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'A transparent lens': Glass atrium will be the centerpiece of remodeled KeyArena
Originally published January 18, 2018 at 7:31 pm Updated January 20, 2018 at 12:25 pm
The revamped plan, unveiled to the Seattle Design Commission, shows an all-glass atrium that will give visitors a better view of the historical KeyArena roof.
A revamped plan for a new main entrance at the south end of a remodeled KeyArena got a mostly positive reception Thursday when officially unveiled to the Seattle Design Commission.
The Oak View Group and members of the Populous architectural firm have scrapped what was to be an above-ground parking garage and replaced it with a glass atrium serving as the arena's main entrance once a $600 million remodel is completed. Visitors entering from the street can walk through the atrium and directly into the arena's upper level, or can take an escalator to lower-level sections below ground.
"We've looked at it as an opportunity," Populous architect Geoff Cheong told the commission. "What can we do now that the above-ground parking garage is gone?"
The 360-foot-long atrium has been scaled back in spots from initial concepts and will have glass on all sides and its ceiling. Cheong told the commission the idea was to build "a transparent lens" through which visitors could better see KeyArena's Paul Thiry-designed roof, which has gained historical landmark status and must be preserved during the renovation.
Meeting with and gaining approval from the design commission is part of an approximately yearlong public review process needed before construction to modify the 56-year-old arena can begin.
The above-ground-parking-garage idea was controversial when unveiled last April. OVG revealed at the time it planned to seek public funding for the garage from the Port of Seattle, while community activists worried about the traffic bottleneck it might cause.
OVG scrapped the idea a few weeks later and released new design renderings that showed a staircase and plaza leading up to what was then a solid-roofed atrium on the south end. In this latest rendering, the stairway and plaza remain while the scaled-back, all-glass atrium now offers better views of the existing roofline both on approach and once inside.
There also were improvements made to the south boundary of the arena site — along Thomas Street — to offer an "improved pedestrian experience" to those approaching the venue from that side.
Deborah Frausto, an executive with the Uptown Alliance community group, told the commission during a public comment period that her organization is pleased with what OVG has done with the building's south end. OVG attended a recent Uptown Alliance general meeting of around 80 residents, with many expressing concern about aesthetics and public spaces — especially on the Thomas Street south end portion serving as an important connector route to other neighborhoods.
"I think it's great," she said of how those concerns were handled in the latest designs. "I think it's really needed."
Frausto did express concern about OVG plans to build vehicle drop-off points on First and Second Avenues. The Uptown Alliance and OVG are having a second general meeting to deal with mobility issues, and Frausto said the drop-off points had raised "real concerns, a lot of questions. It's really hard to figure out how that works well in our community."
OVG officials at the commission meeting said a "broader area" for the drop-off points is being considered to try to ease concerns about how they would impede traffic flow and hurt the area's overall aesthetics. The group also said it will continue to look at ways to improve vehicle egress away from the arena once games conclude.
Aside from the $600 million renovation – which OVG hopes to have done by October 2020 in time for the start of the NHL season – the group has committed another $60 million toward a city transportation fund and various local charities.
A statement released by OVG after Thursday's meeting said the latest renderings were merely meant to update the commission on where things are at and "will be further refined in response to community input and design evolution during the public review process.''
Geoff Baker: 206-464-8286
or gbaker@seattletimes.com.
On Twitter @GeoffBakerTIMES

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


London -- The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and its predecessor, the Financial Services Authority, have imposed more than £1 billion in fines over the past two-and-a-half years. This compares to less than £320 million in fines imposed over the entire decade prior to 1 April 2012, according to a report by NERA Economic Consulting, Trends in Regulatory Enforcement in UK Financial Markets: 2014/15 Mid-Year Report.
Over the 2013/14 financial year, the FCA handed down £420.8 million in fines to individuals and firms, and £427.3 million in 2012/13. Fines for the 2014/15 financial year, which ends on 31 March 2015, are on pace to reach their highest level to date, with a total of £221 million imposed as at 30 September 2014. These record fine levels have been driven by a handful of large fines imposed on financial institutions, including several fines in connection with alleged manipulation of LIBOR and other benchmark lending rates.
However, fines against individuals have fallen substantially, both in number and aggregate amount, a trend seemingly at odds with the FCA's emphasis on enforcement against individuals as an integral part of its "credible deterrence" strategy. Since reaching a peak in 2011/12 of £19.9 million, total fines against individuals have declined to £3.9 million in 2013/14 and £1.7 million in the first-half of 2014/15.
"Fine levels could remain high as the FCA begins to impose penalties for foreign exchange manipulation," said Robert Patton, NERA Associate Director and author of the study. "At the same time, it is unclear if and when enforcement activity against individuals will return to the higher levels observed a few years ago."
Trends in Regulatory Enforcement in UK Financial Markets 2014/15 Mid-Year Report analyses trends based on NERA's proprietary database of fines and other enforcement activity by the FCA and FSA. The report also provides a discussion of recent developments in enforcement and looks ahead to how fines and enforcement may evolve in light of emerging conduct issues and relevant legal and regulatory changes.
Nine of the 10 largest ever fines have been imposed since the beginning of the 2012/13 financial year.
Five of the panel banks that set LIBOR and other interbank rates have been fined by the FCA in connection with allegations of manipulation of those rates, as have two brokerage firms. Going forward, LIBOR fines may be imposed on individuals as well.
The number of fines against firms has been fairly stable over the past few years, even as the aggregate amount has grown, with 26 fines imposed in 2012/13, 27 in 2013/14, and 12 in the first half of 2014/15, on pace for 24 by the end of the financial year. The mix of types of conduct for which firms have been sanctioned has been fairly stable, though fines for Unsuitable Investments and Mis-Selling have increased somewhat, while fines for Compliance Failures have declined.
Consistent with the overall decline in fines against individuals, fines and fine amounts for Insider Dealing have declined recently.
The FCA's Revised Penalty Framework, which applies to fines sanctioning conduct that occurred wholly or mostly subsequent to 6 March 2010, has been used to determine fine amounts in a growing proportion of cases and may have contributed to the growth in fines against firms.
NERA has been analysing trends in enforcement and shareholder class action litigation for more than 20 years. In addition to this report, NERA publishes annual US and Canada Trends studies.


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Virat Kohli angry after 'fan' breaks in and posts 'leaked video' of his hotel room in social media
Perth, October 31: Virat Kohli put out a rather irritant message in his social media accounts after a 'fan' entered his room, shot video and posted online, and it has created a massive ruckus in cricketing circles.
The incident happened during the India vs South Africa match here at the Optus Stadium on Sunday (October 30).
Kohli was understandably irritated that someone has broken into his room, shot video and published online, and he reacted rather sharply about the whole episode. "I understand that fans get very happy and excited seeing their favourite players and get excited to meet them and I've always appreciated that. But this video here is appalling and it's made me feel very paranoid about my privacy. If I cannot have privacy in my own hotel room then where can I really expect any personal space at all??
"I'm NOT okay with this kind of fanaticism and absolute invasion of privacy. Please respect people's privacy and not treat them as a commodity for entertainment," Kohli wrote in his Instagram account with a grab of the video as background.
In the video that lasted about 30 seconds, a person can been shooting videos of Kohli's room while another person stands and watch the whole thing. However, faces of both the individuals are not visible in the video. The local sources here said Kohli has left the room after shunning all the food and health supplements that he was carrying in fear of possible contamination.
The Indian team had lost the last match against South Africa at Perth by 5 wickets and now they have moved to Adelaide to face Bangladesh on November 2 in their 4th ICC T20 World Cup 2022 match.
It is not immediately clear whether Kohli or Indian team management has raised a complaint about the incident, which took place in the official team hotel.
It is possible that they may lodge an official report about the incident with the BCCI, local organisers and the International Cricket Council (ICC) to have a probe proper about the breach.
Portugal opened its Qatar 2022 campaign with a tense 3-2 victory over Ghana
FIFA Group E match on Wednesday at the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Spain essentially steamrolled a weak Costa Rica 7-0.
42-year- man for killing his wife in Bilaspur city
Ahmad bin Ali Stadium that it was crucial to avoid dropping the opening contest
Chhattisgarh bags fifth position in the 47th Sub Junior National Basketball Championship
Brazil, France, England are World Cup favourites, says Messi
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It's Time to Stop Veteran Suicide, When is Enough...Enough?
It's Time to Stop Veteran Suicide, When Is Enough…Enough?
Friday morning the Phoenix Veterans Administration lost another patient. Another veteran suicide, another self-inflicted gunshot, right there on the grounds of the Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center. It is the second time in the past two years this kind of thing has happened in Phoenix. But that's only the tip of the iceberg. Twenty-two vets commit suicide every single day in America. Every single day. That adds up to eight thousand dead American veterans every year. In the past ten years, more US veterans have committed suicide than the total number of American soldiers who died in all the wars the US has fought in the past 50 years. Including Vietnam.
States like Arizona have it the worst. The rural West sees the nation's highest rates of vet suicide. The national average shows 38 vets will commit suicide out of every 100,000. Montana sees nearly double that number with 68.3 vets out of every 100,000. Here in AZ the number is 53.6. That means this year fifty-four Arizonans will kill themselves out of every 100,000 Arizona vets. In 2014 the carnage added up to 259 vet suicides in the state, and the problem has just gotten worse. Time out of service is no safety net either. These days the majority of veteran suicides, 65%, were 50 or older. Women aren't immune. In fact women veterans are two and a half times more likely to attempt suicide than civilian women.
Veterans who seek help through the VA are prohibited from trying cannabis for relief and typically put on a regimen of pharmaceuticals that leaves them feeling like zombies. Often vets end up on as many as eight medications, some to treat the symptoms of initial PTSD, some to treat the symptoms of the medication itself. Due to the pills, vets complain their dark moods get worse, they lose energy and memory and suffer additional health problems from the side effects of the pills they are forced to take. As Jose Belin, our feature speaker at this year's Phoenix expo explained, the VA prescriptions he was given only made matters worse and leave him feeling like he had nowhere to turn for hope. "I was at the mercy of the VA. Again, and again, I was given medications that made me want to kill myself." This has got to stop.
Here in Arizona Dr. Sue Sisley has made heroic efforts to try and study the effects of cannabis therapy on combat-related PTSD. So far, her project has met delays and obstacles, including having her recruitment efforts blocked by the VA itself. Still Sisley's research is America's first legitimate attempt to help treat our veterans with something more effective than the chemical lobotomies handed out by the bottle by our local VA.
Now even the famously conservative American Legion has taken up the cause and calling on Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin to support vets who use cannabis as part of their state medical marijuana programs. Currently if vets are found to have cannabis in their system, they can lose their VA services entirely. VA staff is not even allowed to discuss cannabis with their patients. Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer has introduced legislation, HR1820, The Veterans Equal Access Amendment, which would remove the "VA gag rule" and let doctors treat our veterans with the dignity and respect they have earned. Rep Blumenauer has 18 bipartisan co-sponsors on his bill including Arizona Congressman Ruben Gallego (AZ07-D), who is a veteran himself. But we must do more.
Since the beginning, SWCC has honored our vets for their service. We kicked off our very first expo with a veterans' march. Each conference includes a veterans' rally and vets on the podium and in the speaker panels. We highlight veterans' issues at our other events and in our newsletters as well. We have you reading about the problem right now. And since you are, here are two steps you can take to make vet suicides a thing of the past.
NORML has an action alert to press our legislators to support the Veterans Equal Access Amendment. Contact your representative and senators today. Next, Dr. Sisley is still enrolling new vets to participate in her study. Learn more about Dr. Sisley and learn how you can help a vet get the treatment they might need by clicking here or calling (623) 587-5660.
As always, SWCC and CannabisRadio.com thanks our servicemen and women for their sacrifice and patriotism and pledges our support for all those working to end veteran suicide. Let's make Friday's vet suicide in Phoenix the beginning of the end of this shameful epidemic.


This itinerary will help you to get the heart of ancient Rome.
At the foot of the Capitoline arx, we will visit the political, administrative and commercial hub of the City; we will see the Curia, once the meeting place of the Roman Senate, and the remains of the Comitium, people meeting square; here, there are important monuments as the Lapis Niger – the oldest known Latin inscription , the Aerarium or Tempio di Saturno (Temple of Saturn) – seat of the City's treasury -, and the Rostri – platforms for public speakers.
Along the Via Sacra – the street of sacred processions – we will admire the remains of the Basilica Giulia (Court House), founded by Augustus, the Tempio di Giulio Cesare (Temple of Julius Caesar), where Caesar's body was buried in 44 B.C. Then, we will proceed to the Casa delle Vestali (House of the Vestali Virgins), the priestess who tended the sacred flame in the Tempio di Vesta (Temple of Vesta).
After a visit at the Basilica di Massenzio (Maxentius' Basilica), we will get the Arco di Tito (Titus' Arch), built in 81 A.D. in honour of the Top general Titus who took over the territory of Giudea.
Then, we will go uphill, getting the Palatine Hill: according to the tradition, here Romulus founded the city of Rome, the so called "Roma quadrata". During the Republican era, the hill was seat of great sanctuaries, as that of Magna Mater or Apollo and Venus.
The Palatine Hill had also been the ideal spot for wealthy Romans to build their villas (the famous orator Cicero and the commander Marcus Antonius lived here). It later became the Emperors's Royal Palace.
We will visit the Casa di Livia (Livia's House), Augustus' wife, the Casa di Augusto (Augustus' House) and the remains of imperial palaces: the Domus Flavia, with the Aula Regia or the Emperor's throne room, a large banqueting hall or triclinium, the Stadio Palatino (Palatine Stadium), used by the Emperors for private games and events.
From here, we will enjoy a wonderful view on the Circus Maximus, built in the 2nd century B.C. and used until 4th century A.D.: it could seat 300000 spectators!
Along Via dei Fori Imperiali, we will let you discover the greatest archaeological area of Rome.
Our itinerary starts in Piazza Venezia: from here, we will walk towards the Foro di Cesare (Caesar's Forum), where there are the remains of the Tempio di Venere Genitrice (Temple of Venus Genetrix) and the Basilica Argentaria.
Then, we will admire the most important monuments in the Roman Forum, including the Curia, the Arch of Septimius Severus, the Temple of Saturn, the Temple and House of the Vestali Virgins, the Maxentius' Basilica) and the Titus' Arch.
We will get Via Cavour and will see the remains of the Foro di Nerva (Nerva's Forum) or Transitorio, founded in 97 A.D.
We will walk to the Foro di Augusto (Augustus' Forum), built after 42 B.C.; next to it, we will admire the most monumental roman forum, the Foro di Traiano (Trajan's Forum), designed by the famous architect Apollodorus of Damascus in 107 A.D.: we can still enjoy the ruins of the Basilica Ulpia, the greatest roman basilica, and the Colonna traiana (Trajan's Column), erected to celebrate the victories of Trajan over the Dacians and to house the Emperor's ashes. We will also admire the impressive Mercati traianei (Trajan's Markets), also designed by Apollodorus.
In the museum of "Trajan's Markets" we will admire many marble fragments discovered during excavations in the Imperial Forums. You will walk on the ancient Via Biberatica,to the large exedra and the halls where originally the shops were located; them we will get the area of the Trajan's Forum, where the remains of the Basilica Ulpia and the wonderful Trajan's column are located.
Then, we will take a walk in the Rione Monti, the ancient Suburra (named after the latin words "sub urbe", that is "under the city"), a very popular and characteristic area.
We will see the Palace where Marquis Del Grillo lived in the 18th century (the roman actor Alberto Sordi played this character in the famous movie "Il marchese Del Grillo").
Other interesting sites are via Panisperna, with the palaeochristian church of Sant' Agata dei Goti, the only Arian building in Rome;via Urbana, the ancient vicus Patricius, where the church of Santa Pudenziana is located: the interior houses a magnificent apse mosaic.
The visit will let you discover the valley of Colosseum.
Let's start from the Ludus Magnus, the barracks where the gladiators used to train themselves before fighting in the Colosseum.
It is located just in between via Labicana and via S. Giovanni in Laterano and it has a large hall, provided with entrances to the athlete's billets.
The Ludus Magnus was also provided with a small amphitheatre, for gladiators's training, and it was joined to Colosseum by an underground corridor.
Let's go now to the Colosseum, the real symbol of ancient Rome and the most grandiose amphitheatre of antiquity, place of terrible gladiators fights, wild animals huntings and sometimes spectacular naval battles and water games (naumachie).
We will discover the development of this site, from a residential area to the fire under Nero, from the Golden House (Nero's Domus Aurea), to the costruction of the first permanent Anphitheatre by the Flavian Dinasty.
Just in front of the Colosseum, an amazing triumphal Arch still stands: it is the Arch of Costantine, built to celebrate the first ten years of the Emperor's rule and to commemorate his victory in the civil war against his rival and brother – in - low Maxentius.
The next stop of our walk will be on the Palatine Hill, where the noblest and the most beautiful roman villas are located: Augustus' and Livia's houses, the imperial palaces.
At the end of our visit we will enjoy a fantastic view over the Aventinus hill and over the valley where the Circus Massimus is located.
The tour is dedicated to the commercial district of ancient Rome, provided with the largest harbour on the Tiber river, named Portus Tiberinus.
Close to the harbour, there are two important temples: the "Virile Fortune Temple", dedicated to Portunus (protector god of sailors), the latter called "Vesta Temple", but actually dedicated to Hercules. Then we can visit the Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, which houses the popular Bocca della Verità (the Mouth of the Truth) in its portico: it is here that Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck filmed one the most popular scenes in the Movie "Roman Holidays"!!
it is a marble head of a river god, with his mouth open to challenge people to put their right hands inside while promising eternal love to their partners.
The ancient legend says that the hand of every liar will be cut off by the deep marble mouth.
Through the Gianus Arch, we will get San Giorgio al Velabro Church.
On its side, there is one of the access way to Forum Boarium: Argentari Arch, so called since built by the money of the bankers corporation (argentarii, i.e. silver coins owners and users), in addition to the money of the other sponsors, first of all the corporation of the livestock dealers (boarium, i.e. cattles, oxen).
Walking along via Petroselli, we will visit San Nicola in Carcere Church. On the opposite side of the street there are other ruins belonging to the "Sacred Area of Sant'Omobono", including the Temples of the Mater Matuta and the Fortune, whose foundations were laid during the kingdom of Servius Tullius, one of the first kings of Rome.
The tour will end in front of the Marcellus Theatre, whose construction began under Giulius Caesar and ended during the empire of Augustus.
The emperor wanted the actual name in honour of his nephew Marcellus.
Nowadays the Theatre is joyned with the medieval-reinassance Savelli-Orsini Palace and with the ruins of the Apollus Sosianus Temple, whose three marble columns are still visible.
Let's have a nice,relaxing walk along one of the oldest consular roads: the Appian Way, inaugurated by Appius Claudius Ciecus in 312 b.C.
Our first stop is next the "Domine quo vadis?" Church, the place where, according to the popular tradition, Peter the Apostole, who was escaping from Rome during Nero's persecution, met Jesus Christ; on Peter's question about where Jesus was going to ("Domine, quo vadis?"), our Lord replied "I'm going to Rome to be crucified again". On this answer, Peter kept the message, came back, re-joined the christian community, and found his marthirdom with many others.
We'll keep walking along the Appian Way, getting St. Sebastian Basilica and Catacombs, where the relics of the Apostoled Peter and Paul were kept for a while during the persecutions.
They are the greatest example of baths (wellness center) during the imperial age.
They were built during the reign of Caracalla, at the beginning of the III century AD, and they could serve 1600 people at the same time.
The whole building was nearly square, with the side about 330 m long (370 yd), and it had two imposing exedras, along two opposite sides, that included a central large room with an apse, whose way in was decked with a colonnade.
Two smaller rooms were placed side by side to the largest one: this was the heart of the bath, where Romans could enjoy hot water baths (calidarium), warm water baths (tepidarium), and cold water baths (frigidarium). The area also included a swimming pool (natatio) and two gyms.
Both the two granite baths, now situated in Piazza Farnese, and the mosaic representing athletes, now exhibited in the Musei Vaticani, come from this amazing site.
The Quintili Villa was one of the largest villas in the roman suburbs.
It's located along the old Appian way and it belonged to the two brothers Quintili, well-known for their active presence in the roman public life, thanks to their culture, military experience and wealth.
The emperor Commodus ordered to kill them in 182 a.D., on the charge of their conspiracy against his reign, and confiscated their Villa and their properties.
The villa was so rich and beautiful indeed that the emperor himself used to live there very often to enjoy its convenience and comforts.
We'll also visit the Antiquarium, that houses precious statues discovered in the Villa during archaeological digs undertaken there in the last century.


CAS is governed by a Project Management Committee (PMC) modeled after Apache-style PMCs. All PMC-related matters, including new nominations of members MUST take place on the mailing list.
The PMC is composed of members and a chair who has executive authority over the committee and reports to the Apereo board. The most common authority exercised by the chair is to appoint additional PMC members as necessary. Thus the chair may bootstrap the committee. The board may appoint a chair in extreme circumstances (i.e. dysfunction, defunct), but the chair is typically appointed by PMC vote. CAS project developers with commit access to the official project source code repository are automatically PMC members; thus a committer is a PMC member. The PMC chair may or may not be a committer.
All voting MUST be conducted over a period of at least 72 hours on a project mailing list; more time SHOULD be allotted for special situations such as holidays and other occasions where large numbers of PMC members may be offline for longer-than-normal periods. Voting is by lazy consensus where at least two +1 votes is sufficient to move forward and a single -1 vote is sufficient to block a proposal. Voting SHOULD strive for consensus.
All PMC member votes are equal; the chair has no veto power.
Does voting stop after two +1 or one -1 or is it not tallied until the voting period closes?
Voting is open for at least 72h. Any measure is effectively dead with a -1 vote, so if a -1 comes in a minute after voting starts there's really no point in waiting any longer. The value of a 72h window is that it affords more time for dissenters. The voting process is intended to emphasize and produce consensus, which is the most important aspect.
The nomination of a PMC chair requires a vote: a majority of +1 is required and no -1. The vote MUST happen PRIVATELY on the cas-pmc mailing list. Members who abstain from a vote are simply considered in support of the vote via lazy consensus.
The nomination of a committer requires a vote: a majority of +1 is required and no -1. The vote MUST happen PRIVATELY on the cas-pmc mailing list. The vote is proposed by one of the current committers. All members of the community have the right to become a committer, solely and exclusively on the grounds of the meritocracy. Members who abstain from a vote are simply considered in support of the vote via lazy consensus.
Communication happens primarily by public mailing lists. Exceptions are issues that require discretion or confidentiality; private lists are the appropriate channel in those situations. Communication may also occur through other appropriate channels as needed, such as video/voice conference calls, IRC and IM. No official decisions may be made via any means other than voting on a project mailing list; if it didn't happen on list, it didn't happen. Discussions that occur in side channels such as IRC and IM SHOULD be summarized on a mailing list when they may impact decision making processes. The commitee SHOULD make an effort to meet periodically via a high-bandwidth synchronous medium such as in-person meetings at conferences or voice/video conference calls.
PMC members agree to abide by and enforce Apereo foundation legal policy and foundation branding/marketing policies. PMC members SHOULD notify of intent to leave or become inactive in order to facilitate replacement or recruitment of new members.


In our previous article we addressed the first three of the following strategies to reduce helium consumption in production leak testing applications. In this article we will address the final two.
One way to reduce helium consumption is to dilute it with air or a gas such as nitrogen. When implemented properly, this can be an effective method. If a test specification requires helium leak testing using 100% helium at a prescribed test pressure it is relatively straight forward to estimate the equivalent leak rate limit if a lower helium concentration is used. Assume a specification requires a part to be pressurized to 300 psig with 100% helium with a reject limit of 1 x 10-5 atmcc/sec. If a 10% helium in nitrogen mix were used, that would reduce helium consumption by 90% and require that the reject limit leak rate be changed to 1 x 10-6 atmcc/sec. A defect that would create a leak of 1 x 10-4 atmcc/sec helium with 100% helium tracer gas would flow approximately the same amount of total gas if the mixture was 10% helium in nitrogen. However, only 10% of the leaking gas would be comprised of helium. Thus, the helium leak detector must look for a leak 10 times lower to find an equivalent leak.
There are practical consequences when implementing the helium dilution strategy. First, one must ensure the gas mixing is done correctly and can be properly validated. Gas mixing equipment on the market is capable of effectively blending helium with nitrogen and providing accurate helium mixtures down to a few percent. The mixed gas is stored at the appropriate pressures and mixtures, ready to be used in the leak testing system. Helium can also be blended dynamically with nitrogen on the leak testing system to achieve the desired gas mixture. Finally, helium mixing can be achieved by alternately filling the test part with helium and nitrogen in steps until the desired gas mixture and pressure is achieved. The drawback of this final method is that the gas mixture inside the part will not instantaneously be homogeneous. This may result in less than desirable test repeatability and may require longer test cycle times to allow for the gas to properly mix.
The second consequence which must be weighed when implementing helium dilution is the increase in leak test sensitivity that is required. Helium mass spectrometer leak detectors are capable of detecting leaks in the vacuum test mode to below 1 x 10-9 atmcc/sec. However, the practical limit in a production environment might be influenced by the following factors of required test cycle time, characteristics of the test part, characteristics of the leak test tooling or fixture, and design of the leak testing system. All of these factors ultimately affect the helium background present during the test. For example, helium may permeate through a seal or the actual part creating a natural helium background during the testing. The helium background should normally be well below the reject limit. In some cases implementing longer test cycle times, or redesigning the test fixture can reduce helium backgrounds to acceptable levels. In other cases, more attention to the test part and test fixture cleanliness may be required.
Finally, reclaiming used helium is a strategy that some users implement. Most helium recovery or reclaiming systems function on the following principles: receive the used helium into a low pressure receiver tank as it vents from the test part at the end of the test, re-pressurize the gas, filter and cool the gas, measure concentration and add new helium gas to compensate for losses, and return the gas to the leak test system. Recovery systems can be centralized to accommodate multiple test systems or be dedicated to a single leak test system. Many recovery systems have efficiency ratings in the low 90% range and can also maintain helium concentrations in that same range. Sizing and implementing a helium recovery system can be complex and requires a thorough analysis and understanding of the leak testing system. Often return on investment (ROI) calculations are run in order to justify their purchase. In recent years, in addition to ROI calculations, some users are justifying helium recovery systems using additional factors including, initiatives to practice corporate sustainability, mitigating risks associated with potential production line downtime due to helium supply interruptions, and pressure by gas suppliers to reduce helium usage year to year.
There are a wide range of strategies that can be implemented to reduce helium consumption in production leak testing applications. No one solution will work for all applications, but each strategy must be evaluated based on the unique requirements of the application.


The Android SDK has a device emulator. I use it in Eclipse with the Android JUnit test framework. A few days ago, the emulator refused to start.
From Window -> AVD Manager, I started one of the devices. A dialog titled "Starting Android Emulator" came up. Inside it, a progress bar ticked off ten seconds. Then, nothing. This behavior was the same for all my devices, from Android version 1.5 through version 4.0.3.
The last line there is a futex call with operation FUTEX_WAIT and no timeout. This call was unfinished, resulting in the seg fault. From the manual page for futex: "This operation atomically verifies that the futex address uaddr still contains the value val, and sleeps awaiting FUTEX_WAKE on this futex address." The address appears in the lines above.
Posted by Zymurgeek on Wednesday, July 4th, 2012, at 3:33 pm, and filed under Uncategorized.
Update: I backleveled the android SDK to version 18 (linked in comment #25). The archive contains three directories, but since add-ons and platforms are empty, only replace the tools directory.
This fixed the emulator from the command line, but Eclipse complains ADT requires version 20.
To backlevel a plug-in in Eclipse, you can use Help -> About Eclipse -> Installation Details, select the Installation History tab and select a prior installation. However, the older versions of ADT are no longer in the repository.
As a work-around, download http://dl.google.com/android/ADT-18.0.0.zip. In Eclipse, uninstall ADT with Help -> About Eclipse -> Installation Details -> Installed Software tab . Select all the android version 20 plug-ins and select Uninstall. Restart Eclipse.
Install the zipped plug-in with Help -> Install New Software. Next to "Work with", select Add. Select Archive and choose your ADT zip file. The rest of the install is straightforward.
Recently I needed to upgrade the Android SDK Tools, which brought back this bug. Then I discovered I could run with GPU emulation enabled in the AVD, but that caused screen updates to lag horribly. Thanks to an update to the bug report above, I learned that emulator-arm works. I renamed emulator to emulator-orig and linked emulator-arm to emulator. After editing my AVDs to disable GPU emulation, everything's working again.


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Q: How to prepare for integration tests which use PostgreSQL's in memory replacement? I have learned that using an actual database in integration tests slows them down significantly. So, I have to use an in memory database which may significantly increase speed of my integration tests.
I'm using Springboot for application development. How do I configure PostgreSQL for testing purposes? Is there any in memory database which is highly compatible with PostgreSQL's syntax?
If there is none, how should I perform integration tests.

A: You can actually get a real Postgres to perform quiet well in a testing environment.
I would also suggest you use a dockerized database, but use tmpfs to memory-map the data folder:
docker run --name postgres95 -p 5432:5432 --tmpfs /var/lib/postgresql/data:rw -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=admin -d postgres:9.5.6

This is as close to "in-memory" that you can get using the real thing.
I believe that one of the main problems with slow integration tests is not the performance of the database itself, but the time it takes to set it up for each test.
I wrote a little library to help you quickly restore a database to a 'clean' state. This way you only need to run costly database migrations once, and then you can quickly restore the database for each test.
We used it in a productive system to get a 4x speedup in our integration tests:
https://github.com/ayedo/postgres-db-restore

A: This question asks for opinions, but here goes:
If you want to test an application that will use PostgreSQL, you will have to use PostgreSQL for your tests. SQL dialects and behaviour just vary too much between different database management systems.
You can make PostgreSQL quite fast if you use a database that is small enough to fit into RAM, which should be possible for integration tests that just target the functionality, not the overall performance.

A: Some of my db tests on real postgres take 10ms each. and i do multiple commits in each test. so:
To have coverage of postgres-native features you need the same db (as you noticed, h2 and other in-memory db are not very compatible). postgres doesn't have in-memory mode.
For functional tests the real database itself is not much slower than any in-memory databases. The difference usually lies in startup time (for postgres  9.6 it's ~4s). But if your testing lifecycle is smart and you can lower number of db starts to 1 or 0 (by having development db always ready), then the problem stops being noticeable.
so get the real postgres and setup its lifecycle correctly. there are some tools that can help you solve some of the problems:

*

*testcontainers will help you provide
real db.

*dbunit - will help you clean the data between tests
cons:

*

*a lot of work is required to create and maintain schema and data. especially when your project is in a intensive development stage.

*it's another abstraction layer so if suddenly you want to use some db feature that is unsupported by this tool, it may be difficult to test it

*testegration - intents to provide you full, ready to use and extensible lifecycle (disclosure: i'm a creator).
cons:

*

*free only for small projects

*very young project

another step would be to move db to memory on the OS level. again, first startup time would be similar as everything needs to be loaded. some starting points here and here
cons:

*

*every dev in your team have to modify his local environment

*not portable between OSes (if your team have heterogenic environments)

A: How do you access the database within your application? Using plain JDBC or using an abstraction on top of it (JPA)?
If you use an abstraction layer and e.g. JPQL, so the dialect is not so important and maybe you can use an in-memory H2 database for your tests.
If you have to go with native PostgreSQL statements, another way would be to use a dockerized database using Testcontainers. That won't speed up tests, but it makes setting up / cleaning the environment more easy.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


According to the New York Federal Reserve Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit, 44 million Americans collectively owe more than $1.4 trillion in student debt. Today student loan debt is surpassed only by housing debt as the most common debt households have.
If you are among the 44 million and looking for suggestions to aid in taking charge of your loans, here are a few ideas that may help you out.
First, understand your debt. Take ownership of the choices you made regarding college and debt. Compile a list of what is currently outstanding including the balance, interest rate, and minimum payment. It makes sense to understand just how long it could take to pay these loans off.
You may want to develop a realistic monthly budget. You might find areas where you can cut back and put the money towards making extra principal payments on your debt. The extra cash could also be used to build an emergency reserve. After all, it is stressful to choose between making a loan payment and fixing your car.
Look at all of your repayment options. These depend on whether the loan is a federal or private student loan. Discuss private loan options with your lender. For federal loans the options might include those mentioned below.
Standard plan: With these types of loans, you will pay a certain amount each month over a 10-year period. The interest rates on these loans can be fixed or variable. Fixed rates do not change. Variable rates may change each year.
Extended plan: This option allows you to extend the time you have to pay the loan. This period can be from 15 to 30 years. Your monthly payment will be lower, but the interest paid over the life of the loan will be higher.
Graduated plan: Recognizing that salaries are often lower during the initial working years and higher later on, the graduated plan allows you to start out with low payments and increase them as time goes on.
Income driven plans: Payments under these plans are based on income and family size. The four types are: pay as you earn, revised pay as you earn, income-based repayment, and income-contingent repayment. It should be noted that you must apply for these plans each year. Payments can equal between 10% and 20% of your discretionary income. Loan balances are sometimes eligible to be forgiven at the end of the repayment period. The federal student aid website at studentaid.ed.gov will have more details on how these work.
You may also find it helpful to refinance your loans to obtain a lower interest rate. Refinancing is available only with a new private loan. You might want to review federal consolidation loans, as well. Please note that if you refinance your old loans, you will have to abide by the terms and conditions of your new private loan. If you had federal loans, the option to use income-driven repayment plans is eliminated.
Private loans are never eligible for federal relief programs. Federal relief programs could include certain protections such as fixed interest rates as well as deferment and forbearance opportunities in times of hardship.
Another source to look for help with your student loans is your employer. While only about 4.0% of employers offer student debt assistance, more are predicted to do so in the future.
One final point is a note of caution: watch out for scammers. They may claim to get you access to a special federal loan assistance program for a fee. This could be a red flag for a potential scam as there is no fee to apply for any federal repayment plan.


Chordoma is a rare invasive bone tumor that may occur anywhere along the neuraxis. A total of three primary histological varieties have been identified: conventional, chondroid, and dedifferentiated.
We report a case of an 8-year-old white girl who presented with conventional chordoma, was treated with surgical resection and mixed proton and photon beam therapy, and had a recurrence in the resection cavity 2.5 years later with dedifferentiated morphology. The recurrent tumor did not express brachyury, a recently identified protein specific to tissue of notochordal origin.
The short time period between radiation therapy and dedifferentiation, low dose of photons, and rarity of dedifferentiated skull base chordomas in pediatric patients should alert clinicians to the possibility of chordoma dedifferentiation after proton beam therapy.
Chordoma is a rare, locally invasive bone tumor of notochordal origin with an incidence of 0.1 to 0.8/1,000,000 [1–3]. It is 40 % less likely in females compared to males [2, 4]. The tumor can present at the base of the skull, in the vertebral column, or in the sacral region, but there is controversy over the relative incidence at these sites [2, 5]. Although chordomas are typically a tumor of the aged, presentation in younger individuals tends to occur at the skull base [2, 4, 6]. In addition, female gender is associated with greater likelihood of presentation in the skull base [2, 4]. The overall median survival after chordoma diagnosis is approximately 6 years, but it is higher for tumors with chondroid histology and lower for those with dedifferentiated histology compared to the conventional variety [2, 7].
Skull base chordomas are typically surgically resected and proton beam therapy is often used to treat residual tumor [8, 9]. We report the first case, to the best of our knowledge, of a skull base chordoma that dedifferentiated after proton beam therapy. A timeline of the case is shown in Table 1.
Initial presentation with headaches and emesis prompts magnetic resonance imaging that shows a large heterogeneous skull base mass suspicious for chordoma.
Endonasal surgical resection. Surgical pathology confirms chordoma diagnosis.
Fractionated proton and photon beam therapy: 77.4 Gy total, 59.4 Gy (cobalt gray equivalent) in 33 fractions with protons and 18 Gy in 10 fractions with photons.
Interval decrease in tumor size visualized at scheduled magnetic resonance imagings.
Visual disturbances prompt magnetic resonance imaging, which shows an enhancing mass in the resection site suspicious for recurrence with dedifferentiation.
Retrosigmoid craniotomy. Surgical pathology shows complete dedifferentiation.
Begins ifosfamide and etoposide alternating every 2 weeks with vincristine, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide.
Interval decrease in tumor size visualized at scheduled magnetic resonance imagings. Continues ifosfamide and etoposide alternating every 2 weeks with vincristine, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide.
Last of 17 cycles of ifosfamide and etoposide alternating with vincristine, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide. Begins maintenance capecitabine.
An 8-year-old white girl with no family history of skin cancer except for skin cancer in her grandfather complained of 4 weeks of pressure-like headaches, mostly in the posterior occipital area, and intermittent nausea with several episodes of emesis in June of 2012. A physical examination was significant for decreased sensation to light touch over the right side of her face and her right upper extremity. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of her brain revealed a large heterogeneous skull base mass. Chordoma was suspected over chondrosarcoma, and the diagnosis was confirmed by pathology after tissue was obtained during an endonasal surgical resection. Resection of the chordoma left residual tumor in her lateral skull base at the hypoglossal canal and jugular foramen. She was referred to a proton facility where she received fractionated proton and photon beam therapy: 77.4 Gy total, 59.4 Gy (cobalt gray equivalent) in 33 fractions with protons and 18 Gy in 10 fractions with photons. She was returned to our care afterwards. Scheduled MRIs showed decreasing lesion size through postoperative year 2. However, she experienced acute cranial nerve 6 palsy approximately 2.5 years after surgical resection. An MRI showed a 3×1.5×4 cm mass in the resection cavity with signal change suspicious for dedifferentiation. A subsequent biopsy obtained during a retrosigmoid craniotomy confirmed high-grade sarcoma. She has since completed 17 cycles of ifosfamide and etoposide alternating with vincristine, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide with the last round in April 2016. She began maintenance capecitabine on 26 April 2016. The most recent MRI, approximately 14 months after her second surgery, showed a mild interval decrease in tumor size.
MRI of our patient's brain with and without contrast at her initial presentation showed a large heterogeneous mass emanating intracranially from the base of her clivus and extending through the foramen magnum to C1–C2. A small portion was anterior to C1–C2 in her nasopharyngeal soft tissues with extension through her left hypoglossal canal. Posteriorly, the lesion displaced her pons and medulla. Multiple cranial nerves were not well seen and were either displaced or encased by the mass as it filled the right cerebellomedullary angle. The lesion was T1 isointense to muscle (Fig. 1a), and only mildly enhanced in portions (Fig. 1b). The lesion had a predominantly very bright T2 signal (Fig. 1c). There was restricted diffusion with bright diffusion-weighted imaging and dark apparent diffusion coefficient signals, indicating hypercellularity (Fig. 1d, e).
Follow-up MRI 2.5 years after the initial MRI, and after surgery and proton beam therapy, showed local recurrence. The recurrent tumor was centered at the rightward aspect of her clivus and extended superiorly to the dorsum sella and inferiorly to the level of the occipital condyle. The signal intensity of this mass was intermediate to dark, isointense to gray matter on T2-weighted images in contrast to the very T2 hyperintense signal like cerebral spinal fluid as seen on the initial presentation (Fig. 2a). In addition, on follow-up the lesion was avidly enhancing post-contrast on T1-weighted imaging (Fig. 2b) as compared to the initial lesion where there was only mild enhancement.
The biopsy from the initial lesion showed classic chordoma histology with physaliphorous cells with multivacuolated cytoplasm mixed with epithelioid cells arranged in anastomosing cords, clusters, and chains. There was a myxoid matrix and occasional fibrous septa (Fig. 3). No immunohistochemical stains were performed as histology provided a definitive diagnosis.
Hematoxylin and eosin staining of the recurrent tumor obtained during our patient's second surgery, however, showed a high-grade anaplastic spindle cell neoplasm. There were areas of geographical necrosis with no particular architectural pattern visible at low magnification (Fig. 4a). In the higher power images, the cells were very pleomorphic with epithelioid and spindle shapes, and there were mitotic figures present (Fig. 4b). Myofibroblastic tumor and fibrosarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, and rhabdomyosarcoma were ruled out with immunohistochemistry. Vimentin was positive, consistent with sarcoma in general. Ki-67, a proliferation index that is normally very low in a chordoma, was scored at 80 %, indicating rapid cellular division. Epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), cytokeratin, and brachyury were negative, indicating full dedifferentiation.
Less than 5 % of chordoma diagnoses occur in children under 10 years of age . Among childhood cases, Borba and colleagues found a distinct difference in presentation, tumor morphology, and prognosis between cases occurring in children under and over age 5 . Children under age 5 frequently have long tract deficits [11, 12] and intracranial hypertension, and the tumor is often of an atypical morphology, which has a poor prognosis . Children over age 5 most frequently present with double vision [13–17] and headaches [13, 18, 19], have typical tumor morphology, and, thus, survive for longer . Our patient, an 8-year-old girl presenting with headaches and nausea, was found to have a typical clival chordoma, which initially fit the expected pattern of disease presentation. The histology and imaging appearance of her tumor, though, changed with recurrence 2.5 years after the initial surgical resection and radiation therapy.
Chordomas show dual epithelial-mesenchymal differentiation as they arise from embryonic remnants of the notochord . Although the molecular pathogenesis of chordoma is not fully known, brachyury has been shown to be both a regulator of notochordal differentiation and a chordoma marker. Cytogenetic studies have shown that mutations on multiple chromosomes are associated with chordoma . Conventional chordomas feature large polygonal cells with abundant eosinophilic to amphophilic cytoplasm, variable nuclei, and occasional vacuoles (physaliferous cells) arranged in cords and sheets in a myxoid stroma [22, 23]. Chondroid chordomas have regions where the stroma resembles hyaline cartilage and neoplastic, sometimes physaliferous, cells grow in lacunae [22, 23]. Finally, dedifferentiated chordomas have regions of or have become entirely composed of malignant sarcomatous cells [22, 24]. Previous reports have shown possible loss of EMA and cytokeratin [24, 25], but our case is the first to report absence of brachyury in the dedifferentiated tumor. In addition, dedifferentiation was faster than in earlier reports of completely dedifferentiated chordoma occurring after conventional radiotherapy [26, 27].
T1-weighted MRI shows chordomas as having predominantly intermediate to dark signal . They are typically bright on T2-weighted MRI, but dedifferentiated chordomas are not . Diffusion-weighted MRI will show diffusion restriction, but this may be difficult to interpret in skull base tumors due to artifact at the skull base . Contrast enhancement is variable . Further advancements in molecular imaging may allow for definitive diagnosis without the need for biopsy. Much as immunohistochemistry is used to identify proteins in biopsies, radiolabeled molecular probes and targeted MRI contrasts may be used in the future to identify unique proteins in neoplasms . Skull base chordomas most often involve the upper half of the clivus and often extend to the lower half of the clivus, posterior clinoid process, cavernous sinus, and occipital condyle . Our patient's tumor showed typical MRI presentation when she first presented to us. However, the resection site recurrence had intermediate to dark signal on T2-weighted images.
Most recent research indicates the overall prognosis for younger patients is better than for adult patients with chordoma, although there have been contradictory findings [3, 4, 23, 30]. Surgical margins are the most important prognostic indicator for patients without dedifferentiated chordoma, and gross resection or debulking is recommended for patients without contraindications . However, dedifferentiated chordomas are less responsive to surgery and carry a worse prognosis [8, 33]. Residual tumor in the resection cavity responds best to high doses of radiation, which creates a difficulty when treating clival tumors because the adjacent structures are critical and radiosensitive . Proton beam therapy is used to deliver high doses of radiation (70 to 80 GyE) with less damage to non-neoplastic tissue than conventional photon radiotherapy due to its sharp Bragg peak [9, 34]. However, side effects such as radiation necrosis of the optic nerve and temporal lobe, epilepsy, inhibition of the hypothalamic–pituitary axis, and other endocrinopathies have been reported [8, 34, 35]. Hara and colleagues reported the only case of a sarcomatoid transformation after proton beam therapy, which occurred 3 years after the initial treatment and 1 year after a second course of proton beam therapy . It is important to note that some authors distinguish between sarcomatoid chordoma and dedifferentiated chordoma in that the first retains immunoreactivity for cytokeratin, whereas the latter does not [24, 37].
Our patient's case is the first report, to the best of our knowledge, of a chordoma that dedifferentiated after protein beam therapy. There are reports of dedifferentiation after conventional radiation therapy, although the typical photon dose in those cases is severalfold greater than 18 Gy and disease progression much longer than 2.5 years [27, 38, 39]. The case reported here should alert clinicians to the possibility of dedifferentiation after proton beam therapy and prompt histologic analysis of recurrent tumors in this setting. We did not identify any other cases of dedifferentiated skull base chordoma in pediatric patients when reviewing 29 cases published after Borba and colleagues' 1996 literature review . This highlights the unusual nature of this presentation and the likelihood that proton beam therapy may have contributed to the tumor's dedifferentiation.
The authors thank the physicians, nurses, and pharmacists who cared for the patient, and the patient's family for allowing this case report.
No outside funding was used to support this research.
The author's original submitted files for images are available within the article.
Identification of the case: JF and RK. Literature review: JF. Drafting report: JF, CG, BS, GML, and RK. Critical revision of the article for important intellectual content: JF, CG, BS, GML, AC, and RK. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Institutional review board approval was not required for this case report.


text:
USC Dornsife/L.A. Times poll reveals large lead for Gavin Newsom in race for governor
A majority of all Californians think that things in California are going in the right direction
BY Jim Key
Gavin Newsom speaks at the 26th Annual Empowerment Congress Summit in Los Angeles, Calif. (Photo/Leroy Hamilton)
Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom has a double-digit lead over other gubernatorial candidates less than two weeks before the June 5 primary, according to a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll of California voters.
Newsom leads with 21 percent among those most likely to vote, while the race for second place is more volatile. Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a Democrat, and the leading GOP candidate, John Cox, are in a near tie for second at 11 percent and 10 percent, respectively.
Nearly 4 out of 10 California likely voters — including just over half of independents — are still on the fence about whom to support for governor.
Cox was recently endorsed by President Donald Trump, but after the poll had closed.
"Cox's best opportunity to make it to the top two is to consolidate GOP support by promoting his Trump endorsement," said Bob Shrum, director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. "Though Trump is profoundly unpopular in California, he remains popular with Republicans here."
None of the remaining candidates broke double digits. Democratic state Treasurer John Chiang was backed by 6 percent and Republican Assemblyman Travis Allen had 5 percent.
The USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll of 835 adult residents of California was conducted online April 18-May 18 in English and Spanish. It included 691 registered voters and 517 likely voters, all of whom are members of the Understanding America Study, a probability-based internet panel conducted by USC Dornsife's Center for Economic and Social Research. The overall margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4 percentage points for all registered and for likely primary voters.
The names and ballot descriptions of all 27 gubernatorial candidates and 32 Senate candidates were presented to poll respondents.
"We were able to closely mimic the actual experience of California voters who will pick their preferred candidate from a randomized listing of all of the names and ballot descriptions in the governor and Senate races," said Jill Darling, survey director of the Center for Economic and Social Research.
USC Dornsife/L.A. Times poll: Unpopular votes on tax bill
The federal tax legislation passed less than six months ago is unpopular among Californians. Forty-seven percent of registered voters opposed the changes to the tax code, compared to 27 percent who supported them. By contrast, 6 out of 10 registered voters approve of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), known in the state as Covered California. That's twice as many as those who oppose it.
How members of Congress voted on both issues could determine whether some incumbents are re-elected.
"In tightly contested congressional districts, independent voters are going to be critical to determining who wins," Shrum said. "They could prove decisive by voting against an incumbent who voted to get rid of the ACA or who voted for the Trump tax bill that takes away state and local tax deductions."
A slight majority of all voters, and specifically independents, said they're less likely to re-elect their member of Congress if he or she voted for the new tax law. Democrats were even more compelled: More than two-thirds said they would be less likely to re-elect a representative who supported the tax legislation.
Opinions regarding congressional votes to end the ACA were just as strong.
Fifty-four percent of registered voters said that if their member of Congress voted to kill the health care legislation, they're less likely to re-elect that member. Even in the region of Southern California that includes San Diego, the Inland Empire and Orange County — home to some of the most competitive races for Congress — more voters were more likely to oppose a candidate who voted to end the ACA than to back them.
Senate race: Wide lead for Feinstein
Thirty-two candidates are in the primary race for California's open U.S. Senate seat, but incumbent Dianne Feinstein has a commanding lead — 31 percent among likely voters. Fellow Democrat, state Sen. Kevin de León, is in second place with 7 percent support. The leading GOP candidate, James P. Bradley, garnered only 3 percent.
California right, Trump wrong
Slightly more than half of all registered voters, 51 percent, think that things in the state are going in the right direction. That's a 14 percentage point shift toward the "right direction" since November's USC Dornsife/L.A. Times poll.
While there's a huge gap between Democrats (61 percent) and Republicans (22 percent) who have such optimism, both groups — including Trump supporters — have shifted their opinions about California toward the "right direction" since November.
The president remains very unpopular. Nearly 7 in 10 registered voters disapprove of Donald Trump, an opinion that remains largely unchanged since the poll measured it last November.
The USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll is a partnership of the Los Angeles Times and two institutions of the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences: the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics and the Center for Economic and Social Research.
The survey, results and methodology are available. And there is more information about the Center for Economic and Social Research Understanding America Study internet panel.
More stories about: Politics, Polls, Research
The latest poll reveals some troubling numbers for the GOP in this year's midterm elections. (Illustration/USC staff)
USC Dornsife/L.A. Times poll reveals troubling numbers for GOP in 2018 midterm elections
More than half of respondents in nationwide poll said they'd vote for a Democratic candidate in their local congressional district race.
Social ImpactUniversity
The Understanding America Study by the Center for Economic and Social Research at USC provides a snapshot of how Americans make decisions, their thoughts on questions relevant to social and economic policy, and American health issues. (Photo/Wyatt Berka)
USC poll — the one that said Trump could win — looks beyond politics
Pundits and polling experts praise the Understanding America Study for an unusual move — providing publicly available data.
President Donald Trump signs an executive order promoting agriculture and rural prosperity with Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. (Photo/Shealah Craighead)
USC Dornsife/L.A. Times poll: Trump supporters remain optimistic
A few weeks before the president's 100th day in the White House, the poll asked Americans to rate his presidency and their trust of the media.
The Daybreak Poll is a probability survey. (Illustration/iStock)
USC Dornsife/L.A. Times 'outlier' poll rings true as Donald Trump wins
The Daybreak Poll regularly showed the Republican leading Hillary Clinton in the presidential race. Researchers call their survey an "experiment."


Very excited to announce my newest collaboration with Crate & Kids! I can't tell you how exciting it feels to have my work included in their catalog. You can now own two framed prints of mine; Circus Geometrics and Red Rainbow. Click on the images below to see them on their website.


This chapter describes a standards-based framework of information literacy instruction (ILI) for undergraduate engineering students. It begins by identifying characteristics of information literacy that are most relevant to the engineering curriculum, framed by a review of the ACRL's Information Literacy Standards for Science and Engineering/Technology. Recommendations for delivering ILI to undergraduate engineering students are given, drawing from a pilot program for integrating information literacy into the Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) program at the University of Maine. Finally, assessment strategies for ILI curricula are provided, based on examples from the MET pilot. Throughout the chapter, core engineering information resources are identified, and a list of suggested resources is included.
You can download this chapter from DigitalCommons@UMaine.
You can purchase the entire book from ALA Neal-Schuman and Amazon.
Wallace, Martin K. "Engineering." In The New Information Literacy Instruction That Works: A Guide to Teaching by Discipline and Student Population, (2nd ed.), edited by Patrick Ragains. Chicago: ALA Editions, 2013.


text:
Utah attorney asks for leniency in a federal lawsuit because of Oklahoma City Thunder game
Posted 11:46 am, April 27, 2018, by Tribune Media Wire
SALT LAKE CITY – An attorney is asking a federal judge to give him a little bit of a break on a deadline because he was up late watching the Utah Jazz playoff game.
Brian King (who also serves as the House Minority Leader in the Utah State Legislature) filed a motion in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City on Thursday asking for leniency in epic fashion.
House Minority Leader Brian King, D-Salt Lake City, in an interview with KTSU.
A brief in a medical benefits lawsuit against United Healthcare was due at midnight. He turned it in at 12:18 a.m. Thursday.
"Foreseeable, but unwished for, circumstances, together with unforeseen emotional impact from those circumstances, constitute good cause for this motion. Specifically, Plaintiffs' counsel, in an abundance of hopefulness and positive feeling about his favorite pro basketball team, took a break from his labors on the Opposition Memo at approximately 7:30 p.m. yesterday evening to watch Utah Jazz play the Oklahoma City Thunder in game 5 of the Round 1 NBA basketball playoffs," he wrote in the motion obtained by KTSU.
King was apparently feeling confident until that third quarter when the Jazz blew a 25-point lead.
"Disaster then struck in the form of bad officiating, Jazz turnovers and poor shot selection, the absence of the best defense player in the league, and [Russell] Westbrook. Until this point, prospects for the timely submission of the Opposition Memo were excellent. But the emotional effect of an eventual Jazz loss (which began at approximately 10:00 p.m.) was, to say the least, dispiriting. The pallor cast on counsel's mind eventually let to submission of a written product that was twice as long and half as strong as it would have been had the Jazz emerged victorious. As well as eighteen minutes tardy," he wrote, adding footnotes detailing the calls he objected to from the game's referees.
Speaking to KTSU on Thursday, King says he hoped the judge would understand.
"Hey look, that was late because I was dispirited because of the Jazz. There's no question about it," he chuckled. "I blame not the Jazz, but I blame that game! The Jazz played a great game! We had bad reffing. We was robbed!"
As of Thursday afternoon, U.S. District Judge Bruce Jenkins had yet to rule on whether he would accept King's tardy filing. It is unknown if Judge Jenkins, who graduated from the University of Utah Law School in 1952 and was nominated to be a federal judge by President Jimmy Carter in 1978, is a Jazz fan.
But opposing counsel was fine with the delay.
"Although from Minneapolis, defense counsel does not object to this Motion," King wrote. "For purposes of this playoff series, he's a Jazz fan, too."
Read the filing here:
In case you missed the game, the Thunder went on a 32-7 run to close the third quarter and tie the game at 78, then took the lead early in the fourth quarter before pulling away to win and avoid a first round series playoff loss for the second year in a row.
Russell Westbrook finished with 45 points, 15 rebounds, and seven assists. Paul George added 34 points. Those two were the only ones in double figures for the Thunder.
The series is now 3-2 in favor of the Jazz. Game six is Friday night in Salt Lake City at 9:30pm.
Click here to see what's on NBC!
Body of missing University of Utah student found
Man arrested on suspicion of murder, kidnapping in disappearance of Utah student
House passes $15 minimum wage bill
Family of Edmond teen killed in officer-involved shooting files federal civil rights lawsuit
'All I wanted was a girlfriend': Man sentenced for threatening mass murder during women's marches
Popular Utah beer rejected by North Carolina because 'polygamy is illegal'
Thunder Reportedly Get Darius Bazley on Draft Night
Utah woman charged after letting cat lay on her own front lawn
Utah woman accused of attempting to poison boyfriend with Drano
NBA Finalists Include Two from Oklahoma


text:
Stalker bombarded her ex-boyfriend's partner with abuse and even set up a Facebook group to attack her
Joanne Elwell sent emails, texts and online messages to her victim.
Beth Abbit
Sign up to the MySalford newsletter and don't miss a thing happening in and around the city
A stalker bombarded her ex-boyfriend's partner with a string of abusive messages - and set up a Facebook group abusing her victim and invited her to join.
Joanne Elwell sent emails, texts and online messages and even contacted her victim's work colleagues over seven months.
On one occasion, she created a Facebook group abusing the victim and invited her to join.
Elwell, 39, has now been handed a restraining order and a suspended prison sentence after admitting stalking.
Manchester and Salford Magistrates' Court heard how the mum has three children with her former partner after a 13-year relationship.
Prosecutor Kate Gaskell said the dad started a relationship with a colleague - a woman who then became the focus of Elwell's unwanted attention.
Over a seven month period, Elwell used a range of different methods, including email and online messages, to contact the victim.
The first contact came last May when the victim received an email at work which read 'what have you destroyed?'.
Teacher Deborah Lowe found not guilty of abusing position by having sex with pupil
In a later email, Elwell called her victim as 'slag' and in another, sent her a poem.
Though she took actions to block Elwell's emails, the victim later received an invitation to join a Facebook group along with a direct message from the defendant which read: "I have never hated anyone as much as I hate you."
Those messages were followed by texts and a 'malicious' email, sent to the victim's colleagues which asked them to wish her a 'happy birthday' and adding that she could 'have' her former partner as it was time for her to move on.
The court heard how family and friends of the victim also received messages on Linked In and Facebook from a man called 'Tim'. Prosecutors say this was a fake account set up by Elwell.
The victim finally contacted police when Elwell contacted her using her former partner's email account, Ms Gaskell said.
In a statement read out in court, the victim said she wanted to move forward 'as a couple' with her partner and live a normal life.
Man who died in early morning M60 crash has been named
She described concerns that Elwell might turn up at her work or home and said she stayed away from certain shopping areas to avoid her.
Contact from Elwell has 'nearly broken' her relationship and caused issues for her at work, she added.
Elwell, of Gawsworth Close, Timperley, Trafford, pleaded guilty to stalking involving serious alarm or distress between May 20 and December 27, 2017.
The mum, who works with children with special needs, feels 'ashamed' but has been 'badly emotionally scarred by the relationship', the court heard.
David Campbell, defending, said Elwell is keen to 'move forward'. He explained that the two women had started out as friends, but when Elwell's partner started an affair with the victim it 'took it's toll'.
The former partners, who were living together until November 2017, still have a relationship for the sake of their children, he added.
Police issue picture of man they want to speak to after woman was held at knifepoint for eight hours
District Judge Mark Hadfield said Elwell's offending was so serious that only a custodial sentence was appropriate.
"This offending shows a good deal of planning on your behalf," he said.
However the judge said it was possible to suspend the 12-week prison sentence for 12 months. She must complete a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement, comply with a restraining order and pay £85 court costs and a £115 surcharge.
Timperley
Hadfield
Manchester weatherFull list of flood alerts in force across Greater Manchester and Cheshire as Storm Christoph hitsAn amber weather warning has been issued with torrential rain forecast due to the arrival of Storm Christoph, and that has brought the threat of flooding in many areas


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(Stand Alone Tales ) File Download Formats: .mobi, .pdf, .prc, .rb, .lrf., epub, lit, pdb When her sister is murdered by a criminal, Zera sets a plan into action to seek revenge on her own terms. She might enlist a little help Read More *warning. contains sexual situations that may not be enjoyed by all readers. mf, fmm, ffmm, and a few fetishes* Zera has grown up on a world where actives develop superpowers and are less than fifteen percent of the population. It is expected that actives serve society, but some of them have other ideas. Zera is a master of weapons design, but her active nature is that of a hopper. She can literally jump into someone else's body and hide inside. Her sister, Susara, is Suit Bait. She projects vulnerability, which attracts the right and wrong type of interest. When Susara's soul is shattered and she is left to die, Zera sets a series of actions in motion that involve a superhero escort service, patrons who pay extensively for the pleasure of a superhuman partner, and clients with very specific needs. The Blind Date Corporation arranges dates between patrons and the escorts, while the escorts wear a mask that covers their eyes and blurs the memories of the patrons so that no stalker issues arise. The company is flourishing until one of the original patrons from the days before the masks outs Zera as an escort, and the entire plan of revenge for Susa's death ramps up a notch. Super.
(Book 2 Blind Date Corporation Series) She has something he wants, and it's embarrassing. Pretending she's normal loses its appeal in the arms of her own assassin.
(Book 3 Blind Date Corporation Series) File Download Formats: .mobi, .pdf, .prc, .rb, .lrf., epub, lit, pdb Being lucky was all she knew until the man from her past ends up auditing her active status, and she has to choose to run or stay. Run it is. Read More Tirra has had it rough. She started out as a victim, turned into an asset, and ended up as a survivor. Her active life had started in an unorthodox way; her career was the result of years of focus and working for Z-Tech as an executive trainer made it easy for her to transition into designing the training plan for the different escorts of the Blind Date Corporation.
She spent five years working with the escorts and creating connections with restaurants, hotels, and other venues where dates would take place. As the resort was opened in Aksalla, she was chosen for the position of management when her past arrives to audit her active skills as an analyst. She is shocked by the appearance of the man she used to dread and desire with equal measure.
Gorith had a party trick that could set any woman off with two points of contact. It had helped him carve out a niche when he was undercover, but when he met the manager of the resort, the echo from his past became a roar for the future. He might be classified as a monster, but he brought the same out in her, and together, they are going to have to fight their way through the dates, protocols, and a family wedding that he wasn't prepared for.
(Book 4 Blind Date Corporation Series) File Download Formats: .mobi, .pdf, .prc, .rb, .lrf., epub, lit, pdb She has a crush on her boss and just knows he's a demon in the sack. She just has to wait until she can find out firsthand. Read More Arcady has worked for Z-Tech long enough to apply to their sister company, the Blind Date Corporation. With a tech-based blindfold, she goes on dates with other actives whose powers are compatible with her own.
She has had a crush on her boss since the day she met him, but it was only when she started spending a few nights each week with other powered beings that he filed his own application to become one of her dates.
Their first night is magical, but it ends in disaster that brings them close far more quickly than either imagined.
Dr. Krizt goes from scientist to lover, but no matter his role, one thing is certain. He wants her body.
(Book 5 Blind Date Corporation Series) File Download Formats: .mobi, .pdf, .prc, .rb, .lrf., epub, lit, pdb He had been her favourite date, so she arranged for him to be the father of her child... should she have told him? Read More Vallu spent over five years as an escort with the Blind Date Corporation. On her last date, she used her activation to provide her with something she needed... a child. She just didn't tell him. How likely was it that he would run into her in the real world? He was from an island in the bay; she was from a suburb. If she hadn't stopped downtown for a hotdog, nothing would have happened.
Etgar has been searching for Five for four months, and while the management of BDC has been no help, he holds out hope that she will be in his arms again... off-contract. When he catches her scent near a hotdog vendor, he follows the scent to the source. She denies her identity as Five, but her scent doesn't lie. The bright green eyes are a surprise, as is getting shot in the back by a drive-by assassin.
Vallu heals him in the vehicle as his bodyguards recover him, and he refuses to leave without her. She focuses on stopping the bleeding and repairing him as the men drive them to safety. Well, safety for Etgar. The island he lives on is his family home, and they own it all. She has just been dropped into his own little kingdom, but she has some conditions to remain with him. It isn't like she has had four months to plan or anything.


This flower was a challenge for me - mostly because, as I was looking up the Saguaro cactus for reference, I saw that the blooms cluster in these bizarre families around the tops of the cacti. I liked the green blooms so much that I wanted them to be a major part of this pattern.
It was super late as I was finishing this up last night. I had run out of Pandora stations and started watching documentaries about North Korea. I'm not sure how that happened, but I now know a lot.
In any case, what was hardest about this pattern was trying to create an interesting repeat. Granted, what I did is not the most innovative, it was still a challenge trying to make this one look kind of natural without it looking like a polkadot! I think it turned out alright!


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Bravia of Bryansk Air Enterprise was een Russische luchtvaartmaatschappij met haar thuisbasis in Brjansk.
Zij voert passagiers- en vrachtchartervluchten uit binnen Rusland.

Geschiedenis
Bravia of Bryansk Air Enterprise is opgericht in 1999 als opvolger van de Bryansk-divisie van Aeroflot, die operationeel was vanaf 1946.

Vloot
3 Yakolev Yak-40
2 Antonov AN-24V

Russische luchtvaartmaatschappij
Brjansk

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


This opening quote is a clip from a November 22nd Press Release that was sent to me featuring Craig Shield's position on a host of related questions surrounding climate control and global warming. Craig is the founder of 2GreenEnergy. He is also the author of "Renewable Energy - Facts and Fantasies: The Tough Realities as Revealed in Interviews with 25 Subject Matter Experts" (Clean Energy Press).
In reply, I pushed back in an email with my own interest and concern of "…(the) impact of water being used for fracking (hydraulic fracturing) of natural gas - we can live without natural gas, but we can't live without (clean) water" and that "… no one seems to be able to roll out a cost effective alternative to oil, coal, or nuclear power." Offering to have an open discussion on my challenge by phone, Craig was very generous with his time and desirous to talk openly about this topic.
It's this on-going debate of climate control (and global warming) versus "an elegant solution simply does not exist" or "renewable energy is too expensive" that gnaws at me. After talking to Craig, I was reminded of Robert Schuller's book title, "If It's Going to Be, It's up to Me". This is something we have to attack from a personal level; it's not going to be resolved in the short term by governments or industry.
As luck would have it, our conversation took place just ahead of the recent (194-party conference) U.N. climate talks in Durban, South Africa. From the short time of our conversation until now, stories have surfaced talking about how "modest accomplishments" were made at the talks, a local wind power project in my area (North Carolina) has stalled due to "utilities have decided the project's power is too costly", solar-product makers are on the ropes due in part to "weak demand, low prices", and just yesterday the story about new power plant (EPA) rules will lead to higher consumer energy prices and a loss of jobs. This morning brought news of the possibility of higher domestic natural gas prices as a result of U.S. exports from the newly developed shale gas supplies.
What I most enjoyed about my conversation with Craig was his willingness to listen yet vigorously confront topics head-on. Also, he seems to understand both sides of the coin of: "…the political, economic, and technology trends that, when fully understood, influence clean energy business strategies." As I told him over the phone, "It's a good thing we're not sitting in a coffee shop somewhere – we'd certainly draw an audience." But I will admit, I would love to have had the experience of seeing peoples' faces as we bantered about; well-behaved, but passionate.
Although I would like to take the step forward, I still struggle getting past the investment in solar panels on an individual consumer level. Also, I would like to put in a geothermal (heat pump) field for my home heating and air-conditioning. I have looked into wind power, too. But, each one seems to be greeted with the same barriers to entry: high initial cost, no life-cycle payback, and local regulations (including homeowner association covenants) that make it nearly impossible to install something on a meaningful scale. Local utility agreements and governing bodies can also govern your ability to sell or get credit for any excess power you may be able to generate on your own.
Craig brought forward many incentives for us to change our ways; from the staggering costs of healthcare as a result of pollution to the reliance on foreign nations, or a desire to take control of our own energy destiny through independence. He has a positive outlook and believes that we can "get there by 2050". What seems to concern Craig is the next decade of 2011-2020. Again, it comes back to what we can do as individuals. The time to act is now. The lingering question is, what are you (and me) going to do about it?


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Pemigewasset River facts for kids
Pemigewasset River
The Pemigewasset River descends into the Basin in Franconia Notch.
Show map of New Hampshire
Grafton, Belknap, Merrimack
Towns and city
Franconia, Lincoln, Woodstock, Thornton, Campton, Plymouth, Holderness, Ashland, Bridgewater, New Hampton, Bristol, Hill, Sanbornton, Franklin
Franconia Notch
1,980 ft (600 m)
44°10′18″N 71°41′14″W / 44.17167°N 71.68722°W / 44.17167; -71.68722
262 ft (80 m)
65.0 mi (104.6 km)
Basin features
Flume Brook, East Branch Pemigewasset River, Mad River, Beebe River, Squam River, Salmon Brook, Winnipesaukee River
Moosilauke Brook, Hubbard Brook, West Branch Brook, Baker River, Newfound River, Smith River, Chance Pond Brook
The Pemigewasset River known locally as "The Pemi", is a river in the state of New Hampshire, the United States. It is 65.0 miles (104.6 km) in length and (with its tributaries) drains approximately 1,021 square miles (2,644 km2). The name "Pemigewasset" comes from the Abenaki word bemijijoasek [bəmidzidzoasək], meaning "where side (entering) current is".
The Pemigewasset originates at Profile Lake in Franconia Notch State Park, in the town of Franconia. It flows south through the White Mountains and merges with the Winnipesaukee River to form the Merrimack River at Franklin. The Merrimack then flows through southern New Hampshire, northeastern Massachusetts and into the Atlantic Ocean.
The Sentinel Pine bridge and The Pool in Franconia Notch
The Interstate 93 highway runs parallel with the river between Franconia Notch and New Hampton. The river passes through the communities of Lincoln, North Woodstock, Woodstock, Thornton, Campton, Plymouth, Holderness, Ashland, Bridgewater, Bristol, New Hampton, Hill, Sanbornton, and Franklin.
The river descends over waterfalls in Franconia Notch, including "The Basin", passes cascades in North Woodstock, and drops over Livermore Falls north of Plymouth. The remainder of the northern Pemi, from Lincoln to Ashland, passes over copious gravel bars and attracts numerous boaters and fishermen. Below Ashland, the river is impounded by the Ayers Island Dam, a hydroelectric facility, for over five miles. A short stretch of heavy whitewater is found below the dam, before the river reaches the impoundment zone for the Franklin Falls flood control reservoir. The river crosses one additional hydroelectric dam below Franklin Falls before joining the Winnipesaukee River in the center of Franklin.
The Pemigewasset watershed consists of over 1,100 miles (1,800 km) of rivers and 17,000 acres (69 km2) of lake, pond, and reservoir area. The watershed comprises about 20 percent of the Merrimack's total watershed area.
Dam on the Pemigewasset River in 1912, Woodstock, NH
Major tributaries include (from north to south):
East Branch of the Pemigewasset River. The East Branch is larger and longer than the main branch of the river.
Moosilauke Brook (Lost River)
Beebe River
Baker River
Squam River (outlet of Squam Lake)
Newfound River (outlet of Newfound Lake)
Smith River
African-American Ballerinas:
Precious Adams
Janet Collins
Pemigewasset River Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.


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SUPPORTING YOUNG TALENT
Driven by a "passion for creativity", LVMH launched in 2013 the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers. This patronage embodies the commitment of the Group and its Houses towards today's young designers who will be tomorrow's rising stars.
Each year, the LVMH Prize rewards young fashion designers, selected for their talent and outstanding creativity. Thanks to the mentorship and the endowment enjoyed by the winners, the LVMH Prize enables the emergence of a new generation of designers.
Because both its roots and its future are intimately linked to creativity, LVMH and its brands have always actively nourished creative talent.
The timeline of the LVMH Prize
The selection committee of the Prize chooses the 20 semi-finalists among the candidates called on to present their designs at the show-room in the Paris headquarters of LVMH.
During the semi-final, around 70 international Experts from the world of fashion select the finalists among the candidates.
The Jury auditions the finalists and picks the winners.
The names of 3 young fashion graduates chosen to join the design studios of LVMH Houses are also revealed during the final.
THE MENTORSHIP
The winners of the LVMH Prize enjoy a one-year mentorship tailored to their needs. Dedicated LVMH teams mentor the winners in numerous fields such as sustainable development, communication, copyright and corporate legal aspects, as well as marketing and the financial management of a brand.
This mentorship represents a unique and valuable opportunity for these young designers to be mentored by real experts and to thus combine creativity and commercial success.


text:
using System.Collections.Generic;

namespace ExtendedXmlSerializer.Samples.Dictianary
{
// TestClass

public class TestClass
{
    public Dictionary<int, string> Dictionary { get; set; }
}
// EndTestClass
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


I think we can all agree that the past couple weeks have been quite eventful here in the United States.
In our last post we took a look at the stock Fiesta ST downpipe as well as our slotted flange design based on the stock flange. We are still planning to create both a catted downpipe and a non-catted downpipe for race applications, so let's take a look at the progress!


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HomeTribune Premium ContentOpinionOpinion packagesAmerican VoicesRachel Marsden: Botched coup attempt in Venezuela raises a lot of questions
Rachel Marsden: Botched coup attempt in Venezuela raises a lot of questions
Rachel Marsden May 19, 2020 Opposition leader Juan Guaido, left, and president of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro. (Yuri Cortez/AFP/Getty Images/TNS)
PARIS — U.S. President Donald Trump just fired the State Department inspector who was reportedly investigating Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's use of his staff to walk his dog. By all means, let's launch a full inquiry into that. And if Pompeo is guilty, rocket him into orbit on Elon Musk's first manned SpaceX rocket in a few days.
Meanwhile, one of Pompeo's political lapdogs has chewed through his harness. Venezuelan opposition politician Juan Guaido, who has enjoyed Pompeo's encouragement in appointing himself "interim president" of Venezuela, now faces accusations of involvement in a failed coup against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro led by American mercenaries.
Two of Guaido's associates signed a 42-page contract with a private U.S. security firm headed by a former Green Beret, then quit after their signatures were revealed. According to a document published by the Washington Post, the primary objective of the security firm, Silvercorp USA, was "To capture/detain/remove Nicolas Maduro," then overthrow the rest of the government before installing "recognized Venezuelan President Juan Guaido."
The operation didn't exactly go as planned. Two U.S. mercenaries and their band of Venezuelan military deserters washed ashore in a Venezuelan fishing village with boats and night-vision goggles and were apprehended by members of the Venezuelan military. The two Americans now face charges of terrorism, conspiracy and weapons trafficking — and perhaps decades in prison.
The head of Florida-based Silvercorp, ex-Green Beret Jordan Goudreau, posted a video identifying himself as an organizer of the attempted coup. Goudreau has also been spotted in Trump rally footage, acting in what appears to be a security capacity. Trump's longtime personal bodyguard, Keith Schiller, who also served as director of Oval Office operations, admits to meeting with Goudreau but denies any involvement in the attempted coup. So does Trump. So does Pompeo.
But one of the captured mercenaries, Luke Denman, can be seen in a video released by the Venezuelan government citing "President Donald Trump" in response to the question, "Who commands Jordan [Goudreau]?"
Guaido denies involvement, but the Miami Herald reports that just a few days before the coup attempt, Silvercorp USA sent Guaido and other members of his opposition party a letter demanding an overdue payment of $1.5 million for a contract signed in October 2019. The letter also cites a total contractual value of $212.9 million, "backed/secured by Venezuelan barrels of oil."
Where on earth would Guaido's gang get $212.9 million to pay mercenaries for over a year? The contract stipulates $50 million alone for the pre-invasion phase. Guaido doesn't have that kind of cash on hand.
But you know who does have that kind of cash on hand, backed by Venezuelan oil? The U.S. government. In January 2019, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin announced that the U.S. "will continue to use the full suite of its diplomatic and economic tools to support Interim President Juan Guaido," as the Treasury Department sanctioned Venezuelan state-owned oil company Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA).
That allowed the U.S. to confiscate $7 billion in PDVSA assets, according to then-national security adviser John Bolton, "plus over $11 billion in lost export proceeds over the next year" from PDVSA subsidiary Citgo.
And speaking of Bolton, a pair of tweets by the regime-change-obsessed former Trump adviser have slipped largely under the radar.
On May 1, right around the time that the supposedly covert mercenary operation against Maduro was launching, Bolton tweeted: "To this day, the significant foreign military presence in Venezuela denies the will of the people. The strongest possible sanctions must remain until the peaceful transition of power and Juan Guaido, Venezuela's rightful interim President and the Venezuelan people are firmly in control."
Another Bolton tweet seems to suggest some kind of foresight: "Morning is coming to Venezuela — again."
Perhaps if the U.S. government is serious about investigating who ordered the attempted coup against a sitting president, it could start by having a chat with Bolton after it gets to the bottom of Dogwalkgate. Or does anyone even care that some Americans tried to overthrow an elected head of state?
What actually did end up coming to Venezuela wasn't the new dawn evoked in Bolton's tweet, but rather a few dudes who've read too many issues of Soldier of Fortune magazine. These ill-fated mercenaries perfectly represent the distinguishing characteristics of U.S. foreign policy today: tone-deafness, blatant entitlement and overpriced ineptitude.


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Rationalizing Korea: The Rise of the Modern State, 1894-1945
Kyung Moon Hwang (Author)
FORMAT
Hardcover$90.00(English)

Paperback$41.94(English)

The first book to explore the institutional, ideological, and conceptual development of the modern state on the peninsula, Rationalizing Korea analyzes the state's relationship to five social sectors, each through a distinctive interpretive theme: economy (developmentalism), religion (secularization), education (public schooling), population (registration), and public health (disease control). Kyung Moon Hwang argues that while this formative process resulted in a more commanding and systematic state, it was also highly fragmented, socially embedded, and driven by competing, often conflicting rationalizations, including those of Confucian statecraft and legitimation. Such outcomes reflected the acute experience of imperialism, nationalism, colonialism, and other sweeping forces of the era.
Asia - Korea
Kyung Moon Hwang is a professor of history and East Asian languages and cultures at the University of Southern California. He is the author of A History of Korea: An Episodic Narrative and Beyond Birth: Social Status in the Emergence of Modern Korea and coeditor of Contentious Kwangju: The May 18 Uprising in Korea's Past and Present.
"[Breaks] new ground... [Hwang has] offered readers an ambitious challenge: one directed to Korean studies, but also one also carrying its implications far beyond."--Cross-Currents
"Rationalizing Korea is an important contribution to the debates over the origins of the powerful goal-oriented Korean state (or sates), the reforms of Choson Korea, and colonial modernization. Beyond the field of Korean studies, it offers insight for all who are interested in the formation of the modern state."-- (07/11/2018)
Books About Glamorous Messes VIEW LIST (6 BOOKS)


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