text:
Five Clans of Amakusa
天草五人衆
Amakusa Clan
Shiki Clan
Ōyano Clan
Sumoto Clan
Kōtsuura Clan
The Five Clans of Amakusa were a group of kokujin, or provincial landowners, on the Amakusa archipelago, including the Amakusa, the Shiki, the Ōyano, the Sumoto, and the Kōtsuura clans. During the Azuchi-Momoyama period, Amakusa was unique in Japan to the extent that it served as the home to 23,000 Christians out of a population of 30,000, along with more than 60 priests and 30 churches.
The Five Clans of Amakusa pledged obedience in the face of the campaign led by Toyotomi Hideyoshi known as the Kyūshū Pacification. Accordingly, their rights to landholdings were recognized by Konishi Yukinaga who was appointed by Hideyoshi as the lord of southern Higo Province. Yukinaga himself was an ardent follower of the Christian faith, having been influenced by Jesuit missionaries from Portugal who resided in the area at this time. The clans, however, acting under the leadership of Shiki Shigetsune, refused demands by Yukinaga to support the construction of Uto Castle. In 1589, led by Amakusa Tanemoto (a retainer of Amakusa Hisatane), Ōyano Tanemoto, Kōtsuura Tanenao, and Sumoto Chikataka, the clans joined forces to protect the rights to their landholdings, and, in an event known as the Amakusa Kokujin Uprising, rebelled against Hideyoshi. After an invasion by Yukinaga with reinforcements from Katō Kiyomasa, the clans of Amakusa surrendered to avoid their decimation. Yukinaga took possession of the territory with a rice yield of over 10,000 koku.


text:
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Report your news
Home naval-today Canadian World War II destroyer becomes ceremonial flagship
Canadian World War II destroyer becomes ceremonial flagship
A 75-year-old destroyer and World War II and Korean War veteran officially became the Royal Canadian Navy's flagship in a ceremony on May 26 in Ontario.
The ceremony was part of a two-day community event co-hosted by the Royal Canadian Navy and Parks Canada, in collaboration with the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets, the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, the Oshawa Military and Industrial Museum, and the City of Hamilton.
Through this ceremonial designation, HMCS Haida will fly the Canadian Naval Ensign and observe traditional sunrise and sunset ceremonies during its operating season from May to October. There will also be a Honourary Commanding Officer appointed to the vessel.
In the evening of May 26th, a traditional sunset ceremony was held followed by HMCS Haida's transformation into an illuminated living memorial in remembrance of the fallen of the battles of the Atlantic and the St. Lawrence.
During the Second World War, HMCS Haida joined the Arctic convoys, escorting merchant ships on the Murmansk Run to Russia. The vessel patrolled the English Channel as part of preparations for D-Day and played an active role in the Allied invasion of Normandy. HMCS Haida subsequently served in the Korean War and the Cold War before being retired from active service in 1963, earning the moniker "fightingest ship" of the Royal Canadian Navy.
This year marks HMCS Haida's 75th anniversary of first entering into service. The last remaining Second World War Tribal-class destroyer in the world, the vessel was among the fastest and most powerful of its kind at that time.
"This is a tremendous day for both the Royal Canadian Navy and for Parks Canada. HMCS Haida exemplifies the values of our naval personnel in uniform – service above self; courage in the face of immense danger; indomitable spirit; and the relentless pursuit of excellence," Vice-Admiral Ron Lloyd, Commander Royal Canadian Navy, said. "As flagship of the RCN, Haida now stands as a permanent reminder of the sacrifice and courage of Canada's sailors, so that future generations of Canadians and sailors can be inspired by its story and the proud traditions of our Royal Canadian Navy."
View post tag: HMCS Haida
View post tag: Royal Canadian Navy
Photo: HMCS Haida at the National Historic Site in Hamilton, Ontario. Photo: Parks Canada
Canadian Navy's 4th AOPS HMCS William Hall launched
Canadian Navy's 2nd AOPS Margaret Brooke enters service
WATCH: Construction of longest warship ever built in Canada hits important milestone
Posted: 13 days ago
Canadian Navy frigate HMCS Vancouver starts Operation Neon
Keel laid for Canadian Coast Guard's newest OOSV
Canadian Navy welcomes third AOPS
List of highlighted news articles
Construction starts on Canadian Navy's final AOPS
Ultra to provide hull-mounted sonar for Canadian Surface Combatant
US Navy destroyer trains with Canadian frigate in South China Sea
Canadian Navy's third AOPS starts sea trials
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
PetDine Moving to Larger Manufacturing Plant
When PetDine, LLC, completes its move from a 20,000-square-foot manufacturing plant to a building more than 10 times that size, it will officially become the largest pet treat manufacturing facility in North America, according to Product Launchers.
The new 220,000-square-foot building is located in Harvard, Illinois, close to ingredient and transportation supply sources. The expansion comes only two years after owners Preston and Ken Munsch and Kurt Stricker acquired the 55-year-old company, including its exclusive formulas and proprietary technology.
PetDine is a full-service, private label co-packer for the pet industry, producing hundreds of lines of pet treats from over 200 high-quality ingredients, in formulations that are unique to each client. The new facility will carry several certifications, including SQF (Safe Quality Food) Level 3, the highest level of certification for a food (including human food) facility.
"Consumers today are more conscious about what they feed their pets than what they feed themselves," Preston said. "When we acquired PetDine, we took an already excellent manufacturing process and made it even better."
PetDine's production process is distinctive in that, unlike most pet treat and kibble manufactures, PetDine uses no water, which can produce mold, and no heat, which can change the integrity, viability and structure of the food. The company's products are free of corn, wheat, sugars, salts, excipients, binding or gumming agents and artificial colors, making them safer and healthier.
"We pride ourselves on our quality control from the time the ingredients get to our facility to the finished product. Every single product we produce goes through a full micro analysis test, performed by an independent, third party lab, testing for toxins," Preston said. "This extensive process enables us to make the most highly functional and palatable pet products, assuring every chew that leaves our facility is of the highest quality."
The Munschs and Stricker have a combined 100 years in the pet industry. Preston is a well-known expert in creating pet products. Kurt is a third-generation baker and sole proprietor of state-of-the-art manufacturer Pedigree Ovens. Munsch is an inductee of the American Feed Industry Hall of Fame.
"As a pet industry consultant and product developer for over 15 years, I knew the importance of owning and controlling manufacturing. In just two years of owning PetDine the results have exceeded our expectations. By leveraging capabilities, improving processes, tapping into our industry connections, and expanding our breadth of offerings to current customers, we are generating dozens of inbound leads per week," Preston said. "The manufacturing world is getting smaller and smaller. It's expensive to manufacture and expensive to earn certification. But our flexibility enables us to work with small or big companies. And we are pretty proud of what we've accomplished."
Westminster Welcomes Trupanion as Pets Sponsor for 2021 WKC Dog Show Pet Age Staff
Mars Invests $145M to Expand Arkansas Manufacturing Facility Pet Age Staff
New Key Accounts Sales Manager at Pet Palette Glenn Polyn
Brilliant Salmon Oil Expands North American Sales Team Pet Age Staff
Open Farm Receives $65M Minority Growth Investment Led By General Atlantic Pet Age Staff
AKC National Championship Dog Show to Air Sunday on ABC Pet Age Staff
Ben & Jerry's Enters Pet Market With Frozen Doggie Desserts Pet Age Staff
TEEF Developers to Partner with Veterinary Hospitals Association Pet Age Staff


text:
Leslie Crum Aiello (Pasadena, 26 de maig de 1946) és una paleoantropòloga estatunidenca i professora emèrita de la University College de Londres. El 2014 va ser elegida membre de l'American Philosophical Society.

Biografia
A partir de 1964, Aiello va estudiar Antropologia a la Universitat de Califòrnia a Los Angeles. Més endavant es va doctorar a la Universitat de Londres en evolució humana i anatomia. Aiello va romandre a la Universitat de Londres on es va convertir en professora d'antropologia biològica el 1995. Durant aquest temps, va ser codirectora del Journal of Human Evolution (1993-1999).

Aiello és membre de l'Associació americana per a l'avenç de la ciència i de la Societat Zoològica de Londres i, des de 2011, membre de l'Acadèmia Alemanya de Ciències Leopoldina i de l'American Philosophical Society des de 2014.

Va coescriure el llibre de text, An Introduction to Human Evolutionary Anatomy, que utilitza el registre fòssil per a predir les maneres en què els primers homínids es movien, menjaven i aprenien.

Pensament
Aiello estudia l'antropologia evolutiva centrant-se en l'adaptació humana i la història de la vida, així com l'evolució del cervell, la dieta, el llenguatge i la cognició, i la locomoció i els seus costos energètics. També ha investigat els homínids paleolítics i la seva termoregulació i adaptació al clima.

En col·laboració amb Peter Wheeler, va desenvolupar l'expensive tissue hypothesis respecte als humans primerencs, segons aquesta hipòtesi, hi ha una correlació inversa entre l'augment de la mida del cervell durant l'evolució humana i la reducció paral·lela del tracte digestiu com a resultat d'aliments animals més rics en proteïnes. Una altra idea que va plantejar era que els costos reproductius més elevats serien l'efecte d'aquest augment de la mida del cervell, que es va compensar perquè les femelles augmentaven de mida més ràpidament que els mascles. Va destacar que la terrestre (moviment dels primers homínids del bosc a les sabanes) és l'etapa més antiga que va conduir a la civilització humana. La segona etapa va ser el bipedisme i la tercera és l'encefalització (evocant cervells més grans). Aiello va identificar les implicacions socials del consum de carn, una de les quals és compartir aliments, que no passa sovint en primats, la qual cosa reforça el vincle entre la femella i la descendència. L'altra implicació social és que menjar carn probablement va conduir a la divisió del treball entre homes i dones (mascles caçant, dones cuidant cries dependents). Menjar carn no va provocar cervells més grans, sinó que simplement els va fer possibles.

Aiello va subratllar que un cervell gran, unes cames llargues i la creació i l'ús d'eines probablement van evolucionar conjuntament, però no com un sol paquet al començament del llinatge de l'Homo, especialment en els avantpassats Australopithecus. Per tant, els primers humans van poder canviar amb les seves condicions ambientals canviants, cosa que els va permetre sobreviure i estendre's des d'Àfrica fa uns 1,85 milions d'anys. Aiello ha afirmat: «En conjunt, aquestes dades suggereixen que les espècies dHomo primerencs eren més flexibles en les seves opcions dietètiques que altres espècies». I, «la seva dieta flexible, probablement que contenia carn, va ser ajudada per l'alimentació assistida amb eines de pedra que va permetre als nostres avantpassats explotar una sèrie de recursos». La flexibilitat és un segell distintiu de la biologia humana.

Va fundar la revista Current Anthropology que dona suport a totes les àrees de l'antropologia i altres disciplines relacionades que es preocupen pel desenvolupament humà, els orígens i la variació.

 Obra publicada
 "The Expensive Tissue Hypothesis: Co-evolution of the brain and the digestive system in humans and other primates", International Journal of Anthropology, 9:3, 1994, p 166, doi: 10.1007/BF02575406
 Peter Wheeler: "The Expensive Tissue Hypothesis: The Brain and the Digestive System in Human and Primate Evolution", Current Anthropology, 36:2, 1995, pp 199–221, doi: 10.1086/204350
 "Brains and Guts in Human Evolution: The Expensive Tissue Hypothesis", Brazilian Journal of Genetics, 201, 1997, p 141–148, doi: 10.1590/S0100-84551997000100023
 "The expensive tissue hypothesis and the evolution of the human adaptive niche: a study in comparative anatomy", Justine Bayley (ed.), Science in Archaeology. Agenda for the Future of English Heritage, London 1998, pp 25–36,
 with N. Bates and T. Joffe: "The expensive tissue hypothesis revisited", American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 104, Supplement 24, 1997, p 62
 with N. Bates and T. Joffe: "In defense of the expensive tissue hypothesis: ontogeny, maternal care and organ size", Dean Falk, Kathleen R. Gibson (ed.), Evolutionary Anatomy of the Primate Cerebral Cortex, Cambridge University Press., Cambridge 2001, pp 57–78,
 Cathy Key: "The energetic Consequences of being a female Homo erectus", American Journal of Human Biology, 14:5, 2002, pp 551–565. doi: 10.1002/ajhb.10069
 Jonathan CK Wells: "Energetics and the evolution of the genus Homo", Annual Review of Anthropology, 31, 2002, pp 323–338, doi: 10.1146/annurev.anthro.31.040402.085403
 with WEH Harcourt-Smith: "Fossils, feet and the evolution of human bipedal locomotion", Journal of Anatomy, 204:5, 2004, pp 403–416. doi : 10.1111/j.0021-8782.2004.00296. x, Full Text
 "Five years of Homo floresiensis", American Journal of Physical Anthropology'', 142''':2, 2010, pp 167–179, doi: 10.1002/ajpa.21255

Referències

Professors de la Universitat Yale
Alumnes de la Universitat de Göttingen
Alumnes de la Universitat de Califòrnia a Los Angeles
Alumnes de la Universitat de Londres
Professors del University College de Londres
Professors de la Universitat de Sussex
Professors de la Universitat de Cambridge
Naixements del 1946
Persones de Pasadena (Califòrnia)
Paleoantropòlegs

Antropòlegs californians

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


No changes in activity occurred at the volcano, which continues to produce small to moderate ash explosions from the dome and weakly alimented block lava flows on its flanks.
No changes in activity were reported today. Ash explosions of small to moderate size with plumes up to about 800 m height occur at rates of 1-2 per hour on average. Only the southeastern lava flow from the dome was reported to be weakly active today.
Explosive activity remains at moderate levels with explosions reaching up to about 1 km height above the crater. Effusive activity was weak, no activity was observed at the lava flows on the flanks of the lava dome.
No significant changes have occurred over the past days. Explosions from the lava dome occur at rates of about 1-2 per hour and produce ash plumes rising a few 100 m. The lava flows descending the dome, in particular on the SE side, are weakly active and produce small avalanches.
INSIVUMEH reported 2 weak and one moderate ash explosion from the dome during an hour in the morning of yesterday, with ash plumes rising up to about 600 m. Ash fall occurred in the areas of Finca El Faro and parts of Monte Claro.
Activity has remained the same. Some moderate explosions with plumes rising 800 m were observed during yesterday-today, as well as avalanches from the still active flows on the flanks of the dome.
Activity was low today. Only some small explosions and few small to moderately sized avalanches from the active flows were reported.
Activity today remained low. Only few and very weak explosions and small block avalanches from the active flows were reported by INSIVUMEH.
Activity has been low today. No significant explosions have been noticed and the lava flows were only weakly active as well.
Activity has remained the same: 1-2 explosions per hour with ash plumes rising up to 800 m and weak avalanches from the active flows descending the flanks of the lava dome.
Explosions have been becoming more frequent; the volcano observatory reports weak to moderate ones with ash plumes rising up to 900 m during the past day. Effusion of lava flows continues.
Activity has been comparably elevated today, with ash explosions reaching 700 m above the crater of the Caliente dome. The lava flows remained active as well and continued to produce frequent incandescent avalanches.
Activity remains relatively low. No recent explosions were reported. The lava flows on the southern and SE side of the dome continue to produce glowing avalanches.
Effusive activity has apparently increased, as INSIVUMEH reports that the SE and NE lava flows descending from the dome are advancing about 5-7 meters per day. This implies a relatively high effusion rate from the summit vent feeding the flows. Explosive activity remains very weak in contrast.
The lava dome has had a few minor explosions, and continues to emit a large steam plume and aliment the lava flows on its flanks. Incandescence could be seen during the night from their fronts, where detaching blocks generate weak avalanches. The flow on the SE side towards Nimá 1 canyon was advancing.
Activity has remained generally weak and mainly effusive, with very few and weak ash explosions, and active block lava flows from the dome, that generate constant small avalanches.


text:
Kaseta [yellow LP]
winyl: 159,90 zł
The Downward Spiral
JOHN PORTER
RIGHT TIME (REMASTERED)
THE MUSHROOM TAPES [Black Friday 2018]
BNQT
Agressiva 69
DE PRESS
Dwie tęsknoty
DELICATE SOUND OF THUNDER
Blu-ray: 59,90 zł
JACK PENATE
Land Observations
Mute, 2014
sprawdź inne płyty z promocji:
winyle Mute/PIAS
winyl : 42,90 zł
Nr kat.: STUMM369
format : 12"LP
Nr kat.: CDSTUMM369
1 On leaving the Kingdom for the well-tempered continent 4:59
2 Flatlands & the Flemish Roads 5:45
3 From the heights of the Simplon Pass 4:46
4 Nice to Turin 4:39
5 Ode to Viennese Streets 5:15
6 The Brenner Pass 4:44
7 Walking the warm colonnades 4:30
8 Return to Ravenna 5:51
Land Observations is the project of James Brooks, formerly of the post-rock band Appliance. During the group's hiatus in the mid-2000s, Brooks spent more time on his visual art, showing his work at galleries in the U.K., North America, and Europe, and also continued working on music on his own. Inspired by the ancient Roman roads that pass by his apartment, he began working on pieces that looped and layered his guitar work into something intricate yet minimalist, evoking the work of Kraftwerk, Cluster, Brian Eno and Robert Fripp, and Acid Mothers Temple's Makoto Kawabata, as well as more pop-oriented artists such as the Cure and the Durutti Column. Brooks' first Land Observations work was 2011's Roman Roads EP, which was released by Enraptured Records in a limited edition of 500. Soon after, Land Observations signed to Mute Records (also home to Appliance), and the project's full-length debut was released in September 2012; the year was rounded out with a handful of European live dates.
Brooks continued to build his reputation with further Land Observations gigs in 2013, and was also invited by actor/composer Simon Fisher Turner to help perform his score for the BFI's restoration of The Epic of Everest, a 1924 film by Captain John Noel that documented George Mallory and Andrew Irvine's ill-starred attempt to climb the Earth's highest mountain. Taking its name from the European trip that many well-off university graduates embarked upon in the 17th through 19th centuries, 2014's The Grand Tour was a more intimate set of songs recorded in a friend's apartment near the Bavarian Alps.
ID.Entity [mediabook]
Neon Indian
Era Extrana Errata Anex Lp RSD
ERA VULGARIS
Deerhoof


text:
Basketball Player Gets Surprise Homecoming After Suffering A Stroke
Posted 10:17 pm, June 17, 2018, by Kathryn Gilker, Updated at 06:29AM, June 18, 2018
BENTONVILLE (KFSM) -- A high school basketball player suffered a stoke on May 26.
Saturday (June 16), Demondra or Dra Bishop attended basketball camp at the University of Arkansas with his team.
When they got back to the Bentonville High School gym a surprise was waiting for him inside.
"It's been hard, but I'm going to keep fighting," Bishop said.
With support from family and friends Dra is on his way to recovery.
Dra's mom, Angela Copeland said Dra is your normal athletic and healthy 16 year old.
He had just played in a two-day tournament in Tulsa with a different team.
"We had just got home and he started having droopiness in the face, slurred speech and couldn't walk. And then I knew something was immediately wrong and rushed him to the hospital," she said.
Copeland said he was airlifted to Children's Hospital in Little Rock where he had emergency surgery to remove a blood clot.
He lost his ability on his right side, but his right leg is strong now and he can now make a fist and lift his arm.
"'It's amazing in two weeks what's happened. So they fully, they can't really say he will get his feeling back or he won't, but with his progress so far they are really hopeful that he will be back 100 percent," she said.
Coach Dick Rippy said it's great to have Dra back with the team.
"Now, we're just looking forward to him getting back to where he was. It's going to take a lot of work, but that's Dra, he's going to work hard," Rippy said.
Dra said he really appreciates everyone's support. "I feel good but I still have a long way to go," he said.
St. Boniface Catholic School In Fort Smith Closes Its Doors
Southside Boys Basketball Coach Charlie Cooper Retires
Elkins Athlete Looking Forward After Cancer Battle
91-Year-Old WWII Veteran Gets High School Diploma With His Grandson
Malik Monk Gives Back To Bentonville Community With Basketball Camp
Hog Central Razorbacks Baseball
Scroggins' Bumpy Journey Leads His To Ultimate Goal
Fort Smith Police Investigating Suspicious Death At Duplex, Victim Identified
Colorado Teacher Adopts Sick Student To Help Him Get Kidney Transplant
Teen Battling Kidney Disease Finds New Home with Teacher
Young Hero Praised For Alerting Neighbors In Arkansas House Fire
Art Briles To Coach High School Football 3 Years After He Was Fired Over Baylor Sexual Assault Scandal
Anonymous Donor Pays Off Rogers High School Seniors Cafeteria Debt
'Big Papi' David Ortiz Back In Boston After Shooting In Dominican Bar
This Student Died Trying To Stop The Colorado School Shooter


text:
This guide is for building SDPB.  To just run SDPB, it may be easier
to use [Docker](docs/Docker.md) or [Singularity](docs/Singularity.md).
In addition, there are [site specific
notes](docs/site_installs/Readme.md) for different HPC machines.

* [Requirements](#requirements)
* [Installation](#installation)
* [Getting Help](#getting-help)

# Requirements

SDPB requires

- A modern C++ compiler with C++ 17 support.  SDPB has been tested with
  GCC versions 7 through 10.

- An MPI implementation such as [OpenMPI](https://www.open-mpi.org/) or [MPICH](https://www.mpich.org/)

- [Boost C++ Libraries](http://www.boost.org/) Please be sure that the
  boost library is compiled with the same C++ compiler you are using.

- [The GNU Multiprecision Library](https://gmplib.org/).  Be sure to
  enable C++ support by configuring with the option `--enable-cxx`.

- [The GNU MPFR Library](https://www.mpfr.org/)

- [libxml2](http://www.xmlsoft.org/).  Only the C library is required.

- [RapidJSON](http://rapidjson.org/)

- A BLAS library such as [OpenBLAS](http://www.openblas.net/)

- [Python](https://python.org) (2.7 or later).

- [CMake](https://cmake.org/)

- [libarchive](https://github.com/libarchive/libarchive)

SDPB has only been tested on Linux (Debian buster and Centos 7).  On
Centos 7, the system compiler (gcc 4.8.5) is too old to support
C++ 14.  So you will have to install a newer compiler and Boost.  The
system versions of GMP, MPFR, and libxml2 have been tested to work.

In principle, SDPB should be installable on Mac OS X using a package
manager such as [Homebrew](https://brew.sh).

# Installation

1. Download the the fork of [Elemental](https://gitlab.com/bootstrapcollaboration/elemental)

        git clone https://gitlab.com/bootstrapcollaboration/elemental.git

2. Make the build directory and cd into it.

        mkdir -p elemental/build
        cd elemental/build

3. Configure Elemental.  This can be rather tricky.  You may have to specify where the Boost, GMP, and BLAS libraries are.  If you are using [modules](http://modules.sourceforge.net/), you may have to load modules.  If these define appropriate environment variables, then the configure should be relatively easy.  For example, on Yale's Grace cluster, commands that work are

        module load git CMake GCCcore/6.4.0 OpenMPI/2.1.2-GCC-6.4.0-2.28 Boost/1.66.0-foss-2018a OpenBLAS/0.2.20-GCC-6.4.0-2.28 GMP/6.1.2-GCCcore-6.4.0 MPFR/4.0.1-GCCcore-6.4.0 Python/3.6.4-foss-2018a
        export CXX=mpicxx
        export CC=mpicc
        cmake .. -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=$HOME/project/install

    On Harvard's Odyssey3 cluster, the default Boost module does not
    work with the most up-to-date compiler.

        module load gcc/9.2.0-fasrc01 cmake/3.16.1-fasrc01 OpenBLAS/0.3.7-fasrc02 openmpi/4.0.2-fasrc01 eigen/3.3.7-fasrc02 libxml2/2.7.8-fasrc02 metis/5.1.0-fasrc01
        module unload boost
        export CXX=mpicxx
        export CC=mpicc
        cmake .. -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=$HOME/install

    On a Debian Buster laptop, use sudo or the root account to
    install these packages

        apt-get install openmpi-bin libopenmpi-dev libgmp-dev libmpfr-dev libmpfrc++-dev libboost-all-dev g++ cmake libopenblas-dev libxml2-dev git libmetis-dev pkg-config rapidjson-dev

    and then configure as a normal user

        cmake .. -DCMAKE_CXX_COMPILER=mpicxx -DCMAKE_C_COMPILER=mpicc -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/home/boo/qft/src/elemental/install

4. Build and install Elemental

        make && make install

5. Download SDPB

        cd ../..
        git clone https://github.com/davidsd/sdpb
        cd sdpb

    You must use git.  The tarball generated by github will not work.

6. Configure the project using the included version of [waf](https://waf.io).  Waf can usually find libraries that are in system directories or have corresponding environment variables.  You may have to explicitly tell it where other libraries are.  If you are having problems, running `./waf --help` will give you a list of options.

   On Yale, a working command is

        ./waf configure --elemental-dir=$HOME/project/install

    On Harvard, a working command is

        ./waf configure --elemental-dir=$HOME/install

    and on Debian buster, it is

        ./waf configure --elemental-dir=$HOME/install

7. Type `./waf` to build the executable in `build/sdpb`.  This will create eight executables in the `build/` directory:

* `sdpb`: Semidefinite program solver
  * `pvm2sdp`: Convert SDP's in XML and Mathematica format to `sdpb` input.
  * `sdp2input`: Convert SDP's in JSON and Mathematica format to `sdpb` input.
* `outer_limits`: Semidefinite program solver using the outer approximation (experimental)
  * `pvm2functions`: Convert SDP's in XML and Mathematica format to `outer_limits` input.
  * `sdp2functions`: Convert SDP's in JSON and Mathematica format to `outer_limits` input.
* `spectrum`: Extract the spectrum given the solution and XML/JSON/Mathematica.
* `approx_objective`: Compute an approximate objective given a solution to a nearby SDP.

Running

        ./build/sdpb --help

should give you a usage message.  HPC systems may require you to run
all jobs through a batch system.  You will need to consult the
documentation for your individual system.

# Getting Help<a name="getting-help" />
If you are having problems with installation, you can send a message
to the [Bootstrap Software mailing
list](https://groups.google.com/g/bootstrap-collaboration-software).
When sending a message, be sure to include what system you are trying
to install SDPB on, what you typed, and the **FULL** error message
(even if you think it is too long).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Alice History
Alice History	smgadm	2017-11-14T11:36:42-07:00
It was in 1881 that the first important gold discoveries were made in the Upper Fall River Mining District. The first title of 7 placer claims and 4 lode claims located on 930 acres was granted by the United States of America on December 4, 1884 to the Alice Mining Co., founded October 25, 1881. The name of Alice comes from the wife of George Taylor who had worked the property prior to the Alice Mining Company. R.O. Phillips, the president of the Alice Mining Co., was also the secretary of the Lincoln Land Co., a subsidiary of Burlington Railroads. The land around the Alice Mine was worked as placer claims, which strips the top from several acres of land at a time and is then washed in order to find the mineral. A stamp mill was erected to crush other ores, and several thousand dollars in gold, silver, and lead were taken out that first year.
John Kaminky was one of the earliest miners to reside in the area. John Kaminky married Ethel Wright, who was teaching at the Alice School, on June 10, 1912. John was on the School Board at the time. The young couple moved to a three room cabin located above Silver Lake, to the east, on a lonely, windy hill.
The cabin was near John's Sierra Nevada mining properties. The Charlie Dow cabin was located just to the south, the only close neighbor. Mr. Dow was working the Blanche and Columbine claims.
Three daughters were born in the Kaminky home, Rosalie in 1913, Elizabeth in 1915, and Alice in 1917. The family moved into the Slater home in Alice in the fall of 1919, for Ethel was to teach in the Alice School that year, and Rosalie was to enter her first grade in school. Son John was born in 1921, and Ethel took him to school with her until a replacement was found to take over her classes. Ethel taught in Alice again in 1924-25, earning $900.00 a year. She was also the postmistress for two years. The family moved to Idaho Springs in 1925 so Rosalie could enter high school. John spent part of the winters at his mines and the family spent some summers at their cabin in Alice. The cabin was sold in 1942 at the time of John's death for $100.00.
However, as depth was attained in the Alice Mine, the ore became more heavily mineralized and unfit for the mill. Operations generally proved unprofitable and ceased. The Alice Mining Co. began leasing of the Alice properties to various individuals in 1890. The properties were never worked profitably from this time, usually from lack of capital and the inability to treat the low-grade ore profitably. In May 1900, payment was defaulted and a public trustee put the properties up for auction. The sale was held on June 24, 1901, at the mill site, and C.O. Whedon bought the properties for $6766.25, including the machinery. Whedon sold the properties in 1902 to Silver Creek Mineral Co. who until 1929 would hold some claim to the land. The Alice Gold Mill Corp. and the Alice Development Co. owned the properties from 1908 to 1913. An effort was made to sell stock in the company which resulted in the publication of the two reports in our possession. The properties went back to Silver Creek Mineral Co. in 1913 by repossession due to failure to make payment by the Alice Gold Mill Corporation. Very little evidence has been found to substantiate any work being done or profits being made at the time of ownership by the Alice Gold Mill Corp. or at any time after the initial mining was done prior to 1890. The properties were again sold in 1929 and in 1931, but were repossessed due to failure to make payment. In 1934, the Yukon Gold Mining Co. purchased the properties and leased the claims to the Porphyry Mines which developed the mineral resources extensively between 1935 and 1939.
The Alice Mining Company build a 100-ton mill and expected ore to average $4.00 to $4.50 a ton, with mining costs expected to run 60¢ per ton and milling costs to run about $1.50 a ton. The property was worked through an open pit with chutes at intervals in the base to let ore through. In 1936, the American Smelting and Refining Co., at the time the world's leading smelter and refiner of metals, acquired control of the Alice Mine, with plans to spend $400,000 in the development of the mine. Thirty percent interests were retained by the Porphyry Mines. The American Smelting and Refining Co. was the country's largest shipper of ores in 1938. The end was near however; the war in Europe was soon to make the quest for gold in Colorado only a bright memory. From 1936 to 1946, the taxes were not paid on the Alice Mine properties. The president of the Porphyry Mines, C. Sanford Thayer, bought the properties back for the amount of the taxes owed. Thayer sold some properties in 1947 to the St. Mary's Lodge, Inc. which developed a dude ranch near Silver Lake. The first housing development properties were sold in May 1960 to Winterland Incorporated. Various land promoters have been involved in the area since.
The mines at Yankee, 94, and Lombard were the primary source of minerals in the Upper Fall River Mining District in the late 1800's and the early 1900's. Yankee was first settled by northern sympathizers, thus the name of Yankee. The post office at Yankee was established in 1893. '94 was first settled in 1894 but was never incorporated. The post office at Yankee was discontinued in 1910, and soon all signs of Yankee disappeared. Only an occasional family lived at '94. All mail was then sent to the post office at Alice which was established in 1900. Alice was now the center of activity in the area. The Alice School District #18 had been established in 1896. The community around the school was taking on the look of permanency. The Alice School District and the post office were in existence until 1927 when mining all but shut down in the area. Both the school and the post office reopened again in 1935 when mining activities were renewed. However, the mining activities were short lived as by 1939 the area was almost totally deserted.
Electricity to the area arrived in 1902, being financed by the Burlington Railroad. Fall River road underwent improvements in 1905 and ore shipments were then sent to Idaho Springs rather than Central City. The mining operations of families living in the area were the primary suppliers of minerals from around 1910 to the 1930's.
The Thomas Slater family was another family that settled in the area in the late 1800's. The current home of Don Speed was built by the Slaters. Catherine, the only child of Thomas and Margaret, was born in 1889. Thomas worked in various mines in the area. Thomas also had a cabin to the north of Silver Lake. He was in the cabin when it was hit by a snow slide. He fell and hit his head on the stove, but received only minor head injuries. Thomas Slater died in Denver in 1935. Catherine Slater was the first to teach at the Alice school built in 1906, she was 19 years old. She then went to college in Greeley to earn her degree, and returned to teach at the Alice school from 1913 to 1917, earning $80.00 a month in 1917. Catherine was also postmistress for one year. Catherine married Clarence Edwin Alexander in 1919. The Alexander family was associated with the Planet Group of mines on Gold Hill. The Slater and Alexander family's left Alice around 1919, and the Kaminky family moved into their home.
Another prominent family in Alice was the Steuarts. George Steuart was born January, 1862 in Meadville, Pennsylvania. He was an engineer on the Colorado & Southern Railroad around 1880, working on the branch running out of Denver to Leadville. George purchased the Puritan Mine property in 1901 from W.S. and James Gow for the cash price of $15,000.00. George build a large frame house on the road to the glacier where he lived with his mother until his marriage to Alice Bannister on June 4, 1903. Alice Bannister was born September, 1879 in Des Moines, Iowa. She came to Idaho Springs to visit friends, and met George at a concert in that town. The power house at the mouth of the Mayflower Tunnel was build by George, and housed the air compressor and black smith shop. A water wheel nearby was powered by water from St. Mary's Lake which ran through a 950 foot pipeline, 10 inches in diameter, with a drop of 280 feet. Ore from the Puritan Mine was reportedly valued at $100.00 per ton in 1901. The first child of the Steuarts' was Alice Dorothy, born July, 1904. Margaret was born May, 1906 and George was born November, 1907. All three children, and most children in the area, were delivered at home by Dr. Frazier of Idaho Springs. Catherine Slater was the children's teacher and they attended the Alice School for three years before going to Denver for school, only living at Alice in the summer. George R. Steuart did most of the surveys for the mines in the area at the time, and drew the maps. The Steuart home burned down in 1922. Everything was lost in the fire which was by an arsonist. Castle de Gow and Air Castle mining claims were owned by Edward and George Reynolds, cousins of George Steuart. They purchased their holdings from the Gow brothers also, coming from Pennsylvania around 1910. George Steuart was no longer mining by this time. After the fire he moved to Erie, Pennsylvania to work for Standard Stoker for several years. He invented partes for stoking coal on trains, and rode the trains checking to see if stokers worked properly. He was still working for Standard Stoker at the age of 80 when he was struck and killed by a car in Denver (1942). Alice Steuart died in Denver in 1959.
Silver City and Fall River
Up to the time of discovery of silver and gold in the County of Clear Creek, the Arapahoe and Ute Indians used the canyon only as a passage way to South Park in the Granby area. The hot springs located near Soda Creek were considered by both tribes to be neutral, sacred ground. The peace and solitude of the area ended in 1859 when George Jackson discovered gold along the south fork of Clear Creek. The rush was on; and in 60 years the Clear Creek area would yield more than $100 million worth of gold. The first discovery of minerals found along Fall River, named for the falls along the way, was in 1860 in the form of silver lodes. Nearly 8000 miners swarmed into the area, picking and shoveling the earth and blazing the trees to mark the claims. 7000 claims were filled in the Fall River area that year and the newly founded town of Silver City, located near the head of Silver Creek, boasted 1000 men living in tents and brush huts. The Upper Fall River Mining District was established in July, 1860, and the town of Silver City was surveyed and plated in September of that year. The rush was short-lived however. Most of the miners were jobless individuals, a product of the financial panic of 1857. They knew nothing about mining nor how to survive in the wilderness. At this time there was no way of processing silver profitably. So, due to lack of knowledge and the expense of transportation and milling costs, most mines in the Fall River area were soon abandoned. Silver City existed for only the summer of 1860. The town of Fall River, or Spanish Bar, which began at the junction of Clear Creek and Fall River, continued to prosper. In 1860, it boasted a hotel, post office, and several shops and residences, two large mills and several smaller ones. In 1866 county residents had the choice of Fall River or Idaho Springs as the county seat. The camp reached its peak in the 1880's when discoveries rich in free gold were made.
When Kaminky Called the Dance
Yankee Hill
Memories of Alice, Colorado 1913-1925
From Mining to Recreation: The Development of the Fall River Area
Gleanings of Alice, Colorado History


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Q: how to mark multiple lat/long in google map search url how to mark multiple lat/long in google map search url
https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=47.5951518,-122.3316393
the above example has one set of longitude and latitude specifeid. How can we give more than one latitude and longitude in url, so that it marks both in map

A: Go to Google My Maps, create a new map and add all the markers you want using the marker icon in the toolbar under the searchbar:
Then, you can share your map with anyone using the Share button in the box at the top left.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Category: Home > Reviews > Animation > Children > Superhero > Martial Arts > Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Season Four (5 Disc Set)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Season Four (5 Disc Set)
Picture: C Sound: C+ Extras: C+ Episodes: B
Don't go into "Shell Shock", but Lionsgate Entertainment has just released Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Season Four on a nicely presented 5 disc set. This large 5 disc set is a first for the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series; all previous DVD releases of this series' being presented on a single disc format with about 12 episodes each. These previous DVD releases were not true season sets, but rather simple volume sets; in the end having a total of 6 volumes before going to this new 'Season Directed' format.
The 1980's would not have been the same without the cultural impact of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with the original comic book premiering in 1984 and the extremely popular animated series in 1987. The series ran for a total of 10 seasons, running from 1987 to 1996. It is true that the animated series in the end was not as dark as the comic series, but it never the less was insanely popular and has become common nostalgia. There was not a pizzeria or manhole cover that did not feel the impact of the Ninja Turtles in that decade.
This show is simply fun and brings back a ton of memories. Where as the series was never known for great writing and the jokes are quite cornball, the animation styling and creative, imaginative characters are something that all children's animators should aspire too. The concept of the series is simple, yet sophisticated. There are four crime fighting ninja brothers that happen to be giant turtles, who were trained and fathered by Master Splinter that just so happens to be a giant rat. How did they get this way? After a mysterious, green, ooze leaked into the New York sewer system a little girl dropped her four baby turtles down the sewer by accident. Master Splinter (a ninja master) who had seeked refuge in the sewers, after hard times had fallen on him, found the four turtles frolicking in the mysterious ooze and decided to take them under his guidance. To Master Splinter's surprise the turtles began to develop many human like characteristics, as he began to develop many rat-like characteristics. What was this ooze?
From the epic opener the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles became a household name, and 20 years later they are still kicking but and scarfing down pizza. With an updated animated series on television and a brand new CGI feature film entitled TMNT that ninja kicked top competitor 300 out of its box office slot, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles aren't going anywhere.
Though this set is refreshing in that it has 5 discs and 40 episodes as opposed to the normal 1-disc sets, the technical features of the DVDs remain disappointing. The picture is presented in its original 1.33 X 1 Full Screen aspect ration, but looks like an undigitally remastered analog VHS. The picture's colors are off balance, the animation seems to bounce at times, there is obvious debris, and some light/dark issues. Fans better hope that this is not the best quality masters that are available or even HD may be in trouble. Let's hope they fix these huge problems. The sound is slightly better than previous DVD releases, with a simple 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo. The sound is improved over the single disc volumes but still shows age and sounds compressed and distant at times. A great thing for all TMNT fans out there is that this set ACTUALLY HAS EXTRAS!
The extras on this 5 disc are still weak, but nice to see something. Extras include two different interviews one entitled 'Underneath the Shell: Slash, the Evil Turtle' that actually interviews Pat Fraley who voiced not only Slash but also the evil Krang, the other interview is with James Avery (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) who voiced everyone's favorite metal head, Shredder. Both interviews are very candid and nice to see on this set. These candid interviews are what every TV on DVD set should include, before we sadly lose these great actors and insightful thoughts forever. Overall, the set is far from perfect but is getting closer to what fans want.
In the end, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are Americana, plain and simple. Though these sets could be better and it is still unclear how these sets are broken up, syndicated episode versions or otherwise, they are a must have. If fans do not support these sets, future sets may never be produced. So everyone go out and grab this Turtlrific set, but hold the anchovies.
- Michael P Dougherty II
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How to Buy the Perfect Christmas Sweater
Cartagena – Brazil's biggest city, which was once the home of the Brazilian Amazon, is now home to a new Santa Claus, and it's worth a visit if you've never visited.
For decades, Brazilians have taken pride in their Santa Claus traditions, and for good reason.
The Santa Claus of the Amazon was the king of Christmas in the region, and his appearance is so iconic that the town of Cartagosa is named for him.
Cartagas Santa Claus is the epitome of a happy and kindhearted person, who is always smiling, helping, and making presents for children.
His appearance is also a popular way for the community to celebrate holidays.
While many people think Santa Claus' appearance is the most important part of Santa's character, the real story behind the Santa Claus character is not that simple.
The Santa Claus legend dates back to at least the 17th century.
In fact, it's not clear if this legend even existed at all.
Many historians believe that this legend was invented by the Portuguese, who brought the idea to Brazil, but the origin of the name Santa Claus can only be traced back to a Portuguese explorer, Fernando de Santa.
In 1715, Pedro da Fonseca landed in Cartagalhos Amazonas, and he named his town after the saint.
In his account, the saint was a good man and helped those in need.
According to de Santa, the town was named for the god.
It is this name that is still widely used today in Brazil and has become a symbol of the region.
The story of Santa Claus became so popular that it was used in a variety of forms throughout the 20th century, including Santa cards and toys.
The name is still popular today, and the local residents even give their own versions of the tale.
Cartagas name for Santa is also one of the most common in the world.
The people who live here have come up with numerous variations on the name of the saint, and a couple of the popular ones include Santa Claus and Santa Maria.
In Cartagamos name, the first syllable is pronounced like a "C", and the second syllable like a C, which is a combination of the words "cart" and "mer".
Santa Maria is the only person who was baptized in Carta, and there are a number of different stories that have been told about his origin.
According the locals, Santa Maria was brought to Brazil by a young Portuguese woman named Nelly, and after her baptism, she became the Santa of Carta.
This story is said to have been based on an old Portuguese book that was translated into English in the 1960s.
According this story, a group of children, who were brought to Carta by Nelly and her brother, found Santa Maria and gave him a Christmas gift.
Santa Maria took the children back to the village, and then they gave him the Christmas gift, which included a bag of presents.
The story about Santa Maria's arrival in Cartabos is still told to this day.
In one version, Santa Mio, a priest who is known for his gentle personality, arrives in Cartago to celebrate the new year.
He greets Santa Maria with a kiss on the cheek and then asks him to pray for him, telling him he is a good person and a good Santa.
The children thank him and leave.
After a while, Santa Marta, a man who is also known for being gentle, arrives to welcome Santa Maria back to Cartagayas village.
He tells Santa Maria that he is also very happy and that he wants to give him the gift of Christmas.
Santa Marta then gives Santa Maria a special gift.
He hands him a card that says "I Am Santa".
The card says, "Santa Maria, you are a good saint.
You always give presents to children.
I am the first to give gifts to you.
Santa Martia, your gift is the gift that I will give to you."
Santa Martas gift to Santa Maria is also said to be a Christmas tree, and several Cartagapas locals have painted Christmas lights on their homes.
Some even went so far as to make Santa Martas name the tree a "Santa Claus tree".
The legend of Santa Marto, or Santa Maria as he is often called in Brazil, has a much more complicated history.
According in legend, Santa Mario is a child from the Amazon who was kidnapped by pirates and brought to the town, and when he was rescued, his parents killed all of the pirates.
After the pirate crew was killed, Santa mario, who was then named after the town's saint, was sent to the other side of the river and was taken to a village where he lived for a long time.
Santa maro grew up to be the most famous man in the area, and people have said that his name means
Tags: bastion hotel cartagena, cartagena shirt, home center cartagena, santa clara cartagena


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/* eslint-disable one-var */
export const SET_CURSOR = 'SET_CURSOR';
export const UNDO = 'UNDO';
export const REDO = 'REDO';


GRAND ISLE, La. – Survivors took shelter in trees, coffins rose out of the ground and most of the homes on this spit of sand bordering the Gulf of Mexico (search) were torn apart by winds and waves. But nobody died.
"One good day. No fatalities," said Police Chief Euris Du Bois (search).
The muddy beach was littered with a TV set, a rocking chair, a child's plastic dinosaur.
Fortunately, nearly all the island's 1,200 residents evacuated long before the storm blew ashore, heeding the warnings of state officials and the door-to-door knocks of the local police.
"We know everybody who lives on Grand Isle. We know who stayed. Some we convinced," said Du Bois. Five or six he persuaded by speaking of how much their children or grandchildren would miss them.
Five others stayed in their camps, only to flee their homes when the storm blew their homes apart. Three took shelter in the town hall, and two "took to the trees," he said. In the town's cemetery, a half-dozen vaults and coffins emerged from the rain-soaked ground.
The damage, while bad, was a relief, given how hard the island has been hit by past storms, such as Hurricane Betsy (search) 40 years ago.
But he and other officials looked with worry across Barataria Bay toward other bayou communities in Plaquemines Parish, where officials who flew over said much of the land was under water and news still hadn't been heard on how people had fared. And they talked with fear of New Orleans itself, where rescue units were still plucking people from water-flooded homes.
Still, hundreds were homeless, power and water was out and the two-lane bridge that led to the island had shifted on its foundation, allowing only a careful, worrisome crossing that was sure to slow the help needed, said Mayor David Camardelle.
"I got people here who don't got nothing," he said.
He won promises of help from Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-La., who spent the day zooming from town to town, visiting emergency operations, sheriffs and mayors, gathering information on the most pressing problems.
Melancon, a freshman in a district that stretches from east and south of New Orleans all the way to the edge of Baton Rouge, ticked off the owners of homes and camps. "It's weird how some of 'em are OK and some of 'em are devastated," he said.
"Basically," Melancon said, "the Lord spared them."


The Five Ways We Transformed Our Finances.
Money. Ouch. Yep that's all. Ouch.
I envy those people who can stretch a tenner out for a week and started saving when they were six. But it just isn't me. I can't quite manage frugal, because frugal seems so darn dull. But I am now a fully-fledged grown-up and there is just no getting round it: one cannot avoid making sensible financial choices all ones life. So there comes a point when frankly becoming sensible overnight, despite drama, death and all the other things that are sent to try us, is simply not something we can afford to dither about it.
And so Ste and I decided to get sensible.
It wasn't pretty. There was much argument about what sensible looks like and it turns out we have vastly different opinions about what constitutes essential, but we are mostly on the same page when it comes to how we want our future to look and we are both committed (after a season of dilly-dallying, job loss, moving house and worry) to securing that future for ourselves and our boys.
Six months later we are in a much, much better place. Six months later we are taking money very seriously indeed (beyond the wine bill!) and though it takes more commitment and daily attention to detail than I had visualized. month on month our situation is improving.
We began by learning about money. We read and read and read. (My favorite – Kate Northrup's Money: A Love Story and Ste's -Tony Robbin's Money: Master the Game). Ste took out a subscription to The Investors Chronicle and did a crash course in stocks and shares and is now having a fine old time cautiously dabbling with his pension pot, and I took a long, hard look at the potential of BrocanteHome and had terribly grown-up conversations with accountants and book-keepers and bank managers.
Because we are grown-ups. And this isn't about managing our pocket money but about making sure we can eat when we are stoop-backed and wrinkly. Because money is energy and it shouldn't be the thing standing between us and true contentment.
We Became Slaves to YNAB.
We Agreed to Share Everything (Almost).
This is I'm sure the cause of much debate at the beginning of the financial relationship of every new (middle-aged!) couple. Whether to have joint accounts or maintain our independence. In the end we decided to have a bit of both. Because we like to have our cake and eat it. A joint account was necessary to make YNAB work smoothly and to be able to track exactly what this life of ours costs, but we both saw the necessity to have our own money too. The kind that doesn't need to be explained, but is also available should it be needed for the greater good.
We Joined The Utility Warehouse.
I wasn't happy about this at first. I was in fact deeply skeptical about hanging all our hats on the one hatstand, but The Utility Warehouse has simplified EVERYTHING to such a degree that I cannot help but rave about it. Not only have we saved significant money by having phone, broadband, gas and electricity on one bill, we have now added our mobile phone contracts and home insurance to the same bill and the joy of monitoring only ONE BILL is unsurpassed. Not to mention the free light-bulbs throughout the house, the cashback card, the Gourmet Society Card and much more besides.
Sometimes somethings really are so good, they are true.
This is something Ste and I have done almost since we met: once monthly we sit down with our BIG LIST and focus on exactly what we want out of life. We add anything and everything from a new car to finding a gardener and then we close our pink book and put it away until the next month. And here's the thing: somehow we manifest our little dreams.
This has been astonishing to both of us. But each month as we tick through the things we have created together as a couple we kind of sit and stare at each other in amazement. It is I suppose the Law of Attraction at work, but even if you don't believe in matters of an airy-fairy nature, making a Big List helps you focus as a couple on what you both want out of this life.
And We Stopped Playing Small.
If you have experienced financial trauma of any kind you will know that thereafter there is the potential to play it safe for always thereafter. To imagine that somehow you do not deserve better. That better is scary so better the devil you know and all that jazz, right?
So we gave each other a good talking to. We made plans. We stopped leaving money to chance and good fortune and decided to believe that we too, were finally grown-up enough to create the life we want.
And the upshot of all this? Today we are picking up a new, straight off the forecourt, car. A shiny, white object of loveliness that was one of the first things we wrote on our Big List when we were both chugging around in sheds on wheels. We dreamed it up and we made it happen.


In a previous article, I wrote about the importance of managers needing to have frequent meetings with their direct reports aka one-on-ones. An equally important meeting managers need to have with their direct reports are career conversations. These meetings are an opportunity for a manager to help their direct reports reflect on their career and its trajectory; helping them define their career goals and identifying opportunities for them to achieve those goals.
It is not the responsibility of the manager to define their direct report's career goals. Each of us is responsible for our own career. Rather it is the responsibility of the manager to be a coach and provide the necessary support.
I first started having career conversations with my direct reports when I was the Head of Research at Instagram. Rodrigo Schmidt and Peter Deng developed a framework for career conversations that was adopted by many managers at Instagram. I have since adapted the framework based on my experiences and feedback from my past direct reports. By outlining how we have approached career conversations, I hope you will learn some best practices that you can apply to your own career whether you are an individual contributor or manager.
What activities in your job have you enjoyed the most or found most interesting in the last 6 months?
What activities in your job have you enjoyed the least or found least interesting in the last 6 months?
Which projects are you most proud of in the last 6 months?
Which projects are you least proud of in the last 6 months?
What are you currently doing to achieve these career goals?
These questions merely provide a framework for starting a career conversation. The career conversation should be tailored to the communication style that works best between a manager and their direct report.
Questions 1–4 allow the recipient to reflect on their day-to-day work. They are time bound to the last 6-months of work, so the answers to these questions are based on the direct report's most recent experiences. I encouraged my direct reports to also list multiple projects thereby allowing us to identify themes.
An exercise an executive coach has given me to answer these questions is the love-it-loathe-it exercise. Take a piece of paper and fold it in half. At the top of one column write the header, 'Love It', and 'Loathe It' as the header of the other column. Throughout the day when you engage in an activity, reflect on whether you loved or loathed it, adding it to the appropriate column. When I have found this exercise difficult to do in real-time, I have used my calendar to do the exercise retrospectively.
Armed with this information, a manager can help identify opportunities that allow a direct report to do the work they find most rewarding. There will be times when they have to do work they loathe, but a manager can at least try to minimize this type of work.
Questions 5 and 6 are designed for a recipient to articulate where they would like to be in 1 or 5 years with regards to their career. A lot of people find it difficult to answer these questions — especially when envisioning their career further out. An exercise I have found useful is to first ask yourself if you would be happy doing exactly what you are doing in 1 or 5 years. If not, why? This will help identify areas you would like to be different and will be the basis for shaping your career goals.
A manager can use this information to understand a direct report's desired career goals and motivations; and, identify opportunities to help them achieve those career goals.
It may be the case that some people have overreaching career goals. In this case, it is the job of the manager to understand the motivations for these career goals and help their direct report set more realistic targets that can be achieved. That said, there is nothing wrong with having stretch goals.
Questions 7 and 8 allow a manager and their direct report to formulate a plan to achieve their career goals. This plan should be scoped to action items that can be achieved in 6 months — it is unlikely they will fulfill all their career goals in this time, but they will move one step closer towards achieving them.
Shadowing is an opportunity where someone can be a fly-on-the-wall observing situations they may not have got exposure to otherwise. Training can be a caught class where someone gains textbook knowledge. And experience can be gained by doing the job.
For example, I have had a number of direct reports who have moved from the individual contributor to management track. To help them achieve this career goal I have told them more about the day-to-day details of my role and identified opportunities for them to sit in on lead/manager meetings (i.e. shadowing); suggested classes that would equipment them with the appropriate knowledge (i.e. training); and, enabled them to mentor new-hires, manage interns and contractors (i.e. experience).
I would schedule a 1-hour career conversation with each of my direct reports every 6 months after completing the self-assessment portion of the bi-annual performance review cycle. Performance reviews are a time to reflect on impact and areas of improvement. While not a performance review, a career conversation can build upon the thinking that goes into a performance review.
I shared the career conversation questions with my direct reports a week or two before we were scheduled to meet. It takes time to really articulate the answers to these questions. The day before the career conversation I asked them if they had the time to think through the questions. If not, we would reschedule the career conversation to make the most of our time together.
While having a career conversation is a good start it is only the beginning.
Unless we need to schedule more time, after the career conversation I ask my direct reports to reflect on the conversation and refine their 6-month goals and plan. Once these goals are finalized they are added to the top of our one-on-one document or group, so they are always top-of-mind. Once a month during a one-on-one we would review these 6-month goals and any associated action items to make sure we are making progress.
During the next career conversation, we evaluate the 6-month goals we previously set — were they achieved, do they need to be carried over or even redefined. This allows us to determine if they are making progress towards their career goals and pivot as necessary.
Many people believe that in order for their career to progress they need to become a manager. This is not true.
Many companies have parallel career tracks for both individual contributors and managers. Look at the career expectations for each of these tracks to determine which of these paths is right for you. You can also read my Medium article, Should I become a manager?
While a manager can play an active role in helping achieve a direct report's career goals, they are not the only person who can help. I have found it invaluable to seek out a career mentor. A career mentor is someone who you look up to, a leader in your discipline or the discipline you would like to transition to, and is perhaps in a position you would like to see yourself in 5 or 10 years. There is a huge opportunity to learn from their successes and failures, possibly accelerating your own career.
A career is hard. It requires careful thought and time. Having a career conversation will make it a little easier.
If you have already had a career conversation in the last 6 months, take a moment to reflect if you are on track to achieving your goals. If you have not had a career conversation in the last 6 month, schedule your conversation today.
What has been your experience with career conversations? Please comment.
Thanks to Rodrigo Schmidt and Peter Deng for helping me get started with career conversations; and Tomer Sharon for his feedback on this article.


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Phoenix Festival Theatre's NUNSENSE: Holy Hilarity in Bel Air, MD
by S. Lee Lewis March 11, 2012
The cast of NUNSENSE at Phoenix Festival Theatre, running at Harford Community College through March 18.
The theatre snob in me definitely wants to hate a show like Dan Goggin's NUNSENSE. After all – what is the point of the show? It is purely an entertainment – no solid message, no one song or scene that will change the world or evoke change – so, what's the point? It's simple – in the world we live in with wars spawning every two weeks and markets crashing on a daily basis, it is exactly what is needed. There is nothing better than going out for the evening and being able to forget about the world for two hours and just laugh and enjoy the hilarity and ridiculousness of Goggin's work. Phoenix Festival Theatre's production of NUNSENSE, directed by John Desmone did not disappoint.
The five women taking on the roles of the Little Sisters of Hoboken individually had some truly wonderful moments, but sometimes struggled a bit to get their groove during the ensemble numbers. A standout performance was given by Kim Brueggemann (Sr. Hubert) who, while struggling a bit vocally during her tour de force number "Holier Than Thou", more than made up for it with her comedic timing and double takes. Watching Brueggemann let loose onstage was like watching Cloris Leachman in person. No beat was missed and the caustic deadpan humor that Leachman is known for was prevalent in Brueggemann's portrayal.
The second standout was Lauren Spencer-Harris (Sr. Robert Anne). In my opinion Robert Anne is the best track in the show and Spencer-Harris shines as the ballsy nun who isn't afraid to speak her mind. There is a duality in this role – the fast paced, high energy patter we see in a song like "Playing Second Fiddle" has to be equally matched with a soft sincerity in "Growing Up Catholic" and Spencer-Harris was able to do this with ease.
The best moment in the show, however, was one where only a single nun was on stage. Towards the end of Act One, Sr. Robert Anne finds a mysterious substance in the girl's locker room and brings the find to Reverend Mother, played by Laurie Starkey. Needless to say, Rev. Mother takes a big whiff of the 'mysterious substance' and hilarity ensues! Starkey has the stage to herself and boy does she enjoy every minute of it – she had the audience eating out of her hand during the entire scene. I have seen this show multiple times, and Starkey's RUSH scene was by far one of the best. My only complaint about Starkey's performance was her accent – it seemed to fade in and out, and I think her performance would have been even stronger if she wasn't worrying about maintaining an Irish brogue – which is quite unnecessary for the role.
Jacki Walsh (Sr. Amnesia) and Laura Pierpont (Sr. Leo) were also quite enjoyable, however, the technical aspects of this show were working against them quite often. Walsh had the joy of playing Sr. Amnesia, and along with that, Sr. Marionette. The sound design and operation during the show almost ruined her portrayal for me. It almost seemed like there was no one running the sound board during the show, and while some were able to compensate for this, Walsh was not. Sr. Amnesia has such highs and lows in the show that Walsh vocally has to be all over the place – it is a shame that she didn't have the sound support to back her up. The actual sound design for the show seemed out of place and seemed to be treated like an afterthought. Nothing seemed to fit, and all sound effects seemed very canned.
With such an intimate space, and the use of a small combo aptly led by musical director Chris Rose, the use of body mics seemed a bit of an overkill – especially since they were mixed so poorly. I was able to hear and understand the sisters much better while they were doing their pre-show and intermission schtick without the support of mics!
While costumes might seem a bit odd to bring up (aren't they all in habits?!?) I did question one choice. Sr. Leo's costume was so restrictive that during her two dance numbers she was not able to fully execute the dance moves choreographed by Bambi Johnson. While this may have been on purpose, and done in jest (Sister Leo does wax on about wishing she could wear a tutu so you can see more of the dance), all I wanted to do during her dance numbers was walk on stage and cut a slit in her dress so she could properly extend her leg. Pierpont was so endearing and lovable in the scenes that followed the dances that I quickly forgot about costumes issues I had with the show.
On the flip side – the lighting design by Patrick Trzeciak (an HCC student!) was the best lighting design I have seen executed in that space. Trzeciak is to be commended for his work, which was by far the strongest technical aspect of the show – it's a shame that the other areas didn't come up to the standard he set for the show.
All in all, the five sisters did a fantastic job and I had a thoroughly enjoyable evening. If you are looking for an evening of laughs, this is the show for you. Those these ladies may need to go to confession when they are done with the show! Enjoy the show and remember: Support Your Local Theatre!
A musical comedy by Dan Goggin
Direction by John Desmone
Musical Direction by Chris Rose
Choreography by Bambi Johnson
Phoenix Festival Theatre
at Harford Community College
401 Thomas Run Road
www.harford.edu/cultural
S. Lee Lewis
S. Lee Lewis works at The Milburn Stone Theatre as the Producing Artist Director. Lee attended Towson University where he studied Theatre and Directing with Esiaba Iriobi and Scott Susong. Direction and Design Credits include: RENT, The Sound of Music, The Tragedy of Hamlet, The Little Shop of Horrors, The Wizard of Oz, Side by Side by Sondheim; Nude With Violin, True West, A Christmas Carol, the Musical, The Laramie Project, Oliver!, Amadeus, Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show, Man of La Mancha; Dracula; Jake's Women, Murder at the Vicarage, Betrayal, A Man For All Seasons, Hedda Gabbler, Gypsy, The Wind in the Willows, Annie, & Hangmen Also Die. Lee is also a proud member of SDC, the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society and an associate producer for Curtain Call Production, LLC. Lee is a grant writer and theatre consultant, as well as a freelance director and designer. He is also the artistic director and founder of Harbinger Productions which strives to bring new works to fruition and reinvent old works to be more accessible to new audiences.
EARLY ONE EVENING at the Village Players of Hatboro
THE RAINMAKER at Old Academy Players Offers Timely Romantic Comedy
Derek James March 20, 2012 - 10:27 pm
I see a lot of theater–both community and professional. I try very hard not to read reviews before I see a show but I am always anxious to read them afterwards to see how my opinions align with that of the reviewer. Sometimes I agree with the reviewer, sometimes I don't. The same could be said of this review of Nunsense. I am not writing, however, to share where I agree and where I don't with this review. What I found so interesting about this review is that the reviewer is the Producing Artistic Director of another theater located reasonably close to Phoenix Festival Theater. It seems to me that an Artistic Director of a theater that is likely to use many of the same cast members, production staff, and to some degree competes with the theater being reviewed is not the best candidate to write an unequivocally objective piece. Just something to think about.


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Metallarme bzw. metallfreie Minen sind spezielle Arten von Landminen. Im Gegensatz zu gewöhnlichen Landminen ist bei ihnen der Metallanteil möglichst stark reduziert oder es wird überhaupt kein Metall verwendet. Metallarme Minen können sowohl Antipersonenminen, als auch Antipanzerminen, aber auch improvisierte Sprengsätze sein. Statt Metallen werden normalerweise Werkstoffe wie Kunststoffe, Glas, Holz, Keramik, Zement, Beton oder Gestein verwendet.

Diese Art von Minen soll folgenden zusätzlichen Zwecken dienen:
 Erschwertes Auffinden der Minen durch den Feind, dadurch auch erhöhter Zeit- und Materialaufwand für Räumung der Minen und Überwinden einer entsprechenden Minensperre
 Einsparen metallischer Rohstoffe bei der Produktion der Minen und Nutzung dieser eingesparten Metalle für andere (Kriegs-)Güter
 Erhöhte Lebensdauer der verlegten Minen bei Verwendung entsprechender Werkstoffe wie Glas und Kunststoff aufgrund von geringerer Korrosion; so sind Minen aus Glas bei entsprechender Abdichtung nahezu unbegrenzt haltbar

Konstruktion
Entwicklungshistorisch wäre die erste Stufe eine Mine bei der Gehäuse, Zünder, sonstiges Innenleben und ggf. die Splitterfüllung aus Metall gefertigt sind. Nahezu der einzige nicht metallische Bestandteil ist dann der enthaltene Sprengstoff. Die zweite Entwicklungsstufe wäre es dann das Gehäuse z. B. aus Holz zu fertigen. Die dritte Entwicklungsstufe wäre dann eine Mine, bei der alle Bestandteile die einfach aus nichtmetallischen Werkstoffen hergestellt werden können entsprechend umgestellt werden. Dies betrifft vor allem das Gehäuse, das Innenleben bis auf den Zünder und ggf. die Splitterfüllung. Es verbleiben somit nur Kleinstteile des (mechanischen) Zünders, die weiterhin aus Metall bestehen, wodurch die metallische Gesamtmasse sich normalerweise im Bereich von unter 3 g bewegt. Beispiele für Bestandteile die nun noch metallisch sind wären z. B. Federn, Schlagbolzen und Scherbolzen. Die letzte Entwicklungsstufe ist dann die komplett metallfreie Mine. Dies wird für gewöhnlich erreicht, indem man den einfachen mechanischen Zünder durch einen chemischen Zünder ersetzt oder einen komplexeren mechanischen Zünder aus nichtmetallischen Werkstoffen konstruiert.

Historie
Eine der ersten metallarmen Antipersonenminen war 1943 im Zweiten Weltkrieg die deutsche Glasmine 43 mit Hebelzünder 44 und später einem metallfreien chemischen Zünder. Von diesen Minen wurden 1944–1945 ca. 11 Millionen Stück hergestellt. Eine der ersten metallfreien Antipanzerminen war 1944 die deutsche Topfmine. Mit den zu dieser Zeit gebräuchlichen Metalldetektoren waren diese Minen nicht zu erkennen. Nach Ende des Zweiten Weltkriegs und mit dem Aufkommen von Kunststoffen bei industriellen Produkten werden auch metallarme Minen seitdem primär aus Kunststoffen hergestellt. Von den 1970er Jahren bis 1993 (Ottawa-Konvention) waren italienische Rüstungsfirmen einige der weltweiten Hauptlieferanten für metallarme Minen.

Minenräumung
Das Problem der Räumung besteht darin die Minen sicher zu finden. Da metallfreie Minen per Definition kein Metall enthalten sind sie mit gewöhnlichen Metalldetektoren nicht zu orten. Für die Minenräumung bieten sich daher beispielsweise die folgenden alternativen Optionen der Suche an:
 manuelle Minensuche, z. B. mittels Minensuchnadel, was sehr zeitaufwendig ist.
 Nutzung von Tieren (z. B. Spürratten) die den Sprengstoff der Minen wittern und durch ihr geringes Gewicht die Minen nicht auslösen.
 maschinelles Minenräumen, z. B. mittels Minenräumpanzern wie dem deutschen Keiler.

Mitunter besteht von Seiten des Nutzers von metallarmen Minen der Wunsch diese nach dem Verlegen leichter wiederfinden zu können. Hierzu bieten einigen Minen wie die italienische VS-50 z. B. die Option ein zusätzliches Metallstück anzubringen. Einen exotischeren Weg beschritten hier die Deutschen bei der Topfmine. Sie beschichteten die Mine mit einer schwarzen Substanz, dem sogenanntem Tarnsand. Dieser war radioaktiv und konnte leicht mittels Geigerzähler geortet werden.

Es ist nicht unüblich, dass metallhaltige Antipanzerminen, wie die sowjetische TM-46, in Feldern gemischt mit metallarmen Antipersonenminen, wie der PMA-2, verlegt werden. Das Ziel hierbei ist die Räumung der Antipanzerminen durch Personen mit Metalldetektoren zu erschweren. Da die Antipanzerminen mehrere Kilo Metall und die Antipersonenminen nur wenige Gramm Metall enthalten, ergibt sich um jede Antipanzermine herum ein gewisser Bereich, in dem der Metalldetektor auf das Metall in der Antipanzermine anspricht und die metallarmen Antipersonenminen nicht mehr erkennen kann. In diesem Bereich ist der Metalldetektor also blind für die Antipersonenminen, wodurch der Benutzer des Metalldetektors gefährdet wird.

Beispiele
Schützenmine 42, Deutschland, 1942
Glasmine 43, Deutschland, 1943
Topfmine, Deutschland, 1944
M19, USA, 1965, auch hergestellt in Chile, Südkorea, Türkei und Iran
PRB M-409, Belgien
TMA-3, Jugoslawien/Serbien
PMA-2, Jugoslawien/Serbien
PMA-3, Jugoslawien/Serbien, 1970
VS-50, Italien (Valsella Meccanotecnica SpA), auch hergestellt im Iran, Ägypten, Schweden, Singapur
VS-MK2, Italien (Valsella Meccanotecnica SpA)
SB-33, Italien (Misar SpA), 1977, auch hergestellt in Griechenland, Portugal, Spanien
SB-81, Italien (Misar SpA), 1981, auch hergestellt im Iran, Portugal, Spanien
TS-50, Italien (Tecnovar Italiana SpA), auch hergestellt im Iran und Ägypten
TC/3.6 und TC/6, Italien (Tecnovar Italiana SpA), 1970, auch hergestellt in Ägypten

Literatur
 Terry Gander, Peter Chamberlain: Enzyklopädie deutscher Waffen 1939–1945. 2. Auflage. Spezialausgabe. Motorbuchverlag, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-613-02481-0
 TM 5-223, Foreign Mine Warfare Equipment, November 1957
 TM-E 30-451, Handbook of German Military Forces
 Catalog of Enemy Ordnance, 1945
 Jane's Mines and Mine Clearance 2005–2006
 Brassey's Essential Guide to Anti-Personnel Landmines

Einzelnachweise

Weblinks
 Beschreibung und Bilder der Glasmine 43 auf LEXPEV
 Catalog of Enemy Ordnance, U.S. Office of Chief of Ordnance, 1945
 Castle Argghhh!!! Kurzbeschreibung Glasmine 43
 ORDATA INFO, umfangreiche Datenbank für Minen, mit Suchfunktion

Mine


Some of us are teachers, and some are not. Some of us teach by the Suzuki method, and some of us don't. However, all violinists have something in common: We are all teachers of ourselves, and we all learn from ourselves. I have just finished rereading a great book that can help all of us: The Suzuki Violinist by William Starr. Starr was a disciple of Suzuki, and he is an accomplished teacher in his own right. His book has a wealth of insights, as well as some fun photos of three year old violin students.
Suzuki's teaching method is based on the principle that children learn music the same way they learn language - by listening over and over again and then repeating. Suzuki had students learn intonation by listening to their teacher and then playing along, matching their pitch to their teacher's. Today students buy CDs along with Suzuki music books, and they can practice with the CD at home just as they can play with the teacher at lessons. Rhythm can be taught and reinforced the same way.
For learning new skills: I have found this the biggest strength of Suzuki's books. Suzuki had a very good sense of what is easy and what is difficult; what sequence to use in teaching new skills; and how quickly to introduce new techniques.
For seductive learning: Suzuki's method resembles seduction. The music sounds so good that, hopefully, the student can't resist following. Contemporary instruction books are structured very differently. The authors produce a road map by stating explicitly what the student is supposed to learn before each set of exercises, e.g., playing slurs or learning about quarter notes and eighth notes. Teachers who use Suzuki's books can benefit greatly from a road map, and Starr provides one. He explains which new skills are added piece by piece in Suzuki's books.
For thorough learning: Suzuki emphasizes that it is better to play smoothly and correctly than to play quickly. I remind my students of this all the time, especially my adult beginners, who tend to be impatient.
For holding the violin: Your nose goes over the bridge goes over your elbow. One of the biggest challenges of teaching beginners, including adults, is getting them to hold the violin correctly. They all seem to like to hold it pointing away from the center of the body, over their right arm, so they can see the fingers of the left hand. This position makes intonation more difficult and keeps the bow sliding away from the area halfway between the bridge and the fingerboard. After my students have mastered Twinkle and cone on to other things, I have them play Twinkle with their eyes closed to convince them that they don't need to see the fingers of the left hand in order to play in tune.
For rhythm: Clap. I recently played some songs on my violin with an adult friend who said that she could play along on her guitar. She couldn't. Even though the chords were written down for her; she knew the song; and I emphasized the first and third beat of every measure in 4/4 time; she could not keep a steady rhythm. Frustration! Then I clapped the rhythm, and she played it just fine.
For rhythm: Metronome. Opinions differ on the usefulness of a metronome. I can't stand using one. Some students love using it, like a toy, and it works for them.
For rhythm: Tapes. Suzuki put tapes on the kids' bows to help them use twice as much bow for a quarter notes as for an eighth note, etc. I have occasionally had an adult beginner who benefits from this as an aid for learning rhythm.
For the left hand: In the area beneath the neck of the violin, between the thumb and the index finger, there should be a hole large enough for a worm to crawl through. I first learned about this from a Japanese woman who had been Suzuki-trained in Japan. She didn't know the English word "worm," and it took a while for me to figure it out. It is well worth remembering.
For producing a beautiful tone: Suzuki's books include "Tonalization" exercises which help the student and the teacher focus on the quality of the sound. Suzuki emphasizes the importance of the teacher's guidance in this regard right from the very start. It is never too early to listen to one's tone and try to improve it.
The more I use Suzuki's books, the more I understand and appreciate them. They are great for nitty gritty details and, perhaps even more important, for nurturing each student as a person and a musician.
Last night I heard a concert by Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman. From the moment they started to play, I felt like I was in heaven. I have a CD with most of the music they played, and I love it, but hearing them in person was so much better. I can't say why. Their presence and their music were electrifying. Everyone in the audience was on the edge of their seats, except when they rose and applauded enthusiastically. My seat was in a tier on the right side of the stage, and Perlman's violin was facing me. I hadn't realized that his hands were so large. His left hand looked almost too large for the fingerboard. Both Perlman and Zukerman did the most difficult maneuvers with their bows with absolute precision and, seemingly, ease. Perlman conferred with Zukerman and the pianist, Rohan De Silva, onstage from time to time and made some jokes to the audience. The pieces on the program were Bach's Sonata for Two Violins and Keyboard in C Major, BWV 1037; Mozart's Duo for Violin and Viola in G Major, K. 423; Leclair's Sonata in F Major for Two Violins, Op. 3, No. 4; and Moszkowski's Suite in G minor for Two Violins and Piano, Op. 71. The duo's sound was more sweet and rich than I ever imagined music could be. After the first piece (the Bach Sonata), Perlman told the audience that they were going to play some music not on the program -- some violin duets by Bartok. He announced the name of each duet and gave his comments: Teasing ("makes you wonder whether there will be any more"), Limping Dance ("my personal favorite"), Serbian Dance ("one of Bartok's greatest hits"), and more. These pieces are short and not very demanding technically, and the two violinists played them with panache. Perlman ended each one with a dramatic flourish of his bow and a big grin to the audience. What a showman! After playing all the music on the program plus the Bartok duets, Perlman told the audience, "We are prepared to play at least twelve encores," and the audience applauded wildly. Zukerman went to Perlman's side, listened to Perlman whisper to him, laughed, returned to his place, and flipped through the sheet music on his stand. After telling Zukerman what they would play, Perlman let the audience in on the secret. "All violinists are playing Shostakovich these days," he said, "and who are we to be different?" I groaned inwardly. At last year's Queen Elizabeth Violin Competition, many of the finalists played the Shostakovich concerto, and I didn't like it. This time, I was pleasantly surprised. The three musicians played a few (alas, not twelve) Waltzes by Shostakovich. The first one began with a great dramatic flourish on the piano and continued with lush, almost Romantic gusto. I was reminded of Strauss waltzes (Blue Volga?). Up until the very last second of the concert, I kept feeling that I was in heaven.
Can listening to Mozart's music enhance mental functioning? Since this year is the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth, it is a good time to review the evidence.
The concept of the Mozart effect comes from some ground-breaking research performed by neurobiologists at the University of California at Irvine in the 1990s. They focused on the spatial IQ test, which they described as mentally unfolding a piece of paper that has been folded over several times and then cut. The object is to correctly select the final unfolded paper shape from five examples. These scientists found that students who listened to a recording of Mozart's Sonata in D major for Two Pianos, K488, acquired this skill more readily than other students. The researchers concluded that listening to Mozart caused an increase in spatial IQ. Other scientists have repeated this experiment or performed related experiments on other groups of students and, in most cases, did not get the same results.
Other studies have suggested that newborn babies who listen to Mozart grow up to have measurably higher IQs than babies who don't listen to Mozart. This effect is very hard to study because years of follow-up would be required, and, during that time, the infants and children could be subjected to many other kinds of environmental enrichment. Some people considered the scientific evidence for the Mozart effect strong enough to warrant action, and, in some areas in the US, newborns were sent home from the hospital with a free CD of Mozart's music. Many Mozart CDs have been promoted and sold as tools to make babies smarter, making CDs a kind of medical device not regulated by the FDA.
Intelligence is very complex and difficult to assess objectively. The neuroscientist J. R. Hughes decided to investigate the effect of Mozart's music on something that can be measured objectively: a pattern of brain waves called epileptiform waves because they are associated with epileptic seizures. In a small scale study, he had 29 epileptic patients listen to Mozart's Piano Sonata in D Major (K.448). The results were dramatic. In 23 of the 29 patients, there was a significant decrease in epileptiform waves, even when the patients were in coma.
If Mozart's music really produces these effects, why does it work? Would any music have a similar effect? Hughes used an objective, computerized, mathematical test to compare 81 musical selections of Mozart, 67 of J.C. Bach, 67 of J.S. Bach, 39 of Chopin, and 148 from 55 other composers. He found that Mozart repeated the melodic line much more frequently than the other composers did. Hughes has suggested that the symmetries and patterns in Mozart's music may be fundamentally connected to the symmetries and patterns of brain waves. Mozart's music may resonate with the brain.
I photographed the daffodil earlier this month and the lilac, about to burst into full bloom, on April 16. I wish I could share some more of spring with you. The lilacs have a strong, sweet fragrance. I cut some and put them in a vase on my desk so that I can see and smell them. I can hear peepers (tree frogs) outside my window at night.
This is a good time of year for renewal of the earth and everyone's spirits. Happy Easter, Passover, and Spring to everyone.
Three bloggers on this site have recently written about people who have suffered and people who have been spared. I have a similar story to tell, but I don't know the ending yet.
Yesterday I went to a friend's home to help her get some chores done before she goes into the hospital for a mastectomy next week. She was diagnosed with breast cancer about a year ago, and she has had several lumpectomies and chemotherapy, a very unpleasant experience. She already has a disability; she has been confined to a wheelchair since she was in high school. Her spirit is very strong, and I admire her. She finished college and graduate school; has a successful career; lives in a house by herself; does volunteer work at a soup kitchen; and participates actively in sports, including downhill skiing. During the past year she has had several things to contend with in addition to cancer. She moved both at work and at home, and she has had to hassle with health insurance. I think that she will probably do OK. She has a good doctor and a good support network of family and friends. Still, I feel depressed and worried about her. Please join me in sending prayers and healing energy her way.
"Tell me about yourself," someone says. "Oh, no," I think. "What does this person really want to know? How can I sell myself?" A lot depends on the context – my resume, a personal ad, an ad about myself as a violin teacher, a brief note for my church newsletter, an entry in my alumni magazine, a page on my website. I need a different approach for different readers. I am quiet, modest, and frequently overlooked and underappreciated. Recently I started thinking about how to portray myself to a wide variety of readers, starting with some of the defining experiences of my life. I made a timeline with important events within myself and in the outside world. I had a lot of fun doing the research for this. I remembered some events that were important, but often I did not remember the details or I remembered them incorrectly. Then I decided to look for pictures of some of these events, and that was fun, too. I called my document "My Life and Times: An Illustrated History," and you can see it here. (If that link doesn't work, go to http://mysite.verizon.net/paulinefiddle/mlat.html) I've had some positive feedback on it already. One person told me that he felt that he almost knew me by reading it. I recommend doing something like this for entertainment. It sure beats watching TV.
I'm a big fan of Hilary Hahn. I love the way she plays the violin, of course, but there are more great things about her. I love her reviews and descriptions of music and recordings. I love listening to her commentary on the DVD Art of Violin. She sees and hears so much in the violinists' performances which I might overlook without her. She really enjoys and respects the contributions of a wide variety of violinists. You can see the awe and wonder in her face and hear them in her voice as she talks. Her website is a joy every time I visit it. She is very talented as a writer, photographer, and educator. She was a prodigy, and she has maintained strong ties with children. Her website includes "fan art," pictures that kids have made for her. She likes to go into schools and talk to the children about music. Years ago, she sent postcards to kids in schools about her experiences as she traveled around the world to give concerts and make recordings. Now she posts her journal on her website. She describes herself as a "nomadic musician – a modern troubadour." Her writing is very engaging. She has so many interesting insights about life in all the places she goes. She comes across a very down-to-earth person with a good sense of humor and a great zest for life.
I was excited as soon as I read the latest news about her in an e-newsletter from Deutschegrammophon, the company that produces and sells her recordings. In a new CD scheduled for release in September, 2006, she plays the Paganini Concerto #1 and the Spohr Concerto #8. She says, "The Spohr is not performed very often anymore, but up until the middle of the 20th century, it was a very popular concert piece. Anyone who was a touring violinist would have presented it in both concerto evenings with orchestra and recital programmes with piano. I'm not sure why it fell out of fashion. It's a fun piece to play and really should be heard more often. The lyrical, operatic quality of the slower sections and the humorous, vivacious virtuoso passages mix to create a concerto with a distinct personality." There is still more good news. Her first DVD will be released this coming fall. It is described as "a road-movie-style portrait depicting the American violinist's world on and off the stage." This is a logical extension of her e-journal. We Hilary Hahn fans have some great things to look forward to.
Tonight I'm going to the Kennedy Center to hear Yo Yo Ma play three of the Bach Suites for Unaccompanied Cello. Wow! I have recordings of all the Bach Unaccompanied Cello Suites by Yo Yo Ma and Casals, but there is nothing quite as exciting as a live performance.
Today I received a brochure from the Washington Performing Arts Society (WPAS) about their concerts for the 2006/2007 season. Here's what caught my eye.
Joshua Bell is the coverboy for the classical music series on the WPAS website. Do you see that, Sydney?
I took a look at violinist CDs and DVDs on Amazon.com. A fellow v.commie, Scott68, has written lots of very good, very helpful reviews. He writes from the perspective of a violinist. Thanks, Scott68.
I'll write about Yo Yo Ma's concert. I'm so excited!
My mood is very sensitive to my students' progress. Once in a while, I wonder whether a student will ever "get it." I work hard to figure out why he or she keeps making the same mistakes and try to come up with new explanations or approaches. Most of the time, I feel good while I'm teaching because the students are making progress. Sometimes a student has an "aha" moment, when they suddenly catch on. After that, they learn better and faster. Sometimes, they are so excited about it that they send me an email to let me know. They feel thrilled, and so do I. This week, I had a new and wonderful feeling. One of my students, who has been playing for about a year and a half, is very talented. She reached the "aha" point a few months ago, and she has taken off like a rocket. At her most recent lesson, she warmed up by playing a piece she has already learned, the Brahms Waltz in Suzuki Book 2. She played it so beautifully that she lifted me up and away. I could not be a teacher and listen for mistakes. I just closed my eyes, sat back, and loved the music.