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The True Power of Science Fiction
It's not just about pew-pew lasers and cranial ridges you know
Science fiction as a genre is often sneered at by literary types as time-wasting pop-culture trash. In this article I will explain what science fiction means to me, and why it is not at all a frivolous genre.
The best use of science fiction is when it allows us a peek at humanity in ways that other genres cannot. By posing outlandish 'what ifs', we can explore human nature from new angles. In fiction, we often see stories of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. Science-fiction really allows us to go to town with the 'extraordinary circumstances' part.
What if you met a duplicate of yourself? What if you discovered you were not human, but a robot? What if you were thrown into another dimension, a time loop, an alternate history, or a simulation? These kinds of stories prompt us to think about how we would react in those situations, giving us a tool to better understand ourselves.
To people who are not a fan of the genre, these premises may seem silly and nonsensical, but the premise is not the point. The science-fiction premise is merely the extraordinary catalyst for probing the human spirit in ways that real life cannot. Scientists often perform experiments where they put test subjects in situations beyond what would be found in nature, in order to see how systems react to extremes. Science-fiction is a laboratory for the human condition.
Eliot is an ordinary boy exposed to extraordinary circumstances (E.T.)
In a similar way, the genre allows us to explore social issues from a clinical viewpoint, without the baggage of our everyday biases. Aliens let us to look at racism and other forms of bigotry, zombies can be an allegory of sexually transmitted diseases, and robots let us reexamine slavery from a fresh perspective. We can explore the issue objectively, taking on things like euthanasia, addiction, disease, prejudice, political extremes, mental illness, civil rights, sexuality, and transgenderism, all safely removed from an earthly context, without knee-jerk emotional responses clouding our judgement.
Imagine writing a book about racial tensions in 60s America. It can be done, it has been done, by great authors. The problem is that people will bring their own perspective and their own prejudices to it. A real racist probably won't even pick it up after reading the blurb, so even if the message is about how racism is illogical and harmful, the people who actually need to hear that message won't get it.
However, science-fiction can remove such issues from their real-world setting, and put them in jars to be studied by everyone. And the people viewing them won't even realise what they are looking at until it has percolated through the subconscious.
A classic example of this comes from an episode of Star Trek, called "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield." It has a species where people are born with one side of the bodies jet black and the other purest white. Their entire society is divided by which way round the black/white halves are. They have an oppressed race and an oppressor race. But which is which? Captain Kirk and crew cannot understand the prejudice and hate over something so arbitrary and trivial, just as an outside observer would be flummoxed by our own species' prejudice over nothing more than skin tone.
Oppressor and oppressed, which is which? (Star Trek)
It's a pretty unsubtle message, a product of its time, but the point stands. Within the genre of science-fiction, writers can put social issues under the microscope and study them in sterile conditions. You simply can't do that without speculative fiction.
Philosophical/Ethical Issues
Through the genre, we can also really explore abstract philosophical and ethical questions in a way that we can really connect with.
Can computers ever be conscious? Is terrorism ever justified? Is euthanasia sometimes the rational/compassionate option? At what point should our most sacred laws be suspended? Are a single person's rights more important than the rights of many? What if we were all nothing but brains in jars?
It's entirely possible to sit in our armchairs, gazing at our navels and ponder these issues, but science fiction allows us to put them into stories where we can really explore them in a grounded way.
Of course, many of these questions can be explored in other genres, but with science-fiction we can tailor an ethical dilema perfectly in ways that can't be seen elsewhere.
For example, Minority Report asks a mind-boggling question: if we could see the future, would it be ethical to punish the perpetrators of crimes they never actually commit? They would have committed them had we not interfered, but due to our interference they never actually get to commit them. It puts the concept of guilt into a kind of Schrödinger's Box, where the defendants are in some kind of uncollapsed state of being both guilty and not guilty at the same time. It may seem like a nonsense thought experiment to some, but it can help to solidify our thoughts on the topic and make them more robust, and it often has surprising real-world applications.
Minority Report. Actually, the short story is even more mind-bending than the movie.
Future Exploration
With science fiction, we can already begin to discuss important ideas that will not seem important until the future. For example, what will we do when we can build robots with genuine consciousness? How will we decide whether they are conscious or not? How will our legal systems have to change to accommodate freedoms of artificial intelligence? What kind of opposition and prejudice might they face in society? Even though AI is nowhere near complex enough for that to be an issue today, through science-fiction we can already begin debating and exploring such issues.
This is true for other fields too. How shall we prepare for first contact with intelligent extraterrestrial life? What kind of government and economy should we have when people start colonising other planets, other star systems? What are the political, scientific, entertainment, economic, religious, and moral ramifications of bringing back extinct species through genetic engineering?
We can explore the issues from the comfort of a good book and a soft chair. Also, it's not uncommon for science-fiction to predict scientific discoveries or inspire new technologies. It can be a scratchpad for scientists and engineers to sketch out promising ideas that may invoke 'eureka' moments in their readers.
A prediction of face-to-face calls from nearly a century ago. (Echte Wagner 1930)
Exploration of the Unknown
Personally, this is my main reason for loving science-fiction. I really want to have my mind blown and feel genuine awe. I want to see amazing new vistas, and discover mind-boggling new concepts. I want to see gob-smacking new technologies, novel organisms, dazzling worlds, and confusing paradoxes. And I want to see how humans, not too dissimilar to myself, react to such experiences.
Certuries ago, the world was much more of a mystery. Explorers provoked real awe in the population. Outside one's own parochial existance, people didn't have a clue what might be living in the fartherst corners of the world. On every map, "'ere be dragons" was a warning against stepping beyond the known, but now we know dragons don't exist.
We may not know absolutely everything about our world — there are always a new species of butterfly or bat being discovered every year — but we do have a pretty comprehensive understanding of life as it is now, and how it was in past eras. There's very little real exploration to be done. There are no fantastical creatures left to discover on our humble planet.
Science-fiction lets us all be explorers. We may have a grasp on what's down here, but up there is still a huge mystery. While there won't be literal dragons, its feasible that somewhere in the vastness of the universe, awe-inspiring behemoths slumber under golden skies, and gigantic helium-filled gas-whales softly graze on flying plantkon.
I'm an explorer at heart, and I can explore strange new worlds from the saftey of my imagination.
The alien world of Forbidden Planet
And finally, science-fiction can also just be for fun. A jolly good romp. To tell a tale of generic heroism and adventure, with pew-pew lasers and snarky robot companions. Can't we just have a bit of harmless escapism from our boring 9 to 5 jobs?
Children's fiction in the past used to always include a moral. It was specifically a teaching tool to explaining why children should not steal, tell lies, or bully others. But then in the 19th Century there came a period of utter nonsense, with the likes of Edward Lear and Lewis Carroll, that made children's fiction "fun" for fun's sake.
And so it is with science-fiction too. It's allowed to just be fun. There is nothing wrong with space battles and sexy aliens for the sake of adventure and thrills. Not every story has to be deep and meaningful and lyrical.
Contrary to a widespread belief, there is no reason science-fiction stories can't be great literature. They are not mutually exclusive. There's no law that says such stories can't have lyrical prose, convoluted plot, emotional resonance, explorations of the human condition, etc. There are no limitations on the genre except that it must have a premise based on extrapolations of science. That's all.
I am sure some people have been thinking, "fantasy is a genre that can do that too." Sure. Fantasy and science-fiction are two sides of the same coin. The difference is that science-fiction is more grounded in reality. It is speculative stories that might be true, based on extrapolation of known science. Fantasy is stuff that we know isn't true. There is an awful lot of overlap.
Science-fiction is an incredible genre that allows for a wide variety of explorations of the human condition that can't be found in other genres. That makes it extremely useful, and profoundly important.
More from Dale Thomas
Life Lessons from the Guy Who Ruthlessly Transformed the Book Publishing Industry and Won
Tim Denning in The Ascent
5 Books Released in 2020 You Might Not Have Heard of But Need to Read Anyway
Ruchi Das in Books Are Our Superpower
How Cheap Things Expose the Root Causes of Our Biggest Problems
James Mumm in Just Books
Lori Lamothe in Amateur Book Reviews
Why the Narnia Books Fail as Allegories
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Because of the very real potential for any one of the following items to occur, most interventional radiologists do NOT recommend uterine fibroid embolization for women wishing to retain their fertility for future childbirth except under special circumstances.
1. Shared blood flow from uterine to ovarian artery or vice versa (results in embolization of the ovary and menopause OR leading to possible failure of the UAE to treat the fibroids). This phenomenon is called anastomoses.
2. Misembolization of ovarian artery (resulting in menopause).
4. Complete necrotization of the uterus (resulting in hysterectomy).
5. "Problems" with the endometrium (possibly reduced blood flow) that interferes with implantation of eggs.
6. Uterine rupture during a term pregnancy (loss of baby AND uterus).
7. Onset of menopause prematurely for unknown/unidentified causes (possibly reduced blood flow to the ovaries).
Yes, these are all very real potential consequences of uterine fibroid embolization. Items 1-3 have already occurred and are well documented. Items 4-7 are all theoretically possible but have not been documented as having occurred as yet. Publishing in a medical journal can take as long as 6 months to a year--sometimes longer, however.
Contrary to what Nancy Snyderman, Medical News Correspondent, proclaimed on ABC TV's Good Morning America on October 5, 1999, Leslie Miles was NOT the first woman in the world to have given birth after uterine artery embolization.
On 2/25/97, Dr. Harold Mitty submitted a case review of 12 women who had undergone emergency UAE in 1990-1995. He specifically looked at the impact of UAE on menses and pregnancy and reported 3 women as having conceived post UAE.
In Europe, J H Ravina "officially" reported the results of his 1993+ studies on uterine artery embolization on July 28, 1997 and it was subsequently published in La Press Medicale in France on 2/21/98. As part of that paper he reported 4 patients who became pregnant. Two miscarried, 1 had twins via c-section, and 1 gave birth to a full-term normal baby. All born prior to 7/28/97 -- the date his paper was accepted for publication.
In addition, uterine artery embolization has been around for over 20 years and I'm quite certain that many other, undocumented, "unofficial" cases of pregnancy have occurred post UAE. Probably hundreds--maybe more.
Ms. Snyderman grossly exaggerated and elevated Leslie Miles' case from being the first "officially" reported in the United States to being the first in the world. Isn't it incredible how quick and easy it is to transmit misinformation to millions of people? Thanks to what I know about UFE compared to ABC's presentation of this story, I will never, EVER trust medical information presented on popular TV again.
A single uterine rupture resulting in hysterectomy has occurred in England. This case involved an infarcted fibroid and the woman was NOT pregnant at the time. As it stands, until such a case is officially reported, it can only be speculated that uterine rupture is a possibility during a term pregnancy post UFE.
Early onset of menopause is also troublesome in terms of fertility because a European panel recently reported that as many as 10% of women undergoing UFE have entered into menopause within one year post procedure. Researchers in the United States are now reporting a "rough" figure of 5%. However, more long-term studies are required to determine whether this is truly a collateral result of the UFE or a natural occurrence due to the age of women undergoing this procedure.
Regardless of all of the above concerns, ABC Good Morning America chose to broadcast a rather glowing report on fertility retention with UFE. Yes, there have been a dozen or so successful pregnancies and the women this has happened to are, by and large, ecstatic.
Before walking down this path, however, you may want to consider the risks very carefully and compare them against the risks of other procedures for treatment of your uterine fibroids. In addition, you might want to consider the use of gelfoam instead of polyvinyl alcohol particles as this embolic material has been speculated as showing potentially less permanency and possibly bears less risk towards preventing pregnancy entirely over the remainder of your childbearing years.


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8 Best Nintendo DS Emulator for PC To Play Pokemon Games In 2020
July 16, 2020 July 13, 2020 by Amaan Rizwan
Nintendo DS is a handheld console by Nintendo that took a year to gain momentum. After that, it became a hit amongst the fans, with over 154 million devices sold.
At the time, it was amongst the first handheld console to be introducing a touch-screen, with the lower portion being a touch screen.
The console's updated version know as "DS Lite" was released after 2 years of the DS. It had better screen brightness, lesser weight, and smaller in size with the same in-game features.
Best Nintendo DS Emulator for PC
Here are the best DS emulators that you can use to play pokemon games, The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario, and others on your PC.
DeSmuME
NeonDS
OpenEmu
DSemu
1. RetroArch
When there is talk of emulators, this bad boy just rises to the occasion. It has the most interactive UI amongst all the Nintendo DS emulators.
Moreover, if you are a gamer who likes to stream retro games online via Twitch or YouTube, use the in-built streaming feature. Apart from the normal gaming sessions, there are many customization settings for making ROMs work on the emulator.
There is Netplay for hosting and joining gaming servers to play multiplayer DS games.
Download RetroArch
2. No$GBA
No$GBA is no stranger when it comes to DS emulator for PCs. We mentioned it in our post about the best GBA Emulators for PC as well.
While being feature-rice, it is amongst the lightest emulator out for gaming. There may be limits in the graphics department for this emulator, but its ability to run flawlessly in low-end, older computers makes it stand out in the crowd.
Secondly, there is an experimental multi-player feature that the developers promise to make better soon. Let us keep on fingers crossed for that.
Download No$GBA
3. DeSmuME
One of the old boys in our list of emulators for DS, but it gets the job done flawlessly. There is a lot of information that can be displayed on the screen such as lag counter, FPS, controller, microphone, and more. The emulator runs both on Windows and Mac.
Additionally, the LCD layouts of three types -Vertical, horizontal, and one LCD are available to provide a DS like display.
On top of that, gamers can record their gameplay directly with a hotkey, in AVI and WAV format. Although I'm not a fan of the recording formats, it is a lag-free pursuit as compared to recording on other emulators.
As the competition for the best DS emulator for PC heats up, DeSMUme is all out with advanced features.
Backed by a wide array for GPU support, there is an extensive range of GPU settings to utilize every ounce of power from your computer's graphics unit.
Moreover, there is a USB controller support, as well as a cheats manager.
Download DeSmuME
4. NeonDS
Some of the commercial Nintendo DS games run smoothly on this emulator, which is available for Windows as of now.
Similar to the real Nintendo DS, two screens can be emulators on this DS emulator for PC as well.
While the new standard WASD keys work effortlessly for the general control, the J, K, U, I, Y, O emulate the other keys of the DS perfectly without fail.
Talking about FPS, gamers will get 40-60 FPS in most of the compatible games. Some lower-end PCs may struggle with providing higher FPS.
Download NeonDS
5. DuoS
DuoS is all about playing Nintendo DS games on PC as fast as possible. You can associate all the .nds files opening directly in the emulator from the one-time setup.
Launch the emulator and locate your ROM files to start playing games immediately. There is no setup required, apart from the controller keys, which are there on the main screen itself.
Moreover, there is a support system embedded inside the emulator from where you can visit the website of DuoS for details, specifications, and support.
The only downside we could find was the lack of customization and features. Although it is not fair to expect fancy features in software meant to be simple and easy to use.
Download DuoS
6. iDeaS
When we talk about running Super Mario 64 on DS, iDeaS is amongst the best DS emulator for PC that comes to our minds.
Amongst the most notable features are the plugins, which are key in emulating DS on PC. They consist of 2D, 3D, audio, webcam, and WiFI, etc.
Secondly, gamers get a split-screen by default, which can be configured separately. Additionally, there is a special Guitar Hero Grip key configuration for playing Guitar Hero game.
Download iDeaS
7. OpenEmu
Apple users, your search for a DS emulator for Mac ends here. Just like RetroArch, OpenEmu is a multi-platform console emulator for Mac computers. It comes with an in-built DeSMUme emulator to play Nintendo DS games.
With the minimalist, streamlined UI, gamers will have no difficulty browsing and playing DS games on Mac PCs. In the list of premium features, you can scan the games, which will look through your entire computer for ROMs of games.
After that, when the game gets added, box art will appear in the library for the game, downloaded from the online database.
Apart from the front-end, it has a wide range of support for different gamepads.
Download OpenEmu
ALSO READ: Best iPhone Emulators for PC( for Mac and Windows)
8. DSemu
A run out of the mill DS emulator for PC is similar to No$GBA in UI and functionalities.
Users can limit FPS, change keys, and save states while there is a lack of gamepad support, which might drive away a few DS enthusiasts.
The emulator can run both DS and GBA games without much difficulty.
Download DSemu
These were some of the best DS emulators for PC to play Nintendo DS games without the console. While the development of DS emulators, apart from multi-platforms has certainly slowed down, you can still play popular game titles on either of the emulators.
Categories Consoles, Emulators, Nintendo


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Philip McGowan
Professor, School of Arts, English and Languages
Phone+44 (0)28 9097 3261
Emailphilip.mcgowan@qub.ac.uk
Room 03.003 - 1 University Square
I am open to PhD applications in the fields of: - American Poetry, in particular Wallace Stevens, Elizabeth Bishop and the Middle Generation - American Fiction (19th, 20th, 21st centuries) - American Poetry (19th, 20th, 21st centuries) - F. Scott Fitzgerald - Transcendentalism - Addiction and Literature - Literature and Suicide - Literature and Theology, Literature and Philosophy - Contemporary American Studies
Book/Film/Article review
Review: George S. Lensing, Making the Poem: Stevens' Approaches (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2018), 248 pp.
McGowan, P., 23 Jan 2019, In: American Literary History Online Review. XXI, 4 p.
Deep Lane
McGowan, P., 01 May 2016, In: The Yellow Nib. 3 p.
Ecopoetics: The Language of Nature, The Nature of Language by Scott Knickerbocker (review)
McGowan, P., Jan 2013, In: Modernism/Modernity. 20, 1, p. 161-163 3 p.
Ecopoetics 100%
Nature 37%
Language 28%


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Pimlico picks and ponderings May 23, 2021
by John Piassek | May 23, 2021 | Breaking, Handicapping
Point of Honor. Photo: Dottie Miller
In which we pick the races from Pimlico each day…
Post time: 12:40 p.m.
Carryovers: Rainbow Jackpot Pick 6 — $670,306 Super High 5 — $1,086 Late Pick 5 — $27,689
RACE 1: CLAIMING $16,000 (CONDITIONED), 3-YEAR-OLDS AND UP, FILLIES AND MARES, 1 MILE (GRASS)
Looking at very similar weather conditions to yesterday: dry and hot. FAST and FIRM conditions will prevail. Yesterday's card handled more than $4 million; expecting some big pools today as well, especially with the late pick 5 carryover. #7 Lovely Brown (7/2) has been racing recently on the grass at Gulfstream Park. Her last race wasn't that great, but she got stuck behind a slow pace, and was shuffled wide. She earned brisnet figures in the early 80s earlier in the winter, which would be more than enough to win this race. Carol Cedeno has the mount here. With opening day at Delaware Park coming up, it remains to be seen if she'll keep riding here whenever Delaware is dark. #6 Rockstar Girl (9/2) sat a great trip last out, but still drew off impressively, and took the needed step forward in her third start off the layoff. Looking for her to once again rate off the pace. #11 Rapidashqueen (15/1) takes a drop in class from the n/w1x allowance level, where she showed speed and backed up. If she sits that kind of trip here, the rest might not be good enough to catch her. Interesting at a price.
RACE 2: MAIDEN SPECIAL WEIGHT, 2-YEAR-OLDS, FILLIES, 4 1/2 FURLONGS
2-year-old races at this time of the year are often baffling. #5 Tessa P (3/1) was purchased for $75,000 at the Ocala Breeders' Sale in March, and goes first out for Kelly Breen. Her workouts have been solid, including a recent drill at Monmouth Park just four days ago in 48 1/5 seconds. It's a good sign that Breen thought enough of her to send her down here, rather than wait for a spot at Monmouth. Cal Lynch has a pair in here who look very similar, the #2 Jaimie's Warrior (7/2) and the #3 Buy the Best (4/1). Both are lightly-worked, but they've been sharp in the mornings recently, recently turning in bullet drills. Take your pick.
RACE 3: MAIDEN CLAIMING $16,000, 3, 4, AND 5-YEAR-OLDS, FILLIES AND MARES, 1 1/16 MILES (GRASS)
15-5-8-13
#15 Vesper (10/1) makes her second start off the layoff here. She was drawn to the extreme outside post last out, and broke slowly. Despite those obstacles, she closed well to earn a career-best figure by 23 points. Would be a great value play if you can get her near her morning line. #5 Glossamer (3/1) showed speed and held well in her last grass start, at Delaware Park in July. She's also going second off the layoff; was a non-factor on dirt in her season debut. #8 Downcomesthenite (9/5) is a first-time starter for Brittany Russell, which makes her dangerous by default. Interesting to see that she has a grass workout under her belt. Watching the board.
RACE 4: CLAIMING $5,000 (N/W2L), 3-YEAR-OLDS AND UP, FILLIES AND MARES, 6 FURLONGS
#6 Jeanie's Angel (7/2) makes her first start of the year, and her first start for Dale Capuano. She looks like the main early speed in this group. She hasn't won on dirt before, but might prove tough to catch if she gets away on the lead. #4 Why Roxy Why (7/5) broke her maiden at first asking impressively last out, for Claudio Gonzalez and Angel Cruz. The second and third-place finishers in that race came back to win next out. #5 Sunday in L B C (4/1) has been improving lately, running a figure of 67 in two of her last three starts, Mario Serey is off to a good start at this meet, winning at a 24% strike rate.
RACE 5 – STARTER OPTIONAL CLAIMING $32,000, 3-YEAR-OLDS AND UP, 1 1/16 MILES (GRASS)
This race begins the big late pick 5, with a carryover of more than $27,000. #7 Mr. d'Angelo (5/2), the 2019 Maryland Million Turf champion, makes his first start of the year here. He has no early speed whatsoever, and while made big rallies in his four starts last year, he never got there in time. He makes his return in a soft field, and should be able to run them down if he finds his form first off the bench. In contrast, #3 Rising Perry (8/1) has plenty of early speed. He set a strong tempo in last year's Maryland Million Turf, and backed up badly. This will be his first start since then, and finds a field without lots of other speed. #2 King Causeway (12/1) makes his first start off the layoff for Justin Nixon, who is 20% with horses off a 90-day break. His recent grass workouts have been sharp.
RACE 6: MAIDEN CLAIMING $40,000, 3, 4, AND 5-YEAR-OLDS, 6 FURLONGS
A very competitive field of eleven lines up here. #6 Forth (10/1) drops for a tag for the first time, after running three figures in the low 70s against straight maidens. Usually he's on the pace, but he got left behind in his last start and had to close. He'll be tough if he's alert early. #8 Hello Amigo (5/1) made a sharp four-wide move last out to finish third, just missing to Deshackled, who came back to win his next start. #2 Elusive Edge (7/2) makes his first start since July 25, where he showed speed and stopped at Gulfstream. He's been working well for his season debut; should show speed on the inside.
RACE 7 – ALLOWANCE OPTIONAL CLAIMING (N/W2X), 3-YEAR-OLDS AND UP, FILLIES AND MARES, 1 1/16 MILES (GRASS)
Lots of interesting horses in this tough allowance optional claiming race. #5 In a Hurry (3/1) goes out for Shug McGaughey and Forest Boyce, who teamed up to win here on Friday. She's raced on grass twice this year, earning a career-best figure of 89 two races back, then racing wide and fading against better last out at Keeneland. Should sit a good trip in mid-pack and pack a powerful punch late. #8 War Canoe (4/1) is a hard-knocking New York-bred veteran making her local debut here. She didn't have much speed over the speed-favoring Belmont Park grass last out, and as such wasn't much of a factor. Goes over a more neutral track in this spot, and has lots of back class. #7 Fed Up Fired Up (8/1) makes her second start off the layoff, and was rounding into top form last summer before going on the shelf. She wasn't much of a factor last out in the Dahila Stakes, but now drops in class and has a race under her belt.
RACE 8- ALLOWANCE OPTIONAL CLAIMING (N/W3X), 3-YEAR-OLDS AND UP, 6 FURLONGS
Lots of hard-knocking sprinters in today's featured event. #4 Nottoway (5/2) has won three of his last four races and looms as the dominant early speed. Makes his first start since March 20, when he drew off after setting a fast pace and earned a big figure of 97. #1 Always Sunshine (9/5) ran a huge race at Belmont last out, but got away with setting slow fractions. He'll encounter more pace pressure here. He does not have to be in front early to contend, however. #5 Eastern Bay (3/1) goes second off the long layoff; he closed to finish third in the Frank Whiteley Stakes last out. Last September, he won the Polynesian Stakes and lost the DeFrancis Dash by a nose. Will take advantage if the speed horses burn each other out.
RACE 9 – STARTER OPTIONAL CLAIMING $25,000, 3-YEAR-OLDS AND UP, FILLIES AND MARES, 6 FURLONGS
The pick 5 ends with a horse who will likely be a single on many, many tickets. #6 Conjecture (3/5) goes out for the Gonzalez/Cruz combo, and has earned at least an 86 in her last three starts. No one else in the field has run a figure that big in the past year. Going to be near-impossible to beat. #1 Suzie'ssteppinout (7/2) drops from the n/w2x allowance optional claiming level at Tampa Bay Downs, where she rated and closed well. Her and the speedy #5 Foggy Dreams (4/1) are the best candidates to round out the exacta behind Conjecture.
LATEST IN HANDICAPPING
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Charles Town picks and analysis: January 15
We provide picks and analysis for this evening's card at Charles Town Races.
Parx picks and horses to watch: Jan. 12
We've got Parx Racing picks today as the track presents another midweek card!
PreviousDelaware Park set for season opener
NextPimlico: Bandits Warrior steals the show
John Piassek
John Piassek has written about mid-Atlantic racing for The Racing Biz, Danonymous Racing, and his current website, the Daily Gallop. He graduated from Loyola University Maryland in 2018 with a degree in marketing, and is a member of the inaugural Maryland Thoroughbred Career Program class of 2017. Find John on twitter: @theyreoff.


Arts-based researchers mediate their world through images gestures, sounds and words. They have the ability to respond to their environments with an inquiring mind and generate works of that extend our understandings of the world. In keeping with the American Educational Research Association's conference goal "to highlight the interplay of research, politics, and social analysis" scholars from the Arts and Inquiry in the Visual and Performing Arts in Education and/or the Arts-based Educational Research SIGs assembled April 9, 2016 at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) and Martin Luther King (MLK) monuments to create evocative responses. Rather than arriving overly prepared, they responded to a particular element and invited those in attendance, including the public, to participate in this four-hour videotaped event.


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Jagged Alliance Online enters Open Beta phase
February 16, 2012 John Papadopoulos Leave a comment
Jagged Alliance Online, the next part of the legendary turn-based strategy series with a full-fledged multi-player mode, is leaving closed beta testing today. The game's publisher, gamigo, would like to thank all the testers for the feedback and is now inviting all players to to experience the quality of the thrilling PvE missions and PvP matches first-hand during the open testing phase.
The advent of open beta testing will also bring a number of new features to the game: Defeated opponents now drop loot that can be collected by the mercenaries during the mission. When a player aims at an explosive barrel or crate, the explosion radius will be shown, making it easier to judge to results of one's actions. Aiming at an opponent will now show which direction he is most vulnerable from.
Jagged Alliance Online is built around the familiar Jagged Alliance games mechanics, which are a mixture of turn-based battles and real-time action. The player takes control of a group of soldiers, commanding them from an isometric perspective to complete tasks in order to earn cash as well as renown. If a player wants to stay on top, mercenaries will need to be trained and equipped with better weapons. If that's not quite enough, then mercenaries can be borrowed from friends or alliances can be formed with other players.
Jagged Alliance Online will follow the same basic principle as its predecessors, keeping the popular mixture of tactics, strategy, role-play and management and transferring it to a modern MMO world. The game is being developed by Cliffhanger Productions and is a cooperation between bitComposer Games and gamigo.
bitComposer GamesCliffhanger ProductionsGamigoJagged Alliance Online
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Yes! The United Israel Appeal Relief Fund Limited (ABN 75 071 207 094) is endorsed by the Australian Taxation Office as an Item 1 deductible gift recipient. This means donations of $2 and over to the United Israel Appeal Relief Fund Limited are tax deductible.
Funds raised are directed to a range of different projects that the State of Israel deems are of a 'national priority'. These includes supporting aliyah and absorption, services and supports for immigrants, helping youth-at-risk, programs to close educational gaps, renovation of bomb shelters and ensuring that Holocaust survivors are able to live the rest of their lives in peace and security. We create and sponsor a range of programs which are designed to combat the root causes of social foundering and ensure that current and future generations are improved. Many of these programs, such as our Absorption Centres, Youth Villages or Ayalim, are about strengthening the community at large and making the country a better place for Israelis both young and old. To read more information about our projects, click here.
How much goes to Israel?
UIA relies heavily of the dedication of its volunteers to keep its operating costs at a minimum to ensure that more funds are directed to Israel. If you are interested in volunteering your time to the UIA, please contact your State office or simply click here to sign up.
Are ticket costs for events tax deductible?
As ticket costs are a charge and not a donation, they are not considered tax deductible.
We love that you want to get involved! The best way to get involved is to contact your State office or click here and sign up.
Do you also give money to local Jewish needs / projects?
As one of the largest fundraising organisations for the State of Israel, we support projects that are based in Israel. However, from time to time we are approached by different communal organisation for financial support. We carefully consider all proposals on a case by case basis and assess whether they align with the goals and values of the UIA and how a particular partnership can benefit us.
Can I get some information on Missions and trips to Israel?
Sure! UIA runs a range of different Missions to Israel at different times of the year and for different groups. Simply contact your State office or click here to learn all about the different missions that we run.
How do I leave a bequest to the UIA?
We're truly touched that you want to help the people of Israel. We handle all bequests with the care and respect that they deserve. To find out more about how you can leave a bequest to Israel, simply contact your State office or click here.


Barbara Kessel, founding member of 3Rs, receives James R. Burgess Jr.-Susan Freiburg Humanitarian Award.
Barbara Kessel has been named as the recipient of the Burgess-Freiburg award, which recognizes humanitarian efforts of individuals and organizations that "improve the human condition by alleviating suffering and contributing to the basic human dignity of those in need." It will be presented to her at Friday's 15th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Countywide Celebration at Parkland College.


What's Wrong with the Project Approach?
What's wrong with the project approach to software development?
And I have to conclude that the answer is "No".
Following Albert Einstein's adage that, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results", it seems to me that we need an entirely new approach. A new approach which goes to the root causes of what actually goes wrong in the end-to-end process. Why are the honest endeavours of software developers often so disconnected from the delivery of customer and stakeholder value?
Those responsible for business strategy are disengaged from, and know relatively little about, software- intensive systems and technology. So they structure their organisations so that software & technology people are segregated into silos. In those silos, the inmates talk amongst themselves in whatever arcane language they choose. But importantly, they don't communicate (or interfere) with the 'real business'.
Everyone conspires to pretend that software-related activities should be managed as 'projects'. That is, as chunks of work that start and end (on more or less clear and agreed dates), that have more or less well- defined goals, that contain a list of activities (tasks) that are assigned by a 'project manager' to a project team to which 'resources' are assigned for a limited period.
The results of studies too numerous to mention shows that most software projects are 'challenged' or 'fail'. One study suggested that the majority of experienced project managers (and I am sure, folk playing other roles) expect at least 1 in 3 of the projects they lead to fail! As systems become more complex, and larger, they employ more teams combining projects into programmes… which further reduces the likelihood of successful achievement of the overall goals.
My conclusion is that we need a complete change of mindset. We need to move away from the inherently batch & queue concept of the 'project life-cycle' (as promoted by organisations including BCS, APM, PMI, OGC, SEI, NCC, ISO, IEEE, IET, etc. etc.) to a different approach.
I posit that Tom Gilb's Evo method, and other agile methods such as XP, Scrum, Flowchain, and software Kanban, etc., begin to achieve 'better' results compared to 'traditional' big-design-up-front, wholly batch & queue methods, precisely because they encourage workers to focus on smaller batches of stakeholder value. In other words, value in terms the software developer can get to grips with.
Agile methods are one or more steps nearer to the ideal of 'single piece continuous flow'. BUT… they are inherently limited because they continue to create & disband teams, to establish & abandon value streams, to create & throw away know-how, at – it seems – every opportunity. And crucially, they allow the C- suite and 'business-side' managers to ignore their responsibilities for the system of work and for the desired outcome.
A) Make the entire end-to-end, whole-life, 'concept to consumption & retirement' process of defining, deciding, acquiring, designing, developing, operating, supporting, maintaining & replacing software- intensive systems a visible, inherent part of normal business operations… forcing issues onto the management horizon so they can be addressed as business issues – and not just something technologists worry about.
B) Because it would be apparent that software & IT issues were causing interruption to (or even cessation of) the flow of value, C-suite executives would have to recognise the pressing need to engage with software & IT related issues just as much as they do with other kinds of business issue. Conversely, the engagement of the 'systems and software engineers' with 'the business' would also be stimulated, the role of each and the communication between them finally becoming acknowledged as a main artery of the organisation's lifeblood.
Flow production can only work effectively with the active engagement of all involved. For this reason it is a far more sustainable business model than other, perhaps more familiar, approaches. It embeds the ability to flex and respond to market forces deeply into the organisational culture. The focus on 'the unforgiving minute' forces constraints and problems out into the open where everyone can see them. It won't allow problems to be swept under the carpet, or passed from one department to another like the proverbial buck. Hidden problems will always result in debts in one or more of the five kinds of capital. And such hidden debts, whether financial, technical, intellectual, social or environmental, all too often bite you when you least expect it. They will injure or kill the project – and destroy stakeholder value. Even if the project avoids repaying its hidden debts, this usually means that the debt has been passed-off onto one or another unsuspecting stakeholder group (sometimes, the end-customer or taxpayer). Which must be judged as unethical behaviour.
Unfortunately, not only have most people in the software industry been taught to sit in their silos and focus largely on coding, they and their masters have developed a cultural love affair with the project concept. To the extent that everyone assumes that all work has to be compartmentalised into projects, the very epitome of batch & queue thinking. Tell me what you think. Has the software project had its day, or is there another way of revolutionising workpatterns in the software industry?
Excellent article (well worth reading the whole piece) presenting quantitative evidence that teaching / lecturing is way less effective than "coaching" and "peer- instruction".
Taken from the domain of Physics education, but I see many parallels with e.g. Agile coaching and, yes, even Scrum Mastering (done well).
Mazur sees himself now as the "guide on the side" – a kind of coach, working to help students understand all the knowledge and information that they have at their fingertips. Mazur says this new role is a more important one.
The closing Keynote at Lean Kanban Central Europe 2011 (Munich) was presented by the excellent Stephen Bungay. You can see the highly informative video here [Update: sadly now only available to conference attendees on request] and read more about Stephen Bungay via his website and on Wikipedia.
As there is no HD version of the video (that I can find), the chart in the video is a little difficult to read. I have therefore prepared a version of the chart (see below), which he uses to illustrate Carl Clausewitz's concept of "Friktion" i.e. the "resistant medium" in which War (and Business) has to operate.
I am also struck by the fact that throughout history, Man has repeatedly found the answers to the problems of "modern (i.e. twentieth-century) management", yet these problems still persist almost universally.
I love Gordon Ramsay's TV series "Kitchen Nightmares" (including the USA version).
As well as being entertaining, I share Gordon's obvious passion for helping folks improve their businesses (in my case, technology-related businesses – not restaurants!). The series illustrate in an almost visceral way the key issues facing any business, and a simple means to address these issues.
Understand what the customers actually want in the way of food, prices, dining experience, etc..
Change the restaurant's offerings to more closely match that demand.
Get the management and workers to care about what they're doing again (intrinsic motivation).
Sort out the kitchen so it has the capacity and capability to meet the expected increase in demand.
It's the latter point which I'm going to use, as an analogy, to illustrate FlowChain and how the FlowChain perspective can benefit technology businesses. (In this post, for the sake of clarity, I'll talk exclusively about the software development aspects of producing or enhancing a technology-based product or service).
In a restaurant kitchen, orders from customers arrive at the pass.
Newly-arriving orders are inserted into a running backlog, according to some prioritisation scheme, as the whole kitchen, synchronised by e.g. the Head Chef, works to prepare each element of the highest-priority orders. As elements become ready, they arrive at the pass, where they are assembled and checked before being dispatched, in small batches (one course for one table at a time), to front-of-house and the waiting diners.
In a FlowChain context, orders (in the guise of, say, new user stories) enter the software development department (or maybe it's called the IT department – that's an issue for another day).
Newly-arriving orders are inserted into a running backlog, according to some prioritisation scheme, as the whole department works to prepare each element of the highest-priority orders. As elements become ready (with Continuous Integration we can skip a separate assembly step, and with e.g. TDD/BDD we can skip much or all of the checking) the orders are dispatched to the waiting customers. (With Continuous Deployment we can skip much of the dispatch step, too).
Incoming orders arrive with unpredictable variation in e.g. size, timing, priority and requested customisations.
There's a constantly-changing, enterprise-wide backlog of pending orders.
Workers assign themselves to the highest-priority items, depending on their skills.
Customers do not want, nor expect, their entire meal to arrive at once.
Customers do expect to have a single course for the whole table arrive at the same time.
Elimination of overheads such as project management (no projects!) and programme management (no brawls over resources for competing projects).
Elimination of project set-up and tear-down overhead (no project teams!).
Reduction in delays due to e.g. elimination of handovers and sequential processing.
Much improved flow (of valuable user-stories to customers). Increased flexibility in responding to customer needs.
Improved collaboration between workers, and between front-of- house and the delivery unit.
Provides opportunities for learning and, especially, multi-skilling, in the workforce.
Requires leadership (although not necessarily ONE leader), not management.
Of course, as we described in Gordon's strategy, building a successful business as a whole means we have simultaneously to attend to a range of issues, not just simply ensure that the "delivery" part of the organisation has sufficient capability to play its part in the new scheme of things.
And please accept that this is ONLY an analogy, to help explain FlowChain a little better. A software development department is not a kitchen, and the issues – whilst similar in some aspects – are sufficiently different that I for one would not want to run a software shop in the same way as a restaurant kitchen.
(Note: I'm not going to digress about the need for *working* software in this particular post. Maybe another day).
But there are some hidden dynamics at play, underneath this simple- looking veneer.
This post is about just one of those dynamics, namely, the interplay of time-boxing and commitment.
Many Scrum practitioners (and their customers even more so) have come to believe that if a Scrum Team fails to completely deliver ALL the items it has planned for a given time-box (Sprint), then it has "failed" in some way. Failed, indeed, to "meet it commitments".
This viewpoint leads to increasingly dysfunctional behaviours, as describe recently by @yuvalyert (Yuval Yeret) in this blog post.
For all the successful development projects in which I have been involved, we have always treated time-boxing as a means to curtail overruns of effort, especially with respect to individual items (deliverables). That is to say, during Sprint Planning the folks involved in working on a given Sprint deliverable (for example, a User Story) agree amongst themselves – and with the rest of the team – on how long they will spend on that item (Note: NOT how long they expect to take to bring that item to some kind of completion, or state-of-readiness. I.E NOT an "estimate"). So, the Team commits to spending some finite amount of time on the item, NOT to completing it. We have found this distinction to be crucial.
We also apply this same perspective to the Sprint as a whole. We commit to spending two weeks (no more, no less) of our collective best efforts on working towards the Sprint Goal. We do NOT commit to delivering specific things in a fully-finished state. (Aside: It's kind of important that everyone – Team, Product Owner, stakeholders, management, customers, etc. – all understand this clearly, with regular reminders).
Of course, if during the Sprint it begins to look like some items will not be completed in their allotted (mini) time-boxes, then the Team, the Product Owner (and maybe other stakeholders too) can have a discussion about what to do. This, for me, is one key aspect of being Agile (correcting course as necessary, even whilst "in flight").
This does mean that some Sprints will deliver less (integrate less functionality into the working product) than expected. And some will deliver more than expected. Swings and roundabouts :).
This is the nature of software development.
Aside: John Kay in his book "Obliquity" goes even further, positing that accomplishment, such as profit, desirable as it is, often best comes about obliquely – as a fortuitous by-product of the search for other things.
+1 for the Positive Business.
As a visitor from another country wishing to avoid excessive mobile roaming charges, and not wanting the cost and hassle of buying and swapping-in a local SIM, wifi is the best solution for me to stay in contact with home, and MORE IMPORTANTLY to stay in contact with other conference folks to arrange e.g. social events during our stay.
I guess we could not have anticipated a heat wave in October, but the venue was often way too hot for me.
Although the hotel decor, bar service, food, etc was great, the Radisson Astrid seemed poorly organised and run overall (i.e. great staff were defeated by a dysfunctional system).
Absence of personal attacks from some of the speakers on the work and – more perniciously, on the integrity – of some of their fellow speakers. I am speaking in particular of Dave Snowdon as the major offender (literally).
Maybe some formal "polite request" of speakers to refrain from this kind of thing might help?
Less confusion and uncertainty over speakers' arrangements, expenses.
Real-time display of the conference (or even better, session-specific) tweet streams, on stage (big screen), during all sessions.
The organisers: Lovely people who went way beyond the extra mile to make me feel welcome and valued.
That there was just a single session track – great!
The Magrails website – great job, guys!
Personally, as a "speaker" who likes to get close up and personal (engaged) with an audience, I would have like it to be "in the round".
As I could not get a 3G signal in the hotel, I may as well have been a visitor from another country. Under such circumstances Wifi is the best solution for me to stay in contact with home, and MORE IMPORTANTLY to stay in contact with other conference folks to arrange e.g. social events during our stay.
Although the hotel decor, bar service, food, etc was OK (but not great), the Radisson (Park Inn Hotel) seemed poorly organised and run overall (i.e. nice staff were defeated by a dysfunctional system).
Not being barred from charging things to my hotel bill just because the Hotel had lost the billing details.
More Buzz during the second (workshop) day.
OK, it was a Saturday, and I guess some folks had hangovers from the previous night, but the buzz of the previous day seemed conspicuous by its absence.
The camaraderie common to all attendees.
Less confusion and uncertainty over speakers' expenses.
Lighting of e.g. the speakers themselves was poor. Needed spotlights!
I really hated having to miss sessions from the multiple tracks in the knowledge that I'd not ever have the chance to catch them on video later.
Telia's wifi service was (generally) reliable, but a UX nightmare (continually having to reauthorise).
More clarity re: speakers' expenses.
Cheaper airport transfers. The Arlanda Express is way too pricey.
Happy as always to answer any questions, etc.


In the ant Pristomyrmex punctatus Smith (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), all young workers lay a small number of eggs parthenogenetically. Some colonies consist of monoclonal individuals that provide high inclusive fitness, according to the kin selection theory. However, in some populations, a majority of the colonies contain multiple lineages. Intracolonial genetic variation of parthenogenetic ants cannot be explained by the multiple mating of single founderesses or by the foundation of a colony by multiple foundresses, which are the usual causes of genetically diverse colonies in social insects. Here, we hypothesized that the fusion of established colonies might facilitate the formation of multiclonal colonies. Colony fusion decreases indirect benefits because of the reduction in intracolonial relatedness. However, when suitable nesting places for overwintering are scarce, colony fusion provides a strategy for the survival of colonies. Here, ants derived from different colonies were allowed to encounter one another in a container with just one nesting place. Initially, high aggression was observed; however, after several days, no aggression was observed and the ants shared the nest. When the fused colonies were allowed to transfer to two alternative nests, ants from different colonies occupied the same nest. This study highlights the importance of limiting the number of nesting places in order to understand the genetic diversity of parthenogenetic ant colonies.


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Jewels Of Rajasthan
Jaipur is the capital of India's Rajasthan state. It evokes the royal family that once ruled the region and that, in 1727, founded what is now called the Old City, or "Pink City" for its trademark building color. At the center of its stately street grid (notable in India) stands the opulent, colonnaded City Palace complex. With gardens, courtyards and museums, part of it is still a royal residence.
Jodhpur is a city in the Thar Desert of the northwest Indian state of Rajasthan. Its 15th-century Mehrangarh Fort is a former palace that's now a museum, displaying weapons, paintings and elaborate royal palanquins (sedan chairs). Set on on a rocky outcrop, the fort overlooks the walled city, where many buildings are painted the city's iconic shade of blue.
Jaisalmer is a former medieval trading center and a princely state in the western Indian state of Rajasthan, in the heart of the Thar Desert. Known as the "Golden City," it's distinguished by its yellow sandstone architecture. Dominating the skyline is Jaisalmer Fort, a sprawling hilltop citadel buttressed by 99 bastions. Behind its massive walls stand the ornate Maharaja's Palace and intricately carved Jain temples.
Arrival At Jaipur Airport/railway Station
Birla Mandir Albert hall museum
Upon arrival at Jaipur Railway Station or Airport, our cab driver welcomes you and transfer to hotel. Check-in to hotel. In the evening you can take an optional tour to visit Laxminarayan Temple (Birla Mandir), Albert hall museum. Back to hotel. Overnight stay at Jaipur.
Jaipur Local Sightseeing
Jal Mahal City Palace Jantar Mantar Hawa Mahal
After breakfast start for full day local sightseeing in Jaipur. Visit Amber Fort and Palace, "Gaitore" Cenetophs (Front View), take a photo stop at Jal Mahal, City Palace & Museum, Jantar Mantar (Observatory) and take a photo stop at Hawa Mahal. Evening free for leisure. Overnight stay at Jaipur.
Jaipur – Jodhpur (336 Km / 6 Hrs)
Umaid Bhawan Palace Mehrangarh Fort Jaswant Thada
After breakfast transfer to Jodhpur. On arrival check-in to your hotel, half day sightseeing covering Umaid Bhawan Palace, Mehrangarh Fort and Jaswant Thada. Overnight stay at Jodhpur.
Jodhpur Half Day Sightseeing – Jaisalmer (285 Km / 5 Hrs)
After breakfast start a trip to Jaisalmer - The Golden City. On arrival check-in to your hotel. In the evening free time to explore local market by own. Overnight stay at Jaisalmer.
Jaisalmer Sightseeing
Patwon-ki-haveli Nathmal-ki-haveli Salim singh-ki-Haveli Gadishar Lake
After breakfast visit the Jaisalmer Fort which is made by unique Golden Lime stone, that's why its known as Golden Fort or Sonar Kella. After that visit Patwon-ki-haveli, Nathmal-ki-haveli. Salim singh-ki-Haveli. People still live in these ancient buildings dating from 12th to 15th century. Every house has exquisite carvings and filigreed work. After that also visit Gadishar Lake. In Evening proceed for camel ride on Sam Sand Dunes & you can experience the spectacular view of Sun set in Thar desert. Overnight stay at Jaisalmer.
After breakfast check out from hotel and transfer to Jodhpur Railway Station / Airport and your journey end with lots of unlimited memories.
Whispering Palms Hotel
Shri Ram Empire
Heritage Juma Resort Camp
5 Nights - 6 Days (2 N Jaipur | 1 N Jodhpur | 2 N Jaisalmer)
Historical Rajsthan
Dazzling Rajasthan
Best of Udaipur & Kumbhalgarh


The village of McGregor was laid out in 1861, the population then totaling 50. In 1894 a village management board was established and in 1907 the village became a municipality. McGregor was originally known as Lady Grey but the name was changed in 1905 to avoid confusion with Lady Grey near Aliwal North. It was renamed in honour of the Rev Andrew McGregor who had been the Dutch Reformed Church minister of the Robertson District for forty years.
With the completion of the railway line from Worcester to the coastal regions in 1887, the trading post Roodewal, became a railway station. Shortly afterwards it was renamed Ashton, in honour of Job Ashton, director and railway engineer of the New Cape Central Railways (Ltd). For several years the settlement consisted of only a railway station, warehouse, hotel, post office, butchery, a little school, one shop and a few houses. During 1939 and 1940 extraordinary growth took place with the opening of the Langeberg Co-operative, resulting in the farmland being divided into plots. Development received a further boost with the establishment of a second canning factory in 1949. In 1956 Ashton gained municipal status.
In 1902 a railway halt was constructed between Robertson and Swellendam and was called "Vale". In 1917 the halt received full status as a railway station and was then called Bonnievale. In 1922 a village management board was elected. The town received full municipal status in April 1953.
Montagu, once known as "Agter Cogman's Kloof", lies between the Keisie and Klngna Rivers. The only exit to the west was through Cogman's Kloof, and strong teams of horses or oxen were needed for the journey. John Montagu, the British Secretary of the Cape Colony based in Cape Town in the 1850s, envisaged the potential of the Cape Colony, but realised that it could never develop without efficient transport and communication. Montagu was aided by pioneering road engineers to create passes through the mountain barriers. Through his efforts, the country developed agriculturally and he became a popular figure. In Tribute to him the village was officially named Montagu in 1851 and he traveled there to "baptise" the town.
It is not known when the springs were discovered, but early trekkers followed the course of rivers and some camped in the vicinity of present-day Montagu. They drank the clear, strangely-flavoured water, found it wonderfully refreshing and traced its course through the kloof to where they discovered the hot springs. News of the healing waters spread quickly and many visitors began to visit the area. The springs form part of the now popular Montagu Baths.
Robertson was founded in 1853 and named after Dr Robertson, then pastor at Swellendam.
Robertson is one of the largest wine-producing regions in the Republic and its most famous product is dry white table wine. At the local KWV distillery there are 128 stills, which makes it the largest in the world. Another important industry is the factory of Food and Nutritional Products (Pty) Ltd., which manufactures condensed milk, among other products.
Because of the area's relatively low rainfall, there is intensive irrigation. About 25 km of irrigation canals, leading from the Breede River, carry water that is pumped by electricity as far as Montagu. Robertson is South Africa's first irrigation district.
Although the rural area is in extent much larger than the urban areas, the majority of the population reside in urban areas. As the agriculture sector is currently experiencing economic difficulties, it is envisaged that more people will move to the urban areas to seek employment. The spatial implication of this is that the residential need in the towns will increase with subsequent pressure on resources such as water and energy.
Land needs to be identified for small-scale farmers. The area is characterised by low rainfall and therefore water is a fairly scarce commodity. Currently, rural and urban uses compete for this commodity.
The Keisie is currently a major fruit-producing valley. However, the rural community is amongst the poorest in the region. Another challenge for the valley is sufficient water supplies to support any further development. Because the economy of the area depends largely on agriculture people are subject to seasonal income. Living standards are lowered to a large extent during the off-season.
Problems within agriculture, such as the closure of production plants and factories, as well as surpluses in the wine industry contribute to the poverty situation. The region's potential for tourism is well known and recent studies have highlighted various options for development in this regard. It forms part of the well-known Route 62.


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Sports column: Winter sports are fine. Winter sports season is not
Published 10:00 am Sunday, November 14, 2021
By Ernest Bowker
Warren Central's Tony King (6) works the ball against Vicksburg defenders Eric Giliom (6) and Cameron Nailor (7). (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)
Winter is coming.
Check that.
Winter sports are already here.
On Halloween weekend, the Friday night lights of football were joined by the Monday through Thursday night lights — and occasionally Saturday as well — of soccer and basketball.
Before I begin this rant, please know that I have nothing against soccer and basketball or the people who enjoy those sports. What I have an issue with is soccer and basketball season, both of which feel like interminable slogs through thigh-deep mud.
From a sports media perspective, football season is a lightning-fast breeze. It lasts about three months, and each week of the season is like the chapter of a book. The weather might get a bit hot or cold on either end, but for the most part is pleasant. There are often a couple of days in the middle of the week to relax a bit.
The spring season is incredibly busy, but variety can be the spice of life. Baseball and softball are the meat and potatoes of the spring sports meal, while the side dishes of track, golf and tennis are yummy diversions when needed.
And then there's winter.
It's the second week of November, and both soccer and basketball are already two weeks into a season that lasts until February or March. Unlike the once-a-week cycle of football, games fill the calendar three or four times a week.
Trying to keep up with and cover them all is a grind that can beat you down, made worse by the onset of the scourge known as Standard Time. Games begin just as the sun sets at 5:30 p.m. and the normal workday should end. Forget dinner. There are several hours of work ahead. If soccer is on the menu, it's several hours in temperatures only a penguin could love.
The first few weeks of the season are spent playing what amounts to exhibition games with partial rosters. Many teams aren't at full strength until football season is over. Another wave of players joins and leaves around the Christmas holidays.
The process gives the season a disjointed feel. The first half is a work in progress, and the second a mad sprint to the playoffs.
A lot of this coincides with my own winter malaise. I'm a warm-weather person. I much prefer the sunlight and warmth of spring and summer to the cold darkness of winter. If I could hibernate like a grizzly bear from Nov. 1 to March 1, I might welcome it. Unfortunately, that's not in the cards so all I can do is soldier on.
It feels appropriate that I'm finishing this column at 4:30 p.m. on a Thursday, just before heading out to cover a soccer game. The light outside the office window is fading, like a dwindling campfire or the final weeks of football season.
Winter is coming. Winter sports are here. I'll trudge through it, but it doesn't mean I have to like it.
Ernest Bowker is the sports editor of The Vicksburg Post. He can be reached at ernest.bowker@vicksburgpost.com
About Ernest Bowker
Ernest Bowker is The Vicksburg Post's sports editor. He has been a member of The Vicksburg Post's sports staff since 1998, making him one of the longest-tenured sports reporters in the paper's 137-year history. The New Jersey native is a graduate of LSU. In his career, he has won more than 50 awards from the Mississippi Press Association and Associated Press for his coverage of local sports in Vicksburg.
More by Ernest
Trophy Case: Evan Rowland
Flashes, Lady Flashes fall to Copiah in regular-season finales
Arkansas hands Ole Miss another setback
Kentucky fends off Mississippi State in overtime
Gators outlast Warren Central


It's 2016. URLs have been used for decades now. You would think they would have consistent behavior. You would be wrong.
A quick visit to the URL constructor conformance test shows that modern specification conformance is poor; no shipping browser passes more than about 2/3 of the tests, and more tests are needed to cover more edge cases. WebKit trunk, which is shipped in Safari Technology Preview is the most standards-conformant URL parser in any major browser engine right now.
Hopefully nobody is relying on consistent behavior with such a malformed URL, but there are many such differences between browsers. Unfortunately the current solution for web developers is to avoid URLs that behave differently in different browsers. This should not be the case.
What is the definition of "correct" behavior, though? If URL implementations with a market share exhibit a certain behavior, then that behavior becomes the de-facto standard, but there are different markets within the Internet. If you are running an international web service accessible by a web browser, then browsers with a majority market share are what you care most about. If you have mobile traffic, you care more about browsers' mobile market share. If you have a native application using an operating system's URL implementation, you have probably worked around that operating system's quirks, and any changes to the operating system might break your app.
Unfortunately, changing URL behavior can break web applications that are relying on existing quirks. For example, you might be trying to reduce your server's bandwidth use by removing unnecessary characters in URLs. If you are doing a user agent check on requests to your server hosting https://example.org/ and putting  for WebKit-based user agents instead of , then WebKit becoming more standards compliant will break your link. It used to go to https://webkit.org/ and now it goes to https://example.org/webkit.org matching Chrome, Firefox, and the URL specification. If you are doing tricky things with user agent checks, you can expect to have fragile web applications that may break as browsers evolve.
Browsers are not the only programs that use URLs. There are many widely-used URL parser implementations, such as in WebKit, Chromium, Gecko, cURL, PHP, libsoup and many others, as well as many closed-source implementations. Ideally every program that parses a URL would behave the same to be interoperable and be cautious of invalid input.
HTTP servers often don't see the entire URL of the client. They only receive the path and query in the first line of the HTTP request, which usually looks something like GET /index.html?id=5 HTTP/1.1. Servers often have different types of parsers that only parse the path and query. Servers need to be especially careful to not assume that the path is not trying to access files outside of the document root with requests like GET ../passwords.txt HTTP/1.1 or GET %2e%2e/passwords.txt HTTP/1.1 which, if passed directly to the file system, might give attackers access to private files. Servers should also be cautious of non-ASCII characters being sent by malicious clients.
You may have unexpected load failures if you have a web application that uses Content Security Policy and makes requests to the same host written in different ways. For example "http://example.com" and "http://ex%61mple.com" ought to be equal, and "http://[::0:abcd]" and "http://[::abcd]" are equal IPv6 addresses. Inconsistent host parsing has unexpected security implications.
Performance of URL parsers is an important consideration. There are not many applications where URL parsing is the slowest operation, but there are many operations involving URL parsing, so making URL parsing faster makes many operations a little bit faster. An ideal benchmark would measure performance of parsing real URLs from popular websites, but publishing such benchmarks is problematic because URLs often contain personally identifiable information, such as https://example.org/?user_id=57483. On such a benchmark, trunk WebKit's URL parser is 20% faster than WebKit in Safari 10. In practice, most of the time is spent parsing the path and the query of URLs, which are often the longest and contain the most information, as well as the host, which requires the most encoding. A true apples-to-apples comparison of URL parsing among different browsers is impossible right now because behavior is so different.
URL implementations in browsers and elsewhere need to change and become more consistent and safe. Web developers need to adapt to such changes. If there are differences of opinion, we should discuss and resolve them. If changing breaks things, we should consider what the Internet will be decades from now. Web standards conformance makes the Internet better for everyone.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at @alexfchr, or Jonathan Davis, Apple's Web Technologies Evangelist, at @jonathandavis or web-evangelist@apple.com.


text:
GROWTH OF VERBAL ACTIVITY IN THE LIFE OF THE CHILD
DOI link for GROWTH OF VERBAL ACTIVITY IN THE LIFE OF THE CHILD
GROWTH OF VERBAL ACTIVITY IN THE LIFE OF THE CHILD book
ByLorimer, Frank
BookThe Growth Of Reason
I. I t is conceivable that a considerable symbolic culture might eventually have been achieved among a silent race, if the splendid brains of the superior anthropoid apes, or better, had developed in animals without vocal equipment. Brains being fairly well matched, however, a race having the advantage of voice would have rapidly outstripped any other. Noises made in the throat and head are peculiarly fitted to become instruments par excellence of social life and rationality, because of their ease of pro duction and social efficacy. This is not true of such noises as those which insects make by rubbing the legs or the drumming of partridges; the production of such noises interrupts all other activity, and these must, therefore, be naturally selected as the specific instruments of specific functions, such as love-calls and signals of alarm. Movements of arms, fingers, and other visible organs, which may function socially as gestures, have fixed relations in movement systems which are established in the vital economy of the individual animals; such move ments, if specially developed as gestures, not only interrupt activities in the producer but require the previous visual attention of the party addressed or else his presence within arm's reach. But voice is simply modified breathing-and the breath is passing in and out of the body every moment, whether or not we utilize it as a play activity to amuse ourselves and a mode of communication. So to utilize voice requires little if any physiological equipment which is lacking in other of the higher animals. It does require the plasticity of character which prompts gurgling, cooing and other forms of vocal play, which are only present in
very highly developed animals. Above all it requires a span of intellectual correlation which eventually makes possible the inclusion in thinking of various definite patterns involving particular sounds, spoken and heard, in fixed relation to particular types of social situation and behaviour. With slight effort a continual stream of vocal activity can be poured forth, as an accompaniment of other activity, which affects all persons in the vicinity whatever they may be doing-a fact which is frequently made the subject of unfavourable comment. Moreover, a wide variety of effects may be produced by slight changes of control. This is well illustrated by the fact that phonetic experts tell us that the infant in his babbling covers the whole range of sounds utilized by Russian, Gaelic and Polynesian dialects. Voice thus supplies a wealth of materials available for effective communication, to be had by the pursing, closing and opening of the lips, the lifting and tossing about of the tongue and slight laryngeal contractions.


text:
Q: How do I get the Spring Cloud Stream App Starter httpclient processor to send error messages from an api response to a log sink? When I check the stdout logs for my httpclient processor, I see that I'm getting a 422 response when I make requests. The actual error message sent with the response is lost, or at least I'm not sure how to get to it. Is it possible to send the json response to a log sink so that I can troubleshoot my request?

A: If you are using the RabbitMQ binder, you can configure the consumer to republish the failed message to a DLQ (republishToDlq); the failed message will include headers with exception information.
You can then add another stream to consume from the dlq...
:dest.dlq > log

For any binder, you could customize the http-client app to use an ExpressionEvaluatingRequestHandlerAdvice as discussed in this answer to log the exception (or send it to another destination).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: How to extract the following using pandas or regex The following is a column in pandas data frame. I want to get all the unique values like Style, Color, Flavor, Size, Scent Name...
Style: Lovenest - Newborn Pillow|||Color: Gray #Style and Color from this row
Style: Baby Calendula Face Cream #Style from this row
Color: Brown #Color from this row
Color: Matrix|||Item Package Quantity: 1 #Color & Item Package Quantity from this row
Color: Matrix|||Item Package Quantity: 1 #Color & Item Package Quantity from this row
Flavor: Baby Colic Babies Magic Tea|||Size: 1 Pack #Flavor & Size from this row
Scent Name: Sensitive|||Size: 100 Count (Pack of 6) #Scent Name & Size from this row
Scent Name: Sensitive|||Size: 100 Count (Pack of 6) #Scent Name & Size from this row

In [3]: df['variations'].head()
Out[3]:
0    Style: Lovenest - Newborn Pillow|||Color: Gray
1    Style: Lovenest - Newborn Pillow|||Color: Gray
2    Style: Lovenest - Newborn Pillow|||Color: Gray
3    Style: Lovenest - Newborn Pillow|||Color: Gray
4    Flavor: Baby Colic Babies Magic Tea|||Size: 1 Pack
Name: variations, dtype: object

Expected output  ['Style','Color','Flavor','Size']

A: Following code is suppose to work:
df_new = df['variations'].apply(lambda x: pd.Series({x.split(':')[0]:x.split(':')[1] for x in x.split('|||')}) if pd.notnull(x) else '')

The column names of df_new are unique.

A: You can using the string methods to split the values by some pattern.
Later split each string into key value pairs and take the key part.
In[1]: df['variations'].str.split('\|\|\|').apply(lambda items: [item.split(':')[0] for item in items])
Out[1]:
0                     [Style, Color]
1                     [Style, Color]
2                     [Style, Color]
3                     [Style, Color]
4                     [Style, Color]
Name: item, dtype: object

Edit: I see that you have changed the input and expected output. If you are trying to get the set of ALL keys in the column then you can do it all in pandas without having to iterate over it row by row.
In[1]: keys_list = df['variations'].apply(lambda x: [y.split(': ')[0] for y in x.split('|||')]).tolist()
In[2]: list(set([key for keys in keys_list for key in keys]))
Out[2]: ['Flavor', 'Item Package Quantity', 'Size', 'Color', 'Style', 'Scent Name']

A: In [25]: data = []
...: for x in df['variations']:
...:     if pd.notnull(x):
...:         d =  {x.split(':')[0]:x.split(':')[1] for x in x.split('|||')}
...:         vals = d.keys()
...:         data.extend(vals)
...:
...: print list(set(data))
['Style', 'Material', 'Number of Items', 'Pattern', .....


text:
Ghardabiya Airbase is a dual-function airbase for the Libyan Air Force  south of the Mediterranean coastal city of Sirte. It also incorporates an airport for civilian use.

All runways have  displaced thresholds.

The Sirte non-directional beacon (Ident: SRT) is located  north of the airport, in the city. The Sirte VOR-DME (Ident: SRT) is located on the field.

Military use

It is the home base of 1124th Bomber Squadron and 1st Fighter-Bomber Squadron which operate the Su-22 aircraft. The base also operates the Aero L-39 Albatros for counterinsurgency missions.

Civilian use
Due to the First Libyan Civil War of 2011 all flights were suspended; however, since the end of the conflict, Libyan Airlines have resumed service. It is unknown if Air Libya has resumed services as well.

First Libyan Civil War (2011)
It was targeted by United States Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bombers equipped with precision-guided munitions (PGMs) during the First Libyan Civil War on 20 and 21 March 2011. The United States Navy also participated in the attack to deny the Libyan Air Force operational capability with the use of Tomahawk cruise missiles.

Second Libyan Civil War (2014–2020)
In May 2015, during the Second Libyan Civil War, ISIL militants took control of the airport only weeks after seizing full control of nearby Sirte. On 4 June 2016, Pro-Libyan government fighters stated that they had captured the airbase from ISIL.

In January 2020, Libyan forces loyal to the eastern-based commander Khalifa Haftar said they had taken control of the strategic coastal city of Sirte, including al-Ghardabiya airbase.

See also
Transport in Libya
List of airports in Libya

References

External links
OpenStreetMap - Ghardabiya Airport

Airports in Libya
Tripolitania
Libyan Air Force bases

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


I live on a beautiful farm in the Eastern Free State. I hope to share a bit of my life and living my dream with you. Tonight I just want to share four images that I took on the farm, to start of the journey.
Our dog Tikka doing game viewing.
Wow, you are really blessed!


text:
Didodecyldimethylammonium bromide lipid bilayer-protected gold nanoparticles: synthesis, characterization, and self-assembly.
Didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB) lipid bilayer-protected gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), which were stable and hydrophilic, were synthesized by in situ reduction of HAuCl(4) with NaBH(4) in an aqueous medium in the presence of DDAB. As-prepared nanoparticles were characterized by UV-vis spectra, transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. All these data supported the formation of AuNPs. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and differential thermal analysis/thermogravimetric analysis data revealed that DDAB existed in a bilayer structure formed on the particle surface, resulting in a positively charged particle surface. The FTIR spectra also indicated that the DDAB bilayer coated on the surface of AuNPs was probably in the ordered gel phase with some end-gauche defects. On the basis of electrostatic interactions between such AuNPs and anionic polyelectrolyte poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS), we successfully fabricated (PSS/AuNP)(n)() multilayers on a cationic polyelectrolyte poly(ethylenimine) coated indium tin oxide substrate via the layer-by-layer self-assembly technique and characterized as-formed multilayers with UV-vis spectra and atomic force microscopy.
Wang, Endi
Zhang, L; Sun, X; Song, Y; Jiang, X; Dong, S; Wang, E
Langmuir : the Acs Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
10.1021/la052822l
Lipid Bilayers
Microscopy, Electron, Transmission
Quaternary Ammonium Compounds
Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet
Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared


text:
Project Group: 0035_Werkhof
Municipal Works Yard
The urban design concept of the project is demonstrated in the siting of the workshop building and the choice of materials. Firstly, the new building closes the arrival space of the sports center bordering the Talstrasse, in order to both accentuate and heighten the precision of the spatial connection to the Kurpark. Furthermore, the theme of wooden façades is taken up in reference to the existing building.
The ground floor footprint of the two-story volume is reduced to those rooms that must be located on the ground floor: the garages for the trucks and snowplows, the automobile repair workshop and carwash, and the carpentry workshop. The remaining spaces, storage rooms and offices are placed on the upper floor. This uneven usage distribution generates cantilevers on the second floor on both of the longer building sides, serving to protect the entrance areas of the garages and workshops lying below.
The load-bearing structure is a skeleton/cross-wall construction with pre-stressed concrete slabs and concrete columns. The large cantilever towards the Talstrasse is achieved by the use of vertical concrete slabs that act as upstand beams positioned between the floor and ceiling slabs. The exterior walls and partition walls are made of pre-fabricated, floor-to-ceiling, insulated wooden elements. A ventilated cladding of horizontal wooden boards forms the exterior layer of weather protection. The various board widths cut in parallel fashion from the tree trunks are mounted according to the sequence of the cut. The roof, analogous to the façades, is made with a ventilated construction in wood, insulation and concrete – a "Davos roof".
The windows are typically set flush with the cladding. For those windows that should not offer any inward view, rotated cladding boards serve as fixed louvers. The glazed steel doors of the garages, which open outwardly, are covered by the cantilevered parts of the building and thus protected from the snow. Galvanized sheetmetal clads the underside of the cantilevers and reflects a diffuse light into the workspaces lying further back.
Location Davos, Switzerland
Programme Garages, carwash, workshop, storage, offices
Competition 1998, 1st Prize
Planning/Construction 1998–1999
Client Davos Tourismus
Team G/G Annette Gigon / Mike Guyer Architects, Zurich
in collaboration with Othmar Brügger, Architect, Davos
Competition: Markus Lüscher
Collaborators Othmar Brügger: Andreas Leu (Competition, Planning/Construction)
General Contractor Zschokke, Chur
Structural Engineer Conzett, Bronzini, Gartmann AG, Chur
Peter Flütsch, Chur
Signage Trix Wetter, Zurich
Planning/Construction: Christian Brunner (Project Manager)
Collaborators Othmar Brügger: Andreas Leu
Photos © Heinrich Helfenstein
Longitudinal section


US President Donald Trump has ordered top administration officials to "negotiate entry" back into the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, the deal he pulled out of a year ago, describing it as a "horrible" one. "It brings more of a multi-lateral approach as we look to isolate the problems we're facing with China as it relates to imbalances in trade and the theft of intellectual property". "This is done by wealthy people that want to take advantage of us and that want to sign another partnership", Trump said at the time.
He said that at one point in the discussion, the president looked at Kudlow and said, "Go get it done".
This is not the first time Trump has suggested United States participation in TPP could be back on the table.
The president has mused publicly about rejoining the deal before, suggesting he would re-enter if he could negotiate more favorable terms. The Pacific Rim trade deal was intended by the Obama administration as a way to counter China's influence, but Trump criticized the pact as a candidate and pulled the United States out of the pact in early 2017.
The administration is also considering the possibility of the federal government aiding farmers harmed by retaliatory tariffs from China, according to lawmakers on Capitol Hill and advocacy groups. He said it's time to work with a coalition of trading partners to increase pressure on China. Last month, the 11 remaining countries signed an agreement in Chile, though it still has to be ratified by local officials in some countries.
The president is also running into strong pushback from Republican lawmakers, particularly those representing agricultural regions where China's threatened retaliation against US exports would hit hard.
Hoeven said the meeting with Trump was a "very positive" meeting about opening up more markets to "free" and "fair" trade. Deb Fischer, said the farm-state members were excited by the president's TPP talk because of a chance "to see those trade opportunities reaffirmed and grow". Farm state lawmakers have pushed for greater sales of the higher ethanol blend to boost demand for the corn-based fuel.
Exporters, such as farmers, have said they are now concerned that the USA will be at a disadvantage to competitors in the region. Trump campaigned on promises to bring down America's massive trade deficit - $566 billion USA past year - by rewriting trade agreements and cracking down on what he called abusive practices by U.S. trading partners.


text:
{% load url from future %}
{% load basket_tags %}
{% load i18n %}

{% basket_form request product as basket_form single %}

{% if basket_form.purchase_permitted %}
<form action="{% url 'basket:add' %}" method="post">
    {% csrf_token %}
    {{ basket_form.as_p }}
    {% if product.is_available_to_buy %}
        <button type="submit" class="btn btn-primary btn-full">{% trans "Add to basket" %}</button>
    {% endif %}
</form>
{% else %}
    {{ basket_form.reason }}
{% endif %}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Learn about some of the potential challenges associated with networks, as well as tips and tricks for avoiding common network pitfalls.
Wondering what distinguishes a Beamtracking microphone from a beamforming microphone?
The Devio SCR-25 is the latest development in Biamp's ongoing support for small conference rooms.


Never before in our lives have we been so excited about a celebrity beauty launch (sorry, Kylie). Shortly after news of the Spice Girls long-awaited reunion went viral, Victoria Beckham has shared an equally exciting announcement: she's working on a skincare and perfume label. Permission to squeal.
Given that her tightly edited makeup collection with Estée Lauder was 14 gilded pieces of absolute perfection, we can expect her skincare to be effective, problem-solving and luxe, luxe, luxe.
The Cut speculates that "the best" could be New York-based dermatologist-to-the-stars Dr Harold Lancer. Beckham has waxed lyrical about Dr Lancer before, and keeps his skincare products in her beauty kit.
Becks gives no details on when the range will be released, or whether it's another collaboration with Estée Lauder or her own initiative. Either way, we are already sold.


text:
Home>Physical Science>Physics
What is Meant by Linear Rotational Static and Dynamic Equilibrium
By: Shaheen Daad
Shaheen Daad's image for:
"What is Meant by Linear Rotational Static and Dynamic Equilibrium"
Still waters are said to run deep. It is clear that something is causing it to stay still, since the more "normal" waters surrounding it are swaying and heaving in every manner. It may also be appreciated that the cause is not a trivial one. If told that there is an object in deep space that is perfectly still, one would think that perfectly natural. There was nothing in its surroundings to affect it, neither bodily impulse, gravity nor force fields. Therefore, according to Newton's first law, a body at rest stays at rest.
However, in the hustle and bustle of normal surroundings, stillness draws attention. Statics is a field entirely devoted to investigating stillness of stationary objects, not in the trivial case of a body in deep space, but rather in the midst of various forces acting on it. All forms of construction are based on statics. A construction, in the end, needs to withstand all possible forces of disruption. Engineers and architects appreciate statics as one of the most useful part of their inventory.
If in the midst of various forces a body remains still, it is said to be in equilibrium. This only expresses the fact that all the forces are cancelling each other out. A force produces two kinds of changes in an object's position - linear and rotational. Linear means that the object moves from one point to another, while rotational implies just that, i.e. a rotation of the body around whatever axis.
Of course both kinds of displacement may take place at the same time. Making the distinction between linear and rotational displacement allows us to study the two aspects separately. In other words, we may identify exactly which force causes the body to move, and which to rotate.
Consider a body suspended from two unequal lengths of string, each fixed at a different point above it. We know that there are three forces acting on the body - the weight of the body acting directly downwards, and the tensions in the two strings (T1 and T2), acting at certain angles to the vertical (θ1 and θ2), and whose magnitudes are unknown. The key to solving problems in statics is using the fact that there is no net force, for otherwise the body would be accelerating. Therefore, taking components of the forces in both the vertical and horizontal directions, gives two simultaneous equations involving T1 and T2, which may be solved.
If a body is fixed at a certain point, rotation is caused by a force applied at any other point on the body which doesn't go through the fixed point. It can be described as a rotational force, and is called torque. Torque is a vector that is used generally in physics to describe dynamic situations, but is statics it acquires a more simpler form, called moment of force. A moment of force is computed simply by taking the force at right angles to the line connecting the point of application and the fixed hinge, and multiplying with the distance between two points. This is the moment of force "around" that point.
In a fixed construct, there is no movement, and therefore no rotation. In the parlance of physics, it is said to be in rotational equilibrium. The immediate consequence is that, the sum of all the moments around any point on it must be zero. This is a central tenet of statics, known as the principle of moments.
Equilibrium is further described in terms of being static and dynamic. This is merely a consequence of Newton's first law, which states that, in absence of an applied force, a still body remains still, and one that is moving with constant velocity will continue in the same way. In statics, where net force is always zero, bodies are said to be stationary. But they very well may be described as having constant velocity, which neither adds nor takes away anything in terms of physics. Static equilibrium is merely a descriptive term for one, while dynamic equilibrium describes another. Therefore, the chair may be in static equilibrium on the harbor, while it is in dynamic room on the deck of a ship moving with constant velocity.
Actually, this distinction is made redundant through Einstein's theory of special relativity. According to this theory, the word "stationary" makes no sense. All frames of calculation are relative to each other. If we take the frame to be moving with the ship, then it is the chair on the ship's deck that is stationary, while that on the harbor is moving. In statics, the frame of the stationary body is always taken as reference, and therefore always concerns static equilibrium.
More about this author: Shaheen Daad
How did Sir George Cayley Lay the Foundation of Aerodynamics
Dynamics of Flight
What is Meant by Montane Forest
What is Meant by the Terminal Velocity of a Falling Object
In Helicopter Aerodynamics what is Retreating Blade Stall
http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/newtlaws/u2l1a.cfm
http://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090601122541AAoSP5L
http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/motion-formulas-d_941.html
http://www.physics.uoguelph.ca/tutorials/torque/Q.torque.intro.html
http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/vectors/u3l1a.cfm
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/statics-how-to-calculate-a-forces-moment.html
http://gauss.vaniercollege.qc.ca/pwiki/index.php/Static_and_Dynamic_Equilibrium
http://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/everyday-myths/relativity.htm


At All Mark Insurance Services, Inc., we are your safe money people. We educate our clients on the strategies of how to protect and grow money in the most tax advantageous, risk-free manner so they can enjoy the upside gains of the market without suffering the losses associated with it through a simple, unique process we like to call The Safe Money Method.
All of our services are done through many different avenues such as in person appointments, phone appointments, web conferences, emails, webinars, workshops, and annual reviews for all existing clients.


Beckley is one of those places that will immediately get you singing the words of Take Me Home, Country Roadsand thinking the place could be "almost Heaven". Don't be alarmed, there is really no avoiding it. The place is absolutely stunning.
Founded in 1838 by Alfred Beckley, the town existed mainly on paper until the 1850's. Evidently Beckley's friends teased him mercilessly about this. Yet the town he named after his father eventually came to be in these beautiful hills. It was the coal beneath those beautiful hills that really brought the village to life.
Known as "The City of Champions", Beckley's coal heritage is brought vividly and smokelessly to life in its Beckley Exhibition Coal Museum. The Beckley mine operated from 1906 to 1953, when it was opened as a museum in 1962. Plunge into the immersive history of the underground mine, restored coal camp, and gift shop. There is a Youth Museum as well and the ole coal camp church and a mountain homestead.
TheTheater West Virginiais an amphitheater in the mountains that stages performances from mid-June to late August with an outdoor backdrop far more dramatic that anything on stage – and the performances are award-winning.
While there is certainly good fast and casual food to be had in Beckley, sometime you want a little more. The Char, a perennial favorite specializing in steaks served in view of the glorious pond and woods behind it. To loosen up a bit, try Pasquale's, the go to place in Beckley for Italian if you are looking for pizza or something a little different. Then there is the evolving menu at Dobra Zupa – an interesting name that mean "Good Soup" in Slovenian – a nod to the heritage of its owners. But this is not Slovenian cuisine. House in a residential neighborhood, Dobra Zupa boasts American craft food and craft beer on it's changing menu – featuring favorites from filets, Mediterranean dishes and crab risotto.