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Love for the city keeps City Councilman Gilman running on full throttle
September 28, 2014, 7:28 pm 0 Edit
Dan Gilman (Photo provided)
Dan Gilman doesn't stop.
Watching him in action for a day is nothing short of exhausting, as the city councilman representing the Eighth District of Pittsburgh — which includes Squirrel Hill north of Forbes Avenue, Shadyside, Oakland and Point Breeze — adeptly shifts his attention from drafting a resolution in support of nursing mothers to the projected outcomes of a major Carnegie Mellon University expansion to sewage.
This is a man who takes his role as a public servant seriously, say those who know him, his mind rarely swaying from a constant focus on working for his constituency and his city.
Gilman, 32, is serving his first term in the City Council, coming to the job with 10 years of experience as chief of staff to then-City Councilman and now Mayor Bill Peduto.
The Carnegie Mellon University grad is a devotee of local government: Right after college, he turned down a job offer to work for President Bill Clinton at his foundation in Harlem, N.Y., opting instead to work for Peduto and the betterment of Pittsburgh.
"You can have direct impact" by serving locally, Gilman says between reading emails, which he does constantly. "From trees to potholes to speeding stops to school bus stops to $200 million in construction in District 8. That's what's so amazing about this job — getting the whole pack."
It is 9 a.m. and Gilman begins his day by addressing the concerns of three citizens he spoke with the night before at his annual fundraiser, an event for 300 people that he hosted at the Strip District's Pittsburgh Winery.
He is reading and typing with an impressive alacrity. He has a lot to do, typically putting in 12-hour days, seven days a week.
"It's rare I have a weekend day when I'm not at least at one or two events," he says. "If you look at this as a job, you'll drown. It's got to be your passion."
And it is clear that his work is most definitely a passion, with another being Amanda Kennedy, his fiancée, whom he will marry on Valentine's Day at a destination wedding in Scottsdale, Ariz. The couple will fly out Rabbi Ron Symons of Temple Sinai to officiate, Gilman mentions as he looks up from his emails for a minute or two, then goes on to monitor his Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Despite maintaining a permanent staff of three and employing two interns, Gilman personally handles his own social media.
"If you're going to be authentic and reach out," he says, "it has to come from you."
He takes some time to review his talking points for an event he will be attending with Peduto at which he will lobby the NCAA to lure the Women's Final Four to Pittsburgh; he confirms a meeting to talk about flooding issues on Walnut Street and Negley and Maryland avenues, where people's homes are filling with sewage; he reviews information regarding his upcoming appearance at Pittsburgh Housing Court, where he will testify on behalf of neighborhoods against absentee landlords who have left their buildings in disrepair.
He sends an email off to Verizon to inquire about the ability of constituents to get FiOS. He reviews a text from the police letting him know that they have recently issued four speeding tickets on Beechwood Boulevard, good news that he will share with concerned residents.
This, all before his 10 o'clock Council meeting.
"It's definitely juggling," he says. "I am obsessive about checking my phone constantly. I try to not let the emails build up."
He estimates that he receives between 200 and 250 emails each day, and he or his staff respond to each one.
He calls in his staff and delegates several tasks, including researching what other cities are doing with regard to mandating "proper nursing rooms" in public buildings in advance of his presentation of a resolution on the issue and looking into an alleyway behind Beechwood Boulevard that is beginning to crumble into people's yards.
His focus flits from one topic to another without missing a beat.
"I've always had this much energy," Gilman says. "I was always the person who volunteered, and always the person who didn't just sit around and complain about something, but who looked for an active solution."
Driven by a work ethic instilled by his parents — his father, Fred Gilman, typically works 15-hour days as the dean of the Mellon College of Science at Carnegie Mellon University and his mother, Barbara Gilman, volunteers for such organizations as Hillel-Jewish University Center Pittsburgh Section, the National Council of Jewish Women and the Hebrew Free Loan Association of Pittsburgh — he also credits the good doctor, Dr Pepper, for his seemingly unending energy. He drinks several cans each day and supplements with coffee.
This is a man who accepts invitations to speak at PTA meetings whenever possible.
"I can't say 'yes' to everything," he says. "But I say 'yes' to most things."
He also meticulously monitors the headway made on addressing his constituents' concerns and complaints. On this particular morning, he is following the progress of trees that need to be trimmed, the reporting of a sinkhole, crosswalks that need to be repainted, an abandoned property, a shop sign that has been knocked over, and a constituent who is angry about receiving a parking ticket, among other things.
When the clock strikes 10, Gilman quickly walks down the hall of the City Council Building to take his place at a conference table among his fellow councilmen for the morning's meeting. The session begins with impassioned pleas by two residents: one concerned with the containment of the Ebola virus and the other distressed over violence in the Hill District.
The meeting proper commences, and the six members present vote on a series of resolutions involving various improvement projects throughout the city: allocations, zoning and a sewage plan for the expansion of Heinz Field.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Gilman heads back to his own office, takes a few seconds to sign some papers that his staff has ready for him and picks up a few more that he needs for his 11:30 a.m. meeting — a confidential conversation in the mayor's office regarding a proposal for a new $100 million housing development in Oakland at the intersection of Centre Avenue and Craig Street.
The proposal is in its early stages, he says, but he is enthusiastic.
"Craig and Center is truly the gateway to downtown from Oakland," he says, following the meeting. "It would be a great anchor for development for Oakland."
At his desk, he eats a sandwich picked up by his staff, before a quick meeting with an attorney from the city's law department, and then he is off to his car to drive to a meeting in Oakland, checking his email on his phone until he starts the engine.
In Oakland, he meets with Ralph Horgan, associate vice president of campus design and facility development at CMU, to get the lay of the land vis a vis the university's planned expansion. He wants to see for himself how a new parking structure will affect traffic flow in the neighborhood, and get an idea of how the university's proposed new façade will be an aesthetic upgrade while improving the quality of campus life.
On the ride back downtown, Gilman is still working, making mental notes of problems he sees in the area.
"When I drive, all I see are problems to report," he says. "Graffiti that needs to be removed, potholes that need to be filled. I am constantly on city inspectors to get things done. The brain is always on work mode. It really is."
By 2:30 p.m., he is back in his office for a few minutes before his next meeting. He turns CNN on his television to catch up on the news as he gets back online to check his emails: more sewage problems, which is "probably the biggest problem facing Western Pennsylvania," he says.
At 3 p.m., he joins a meeting with municipal employees to discuss the issue of correctly designating streets as public or private.
"My concern is we've been treating some streets like public, but there are no records we have accepted them into the city," he says. "There are other streets we all agree are private, but the residents have no idea they are private."
Correctly identifying street designations will determine whether the city is responsible for things like snow removal and sewer issues.
Those present decide to do title research on three of the streets in question as a pilot plan, then to regroup.
It is now 4 p.m., and the councilman still has a lot of day left: a meeting with a constituent, and then an appearance at the Women's Final Four Reception at the Convention Center, which is scheduled to conclude at 6:30.
He is fueled by adrenaline, he says, which has come to feel like his "natural speed."
But, he says, he wouldn't have it any other way.
Toby Tabachnick can be reached at tobyt@thejewishchronicle.net.


You have a high degree of off-hand dexterity, and you can perform tasks with the "wrong" hand at no penalty. You must use the rules for taking multiple actions, but you do not suffer a difficulty penalty if, say, you use two weapons or are forced to use your off hand.
You are unusually comfortable underwater and vastly prefer swimming to walking. You receive a -1 difficulty to all Physical dice pools related to underwater movement. This Merit is a particularly common among canal or harbor-dwelling broods of Nosferatu and the occasional aquatic Gangrel.
You can store more blood than your generation should allow. Every point invested in this Merit increases your maximum blood pool by one, although it does not increase the rate at which you can process or expend vitae. When you exceed your normal limits, your skin blushes red as though burned, or visibly bulges, giving you a grotesque visage (lose one die from all Appearance-based pools while in this state). Other Cainites (and beings with heightened senses) can smell the blood trying to squeeze past your pores with a successful Perception + Alertness roll (difficulty 7). This can incite frenzy in hungry vampires.
With a single whiff or tasted drop, you can learn much about a given sample of blood. Your refined palette can even detect the presence of foreign substances or taint. Whenever you analyze a sample, roll Perception + Alertness (difficulty 6). Each success allows you to glean one fact about the blood, such as its potency, freshness, species or whethr it has been poisoned or contaminated with disease. If multiple successes are spent learning a single fact, additional details may be unveiled at Storyteller discretion. Note that this Merit does not confer preternatural awareness like the Rego Vitae power A Taste for Blood. Characters who have never tasted arsenic or Lupine blood cannot recognize either - although they may discern such samples as poisoned or non-human. In no case may characters discern supernatural properties like clan or generation. As always, the Storyteller determines what information a character may learn.
You look more hale and healthy in appearance than other vampires, allowing you to blend with human society much more easily. You still retain the color of a living mortal, and your skin feels only slightly cool tot he touch. This Merit is unavailable to Cappadocians and Nosferatu.
Regular time spent among mortals has dulled the hungers of your palette. You reduce the difficulty of any frenzy roll involving the sight, scent or taste of blood by one. You cannot frenzy from sensing blood if your blood pool is full; conversely, you lose your normal difficulty reduction if your blood pool is less than a quarter full (rounded down).
The penalties which apply to characters under the effects of alcohol do not apply to you. On the contrary, you fight better when you've had a few. For every two "drinks" consumed by the character, add a shadow point to your Dexterity and Stamina for a maximum of +2. You may also add an additional Bruised Health Level to your chart and ignore wound penalties -1 or less severe. These beneficiary effects dissipate at the rate of one dot per hour. However, when your character is sober, he suffers the penalties drunk characters usually do (and more); With under two drinks in your system lower your Dexterity, Wits, Strength and Stamina by 1.
You have the capacity to eat food and even savor its taste. While you cannot derive any nourishment from eating regular foods, this ability is useful for passing as mortal. Of course, you can't digest what you eat, and there will be some point during the evening when you must force yourself to heave it back up.
You are able to draw more than the usual amount of nourishment from blood. When feeding, you gain an additional point to your blood pool for every two points of blood you consume. This Merit does not allow you to exceed your blood pool maximum.
Your tongue extends to inhuman lengths as a bizarre instrument of feeding. It may be delicate and forked like a serpent's or a monstrous cartilaginous sipke, but the effect is the same. You can extend your tongue six inches per point invested in this Merit, and may drain blood or inflict aggravated damage without clinching your prey (as long as you are within range). Unlike traditional feeding, your tongue does not engender the pleasure of the Kiss. Such feeding is more like a giant mosquito pluging a dagger-sized needle into flesh and siphoning blood fast enough to collapse veins.
Your flesh and blood tastes bilious or outright putrescent. Anyone who bites or feeds from you must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 5 plus the number of health levels inflicted or blood points consumed). Those who fail spend the next turn choking, retching or gagging. Any fool who actually attempts to drink you dry (such as in preparation for diablerie) must make three consecutive Willpower rolls at difficulty 9 to succeed. If any of these checks fail, the feeding vampire spends the rest of the scene vomiting his entire blood pool in a fountain of tainted gore.
God has granted you a strong constitution, so you may better serve his cause. You are rarely in less than robust health and take ill infrequently. Subtract two from all difficulties to resist disease, whether natural or supernatural in nature.
Your heart is protected by a sheath of leather cartilage or warped bone. For every point invested in this Merit, you gain one extra soak die to resist staking attempts or other attacks intended to pierce the heart. These soak dice do not protect against other forms of damage.
You are abnormally large in size, at least six-foot-ten and 300 pounds in weight. Aside from making you extremely noticeable in public, this extra mass bestows an additional Bruised health level. Characters with this Merit may also gain bonuses to push objects, open barred doors, avoid being knocked down and so on.
You are preternaturally resistant to disease and may freely gorge on infected blood without risk of becoming a carrier. Only magical diseases can afflict you, and you gain an extra die to resist these unnatural maladies. Few Cainites with such resistance are aware of their gift.
Your fingers are hideously long and spidery, perhaps with extra joints, or rubbery like the tentacles of a squid. You gain one extra die on all rolls involving fine coordination or grappling.
You have a physical mark that emerged during your Embrace, akin to a birthmark. This mark is part of your lineage and helps establish credibility as an heir to power and reputation of your sire's line. Players should work with the Storyteller to define the mark, whether it is a particular tint of the eyes, an actual discolor of the skin or something more exotic. All such marks are within the bounds of natural possibility and/or easily conceald, ensuring that mortals do not automatically suspect your undead nature. While this Merit has no system per se, you are more difficult to impersonate and your mark may carry status with vampires who know its significance.
Unlike other vampires, you have a distended maw filled with jagged, knifelike fangs. Your bite inflicts an extra die of damage, and you may drain one extra blood point each turn when feeding. Unfortunately, your teeth are obviously inhuman and cannot retract. Unless you keep your mouth closed, you suffer +2 difficulty on all Social rolls not involving Intimidation.
The disciplines of faith, self-denial and mortification have granted you an unusual resistance to pain. Let Satan's spawn do their worst: The flesh matters not. All wound penalties are reduced by one (so at the Wounded health level your character loses one die, not two).
Leathery wings fold into your body like a bat or flying squirrel, hanging flaccidly like a tattered cloak when not in use unless hidden beneath bulky clothes. Although you cannot actually fly, you may glide for short distances at your normal walking speed with the aid of updrafts or strong winds. Characters with this Merit cannot have an Appearance rating greater than 2, and most suffer from the Monstrous Flaw. A few dedicated infernalists and seriously misshapen Gangrel occasionally manifest a more potent version of this Merit, conferring strong bat-like wings extending more than five yards from tip to tip. Characters with the seven-point version can fly at speeds of 20 miles per hour and perform aerial maneuvers with their Athletics, although they cannot carry objects heavier than half their own weight. Wings of this size can fold back like an elaborate cape, but they cannot be concealed without supernatural methods. Gargoyles cannot purchase any form of this Merit.
A vampire with this Merit may take an action to extent or retract her wings. Retracted wings collapse and fold tightly against the body, allowing the character to move through tighter spaces and maneuver unencumbered. Only Gargoyles and other vampires with wings may purchase this Merit.
You are unusually lithe. For one point, you reduce the difficulty of all Dexterity rolls involving body flexibility by two (such as escaping restraints or contorting through tight spaces). For three points, you can bend most joints backward, dislocate others at will and perform feats of contortion impossible for a human body (such as turning your head to look straight back). You can escape most restraints and slither through small spaces automatically, although the Storyteller may require a roll for extreme feats.
You have an uncanny ability to smell blood that appeals to you or repulses you, even when it flows in the veins of your unsuspecting prey. This Merit only benefits Ventrue and other vampires with discerning hunger, such as through the Flaws Prey Exclusion or Selective Thirst. Sensing blood you feel strongly about requires a reflexive Perception + Alertness roll (difficulty 6), and you must actually be close enough to breathe the target's scent - usually within three yards. Picking a single target out of a crowd may require a second Wits + Alertness roll at a difficulty determined by a Storyteller.
Even if your body is a leprous husk of pustules or a monstrous chimera of fused animals, your face remains eerily pristine. So long as your face is the only part of you that is visible, your effective Appearance rating is one dot for every two points invested in the Merit. Nosferatu characters with this Merit suffer worsened deformities in other parts of their bodies, gaining at least one physical Flaw for which they gain no points (as well as the undying scorn of their clanmates). Obviously, this Merit is useless (and not permissible) to characters without serious full-body deformity of some kind.
You are particularly gifted with one Ability. Perhaps you are a poet of great renown or a master fleshcrafter. Within your specific Aptitude, reduce all difficulties by 2. Characters may purchase this Merit more than once, but Storytellers should feel free to veto any Ability selections that seem too powerful or unbalanced, especially for combat Abilities.
You are a consummate artist at heart. You reduce the difficulty of any roll to create something new by 1. This can be actual Expression or Crafts rolls, or even the development of a new tactic or torture method… Conversely, you add +1 to the difficulty of any repetitive or menial task. You are ill suited to such labor - surely everyone should see that you are more important than mere drudgery.
Forced to play the part of the civilized monster, you find solace and strength in periodic outbursts of rage. At the conclusion of any frenzy, roll Courage (difficulty 5). Each success restores one point of Willpower, up to your usual maximum. Vampires with this Merit still suffer degeneration for their frenzy if such anger violates the tenents of their road.
You have an innate link to the passage of time and the movement of celestial bodies. You can estimate the time until sunrise or sunset within a minute or two, and you can follow the phases of the moon in your head. Those with some training in astrology and this Merit can even foretell certain astrological conjunctions without access to charts. You can accomplish any of these feats with only a minimum of concentration.
You have a significant amount of practical, everyday wisdom. Whenever the charatcer is about to act in a way contrary to a common sense, the Storyteller can make suggestions or warnings about the implications of said action. This is a very useful Merit to give to beginning players who are unfamiliar with theg ame.
You have the ability to focus your mind and shut out any distractions or annoyances. Characters with this Merit are unaffected by any penalties stemming from distracting circumstances (e.g. loud noises, hanging upside down).
You remember what you see and hear with perfect detail. Documents, events and conversations, can be committed to memory with only minor concentration. Under stressful conditions involving numerous distractions, you must make a Perception + Alertness roll (difficulty 6) to summon enough concentration to absorb what your senses detected.
You have detached yourself from the War of Princes and taken the first step on the bitter journey to Golconda. The difficulty of the Virtue rolls is two less than nromal. Characters must ascribe to the Virtues of Cosncience and Self-Control and have a Road rating of 8 or higher to purchase or retain this Merit. If you ever fail to meet these conditions, you lose your way and the benefits of enlightenment. Storytellers should feel free to inflict automatic degeneration on characters who abuse this Merit.
You feel strong ties of kinship with a specific community of mortals. The difficulty to resist frenzy is always two less than normal where your flock is cnocerned, enabling you to better withstand the lure of their blood and forgive their trespasses. If you do succumb to frenzy, you may spend one Willpower point to recognize members of their flock as friends. As long as these individuals stay out of your way and do not directly provoke you, you may ignore them for the duration of the rampage. This Merit is often coupled with the Prey Exclusion Flaw. Storytellers should feel free to disallow any communities deemed unbalancing or two inclusive.
You have partially transcended the blood fury of your clan by focusing your Beast's anger. Select one frenzy condition from the chart on page 265 of Dark Ages: Vampire… When faced with that provocation, you automatically frenzy. You do not suffer the usual difficulty increase to other frenzy conditions, however. The Storyteller must approve the selected condition. Only Brujah and other vampires who suffer a similar frenzy difficulty increase may purchase this Merit.
You can awaken instantly at any sign of trouble or danger, and you can do so without any sleepiness or hesitation. You may ignore rules regarding how Road rating restricts the number of dice available during the day.
In a moment of great crisis, you may call upon your honor and nobility to fortify your resolve. Once per story, you may spend a point of Willpower to substitute your Road rating for both your Self Control/Conviction and Courage for the scene. Characters who ascribe to roads that do not venerate heroism and valor may not purchase or retain this Merit, particularly those on the Road of Sin (although followers of the Via Adversarius may possess this Merit; see the Road of Sin for more information).
You are inhumanly through in your preparations, weighing contingencies and every course of action with cold, calculating precision. You may substitute Intelligence for Wits in any situation where your dedication may prevent you from being caught flat-footed or unprepared, and the Storyteller should occasionally give you advice as per the Common Sense merit.
You have a particular fixation that drives your existence, be it as esoteric as death or vampirism or as mundane as the tactics of chess. You must have one Specialty for an Ability (usually a Knowledge, though sometimes a Skill) that forms the core of your obsession. For rolls involving this specialty, you reduce the difficulty by three in addition to receiving the usual bonus die (minimum difficulty of 3). Your intensity discomforts those who do not share your obsession, adding +1 to the difficulty of most Social rolls with people who observe you indulging your hobby. Storyellers should feel free to veto any Obsessions that seem too powerful for their games.
In satiation you find sanity. Whenever your blood pool is completely full, you do not suffer the effects of any derangements. As a result, you often gorge in the futile hope that you can silence your inner demons forever. This Merit cannot suppress a Malkavian's core derangement, although it may alleviate additional madness. Sane characters may purchase this Merit, although they do not learn of their resistance unless they gain a derangement.
Either through monastic training or determined royal tutors, you are one of the lucky few to receive superlative tutelage in classics, natural sciences and theology… Whenever you attempt a task involving a Knowledge you do not possess, your player may still roll at +1 difficulty as if the required Ability was a Skill. Characters must have at least three dots of Academics to purchase this Merit.
All inquisitors have to be able to separate truth from falsehood and right from wrong. You, however, have an uncanny reasoning ability that allows you to take apparently innocuous facts and ruthlessly reduce their true meaning. There is nothing supernatural in this: God has merely granted you an ordered an uncluttered mind that can work through trains of thought more fully than others can manage. All difficulties on rolls involving deduction decrease by two.
Despite her lineage, you have been accepted by local members of the High Clans as a noble, or at least worthy of respect. Unfortunately, your own clanmates see you as a pretentious toady. The difficulty of all Social rolls involving other Cainites, who know of your reputation increases or decreases by 1, depending on which class you are interacting with. Characters must have at least one dot of Status to purchase this Merit. The beneftis of this Merit only extend as far as the character's reputation - seldom more than a single city.
You have established a false persona that stands up to scrutiny and investigation. The quality and detail of this face depends on the number of points invested in the Merit. For one point, your identity is new or intended for casual use only. At two points, it takes determined effort to reveal your ruse. For three points, your false name is known in several cities. At four points, your identity is widely known and respected. For five points, you can even deceive the most paranoid elders. Although the difficulty of any Investigation to determien your true identity equals your Alternate Identity rating +5, it is up to you to actively maintain your persona. Characters with more than one false face must purchase this Merit multiple times.
You once donned the crusader's cross and successfully returned from the Holy Land, having done your duty to God, and those around you know it. You may well have joined the forces of Richard the Lion-Hearted and Philip Augustus in the Third Crusade, those of Andrew of Hungary in the Fifth, or those of Emperor Frederick in the Sixth. This accomplishment gives you special standing and repute among those knights, lords and ladies who never made the journey to Outremer. Jongleurs may request that you share stories that they may turn into fanciful tales, and others may ask your opinion about events in the Latin Kingdoms or Iberia.
An elder owes you gratitude because of something either you or your sire did for her. The depth of gratitude the elder owes depends on how many points the player wishes to spend. One point might mean that the elder owes the character a favor; three points might mean that she owes the character her unlife.
You spent a number of years as a ghoul prior to receiving the Embrace. As such, you have a better understanding of Cainite society and the powers of the Blood. The difficulty of all rolls to recall such information is 2 less than normal. In addition, you may purchase Potence with your starting Discipline dots, although it is not considered a Clan Discipline unless that is normally the case.
In life you were a mage, able to reshape creation with the force of your will. That power is lost to you now, replaced with the curse of Caine. Yet you have not sundered all ties to your former Fellowship. If this trait is a Merit, a few of your mystical associates still talk to you. They probably won't give you access to their libraries or let you into their sanctums, but they pass along information from time to time and exchange favors when it suits them. If this trait is a Flaw, your former associates view you as a liability. They might not actively hunt you (unless you also take the Enemy flaw), but they regard you as a monster and traitor and treat you accordingly. This trait is extremely rare outside Clan Tremere.
You are well known to the Cainites of your city as ineffectual and useless. While this estimation may seem insulting, it also keeps you safe. No one considers you a threat, and so no one feels the need to dispose of you. If you start acting in a way that demonstrates you are competant and no longer harmless, others' reactions to you will swiftly change.
You have agreed to take on a young inquisitor as your student. He does not have any Blessings yet, but he is showing a fine aptitude for the business of inquisition and a firm resolution in the face of the enemy. This is a heavy burden, though, for you are responsible for this child's soul as well as his life. If Initiate is taken as a Merit, the student is intelligent, faithful, and diligent in his studies and prayer. He will fight for you only in the most extreme circumstances, but willingly does research or runs errands for you when called upon to do so. He may well yet be blessed by the Lord (the Storyteller decides when this happens - if it does - based on how much time you spend training him and the experience he has). If taken as a Flaw, the Initiate is a problem who hinders your work. He is incompetent, lazy, petuland and he lacks dedication to his faith. Your superiors are reluctant to let him leave your service, for he already knows too much about the shadow Inquisition, so you have to do your best to whip him into some useful shape. However, he can be a danger and a liability to the safety of your chapter. In either case, the Initiate requires training and spiritual guidance. The Storyteller should take care to ensure that the character is not reaping the benefits of the Initiate without giving the appropriate teaching.
Your sire or another mentor has laboriously tutored you in most forms of etiquette, even customs outside your own culture and time. You likely know the proper greeting for a Roman senator or the appropriate bow for a caliph as easily as the titles of address within your own kingdom. As such, you may learn as many Etiquette specialties as your Intelligence + Etiquette, and you receive a –1 difficulty to any Etiquette roll involving those specialties.
You have an impressive web of contacts and agents that extends beyond a single city. Better still, they serve you skillfully and subtly beneath the notice of the High Clans, making you far more formidable than you appear. Your Network reaches one extra city per point invested in this Merit. Upon arriving anywhere in the bounds of your Network, you gain access to your full rating in Allies, Contacts, Herd and Retainers at the rate of one dot per night (although obviously any Retainers thus gained are not initially ghouls, whether or not the Retainers in your home city are). You may also communicate with agents in other cities via correspondence, although they can only serve the role of Contacts. This Merit is most common among Followers of Set and Nosferatu.
Your sire has or had great status in her court or clan, and this has accorded you a certain amount of prestige. Although your sire may no longer have any dealings with you, the simple fact of your ancestry has marked you forever. The prestige might aid you greatly in dealings with your elders or other neonates, or it might engender jealousy or contempt.
You have successfully passed yourself off as a member of the High Clans, at last locally. As such, you receive acceptance from the aristocracy and suffer none of the stigma associated with your actual ancestry. You can expect terrible retribution if your ruse is discovered.
When taken as a merit, Religious Heritage indicates your family has a history of dedicated service in the Church, with many of your relatives gaining prominant positions through the years. That reputation works to your benefit as well. If taken as a Flaw, however, your family has a dark reputation as heretics, demon thralls or pagans, a problem that taints your name. You receive a -2 to Social difficulties when interacting with members of the Church or anyone else who would be impressed by your lineage (if Religious Heritage is a Merit), or a +2 difficulty on such rolls (if a Flaw). House Murnau characters may not take this Trait.
Whether a result of battle wounds or religious practices, your body is heavily adorned with scars. These scars do not interfere with your movement or sensation, nor are they ugly enough to reduce your Appearance. However, anyone who beholds you recognizes you as someone intimately familiar with pain and violence. You reduce the difficulties of all Intimidation rolls by two. As a rule, town drunks are less inclined to quarrel with you and most individuals will assume you know how to fight (whether or not you actually do). This Merit can also reflect branding, tattooing or other rarer markings at Storyteller discretion.
You know something important — probably something you shouldn't know. You may use this secret for blackmail or simply file it away for use in some future night. The rating of this Merit determines the importance and detail of this secret. A one-point Secret may be the confirmed existence of a spy from a rival vampire court (without knowing the spy's identity). Five points means you know the spy is none other than the prince himself, or rather, a fleshcrafted doppelganger created by the Tzimisce to destabilize the court in preparation for their invasion. The player should work with the Storyteller to determine the secret, or simply trust the Storyteller to select a secret appropriate to the story. As always, the Storyteller should feel free to disallow secrets that are not appropriate to his games. Note that this Merit can also reflect clan Secrets, such as the resting place of a torpid elder or a particular koldunic ritual known to a select bloodline.
Word of your exploits and lineage has spread through the society of the Damned. As a result, your Status applies in a number of additional cities equal to the points invested in this Merit. Should you fail in some task or lose favor with your Prince, however, word of that disgrace will spread just as quickly. Fame is ever fickle. Characters must have at least one dot of Status to purchase this Merit.
You radiate palpable, monstrous horror. Mortals with a Willpower rating of 3 or less (i.e. most individuals) who behold you run screaming or curl up and sob in abject terror. In addition, their fragile minds cannot cope with such fear and quickly repress all memories of the encounter. Mortals with Willpower ratings between 3 and 7 can hold their ground and interact with you, but suffer a penalty of one die on all actions. Those rare individuals with a Willpower rating of 8 or more are severely discomforted by your presence, but may act normally. You cannot turn off your aura of fear, and it has no effect on supernatural beings, including ghouls. Lupines and their kin, and mages (although the aura affects the Blessed normally). Only vampires whose bodies are unnaturally twisted as a result of their clan or Flaws may purchase this Merit.
You feel ties of kinship with a particular animal species. Such creature are not discomforted by your presence and generally like you (-1 difficulty to all pertinent Animal Ken rolls). In addition, Gangrel characters with this Merit only gain animal features associated with their "totem" animal.
You are mystically unknowable, shrouded from notice and record by the vagaries of circumstance and disinterest. Those who see you seldom care enough to remember you later. For every point invested in this Merit, subtract one die from any dice pool used to search for you actively (typically Perception and/or Investigation). Being anonymous isn't the same as being invisible, however, and Arcane does not aid in Stealth rolls or other active attempts to hide. Characters with Influence or Status may not purchase Arcane or vice versa, and Arcane can also prove a detriment to other Backgrounds. Mentors may well lose interest in an Arcane pupil, for example. This Merit is less common among the status-conscience members of the High Clans than among the Low, though a disproportionate number of True Brujah possess it (which leads some to wonder how many Sages truly exist). It is thought that meddling with time can make time itself forget the meddler.
You have an inherent resistance to the rituals of one or more forms of magical rituals and practices, such as those used by the Tremere, Assamite sorcerers, Cappadocians or living wizards. For two points you are resistant to a single form of magical practice (Assamite Sorcery, Koldunic Sorcery, Mortis, Setite Sorcery, Thaumaturgy or any one school of mortal magics). For four points, you are resistant to all magics of either the undying or mortal mages. For five points, you are resistant to them all. In any case, the difficulty of any appropriate magic directed at you, both malicious and beneficient, is two higher. This deals only with magics aimed specifically at you - a Mortis-born corpse-knight can still strike at you at no penalty, for example. Regardless of the nature of the resistance you take, you may never learn any form of magic (be it Thaumaturgy, Mortis or another).
If you suffer Final Death, your body will instantly erupt into consuming fire. This spontaneous combustion sets flammable objects alight and inflicts three dice of aggravated damage on anything within a foot of your demise. As a result, you leave no evidence for witch hunters and may enact petty vengeance on your murderer from beyond the grave.
You are especially skilled in the use of one of your clan Disciplines. The difficulty to use any level of this Discipline is reduced by 1, although this Merit can never reduce the difficulty of any roll below 4. Characters may purchase this Merit only once and gain no benefit when using Discipline techniques. Prodigies of Koldunic Sorcery or other forms of blood sorcery reduce the difficulty of all paths and rituals. Prodigies of Obtenebration also find Abyss rituals easier.
Your Beast has a terrible awareness and power all its own that emerges when its wrath or fear overtakes you. You may select additional Traits that manifest only during frenzy or Rötschreck, as approved by the Storyteller. Such Beast Traits cost two fewer bonus points than normal, to a minimum cost of 1, and must be instinctive or physical in nature. In the case of Disciplines, only physical Disciplines are permitted (Celerity, Fortitude or Potence), even if they are not normally associated with your clan. Beast Traits are cumulative with normal traits, although they cannot exceed generational limits. Additional Beast Traits may not be gained or increased with experience. For example, the Toreador Justinius is normally quiet and reserved. When his slumbering Beast awakens, however, its speed and killing prowess possess him. He gains an additional dot of Celerity and Dexterity and three dots of Brawl. The total cost of the Merit is 10 bonus points (7 – 2 for the Celerity, 5 – 2 for the Dexterity, and 2 – 2, minimum 1 for each dot of Brawl).
Some supernatural force watches over you and protects you from harm. You have no idea who or what it is or why it watches over you - in fact, you may not even know your guardian exists at all. However, in times of great need, peculiar circumstances defend you from harm. You have no control over this Merit and your protector cannot save you from your own recklessness. The Storyteller should decide why you are being watched and by what, keeping in mind your road and background. An actual angel is unlikely to intervene on behalf of an adherent to the Road of Sin, although a devilish thaumaturge might well have a demon or other malevolent entity looking out for him.
Should you commit the foul sin of Amaranth, your halo will not betray your crime. This Merit cannot shroud a diablerist's aura of unease, nor can it protect against the divinations of blood sorcery. Assamites of the warrior caste cannot take this Merit.
One of the paths of the Holy Art comes very easily to you. For some reason, the Lord has blessed you with a particular aptitude, so that you may serve him better. Whatever the cause, the experience cost for your chosen path is (current rating x4). You need not begin with any dots in your chosen art; if you choose not to, the cost to buy the first dot is 8 experience points.
God's touch upon you has an odd effect on the people are you. They sense that there is something different about you. The religious are drawn to you, and the criminal or heretical tend to avoid you instinctively. However, everybody finds it hard to lie to you or hide his true nature from you. All difficulties on rolls to lie to you or conceal something from you are increase by 2.
Unlike most Cainites, you do not cause hostile or even unsettled reactions in animals you encounter. Instead, the animals simply treat you like an ordinary human. For one point, you can avoid upsetting a particular species. For two points, you can be inoffensive to all ordinary creatures (though those that are renowned for their affinity to the supernatural, such as black cats or owls, might still react unusually to your presence, at the Storyteller's discretion).
You possess the natural affinity to sense and hear spirits, ghosts and shades. Although you cannot see them, you can sense them, speak to them and, through pleading or cajoling, draw them to your presence. You may call upon them for aid or advice, but there will always be a price.
You do not project the aura associated with your road. Instead, your aura reflects some deeper aspect of your Nature or personality. You may choose the aura associated with any road or design your own (subject to Storyteller approval), calculating your aura modifier according to your permanent Willpower.
Your flesh ripples and molds itself to your preternatural will, almost before you consciously invoke the change. The difficulty to use any Vicissitude power on you is 2 less than normal, and you may activate Vicissitude powers reflexively at your full dice pool while taking other actions. Powers that require multiple turns to activate still require the usual duration — the change simply occurs without conscious direction. As a final benefit, you need no physical sculpting to use the first three levels of Vicissitude on yourself, as your flesh undulates and extrudes to its desired shape. Only characters with at least one dot of Vicissitude may purchase this Merit.
Most inquisitors begin play with an Acolyte level Curse. You, however, do not - either you have atoned for your sins sufficiently to negate the need for divine retribution, or you simply lead such a blameless life that no contrition is necessary. Whatever the case, you begin with an order Endowment but no curse. Obviously, this Merit is not available to characters beginning with their order benefit and drawback in lieu of an Endowment.
The Curse of Caine runs strongly in your veins. You may spend one more blood point per turn than your generation should permit. You look especially pale and drawn under Soulsight and yet oddly flushed with abundant health.
By spending a blood point, you can unconsciously maintain your Obfuscate Discipline during the day. Observers will ignore your sleeping form according to the power used, making you all but undetectable to mortals and vampires without Auspex. Characters without Obfuscate may purchase this Merit, representing an innate capacity that manifests if they ever learn the Discipline.
Your vitae tastes like the finest wine, sweet and heady without the slightest trace of salt or metallic tang. As such, you may hide your blood in a chalice or feed ghouls without betraying the true nature of their draught.
Like a character from a troubador's song, you have discovered, perhaps too late, a true love. He or she is mortal, but is the center of your existance and inspires you to keep going in an age of darkness and despair. Whenever you suffer, the thought of your true love gives you the strength to persevere. This Merit grants you one automatic success on all Willpower rolls, which can be negated only by a botch die. This can be a great gift and also a hindrance, for your true love may require protection and occainally rescue.
You are immune to the blood oath. Dominate, Presence and other forms of influence affect you just like any other vampire, however. Tremere may not take this Merit.


"Dogs can be trained not to eliminate in the house because they naturally develop preferences for eliminating in certain places or on certain surfaces like grass."
Dogs will NOT typically eliminate or urinate where they sleep, eat and spend most of their time. This fact is very useful in house training dogs. When training your dog, make use of this ability to learn when and where to eliminate. If you do not teach them where to eliminate, they will develop their own preferences, such as the oriental rug in your hallway, which may be very undesirable!
It is important to recognize the physical limits of puppies when you house train them. Young puppies may need to eliminate every 2 - 4 hours during the daylight hours when they are most active.
With young puppies, teach them to prefer to eliminate in places that are acceptable to you. Preference learning is like most other learning, we want to reinforce acceptable behavior, and minimize the opportunities for unacceptable behavior.
Punishing unacceptable behavior does not work well in house training dogs.
Puppies may be able to control themselves longer overnight. Adult dogs may be able to hold their waste for 6 to 8 hours during the day and usually can hold it 8 to 10 hours overnight. These are averages and individual dogs may be able to control their need to eliminate for longer or shorter periods than this. You should learn the physical limits of your dog and not exceed them. It is not fair to expect your dog to hold her elimination longer than she is physically able.
House training takes time and a commitment from the family to do it right. Puppies don't just train themselves, although some are easier to train than others. Everyone in the household must be willing to help with the training -- taking the pup out at all hours, supervising the pup so accidents don't happen, and cleaning up when they do.
It may take several weeks to several months for a puppy to become reliably house trained. If you are patient and consistent in following the rules suggested below, you should be very successful in house training your puppy with a minimum of distress to you or to her.
Try to be consistent in your routines with your puppy. Young animals, like young children, do best when they have an established routine for feeding, play, naps and elimination. Most mammals need to eliminate within 1 hour after eating. Scheduling regular meals can make it easier for you to guess when the pup needs to eliminate and then you can take her to the appropriate spot for elimination.
after play periods of more than 20 minutes.
When taking the puppy out, you should ask " Want to go potty?" or " Do you want to go outside?" or some other phrase to try to get her excited to go out. When taking her to the spot where she should eliminate, you should stand with her and tell her " Do your business" or "Go potty". When she eliminates, praise her lavishly but quietly and give her a tasty tidbit. It is very important that you reward her for going in the appropriate place. This is how she establishes her preferences.
Make accidents difficult. The best way for you to do this is to supervise the puppy constantly. Keeping her with you by leashing her to your belt or to your chair, or putting up gates or closing doors to keep her in sight. Letting her run free, unsupervised is an invitation to disaster. If she has frequent accidents in the house, she may begin to develop preferences for those locations which will make it harder for her to learn where she should eliminate. Many puppies have a natural aversion to eliminating in small areas where they spend a lot of time such as a kennel or crate, a small area of the kitchen, laundry room or bathroom. Sometimes the puppy can be left in these areas for short periods of time if she has been trained to the area. This means she has been given pleasant experiences there and she is comfortable and not fearful there (see Crate Training Your Puppy).
Many puppies can sleep in crates or these other areas overnight if the owners are willing to get up and take her to eliminate if she needs to go. If the pup must be left for very long periods of time, longer than she can be reasonably expected to hold her waste, then she should be placed in a larger area such as the kitchen, laundry room or other area where she can have a rest spot, play area, water and an elimination area. Papers or elimination pads should be put down for her to eliminate on.
Never punish after the fact. Puppies will have some accidents no matter how good a job you do in training her.
If she is caught in the act, actually squatting to eliminate, don't yell at her, hit her or kick her. Use your verbal reprimand word, such as "eh", merely to interrupt the behavior (no need to shout). Then simply take her to the door, saying, in a neutral tone of voice, "Let's go outside". Take her to the appropriate place and let her finish her elimination, as you encourage her with your "Go potty" phrase. Yelling, hitting, making loud noises or other punishments don't help with house training and seem to cause fears that can actually disrupt the house training process.
If she wasn't caught in the act, don't yell, hit her or do any other punishment. The dog will not understand what she is being punished for. Even taking her over to the mess and then delivering the punishment will not help. She will not make the connection between the behavior that produced the mess (squatting and eliminating) and the punishment delivered minutes or hours later. At best the pup punished after the fact will only learn to avoid messes and become fearful of the owners. Even if you come on the mess just a few seconds after it happened, taking the dog outside will not help. Simply clean up the mess and try to supervise her more carefully.
Clean any soiled area with a good enzymatic cleaner. Dogs will be attracted back to soiled areas by the smell, so it is a good idea to eliminate the odors. The most effective ways to get rid of the odors is with enzymatic cleaners. These cleaners break down the odors by a biological action of enzymes. There are many effective brands, just be sure the label says "enzymatic cleaner". Sometimes vinegar and water can help to dilute odors. Avoid cleaning agents containing ammonia. This actually smells like waste and may attract the puppy back to eliminate.


If You came here You're probably looking for the designer, the visual artist, the photographer.
It's still me. I used to have a site called kurageart.com I liked a lot, since it kurage means jellyfish in japanese, and art, well, art (but in italian saying art makes you sound smart and international).
How to earn money with digital art?
How to earn money with digital art? Hard to answer.
That's why it is nice to investigate.
I think I'm dealing with this article, about an hot topic for many digital artists (or electronic) , clearly including also myself.
The digital art system, while using as a "Palette" (or main instrument) to build from scratch or modify an artwork, a single PC or a several computer farms, is not too far away, conceptually, from the system of traditional art.
Read more about How to earn money with digital art?
I wonder, if passed the 90s fascination about new economy, the wonders of tele- remote working, Web 2.0, the "virtual", it still makes sense to talk about digital artist and analogue artist (or better traditional).
According to a dated and canonical definition, the digital artist uses the computer (in a non-trivial way) as a creative tool, creating completely synthetic works, or manipulating the traditional media (see Wikipedia).
Read more about Digital artist, digital art?
A series of images obtained with large format cameras.
"Large" is anything that goes beyond the medium format, which uses a film of 6 cm wide (the "classic" 35mm format uses a film of only 24mm in wide!).
I usually shot in the American size 4 "x 5" (about 10x12cm), cause I like the squarish ratio, 9x12cm (European version of the american 4x5 , intercheangeable by using the right holder in modern 4x5 or 9x12 cameras) , 13x18cm, 5 "x7" using self-built or antique machines.
note: I have to update the translation, this comes straight from bing translator, please be patient, no don't go mad, there's plenty to read on the internet!
Photography, like all techniques, has undergone countless innovations and changes over the years.
Usually, when it comes to innovation, we talk about advantages from the point of view of usability and quality.
With photography, the most obvious evolutionary advantages of the last 70-80 years have certainly been in terms of ergonomics, portability and ease of sharing of the visual material produced.
As a kid I played with a chemistry set (made for kids : In Italy it was a popoular game called "Il Piccolo chimico") When I read that it was possible to develop films and black and white papers with homemade ingredients, I had to try it. You will need: soluble coffee, caustic soda (not bicarbonate, but sodium carbonate), ascorbic acid (perhaps lemon juice would work equally), water.
he results did not leave me fully satisfied in terms of quality. Photos developed, probably improperly, were extremely dense, and only decent for scanning.
Also, surely, because they are C41 rolls (color, expired) processed in a black and white chemistry (homecrafted).
With a bew black and white film, like foma , used in the medium-format "squared" examples, the results have drastically improved.
But the stench remains, and causes domestic conflicts.
These experiments have anyway some charm, and it was definitely fun.
Read more about Differenziazione nelle tipologie di macchine fotografiche.
A little series taken with a Zeiss Ikon Taxona . A peculiarity of this camera is that it snaps square 24x24 mm pictures, resembling the proportions of the 60x60mm medium format film, so much loved by the fans of Hasselblad.


text:
by Martin Luther King Jr., Kadir Nelson (Illustrator)Martin Luther King Jr.
A Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book
From Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s daughter, Dr. Bernice A. King: "My father's dream continues to live on from generation to generation, and this beautiful and powerful illustrated edition of his world-changing "I Have a Dream" speech brings his inspiring message of freedom, equality, and peace to the youngest among us—those who will one day carry his dream forward for everyone."
On August 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington, Martin Luther King gave one of the most powerful and memorable speeches in our nation's history. His words, paired with Caldecott Honor winner Kadir Nelson's magnificent paintings, make for a picture book certain to be treasured by children and adults alike. The themes of equality and freedom for all are not only relevant today, 50 years later, but also provide young readers with an important introduction to our nation's past. Included with the book is an audio CD of the speech.
Random House Children's Books
11.42(w) x 11.14(h) x 0.42(d)
1030L (what's this?)
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. (January 15, 1929-April 4, 1968) was a clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the American civil rights movement. In 1964, King became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Prize for his work to end racial segregation and discrimination through nonviolent means.
KADIR NELSON is the acclaimed illustrator of Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom and Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad, both Caldecott Honor books. His other titles include We Are the Ship, a Robert F. Sibert Medal winner and Coretta Scott King Award recipient, and Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African-Americans.
Our Struggle
Participation by African American churches in American public life surged in the I 1940s and I 1950s throughout the United States, but especially in the American South. These churches often formed both formal and informal alliances with organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the National Urban League (NUL) in order to resist Jim Crow. For example, the Reverend Oliver Brown, pastor of the St. Catherine's African Methodist Episcopal Church, allowed his daughter to participate in the NAACP's litigation of the historic Brown v. Topeka, Kansas Board of Education Supreme Court decision of May 17, 1954.
But rather than initiate change, the religious community was often a respondent to crises originating elsewhere. On December 1 , 1955, Mrs. Rosa Parks, a forty- two-year -old seamstress, refused to vacate her seat on a public bus so that a white man, as Alabama state law required, could have her seat. The bus driver called the police who immediately arrested Mrs. Parks, a well-known community activist. Four days later, on December 5, African Americans began a bus boycott after an evening rally was held. The black community unanimously elected the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as the first president of the Montgomery (Alabama) Improvement Association. This nonviolent organization signaled a new alliance between black institutions such as churches, fraternal orders, professional associations of teachers and doctors, and mass protests. A strong belief in social responsibility and consciousness hadpermeated a new generation of church leaders who sought to wed religious convictions with the need to change various hypocrisies of American public life. There were many forerunners of this effort. Dr. King himself indicated that he learned much from prior nonviolent resisters such as the Reverend Theodore J. Jemison of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who had led a successful boycott against that city's public bus system as early as 1953, and from the earlier attempts of the Reverend Vernon Johns, who preceded King as pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery.
After the African American community of Montgomery, Alabama, proudly walked rather than ride the buses for over eleven months, the United States Supreme Court affirmed a lower court's decision to declare unconstitutional Alabama's segregationist laws that required racial separation on buses. It took another month to force state and local officials to respect the Supreme Court's interpretation of the low. The buses were finally integrated on December 21, 1956.
The following essay, which was published in the religious journal Liberation, is a summary of Dr. King's book, Stride Toward Freedom. It offers a passionate analysis and defense of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. This succinct essay was one of the first summaries of the motivations and objectives that eventually led to the formation of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957.
The segregation of Negroes, with its inevitable discrimination, has thrived on elements of inferiority present in the masses of both white and Negro people. Through forced separation from our African culture, through slavery, poverty, and deprivation, many black men lost self-respect.
In their relations with Negroes, white people discovered that they had rejected the very center of their own ethical professions. They could not face the triumph of their lesser instincts and simultaneously have peace within. And so, to gain it, they rationalized--insisting that the unfortunate Negro, being less than human, deserved and even enjoyed second-class status.
They argued that his inferior social, economic and political position was good for him. He was incapable of advancing beyond a fixed position and would therefore be happier if encouraged not to attempt the impossible. He is subjugated by a superior people with an advanced way of life. The "master race" will be able to civilize him to a limited degree, if only he will be true to his inferior nature and stay in his place.
White men soon came to forget that the southern social culture and all its institutions had been organized to perpetuate this rationalization. They observed a caste system and quickly were conditioned to believe that its social results, which they had created, actually reflected the Negro's innate and true nature.
In time many Negroes lost faith in themselves and came to believe that perhaps they really were what they had been told they were--something less than men. So long as they were prepared to accept this role, racial peace could be maintained. It was an uneasy peace in which the Negro was forced to accept patiently injustice, insult, injury and exploitation.
Gradually the Negro masses in the South began to reevaluate themselves--a process that was to change the nature of the Negro community and doom the social patterns of the South. We discovered that we had never really smothered our self-respect and that we could not be at one with ourselves without asserting it. From this point on, the South's terrible peace was rapidly undermined by the Negro's new and courageous thinking and his ever-increasing readiness to organize and to act. Conflict and violence were coming to the surface as the white South desperately clung to its old patterns. The extreme tension in race relations in the South today is explained in part by the revolutionary change in the Negro's evaluation of himself and of his destiny and by his determination to struggle for justice. We Negroes have replaced self-pity with self-respect and self-depreciation with dignity.
I Have a Dream. Copyright © by Martin King. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.
Entertainment Weekly, December 5, 2012:
"This picture book stands a notch above others thanks to Caldecott Honor winner Kadir Nelson's beautifully rendered and sincerely moving paintings."
School Library Journal Best of Children's Books 2012
Publishers Weekly Best of Children's Books 2012
Kirkus Reviews Best of Children's Books 2012
Starred Review, School Library Journal, November 2012:
"Even after 50 years, this seminal address still has the power to move listeners, and this handsome illustrated version will be welcomed in all collections."
Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, September 24, 2012:
"A glorious interpretation of a bedrock moment in 20th-century history."
Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 2012:
"An award-winning artist captures the passion and purpose of this most notable 20th-century American speech in beautifully realized oil paintings…. A title for remembrance and for re-dedication to the dream."
Sixteen paintings by Caldecott Honor award winner Kadir Nelson grace this picture book celebration of the August 1963 speech delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial by Martin Luther King, Jr. Even after almost half a century, the words of this speech can resound in the minds of adults and children alike. Editor's recommendation.
There's something exhilarating about viewing Nelson's (Heart and Soul) paintings of Dr. King and the March on Washington while reading the words of the speech King gave that day; it's hard to imagine a better representation of their historical significance. Nelson pictures King in front of a forest of microphones, his brow furrowed with concentration. "I have a dream today," he repeats as Nelson shows him in sharp profile—it almost seems possible to feel the warmth of his breath. "With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together," he continues, accompanied by a painting of two clasped hands, black and white. Though it's a clichéd image, Nelson's up-close rendering of the hands gives the picture startling freshness. American landscapes glow, and schoolchildren of every color look viewers in the eye, full of confidence. The speech is lightly edited in a way that makes it understandable for children of any age; a CD of the speech is enclosed. A glorious interpretation of a bedrock moment in 20th-century history. All ages. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Oct.)
An award-winning artist captures the passion and purpose of this most notable 20th-century American speech in beautifully realized oil paintings. Nelson begins with the concluding paragraphs spoken on August 28th, 1963, with the Lincoln Memorial standing vigil over the massed assemblage. Dr. King's opening paragraphs, with their urgent and specific references to America's broken promises, slavery, discrimination and injustice, along with an acknowledgement of a "marvelous new militancy" are not often quoted; they are specific to the time. The words of his "dream," in contrast, are universal, timeless and still needed. Dr. King evoked Scripture, an American hymn and an African-American spiritual in his sermon. Nelson mirrors that religiosity in his paneled montage of American mountains rising high from New Hampshire to Pennsylvania, Georgia, Mississippi and California. His stately portraits of adults and children stand out against white and blue backgrounds as they march, listen and hold hands. A glorious double-spread likeness of Dr. King against a black background imparts both majesty and sorrow. And how perfect that white doves, symbols of hope and faith, soar at the conclusion. The entire speech is reproduced in print and on a CD (not heard). A title for remembrance and for re-dedication to the dream, published in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. (Informational picture book. 5 & up)
The majesty of King's acclaimed 1963 speech in Washington, D.C., is celebrated, by his text and the illustrations of 15 respected artists, each of whom detail a separate aspect of the speech. A rare, textured offering that rewards readers of all ages and will be a treasured addition to every bookshelf.
K Up--Martin Luther King, Jr.'s classic speech is creatively illustrated by 15 Coretta Scott King Award-winning artists. Signed statements from the artists explain the emotions they were tying to capture and why and how they used certain colors and tones. The size and medium of the original art are given. This book evokes the sound of King's voice as it was captured on that historic August day in 1963. Although some pictures are more touching and sobering than others, from cover to cover this is a beautiful book. A foreword by Coretta Scott King is included. A biographical sketch, preceded by a black-and-white photograph, highlights critical events in Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life.--Marie Wright, University Library, Indianapolis, IN
I Have a Dream 5 out of 5 based on 0 ratings. 1 reviews.
book by paula young shelton
book by vaunda micheaux nelson
meet martin luther king jr
my dream of martin luther king
book by bonnie bader
frederick douglass book
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


This one of a kind lamp is made from a hard shelled gourd.
This country bull rush and tree design is wood burned, hand carved and intricately painted with natural dyes. Inlaid wild rice and poppy seeds add an unique textural component to this piece.
This lamp sits on a sturdy metal base, inviting you to manually turn the gourd for full viewing options. This picturesque artwork creates perfect ambiance in every room.
The custom made polystyrene lamp shade is covered in handmade paper and compliments the organic elements of the work.
This 75 watt lamp has a convenient on/off cord switch.
Dimensions: This one of a kind lamp is made from a hard shelled gourd.


This past weekend provided slow fishing but was able to fish with a few good friends! The recent snow storms are making it tough to get around on the lakes with a permanent house.
What have you been catching? Tell us in the comments below!


text:
Q: Modelisation of an automaton with coq i have a problem with definition of an automaton in coq proof assisstant, an error was shown when i create this code:
(*automate*)

Record automaton :Type:=
mk_auto {
   states : Set;
   actions :Set;
   initial : states;
   transitions : states -> actions -> list states
}.
(*States*)
Inductive st :Set:= q0 | q1 |q2 .
Inductive acts:Set:=pred(p:nat)|event(e:bool).
Definition a :acts:=pred(0).
Definition b:acts:=pred(1).
Definition c:acts:=event(true).
Function trans (q:st)(x:acts) :list st :=
match q, x with
  | q0, a =>  cons q1 nil
  | q1, b =>  cons q0 nil
  | q1, c =>  cons q2 nil
  | _,_ =>    nil (A:=_)
end.

the error was:
Error: This clause is redundant. (underlined this clause " | q1, c =>  cons q2 nil")
Thanks for your attentions.

A: When you perform pattern matching, you have two possibilities in the pattern: constructors or free variables that act like binders.
For example, the first case of your match read as ''if q has been constructed with q0, and for any value of x that will be named a in the branch, do ...'''
There is no relation between the a in this branch and the definition Definition a you made before.
Therefore, the 2nd and 3rd lines are redundant, they both catch the case where q has been constructed with q1 and x has any value.
I guess you wanted write something like:
match q, x with
  | q0, pred 0 => cons q1 nil
  | q1, pred 1 => cons q0 nil
  | q1, event true => cons q2 nil
  | _, _ => nil (A := _)
end.

You can make aliases using Definition in a pattern matching branch. To my knowledge, the only way to do such an alias is to use Notation.
If you replace the definitions of a b and c by:
Notation "'a'" := (pred 0).
Notation "'b'" := (pred 1).
Notation "'c'" := (event true).

then your code will behave like (I think) you intended. I advise you to read this part of Coq's Manual to learn about notations.
Best,
V.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The children ticket (6-14 years old) includes a kids' menu and a small soft drink.
Incredible sightseeing, flavorful food, interesting commentary, and time to kick back and relax are all rolled into one on this top-notch Berlin river cruise. The Berlin Boat Tour is one of the best value tours for its price. You'll be awed at the difference between Western and Eastern Berlin as you ride the Spree down the heart of the German capital city. Riding along the sensational river allows you to set eyes on some of the most famous buildings in the metropolitan area and discover the beautiful local architecture throughout the city. Get your cameras ready as you float past all the principal sights on the Berlin Boat Tour, such as the royal Charlottenburg Palace, the politically charged East Side Gallery, and the unifying Oberbaumbrucke bridge. All boats are equipped with wide-angle panoramic windows so you can maximize your viewing experience. However, the Berlin Boat Tour is more than just a visual allurement. We will also serve you a 2-course meal alongside your preferred beverage. Outstanding chefs will prepare your selected meals and a side dessert for an enjoyable culinary experience. So if you are unsure how to spend your afternoon this vacation, take a Berlin river cruise and relax on one of the largest and most beautiful boats in Germany. Learning about history, eating delicious food with great company, and cruising down the river Spree will highlight your upcoming adventure.
Your Berlin lunch consists of two courses of your choice. For the main dish, select a decadently fried fillet of hake with herb butter, served with tomatoes, courgettes, and thyme potatoes, a grilled chicken breast fillet or a Caesar salad. The chicken option features wild-garlic pappardelle, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, pine nuts, and parmesan while the salad comes with romaine lettuce, roasted pine nuts, parmesan, and croutons. Mmm...delicious! Finally, top it off with a delightful dessert of warm raspberries with vanilla ice cream, mint, and cream. Choose the Berlin Boat Tour and indulge in an elegant Berlin lunch. Your taste buds will thank you.
The Berlin Boat Tour features an incredible lunch, one complimentary beer, wine, or alcohol-free drink, and hours of sightseeing fun. Save your spot on the Berlin Boat Tour and purchase your river boat ride tickets online.
" Beautiful day on the river! "
I really enjoyed the Berlin river cruise. The boat was very luxurious inside and the food was very good. It was a relaxing way to see many of the beautiful city sights from a different perspective. The day was a little cool with on and off light rain, although I did sit up on the top deck for some of the time, it was great to be warm and dry inside the boat.
" Viel Spass!(Such Fun)Thw "
So glad we chose to take this tour. The weather was grand and the Spree River breeze helped keep us from retreating below deck. The cruise provides a different perspective to German history and present day life. One advantage is to enable the client to see much more in less time than when on foot or bus/train. It's a great idea to take notes of places you may like to return to for more information. The entire staff we encountered has more than a working knowledge of English. The narration is provided in both German and English. The lunch was on the same level as many of Berlin's highly rated other cafes. Great food hearty portions and only one wait person for both levels who gave wonderful service. A great leisurely way to enjoy Berlin. Don't miss it!
" An excellent cruise with very friendly staff "
" Excellent river cruise! Food was nice "
Great way for some relaxed sightseeing. It's so easy to run from place to place when you're on holiday, so this is perfect.The staff was very friendly, the drinks were very nice (great wine! shhhh) and the facilities were very clean. I can recommend this to everyone on their visit to Berlin!


Click the button below to add the U-MARQ GEM-CX5 Cylindrical Engraving Machine to your wish list.
The U-MARQ GEM-CX5 engraving machine is a true 4-axis engraver fit for engraving a multitude of both flat and cylindrical items. Designed for placement in a retail environment, the U-MARQ GEM-CX5 is practically silent and pleasing to the eye. A combination of a flat engraving table, jewelry jigs and cylindrical attachments, opens the door to an array of engraving possibilities. Powered by a 100W Brushless Hall Effect DC motor, the U-MARQ GEM-CX5 can reach spindle speeds up to 18,000 RPM and feed rates up to 4.5" (116mm) per second. Composed of stainless steel spindles, lead screws, precision linear rails and a steel chassis, the GEM-CX5 is robust and reliable to a degree that many engraving machines are not. Paired with arguably the most versatile and user friendly software in the industry, the GEM-CX5 engraving machine can interface with virtually any PC or laptop running Windows 7, Vista or XP. Furthermore, the GEM-CX5 bridges the gap between the typical 3-axis, bench top engravers and the top of the line 4-axis, cylindrical engravers, which are geared more towards engraving larger items, such as trophy cups and wine bottles. Clearly in a league of its own, the U-MARQ GEM-CX5 will engrave a vast range of applications in a prompt and efficient manner while maintaining precision and quality, far exceeding your customers' expectations.
The U-MARQ GEM-CX5 is capable of engraving a slew of different materials. Amongst the most popular are metals, such as, aluminum, brass, gold, silver and stainless steel. These materials are generally found in various gift items and can be secured in the vise via one of the many jigs available. Business card holders, money clips, cuff links, dog tags, pendants, pens, flasks and Zippo lighters are amongst some of the more popular metal items engraved. The removable, flat engraving table is ideal for engraving such items as trophy plates, plaques and identification tags. Furthermore, the flat engraving table allows for profile cutting, which is most often used for creating jewelry name plates and push button equipment panels. Acrylic, resins and other plastics are also acceptable materials and are commonly used when engraving small signs, labels and name badges. The cylindrical 4th axis is most commonly used for engraving wine glasses, bowls and champagne flutes. However metal cups, mugs, trophies and tankards are easily engraved as well. As if that wasn't enough; with the optional ring and bangle attachment, one can engrave 360° around the inside or outside of rings, wedding bands, hoop earrings and bangle bracelets. With such an overwhelming abundance of applications, the U-MARQ GEM-CX5 is perfect for any retail establishment offering personalized jewelry, memorabilia and/or gift items.
The U-MARQ GEM-CX5 features a removable flat engraving table measuring 9" x 7" (231mm x 182mm). The flat engraving table helps facilitate the mass production of flat items, such as trophy plates, identification tags, nametags, signs and more. Furthermore, the flat engraving table is used in conjunction with the precious metal cutting kit in order to produce gold, silver or platinum jewelry nameplate cut-outs. The precious metal cutting kit (SST-8035) includes: 4 precious metal cutters, two 4oz. bottles of U-MARQ cutting oil, 2 rolls of double sided adhesive tape, a sacrifice sheet used to protect the engraving table, a can of compressed air and a micro fiber polishing cloth. This application is quite popular in the jewelry market, since traditional methods of creating nameplates involve casting the precious metal in a mold, which is both a tedious and time consuming process. The optional swarf extractor (SST-589); paired with a vacuum system, will also ensure that the cut particles are collected for reuse rather than wasted. This streamlined process now makes it possible for shop owners to offer their customers a same day turnaround time while ensuring that excessive time is not spent on any one job.
The most practical method for securing items in the GEM-CX5 engraving machine is with the use of its multifaceted, adjustable vise. The center vise can open up to 11" (245mm) in length and can also rotate 180° in either direction. Lighters, key chains, cell phones, dogtags and pendants can all be secured using the included standard jig (SST-584) and 10mm jig pins (SST-562). 20mm jig pins (SST-539) are optional. For other jewelry and gift items; such as medallions, watches and pens, the optional ring/pen jig, watch/medallion jig and jewelry jig set (SST-554) will facilitate placement and increase turnaround times. There is also an optional cutlery jig (SST-582) which comes in handy for securing various forms of silverware, such as wedding knives. Lastly, U-MARQ also offers an optional cufflink jig (SST-8026) capable of accommodating both round and square cufflinks. Regardless of what your intended application is, the U-MARQ GEM-CX5 engraver will most certainly broaden your capabilities, thus generating new avenues of income for your business.
Perhaps one the most common uses for the U-MARQ GEM-CX5 is for engraving cylindrical items. While a typical engraving machine can only move along an X (left to right), Y (front to back) and Z (up and down) axis, the GEM-CX5 possesses yet another motion known as the 4th axis. This 4th axis consists of a motorized vise which is capable of rotating items for 360° cylindrical engraving. On one end of the vise, a flat face plate is installed to support the base of an item and on the other end of the vise; a cup cone of appropriate size is installed to secure the open end of an item. The U-MARQ GEM-CX5 comes with a 100mm face plate (SST-614) and a 50-80mm cup cone (SST-605). An additional 50mm face plate (SST-613), 15-70mm cup cone (SST-609) and 85-120mm cup cone (SST-606) can be purchased separately as well. The vise on the GEM-CX5 can open up to 11" (245mm) and can rotate an item up to 5" (127mm) in diameter. Tankards, mugs, cups, water bottles and small trophies are amongst a few of the items the GEM-CX5 engraving machine will accommodate. With the addition of the glass engraving kit (SST-8090); which consists of 2 diamond burnishers, a bottle of glass cutting lubricant and a micro fiber polishing cloth, the U-MARQ GEM-CX5 can also engrave on wine glasses, champagne flutes, bowls, vases and other cylindrical items that fit securely into the vise. Throw in a set of Rub N' Buff color fill (SST-7634) and you are now setup to begin creating beautiful color filled engravings.
The U-MARQ GEM-CX5 has the ability to engrave around the circumference of many other items as well. The optional ring attachment (SST-522); consisting of a ring chuck, an inside ring bracket, an inside ring diamond, a set of tapered holding pins for inside ring engraving and a set of straight holding pins for outside ring engraving, will permit the GEM-CX5 to engrave 360° around the inside and outside of rings measuring up to 1.1" (28mm) in diameter. Furthermore, the addition of a bangle attachment (SST-565) will expand the engraving parameters of the ring attachment to accommodate even larger items up to 2.95" (75mm) in diameter. Items such as bangle bracelets and hoop earrings can now be engraved as well. As if that wasn't enough, the U-MARQ GEM-CX5 engraving machine can also engrave around the circumference of a pen. The optional pen attachment (SST-627) converts the GEM-CX5 into a profitable pen engraving machine, enabling you to engrave 360° around the circumference of a pen. Engrave multiple lines of text with ease or implement a complete design that encompasses the entire circumference of a pen. Thanks to the multitude of attachments U-MARQ offers, the possibilities are endless.
A little known fact about U-MARQ is their extensive contributions in the software industry. For many years prior to releasing their first engraving machine, U-MARQ was writing software for many of the manufacturers still present in today's market. This unique opportunity not only gave U-MARQ the foundation by which to generate their own software, but it also served as a way of studying the various pros and cons of other engraving machines and then using that information to design their very own engravers. Needless to say, the GEM Vistool 8 engraving software is a product of many years of experience and commitment to producing the most versatile and user friendly software in the industry. Designing and incorporating logos and images have never been easier. Since engraving machines generally do not read pixels the way printers do, images must be represented as simple line drawings or vectors in order for the machine to recognize a path in which to follow. Most engraving software requires that images and logos be converted to vectors (lines and curves) before being imported for engraving. This requires a time consuming process of tracing or often recreating an entire logo or image from scratch in a separate design software. With the GEM-CX5, the included scanning and vectorizing software eliminates this tedious process and automatically converts imported or scanned images into vectors ready for engraving. Furthermore, an optional photo engraving software (SST-564) allows the GEM-CX5 to also engrave pixel based images, such as jpegs and bitmaps. Photos and portraits can now be easily engraved as well. Vistool 8 also comes complete with 900 engraving fonts and 100 clip art images. With so many options and capabilities packed into a user friendly software suite, it's no mystery why so many retail engravers prefer the U-MARQ GEM-CX5 over any other engraving machine on the market.
Aluminum, brass, gold, silver, peuter, stainless steel, tungsten, glass, crystal, acrylic, plastic, lamacoid, phenolic, resin etc.


text:
[PDF] Year of the Monkey by Patti Smith
Year of the Monkey. Patti Smith
Year-of-the-Monkey.pdf
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Download Year of the Monkey
Download books to kindle fire for free Year of the Monkey 9781984898920 CHM PDF PDB
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ONE OF NPR'S BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR From the National Book Award-winning author of Just Kids and M Train, a profound, beautifully realized memoir in which dreams and reality are vividly woven into a tapestry of one transformative year. Following a run of concerts at San Francisco's legendary Fillmore, Patti Smith finds herself tramping the coast of Santa Cruz. Unfettered by logic or time, she draws us into her private wonderland as a surreal lunar year begins, bringing with it unexpected turns, heightened mischief, and inescapable sorrow. In a stranger's words, "Anything is possible: after all, it's the year of the monkey." For Smith--inveterately curious, always exploring--the year evolves as one of reckoning with the changes in life's gyre: with loss, aging, and a dramatic shift in the political landscape of America. Smith melds the Western landscape with her own dreamscape. Taking us from California to the Arizona desert; to a Kentucky farm as the amanuensis of a friend in crisis; to the hospital room of a valued mentor; and by turns to remembered and imagined places, this haunting memoir blends fact and fiction with poetic mastery. The unexpected happens; grief and disillusionment set in. But as Smith heads toward a new decade in her own life, she offers this balm to the reader: her wisdom, wit, gimlet eye, and above all, a rugged hope for a better world. Riveting, elegant, often humorous, illustrated by Smith's signature Polaroids, Year of the Monkey is a moving and original work, a touchstone for our turbulent times.
[PDF/Kindle] An Abridged Koran by Cspi


text:
Not Available for Download
Why is Economic Geography Not an Evolutionary Science? Towards an Evolutionary Economic Geography
Journal of Economic Geography, Vol. 6, No. 3, pp. 273-302, 2006
See all articles by Ron A. Boschma
Ron A. Boschma
Utrecht University - Faculty of Geographical Sciences
Koen Frenken
University of Utrecht - Urban and Regional Research Centre Utrecht (URU)
Date Written: June 2006
The paper explains the commonalities and differences between neoclassical, institutional and evolutionary approaches that have been influential in economic geography during the last couple of decades. By separating the three approaches in terms of theoretical content and research methodology, we can appreciate both the commonalities and differences between the three approaches. It is also apparent that innovative theorizing currently occurs at the interface between neoclassical and evolutionary theory (especially in modelling) and at the interface between institutional and evolutionary theory (especially in 'appreciative theorizing'). Taken together, we argue that Evolutionary Economic Geography is an emerging paradigm in economic geography, yet does so without isolating itself from developments in other theoretical approaches.
Keywords: JEL classifications: A12, B20, B25, B52, R0, R1
Boschma, Ron A. and Frenken, Koen, Why is Economic Geography Not an Evolutionary Science? Towards an Evolutionary Economic Geography (June 2006). Journal of Economic Geography, Vol. 6, No. 3, pp. 273-302, 2006, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=917730 or http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jeg/lbi022
Ron A. Boschma (Contact Author)
Utrecht University - Faculty of Geographical Sciences ( email )
Postbus 80.115
3508 TC Utrecht
+31 30 2532896 (Phone)
+31 30 2532037 (Fax)
University of Utrecht - Urban and Regional Research Centre Utrecht (URU) ( email )
Vredenburg 138
Utrecht, 3511 BG
HOME PAGE: http://econ.geo.uu.nl/frenken/frenken.html


Wat Arun is a Buddhist temple in the Yai district of Bangkok on the west bank of the Chao Phraya river. The outstanding feature of Wat Arun is its central prang (a prang is a Khmer-style tower). The temple was built in 18th century and originally known as Wat Makok (meaining "olive temple").


Temos um banco de jardim na nossa entrada - é eduardiano e veio duma estância balnear. À semelhança de pessoas, gosto de móveis que não se levam demasiado a sério.
We've got a garden bench in our hall - it's edwardian and came from a seaside resort. Just as it happens with people, I like furniture that doesn't take itself too seriously.
This is perfection! I adore it.
so beautiful, I like this very much!
Gosto deste estilo mais eclético. Ficou bem legal.
Love the idea of having a garden bench in the hall....the colour is pretty too.
The bench fits perfectly in to your hallway.
Muito despretencioso e faz lembrar os banquinhos dos namorados. Tão querido...agora só faltam umas almofadinhas feitas por si!
Este é mesmo o ponto no i! Perfeicão!
Ele é um charmee voce tem muito bom gosto menina.
TENTEI PARTICIPAR DO SORTEIO DOS SAQUINHOS PERFUMADOS,MAS EU NAO SEI O QUE ACONTECE MEUS COMENTARIOS , EU ENVIO PARA VOCE E ELES DESAPARECEM DA LISTA,FIQUEI MUITO TRISTE!! GOSTARIA DE TER PARTICIPADO, QUE PENA!!
El banco es una preciosidad, la verdad es que allí encuentras unas cosas estupendas, ¡igualito que en España!
Simple and beautiful. I share your thinking about people that not take themselves seriusly.
Oh, me too! And isn't it the most amazingly happy colour.
I've often thought how beautiful some garden benches are and though about bringing it indoors. Never have though! Love the colour - I think I might put cushions on it too; then it would never be mistaken for undoors furniture. It looks great.


text:
U.S. Department of Education Releases Blueprint to Elevate and Transform the Teaching Profession, Calls Educators to Action
Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–April 25, 2013. Today the U.S. Department of Education (ED) will release the Obama Administration's blueprint for elevating and transforming the teaching profession, also known as the Blueprint for RESPECT (Recognizing Educational Success, Professional Excellence, and Collaborative Teaching).
RESPECT was first launched in February of 2012 as a national conversation on the teaching profession, shortly after the President committed to support the development of a new, comprehensive teacher policy in his state of the union address.
Since then, the Department has engaged more than 5,700 educators nationwide to develop and refine a vision of teaching and leading that will help both teachers and students to meet the new, 21st century demands being placed on them.
"Our nation's educators are entrusted with a responsibility that's impossible to overstate—which is nothing less than to prepare their students, and our children, for the future," said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. "We heard from thousands of teachers from across the country who contributed their time and creative ideas to help the RESPECT blueprint reflect their own vision for the teaching profession. With this blueprint, together we can work to elevate the profession through competitive salaries, transforming professional development and career opportunities, and relying on the expertise of teachers to advance educational practice and improve outcomes for students."
The RESPECT Blueprint embraces seven critical components of a transformed teaching profession jointly identified by ED and seven other national organizations, including American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Association of School Administrators (AASA), Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS), Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services (FMCS), National Education Association (NEA), and National School Board Association (NSBA) last spring. It further identifies ways that this work will continue to be integrated into the Department's existing policies and calls the field to take action to work toward the RESPECT vision.
President Obama is continuing to ask for a $5 billion investment from Congress to support a RESPECT grant program outlined in the RESPECT blueprint, including salaries for the teaching profession competitive with professions like architecture, medicine and law, more support for novice teachers, and more career opportunities for accomplished teachers.
In tandem with the release of the blueprint, the Department has re-launched ED's educator homepage to include new information about the RESPECT initiative, including the blueprint document (both PDF and e-book formats), a description of how educators provided input, and video of teachers describing their connection with the RESPECT vision. The site also includes resources to help stakeholders take action, including a self-inventory to assess one's own school or district on the seven critical components of RESPECT.
Visit http://www.ed.gov/teaching for more information.
Source: ed.gov
New Federal Bill Would End Discriminatory Policy Restricting Reproductive Health Care Coverage For Peace Corps Volunteers
Remarks by President Obama at Dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Library


text:
/**
 * @file
 * Context Adaptive Binary Arithmetic Coder.
 */

#ifndef AVCODEC_CABAC_H
#define AVCODEC_CABAC_H

#include <stdint.h>

#include "put_bits.h"

extern const uint8_t ff_h264_cabac_tables[512 + 4*2*64 + 4*64 + 63];
#define H264_NORM_SHIFT_OFFSET 0
#define H264_LPS_RANGE_OFFSET 512
#define H264_MLPS_STATE_OFFSET 1024
#define H264_LAST_COEFF_FLAG_OFFSET_8x8_OFFSET 1280

#define CABAC_BITS 16
#define CABAC_MASK ((1<<CABAC_BITS)-1)

typedef struct CABACContext{
    int low;
    int range;
    int outstanding_count;
    const uint8_t *bytestream_start;
    const uint8_t *bytestream;
    const uint8_t *bytestream_end;
    PutBitContext pb;
}CABACContext;

void ff_init_cabac_encoder(CABACContext *c, uint8_t *buf, int buf_size);
int ff_init_cabac_decoder(CABACContext *c, const uint8_t *buf, int buf_size);

#endif /* AVCODEC_CABAC_H */

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