of sticky stuff pitchers are doctoring balls with. If such rule-breaking really has been the primary culprit in offense being down this year, while strike outs are increasing exponentially, then I suppose it's good MLB is cleaning it up. But enough already. Let's play ball.
*I see LeBron is starring in a Space Jam remake? Like all comparisons between King James and Michael Jordan, my guess is LBJ's new cinematic effort will not be nearly as good as the original, and way more annoying.
*Two weeks ago I'd never heard of Sha'Carri Richardson. Today she's my favorite athlete.
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