text:
Page:A Dictionary of Music and Musicians vol 1.djvu/187
BEETHOVEN.
ternal made him change them. No convenience of singers or players weighed for a moment against the integrity of his finished composition. When Sonntag and Ungher protested against the unsingable passages in the Ninth Symphony, and besought him to bring them within the compass of their voices, 'Nein und immer nein,' was the dry answer.[1] When Kraft, the cellist in the Schuppanzigh Quartet, complained that a passage 'did not lie within his hand,' the answer was 'it must lie'—'muss liegen.'[2]
A man to whom his art was so emphatically the business of his life, and who was so insatiable in his standard of perfection, must have been always advancing. To him more than to any other musician may be applied Goethe's words on Schiller:—'Every week he altered and grew more complete, and every time I saw him he appeared to me to have advanced since the last in knowledge, learning, and judgment.'[3] It is no wonder then that he did not care for his early works, and would sometimes even have destroyed 'Adelaide,'[4] the Septet, and others of his youthful pieces, if he could. Towards the end of his life he heard a friend practising his 32 Variations[5] in C minor. After listening for some time he said 'Whose is that?' 'Yours,' was the answer.' 'Mine? That piece of folly mine?' was his retort; 'Oh, Beethoven, what an ass you were in those days!' A good deal of this may have been momentary caprice; but making all allowance, one can imagine his feelings at the close of his life on receiving a commission from an English amateur for a 'Symphony in the style of his Second or of his Septet,' or on reading the contemporary effusions on the Eroica and C minor Symphonies, in which his honest and well-meaning critics[6] entreated him to return to the clearness and conciseness of his early works.
Hardly less characteristic than the sketch- books are his diaries or journals, in which the most passionate and personal reflections, resolutions, prayers, aspirations, complaints, are mixed up with memorandums of expenses and household matters, notes about his music, rules for his conduct, quotations from books, and every other conceivable kind of entry. These books have been torn up and dispersed as autographs; but a copy of one extending from 1812 to 1818 fortunately exists, and has been edited with copious notes and elucidations by Heir Nohl, the whole throwing great light on that unfortunate period of his life. A ray of light is also occasionally to be gained from the conversation-books already mentioned, some of which have been preserved, though as Beethoven's answers were usually spoken this source is necessarily imperfect.
If now we ask what correspondence there is between the traits and characteristics thus imperfectly sketched and Beethoven's music, it must be confessed that the question is a difficult one to answer. In one point alone the parallel is obvious—namely, the humour, which is equally salient in both. In the finale of the 7th and 8th Symphonies there are passages which are the exact counterparts of the rough jokes and horseplay of which we have already seen some instances. In these we almost hear his loud laugh. The Scherzo of Symphony No. 2, where the F# chord is so suddenly taken and so forcibly held, might almost be a picture of the unfortunate Kellner forced to stand still while the dish of stew was poured over his head. The bassoons in the opening and closing movements of No. 8 are inimitably humorous; and so on in many other instances which will occur to every one. But when we leave humour and go to other points, where in the life shall we look for the grandeur and beauty which distinguish the music? Neither in letters nor anecdotes do we find anything answering to the serene beauty of the slow movements (No. 2, No. 4, No. 9), or the mystic tone of such passages as those of the horns at the end of the Trio of the Eroica or of certain phrases in the finale of the Choral Fantasia and of the Choral Symphony, which lift one so strangely out of time into eternity. These must represent a state of mental absorption when all heaven was before his eyes, and in which he retired within himself far beyond the reach of outward things, save his own divine power of expression.
Equally difficult is it to see anything in Beethoven's life answering to the sustained nobility and dignity of his first movements, or of such a piece as the 'Overture to Leonora, No. 3.' And then if we come to the most individual and characteristic part of all Beethoven's artistic self, the process by which his music was built up—the extraordinary caution which actuated him throughout, the hesitation, the delays, the incessant modification of his thoughts, the rejection of the first impressions—of the second—of the third—in favour of something only gradually attained to, the entire subordination of his own peculiarities to the constant thought of his audience, and of what would endure rather than what pleased him at first—to all this there is surely nothing at all corresponding in his life, where his habit was emphatically a word and a blow. The fact is that, like all musicians, only in a greater degree than any other, in speech Beethoven was dumb, and often had no words for his deepest and most characteristic feelings. The musician has less connexion with the outside world than any other artist, and has to turn inward and seek his art in the deepest recesses of his being only.[7] This must naturally make him less disposed to communicate with others by the ordinary channels of speech and action, and will account for much of the irritability and uncertainty which often characterise his dealings with his fellow men. But the feelings are there, and if we look closely enough into the life we shall be able to detect their existence often where we least expect it. In Beethoven, for example, what was his treatment of his nephew—the strong devotion which seized him
↑ Schindler, p. 154.
↑ Thayer, ii. 58.
↑ Eckermann. Jan, 18, 1825.
↑ Letter to Matthison, Aug. 4, 1800. Czerny, in Thayer, ii. 98; also 195.
↑ Thayer, ii. 324.
↑ See the quotations in Thayer, ii. 275.
↑ Goethe, Wilhem Meisters Wunderjahre, Bk. 11, chap. 9.
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text:
package org.mrgeo.services.mrspyramid.rendering;

import org.mrgeo.image.MrsPyramid;
import org.mrgeo.services.ServletUtils;
import org.mrgeo.utils.tms.Bounds;
import org.slf4j.Logger;
import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;

import javax.servlet.ServletException;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;
import javax.ws.rs.core.Response;
import java.awt.image.Raster;
import java.io.ByteArrayOutputStream;
import java.io.IOException;

/**
 * Base class for WMS image response writers; Each image format should subclass this.
 */
public abstract class ImageResponseWriterAbstract implements ImageResponseWriter
{
  @SuppressWarnings("unused")
  private static final Logger log = LoggerFactory.getLogger(ImageResponseWriterAbstract.class);

  @Override
  public Response.ResponseBuilder write(final Raster raster)
  {
    return write(raster, (double[])(null));
  }

  @Override
  public Response.ResponseBuilder write(final Raster raster, double[] defaults)
  {
    try
    {
      final ByteArrayOutputStream byteStream = new ByteArrayOutputStream();

      writeToStream(raster, defaults, byteStream);

      // TODO: the type passed to Response.ok may not be correct here
      return Response.ok(byteStream.toByteArray()).header("Content-type", getResponseMimeType());
    }
    catch (final Exception e)
    {
      if (e.getMessage() != null)
      {
        return Response.serverError().entity(e.getMessage());
      }
      return Response.serverError().entity("Internal Error");
    }
  }

  @Override
  public void write(final Raster raster, final HttpServletResponse response) throws ServletException
  {
    write(raster, null, response);
  }

  @Override
  public void write(final Raster raster, double[] defaults, final HttpServletResponse response) throws ServletException
  {
    response.setContentType(getResponseMimeType());
    final ByteArrayOutputStream byteStream = new ByteArrayOutputStream();
    try
    {
      writeToStream(raster, defaults, byteStream);
      ServletUtils.writeImageToResponse(response, byteStream.toByteArray());
    }
    catch (IOException e)
    {
      throw new ServletException("Error writing raster");
    }
  }

  @Override
  public Response.ResponseBuilder write(final Raster raster, final int tileColumn, final int tileRow,
    final double scale, final MrsPyramid pyramid) throws IOException
  {
    return write(raster, pyramid.getMetadata().getDefaultValues());
  }

  @Override
  public void write(final Raster raster, final int tileColumn, final int tileRow,
                    final double scale, final MrsPyramid pyramid, final HttpServletResponse response)
      throws ServletException, IOException
  {
    write(raster, pyramid.getMetadata().getDefaultValues(), response);
    }

  @Override
  public Response.ResponseBuilder write(final Raster raster, final String imageName, final Bounds bounds)
  {
    return write(raster);
  }

  @Override
  public void write(final Raster raster, final String imageName, final Bounds bounds,
    final HttpServletResponse response) throws ServletException
    {
    write(raster, response);
    }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
DNR Releases PFAS Contamination Data
PFAS chemicals have been linked to a multitude of health problems
By Erik Gunn, Wisconsin Examiner	- Oct 8th, 2019 02:12 pm
Marines fighting fires with foam, a product that uses PFAS . Photo by Lance Cpl. Shawn Valosin/U.S. Marine Corps.
High levels of PFAS chemicals that have caused recent alarm in several parts of the state have been detected in two waterways, data posted online Monday by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources shows. Other areas of the state have shown much smaller levels of the substances,
Meanwhile, test results from yet another river where PFAS contamination has triggered close scrutiny and public concern have not yet been completed.
The findings come from a database posted on the web by the DNR as part of a new effort to promote greater awareness of the chemical category in the environment.
"It's not to cause alarm," DNR spokeswoman Sarah Hoye said of the database. "It's not to have people not drink their water. It's awareness at this point."
PFAS is the abbreviation for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a class of manufactured chemicals that have been used in industry and a wide range of consumer products for more than 60 years, particularly in fire suppression foam chemicals.
In recent years PFAS contamination in the environment has sharply ratcheted up concerns among public health experts and residents where the substances have turned up in high levels.
Ingesting food or water contaminated with PFAS has been linked to human reproductive and development changes and effects on the liver, kidneys, and immune system as well as thyroid problems, lower infant birth-weights, tumors, and cancer.
To date, however, the federal EPA hasn't set official standards for PFAS concentrations to be considered a threat to human health. As a benchmark, said Hoye, the state is using 20 parts per trillion (20 ppt). Above that level, "the higher it gets, the worse it is."
The first round of sampling, which is still underway, is focused on establishing baseline levels of contamination in waterways where the chemicals are found, said Hoye.
The concentration of contamination in the sample data is displayed in nanograms/liter, equivalent to parts per trillion.
Starkweather Creek in Madison, which rises near Truax Field, the site of regular firefighting exercises at which fire suppression foams were used, showed particularly high levels of PFAS chemicals. One category, PFOS for short, ranged from concentrations of 79 to 270 ppt in the are most subject to exposure. The other category, PFOA, ranged from 23 to 43 ppt.
Along the Wisconsin River between Rhinelander and Nekoosa, concentrations ranged from 6.5 to 23 ppt for PFOA and 3 to 3.1 ppt for PFOS.
In Monroe County, two waterways near Fort McCoy, another fire-suppression training site, generally showed much lower concentrations: for PFOA, a range of 0.11 to 4 ppt; for PFOS, 0.11 to 4 ppt. For PFOS, concentrations included undetectable and 0.59, but a sharply higher 29 at one location along Silver Creek.
Along the Mississippi River, in an area spanning Pierce, Pepin, Buffalo and Vernon counties, concentrations ranged from 2.3 to 5.2 ppt for PFOA and 1.7 to 3.1 ppt for PFOS. And along the Menomonee River in a short stretch of Marinette, concentrations ran from 0.32 to 0.6 ppt for PFOA and from undetectable to 0.31 ppt for PFOS.
Tests on the Peshtigo and St. Louis rivers in Marinette and Douglas counties, where concern about PFAS contamination from a firefighting chemical manufacturing site has led the DNR to host six months of listening sessions, haven't been posted yet. Data on tests measuring the concentration of the chemicals in fish also haven't been posted.
Andi Rich, a vocal critic of the DNR's handling of the Marinette-Peshtigo contamination, called the release of the data on Monday "a step in the right direction" but expressed continued frustration at what she felt were insufficiently rapid efforts by the agency to address the broader issue. She questioned the accuracy of some of the reported data given how concentrations varied along some waterways.
Darsi Foss, administrator for the DNR's environmental management division, told Wisconsin Examiner that the agency was still learning how the chemical category behaves and that only with further tests over time would it be possible to understand possible explanations for the variations.
Following the DNR announcement of the posting of its database, Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), who met in Marinette last month with government and business officials about the PFAS contamination there, released a statement renewing her call for the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as the EPA "to step up and invest in research on how PFAS chemicals harm human health and establish meaningful standards to help protect Wisconsinites from PFAS exposure."
Reprinted with permission of Wisconsin Examiner.
More about the PFAS Problem
What Are PFAS Chemicals? - Christy Remucal - Jan 15th, 2020
DNR Providing Emergency Drinking Water to Homeowner with PFAS Contamination Near JCI Investigation Area - Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources - Jan 10th, 2020
Senate Debates PFAS in Firefighting Foam - Danielle Kaeding - Jan 9th, 2020
DNR Confirms PFAS-Containing Foam Found at the Mouth of Starkweather Creek and Lake Monona - Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources - Dec 19th, 2019
Why PFAS Pollution Is So Scary - Erik Gunn - Nov 18th, 2019
Op Ed: Everyone Deserves Clean Water - State Sen. Jon Erpenbach - Nov 4th, 2019
Few Local Water Systems Test for PFAS - Danielle Kaeding - Oct 30th, 2019
MKE County: High PFAS Levels Found at Airport - Graham Kilmer - Oct 24th, 2019
State Board Okays Rules on PFAS Pollution - Isiah Holmes - Oct 24th, 2019
DNR Releases PFAS Contamination Data - Erik Gunn - Oct 8th, 2019
Categories: Environment, Health, Politics, Wisconsin Examiner

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


A gift in memory of a loved one is very special. There are a number of different ways you may wish to remember a loved one and help secure St Richard's future.
You may wish to donate online in memory on a one off basis, for example in lieu of flowers.
A Forget-Me-Not Fund is a unique and lasting way to remember someone dear to our hearts. Named after the person who has died, it gives relatives, friends, neighbours and colleagues a focus for making their own individual contribution to St Richard's Hospice. Some people chose to give single donations or monthly gifts, others prefer to take part in sponsored events such as walks or a skydive. You may wish to commemorate your loved one by making donations on special anniversaries. You will be sent annual updates about the money in your Forget Me Not Fund. The fund never closes as you may want to continue to give support to mark special occasions or to light a candle each Christmas at our special Lights of Love service.
You can set up your Forget Me Not Fund by filling in this leaflet and sending back to us.
Once you have set up your Forget Me Not Fund you will be given a unique reference number. You may wish to then set up an In memory page on www.justgiving.com/strichards/remember Tell the story of the person you're remembering and explain why you're raising money in their memory, using words, photos and video. Please make sure you state your unique Forget Me Not reference on the online page so we can attribute all the funds given in memory.
When we lose a relative or friend we may find ourselves completely overwhelmed with the many decisions we have to make. Our thoughts often turn to the wishes they had with regard to their affairs and how we can respect those wishes. Many people request donations, in place of, or as well as flowers at their funeral. Flowers fade but a donation to the hospice can make a lasting impression on patients adn family members. By giving in memory your family and friends are helping to provide dignity, care and compassion to others. Please let your funeral director know that you have chosen to support St Richard's in lieu of flowers.
A regular gift in memory of your loved one can help us to help our patients towards the best quality of life possible. Regular income means we can plan and develop our services more effectively. To make a regular donation to St Richard's in memory of your loved one, please fill in the Regular Giving Donation Form and send to the Fundraising Dept, St Richard's Hospice, Wildwood Drive, Worcester WR5 2QT.


text:
Tag Archives: American Sniper
My Kinky night… Plus showman and creative midwife Adam Taffler talks sex
Adam's show in memory of the iconic comic Malcolm Hardee
Yesterday, at the Soho Theatre in London, I talked to comic Elf Lyons for a future blog.
Then I was due to talk to showman Adam Taffler about a show he is arranging at Up The Creek in Greenwich to mark the 10th anniversary of Malcolm Hardee's death by drowning.
"Is it confirmed yet?" I asked him.
"Yes, Monday 2nd February at Up The Creek," he said.
Then comic John Robertson appeared.
John Robertson (left) be-hatted with Adam Taffler yesterday
"Bloodshot eyes at the window," said John Robertson.
I have no idea what this means, but he and Adam started discussing their hats.
"I was just talking to Elf Lyons," I said. "She always wears a hat. She said I would look good in a Panama hat."
"A Panama with your usual Hawaiian shirts would look good," agreed Adam.
"Elf asked what you do," I told Adam. "And I couldn't explain. Bits and pieces of everything."
"I'm doing a Burns Night at the end of this month," he said. "We're going to do a ceilidh – a Scottish Independence Referendum dance. You get everyone who was for Yes on the right and everyone who was for No on the left and you get them to dance together. It will be really funny."
"It needs a punchline," I said.
"It does," said John Robertson.
"I don't do punchlines," laughed Adam, "I am an artist."
"Where is the Burns Supper?" I asked.
Adam's Burns Baby Burns! without monks
"In the ecclesiastical colosseum of St John's at Hackney."
"Do they have monks fighting in Hackney?" I asked.
"One of Henry VIIII's mistresses is buried there," said Adam.
"You have to admire his stamina," I said. "Six wives and multiple mistresses. Why are you suddenly doing Burns Nights?"
"I love ceilidhs," said Adam.
"This will not help me explain to Elf Lyons what you do," I suggested.
"I am," said Adam, "just making it up as I go along."
"He is a human dynamo," said John Robertson. "He is a pathfinder."
"He is a man with a false moustache," I said.
"It's real," said Adam. "I am a midwife to people's dreams."
"It could be a real moustache with a false man," said John Robertson. "But this is getting like a Philip K Dick novella."
And with that, like Keyser Söze, John Robertson left without a limp.
"Are we talking about your date with a person from the media?" I asked Adam.
He had told me that, after seeing me, he had a romantic assignation.
"It is a silent date," he replied.
One of Adam's many business ventures is a series of regular Shhh Dating events where people, in effect, do speed dating with each other but without saying any words.
Adam told me this would be the first sight his date would see
"Why are you having a silent date?" I asked.
"I dunno.," said Adam. "I just thought it would be fun."
"This is after your Free Love period?" I asked.
"Not Free Love," said Adam. "The Sex Positive scene I was getting to know a little bit."
"It sounds like Free Love to me," I told him.
"It's just another form of creativity," said Adam. "Oh!!! That will sound so shit in your blog!"
"Things do," I said. "In print, 'Sex Positive' may sound like a randy man with a false moustache going round knobbing people."
"It's a real moustache," said Adam.
"I have to go to the toilet," I told him. "Alone. I will leave my phone recording."
While I was away, Adam talked to my iPhone.
"John thinks I might say something interesting now," Adam told my iPhone, "but actually I have nothing to say. That is the reason I don't perform stand-up comedy. But I do do other things like ceilidh dancing and nudie dancing in the moonlight."
When I came back, Adam told me: "So, this summer, I got invited by my friend who runs an event called the Summer House Party. It is about 300 adults from the Sex Positive scene. It's like a mini Burning Man. There are loads of different creative things. You can hang-out, do face-painting, do hot tubs and it builds to this big event on the Saturday night and there's a playroom and I don't know if we should talk about this, John."
"It will be in print forever," I agreed.
"It might sound wrong," said Adam. "It's such a sweet thing but might sound dodgy… OK… I went along to the Summer House Party and I was running some of these Shhh Dating workshops and it was great fun and, on Saturday night, there was a big party and, in one room at the party, there were lots of people having sex with each other… So it was like any normal party, really.
"What I want to say is it was really creative and artistic and human, but I suppose you could say that about dogging. What it looks like to me is there's this whole spectrum of sexuality all the way from dogging and… what's that other one where you fuck and never see them again?"
"Sheep worrying," I suggested.
"Maybe," said Adam. "But this is more like you form friendships and hang-out together. Sex Positive means exploring sexuality and doing it safely. But there's another thing which I'm starting to understand a bit now… about gender identity. In this scene, you're not supposed to refer to someone as a He or a She or a Man or a Woman until you ask them first, because there's a lot of transgender people in the community and some of them got really upset. People are saying: Let's throw away the whole notion of gender. It's so passé. So that's kind of interesting."
"This is going to sound a bit Californian in print," I said.
"It is, I guess," said Adam.
"Anyway," I said, "earlier, you told me you had now decided to be more into single relationships."
Adam limbering up for his silent date in London last night
"That's right," said Adam. "This summer I had the whole awakening of this scene and meeting lots of different people and exploring lots of different things but, actually, I think I prefer to have a deeper relationship with one person."
"And this media person you are seeing tonight is female?" I asked.
"Yes, I date women. I'm not homosexual."
"Animals?" I asked.
"Only squirrels," said Adam.
"And professionally?" I asked.
"I'm just trying to survive and build. I'm trying to do things that excite me and it excites me to have a room of 500 people dancing or feasting or having sex. In a good way. Or squirrels. Or to take artists and ask them what they ACTUALLY want to be doing and then to make that happen. That also excites me.
"I don't want to do a normal job," said Adam. "and the things I've done before are coming back again this year and getting better and some really cool people are starting to ask me if I want to work with them. Which is great. I like interesting experiences. How boring is that as a sentence in your blog? I wanna touch people. That's what I wanna do. It could be in a show, in their brain. That's what excites me. And, again, that's probably going to look terrible in print. But I'm doing stuff and it's fun."
With that, Adam went off to have his silent date with a media person and I went off to see the Kinks' musical Sunny Afternoon with my eternally-un-named friend.
Last night I saw Sunny Afternoon & remembered drunk Kinks
Our last two theatrical excursions together – Charles III and Great Britain – were not triumphs, but things are getting better. We saw a preview of Clint Eastwood's American Sniper at the weekend – I thought it had surprising depth; she said it was OK. And Sunny Afternoon could not really go wrong with Ray Davies' songs and an exuberant (I thought slightly over-directed) production.
I saw The Kinks perform a couple of times in London in the 1970s. They started off slightly dull but, after about 10 or 20 minutes, they appeared to get drunk and were absolutely superb.
My eternally-un-named friend told me she thought Sunny Afternoon was: "Fantastic! Possibly lose the thrust stage as unnecessary and distracting. But fantastic singing, dancing, costumes and – literally – swinging from the chandelier. Fantastic!"
After the show, in the walkway from Charing Cross station to Hungerford Bridge, I looked ahead and saw Adam Taffler walking towards me. It turned out, in his youth, he had known Kink Dave Davies' son.
"How did the date go?" I asked. "Did you manage to keep totally silent?"
"For the first 40 minutes," he said. "We ordered a bottle of wine without talking."
"How?" I asked.
"I wrote it on a Post-it note."
"That's cheating," I said.
Adam Taffler on his return from a successful romantic silence
"It was great," said Adam. "It was fun. She found it a bit difficult at first and we had a 5-minute talking break, but we broke that initial bullshit of This is who I am and this is what I do. We got to know each other really well through not talking to each other and the rest of it was just a dream. We're going to date again next week. She's a really intelligent, lovely girl."
Filed under Comedy, Eccentrics, Sex
Tagged as Adam Taffler, American Sniper, Burns Night, ceilidhs, Clint Eastwood, comedy, dating, Free Love, John Robertson, Malcolm hardee, sex, Sex Positive, Shhh Dating, summer house weekend, Sunny Afternoon, The Kinks


text:
Settle for 'okay' or wait for the perfect mate?
February 6th, 2015 Posted by Kim Ward-Michigan State
"Primitive humans were likely forced to bet on whether or not they could find a better mate," says Chris Adami. (Credit: John Hope/Flickr)
Settling for "okay" may be a better strategy than waiting for Mr. or Ms. Perfect—at least from an evolutionary point of view.
When studying the evolution of risk aversion, Michigan State University researchers found that it is in our nature—traced back to the earliest humans—to take the safe bet when stakes are high, such as whether or not we will mate.
"Primitive humans were likely forced to bet on whether or not they could find a better mate," says Chris Adami, professor of microbiology and molecular genetics and co-author of the paper.
"They could either choose to mate with the first, potentially inferior, companion and risk inferior offspring, or they could wait for Mr. or Ms. Perfect to come around," he says. "If they chose to wait, they risk never mating."
(Credit: Anne Swoboda/Flickr)
Digital organisms
Adami and his co-author Arend Hintze, a research associate, used a computational model to trace risk-taking behaviors through thousands of generations of evolution with digital organisms. These organisms were programmed to make bets in high-payoff gambles, which reflect the life-altering decisions that natural organisms must make, as for example choosing a mate.
"An individual might hold out to find the perfect mate but run the risk of coming up empty and leaving no progeny," Adami says. "Settling early for the sure bet gives you an evolutionary advantage, if living in a small group."
Adami and his team tested many variables that influence risk-taking behavior and concluded that certain conditions influence our decision-making process. The decision must be a rare, once-in-a-lifetime event and also have a high payoff for the individual's future—such as the odds of producing offspring.
Group size matters
How risk averse we are correlates to the size of the group in which we were raised. If reared in a small group—fewer than 150 people—we tend to be much more risk averse than those who were part of a larger community.
It turns out that primitive humans lived in smaller groups, about 150 individuals. Because resources tend to be more scarce in smaller communities, this environment helps promote risk aversion.
"We found that it is really the group size, not the total population size, which matters in the evolution of risk aversion," Hintze says.
However, not everyone develops the same level of aversion to risk. The study also found that evolution doesn't prefer one single, optimal way of dealing with risk, but instead allows for a range of less, and sometimes more-risky, behaviors to evolve.
"We do not all evolve to be the same," Adami says. "Evolution creates a diversity in our acceptance of risk, so you see some people who are more likely to take bigger risks than others. We see the same phenomenon in our simulations."
The research was part of an interdisciplinary collaboration with Ralph Hertwig of the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin.
Also contributing to the study was Randal Olson, graduate student, MSU Department of Computer Science and Engineering and BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action.
The research was published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Source: Michigan State University
Why some decisions feel right while others don't
Some dinosaurs rocked pops of color to woo mates
Sour things reveal commonality between us and flies


We were supposed to be having some family over tommorrow for christmas dinner but they have had this bloody norovirus so won't be coming now! Sad thing is, is they are actually better but it says you shouldn't mix for 48hrs after the last symptoms so now we are left with tons of food and only me, oh & Kady to eat it.
They said they would still come but we don't want to risk it.
Oh well, anyone for xmas lunch?
More for you lot though!!
You'll still have a wonderful time with the ever so gorgeous Kade!!
Thanks honey! I'm so excited - can't wait to see her little face in the morning! We've decorated cookies to leave out for Father Christmas this afternoon so they're on the table ready to leave out for him!!


Students in their 20s in the first group nodded off four minutes faster on average when wearing pyjamas made from merino wool rather than cotton, taking 11 minutes instead of 15. They also enjoyed an extra seven minutes more sleep per night.
The second study found that woollen PJs had an even bigger impact on adults aged 65 to 70. They fell asleep after 12 minutes compared with 22 and 27 minutes for those wearing polyester or cotton.


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Feature Review: Njideka Akunyili Crosby's Art: Portals at Victoria Miro
Immaculata Abba October 24, 2016 111 views
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"There is this air of solemnity, that's the biggest impression I get," a middle-aged man with a French accent tells me when I ask him how he feels about the exhibition. I ask because standing in front of the 96 x 124-inch paintings, I feel like someone is giving my life back to me, allowing me to see myself. Four paintings in and I could not help myself from striking a conversation with the other people in the room, I ask them "Do you see? Do you get it? Can you feel it, because if you don't, I need to show you!"
Aptly titled 'Portals', this is Njideka Akunyili Crosby's first exhibition in London and it allows us into the depth of the multi-layered experiences of a Nigerian-born woman living in Los Angeles. The man I talked to was right; standing there in the face of these imposing paintings, there is an immediate air of solemnity -one you must experience yourself because pictures online do no justice! The subjects in the paintings assume contemplative postures: a woman staring into the distance at perhaps something left behind, a young girl looking ahead in perhaps what she hopes to be her future. From afar the paintings, with their distinct aesthetic, look like beautiful yet simple still life pictures. By virtue of their solemn air, they all have that magnetic force that makes you want to linger on them. Whether it's the TV, the multi-faceted wall, or the frames of doors within doors, there is an invitation to come and look inside the inner worlds the paintings possess, to see more.
And when that invitation is honored by the viewer, it is rewarded with a gift that keeps on giving as the artist, using photo transfers, has turned these solemn figures into portals of different cultural and personal experiences. Pictures of family gatherings, traditional weddings, and celebrations from the artist's family albums merge with pictures that recollect a shared Nigerian memory- of Cabin biscuit, models in couture ankara outfits, movies like Beyoncé and Rihanna part 2, #Bring Back our Girls, the military, politicians, celebrities like Onyeka Onwenu, 1970s Psychedelic, Afro-rock and Fuzz funk club signs, the list goes on.
Earlier that day, I was reading the passage in James Baldwin's Notes of a Native Son where he wrote of how his search for a reflection of himself in the heritage of European art will forever be in vain and in order for him to find a place in any scheme, he would "…have to appropriate these white centuries". I would have to make them mine," he wrote. Frantz Fanon, in his book Black Skin, White Masks also wrote about this need to carve for ourselves our own story: "In the world through which I travel, I am endlessly creating myself." Njideka Akunyili Crosby's Portals is what happens when we give the world and ourselves an opportunity to see us, from our own eyes.
Right at the back of the exhibition room, where I chose to start my viewing, is a stunning portrait of a woman who looks like she is dressed for her traditional wedding. The painting 'Wedding Souvenirs' is perhaps the only one without layers of photo transfers but it did so well in welcoming me through into this portal when I looked at the table and saw a wedding souvenir mug from the artist's wedding – one that my mother has in her own kitchen!
It is "Portals" not only because it takes you through journeys into personal spaces and memories but also because it signifies the artist's own journey, as an Afropolitan, across different cultures but still carrying a Nigerian heritage. A closer look at the figures in the paintings revealed, not melancholy like I initially thought, but nostalgia. Anyone in the diaspora that sees the layers of plantain, suya, stewed snail and jollof rice in 'Thriving Gardens' for example will understand this emotion perfectly.
"Portals" is on at the Victoria Miro Gallery at 16 Wharf Road until 5th November 2016. Be sure to check it out if you are in London. Her 2016 book 'I Refuse to Be Invisible' is also available in the gallery store.
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Immaculata Abba
Immaculata is a History and Comparative Literature student at Queen Mary University of London. She is an up-and-coming writer and photographer whose work has appeared in Brittle Paper, Arts and Africa and ClapBack zine. She writes for What's On Africa and My Weku Tastes.
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Run on Sun Monthly Newsletter
Building on a Legacy: Enphase Opens Ensemble to Earlier Generation Micros!
Utility Scale Battery Storage for the Win!
Behind the Meter to the Rescue!
Volume: 11 Issue: 8
Building on a Legacy: Enphase Opens Ensemble to
Earlier Generation Micros!
On Tuesday, August 11, 2020, Enphase sent out a notice to its top installers alerting them that starting in December, the Ensemble Storage System would support earlier generation microinverters and not just the IQ series as had been originally announced. We contacted Enphase to learn more, and here is our report...
Some Background...
Last November we wrote about the coming Ensemble rollout. In describing how Ensemble could be incorporated with existing systems we wrote:
First, you need to have IQ microinverters. At least as of the initial rollout of this system, the older microinverters are not supported. That means that the M and S-series of microinverters have to be replaced to IQ-series microinverters to work with Ensemble. (I do not know if this will change in the future, but it is the guidance that we are getting at this time.) It is possible that there will be some sort of replacement program (like Enphase did with the legacy M-190 customers), but I have not gotten any word about such a plan yet.
As we were told by Enphase CEO, Badri Kothandaraman, at SPI last year, it was important for Enphase to focus on a successful launch of Ensemble, and the way to do that was to concentrate on pairing it with the more capable IQ series of microinverters. It had been disappointing news, but understandable given the challenges of bringing a product as technically sophisticated as Ensemble to market.
So I was more than a bit surprised when I saw the announcement from David Ranhoff, Chief Commercial Officer at Enphase, that Ensemble would be able to support M215 and M250-based systems as of December! Of course this raised nearly as many questions as it answered, so I reached out to Enphase for more details.
What We Know Now
I was able to speak with Utsav Ghosh, Senior Product Manager, about the details behind the announcement.
Our first question was: What about the S280's? They are more capable than the M-series, so are they included? Sadly, no, not at this time. Given that the M215's and M250's are the largest segment of the non-IQ installed base, they generated the greatest number of inquiries, and so they got the staffing attention.
I remarked that given the relatively short window between when Ensemble was available for the IQ micros and when it will be available for the M-series, why not just say that they would be supported. The answer, it seems, is that in refining Ensemble, they realized that it would be easier than previously thought to fold in the M215/250's. This, of course, gives me hope that the S280's won't be far down the line. Squeak, squeak!
Our next question concerned communications - the M-series micros communicate via Power Line Communications (PLC) via the neutral and hot conductors. The IQ-series does not bring a neutral to the roof, so it communicates PLC from hot to hot. How does this get resolved?
Turns out quite easily, assuming you have an Envoy-S, like the one on the right. So how do the IQ8 microinverters in Ensemble communicate with the Envoy? As it turns out, the same way that they do in an IQ system - via the add on Comm Kit that adds Zigbee capability to the Envoy-S. The even better news is that Comm Kit is part of every Ensemble Storage System, so there is no additional cost for M-series systems over IQ systems! Yay! (The Envoy-S will need a new software version, but that is a free download.)
Our next concern had to do with speed issues: the M-series micros just aren't anywhere near as computationally powerful as their IQ cousins. Would the seamless backup functionality promised with the IQ series still apply? Yes, we were assured. Cool!
Which brought us to our final question: What ratio of legacy inverters to IQ8 inverters will be needed to allow the microgrid to operate? Recall that with the IQ series we are presently being told that the ratio is 1.5:1, that is, an Encharge 10, that has 12 IQ8 micros inside, can support up to 18 IQ 6 or 7 micros on the roof. (While we are hoping to see some movement on that front, that is the present design guidance.) So what will the ratio be for the M-series?
Great question - no precise answer as of yet, other than "it will be more restrictive." There is testing ongoing to establish precisely what those limits are, which is why the availability is being cited for December and not now. Obviously we will be following this closely and will update you when we know more, watch this space!
I want to thank Utsav Ghosh for being so responsive and generous with his time.
And I especially want to thank Enphase for responding to the cries of their clients in getting this much-needed functionality addressed. Great job, folks!
Now about those S280's...
"Ensemble would be able to support M215 and M250-based systems as of December…"
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EDITOR'S NOTE: This article written by the newest member of the Run on Sun Team, Sophia Mazurek!
As energy storage becomes increasingly necessary for California residents, solar developers are pushing the bounds of backup battery systems.
Gateway Energy Storage Project, San Diego, California.
LS Power has just created one of the largest battery systems in the world! The Gateway Energy Storage project was finalized and unveiled this year on August 19th in San Diego, California.
The 250MW system will enhance California's grid reliability, according to the California Independent System Operator (CAISO). In addition, the project will greatly reduce energy costs and will contribute to California's goals to meet clean energy demands.
Inside the Gateway Energy Storage Project
By charging the batteries during off-peak hours, energy can be delivered back to the grid during on-peak demand, which will greatly decrease energy rates for consumers.
LS Power CEO Paul Segal observed: "For more than three decades, LS Power has been at the leading edge of our nation's transition to cleaner, more innovative energy solutions, and we are powering up Gateway Energy Storage as one more component of this vision.
Through our investments in multiple sectors of the renewables and energy infrastructure space, LS Power is reducing carbon emissions and improving reliability in the markets we serve."
So, what exactly does this mean for solar integration through the utility?
Grid scale battery storage is a game changer in today's energy market. According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), battery storage is one of several technology options that can enhance power system flexibility and enable high levels of renewable energy integration. Large energy storage centers, like Gateway, can receive solar production from various sources across the gird network. When the energy comes in from a solar power plant, it can be stored in the batteries and later re-distributed to thousands of businesses and houses.
This is a great way to connect the utility with large-scale solar production. Battery storage centers are opening the door for a renewable energy grid takeover. As we steer further away from fossil fuels, we will see a smoother transition into solar applicability. Powering cities with renewable energy is becoming feasible and inexpensive. Companies like LS power are paving the way for solar technology and accomplishing what we once thought was impossible through back up battery storage.
And to think that some people don't believe you can run a 21st economy with renewables!
EDITOR'S NOTE: This article makes an appropriate bookend to Sophia's!
It's hot here in California, fry an egg on the sidewalk style hot, and the grid is feeling the heat. The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) - the entity responsible for managing the grid - has issued warnings about possible outages, and even our local utility, Pasadena Water & Power, sent out emails to customers warning that cutoffs might be necessary. The extreme conditions have prompted some extreme reactions, blaming the State's shift to more and more renewables as the cause of the problem. But overlooked in all of this is the contribution of local solar power systems, "behind the meter," that have greatly improved the present situation, and with more aggressive utilization of storage, could do even more. Here's our take...
Let's start by looking at what is causing the present problem. As we all know too well, we are in the middle of a pandemic and conditions in California have been depressingly awful, with a 7-day moving average of new cases at nearly 9,000. As a result, a lot more people than usual are working from home, driving up electricity loads as we struggle to remain sane, and if possible, cool. That's been tough, as the entire state is in the grip of a week-long heat wave, with temperatures soaring above 100 degrees, and in some places, above 110! All of that has created record demands for electricity and the grid has struggled to meet that need, with spot prices hitting all-time highs.
For those opposed to California's efforts to "green the grid," this provides an opportunity to go on offense. Cue Republican Assemblymember, and Vice-Chair of the Committee on Utilities and Energy, Jim Patterson:
You can't run a 21st century economy that's the fifth largest on the planet with wind and solar. I have been warning over and over again that the policies coming out of the democrat-controlled legislature and Governors' office are creating the conditions for blackouts and brownouts and here we are seeing the evidence.
Wow, just how wrong can you be? Let's be clear: no 21st-century economy is going to survive the century if we don't figure out how to do so with solar, wind and other, non-fossil-fuel-based sources of electricity. And despite the predictable piling on from climate change deniers, there are multiple paths ahead for getting to an all-green electric grid.
All of the stories about the blackouts, however, ignore the contribution - both present and future - of behind the meter resources, that is, local, rooftop solar. Our friends over at CALSSA sent out the following graph that helps to make those contributions concrete:
There's a lot going on here so let's break it down. The brown curve is the actual reported demand data from CAISO on August 14th. But without the contributions from the million plus behind-the-meter solar installations the actual load would have been significantly greater, as shown by the yellow line. That is capacity the ratepayers of California did not have to purchase, but still benefited from its production. Moreover, as the yellow line shows, the peak demand is actually at 3 p.m., but thanks to behind-the-meter installations, the peak on the grid is both lower, and later, a fact not often explained to the public.
The vertical lines mark the period last Friday that was subject to rolling blackouts - from roughly 7 to 10 p.m. As the merger of the yellow and brown lines around that time indicate, solar production is no longer a factor. But there is still a role to play as storage begins to be deployed with ever greater frequency. CALSSA's policy director, Brad Heavner (who created this illustration), notes:
If California builds 3 GW of additional energy storage systems at customer locations that can be dispatched during grid shortages, it would further trim evening peak needs. This is shown in the figure as the dotted blue line. CALSSA estimates the state can achieve this level of build-out within the next five years with state policies.
This is certainly doable, but it will take ongoing financial support, and preferably a more transparent rebate program than the present, byzantine SGIP program.
Ironically, the utilities are pushing their customers into purchasing more storage, as the public's patience with grid outages - whether from rolling blackouts, or utility initiated public safety power shutoffs - is at an all-time low. As sophisticated products like the Enphase Energy Ensemble Storage system become available, more and more solar consumers will become storage consumers as well. Once again, the ratepaying public will benefit from those investments, and hopefully all of us will be able to keep our cool!
"Let's be clear:
no 21st-century economy is going to survive the century if we don't figure out how to do so with solar, wind and other, non-fossil-fuel-based sources of electricity…"


I've written the odd book here and there. Here's a partial list of the books available in English - many of the books are also translated into other languages. Not by me though, that would be madness.
Capturing a beautiful photograph isn't magic. It isn't even particularly difficult. You don't need a fantastic camera or an expensive lens or a fancy flash. The purpose of this book isn't to help you take photos. It's to help you tell stories. That's where the magic lives.
Whether you're photographing that perfect sunset or your morning coffee, everyone has a story and Why Photographers Prefer Cloudy Days (and 67 other photo tips) is full of tips and ideas so that you can tell your story in the best way possible.
Remember, you miss 100% of the photos you don't try to take. So get out there and get shooting.
This book is available from Amazon. and Amazon.co.uk, too.
Photography is a big part of our lives, and we all take photos all the time. By understanding just a few basics of how your camera — or your phone — works, you'll find yourself able to take more exciting, stand-out photos.
Within a few pages you'll be able to speak with confidence to photographers about exposure settings, decide what lighting or lenses will lift a scene, or what tactics you can use to make your subject look more interesting.
The book also covers the basics of managing, editing & sharing your collection of digital images so you're not at the mercy of the software that was bundled with your phone.
Wait, this is a book written by Matt Delito! What's going on? Long story, which you can read here… Very short version: I wrote it under a pseudonym.
Thieving ninjas, racist fast-food patrons, road traffic accidents, mischievous shoplifters, sudden deaths, car chases, and domestic violence — it's all in a day's work for London-based PC Matt Delito.
Working at the front-line on the streets of London can be thrilling, frightening, rewarding, infuriating, and sometimes plain hilarious.
In this eye-opening account of on-the-beat policing, Delito narrates some of his most interesting cases — from working undercover in a city club to being ambushed in the London riots — as well as taking us through the gadgets, procedures, and lingo that go with life at the other end of a 999 call.
Over the course of a decade, the Ilex Photo team has won a deserved reputation as a world-beating publisher of practical titles for photographers.
With The Ilex Introduction to Photography, and high-ranking photographer-blogger Haje Jan Kamps, the Ilex Photo team has made the definitive first book for owners of all cameras including compacts, DSLRs, smartphones and the new smart cameras.
With easy-to- follow, sensationally shot projects, you'll be encouraged to explore your camera and develop your creative confidence, so your pictures wow everyone. Families, kids, weddings, pets, landscapes, black- and-white, wildlife, urban, sport, panoramas, & living pictures whatever you want to photograph and however you want to display it, you'll find everything you need to know in this book.
You should be able to get a copy of the book from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk — Enjoy!
Author Haje Jan Kamps knows that you are travelling for two good reasons: to experience great things, and to get great photos of your travels. He also understands very well how people's eyes tend to glaze over when phrases like "Circles of Confusion" or the "Inverse Square Law" are brandished about, and focuses instead on great photographs, and how to take them.
A realistic and easy-to-follow approach to travel photography puts the fun back into photography, and by following a series of simple exercises, you'll learn much more about photography than you would have thought possible!
Focus on Travel Photography covers the basics of photography in brief before throwing itself into the real essence of travel photography: landscapes, people, and capturing the spirit of your destination. Finally, the author explores how you can download, edit, and distribute your photos while you're on the move-all without being over-burdened with equipment.
Learn the essentials of travel photography through easy-to-follow exercises focused around great photographs.
Discover how to capturing the spirit of your destination by capturing the quintessential shot that says it all!
Experiment with somewhat more exotic forms of photography that you might encounter for the first time in your travels-capture wildlife, an underwater shot, and much more.
In the age of social networking, a self-portrait will be the most important photo you ever take. This book will show you how to create images of yourself that capture your personality and express your creativity or just make you look hot! Shooting Yourself isn't a technical book, but roams in search of inspiration for great self-portrait photos.
A series of themed chapters (A Touch of Innocence, Turning the Drama to Eleven and Getting Saucy for instance) introduce a world of fresh, talented shooters whose great work depends on original ideas, not expensive equipment.
The book then goes on to give you practical advice on location shooting, action shooting and photo-compositing plus toy cameras, and successful sexting (ooh!). Packed with fresh imagery, practical tips and accessible introductions to the principles of portrait photography, Shooting Yourself is a unique title in the category, and is certain to delight a new generation of digital photographers.
Published in the UK as Shooting Yourself. Published in the US as Selfies.
One of the most popular cameras on the market is called the "Digital Rebel," yet many photographers use it and its brethren to follow tired old rules .
This book shows you how to move beyond the dogma and shoot more creatively.
If you're just starting out with a camera, or are starting to think about switching away from Auto mode, then this is the perfect book for you. Not only will you find within all the classical rules of photography — useful basic knowledge that can sharpen anyone's eye for finding great photographs — but you'll simultaneously be shown how you can push the boundaries that many teachers set, filling your memory card with exciting, different pictures that push the limits.
After all, unless you understand the confines of the box, you can't consciously decide to think outside of it, can you?
When it comes to cameras, E.V.I.L. is good! E.V.I.L. stands for Electronic-Viewfinder, Interchangeable-Lens–and it's the most innovative, hottest, and stylish type of camera to hit the photography market in the past five years.
Hip amateurs and professionals alike are snatching these cameras up, and this book is tailored specifically to today's trend-setting users. Creative E.V.I.L. Photography highlights the unique advantages offered by these mirrorless cameras, including incredible image quality despite their small size, more discreet street shooting, and great HD video.
With this specialized guide in hand, photographers will easily exploit the unique characteristics of their new equipment.
Everyone who takes photographs takes photographs of people. Whether it is a 'happysnap' of a child or a professional portrait, people are always the first subject we think of. Yet taking good photographs of people is a combination of many factors — what is the best light for the subject? How should they stand?
What aperture should you use for maximum impact? In this easy to follow, highly visual guide to portraiture Haje Jan Kamps takes you through not only the technical but also the aesthetic considerations of creating great images. Step by step guides, tips from the pros and assignments to work through will have everybody you photograph looking better in no time at all!
Packed with stunning photographs, everything about this beautiful book is aimed at a visual audience. Buy into the "Focus" series and put the focus right back where it belongs: on creating great images. It is a highly visual guide to the most popular subject — people. It includes tip boxes, summaries and assignments that make learning the techniques easier. It is not just a photo technique book, it offers advice on posing, backgrounds and lighting to make portraits stand out.
ISBN: 978–0240814698 - You should be able to get a copy of the book from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk — Enjoy!


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LIVE - THE WAIT IS OVER!
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The New York Songwriters Circle (NYSC) is currently accepting submissions for the organization's 2009 Songwriting Contest. While each entry's lyrics must be in English, NYSC encourages composers from all over the world, who create original tunes in every genre—and every musical gray area in between—to enter.
More than $25,000 in cash and prizes are up for grabs, including a $10,000 grand prize, a custom Gibson guitar, performance opportunities with BMI Icon John Oates of Grammy award-winning duo Hall & Oates, recording sessions with Grammy-winning producer Glenn Barrett, a feature on New York's Q104.3 radio, and more. Past contest winners of the buzz-making contest include Kate Voegele, Company of Thieves, and Mieka Pauley.
All entries must be received by October 25, 2009. To submit, or for additional guidelines and information about NYSC's 2009 Songwriting Contest, click here.
This year, an all-star panel of judges including John Oates, legendary producer Russ Titelman (Eric Clapton, James Taylor, Chaka Khan, Cindi Lauper, Ricki Lee Jones), hit songwriter Alan Merrill ("I Love Rock and Roll") will cull through the submissions. 12 finalists will perform in front of judges and fans during two stacked nights of music, tentatively slated for November 18 and 19 at the Bitter End in New York City. A silent ballot will determine the winners. Additional honors reserved for the top international submission and entry from a songwriter younger than 18-years-old will also be awarded.
Founded and directed by singer/songwriter Tina Shafer, The New York Songwriters Circle has been at the forefront of discovering top new songwriting talent for over 19 years. Norah Jones, Jesse Harris, Lisa Loeb, Vanessa Carlton, Gavin DeGraw, Kate Voegele, Company of Thieves, Chris Barron (The Spin Doctors), Charlotte Sometimes and Mieka Pauley are just a few of the performers the NYSC has helped launch to stardom.


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Alsace est un film français réalisé par Henri Pouctal, sorti en 1916.

Synopsis
Alsace est un film patriotique, qui devait réconforter le moral de la nation en montrant des scènes d'héroïsme. Le film glorifie avec passion et optimisme le retour des provinces perdues par la mère patrie, et exhibe la barbarie des troupes allemandes, ce qui fut difficile à filmer car la censure cinématographique des armées veillait, et interdisait l'apparition à l'écran d'uniformes ennemis.

Fiche technique
 Titre : Alsace
 Réalisation : Henri Pouctal
 Scénario : Inconnu, d'après la pièce de Gaston Leroux
 Musique : Inconnu
 Photographie : Léonce-Henri Burel
 Montage : Inconnu
 Production : Le Film d'art
 Pays d'origine : France
 Format : Noir et blanc - 1,33:1 - Film muet - 35 mm
 Genre : Comédie dramatique
 Durée : Inconnue
 Date de sortie : 1916 (France)

Distribution
 Berthe Jalabert
 Marcel Dieudonné
 Gabrielle Rejane
 Berthe Flori

Liens externes

Film français sorti en 1916
Comédie dramatique française
Film réalisé par Henri Pouctal
Adaptation d'une pièce de théâtre française au cinéma
Film sur la Première Guerre mondiale
Film de propagande français
Film muet français
Film français en noir et blanc

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
A new angle, peer-to-web publishing
6th Mar 09:07
If YouTube and reality television haven't already given most folks the 15 minutes of fame predicted by Andy Warhol, perhaps izimi will do the trick.
The startup is launching what it calls a free "Peer-to-Web" service today that let's any user self-publish "any" file: music, text, photos, video, blog pages, etc. The website doesn't host any files, but serves as a conduit to dynamically serve files sent in by registered users.
The files are hosted by Time magazine's Person of the Year – you. Users just need to register and download a small izimi client file to post to the website. No client software is required to see published content, just a web browser.
For example, a photo or video file hosted on your PC shows up as a link at the izimi website, which organises multiple links in each user's personal folder. The files can't be accessed if the PC is turned off, but otherwise, anyone with a browser can go to izimi and view them.
The company said its secure "peer-to-browser" system has no limitations on file size or the number of files someone can publish. Also, ownership of the content remains with the publisher. The site also includes a search function and users can be alerted to new content via RSS feed.
"Izimi's concept of link and download is pretty unique," Rob Enderle, principal analyst with The Enderle Group, told internetnews.com. "As bandwidth continues to become more available, peer-to-peer gets more interesting."
He said long video files are probably impractical, given the dependence on an individual PC user's bandwidth, but it should be fine for short videos. Izimi also notes users are not limited to Flash or other video formats common to YouTube.
For now, izimi has no plans to charge for its service and the listings are now all public. "Later on we'll start thinking about privacy controls, like if a family wanted their own section," David Ingram, vice president of product at izimi, told internetnews.com.
He said the company, with offices in the U.K., and San Francisco, takes copyright "very seriously" although at this point it's relying on a community policing policy to "black flag" any questionable content.
Marc Lyne, izimi's CEO, said the startup is focused on growing its user base and will pick a revenue model, such as ads on the site, or paid services, later.
Enderle noted that YouTube didn't have much of a revenue model before it was purchased by Google for $1.65 billion. "This avoids some of the problems YouTube has and crosses over to pictures and other file types," said Enderle. "It's kind of a rethinking of FTP; FTP made easy."
"It's rare to find a company with as high a standard of work as UKFast."
magneticNorth
"UKFast's services are of the highest standards, and are delivered with panache."
Metronet (UK)
"The Magento pod adds a lot of extra value to our solution and service with UKFast."
Regis UK Ltd
"UKFast is the perfect fit for us. The site speed, guaranteed network uptime and focus on security certainly help us win new business. All of our proposals include details of our partnership with UKFast."
eJIGSAW


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Dr Zoe Williams
Dr Zoe Williams graduated from Medical school in 2007 and has since specialised in preventative medicine, sports medicine and promoting healthy lifestyle choices.
Zoe is a practicing NHS GP and media medic with accolades such as being named on the Pulse Power 50 List as one of the country's most influential GP's. Outside of the surgery Zoe is a National Advisor for Public Health England and is a clinical advisor to the RCGP. She is a director and founding member of the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine.
The first TV experience for Zoe was being selected, out of thousands, to be Sky 1's undefeated Gladiator 'Amazon' when the TV show 'Gladiators' was rebooted in 2009 and since then her broadcast career has seen become a household favourite as one of the country's most trusted NHS doctors.
Hire Dr Zoe Williams health lifestyle fitness speaker here.
6301 SportEvent HostsFemale SpeakersHealth & WellbeingPresenter/JournalistSpeaker
More About Dr Zoe Williams
Zoe is currently one of the resident GP's on ITV's popular daytime show This Morning in addition to presenting for the BBC's 'The One Show', 'Horizon' and 'Trust Me I'm a Doctor'. Her strength lies in sharing knowledge with the viewing public, specialising in debunking the confusing world of medicine, in a warm, down to earth and straightforward manner.
In 2017, Zoe founded the non-profit organisation Fit4LifeCIC, which aims to have a positive and long term impact on young people who have the most challenging lives. The organisation helps these youngsters to create their own physical activity programmes to improve not only their health, but also their wellbeing and at the same time boosting and enhancing their life aspirations. This year saw Dr Zoe join the expedition team offering her medical advice to the team as they trekked 100 miles across the Namib desert for BBC One's The Heat Is On: Sport Relief Challenge.
She is also one quarter of the hugely popular podcast Steths, Drugs and Rock N' Roll.
Her writing credits include regular contributing to both Fabulous and Marie Claire.
Dr Zoe has worked with a number of brands in the health, beauty and lifestyle space including the likes of Garmin, Nanu Sleep, Ovo and Superdrug. She recently joined forces with Estee Lauder as one of the faces of their Breast Cancer Campaign, leading the country in a nationwide online self-check alongside an inspiring line-up of guests and supporters. In addition to various brand ambassador roles, as one of the country's most valued professionals in physical activity and health, Zoe's expertise has led her to also work in an advisory capacity across a number of campaigns including MOJU Drinks and Adidas amongst them, offering her unparalleled knowledge and services as a resource for insight in health and wellbeing.
Her unique combination of skills and achievements combined with her likeable, outgoing, down-to earth personality, make her an authentic and credible asset for corporate events.
Call +44 1753 439 289 or email Great British Speakers now to book Dr Zoe Williams for your next live event or video. Contact us.
David Saddington
Bob Stewart DSO, MP
UN Peacekeeper
MP for Beckenham
Leadership/Business
Signature Keynote
Tommy Walsh
Gardening Presenter
'Ground Force' Host
DYI/Construction
Liz Johnson
Paralympic gold medalist and 3x World Champion Swimmer
MD of The Ability People
TV Presenter
Captivating Motivational Speaker


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My Students are at Home
Is there a letter I can send to parents about how to get setup with Code.org at home?
Yes! You can easily create a PDF letter for a section of students that you can send to your students' parents. The letter includes information about:
Code.org and why learning computer science is important
How parents can support students while they are at home
How students can sign in to Code.org while at home
Code.org's privacy policy
There are two versions of this letter:
A version for the entire section: This version can be sent to the parent of any student in the section. It does not include individual student login credentials (username and password).
Student-specific version: This version that should only be sent to the parent of a specific student in the section because the letter contains that individual student's login credentials. This version is only available for sections that use secret words or picture passwords to sign in.
Where can I find the letter for the entire section (no login credentials)?
You can find the version of the parent letter for the entire section at the top of the Manage Students tab on the teacher dashboard. We recommend using this version of the letter if you believe most of your students remember their usernames and passwords.
The letter will include instructions on how to sign in to Code.org that are specific to your section, but it will not include individual student usernames and passwords.
Please note: If you want a version of the letter that includes student usernames and passwords, you'll need to download a single letter per student. (See below -> "Where can I find the letter an individual student (contains login credentials)?")
To get the section-specific version of the parent letter:
From your home page (studio.code.org/home), tap the name of one of your sections in your Classroom Sections area to go to the Teacher Dashboard for that section.
Tap the "Manage Students" tab in the purple bar:
Click the "Download parent letters" button. This will open a new tab with the parent letter in it and automatically trigger a 'print' dialog.
Please note: The letter will be customized to show sign-in instructions for the currently selected section, so make sure you have selected the right section. You can change sections by tapping the "Switch Sections" button in the upper, right-hand corner of the screen.
From the dialog that appears, you should be able to save a copy of the letter as a PDF (look for wording in the dialog that says "Save as PDF" or "Print to PDF" - this will be slightly different based on your web browser) or print a hard copy of the letter.
Not seeing the dialog or the new tab? Make sure your browser's pop-up blocker is not blocking pages from Code.org
Once you have the letter saved to your computer, you can attach it to an email to send to parents.
Where can I find the letter an individual student (contains login credentials)?
If you want a student-specific version of the parent letter that includes an individual student's username and password, you'll need to create one letter per student. Please note: this letter is only available for sections that use secret words or picture passwords to sign in.
To get the student-specific version of the parent letter:
Go to the Manage Students tab of the Teacher Dashboard (see instructions above) and find the student you want to generate the letter for in the table of students.
Click the down arrow at the far end of that student's row and then click "View parent letter" from the dialog that appears.
Tapping that button will open a new tab with the parent letter in it. This letter will include the specific login credentials for the student you selected and should only be sent to that student's parent.
A 'print' dialog will appear over the new tab and the parent letter. From this dialog, you should be able to save a copy of the letter as a PDF (look for wording that says "Save as PDF" or "Print to PDF", this will be slightly different based on your web browser) or print a hardcopy of the letter.
Once you have the letter saved to your computer, you can attach it to an email to send to the individual student's parent.
I just want to send information about Code.org's privacy policy to parents: can I do that?
Yes - we have a parent letter that only includes information about what students are learning and Code.org's privacy policy (see parent-ready letter).
How do I view, email, or print student login information so I can share it with parents and students at home?
How can I view my students' progress on CSTA Standards?
How can I keep track of what my child is working on on Code.org?
Getting your child set up on Code.org at home
How can I see when my students last worked on an assigned course?


text:
package org.michenux.drodrolib.content;

import android.content.Context;
import android.content.Intent;
import android.net.Uri;

public class IntentUtils {

    public static void setEmailIntent( String email, String subject, String chooserTitle, Context context ) {
        Intent emailIntent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_SENDTO, Uri.fromParts(
                "mailto", email, null));
        emailIntent.putExtra(Intent.EXTRA_SUBJECT, subject);
        context.startActivity(Intent.createChooser(emailIntent, chooserTitle));
    }
}


There isn't much in Stephen King's oeuvre that hasn't been adapted for either television or film, but his fantasy epic, The Talisman, is one piece yet to receive the visual treatment. Not for lack of trying, mind you.
In a recent sit-down with EW, Spielberg discussed how he came to be in possession of the King novel and revealed that, after thirty five years, he still wants to see The Talisman grace the big screen.
With Indiana Jones 5's pre-production keeping Spielberg busy for the rest of 2018 and filming of said project occupying the director for the better part of 2019, it's highly unlikely that he'll helm the picture himself, something that he's intently aware of.
The success of Andy Muschietti's IT has put Stephen King's literary works in high demand. Over the past month alone, CBS All Access has ordered a ten-part miniseries based on The Stand, and David Ayer's Cedar Park Entertainment obtained the rights to The Bone Church. Additionally, Starry Eyes co-directors Dennis Widmyer and Kevin Kolsch's remake of Pet Sematary is set to begin production in Toronto next month, so it's certainly been a solid four weeks for King.
Although Spielberg and the author have yet to work together officially, their first collaboration seems imminent. The Ready Player One director has nothing but praise for his literary counterpart and vice versa, and we're hopeful that they'll be able to bring The Talisman to the big screen sooner rather than later.