text:
Q: Another variant of merge sort I was supposed to come with a more efficient variant of merge sort that avoids recursive allocation of arrays while using two mutually recursive methods. However, this one is not becoming a more efficient one since its running time slower than the usual one. Any advice would be appreciated
public static void main(String[] args) {
    int[] array = {38, 27, 43, 3, 9, 82};
    System.out.println("begin with: \n" + Arrays.toString(array));
    System.out.println("------------------");

    mergesort1(array, array.length);

    System.out.println("------------------");
    System.out.println("end with: \n" + Arrays.toString(array));
}

public static void mergesort1(int[] a, int last) {

    if (last > 1) {
        int l = (last / 2);
        int r = last - l;
        int[] leftArray = new int[l];
        int[] rightArray = new int[r];

        for (int i = 0; i < l; i++) {
            leftArray[i] = a[i];
        }
        for (int i = l; i < l + r; i++) {
            rightArray[i - l] = a[i];
        }
        mergesort1(rightArray, r);
        System.arraycopy(rightArray, 0, a, l, r);
        int[] t = new int[l];
        mergesort2(leftArray, l, t);
        System.arraycopy(t, 0, a, 0, l);
        merge(t, l, last, a);
        t = null;
    }
}

public static void mergesort2(int[] b, int last, int[] d) {
    if (last > 1) {
        int l = (last / 2);
        int r = last - l;
        int[] leftArray = new int[l];
        int[] rightArray = new int[r];
        int[] dArray = new int[r];
        System.arraycopy(b, 0, leftArray, 0, l);
        System.arraycopy(b, l, rightArray, 0, r);
        System.arraycopy(d, l, dArray, 0, r);
        mergesort1(leftArray, l);
        System.arraycopy(leftArray, 0, b, 0, l);
        mergesort2(rightArray, r, dArray);
        System.arraycopy(rightArray, 0, b, l, r);
        System.arraycopy(dArray, 0, d, l, r);
        merge(b, l, last, d);
    } else {
        d[0] = b[0]; // Trivial case
    }
}

public static void merge(int[] le, int l, int n, int[] a) {
    int i = 0;
    int j = l;
    int k = 0;
    int myTemp = 0;

    while ((i < l)) {
        if ((le[i] <= a[j]) || (a[j] == 0)) {
            if ((k < a.length)) {
                a[k] = le[i];
                i++;
            }
        } else {
            if ((k < a.length)) {
                int innerTemp = 0;
                if (myTemp == 0) {
                    a[k] = a[j];
                    innerTemp = 1;
                }
                j++;
                if (j == n) {
                    j--;
                    myTemp = 1;
                    if (innerTemp == 0) {
                        a[k] = le[i];
                        i++;
                    }
                }
            }
        }
        if ((k < a.length)) {
            k++;
        }
    }
}

*Updated
I have to tried to update the code according to the suggestion below and still it doesn't give out the correct result.
public static void main(String[] args) {
    int[] array = {38, 27, 43, 3, 9, 82};
    System.out.println("begin with: \n" + Arrays.toString(array));
    System.out.println("------------------");

    mergesort(array, array.length);

    System.out.println("------------------");
    System.out.println("end with: \n" + Arrays.toString(array));
}

public static void mergesort(int[] a, int size) {
    if (size < 2) {
        return;
    }
    int[] b = new int[size];
    mergesort1(a, b, 0, size-1);

}

public static void mergesort1(int[] a, int[] b, int low, int end) {

    if ((end - low) == 1)
    {
        return;
    }
    int mid = (low + end) / 2;
    mergesort1(a, b, low, mid);
    mergesort2(a, b, mid, end);
    merge(b, a, low, mid, end);
}

public static void mergesort2(int[] a, int[] b, int low, int end) {
    if ((end - low) == 1) {
        b[low] = a[low];
        return;
    }
    int mid = (low + end) / 2;
    mergesort1(a, b, low, mid);
    mergesort2(a, b, mid, end);
    merge(a, b, low, mid, end);
}

public static void mergeArrays(int[] toSort, int[] tempArray, int low, int mid, int high) {
    int i = 0;
    int j = mid;
    int k = 0;
    int myTemp = 0;

    while ((i < mid)) {
        if ((tempArray[i] <= toSort[j]) || (toSort[j] == 0)) {
            if ((k < toSort.length)) {
                toSort[k] = tempArray[i];
                i++;
            }
        } else {
            if ((k < toSort.length)) {
                int innerTemp = 0;
                if (myTemp == 0) {
                    toSort[k] = toSort[j];
                    innerTemp = 1;
                }
                j++;
                if (j == high) {
                    j--;
                    myTemp = 1;
                    if (innerTemp == 0) {
                        toSort[k] = tempArray[i];
                        i++;
                    }
                }
            }
        }
        if ((k < toSort.length)) {
            k++;
        }
    }
}

A: You are using lots of unnecessary System.arraycopy. You only have to use array copy once after the merge, to copy the merged array into the original array. And for passing your sub-arrays to the inner functions you just have to pass the start and end indices of the sub-arrays. There is no need to copy them into another array and pass those to the functions.

A: In order to avoid recursive allocation, do a one time allocation of the temp buffer, either in main() or in an entry function that calls one of the mutually recursive functions. The mutually recursive functions just generate indices and eliminate the need to copy back, while merge() does the actual merging. This partial example uses half closed intervals, first (low) and end for parameters.
void mergesort(int[] a, int size){   // entry function
    if(size < 2)
        return;
    int[] b = new int[size];         // allocate temp buffer just once
    mergesortatoa(a, b, 0, size);    // sort a
    delete[] b;                      // delete b
}

// merge sort from a to a
void mergesortatoa(int[] a, int[] b, int low, int end)
{
    if((end - low) == 1)             // if just 1 element
        return;                      //   return
    int mid = (low + end)/2          // or low + (end - low)/2
    mergesortatob(a, b, low, mid);
    mergesortatob(a, b, mid, end);
    merge(b, a, low, mid, end);
}

// merge sort from a to b
void mergesortatob(int[] a, int[] b, int low, int end)
{
    if((end - low) == 1){            // if just 1 element
        b[low] = a[low];             //   "mergesort" a to b
        return;                      //   return
    }
    int mid = (low + end)/2          // or low + (end - low)/2
    mergesortatoa(a, b, low, mid);
    mergesortatoa(a, b, mid, end);
    merge(a, b, low, mid, end);
}

// merge from x to y (no copy, just y[...] = x[...])
void merge(int[] x, int[] y, int low, int mid, int end)
{
    // ...
}

A: You can avoid many copies by allocating a single array of the same size as the original and perform the merges alternatively to the other array.
When you get to tiny subarrays, the parity of the recursion depth will tell you if you need to merge in-place or to the other array.
38, 27, 43,  3,  9, 82
 -   -   -   -   -   -
====================== (in-place 0-1 and 3-4)
27, 38, 43,  3,  9, 82
 -   -   -   -   -   -
====================== (to copy, 0-2 and 3-5)
 -   -   -   -   -   -
27, 38, 43,  3,  9, 82
====================== (to original, 0-5)
 3,  9, 27, 38, 43, 82
 -   -   -   -   -   -

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
On Air: On DoD with Jared Serbu
3,000 NCOs getting the ax from Army with new policy
Scott Maucione@smaucioneWFED
Listen to Scott Maucione on Federal Drive with Tom Temin http://federalnewsradio.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/061516_Scott_web1.mp3
The Army is pushing out about 3,000 senior noncommissioned officers earlier than anticipated under a new policy that takes effect this fall.
A directive signed by Army Secretary Eric Fanning changes the retention control points back to levels before the U.S. troop escalation in Iraq in 2007.
Retention control points are the maximum amount of years an enlisted soldier can serve before he or she must be promoted or leave the Army.
"As the Army force structure changes, it is critical that we retain the NCOs with the most potential while making our future leadership development model a priority. The Army NCO Corps is the backbone of our Army and we will continue to allow Senior NCOs to serve a tenure that supports a balanced, healthy promotion system for all enlisted ranks," an Army spokesman told Federal News Radio.
Starting in October the retention control points for sergeant first class will be reduced from 26 years to 24.
Master sergeant control points will go from 29 years to 26 and sergeant major control points will decrease from 32 years to 30.
Last year the Army reduced its retention control points for promotable sergeants first class from 29 years to 26 and lowered tenure of promotable master sergeants from 32 to 29 years.
The soldiers are forced to retire or go to the reserve or National Guard components.
The move will help the Army meet its goal of reducing its active duty force to 450,000 by 2018. It will reduce its total force from 1.3 million to 980,000 by 2018 as well.
The directive is one of the first big policy changes by Army Secretary Eric Fanning, who was confirmed May 17.
The Army is planning to cut 10,000 officers by 2018 to reach its drawdown goals.
More experienced soldiers have been more likely to get the ax from active duty in the past.
Soldiers with more than 20 years of experience who held the rank of Lieutenant Colonel or Colonel and those in the upper echelons of the enlisted ranks made up the majority of the service's members who were laid off, said a congressional report.
Read more: Army
In total the Army involuntarily separated 494 soldiers between July and December 2015. The Army let go 238 Lieutenant Colonels and Colonels and 206 Sargeants First Class and Master Sergeants. Of the nearly 500 soldiers laid off, all except for 31 had 20 years or more of service, the report states.
The specialties of those involuntarily separated ranged from electronic warfare specialist to public affairs officer. Logistics officers took the biggest hit: the Army cut 33. Other specialties that took the brunt of the layoffs were aviation officers, with 21, Corps of Engineers officers, with 20, and infantry officers with 18, the report states.
"Over 50 percent of those we were asking to separate involuntarily had two or more combat deployments, so these are all soldiers that have answered the call of the nation; they have served admirably and because of the program force structure we must separate [from] them," said Gen. Daniel Allyn, vice chief of staff of the Army, during a March 15 Senate Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee hearing..
Allyn told the subcommittee the Army is doing everything it can through its Soldier for Life program to provide them a seamless transition into civilian life.
The Army is also giving the Army Reserve and Army National Guard first dibs on hiring the laid off soldiers.
The House Armed Services and Appropriations Committees are trying to stop the drawdown of the Army in the 2017 defense authorization bill. Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain submitted an amendment to increase defense funding by $17 billion in part to keep the Army from reducing in size.
Want to stay up to date with the latest federal news and information from all your devices? Download the revamped Federal News Network app
Scott Maucione
Scott Maucione is a defense reporter for Federal News Network and reports on human capital, workforce and the Defense Department at-large.
Follow @smaucioneWFED
Experienced, higher ranking soldiers getting the ax from Army
Defense Read more
Gen. Daniel Allyn, vice chief of staff, Army
10,000 Army officers on chopping block, Army official says
Army Read more
All News Army Daniel Allyn Defense Eric Fanning Hiring/Retention John McCain Workforce

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


"When most people think of Domain Name Auction, what comes to mind is usually basic information that's not particularly interesting or beneficial. But there's a lot more to Domain Name Auction than just the basics."
"So far, we've uncovered some interesting facts about Domain Name Auction. You may decide that the following information is even more interesting."
"Now that wasn't hard at all, was it? And you've earned a wealth of knowledge, just from taking some time to study an expert's word on Domain Name Auction."


One of the difficult rooms to adorn will most likely be the kitchen. The main reason for this is that there are so many things which might be considered necessities in this bedroom that finding a place for all of them can be difficult. In many instances, the room will come equipped with a stove and refrigerator. In the event the previous owner or renter gave little thought to capitalizing on space by using full size machines, this is a great place to start. Downsize those two items and you have immediately added much needed space. Tiny kitchens have a penchant for being both lengthy and narrow as in a galley kitchen, or a place that is L shaped. The L shaped kitchen might normally have all the typical kitchen accessories at the long end and open space with the other for the sitting arrangement.
Omagnatta - Wood antique arm chairs ideas on foter. This charming antique wooden arm chair sports a stunning design and is more than enough for when you need to elevate your home d�cor, while still providing a comfortable seat for your family or guests. Accent chairs with wooden arms wayfair. At wayfair, we want to make sure you find the best home goods when you shop online you have searched for accent chairs with wooden arms and this page displays the closest product matches we have for accent chairs with wooden arms to buy online. Best 25 wooden chairs ideas on pinterest wooden office. Find and save ideas about wooden chairs on pinterest see more ideas about wooden office chair, wood chair design and modern wood chair. Wooden arm chairs living room wooden home style. Wooden arm chairs living room esters wood arm chair project 62 awesome wooden arm chairs living wooden arm chairs living room leather accent chairs with arms livingroom red for living room under wooden arm chairs living room wooden arm chairs living room picture 8 of 33 living room accent. Wooden arm chairs living room. Browse photos of awesome living room great amazing chairs interesting [158kb] discover inspiration for your awesome living room great amazing chairs interesting 585x329 remodel or upgrade with ideas for storage, organization, layout and decor. Arm chairs: buy wooden arm chair online in india at low price. Some arm chairs are upholstered only in the seating part, some come entirely upholstered while some are just wooden chairs without any layer of fabric on them so, it totally depends on what level of comfort are you expecting from your armrest chair. Wooden arm chairs ace furniture. Wooden arm chairs a strong durable selection of wooden arm chairs for the hotel, bar, lounge and restaurant trades the sturdy construction and appearance make them ideal for both traditional and modern settings. Wooden arm chair ebay. Find great deals on ebay for wooden arm chair shop with confidence. Wooden arm chair, wooden arm chair suppliers and. Offers 21,211 wooden arm chair products about 31% of these are living room chairs, 26% are dining chairs, and 1% are other furniture a wide variety of wooden arm chair options are available to you, such as living room chair, dining chair. Arm chair wood arms ideas on foter. Arm chairs are very common in living rooms there are many different types from simple scandinavian designs to contemporary and stylish chairs with curved wooden backs, the options are indeed endless accent arm chairs are mostly bought for their beauty and are perfectly designed to offer unique furnishing for any home.


text:
Pastor Tunde Bakare rejects Christmas cow from President Jonathan
NEWSBy editor2 29th December 2013 Leave a comment
Former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir El Rufai, has revealed that Pastor Tunde Bakare, the General Overseer of the Latter Rain Assembly, turned down a cow, which was reportely sent to him for Christmas by President Jonathan.In a tweet posted on Sunday, El Rufai wrote: "Just learnt that GEJ sent a Christmas…
Oduah: Civil Society Groups Demand Release Of Presidential Panel Report On N255m Bulletproof Cars Scam
The political stormy weather for Aviation Minister, Ms. Stella Oduah seems not to be over yet as Civil Society Groups have launched fresh demands into the immediate release of the report of the presidential panel that investigated the N255 million BMW bulletproof cars scam.The three-man administrative panel set up by President Goodluck Jonathan submitted its…
Jonathan can never win any election in Nigeria again, especially 2015 unless he pulled wires – Amaechi
Amaechi: PDP can never win any election in Nigeria againamaechiPUNCH NEWSPAPER – Ahead of the 2015 presidential election, the Rivers State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has said unless the Peoples Democratic Party embraces rigging, it can never win elections in the country.The governor, who made this remark while speaking with newsmen in Port Harcourt on…
2014: Tackling Boko Haram remains Nigeria's top priority- Maku
The Information Minister, Labaran Maku, says stamping out insurgency remains the topmost priority of the Federal Government as it succeeded in containing terrorism in the North East to Borno and Yobe in the last one year.Giving the scorecard of the Federal Government in 2013 in a phone-in programme on Radio Nigeria, Mr. Maku said the…
2015: Ex-militants rally support for Jonathan, urged on Nigerians to support his second term bid
The last may not have been heard of the controversial exchange of letters between President Goodluck Jonathan and his estranged political god-father, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, especially concerning the 2015 presidential election.Since Obasanjo fired the first salvo in his December 2, 2013 letter, followed by the President's December 22 response, there have been series of…
Nigeria Army prepares in prevision to the end of the amalgamation,GOCs, Brigade Commanders, others moved
Chief Army Staff•Soldiers' annual leave cancelled, surveillance ordered for installationsIn a massive shake-up on Friday, the Nigeria Army deployed its key senior officers including General Officers Commanding (GOCs), Corps Commanders and other senior officers.The GOCs affected are Major General John Nwaoga of the 3 Division and Major General Junaid Bindawa, 7 Division of the Nigeria…
Ralph Uwazuruike's MASSOB clashes with Nigeria Police in Onitsha One killed, 11 injured
The members of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, on Friday clashed with the police in Anambra State, leaving one person dead, and eleven others in various degrees of injuries.A source told DailyPost that trouble started when a police team on surveillance flagged down a motorist along the ever…
Determined than ever to Islamise all, Okorocha Advice govs, legislators to join APC
Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, has urged other state governors yet to defect to All Progressives Congress (APC) to do so without delay. The Imo governor assured them that their political interest is guaranteed in the party than the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP).The governor also urged members of the National Assembly who want…
Another Islamised Gov Speaks: National confab is a big joke, says Elechi
Ebonyi State governor, Chief Martin Elechi, yesterday made a surprising U-turn on the proposed national conference ennuciated by President Goodluck Jonathan, describing it as a big joke and waste of time.This apart, Elechi said it was a distraction to Jonathan as the general elections approach.The governor, an ardent ally to Jonathan's policies and programmes, stated…
Political killings: North makes Jonathan scapegoat urges him to prosecute Obasanjo and to forget second term in 2015
The North has asked President Goodluck Jonathan to explain who he was waiting for before taking action to bring officials of the former President Olusegun Obasanjo administration to book over political killings which he (Jonathan) said were the order of the day when Obasanjo held sway as the head of government in the country.It also…
23456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215216217218219220221222223224225226227228229230231232233234235236237238239240241242243244245246247248249250251252253254255256257258259260261262263264265266267268269270271272273274275276277278279280281282283284285286287288289290291292293294295296297298299300301302303304305306307308309310311312313314315316317318319320321322323324325326327328329330331332333334335336337338339340341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387388389390391392393394395396397398399400401402403404405406407408409410411412413414415416417418419420421422423424425426427428429430431432433434435436437438439440441442443444445446447448449450451452453454455456457458459460461462463464465466467468469470471472473474475476477478479480481482483484485486487488
494495496497498499500501502503504505506507508509510511512513514515516517518519520521522523524525526527528529530531532533534535536537538539540541542543544545546547548549550551552553554555556557558559560561562563564565566567568569570571572573574575576577578579580581582583584585586587588589590591592593594595596597598599600601602603604605606607608609610611612613614615616617618619620621622623624625626627628629630


text:
Christian de Chalonge (né 1937), réalisateur français
 Daniel Chalonge (1895–1977), astronome et astrophysicien français
 (2040) Chalonge, un astéroïde de la ceinture principale
 Chalonge (cratère), un cratère lunaire

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Galaxy glow is a new stat that helps attract the alien monsters. The galaxy glow page shows you all of the new equipment with the stat on them!
See how the new special items and their stats compare with other special items! You can sort the special items by any of the stats to see what will help your setup the most.
If you don't want to see pictures of ghosts before you catch them, please avoid all of the ghost pages.
The information in this wiki has been gathered by players who want to share what they've learned about the game. This means that the answers to many questions about the game are compiled in the wiki.
If you prefer to discover everything on your own, this site may affect your enjoyment of the game.
Ghost Trappers (Stand-alone Ghost Trappers (Ghost Trappers on FB) is a passive game originally developed for Facebook and created by Diviad Gmbh. It takes place in Virtual Scotland: a fantasy version of Scotland. Players assume the roles of agents whose tasks are to expose funny ghosts to the unsuspecting world. They do so by taking pictures of the ghosts and collecting them in their photo album. Ghosts can be lured into the traps with the thing they love most: magic potions and concoctions made with magic potions! Now Alien visitors have joined the mix, and new skills are needed.
The Ghost Trappers Wiki, or GTWiki for short, is here to help both newbies and veteran players by providing a readily accessible knowledge base covering all aspects of gameplay.
Want to help? This site is built by players, for players. And we'd love to have your help!
We do our best to keep you informed about new ghosts and locations, gameplay changes, or any changes to the information we have about set-up items as quickly as possible. If you spot something new or changed, please let us know!


Annotation: This lecture, delivered during the planning conference for the Judiciary's line administrators in Hawaii, explains the concept of futures research and its application to the judicial planning process.
Abstract: The concept of futures research has grown out of the assumption that we live in a dynamic society in which the traditional planning based on the past experience is inadequate. It is, therefore, necessary to develop decisionmaking modes that are based upon an alternative futures perspective. Trend analysis, in which one phenomenon is plotted over time, looked at in the past and present, and projected into the future, is one aspect of futures research. Data-storing equipment is making it more possible than ever. However, the essential part of the research is based on emerging-issue analysis, in which new ideas are identified as early in their growth cycle as possible. There is then more time to analyze their impact and possibly influence their growth. This is not possible in trend analysis which looks at things in the broad rapid growth midsection. The futures portion of the plan thus seeks to devise a process which will allow us to assess the multitude of things which might happen; to pick out the few that are most likely to happen or which if they do will have the biggest impact; and to begin to devise strategies for coping with these problems or diverting them. Examples of trend analysis programs and of the applications of futures research and emerging issues analysis to the judiciary are included.
Note: Transcript of remarks presented on March 28-30, 1980 at the Hawaii Judiciary's Planning Conference for line administrators.


summer and tech: primal screens & how to respond — doreen dodgen-magee psy.d.
It's July 6th and summer is, quite officially, here. With how quickly time passes, I know I will blink my eyes and the crush of back to school will be upon us. For this reason, I invite you to stop whatever you were doing before you stumbled upon this post. I encourage you to bring your full attention to the ideas here rather than simply skimming through them on the way to your next web destination. Perhaps you can close your eyes (after you read this sentence), take a few deep breaths, and find center. Here in the U.S. we have about 6 - 8 weeks of what we call summer. Let's take a few minutes to think about them with intention.
I recently shared a popular U.S. "destination city" and a few airplane rides with a lot of folks who were, as my Irish friends might say, "on holiday." Not surprisingly, everywhere I looked I saw the new American posture: hands held at chest height, backs hunched, eyes gazing downward, faces lit by screens. Tempted by and tethered to my own smartphone as camera, map, guide "book," boarding pass, and communication device, I noticed how much my recreation time has come to include a primary attachment to screens. There I was, a person who encourages embodied living, pulling my phone out every time I witnessed something of note. Since I was traveling alone it was all too easy to loose myself in texts to those back home, to surfing the internet through a meal, or to any number or ways of letting my device be my primary travel companion. This got me to noticing both my own behavior and that of others. From this experience I have come up with a list of challenges for myself this summer and I'd like to share them with you. Might you join me in noticing the way in which your primary connection to your screen might impact the way in which you do or do not invade your full body and the spaces it occupies?
Humbly, I offer you some technology free challenges for these remaining days of summer.
Do One Thing at a Time: Given the likelihood that we have fewer externally imposed deadlines in the next several weeks this seems like the perfect time to schedule in a day or two of doing one thing at a time. During the "productivity heavy" months of September through May we often feel as though we can't afford the potential "incompletes" that might come with doing one thing at a time. In the summer, however, it may be possible to stretch our "to do" lists out an hour or day or more in order to provide time for uni-tasking. This means, taking on only one task at any given moment. This could include doing a work or home task without listening to a podcast or cooking without having the t.v. on. It might mean making a phone call and doing nothing else while we talk or watching a movie without texting or emailing or working while doing so. Very likely we will become frustrated or bored when we try this. We will feel like we are wasting time and may become irritable. If we are committed to the challenge and continue past these initial emotional hurdles, we will, over time, come to a place of paced calm and steadiness which might just make up for the reduction in productivity and speed.
Multitasking is a fancy word for distractibility and takes a toll on our physical, emotional, and intellectual functioning. Given the pace and expectations of modern life, most of us multitask constantly, making ourselves increasingly effective at it over time. It is important for us to provide opportunities for our selves to remember what it feels like to focus on one thing and one thing alone. This action provides the brain with opportunities to sink into what is sometimes referred to as "deep work" and offers our central nervous systems the opportunity to process and function in healthy and realistic manners.
Get Bored (on purpose): In my (well informed) opinion, boredom intolerance is one of the most profound impacts of humanity's current over-reliance upon technology. Whereas daily life used to offer unavoidable periods of time bereft of stimulation, our current connection to computers in our pockets and screens everywhere around us offers the opposite. Laura Ingalls faced boredom as a function of being alive when she was and many others were like her. Presently, however, boredom is something most people can easily avoid. Standing in line or waiting in traffic? Look at your phone. Between meetings or spending some time in the bathroom? Play another round of (fill in the blank with whatever game you play). Walking or running or driving? Pack every minute of the walk/run/drive with podcasts and playlists. Land on an evening or day with no plans? Text or FaceBook message everyone you know and find something to do. NOW!
There are certain life skills that can only be "caught" or mastered by being presented with opportunities to be bored and then living through them. Boredom tolerance is positively correlated with measures of creativity and flexibility in problem solving. It enhances self regulation skills and can increase our confidence. We are often better friends, more patient family members/co-workers, and better equipped humans when we are not reliant upon being constantly stimulated. When we can tolerate stillness, live (even if only messily) through unaccounted for periods of time without compulsively filling them, and, generally, not need constant entertainment, we are contributing to a more balanced way of living for ourselves and others.
Collect Idle Moments: The small segments of time that emerge "in between the real tasks of our days" are what I refer to as "idle time." Given the pace at which most of us currently live, these fleeting moments often go completely unnoticed let alone accounted for. With little experience with or value for boredom and/or the need to be still, we fill these moments with productivity. Advancing to a new game level feels more fulfilling, then, than sitting idly between tasks. The problem is that we often spend more time with our screens in these moments than we intend, thereby leaving us feeling pressured in approaching the tasks required of daily life.
I am experimenting with collecting these moments, stacking tasks back to back in order to save a block of minutes rather than using them in the small 3-5 minute chunks of time that present themselves between tasks. This means that I might put my phone or computer in a different part of the house when I am working on physical tasks, completing 30 minutes of work without looking at screens so that I can have 30 full minutes to treat myself to a great book or a conversation with a friend. Or it might mean that I turn off all notifications while I write so that I am not tempted to toggle back and forth to email and Instagram, instead completing my writing task more efficiently and having time "off" when finished.
We often capriciously claim to have "no time" for all manner of things that we assert as being important to us while at the same time giving unlimited time for the mindless task of looking at screen based content. I am convinced that one of the most effective ways of making time for the pursuits we claim to be important is to stop frittering away the small moments of time between tasks in mindless screen engagement in order to save and, later, invest them mindfully instead.
Record Memories/Photographs (some of the time without your phone): There were several experiences on my recent trip where my mind was fully blown and my eyes were overcome with important images. Noticing that grabbing for my phone significantly impacted how I attended to the experiences I was in, I chose to challenge myself to take only a quarter of the pictures I wanted to take. This was, of course, not a scientific process but, rather, one where I became much more highly attuned to why I wanted to record an image and how that might help or hurt my embodied experience. With practice I found that taking a detailed mental account of the sights, smells, sounds, and feelings provided a much richer sense of encoding and experiencing the moment than simply snapping a photo might do. A few times I tried to sketch the experience and at other times I journaled.
I have more photos than I will ever refer back to or share. With this new system I am elevating a lived experience over a "captured" experience and it feels different in a very beautiful way.
Actually Know Where You Are and Experience It: With my smartphone in my hand it is easy for me to visit a city and state and never have any idea where I've been. Google maps gets me where ever I need to go and I can Yelp my way to the "best" meals and experiences. When I rely on these tools, however, I find that I have a diminished awareness of the subtleties of where I am. I don't like this feeling of mindless navigation so I have changed things up radically.
I am going back, at least some of the time, to paper maps. I ask locals where I should eat and what I should see. I use my phone to look up things like local high school or college plays and concerts and try to go to them. I look at a bigger picture map before I leave and when I return to make sense of where I've been and to honor it as a place full of uniquenesses, quirks, and personality not always found in online travel sites.
Rethink Road Trips and Plane Rides: As humans we get better at those actions that we practice. This means we have become very good at relying on screens for distraction and entertainment. Trips, when we are stuck in the car or on a plane (or train or bus), are the perfect time to try practicing some new skills. There's no need to read every mom blog on the planet to find the perfect road trip activities or to spend inordinate amounts of money on travel specific games and accoutrements. Instead, grab a pen and some paper and challenge yourself (or your family) to sketch or write poetry. Force yourself to look out the window and notice sites specific to where you are. Practice boredom tolerance or learn to knit or crochet. Do a crossword puzzle (even if/especially if you hate them) or go through the alphabet coming up with something you are grateful for that starts with each letter. Make up stories in your mind about your seat mate or tell a story in the car with each person offering one word in rotation. The goal isn't Pinterest perfection, it's simply taking the opportunity of "captivity" to discipline yourself to practice something new.
Try Something New: When our time is at a premium we often feel a need to maximize the very little of it that we have free. If we only have one day a week that is set apart to move at a more personal pace, there is pressure to chose how to use that day carefully. Also, during the months of the traditional academic year, new pursuits often require long and involved commitments. In the summer months a community college class might last a month instead of the 4 months it fills during the school year.
I find that we make all sorts of assumptions about what there is and is not to experience in our own geographic areas or to learn from those people and resources that we have access to. I also find that these assumptions are frequently wrong. I challenge myself (and invite you) capitalize on the little bits of wiggle room that summer provides to try something I've wanted to try but haven't.* If nothing else, maybe that will be continuing to find ways to keep my screen a secondary (or tertiary) attachment instead of a primary one.
*Let your mind wander about things you've always wanted to try. Make a list and include everything that comes to mind. Don't omit anything. Sit with that list for an day and let the top several ideas rise. When 2 or 3 new things surface as the most desirable, re-focus your brainstorming on how you might break down learning about them or trying them into manageable chunks. Let your mind wander about any resources that might aid you in your attempts before you do research online. If there are no people within your geographic community that can teach you or enable the experience, ask others if they have ideas of how you might carry out learning more or getting to check the item off your list.


Listings of human reviewed and edited web directory of websites and resources categorized by subject.
3. Christian Directory - Listing of Christian Sites across the globe.
Human-edited general directory of quality, SEO-friendly, family-friendly, and spam-free sites. Featured and standard listing options are available.
10. The Games and Toys Directory - Listing of Games and Toys Sites across the globe.


text:
Home > School Directory > Massachusetts > Berkshire School
Berkshire School - Review #1
Read more details about Berkshire School on their 2023 profile page.
Berkshire School
5 Berkshire School alumni 1
I rowed on the Varsity crew team for my three years at Berkshire. I was able to serve as the Captain of the team my senior year. I was also able to ski race on the Alpine team as well as join the Nordic team my senior year. I was able to give tours to prospective students, which was fun!
During my three years at Berkshire, I was able to take advantage of many unique opportunities that other boarding schools just did not offer. For example, I was able to attend The Island School during Berkshire's Pro Vita program which was an amazing opportunity. I was also able to take part in the Black Rock Scholar program which allowed me to give back to Berkshire by mapping the trail system on the mountain behind the school. The physical setting of Berkshire under the mountain was the perfect back drop and an absolutely stunning campus with fantastic facilities. The people in the Berkshire community are what will stick with me, I met my absolute best friends there!
I feel like I became a more confident learner and individual at Berkshire. I grew literally and figuratively during my three years, and I would not trade my time there for anything!
My advice to new students would be to not be afraid to try new things. It can be a bit scary to put yourself out there at first, but it is very rewarding in the end!
The people and the mountain are what makes Berkshire Berkshire... it's a very special place to me and it will always hold a place in my heart.
I love the bacon, egg & cheese sandwiches at Shawn's... the school snack bar!
I feel like I really grew as a learned during my time at Berkshire. I was able to really challenge myself and knew that I had faculty and a very supportive advisor on my side. I particularly enjoyed being able to dig deeper into classes such as Sustainability and AP Environmental Science. I am now interested in studying Environmental Studies at Bates.
I felt very fortunate to be able to contribute to a very successful crew program. I was lucky enough to be a part of the first boat for all three years and medalling in the NEIRA championship. I appreciated being able to ski race in a very strong program. I was also able to try something completely new my senior year by joining the Nordic team which was lots of fun!
At Berkshire I tried Digital Art for the first time and loved it. My teacher, Mr Roe, was amazing and helped me tap into my creative side. He encouraged me to submit my work into an Art Show in the outside community.
There are so many ways to get involved at Berkshire. If you want to start a club that is not already in existence than you and your friends can start one. I got involved in lots of ways.
I lived in Buck's dorm for all three years and had the best time. I loved the community that we had in the dorm and we looked out for each other. I made some of my best friends living in the dorm and will take those memories with me.
I enjoyed sitting at tables in the dining hall and talking with people about all sorts of things. I enjoyed advisee lunch on Wednesdays... it created a great sense of community. The food was good... could be a bit better... I really liked the dumplings!
Berkshire is in a rural setting for sure, but a short drive away is Great Barrington, which is a really cool town. Lots of great restaurants and stores... I really liked the candy shop and SoCo the ice cream place. Catamount & Butternut ski areas are within 20 minutes of campus, which is a big plus!
Berkshire is a very friendly place. I liked that there were all kinds of kids doing all kinds of things and everyone was very supportive. For example, the play this winter was Rent and the whole school comes out to be supportive as well as big sporting events.
start class
Berkshire School Alumni #1
During my three years at Berkshire, I was able to take advantage of many unique opportunities that other boarding schools just did not offer. For example, I was able to attend The Island School during. . .
Every year at Berkshire School, the school holds a Pro Vita week. During this week, students get to take classes that vary from their typical classes. These classes span from learning how to cook sustainability. . .
A unique aspect of Berkshire School is its Advanced Math and Science Research program. Students work with the head of the program in Berkshire's lab and are also often mentored by faculty of labs around. . .
Show more reviews (14 reviews)
Application Deadline: Jan. 15
How Private Schools Evolved in the United States


text:
The Inside Story: How House Democrats Tempered a GOP Bill That Makes It Harder to Vote
Members of the minority party knew they didn't have the votes to kill Senate Bill 7, but they won a few useful amendments behind closed doors.
Representative Rafael Anchia, a Democrat from Dallas, speaks against SB 7, at the Texas Capitol, on May 6, 2021. Eric Gay/AP
Thirty minutes into debate in the House on Senate Bill 7, Dallas Democrat Rafael Anchia had Briscoe Cain, the Republican chairman of the Elections Committee, boxed in a rhetorical corner. Democrats were trying to show that the bill was nakedly partisan voter suppression meant to justify Donald Trump's "big lie" that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. Anchia had picked on a clause in Cain's bill, "purity of the ballot box," that originated in the Reconstruction era as a justification to keep Black Texans from voting. He had pressed the representative from Deer Park into bashfully admitting that he was ignorant of the history of the term—a small win at least on Twitter, where the exchange went viral.
But the victory was short-lived. Forty-five minutes later, the first Texas House vote on the bill—concerning an amendment by Dallas Democrat Jessica González that would have stripped all the text from the legislation—showed the futility of the Democrat's fight. The amendment went down 80–65, on a partisan vote with one Republican, San Antonio's Lyle Larson, breaking from his party to support it. Democrats had filed 133 other amendments and were prepared to fight all night, but House Republicans had the votes to crush all of them.
Behind the main chamber, however, out of public view, another group of Democrats was fighting to gain concessions. Three members of the party had joined five Republicans in a conference room to negotiate substantial changes in the bill, including ones to lessen proposed criminal penalties for unintentional voter fraud and to protect caregivers of the disabled and elderly from being prosecuted for what otherwise would be the new crime of helping someone to vote. The Democrats knew they could not stop passage of Senate Bill 7, but felt they could make it "less bad." The prospect of having to repeatedly defend the bill against allegations of racism, and of potentially providing testimony that could be used in a civil rights lawsuit invalidating the bill, made Republicans receptive to negotiations.
Talks had begun informally the previous day with overtures of compromise in a meeting led by Speaker Dade Phelan's right-hand floor manager, Representative Dustin Burrows of Lubbock. Unlike Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, whose chamber had passed an "election integrity" bill so onerous that it was immediately denounced nationally as voter suppression, Phelan had to consider compromise. Patrick is elected statewide and can exclude Democrats from lawmaking without fear of retribution; the Speaker is elected by the membership of both parties in the House, and compromise is a key to keeping a majority coalition together.
But when Anchia, Black Caucus chair Nicole Collier, and Democratic caucus chair Chris Turner showed up in mid-afternoon on Thursday, they were met by a small group of seemingly hostile Republican representatives. Cain and Gonzalez, the vice chair of the Elections Committee, had been excluded from the meeting because they were considered to be lightning rods. The Democrats present had handed over a copy of SB 7 that was redlined with objections. Republican Andrew Murr of Junction flipped through the 27-page document rejecting one proposed change after another.
The meeting dissolved quickly. The Democrats left angry, feeling as if they had been set up. The Republicans in the room felt as though they had been made partisan targets. One told me that it was time for "cooler heads" to gather to "fix the problems instead of politically posturing."
Burrows had not been in the meeting and when he learned of its collapse, he immediately started trying to put it back together. He asked for help from Edinburg Democrat Terry Canales, who in turn enlisted El Paso Democrat Joe Moody, the House speaker pro tempore. Neither Canales nor Moody were intimately familiar with the bill, so Moody grabbed Elections Committee member John Bucy, of Austin, off the floor. They all headed for the West Conference Room.
Moody says he went into the meeting feeling haunted by a similarly contentious fight over a bill in 2017. That year, Republicans had drafted SB 4, which was set to outlaw sanctuary cities, which decline to cooperate with federal immigration authorities who seek to deport undocumented immigrants who are held in county jails. Democrats had prepared more than 150 amendments and planned to spend the night of debate shaming Republicans on the floor, even if they knew they didn't have the votes to pass the amendments. In retribution, Republicans filed an amendment of their own, to add a provision giving police the power to demand proof of legal residency from suspected undocumented immigrants. It was a provision many believed would lead to racial profiling. The "show me your papers" amendment promptly passed, as did the bill at large. Democrats couldn't even claim a moral victory. "I was in all those rooms on SB 4, and I remember the feeling when it fell apart," Moody recalled for me. "You got to learn the lessons from mistakes like that."
Moody saw the same potential debacle approaching in the voting-restriction bill this year. Even though the House version was less onerous than its counterpart in the Senate, the bill still would have enhanced jail penalties for voting crimes that are most often committed through ignorance of the rules. And it would have made it a state jail felony for any local election official to distribute a vote-by-mail application to a voter who did not request it, as Chris Hollins, then the Harris County clerk, tried to do last year. It wasn't legislation Democrats could support.
But the party didn't have the votes to block the bill, because passing "election integrity" measures is an important vote for the GOP caucus. A Texas Tribune poll from February found that 73 percent of Texas Republicans believe that last year's election results did not accurately reflect the legal votes that were cast, and a majority of Republicans in an April survey supported some of the restrictions in the Senate bill. The question for Moody and his Democratic colleagues was how to limit damage.
The second round of negotiations started about an hour before the full House began debate on SB 7 at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Many Democrats on the floor wore black face masks emblazoned with "Good Trouble," in honor of the late civil rights icon John Lewis.
The mood in the second negotiation was completely different from that of the midday meeting. Bucy, Canales, and Moody sat down with Republicans Murr, Brooks Landgraf of Odessa, Morgan Meyer of Dallas, and Stephanie Klick, a former chair of the Tarrant County Republican Party who had headed the House Elections Committee in 2019 when similar legislation was considered. This time, Burrows also sat in on the meeting, signaling the Speaker's desire for compromise.
The Republicans wanted to avoid a divisive floor fight, and a demonstration of cooperation could work to their advantage in court. (There are already at least six challenges to the election bill Georgia passed in March, and the Harris County commissioners voted last week to file a lawsuit over any restrictive legislation the Lege passes.) The GOP representatives were joined by an attorney, Elizabeth Alvarez Bingham, the former vice chair of the Dallas County Republican Party. Bingham sits on the board of the American Civil Rights Project (formerly known as the Equal Voting Rights Institute), which unsuccessfully sued Dallas county commissioners in 2015, alleging that they discriminated against white voters by gerrymandering municipal districts to favor minorities. But Bingham, an election law litigator, was instrumental in urging the Republican negotiators to accept most of the proposed changes to the bill, Democratic negotiators told me.
The negotiations had made progress by a quarter past eight, but the leaders needed time to continue without the bill actually being debated further on the floor. Under guidance from his caucus, freshman Dallas Democrat John Turner called a point of order, arguing that the bill violated an obscure House rule. Members in the meeting knew the legislative maneuver was unlikely to kill the bill, but it would provide the needed delay for negotiations to keep going.
Over the course of the negotiation, which lasted well past midnight, Democrats earned concessions on about three quarters of their requests to water down the bill. They ensured that the mere act of violating a voting rule would not be regarded as a crime unless the person who committed the infraction knew he or she was breaking the law. (This could retroactively cover the case of Crystal Mason, a Fort Worth woman sentenced to five years in prison for casting a ballot while on supervised release on a tax fraud charge, even though she didn't know she was not eligible to vote.) Democrats also negotiated the inclusion of a clause allowing election judges to remove poll watchers who violate state law by intimidating voters. And they added language barring poll watchers from obstructing a voter, while also making it a criminal offense for someone to give a voter false information with the intent of preventing them from casting a ballot.
Phelan called the House back to order at 2:42 a.m. on Friday. In the following twenty minutes, the House passed eighteen amendments to SB 7, one of which, authored by Murr, contained 43 substantive changes to the bill. The amendment was so complex that it took lawyers two and a half hours to draft it. Then, on a mostly partisan vote of 81–64, with only Larson, again, breaking from his party, the House gave the bill tentative approval. The usually testy Cain ended the anticlimactic debate with a whimper rather than the expected bang: "It's 3 a.m," he said, resigned. "I close." The bill was sent back to the Senate later in the day.
One of the negotiators told me Bucy won the day by urging the Republicans, "Let's not be Georgia; let's not be Florida." (Both states recently passed controversial restrictions on voting that were widely denounced as voter suppression.) Despite the backroom success for Democrats, however, Bucy worries that the hard-negotiated changes will be imperiled in a conference committee with the Senate meant to reconcile the two chambers' versions of the bill. Patrick has played partisan hardball all session, denying Democrats any victories on his package of priority legislation—bills tailored not to the priorities of the majority of Texans but rather to those of Republican primary voters.
https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/house-democrats-tempered-gop-bill-that-makes-it-harder-to-vote/?utm_source=texasmonthly.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=sharebutton