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Q: ArgumentOutOfRangeException when deleting element from ListView with RecycleElement in Xamarin Forms for Android I have a ListView that is bound to a list on the ViewModel. My model is pretty simple:
    public class Model : RealmObject
    {
        public string Name { get; set; }
    }

Not much is happening in the view, but I have added a context action to the cells, bound to a DeleteCommand:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<ContentPage xmlns="http://xamarin.com/schemas/2014/forms"
             xmlns:x="http://schemas.microsoft.com/winfx/2009/xaml"
             x:Class="Book.Views.MyPage"
             x:Name="page">
    <ContentPage.Content>
        <StackLayout>
            <ListView ItemsSource="{Binding Models}"
                      SelectionMode="Single"
                      CachingStrategy="RecycleElement">
                <ListView.ItemTemplate>
                    <DataTemplate>
                        <TextCell Text="{Binding Name}">
                            <TextCell.ContextActions>
                                <MenuItem Command="{Binding Path=BindingContext.DeleteCommand, Source={x:Reference page}}"
                                  CommandParameter="{Binding .}"
                                  Text="Delete" IsDestructive="True" />
                            </TextCell.ContextActions>
                        </TextCell>
                    </DataTemplate>
                </ListView.ItemTemplate>
            </ListView>
        </StackLayout>
    </ContentPage.Content>
</ContentPage>

Then we have the ViewModel
    public class MyViewModel : BaseViewModel
    {
        readonly Realm realm;
        public ICommand DeleteCommand { get; private set; }
        public IEnumerable<Model> Models { get; set; }

        public ContactsListViewModel()
        {
            realm = Realm.GetInstance();
            AddElements();
            Models = realm.All<Model>();
            DeleteCommand = new Command<Model>(Delete);
        }

        void AddElements() //For testing
        {
            for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++)
            {
                realm.Write(() =>
                {
                    var c = new Model()
                    {
                        Name = $"Name{i}"
                    };
                    realm.Add(c);
                });
            }
        }

        void Delete(Model model)
        {
            realm.Write(() =>
            {
                realm.Remove(model);
            });
        }
    }

My problem is that I get an ArgumentOutOfRangeException as soon as I try to delete something. The stack trace is the following:
System.ArgumentOutOfRangeException: Specified argument was out of the range of valid values.
Parameter name: index
  at Xamarin.Forms.ListProxy.get_Item (System.Int32 index) [0x0000b] in D:\a\1\s\Xamarin.Forms.Core\ListProxy.cs:129
  at Xamarin.Forms.ListProxy.System.Collections.IList.get_Item (System.Int32 index) [0x00000] in D:\a\1\s\Xamarin.Forms.Core\ListProxy.cs:443
  at Xamarin.Forms.Platform.Android.ListViewAdapter.GetDataTemplateForPath (System.Int32 indexPath) [0x00007] in D:\a\1\s\Xamarin.Forms.Platform.Android\Renderers\ListViewAdapter.cs:367
  at Xamarin.Forms.Platform.Android.ListViewAdapter.GetPrototypicalCell (System.Int32 indexPath) [0x00012] in D:\a\1\s\Xamarin.Forms.Platform.Android\Renderers\ListViewAdapter.cs:391
  at Xamarin.Forms.Platform.Android.ListViewAdapter.IsEnabled (System.Int32 position) [0x00023] in D:\a\1\s\Xamarin.Forms.Platform.Android\Renderers\ListViewAdapter.cs:427
  at Android.Widget.BaseAdapter.n_IsEnabled_I (System.IntPtr jnienv, System.IntPtr native__this, System.Int32 position) [0x00008] in <55654ebe9f2a48e6bade2862bb243f94>:0
  at at (wrapper dynamic-method) Android.Runtime.DynamicMethodNameCounter.72(intptr,intptr,int)

This happens only on Android, and it doesn't happen if I remove CachingStrategy="RecycleElement" OR if I wrap the content of Delete in Device.BeginInvokeOnMainThread. Especially the last one doesn't make much sense for me, since Delete is already being called on the UI Thread.
Given what is happening I suppose it could be a race condition, but maybe someone can shed some light on why it is happening?


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text:
11th State District Representative Candidate Mark Herbert Wants To Be Seen As Problem-Solver
KLCC | By Brian Bull
Published April 18, 2018 at 4:35 PM PDT
Mark Herbert
Mark Herbert for State Representative
A moderate Republican hopes his past work with Lane County -coupled with his strategic planning experience- will help his bid for State Representative, 11th District.
Mark Herbert of Springfield has his own management consulting company. He's also a former member of the Lane County Planning Commission and Lane Metro Partnership.
Herbert says there's too much gridlock in Salem. He says any time a political party holds a near-supermajority, there's a problem.
"The minority party and the interests of folks that don't agree with that, can be impacted," Herbert tells KLCC. "And that's not just about the Democrats, that's about any situation where you have that degree of dominance.
Credit Mark Goebel / Flickr.com
"And I don't feel like our legislature is making decisions that are necessarily good for all of Oregon. It's very Portland-based, and it's very urban-based."
Herbert wants to be seen more as a problem-solver than a politician. He's married with two grown children, enjoys the outdoors, and plays golf – quote – "badly."
His primary challenger is fellow Republican Josh Powell…though the Oregon GOP has asked Powell to step aside given anti-Muslim and anti-Semitic statements he's made.
Copyright 2018, KLCC.
Politics & Government Oregon HouseMark HerbertOregon House District 11josh powell2018 May Primary
Brian Bull
Brian Bull joined the KLCC News Team in June 2016. In his 25+ years as a public media journalist, he's worked at NPR, Twin Cities Public Television, South Dakota Public Broadcasting, Wisconsin Public Radio, and ideastream in Cleveland. His reporting has netted dozens of accolades, including four national Edward R. Murrow Awards (19 regional), the Ohio Associated Press' Best Reporter Award, Best Radio Reporter from the Native American Journalists Association, and the PRNDI/NEFE Award for Excellence in Consumer Finance Reporting.
See stories by Brian Bull
City Club of Eugene: Oregon House District 11, Democrat and Republican Candidate Forums
Love Cross
Both the Republican and Democratic primary races are contested this year for the Oregon State House District 11 Seat. The City Club hosted all four…

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text:
Awards and Recognition CSR News
Boeing Named 2014 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year
Company earns fourth consecutive year of recognition for protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency
April 4, 2014 /3BL Media/ - Boeing [NYSE: BA] will receive an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the company's continued leadership in protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency.
Boeing is among 16 ENERGY STAR Partners of the Year in the Industrial category for sustained excellence to be honored by the EPA during an awards ceremony on April 29 in Washington, D.C.
Read more about Boeing Named 2014 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year
LG Honored with EPA's Highest ENERGY STAR® Distinction, 2014 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year- Sustained Excellence Award
EPA Recognizes LG for Efforts to Protect the Environment Through Superior Energy Efficiency and Climate Communications
WASHINGTON, April 3, 2014 /3BL Media/ – LG Electronics, a global technology leader in consumer electronics and home appliances, has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with a 2014 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year-Sustained Excellence Award, the highest distinction bestowed upon ENERGY STAR partners. LG also is being honored with the inaugural 2014 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year-Climate Communications Award.
Read more about LG Honored with EPA's Highest ENERGY STAR® Distinction, 2014 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year- Sustained Excellence Award
Samsung Electronics Wins Two 2014 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year Awards for Sustained Excellence and Climate Communications
EPA recognizes technology leader for its ongoing leadership in protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency products and programs
RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J, April 3, 2014 /3BL Media/ – Samsung Electronics has won the 2014 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This is the second year in a row that Samsung has earned this prestigious ENERGY STAR award for its continued leadership in protecting the environment through activities focused on providing products with superior energy efficiency.
Read more about Samsung Electronics Wins Two 2014 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year Awards for Sustained Excellence and Climate Communications
Federally Protected Bay Checkerspot Butterfly Emerges as Landfill Celebrates Habitat Award
Bay Checkerspot butterfly "effect" responsible for model conservation plans
SAN JOSE, Calif., April 2, 2014 /3BL Media/ – In its latest reverberation, the Bay Checkerspot butterfly and its caretakers were able to garner the Wildlife Habitat Council's 2013 Corporate Habitat of the Year Award. The Wildlife Habitat Council promotes and certifies habitat conservation and management on working lands through partnerships and education.
Read more about Federally Protected Bay Checkerspot Butterfly Emerges as Landfill Celebrates Habitat Award
CBRE Group, Inc. Named As A 2014 World's Most Ethical Company By The Ethisphere Institute
Award Recognizes Leadership in Ethical Business Practices, Commitment to Sustainability and Community Service
Los Angeles, April 3, 2014 /3BL Media/ – CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBG) has been recognized as a 2014 World's Most Ethical Company® by the Ethisphere Institute, an independent center of research promoting best practices in corporate ethics and governance.
Read more about CBRE Group, Inc. Named As A 2014 World's Most Ethical Company By The Ethisphere Institute
CBRE Makes Companies That Care Honor Roll For Seventh Consecutive Year
Los Angeles, April 2, 2014 /3BL Media/ – CBRE Group, Inc. has been named to the Companies That Care Honor Roll for the seventh consecutive year. Employers on the 2014 Honor Roll have demonstrated socially responsible workplace practices and active community involvement, as determined by Center for Companies That Care, a national, not-for-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the well-being of employees, families and communities. CBRE is the only commercial real estate services firm on the list.
Read more about CBRE Makes Companies That Care Honor Roll For Seventh Consecutive Year
CBRE Group, Inc. Ranked Among Fortune Magazine's Most Admired Companies
CBRE Is the Highest-Ranked Commercial Real Estate Services and Investment Firm for the Fourth Straight Year; Climbs to Second Spot in Real Estate Industry
Los Angeles, March 3, 2014 /3BL Media/ – CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBG) today announced that it was the highest-ranked commercial real estate services and investment firm in Fortune's 2014 Most Admired Companies list. This is the fourth consecutive year that CBRE was the highest ranked commercial real estate services and investment firm.
Read more about CBRE Group, Inc. Ranked Among Fortune Magazine's Most Admired Companies
Victoria B. Mars Is Keynote Speaker at 2014 Great Place to Work® Conference
Mars' Chairman of the Board Victoria B. Mars will be giving a keynote address to the Great Place to Work® Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Thursday April 3rd 2014 at 4pm Central time.
Read more about Victoria B. Mars Is Keynote Speaker at 2014 Great Place to Work® Conference
Citi Earns 2014 Community Reinvestment Award for Innovative College Savings Program
Citi Community Development honored for its role in Texas pilot program that enables custodial parents to convert child support payments into college savings accounts
New York, April 2, 2014 /3BL Media/ – Citi has received a 2014 Community Reinvestment Award from regulators at the National Interagency Community Reinvestment Conference in Chicago for excellence in cross-sector community development collaboration. The award recognizes the leadership role played by Citi Community Development in the "Child Support for College" program, a first-in-the-nation pilot program in Texas that allows custodial parents to convert child support payments into college savings accounts that pay for their child's future education.
Read more about Citi Earns 2014 Community Reinvestment Award for Innovative College Savings Program
TransCanada's Pend Oreille River Video Wins Bronze Telly Award!
Multimedia with summary
The votes are in and TransCanada's Pend Oreille River Video has won a Bronze Telly Award under the Social Responsibility category!
Read more about TransCanada's Pend Oreille River Video Wins Bronze Telly Award!
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Oortocht is a young collective based in Ghent (Belgium). Working in an open structure with artists from different fields, it stimulates these artists to break out of their own mind sets and encourages the neutralization of borders between the different media. Through the confrontation with unknown territories of art, we can learn from each other and discover new possibilities. This ongoing process gets crystallized into pieces of work that surpass the talents of the individual makers and wherein the borders between each artist's general field of work fade.
Besides Marieke the collective exists of Brecht Hermans, Isabelle Stockmans and Thomas Vermaercke. Brecht studied Theatre Techniques at RITS in Brussels, is an actor and director. Isabelle studied Cultural Sciences and Mixed Media, and has a passion for literature. Thomas is a theatre technician and co-founded the collective group De Constanten.
The company Mosterd met Zaad started with Leen Lacroix and Marieke Breyne, theatre directors, performers and researchers. After previous intense collaborations, they wanted to unite their specific point of view on theatre and dance. They are fascinated by the purity of movement, the power of images and the beauty of everyday life. Katrien Masson is architect/scenographer. She completes the company.
Cie MMZ created its first performance 'A La Limite' in 2008-2009. Cie MMZ chooses resolutely for a physical approach of theatre. Intuitive. Primitive. The purity of body language, of authentic movement, are at the centre of its view. Aspects such as story or morality are reduced to an essential minimum.
Together with Chris van der Weide (NL), Liv Kaastrup Vesterkov (DK) and Sigrid Moses-Jacobsen (DK) Marieke also founded The Hatchery (since 2012). This international group investigates the integration of a sensorial theatre language, acquired via diverse sensorial theatre experiences, in public area. According to a sensorial theatre language the performer has to disappear. He only functions as the medium that makes the object speak directly towards the audience. This is noticeable in the project "Cups" whereby tea cups were carried through the city Viborg (DK).
The Hatchery also investigates the materialization of the body: How does a performer disappear and how can his body work as a material in a public area in function to transform this area? The transformation is a central aspect of the mission statement of The Hatchery. We believe that performance and visual art do have a transformative power, on micro and macro level.
For example: During a residency at the AFUK Skole in Copenhagen we organized some workshops "moving slow in public area". We guided people blindfolded through the center of the city and let them walk, also blindfolded, independently through very busy shopping streets. The beauty of the slow movement as affect of being blind (especially in contrast with the hurried crowd in shopping streets) and the experience for blinded participants, according themselves, were overwhelming.


1. What advice would you give to a family caregiver who is dealing with a new diagnosis of neurocognitive disorder?
2. What advice would you give to a family caregiver who is having a difficult time with maladaptive behaviors?
3. There were two assessment tools mentioned to determine level of caregiver stress. Which do you like better and why?
4. List two family/caregiver support groups in your area for neurocognitive disorders.


text:
Dynamic Detection of Thicknesses in Polymer Deformation Based on the Optical Coherence Interferometry Technique
Eneas N Morel*, Jorge R Torga
Laboratorio de Optoelectronica y Metrología Aplicada Facultad Regional Delta -Universidad Tecnológica Nacional, Campana, Argentina
Publisher Id: PHY-2-11
Acceptance Date: 8/6/2015
Electronic publication date: 31/7/2015
© Morel and Torga; Licensee Bentham Open.
open-access license: This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.
* Address correspondence to this author at the Laboratorio de Optoelectronica y Metrología Aplicada Facultad Regional Delta-Universidad Tecnológica Nacional, Campana, Argentina; E-mail: nmorel@frd.utn.edu.ar
We describe the implementation of the optical coherence interferometry (OCT) technique in the dynamic measurement of the deformation of polymers. The experimental set-up of the interferometer system and the signal processing used are also described. Theories and methods for measuring polymer film thickness are presented and the results are shown. In this work, the technique does not account for the determination of the refractive index.The study found that the dynamic estimation of the thickness of thin polymer films is possible and very accurate.
Keywords: Interferometries, Topography, Profilometry, Fast Fourier transform.
View Abstract Download PDF
The measurement of distances with non-invasive techniques is a developing theme, and a variety of techniques are used for this purpose. Among them, optical techniques have evolved fast with the emergence of new sources of light and detection systems: for example, triangulation [1] and interferometric techniques [2].
In this paper, we focus on the interferometric low-coherence [3] or broadband [4] technique, in which the light sources used are not monochrome [5]. It presents interesting aspects that make it different from the traditional interferometric techniques.
The main advantage in terms of distance measurements is the ability to measure without the phase ambiguity. This technique was first applied in the area of communications [6], medicine and biology [7] and studies of surfaces [8].
The OCT technique has been used with excellent results in medicine where studies were conducted on the thickness of corneas [9], the cardiovascular system [10], and cartilage [11].
In this paper, we investigate the application of this technique for dynamic detection of deformation in polymers used in arterial prostheses with variations of 1 mm and a resolution better than 1 μm and at the same time obtain the change in thickness.
The motivation for this work is to develop a system that will allow precise measurement of dynamic profiles and the thickness of arteries in prostheses. Fast Fourier transform (FFT) in the analysis of the image signal interference is applied to show how this can improve resolution, dynamic range and noise reduction.
The main idea is to use the interference signals produced by reflections from the different sides of the sample and the reference mirror.
The phase of interference signal obtained by the Fourier transform, which determines variations in the thickness and the variation of the position of each face of the sample to be deformed.
The experimental set-up used for the interferometer is the Michelson type shown in Fig. (1).
Experimental set-up: SLD is the light source; RR the reference mirror; RM the sample; BS the beam splitter; and DT is the detector system.
Intensity and its corresponding fourier transform for two different values of b (a.u.= arbitrary units).
In graph (a) calibration signal; in graph (b) interpolate signal.
Sample in stationary state.
Sample with false deformation.
Sample with deformation.
Captured image.
In graph (a) the measurement signal; in graph (b) the Fourier transform.
Interference peak for the sample in equilibrium (line) and deformed (line and point).
Fig. (10).
Zoom of the interference peak that represents the thickness of the sample.
In one arm of the interferometer the sample to be measured is placed (RM in Fig. 1), and on the other arm (RR in Fig. 1) a reference surface is positioned, in this case a mirror (New Focus 5103).
Light reflected in each arm generates an interference signal, which in the phase encodes optical path difference (OPD) between the two arms.
The interference signal is input to the detection system (TD). This system is a spectrometer with a diffraction grid with 1200 lines per millimetre and a CCD sensor with 640 x 480 pixels, which form the image of interference with a sample rate of 1 ms.
The description of the function of light intensity dependent on the OPD is determined by Eq. (1) [12]:
where Ir is the reference arm intensity, Is is the sample arm intensity and δ is the encoded face. For a system in vacuum δ = k∆x, where k is the wavenumber and ∆x is the OPD; this OPD is measured from the beam splitter to each arm [13].
We consider now a non-monochromatic source with a Gaussian spectrum:
where k is the wave vector and Δk is the spectral width of the source.
Experimental and simulated results shown in this paper correspond to a superluminescent diode with a central wavelength λo= 800 nm and a spectral width ∆λ= 20 nm.
where β is the visibility or modulation depth and a is the reference reflectivity defined as:
2.1. Analysis
We define FI(x) as the Fourier transform of I(k) with x the conjugate variable.
In Fig. (2) intensity I(k) is shown for two different values of β (graphics (a) and (b)).
The square module of FI(k) is shown in graphics (c) and (d).
The two lateral Gaussian peaks correspond to the second and third term of Eq. (5) and their centres are the ± value.
To measure absolute distances it is necessary to carry out a calibration of the system. To do this the sample is replaced by a mirror.
The calibration process consists of a controlled movement of the reference mirror in order to introduce a variable path difference (). For each position of the mirror, we measured the centre position of the interference peak and simultaneously the absolute displacement with a position sensor (Universal Motion Controller Newport ESP-300 - translation stage). With this calibration it is possible to obtain independence of the relative position of the arms of the interferometer.
A typical calibration curve is represented in Fig. (3). The corresponding relation is:
where Äx is the distance in mm and F is the corresponding centre position of the interference peak (in pixel units).
The experimental set-up is similar to that shown in Fig. (1), except for the sample arm, where the sample is placed in a ring allowing it can apply a normal force to produce the desired deformation.
The light source is a superluminescent diode (Hamamatsu L8414-04 -SLD with power light: 3mw @ 800 nm). In the reference arm is an attenuator system to control the visibility (β).
The deformation is produced by acoustic action through a speaker. This achieves control over the frequency of movement obtained with an Agilent 33220A signal generator.
When the sample is in stationary state, it is not suffering from any deformation, as shown in Fig. (4).
When normal force is applied, the sample is deformed, as in Fig. (4).
The first supposition is that D1 and D2 are equal. This supposition is not true, because the thickness changes when a force is applied, as in Fig. (6).
Where D1 and D2 are no longer equal, D3 being the same distance in Fig. (5) and Fig. (6).
The proposal is to measure the deformation produced on each interface of the sample and the change in thickness in a single measurement.
Fig. (7) shows the image obtained with the OCT technique (optical coherence interferometry), when the sample is in stationary state.
Through analysis of the image, one can obtain the thickness of the sample and distances on the faces of the sample in the mirror reference, as shown in Fig. (8a).
Noting in Fig. (8b), you can discriminate four Gaussian peaks and one centred on the zero (not taken into account in the analysis). The first peak is produced by the reflections on both sides of the sample and it is the sample thickness. The second peak is the relative distance of the first side of the sample with respect to the reference. The third peak is the relative distance from the second side of the sample and reference. The last peak is caused by a camera filter.
In previous work [14], we tested the method's accuracy, which was less than 1 µm.
The strain produced by the acoustic wave requires the sample to be moved from its equilibrium position and changes its thickness.
Dynamic measurement is performed by capturing images with a sampling time of 1 ms.
As the thickness varies, the measured interference signals allow us to obtain the distance of deformation D3 and D2, indicating how the sample was deformed.
In Fig. (9), the curve with a point shows the distances of the sample represented in equilibrium state (without application of deformation), and the curve with an asterisk shows the distances when the signal of deformation is applied.
The displacement value is 0.0552 mm and the change of thickness is 0.0069 mm, with a system error less than 0.5 microns.
In Fig. (10), one can observe in detail the interference peak that indicates the change of thickness in the sample. The continuous curve is the interference peak in steady state and the curve point is the interfering peak when the sample has a maximum strain.
It should be noted that the change of thickness is small compared with the deformation of the sample. Dynamic measurement of thickness is interesting because it allows to determine the elastic behaviour of the material under study.
We have shown that the technique of interferometry broadband allows the study of dynamics in semi-transparent materials, constant forces being applied or varying time. It has been observed that effects of variations in time force the deformation of each side of the sample. The maximum sampling rate is limited by the response of the detector. Semi-transparent material additionally permits small changes in the thickness of the sample.
Real-time measurement of thickness change is of great interest, because it allows us to study the drying of paints and varnishes and solvent evaporation.
We can see that each interface of the sample has a different deformation. This implies that the interface on which the force is applied suffers greater deformation.
The accuracy of this system is 0.50 μm. The dynamic range of the system, in our case 10 µm to 2 mm, can be adjusted according to the application.
The authors confirm that this article content has no conflict of interest.
[1] Lombardoa V, Marzullib T, Pappalettereb C, Sforza P. A time-of-scan laser triangulation technique for distance measurements Opt Lasers Eng 2003; 39: 247-54.
[2] Creath K. Phase-measurement interferometry techniques Prog Optics 1980; 26: 349-93.
[3] Huang D, Swanson EA, Lin CP, et al. Optical coherence tomography Science 1991; 254(5035): 1178-81.
[4] Costantino S, Martínez O, Torga J. Wide band interferometry for thickness measurement Opt Express 2003; 11(8): 952-7.
[5] Bouma B, Tearney GJ, Boppart SA, Hee MR, Brezinski ME, Fujimoto JG. High-resolution optical coherence tomographic imaging using a mode-locked Ti:Al(2)O(3) laser source Opt Lett 1995; 20(13): 1486-8.
[6] Youngquist RC, Carr S, Davies DE. Optical coherence-domain reflectometry: a new optical evaluation technique Opt Lett 1987; 12(3): 158-60.
[7] Rollins AM, Sivak MV, Radhakrishnan S, et al. Emerging clinical applications of optical coherence tomography Opt Photonics News 2002; 13(4): 36-41.
[8] De Groot P, Deck L. Surface profiling by analysis of white light interferograms in the special frequency domain J Mod Opt 1995; 42: 389-401.
[9] Hitzenberger CK. Mêasurement of corneal thickness by low-coherence interferometry Appl Opt 1992; 31(31): 6637-42.
[10] Boppart SA, Tearney GJ, Bouma BE, Southern JF, Brezinski ME, Fujimoto JG. Noninvasive assessment of the developing Xenopus cardiovascular system using optical coherence tomography Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1997; 94(9): 4256-61.
[11] Rogowska J, Bryant CM, Brezinski ME. Cartilage thickness measurements from optical coherence tomography J Opt Soc Am A Opt Image Sci Vis 2003; 20(2): 357-67.
[12] Jackson JD. Classical electrodynamics NCY: Jhon Wiley and Sons. Wiley 1975.
[13] Choma M, Sarunic M, Yang C, Izatt J. Sensitivity advantage of swept source and Fourier domain optical coherence tomography Opt Express 2003; 11(18): 2183-9.
[14] Morel EN, Torga JR. Signal processing in Fourier low coherence interferometry XI Reunión de Trabajo en Procesamiento de la Información y Control Trabajos completos (proceeding) 2005.


Sunroof, Wireless Charging, Leathers Seats, Heated Seats, Heated Steering Wheel!
The KONA is the latest addition to the SUV family made by Hyundai a new breed of SUV has been born to take on your city street.
This phantom black pearl SUV has an automatic transmission and is powered by a Electric engine. Motivated by that economical motor it gets 1.8 L/100 km in the city and uses just 2.2 L/100 km out on the highway according to Transport Canada.
Our Kona's trim level is Ultimate. This KONA Ultimate is Hyundai's pinnicle trim and comes loaded with a larger 8 inch colour touchscreen and built in navigation, high beam assist, forward collision warning, a wireless charging pad, power sunroof, leather heated seats and a heated steering wheel. You will also get a proximity key, an 8 way power drivers seat, a rear view camera, LED headlights and automatic temperature control plus much more. This vehicle has been upgraded with the following features: Sunroof, Wireless Charging, Leathers Seats, Heated Seats, Heated Steering Wheel, Proximity Key, Heads Up Display.
We've discounted this vehicle $783. 3.99% financing for 96 months.
Buy this vehicle now for the lowest bi-weekly payment of $304.35 with $0 down for 96 months @ 3.99% APR O.A.C. ( Plus applicable taxes - Administration fee, wheel locks and mud guards included ). Incentives expire 2019-04-30. See dealer for details.


Amazing blog! Do you have any tips for aspiring writers? I'm hoping to start my own blog soon but I'm a little lost on everything. Would you recommend starting with a free platform like Wordpress or go for a paid option? There are so many choices out there that I'm completely overwhelmed .. Any tips? Many thanks!


The article reports on the factors that contribute to the success of NBC Universal's sitcom The Office. These include the network's patience willingness to evolve the show. The show's ensemble of characters and fleshing out of roles also helped. Overseas formats also served as inspiration instead as impediments. The marketing initiatives of the network played a role in exposing the program.
Discusses a campaign to revive the British television series 'The Office,' with the role of Brent portraying a knowledge management consultant. Background on the series; Popularity among office employees.
Reviews the television program `The Office,' starring Valerie Harper, Debra Jo Rupp, Andrea Abbate and Kristin Datillo-Hayward, on CBS.
Reviews the television program `The Office,' starring Valerie Harper, Dakin Matthews, Debra Jo Rupp and Kevin Conroy.
Features the television program 'The Office.' Concept of the show; Schedule of the program.


text:
Reinhard Teufel (* 20. Mai 1979) ist ein österreichischer Politiker der Freiheitlichen Partei Österreichs (FPÖ). Seit März 2018 ist er Abgeordneter zum Landtag von Niederösterreich.

Leben
Reinhard Teufel besuchte nach Volks- und Hauptschule in Lackenhof und Gaming die Höhere Bundeslehranstalt für Forstwirtschaft in Gainfarn, wo er 1998 maturierte. Nach dem Präsenzdienst begann er ein Studium der Sozial- und Wirtschaftswissenschaften, das er 2004 als Magister abschloss.

Nach dem Studium war er in der Finanzbuchhaltung des Austrian Research Centers tätig, ab 2007 war er Fachreferent im Freiheitlichen Parlamentsklub, weiters von 2007 bis 2017 Hauptmitglied der §7-Kommission beim Bundesministerium für Nachhaltigkeit und Tourismus.  2011 wurde er Büroleiter bei FPÖ-Klubobmann Heinz-Christian Strache. 2013 übernahm er den elterlichen landwirtschaftlichen Betrieb in Lackenhof, den er seitdem im Nebenbetrieb weiterführt. 2014 legte er die Dienstprüfung für den Verwaltungsdienst in der Parlamentsdirektion und im Juli 2017 die Staatsprüfung für den leitenden Forstdienst (Försterprüfung) ab. Seit 2016 ist er Vorstandsmitglied des FPÖ-Bildungsinstituts. Im Dezember 2017 wurde er Kabinettschef im Bundesministerium für Inneres unter dem damaligen Innenminister Herbert Kickl, wo er bis zu dessen Entlassung durch den Bundespräsidenten im Mai 2019 im Zuge der Ibiza-Affäre das Kabinett leitete.

Reinhard Teufel gehörte von 2010 bis 2020 dem Gemeinderat in Gaming an, im Mai 2017 wurde er zum FPÖ-Obmann des Bezirks Scheibbs gewählt. Am 22. März 2018 wurde er in der konstituierenden Landtagssitzung der XIX. Gesetzgebungsperiode als Abgeordneter zum Landtag von Niederösterreich angelobt, wo er für die Ressorts Sicherheit, Asyl und Zuwanderung zuständig war und für Landwirtschaft, Wirtschaft/Tourismus sowie Wissenschaft/Forschung zuständig ist. Darüber hinaus war Teufel Mitglied des Aufsichtsrates der ASFINAG Maut Service GmbH und ist Delegierter der Oberösterreichischen Wechselseitigen Versicherung Vermögensverwaltung sowie seit 2020 Obmann der Agrargemeinschaft Lackenhof.

Bei der Landtagswahl 2023 kandidierte er auf dem sechsten Listenplatz der Landesliste sowie als Spitzenkandidat der Partei im Landtagswahlkreis Scheibbs. Zu Beginn der XX. Gesetzgebungsperiode folgte er Udo Landbauer als Klubobmann des FPÖ-Landtagsklubs nach.

Teufel ist Mitglied der Innsbrucker akademischen Burschenschaft Brixia. Er ist verheiratet und Vater von vier Kindern.

Politische Positionen
Im Rahmen seiner politischen Tätigkeit setzt sich Teufel dafür ein, aufenthaltsbeendende Maßnahmen im Fremden- und Asylwesen umzusetzen und zu beschleunigen. Zudem arbeitet er unter anderem daraufhin, den Einsatz ausländische Pflegekräfte einzuschränken.

Im Bereich der Wohnbauförderung fordert er leistbare Startwohnungen explizit für junge Niederösterreicher und spricht sich dafür aus ökologische Maßnahmen und Klimaauflagen beim Wohnbau abzuschaffen. Des Weiteren fordert er die Lichtverschmutzung hintanzuhalten, indem er Studien zur wissenschaftlichen Untersuchung der Folgen von Lichtverschmutzung von der Bundesregierung fordert, wobei ein Sternenpark für astronomische Studien im südlichen Niederösterreich dienen könnte. Teufel setzt sich auch dafür ein, das "Recht auf Barzahlung" in der Bundesverfassung zu verankern und macht sich gegen die kritiklose und einseitige Förderung der batteriebasierten Elektromobilität stark, in der er eine "Umwelt-Mogelpackung" sieht.

Publikationen (Auswahl)
 2014: Parlamentarische Untersuchungsausschüsse als Minderheitenrecht, gemeinsam mit Norbert Nemeth, FPÖ-Bildungsinstitut, Wien 2014, ISBN 978-3-902720-22-1
 2017: Dem Antrag wird stattgegeben. Anmerkungen zur Bundespräsidentenwahl 2016, gemeinsam mit Andreas Hauer u. a., FPÖ-Bildungsinstitut, Wien 2017

Weblinks
 Reinhard Teufel auf meineabgeordneten.at
 Reinhard Teufel FPÖ Niederösterreich

Einzelnachweise

Landtagsabgeordneter (Niederösterreich)
Kabinettschef (Österreich)
Politiker (21. Jahrhundert)
Manager (ASFINAG)
Politiker (Gaming)
Absolvent der Universität Innsbruck
FPÖ-Mitglied
Österreicher
Geboren 1979
Mann

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Price reporting agencies could see their traditional roles in chemical markets challenged by the rise of blockchain technology.
Blockchain – where market participants share transaction and supply chain data in secure and verified online ledgers – offers the prospect of making all trades visible to the market. Buyers and sellers of chemicals could no longer rely so much on the price discovery and benchmarking role of agencies.
Price reporting agencies would need to adapt their business models to offer more analytical tools and analysis of factors driving market dynamics as well as offering insights into future market trends and direction.
Although blockchain is in its infancy and is yet to be adopted in chemicals, agencies such as ICIS are already responding to customer feedback by focusing heavily on the development of analytical tools and expertise.
According to Stephen Kok, project leader at Boston Consulting Group, blockchain means any market participant would have full transparency of trading, giving them the ability to aggregate and judge market prices by themselves.
Kok believes that, blockchain aside, there is additional risk for price reporting agencies from increasing levels of liquidity in trading across many commodities, including chemicals. Increasing levels of liquidity will give more transparency with higher trade volumes and more use of derivatives helping to drive this.
A new report by Boston, A reality check for blockchain in commodity trading, highlights the world's most "hyperliquid" markets of equities, foreign exchange, financial oil and gas, carbon dioxide and government bonds where blockchain-based trade tracking and execution systems are already being developed.
Chemicals and other less liquid commodities are less prepared for blockchain because they do not yet have highly electronic and standardised market mechanisms in place. Most chemicals trade is currently "over the counter" (OTC) with buying and selling between two participants without others being aware of the price. According to Kok there are also very poor levels of standardisation across chemical value chains.
"But the chemicals sector is moving towards more standardised trade often driven by regulations between regions. These could form a dataset to support the market," he said.
He believes that all participants in an industry – including producers, traders, shippers and financers – would appreciate more transparency. Blockchain would provide this with better verification for ownership and more transparent traceability of goods as well as trades, creating a better end-to-end visibility of trade flows.
He questions whether existing types of online marketplaces such as Alibaba can become liquid enough to offer a full perspective of price trends and arbitrage opportunities.
Instead, to be effective and efficient it would be better for entire sectors of the industry to conjoin and disrupt themselves through the better use of data.
A blockchain has to be organised between market participants and Kok suggests industry consortia could be an effective way to achieve this. He gives as an example EuroClear and Swift which provide the infrastructure to enable more efficient international financial transactions. These are owned and controlled by industry consortia to provide a service which benefits the entire sector.
"You need to look at constructs of that sort because it will need to be – in some shape or form – governed," said Kok.
In financial services, gas and electricity, consortia have already been formed to organise market mechanisms of different types. For blockchain to be effective this needs to be scaled up so that it will work for a big proportion of the industry.
To go through the pain of disrupting and reorganising market mechanisms for blockchain there needs to be a compelling justification. Industry participants have to be convinced that creating a more transparent and efficient marketplace is worthwhile.
Blockchain itself will not disrupt existing supply contract structures where unique, bespoke deals are often negotiated. However, digitisation and standardisation of trade will and blockchain provides a good opportunity to drive change, says Kok.
Blockchain is a distributed database – rather than being stored in one place and dominated by one party, it has many participants. The data is immutable so it gives high levels of trust and transparency without the need for a central authority to vouch for the validity of the data.
It is called blockchain because new blocks of data are chained to each other. To add to the data you append what is there. It is immutable because it hosts all the history of the transactions. So you cannot change or erase data, just add or append.
Blockchain has the potential to create a repository of data that could act as the basis for a market-place. All players in chemical supply chains – producers, traders, buyers, logistics, financiers – would be able to access the ledger showing the trades and prices. Different types of ledgers re-cording financial, logistics and supply chain data could interact with each other.
Blockchain is emerging across many industries including commodities trading. But none have scaled enough to disrupt any industry. Participants usually form consortia to organise blockchain.


This study evaluates the effect of elevated temperature exposure on concrete incorporating ferronickel slag (FNS) as a replacement of natural sand. Concrete cylinders were exposed up to 800°C, and the changes in compressive strength, mass, ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV), and microstructure were investigated. The concretes containing up to 100% FNS aggregate showed no spalling and similar cracking to that of the concrete using 100% natural sand. For exposures up to 600°C, the residual strengths of concretes containing 50% FNS were 7% to 10% smaller than the concrete with 100% sand. Use of 30% fly ash as cement replacement improved residual strength by pozzolanic reaction for exposures up to 600°C. An equation has been found from the correlation between residual strength and UPV. Therefore, UPV can be used as a nondestructive test to estimate the extent of postfire damage and residual strength of concrete incorporating FNS aggregate and fly ash.
Saha, A. and Sarker, P. and Majhi, S. 2018. Effect of elevated temperatures on concrete incorporating ferronickel slag as fine aggregate. Fire and materials. 43 (1): pp. 8-21.


text:
package org.apache.pig.piggybank.storage;

import java.io.IOException;

import org.apache.hadoop.conf.Configuration;
import org.apache.hadoop.mapreduce.Job;
import org.apache.pig.Expression;
import org.apache.pig.LoadMetadata;
import org.apache.pig.ResourceSchema;
import org.apache.pig.ResourceStatistics;
import org.apache.pig.StoreMetadata;
import org.apache.pig.builtin.PigStorage;

/**
 *  This Load/Store Func reads/writes metafiles that allow the schema and
 *  aliases to be determined at load time, saving one from having to manually
 *  enter schemas for pig-generated datasets.
 *
 *  It also creates a ".pig_headers" file that simply lists the delimited aliases.
 *  This is intended to make export to tools that can read files with header
 *  lines easier (just cat the header to your data).
 *
 *  Due to StoreFunc limitations, you can only write the metafiles in MapReduce
 *  mode. You can read them in Local or MapReduce mode.
 */
public class PigStorageSchema extends PigStorage implements LoadMetadata, StoreMetadata {

    public PigStorageSchema() {
        super();
    }

    public PigStorageSchema(String delim) {
        super(delim);
    }

    //------------------------------------------------------------------------
    // Implementation of LoadMetaData interface

    @Override
    public ResourceSchema getSchema(String location,
            Job job) throws IOException {
        return (new JsonMetadata()).getSchema(location, job);
    }

    @Override
    public ResourceStatistics getStatistics(String location,
            Job job) throws IOException {
        return null;
    }

    @Override
    public void setPartitionFilter(Expression partitionFilter)
            throws IOException {
    }

    @Override
    public String[] getPartitionKeys(String location, Job job)
            throws IOException {
        return null;
    }

    //------------------------------------------------------------------------
    // Implementation of StoreMetadata

    @Override
    public void storeSchema(ResourceSchema schema, String location,
            Job job) throws IOException {
        JsonMetadata metadataWriter = new JsonMetadata();
        byte fieldDel = '\t';
        byte recordDel = '\n';
        metadataWriter.setFieldDel(fieldDel);
        metadataWriter.setRecordDel(recordDel);
        metadataWriter.storeSchema(schema, location, job);
    }

    @Override
    public void storeStatistics(ResourceStatistics stats, String location,
            Job job) throws IOException {

    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
2020 Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage Report Acknowledges Aboriginal Community Control
The NSW Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC) supports the findings of the 2020 Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage (OID) Report, which detail the vital role that Aboriginal community-controlled organisations play in addressing disadvantage.
The report by the Productivity Commission has found that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures create a strong foundation for building wellbeing in 32 key areas, and that successful initiatives shared the following characteristics by:
Addressing racism and discrimination
Sharing decision-making with Aboriginal organisations/communities
Addressing laws and policies detrimental to Aboriginal peoples
Including investment, collaboration, and coordination
Ensuring access to effective culturally safe services in line with community needs.
The NSWALC Chair Anne Dennis says the findings highlight the important work of the Aboriginal community-controlled sector and organisations like NSWALC as a member of the Coalition of Aboriginal Peak Organisations NSW (CAPO NSW).
"We are working collaboratively with governments to implement the National Agreement on Closing the Gap so that Aboriginal community-controlled organisations play a greater role in delivering services to communities, and that mainstream organisations provide culturally safe services, " she said.
"This report shows that governments must listen to Aboriginal peoples and support and resource Aboriginal community-controlled reforms."
The report found improvements in many areas, including early child development, economic participation and some aspects of health and education.
However, the number of children in out-of-home care has almost tripled in the past 15 years (60 per 1000 children in 2018-19), adult incarceration increased by 72 per cent between 2000 and 2019, and there was a 40 per-cent increase in deaths from suicide and self-harm between 2008 and 2018.
"These damning statistics reflect the systemic and structural inequities experienced by Aboriginal peoples in Australia," Councillor Dennis said.
"Governments must move away from delivering services focusing on disadvantage, to instead facilitating the aspirations, priorities and self-determination of Aboriginal peoples."
Media enquiries: media@alc.org.au or Gary Highland 0418 476 940
You can access a printer-friendly version of this release here.
The 2020 OID Report is available here.


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Chicago: "Victory Garden; Victory Garden 1007," WGBH Media Library & Archives, accessed April 20, 2019, http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_FF56ED5FB7244FEA9C80E54EFA1BAAAA.
MLA: "Victory Garden; Victory Garden 1007." WGBH Media Library & Archives. Web. April 20, 2019. <http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_FF56ED5FB7244FEA9C80E54EFA1BAAAA>.


text:
Real cover-up and corruption by law enforcement.
Real family frustration and heartbreak.
A Resource for Investigative Reporters and TV Producers
Professional writers, publishers, and TV producers, with an authentic interest in doing stories about individual cases, can contact the NM Justice Project at justiceproject@comcast.net to be put in touch with the families through their private investigators. Tipsters can use this same e-mail address to get information to the families.
Bestselling true crime writers Ann Rule (Every Breath You Take; Small Sacrifices, etc.) and Jerry Bledsoe (Bitter Blood; Death By Journalism, etc.) are frequent visitors to this website.
Most recently posted cases have red lettering in the left column; updates are in red lettering in the right column
"HOW CAN YOU BREAK THE LAW WHEN YOU ARE THE LAW?"
This web site originated in New Mexico. When the supervisor of the Albuquerque Police Department's Cold Case Squad criticized the mother of a homicide victim for questioning the actions of "an impeccable police department," the families of over a dozen New Mexico murder victims decided to take a long look at that "impeccable" department, as well as other investigative agencies in the state. What that group uncovered was a history of on-going corruption, involving city police, state police, and sheriff's departments, that underscored a headline in the Albuquerque Journal, "THE CITIZENS OF ALBUQUERQUE ARE AFRAID OF THEIR COPS." Honest police officers are almost as intimidated as the public -- afraid to speak out against their colleagues and supervisors for fear of retaliation against themselves or their loved ones. As a member the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department's elite Crime Suppression Unit, told his battered wife when she threatened to call 911: "Go ahead and call. How can you break the law when you are the law?"
As this core group of families began to compile their reports of misfeasance and malfeasance, families of murder victims from other states got wind of that effort and began to contribute their own cases of cover-up and corruption. It is the hope of these families that, by sharing their loved ones' horror stories, they may be able to shine the light of truth on a Justice System that is very different from what is portrayed on TV "cop shows."
A message board is provided to readers for discussion of the individual cases presented below. Click here to view the message board. Click here to enter your comment onto the message board. When possible, the families of the victims will respond to questions and/or comments.
Because of the overwhelming response to several individual cases, we have installed separate message boards for posts that relate specifically to the following:
Tom Stump & Diana Harris Cases: Click here to review the message board or here to enter your comment.
Ronda Reynolds Case: Click here to review the message board or here to enter your comment.
John Petrazzuoli Case: Click here to review the message board or here to enter your comment.
N M Case Kaitlyn Arquette
Albuquerque Police Dept.
Kaitlyn, 18, was chased down in her car and shot to death. The Albuquerque Police Dept. dubbed the shooting a "random drive-by," despite extensive evidence that Kaitlyn was deliberately murdered because she was preparing to blow the whistle on an Asian crime ring whose activities were protected by certain police officers. Excerpt from the book, Who Killed My Daughter?, by Kaitlyn's mother, Lois Duncan. Update: Kaitlyn's case was featured on "Good Morning America" and in People Magazine and the Albuquerque Journal. Psychic Reading by Robert Petro. New Input Update: July 16, 2004, APD Cold Case Squad reopens Kait's case. 3/2/09-2/23/09, Kait's case was featured on the "When Justice Fails" on-line radio blog, and in July 09, on "The Gulf Coast Journal with Jack Perkins." Visit Kait's new expanded site.
JUNE 2010 -- A SURPRISE ANNOUNCEMENT: At the time of Kait's death, in 1989, New Mexico had a 15 year Statute of Limitations on murder. In 1997, that provision was deleted, but law enforcement said the change was not retroactive. The Albuquerque Police Department cited that as a reason not to further investigate Kait's case. The Supreme Court of New Mexico ruled that the amendment applies to all capital felonies committed during the 15 year period BEFORE its effective date of July 1, 1997. In the event that Kait's killers are arrested and indicted, they WILL be able to be prosecuted!
N M Case Melissa Romero
Roswell Police Dept.
Melissa was killed in her home by a gun shot to either her neck or back (conflicting autopsy reports) either during a fight with her boyfriend or during a drive-by gang shooting later. Why did the bullet holes in the door of the house not correspond with the placement of Melissa's wound? Was the drive-by staged after the fact to cover up Melissa's murder?
N M Case Paul Fitzjerrell
Gallup Police Dept.
The suspect, Police Officer Mike Brandau's, own department deliberately allowed information from their Internal Affairs Investigation to become mixed with the criminal investigation, thus polluting the case and making it impossible to prosecute. Read this to learn about the Garrity Law, a device all cops can use to protect themselves from prosecution. This is a MUST READ!
N M Case Russell Cage
Bloomfield Police Dept.
Farmington Police Dept.
Police assert Russell shot himself in the side of the head, and the bullet exited, made a 86 degree turn, and penetrated a wall. Russell stood 5'10" and the hole in the wall is 4' from the ground. Also, Russell was right-handed, and the entrance wound appears to be on the left side of his head. Can this really be suicide? ? Jan. 24, 2004, Russell's case was featured in Farmington Daily Times.
N M Case Troy Pino
Santa Rosa Police Dept.
New Mexico State Police
Troy died following a brutal assault by his girlfriend's ex-husband. The cops who witnessed the assault deny it took place, although there were seven other witnesses. Is that because one cop is the assailant's nephew and the other the assailant's best friend? Update: March 21, 2003, Troy's case was featured in the Santa Rosa News. Update: April, 2004, family petitions grand jury to investigate Santa Rosa PD. Update: June 2004, petition is granted.
N M Case Teresa Reyes
On the night Teresa Reyes disappeared from her Albuquerque home, she left an unlisted phone number hidden in a hole in a stuffed doll. Whose number is it, and why won't the Albuquerque Police Department follow up on it? Is Teresa alive or dead? Update: July 13, 2002, Teresa's case was featured in the Albuquerque Tribune
N M Case Peter Klunck
Peter Klunck was shot in the back, allegedly "in self-defense," by an Albuquerque Police Officer whose hobby was robbing banks. Was Officer Matt Griffin's true motive for killing Peter to keep him from turning Griffin in as "The Ninja Bandit." Psychic Reading by Betty Muench. Excerpt about this case from the upcoming book, The Tally Keeper, by Lois Duncan.
N M Case Harriet Moldov-Taylor
The Medical Investigator ruled that Harriet, a disabled woman who lived alone, died from strokes and blood loss due to a violent sexual attack. So why do police insist her injuries were self-inflicted and refuse to follow up on the OMI's finding of "homicide"? Nov. 2003, Harriet's was featured in the Albuquerque Journal and Albuquerque Tribune.
Killer Convicted!!
NM Case Stephane Murphey
Rio Rancho D.P.S.
Stephane was raped and murdered in her home in Rio Rancho, NM, in April, 1999. It was only after years of relentless pressure by Stephane's family and the intervention of an investigative reporter that police finally agreed to submit DNA evidence for testing. Update: July, 2002. David F. Bologh was arrested and arraigned as a result of that DNA evidence. Bond was set at $1 million. Feb. 2005, a judge declared the key jailhouse statement that incriminated Bologh inadmissible, because police did not have him sign a waiver of his rights and misled him about why they were questioning him. March 2006, Bologh was convicted and sentenced to 21 yrs. on a plea bargain. Family statements at sentencing.
NM Case Caroline Ferraro
Caroline, 18, was sexually assaulted at knife-point by a man who broke into her bedroom. Other local women were similarly assaulted. Police had a suspect they felt certain was the perpetrator. Why did they tell the crime lab NOT to process the semen on the bed sheets to compare with the suspect's DNA, allow the suspect to leave the state, and destroy all the evidence, including the rape kit?
N M Case Benny Esquivel
Benny Esquivel, 14, was shot in the neck and survived seven and a half years as a quadriplegic before he died of complications from respirator use. Benny's death has now been ruled a homicide, and his father claims to know the identity of his killers. Is it too late for the Albuquerque Police Department to arrest them?
N M Case Stephanie Houston
Stephanie Houston's jealous and abusive boyfriend ran her over with his truck when he suspected her of seeing another man. Why do the State Police insist Stephanie's death was an accident when the medical examiner has labeled it a homicide? Updates: July 2002, Stephanie's father was charged with "stalking" for attempting to obtain information about his daughter's killer; March 15, 2003, Stephanie's case was featured in the Albuquerque Journal; May 2003, the case has been reopened and will be investigated as a homicide; Dec. 18,2003, Patrick Murillo was indicted for vehicular homicide. April, 2004, family petitions grand jury to investigate NMSP. July 9, 2004, Jury Acquits After Prosecutor Fails To Prosecute.
N M Case April/Spring Miller
April Miller's body was found in an alley, nine years after the unsolved murder of her sister, Spring Miller. The mother of the two girls has many questions about the circumstances of their unrelated deaths. And why won't the Albuquerque Police investigate the mysterious "Roland," the last person to see April alive?
N M Case Melanie McCracken
State Police told the media that Melanie McCracken died in a car accident. Her husband, (a State Police officer), claimed his wife died of cancer. A medical expert determined the cause of death was "homicidal suffocation." What is the real story? Update: May 3, 2002, Melanie's case was featured on "NBC Dateline" winning the Edward R Murrow Award for investigative reporting. 10/31/03, NMSP Lt. Mark McCracken was indicted for the first degree murder and evidence tampering. Grand jurors also requested that another grand jury be empanelled to review the conduct of the NMSP investigators. 4/04, family petitions grand jury to investigate NMSP. 12/30/04, McCracken won't stand trial. 1/8/05, outcry for reform in NM.
Killers Convicted!!
N M Case Nathan Romero
Nathan was stabbed to death in the street and found with a Vietnamese medallion clutched in his hand. Why did the Albuquerque PD not collect that important piece of evidence from the coroner and why did they refuse to arrest the Asian gang members who were identified by witnesses as Nathan's killers - until Nathan's mother threatened the City with a lawsuit?
N M Case Gabino George Venegas
Gabino Venegas was killed by a hit and run driver. Did the State Police drop off the unsolved homicide because a witness identified the car that left the scene as a law enforcement vehicle? Update: Jan. 24, 2004, Police agree to reopen case after Real Crimes press conference -- Albuquerque Tribune and Albuquerque Journal.
N M Case Ramona Duran
Albuquerque Police say Ramona Duran died of "an accidental drug overdose." Ramona's family believes that Ramona was murdered, because she was a threat to important people involved in the local drug scene. Who is right?
Killer Convicted of Another Man's Murder!!!
N M Case Stephen Haar
Stephen Haar died after being shot in the back while lying on the floor on his stomach. Albuquerque Police say they can't charge the admitted killer, because he claims self-defense. Informants told the family that police were involved in the murder. What does the evidence indicate?
Although Stephen's case was never investigated, in 2009, his killer, Travis Dally, was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a man named Henry George. Stephen's mother testified at the trial.
N M Case Sal Martinez
Sal Martinez was shot to death at a party. Albuquerque Police say they can't charge the admitted killer, because he claims self-defense, although Sal wasn't carrying a weapon, nor was anyone else at the party except the killer. Is the killer being protected? If so, why and by whom?
N M Case Kristopher Gray
Navajo Tribal Criminal Investigators & F.B.I.
Kris's body was found beside a pump jack on the Navajo reservation. Tribal investigators told the family Kris was beaten to death. The OMI report says he "accidentally fell from a height." The FBI says he walked into a revolving pump jack, (although scene investigators stated in their reports that the pump jack was not in operation). The embalmer informed Kris's mother that Kris had a fresh stab wound under his rib cage. How did Kris really die, and why was information about the stab wound withheld from the OMI and police reports? Jan. 24, 2004, Kris's case was featured in Farmington Daily Times.
N M Case Tyrone Tsosie
Navajo Tribal Criminal Investigators
Tyrone was found brain dead on the roadside. Police told his mother, "He got tired and lay down and a car ran over him." They said the car was so hot that Tyrone's nylon jacket melted onto his body. So why did the autopsy describe no injuries except a blunt force blow to the back of the head?
N M Case John Sherman
Sandoval Co. Sheriff's Dept.
John was found, slashed and stabbed to death, in the front seat of his van in Rio Rancho, NM. Sheriff's deputies transferred John's body to the back of the van before taking scene photos, and insisted his death was a suicide, despite a finding of "homicide" by a former head of forensics at the Menninger clinic. What's going on here? Psychic Reading by Nancy Myer. Updates: June, 2002, John's case was reopened and will be investigated as a homicide, thanks to the intervention of an investigative reporter; July, 2002, the lead detective was indicted on 18 charges of sexual misconduct with a 5-year old child; Jan. 17, 2003, the new sheriff, J. P. Trujillo agreed to reopen John's case and then discovered that his predecessor had removed all information from the case file. 6/1/09-6/29/09, John's case was featured on the "When Justice Fails" on-line radio blog.
N M Case Crystal Houston
Socorro Police Dept.
Crystal was found dead in her home, severely beaten with blunt force injuries to her head, just 14 months after the death of her sister, Stephanie. A prison escapee, who had been in Crystal's home on the night of her death, was later found in another city with Crystal's car, trying to cash Crystal's checks. Yet police say he can't be prosecuted because Crystal had drugs in her system. Update: April 2005, As a result of a DNA semen match and the testimony of an eyewitness, the prison escapee, Ramon Lopez, has been charged with murder. July 12, 2006, Lopez was convicted.
N M Case Josh Vihel
Josh,16, died at a party, allegedly of alcohol poisoning. But a tipster informed his family that Josh was slipped GHB (date rape drug), beaten and robbed, and his body was removed from the premises. Police say that former DA Bob Schwartz will not allow them to investigate the adult males who threw the party. Why not? Update: April, 2002, the Vihels' civil suit against the men who threw the party was settled for $100,000.
CO Case Julie Andersen
Adams Co. Sheriff's Dept.
Did Julie die of a heart attack or suffocate after being pepper sprayed, wrestled to the ground facedown, and cuffed by police? Why did cops refuse to investigate why she had been running, naked, down the highway, screaming for help? Julie's case is the subject of the book, Untangle the Knots Within, by Cynthia M. Andersen.
MS Case Nichole LaDue January
Pass Christian Police Dept.
Did Nikki commit suicide? Was she shot by her jealous husband because she spent the day with another man? Or was she killed because of her knowledge of organized crime and interstate drug trafficking, linked to the Grand Casino in Gulfport, MS, where she worked? Update: May 2005, PCPD Officer Tom Putsay, chief investigator in Nikki's case, has resigned from the force after being accused of child molestation. May, 2007, Putsay is convicted and sentenced to 40 years in prison. 4/6/09-4/20/09, Nikki's case was featured on the "When Justice Fails" on-line radio blog.
OR Case Shawn Allison
Deschutes Co. Sheriff's Dept.
Shawn, with half his head blown off, walks across the room to bleed out on a sofa. Shawn's dog, alleged beneficiary of a $100,000 insurance policy, is confiscated by the man who finds Shawn's body. The Sheriff's Department does no investigation. The coroner determines "suicide" without ever seeing the body. Is there something wrong with this picture? 5/11/09-5/25/09, Shawn's case was featured on the on-line radio blog, "When Justice Fails."
TX Case Joshua Robinson
McGregor Police Dept.
Joshua died at night in a park with a swing chain around his neck. Police insist it was suicide. If so, why was Joshua found, not suspended, but kneeling on the ground, and why are police reports filled with contradictions? Is it possible that Joshua was killed during a confrontation with cops who tried to force him to leave the park, and his alleged "suicide" was a cover-up by the department?
TX Case Daniel Underwood
Sulphur Springs Police Dept.
Daniel died of a gunshot wound to the head during a heated argument with his girlfriend. The girlfriend and an eye-witness gave greatly conflicting accounts of what transpired. Was Daniel's death a suicide? An accident? Or murder? On 10/10, Daniel's case was featured on the on-line radio blog, Crime Wire.
LA Case Greg Causey
Bossier City Police Dept.
Greg died of a drug overdose in the home of a convicted dealer who was on probation. That dealer identified a second dealer, who had threatened to kill Greg, as the source of the drugs. A state statute says that if someone dispenses or distributes a CDS that causes a death, that supplier is guilty of second degree murder. Why were the dealers not prosecuted?
DE Case Warren Pritchett
Delaware State Police
Warren died after being run down by a truck while riding his bicycle. His killer, Gregory Keiser, has a long criminal history and 14 driving violations. Did the AG's office change the charge of "criminally negligent homicide" to "careless driving" because of their discovery that Keiser worked as a snitch for the State Police? Update: June 25, 03, Delaware Senate passed the Warren Pritchett Act increasing the penalty for careless driving causing death. Dover Post Keiser and his sons were subsequently arrested on drug charges.
CA Case Rhonda McClain
San Bernardino Co. Sheriff's Dept.
Is it possible for a healthy, non-sedated, 41-yr-old woman, devoted to her children and busy making plans for her future, who has recently announced to her boyfriend that she's going to leave him, to drown in that boyfriend's bathtub without "assistance"?
CA Case Brooks Black
Nevada Co. Sheriff's Dept.
Brooks was shot in the back while hunting wild pigs. Was the shooting an accident? If so, who was responsible, and why do the members of the hunting party tell such different stories? Jan. 9, 2004, Brooks's case was featured in Press Tribune. Mar. 24, 2004, investigative update has been added to this case report.
CA Case David Dagon Botts
Del Norte Co. Sheriff's Dept.
Dag, 14, was caught in the rapids of the Jed Smith River. His mother, a swift water rescue tech, towed him to safety. Then Dag's sister's new boyfriend, James Steele, grabbed Dag under the arms and hauled him back out 30 feet into the rapids and abandoned him. Police closed this case as an "accidental drowning." Is the fact that James's mother works for the DA's office a factor in that decision? Feb. 17, 2007, Dag's story was featured in Poor Magazine.
MD Case Susan Hurley Harrison
Baltimore Co. Police Dept.
MD State Police
Susan vanished following a fight with her allegedly abusive estranged husband, Jim Harrison. Two years later she was found in a shallow grave, dead from a blow to the head. Despite circumstantial evidence implicating Jim, and his failure to pass a polygraph test, the Attorney General's office refuses to prosecute. Is Jim guilty? If not, who is? Excerpt from the book, Finding Susan, by Susan's sister, Molly Moran. Update: Susan's case was featured in the Baltimore Sun and Baltimore Magazine.
MN Case Gregg Meissner
Clay Co. Sheriff's Dept.
Hawley Police Dept.
MN BCA
Shawn Padden was convicted of Gregg's murder, but questions remain: Did police try to protect Padden because he was a confidential informant? Is Padden guilty of other hanging deaths as well? And, most bewildering, who stole Gregg's organs and scooped out his brain?
WA Case Ronda Reynolds
Lewis Co. Sheriff's Dept.
Ronda allegedly shot herself in the head, after a heated fight with her husband. The husband, 15 feet away, says he slept through the gunshot, but was awakened an hour later by his alarm clock. When the Sheriff's Dept. closed the case as a suicide, the lead detective quit the department rather than participate in a cover up. Excerpt from the book, Justice for Ronda, by Ronda's mother, Barbara Thompson Update: More suspicious Lewis Co. "suicides". New Input Ronda's mother has filed a civil suit against the coroner. Update: Jan. 23, 2008, Court of Appeals unanimously reversed trial court decision. April 2009, Judge Hicks decrees that a jury review all evidence and decide if the case is a suicide or murder. 1/8/10, Judge orders coroner to change death certificate. 2/9/09-2/23/09, Ronda's case featured on the "When Justice Fails" on-line radio blog. Featured in book, "Where Murders Walk Free," by Jerry C. Berry. Subject of book "In the Still of the Night," by best-selling true crime writer, Ann Rule.
OK Case Curtis Prescott
Mayes Co. Sheriff's Dept.
Curtis was found outside his home with his brains blown out by a shotgun that had a history of malfunctioning. His arms were not long enough to have positioned the gun and pulled the trigger. Did the Sheriff's Dept. close the case as a suicide, with no investigation, because of a history of animosity between Curtis and the investigators?
NV Case Ricky Dyer
Storey Co. Sheriff's Dept.
Ricky was in the process of trying to disassociate himself from a group of new acquaintances who were involved in drugs, Dungeons and Dragons, and alleged links to the Occult. Was Ricky's death a suicide, or was he murdered? Psychic Reading by Sylvia Browne. Update: Ricky's case was featured on "Seeking Justice" radio blog, 9/22/09.
MS Case Nick Swigart
Lafayette Co. Sheriff's Dept.
Nick burned to death in a car fire, at 2:30 a.m., in a vacant field 25 miles from home. Police closed the case as an "accident." Nick's family asks, "What was he doing there? How did the fire start? And why were his car keys and money clip missing?"
SC Case John Petrazzuoli Jr.
Horry Co. Police Dept.,SC Horry Co. Fire Dept., SC
Johnny was shot and then burned to death in his car. Police promptly closed the case as a suicide/accident. But what about the note in Johnny's briefcase, that said, "If you fuck me over, you're DEAD!"? Psychic Reading by Betty Muench. Update: May, 2003, an eyewitness has come forward with information indicating murder and arson which has been attached to the case report. New Input 10/10 John's case was featured on the Internet Radio blog, Crime Wire.
MA Case Valarie Fiorenza
Saugus Police Dept.
Valarie, who was preparing to leave her abusive boyfriend, Saugus Police Officer Paul Bennett, for another man, was found hanged in a closet in Bennett's basement. Was it suicide? Update: Valarie's case was featured in the Boston Globe and on NBC's news magazine "NOW with Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric."
WI Case Natalie Wagner
Milwaukee Police Dept.
Natalie, who was preparing to leave her abusive boyfriend, Milwaukee Police Officer, Michael Quigley (aka Michael Austin) for another man, had her head blown off by a shotgun. Was it suicide? Update: Michael Quigley/Austin's ongoing behavior problems were featured in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, September, 14 and December 15, 2004. New Input
FL Case Shawn McMillan
Tarpon Springs Police Dept.
FL Dept. of Law Enforcement
Shawn was shot in the head with the gun of Dan Nordfork, a drunken cop. Tarpon Springs Police immediately sent out the code word "Special Circumstances," meaning the suspect was one of their own. Is that why they instantly labeled Shawn's death a suicide and pretend that they had conducted forensic tests that were not performed? ABC 28 Investigates. Shawn's personal website
FL Case Diana Lynn Harris
Monroe Co. Sheriff's Dept.
Diana vanished from the "party house" of attorney, Mitchell Denker, immediately after telling a friend that a big drug bust was coming down and she was afraid the phones were tapped. Diana's daughter has now discovered that subjects linked to her mom's disappearance are also linked to the disappearance of Tom Stump (see below). Neither body has ever been found. Can this be a coincidence? Or did Diana and Tom both become threats to the same people? Update: Diana's case was featured on "Missing Pieces" radio show and Hot Psychology magazine. Excerpt from upcoming book, Two Gone Missing -- Chapters 1 & 2, Chapter 3
FL Case Tom Stump
Tom vanished while preparing to go on vacation with his family. The case detective concluded that Tom: "Committed suicide, relocated to an unknown area or died as a result of accident, negligence or homicide." What does the evidence indicate? Updates: Timeline of activities at time of Tom's disappearance; Jan. 31, 2002, Key West the Newspaper featured Tom's case along with two letters. July 03, Det. Norman refuses to comply with State Attorney request to subpoena Stump phone records; Tom's case was featured on "When Justice Fails" radio blog, 9/7/09-9/28/09. New Input. Excerpt from upcoming book, Two Gone Missing -- Chapters 1 & 2, Chapter 3
FL Case Kevin McGinley
Kevin McGinley was found dead at the junction of Highway 275 and Armenia Avenue in Tampa, Florida. Physical evidence and witness reports indicate Kevin was viciously and brutally attacked for fifteen minutes before being pushed to his death beneath the wheels of an oncoming tractor-trailer unit. Police say Kevin's death was a hit and run accident. Decide for yourself.


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Q: Image preprocessing for edge detection - low quality, low contrast I have a bunch of low quality, low contrast (usually also bad light) photos of writings on rocks. I would like my program to detect letter shapes (which are usually quite worn). Since I'm a newbie, I tried applying sobel / laplacian / canny filters, but photos clearly need some preprocessing. Could you please suggest what I could do to get better results. I tried searching online but the solutions I found either don't work or sound like magic to me.

A: This problem requires a complete algorithm. Short of writing a complete code in MATLAB/Octave or Python/C++ using OpenCV, here are my two cents on how maybe I would go about this.

*

*The text in that image is edged/carved into the rock. I would look to first enhance the contrast of the image, through some sort of histogram equalization. This should make the text a bit more prominent. (Hint: check out calcHist() and equalizeHist() in opencv, or imhist() and adapthisteq() in MATLAB.)

*I would go about removing the unnecessary parts of the image.

*

*Remove all that is not the rock.

*

*For this one would remove everything which is not the rock. That means, removing the part of the image near the top, which is darker mostly. You could do a black&white thresholding on the image and then apply the Hough-Transform to detect the largest horizontal line or nearly horizontal line in the image.

*In a similar fashion, I would try to detect the the rock edge at 45°.

*Remove everything above those two lines, by using binary masking.

*This should leave you with a cropped image, something close to this. (Hint: See cv2.HoughLines as explained here or houghlines on Matlab as explained here. )
To elaborate this is what I mean,

*Next, I would remove those sharp edges around the bottom right corner of the rock. This could be done in my view in one of two ways.

*

*Those edges look very fine and sharp. That means, high frequency components. Actually, those appear to be the highest frequency components in the whole image. So either you take the fft() function from MATLAB or the cv2.idft from opencv and transform the image into the frequency domain and remove all frequency components above a certain frequency threshold. (What that threshold is, I cannot say. One has to test and see. Be careful not to set the threshold too low or you could lose the sharpness of your text also.). Transform back the modified image back from the frequency domain.

*Alternatively, and more simply, you could blur the image using imgausfilt from MATLAB or cv2.filter2D from opencv. The size of the filter/kernel used with those functions matters. Too big and you lose too much detail.

*This should smooth out those sharp edges at the bottom. (Note: the image is just for illustration purposes. The smoothing will of course effect the entire image. Therefore best to keep the smoothing down to only as much as to remove those fine edges, so they don't come up during the edge-detection step.)

*Now with large parts of the 'uninteresting' sections of the image removed, you could apply some edge detection algorithm, (e.g. Canny, as you mentioned yourself) on your thresholded black&white image and hopefully you should have more of the text. Equivalent functions for edge detection exist in both OpenCV and MATLAB.
TODO: Of course, the little circles in between the text are still a problem and the algorithm could be refined (for example to match shapes such as circles and then) remove them also. Also, how to reconstruct the damaged portions of the text from this image, is probably a bit more challenging (at least for me).

*Finally, you could use some OCR recognition, for example with tesseract and OpenCV, you could try to extract the text from the processed image.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The McGovern-Dole Leadership Award bears the names of Senator Robert Dole and the late Senator George McGovern to recognize their strong commitment to ending world hunger and honor their pioneering efforts, and that of others, to feed the hungry both in the U.S. and around the world.
Senators George McGovern and Bob Dole worked across party lines, putting partisanship aside for the shared purpose of feeding the most vulnerable members of our global community.
For the past 17 years, WFP USA has hosted an awards ceremony to recognize leaders who have played a critical role in the fight against global hunger.
In 2017, we presented the award to Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) in honor of their tireless leadership over many years to alleviate global hunger.
George McGovern reads with students in a rural Chinese primary school.


The cast of SBS's "Running Man" played a hilarious game of truth or dare.
On September 2, the members had to end the game by finding the game's secret. One of the missions required the members to reveal some secrets of their own.
After choosing "truth," Lee Kwang Soo confidently stated, "There's nothing I can't say. The viewers are family." He, however, froze when he saw that the question asked him to share embarrassing stories about him and women that Yoo Jae Suk knew about.
"Running Man" airs on Sundays at 4:50 p.m. KST. Check out the latest episode below!


After 38 seasons, legend Pat Summitt will step aside and be a coach emeritus, due to her early-onset dementia diagnosis last year. Associate Head Coach Holly Warlick, who has been with the program 32 years and was acting head coach this past season, will be the new head coach.
I wonder if I'm the only Pat Summitt/Lady Vol who wondered why some were thinking her replacement would be anyone else but Warlick.
It is a sobering day.
According to the article, Pats son Tyler took an assistants job at Marquette coaching the WBB team.
He graduates this spring from UT, in just 3 years.
Best wishes to Pat, and Tyler.
Yeah I heard about Tyler, but I was waiting until tonight. One bombshell at a time is all I can manage.
Many tears are being shed today because of this news. Very sad.
I was crying last Aug. 23, but for some reason I'm not right now. Not to say that I'm not upset…..maybe it hasn't hit me yet.
A year ago we were in denial, it cant be Pat, she is so strong, she is a leader, she has been there as long as there has been women's hoops. Now we have come to accept her condition and only want the best for her.
The visual image portrayed in many games seen on TV, especially ESPN, often showed the blank stare, no fire, no screaming that we have seen for years. I know there was some of the old Pat that showed up this past year. I wish we saw more of it.
I wish there could be a miracle cure for her, and all those afflicted with Alhzeimers.
I am glad we went to the UT v UCLA game.
I wish for that miracle cure too, IM.
I wouldn't have missed Tennessee coming here for the world. What I'm glad of is that I followed her all over the court that day taking pictures (which can be seen in my previously-published photobucket album). I was also able to speak with her again, which meant so much to me. Her smile is a beautiful one.


Your project is a go and now its time to get organized.
Of course you have to finalize your script and creative, cast talent and choose your crew.
One of the biggest challenges for producing content in Los Angeles is the location.
There are very specific ordinances and zoning restrictions throughout the city and it takes time and money, but getting location permits can be accomplished by going through the proper channels. One of those options is filmla.com, which will help your navigate through the requirements and facilitate the location permit process.
Another option for Content production in Los Angeles is to book a licensed studio.
One option is to research available stages online with keywords relating to your needs. Terms such as "Soundstage Los Angeles" and then drill down on the one's that make sense. Some of the more producer-friendly stages offer amenities such as being pre-lit or with functional dining and talent facilities. If a stage has on-site grip and lighting equipment, or close access to a camera rental house, then your budget can stay tight as a result of those efficiencies.
If sound rating is important, then ask about that directly. Is the studio close to a major traffic area? Are the walls properly insulated? These are the types of details that can make or break audio quality on a shoot and keep your project, crew and talent on-schedule.
Other important aspects to confirm are parking, catering, crafty areas and of course restrooms and overall cleanliness. There are many reasonably priced stages in Los Angeles that offer all of the features Producers want, and can be rented by the half day (5 hours) or a full day (10 hours).
For more information on how to book a stage in Los Angeles, feel free to reach me at Bob Bekian bob@loyalstudios.tv or go to our Loyal Studios website for information about our stage and to find more booking details.


The company sticks to its mission of "caring for the people and their health" and adheres to the social responsibility concept of "concentrating on making good medicines and concerning people's health". It always embeds the awareness on social responsibility into its development, integrates the concept of social responsibility into the company strategy and all value-chain management system, injects the content of responsibility into the CR Double-Crane brand, actively fulfills social responsibilities, commits to build an enterprise value-chain with social responsibility and creates a sustainable competitive strength for itself.
Everything starts from a healthy life.
To try to become one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in China which can "achieve the most satisfaction and trust from customers and employees and the most respect from the industry".
To have a right attitude towards achievement, painstaking tasks, and values. To never give up on performance because it is painstaking to fulfill the job and never sacrifice noble values for performance.
Try to build "simple, straight-out, and healthy" organization culture.
Responsibility lies in every second and kindness is in every drop of medicine.
The quality of medicines is directly connected to the patients' lives and the responsibility carries a company's future.


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Waking up xenophobia in the Low Countries
Daniel Pipes, never in doubt and sometimes right, wrote yesterday that not all countries wake up to the threat of terrorism equally fast. In what Pipes describes as "perhaps the world's most tolerant society," the result was:
One day after the murder, 20,000 demonstrators gathered to denounce the killing, and 30 people were arrested for inciting hatred against Muslims. The interior minister, Johan Remkes, announced that he could not rule out unrest. "The climate is seriously hardened." Proving him right, the next two weeks saw more than 20 arson and bombing attacks and counterattacks on mosques, churches, and other institutions, plus some major police raids, giving the country the feel of a small-scale civil war.
Pipes quotes the Dutch immigration minister as saying: "For too long we have said we had a multicultural society and everyone would simply find each other. We were too naïve in thinking people would exist in society together." A public opinion poll found that 40% of the Dutch want Moslems not to feel at home in the Netherlands anymore.
In his preface to the article, Pipes writes:
It took 3,000 deaths to wake up Americans, or at least to wake up the half of them who are conservative.
Pipes has repeatedly written that the problem isn't Islam but it's radical Islam; and the solution must be moderate Islam. Most of his writing goes to great pains to show how virtually every Muslim organization you thought was moderate really is radical.
Be forewarned: several rants are on their way, so I'll number them.
I haven't seen Theo van Gogh's film, but it's apparently a fictionalized account of how a woman is abused by her husband in a Muslim family. To the extent that it seeks to make wife beating something particular to Islam, I can't blame Moslems the least for being offended by it. But let's be clear that people can be offended by a film without condoning the murder of the man who made it.
I don't know if Pipes would ever characterize Fahrenheit 9/11 as Moore's "artistic expression" (as he does van Gogh's film), but both are protected under free speech. The murder of van Gogh is despicable and inexcusable, and the guilty should be punished to the full extent of the law.
It may have completely slipped Pipes's attention that the island of Manhattan had one of the strongest turnouts for Kerry. To suggest that these people - who were firsthand witnesses and victims to the 9/11 massacre - didn't "wake up" to terrorism because they weren't conservative, is deeply offensive, to say the least. I've written to him demanding an apology.
Dutch tolerance is obviously much overrated if a single, admittedly horrifying incident causes 40% of the population to want to make life more unpleasant for a religious minority.
In many ways, the Dutch reaction represents the worst case scenario, in that it plays into the purpose of the terrorists: polarization and extremism is the stuff conflict is made of. Nothing would reinforce Osama Bin Laden's philosophy than institutional discrimination against Moslems in Europe.
I have often said that European countries would do much worse than Israel (or the US) if they were subject to the same level of murder and terrorism. This incident is one proof point for my assertion. Not only did public opinion quickly become xenophobic and bigoted; there is none of the resolve you see in the US and Israel to keep the moral high ground. Israel and the US may fail in sticking to this resolve, but there is no questioning its sincerity (and the dedication of the opposition that keeps the government honest).
Posted by Leif Knutsen on November 17, 2004 at 08:25 AM | Permalink


Santa Cruz de la Sierra is located in east of Bolivia. Santa Cruz has an average temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Santa Cruz has a hot and humid climate characteristic of Amazonian cities.
Santa Cruz has a population of approximately 1, 528,683 inhabitants is located at 1,398 feet above sea level. During the winter the temperatures can drop well below the average temperature during the "surazos", which are cold fronts coming from the South Pole.
Spring weather in Santa Cruz, Bolivia: Spring weather is mildly hot and rainy but not as rainy as the summer. The spring season in Santa Cruz goes from Sep 21st to Dec. 21St with an average High of 31 C (88.7 F) and an average Low of 19.7 C (67.7 F).
Summer weather in Santa Cruz, Bolivia: Summer weather is hot, rainy and humid. The summer season in Santa Cruz goes from December 21st to March 21St with an average High of 31.3 C (89 F) and an average Low of 21 C (71 F).
Fall weather in Santa Cruz, Bolivia: Fall weather is mildly hot and fairly rainy but not as rainy as the summer. The fall season in the Santa Cruz goes from March 21st to June 21St with an average High of 27 C (84.3 F) and an average Low of 16.7 C (66 F).
Winter weather in Santa Cruz, Bolivia: Winter weather is fair and not as rainy as the summer, it's considered the dry season. Winter season in the Santa Cruz goes from June 21st to September 21St with an average High of 26.3 C (79.7 F) and an average Low of 15.3 C (59.7 F).
See table above for additional reference.
Santa Cruz has an average rain fall of 1,290.5 millimeters (50.84 inches) per year.
The dry season is best time to travel to Santa Cruz (from May to October) due to the better road conditions, generally sunny skies and warm temperatures during the day but really cold during the night; be careful of the "surazos" (cold fronts coming from the south pole) and your trip will be a delight.
Have in mind that during the rainy season (December to March) normally some dirt roads become flooded and it could take sometime until tractors clear them, this is certainly true on the Amazon region, on the north and west side of the country.