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Blackheart is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as an adversary to the superhero Ghost Rider. Created by writer Ann Nocenti and artist John Romita Jr., Blackheart first appeared in Daredevil #270 (September 1989).

The character has also appeared in other media, such as the 2000 video game Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes, and in the 2007 film Ghost Rider, in which he was portrayed by actor Wes Bentley.

Publication history

The character was created by Ann Nocenti and John Romita Jr. and first appeared in Daredevil #270 (September 1989).

Fictional character biography
Centuries of murder in a locale named Christ's Crown, New York, draws the attention of a Hell-lord, Mephisto, who creates a "son," Blackheart, from the energy of the accumulated evil.  Blackheart explores the nature of evil under his father's tutelage, clashing with and failing to corrupt Daredevil and Spider-Man. Mephisto draws Daredevil, Brandy Ash, the genetically engineered Number Nine and the Inhumans Gorgon, Karnak and Ahura into Hell, where Blackheart tries to tempt them. However, he is impressed by humanity's free will and concludes that evil cannot hope to win out against good. When Mephisto learns of Blackheart's change of mind, he banishes him to Earth, warning him that if he ever uses his power again, he will be driven mad.

Later, in an attempt to be free of captivity, Blackheart makes contact with Misha from the group Warheads and becomes the source of her pre-cognitive visions. Eventually Misha's squad, Kether Troop, invades Hell itself and frees Blackheart, who was temporarily in disguise.

Blackheart returns to Christ's Crown and lures Ghost Rider, Punisher and Wolverine to the town, hoping to recruit them in his war against Mephisto. When they all refuse, Blackheart brainwashes the entire town and kidnaps a young girl all three men had befriended. The group follows Blackheart and the girl back into his own realm and defeats him. As Mephisto forewarned, the usage of his powers in this attempt drives him to madness. He again attempts to commission the services of the three heroes; however, he is shut down by the Ghost Rider who deems him no better than his father. Unexpectedly, the young girl runs to the defeated Blackheart and offers him forgiveness. Not knowing how to respond, Blackheart lies on the ground as he weeps. It is later revealed that Blackheart did not actually need her, just her blood, when Mephisto appears to him offering his aid in defeating them. Brandishing a dagger tipped in a small portion of her blood, Blackheart claims he has fulfilled a prophecy as he plunges the dagger into Mephisto; supposedly destroying him. Blackheart is then shown having taken over his portion of Hell.

Alongside the Grim Reaper, Blackheart brings Wonder Man to Mephisto's realm to battle Mephisto.

Blackheart creates a group of Spirits of Vengeance in order to oppose the Ghost Rider, Noble Kale. Blackheart tricks Kale and tries to make him as a member of his group of Spirits of Vengeance, promising Kale the power to rule in Hell alongside him. The Ghost Rider double-crosses Blackheart and seemingly kills him, freeing the other Spirits of Vengeance, and gaining rule over Blackheart's portion of Hell.

Blackheart survived this encounter and would confront other heroes over the next few years, such as X-Force and the Fantastic Four. He would be relegated to "meeting scenes over the next few years," seen briefly in meetings with other lords of the underworld (including his father  Mephisto, returned to power) such as Satannish, Hela and Dormammu.

Blackheart later concocts a scheme to bring Hell to Earth and steal the souls of the planet's residents. As part of the plan, he takes human form and runs an operation in Las Vegas that sees him create several clones of X-23 and bond them to genetically created symbiotes. After Ghost Rider accidentally transports Hell to Las Vegas, Blackheart is confronted by the Ghost Rider, Venom, Red Hulk, and X-23, and summons four creatures that represent the antitheses of the four and sets them against the heroes.

Blackheart was later seen in Chicago where he posed as the Mayor of Chicago at the time when Falcon and Patriot are dealing with the gang violence. He later tried to corrupt the Champions, but was defeated when those he had under his control managed to overcome their self-doubts, and Mephisto pulled him back to Hell for punishment.

Powers and abilities
Blackheart is a powerful demon created by Mephisto. He possesses vast inherent supernatural powers, including superhuman strength, speed and endurance which are magical in nature. He also has telekinetic and telepathic powers and can levitate, teleport inter-dimensionally, change his size and physical form, enter and leave different planes of existence and dimensions at will, heal himself at the sub-molecular level and has the ability to generate various forms of energies for destructive purposes, such as powerful concussive blasts of black energy. He also possesses very high intelligence. Blackheart has demonstrated the ability to call forth armies from the pits of Hell. He has no soul, making him invulnerable to the Ghost Rider's Penance Stare.

Kid Blackheart

Devil worshippers, looking to give Satan the perfect son, began the Blackheart Project. They mated some of the vilest individuals in different combinations, hoping to find the right mix to breed the Antichrist. They finally succeeded, but in doing so, they caught the eye of Zadkiel – a betrayer of God and usurper of Heaven. Zadkiel wanted to slay the Antichrist so the apocalypse would never come to pass and he would remain forever. The Black Host made quick work of his enemies and just about every man, woman and child were massacred except for his intended target.
Kid Blackheart settled in New York, but he could not stay hidden forever. Subjected to another assassination attempt, he would have perished if not for Jaine Cutter and her Breathing Gun. Jaine and the Antichrist fled but were again trapped by a group of mindless minions. Hellstorm, also tracking the boy so that he might kill him, ended up having no choice but to defend him from his attackers. Kid Blackheart ran, but did not get far before encountering Daniel Ketch. Snatching the boy from the streets and delivering him back to his saviors, Ketch was not surprised to see his brother, Johnny Blaze, and his Caretaker already in their company. Ketch explained how he made a deal with the devil to keep the boy safe in exchange for the keys to Heaven to stop Zadkiel.

The group split up and the Antichrist played along, staying close to Sara, the Caretaker. When Jaine Cutter and Hellstorm were assaulted by Madcap and Scarecrow, he and Sara became separated from them. Taking refuge in a defiled church, Kid Blackheart decided to reveal his true goal. Master Pandemonium ambushed Sara, knocking her unconscious, so she could be chained and bound. The Antichrist then said a few words in an unintelligible language and exposed Sara for what she truly was – a gateway to Heaven. Kid Blackheart, seeking to destroy Heaven for his father, led a horde of demons through her and into the shining city. However, once he arrived in Heaven, there was an army of Ghost Riders waiting on the other side. His troops did not stand a chance and he was forced to flee, but not before suffering a few blows from Knuckles O'Shaugnessy. Kid Blackheart met with Master Pandemonium and Blackout for some rest and relaxation before they made another go at conquering the world for Satan.

Reception
 In 2020, CBR.com ranked Blackheart 6th in their "10 Most Powerful Comic Book Villains With Demonic Origins" list.

Other versions
Blackheart is seen in Marvel Zombies 3 as one of those who are immune to the virus.

In other media

Film
Blackheart appears in Ghost Rider, portrayed by Wes Bentley. This version primarily assumes and maintains a human form with pale skin and black hair, though he displays traces of his demonic facial features at varying points in the film. Additionally, he is stated to have all of his father, Mephistopheles', powers along with a "lethal touch" that he can use to kill people, an immunity to holy objects and places since he was born in hell, and no soul, which makes him immune to the Ghost Rider's Penance Stare. Blackheart seeks to obtain the Contract of San Venganza, which grants its owner access to the power of a thousand evil souls. Upon learning of his son's search, Mephistopheles transforms Johnny Blaze into the Ghost Rider and tasks him with killing Blackheart. Despite Blaze's best efforts, Blackheart succeeds in obtaining the contract and fuses with the souls to become Legion, gaining regenerative capabilities in the process. However, the souls make him susceptible to the Penance Stare, which Blaze exploits to kill Blackheart. Mephistopheles then takes possession of Blackheart's lifeless body and departs from Earth.

Video games
 Blackheart appears as a playable character in Marvel Super Heroes, Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter, and Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes voiced by Jaimz Woolvett.
 Blackheart appears as a boss in Marvel Super Heroes: War of the Gems.
 Blackheart appears as a boss in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, voiced by David Sobolov. This version is a member of Doctor Doom's Masters of Evil.
 Blackheart appears in the Ghost Rider film tie-in game, voiced by Robin Atkin Downes. This version can shapeshift into his film and comic book incarnations' appearances.
 Blackheart appears as a boss in Marvel: Avengers Alliance.

References

External links
 Blackheart at Marvel.com
 MDP: Blackheart – Marvel Database Project

Characters created by Ann Nocenti
Characters created by Jason Aaron
Characters created by John Romita Jr.
Comics characters introduced in 1989
Comics characters introduced in 2009
Fictional characters who can manipulate reality
Fictional characters with superhuman durability or invulnerability
Fictional demons and devils
Fictional mass murderers
Marvel Comics characters who are shapeshifters
Marvel Comics characters who have mental powers
Marvel Comics characters who use magic
Marvel Comics characters with accelerated healing
Marvel Comics characters with superhuman strength
Marvel Comics devils
Marvel Comics film characters
Marvel Comics supervillains
Marvel Comics telekinetics
Marvel Comics telepaths


text:
Before antibiotics, TB patients were treated at sanatoriums where the main cure was rest
plus fresh, cold air
Return of the White Death: TB is once again a serious threat to the nation's health
Fiona Jerome
What do you think of when someone mentions TB? Literature offers us visions of writers and artists dying picturesque deaths from consumption, or the White Death as it was romantically known. Or perhaps you think of mountain sanatoriums, with pale patients sitting on verandas in the 1920s and '30s, bundled up to enjoy the clear Alpine air. What you almost certainly won't think of is a disease that is causing a health crisis in the UK today.
TB is much more common than most of us realise, with 6,520 new cases diagnosed in 2014, and an increasing number of people presenting with a drug-resistant form of the disease. Around the world it kills 1.5 million people every year — more than HIV/Aids. And yet it rarely makes the headlines. At current rates of infection, the UK will soon have more TB cases than the whole of the USA. TB clinics in London already tackle more cases each year than in all the other European capitals put together, and in October last year it was announced that TB infection rates were higher in parts of London than in Rwanda, Eritrea and Iraq.
Other conurbations, including Leicester, Birmingham, Manchester, Luton and Coventry, are at the top of the infection charts. Around 5,000 of the cases reported each year are among people not born in the UK, but few of those are recent migrants. Because of improved screening, fewer people with TB are coming here from abroad. With a World Health Organisation campaign to find better vaccines and tackle TB worldwide, it's hoped that this will have a beneficial effect on our rates as well. However, the rate of infection among UK-born residents is not going down at all.
A hundred years ago TB was a frightening, usually deadly, disease that everyone was aware of. At the turn of the 19th century, 300,000 people had TB in the UK, with just 500 free hospital beds to treat them. It was particularly common in industrial cities where workers spent long hours close together.
In 1905, decades before the creation of the NHS, Benenden was established as a mutual society to provide affordable treatment for postal workers suffering from tuberculosis. Its first sanatorium, which gave the organisation its name, was opened at Benenden in Kent in 1907. Workers who had paid a modest subscription went there and were able to benefit from rest and fresh air. Today Benenden still provides affordable healthcare services to a membership of almost 900,000 people.
TB is commonly thought of as a disease of the lungs, but there are actually many forms, which can affect every part of your body, including the glands and nervous system. It can even cause meningitis. Most forms are treatable with a six-to-nine-month course of antibiotics. But for sufferers who don't receive treatment, TB can be deadly.
Although it was in decline throughout most of the 20th century thanks to new treatments and the discovery of antibiotics in the 1950s, infection rates began to increase again as early as the 1980s, and they carried on going up until the mid-2000s, by which time the UK had the second highest rate in western Europe.
Countrywide, there are 13 new cases per 100,000 people, which means we trail behind not just Germany and Italy, but also the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Slovakia, according to the World Health Organisation. This may not sound that bad, and if you live in a rural area you have very little chance of coming into contact with the disease. But in some areas it's a much more common, and often hidden, menace.
So what's to be done? In January last year NHS England announced a £11.5 million project to eradicate tuberculosis from the UK through better screening and earlier identification and diagnosis. At the time Professor Paul Cosford, Director for Health Protection at Public Health England, said: 'TB should be consigned to the past and yet it is occurring in England at higher rates than most of Western Europe. This situation must be reversed.'
One of the problems with treating TB is that it can take up to two years for symptoms to appear and then months for them to be recognised and treated. If asked to name a symptom, most people would probably say coughing up blood, but this is usually preceded by several weeks of a persistent cough, symptomatic of a lot of other problems, along with several other multi-diagnosable traits such as weight loss, lack of appetite, night sweats, tiredness and running a high temperature.
For many of us, TB is still something that was 'cured' years ago, so it doesn't occur to us that our nagging cough and fever could be anything more than an annoying cold that won't go away. TB is all too easy to overlook because it's not the obvious diagnosis. People now think of it as a third-world disease if they think of it at all. But it's out there in our towns and cities in the 21st century, and despite our best efforts, the number of sufferers in the UK is still increasing year by year.
Globally, TB has been recognised by the World Health Organisation as a massive threat, and one that can travel the world as populations migrate. While it is unlikely ever again to reach the levels of infection that prompted the founding of organisations like Benenden to provide affordable private sanatoriums for afflicted workers, TB remains a danger. And it is all the more dangerous if we continue to think of it as someone else's problem, or a disease that couldn't affect us or those we love.
Sitting is the new smoking, says leading NHS expert Sir Muir Gray
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According to the Daily Mail, the NHS intends to 'slash safe drinking limits'. The article is light on evidence, but…
The NHS tops the chart again – for avoidable deaths and poor health outcomes
The Commonwealth Fund is a US think tank that campaigns for reform to the American healthcare system. In particular, it…
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The Jam Factory is a restaurant / art gallery / bar situated in a former marmalade factory, and is much more than just a place to come and drink. Just across the street from the train station and on route to the main part of Oxford, The Jam Factory is perfectly located for your first or last pint when visiting Oxford.
On walking into The Jam Factory from its side entrance you are instantly greeted by a large bar, not only is there creative cocktails, many different wines, spirits upon spirits, good quality coffee but there is one of the best beer selections Oxford has to offer. 12 keg taps, which pour a great selection of different Craft Beer like Westmalle, Kwak, Weihenstephan, local brewery Shotover Brewery with its spin off Craft Brews and a good selection of The Cotswod Brewing Co, sit proud next to two cask lines. Behind the bar you can find a bottle selection of depth and quality including Belgian Trappist beers, American beers and German specialities.
The surroundings are hip and arty but not forced, art is exhibited on the walls and furniture is funky and slightly mismatched. By day the bright white walls stand out letting light shine as it rushes through the windows, but at night this is a romantically cosy candle lit bar. Don't be surprised to see a few students busy on their laptops using the free Wi-FI! Outside the back of The Jam Factory and under the arched sign is a beautiful courtyard with a few outside tables surrounded by lovely hanging plants with people relaxing with a pint and a book.
The Jam Factory not only provides visual art but also regularly holds events, art classes, talks, book club meets, evening scrabble show downs, knitting classes and even holds wedding parties! Free range and well sourced produce is a big importance here, with as much locally sourced produce as possible. Their beef is 28-day dry aged Scotch Angus which means that they are members of the Scotch Beef Club, their fish is caught on boats not trawlers and they never source from the Pacific Ocean ever. Their enticing array of cakes even tempted me, someone who usually isn't a massive cake person. Menus cater for people looking for breakfast, A La Carte, set menus or even kids menu, including dishes such as cider cured salmon, Tempura soft shell crab, Welsh goats cheese and black pudding, and a selection of vegetarian dishes.
The whole of The Jam Factory makes you feel instantly relaxed and slows down time, letting you enjoy your finer things in life, be that good food, great beer or homemade art. The combination of the beer selection, relaxed atmosphere and tidy appearance made The Jam Factory my favourite visit while in Oxford.


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Montambault v. Waterbury Milldale Tramway Co.
Gonchar v. Kelson
Other cases decided under the provisions of the statute concerning unregistered automobiles present no…
Worden v. Anthony
1 Jaggard on Torts, p. 64; Pollock on Torts (9th Ed.) p. 476, note( o); Bigelow on Torts (8th Ed.) p. 49.…
Full title:ERNEST MONTAMBAULT vs. THE WATERBURY AND MILLDALE TRAMWAY COMPANY
Court:Supreme Court of Connecticut Third Judicial District, New Haven, January Term 1923
Date published: Mar 1, 1923
120 A. 145 (Conn. 1923)
120 A. 145
Supreme Court of Connecticut Third Judicial District, New Haven, January Term 1923
In Montambault v. Waterbury Milldale Tramway Co., 98 Conn. 584, 120 A. 145, we held that where the plaintiff was standing upon the front bumper of a trolley car when a collision occurred between it and another car, due to negligence in the operation of the latter, any negligence on his part in standing upon the bumper was a condition and not a cause of the accident.
Summary of this case from Hinch v. Elliott
There is no justification for an appeal from the refusal of the trial court to set aside a verdict where the evidence is plainly conflicting, and thereby compel the printing of the entire testimony. Such practice is an abuse of the right of appeal. Negligence and contributory negligence are questions for the jury where the facts are disputed. The existence or nonexistence of contributory negligence ordinarily depends upon whether the plaintiff acted as a reasonably prudent man under the circumstances; and therefore a charge which confines the jury's attention or consideration to one particular feature of the case, making that the test or standard of conduct instead of the situation as a whole, is erroneous and prejudicial to a losing plaintiff. There is no room for "inevitable accident" if the defendant's negligence is practically admitted; accordingly a charge which repeatedly calls the jury's attention to that possibility, is misleading and probably harmful. While changing trolley-cars at a place where the tracks for several hundred feet were undergoing repair, the plaintiff, having passed on foot the spot under repair, went between two other stationary cars standing about three feet apart, and while so doing the air-brake on the forward car was released and it backed into the other car, crushing the plaintiff between the two. There was evidence that the plaintiff, upon hearing the release of the air-brake, hurriedly jumped upon the draw-bar or bumper, to avoid the collision, and while there was injured. The defendant, on the other hand, claimed that the plaintiff was attempting to continue his journey on the bumper, and that his injuries were caused thereby. The trial court instructed the jury that if they found the defendant's version correct, there could be no doubt but that the plaintiff was guilty of contributory negligence which precluded his recovery. Held that this instruction was erroneous, since the plaintiff's position on the bumper was a condition rather than the cause of his injury, which was the backward movement of the car and the resulting collision, — a danger which the plaintiff was not warned against and one which he could not reasonably have been expected to anticipate. Negligence is deemed contributory only when it is a proximate cause of the injury; that is, when in a natural sequence, unbroken by any new and intervening cause, it produces the injury, which would not otherwise have occurred.
After the opinion in this case had been filed, the defendant (appellee) appealed from the taxation of $50 costs against it for the printing of all the evidence, upon the ground that such printing was a useless and unjustifiable expense, and moreover, that upon the issue to which the printing of this evidence appertained, the defendant and not the plaintiff was "the prevailing party." The court sustained this appeal, thereby eliminating this item of $50 from the costs which had been taxed against the defendant. Reporter.
Argued January 18th, 1923
Decided March 1st, 1923.
ACTION to recover damages for personal injuries alleged to have been caused by the defendant's negligence, brought to the Superior Court in New Haven County and tried to the jury before Kellogg, J.; verdict and judgment for the defendant, and appeal by the plaintiff. Error and new trial ordered.
The plaintiff offered evidence to prove these facts: On December 12th, 1919, he was a passenger on defendant's trolley railway, and ordinarily the car he patronized went straight through to plaintiff's destination, but at the time of the accident and for sometime prior, the tracks of defendant at one point on this line for about four hundred feet had been torn up and cars did not operate over this space. Upon reaching this part of the track the plaintiff, by direction of the conductor, left the car to take the car ahead. He walked along the track and in the road for about four hundred feet until he reached two cars ahead standing about three feet apart. The farther, or first car, was an express car on which the plaintiff ordinarily rode. The doors of the front car were closed upon the side from which plaintiff approached, and he saw passengers, from the car on which he had been, passing between these two cars for the purpose of boarding the front car. There was no one in behalf of the defendant directing passengers what to do. He received no direction except that given by the conductor of the car he had left. The rear vestibule of the front car was filled with people and the seats inside the car were taken. While the plaintiff was passing between the cars, without warning the air-brake was released on the front car and in consequence it backed into the rear car, catching the plaintiff and jamming his body between the cars and severely injuring him. The defendant's motorman upon the front car had left the rear vestibule of the car leaving the controller and brake attached to the motor, and in consequence some one had released the air. The plaintiff, when he heard the air released, jumped to avoid the collision, getting on to the draw-bar or some part of the car, and was crushed between the headlight on the rear car and the front car. The plaintiff did everything he reasonably could to save himself. The injuries to the plaintiff were caused by the negligence of defendant's servants in releasing the air, or allowing the release of the brakes on this car without warning to the plaintiff that the car was about to move backward, when defendant ought to have known that the plaintiff was passing between the cars and was likely to be injured.
The defendant offered evidence to prove these facts: The plaintiff should have boarded the rear of the two cars, as it stopped at his destination while the front car did not, it being an express car. The two doors upon the side of the front car the plaintiff was approaching were open, and passengers could enter by either the rear or front doors. There were plenty of unoccupied seats in the front car. Instead of entering the car, the plaintiff voluntarily passed between the two cars and took a position on the outside of the car, standing on the bumper, which was 2 1/2 feet from the track, and directly in the middle of the car, at the point of contact, should the two cars collide. This position was a dangerous one and was taken by the plaintiff unnecessarily. The servants of defendant did not release the air-brake. The car moved back slowly into the rear car. There was no draw-bar on this car. The defendant claimed that the plaintiff was guilty of contributory negligence.
Clayton L. Klein, with whom was Joseph E. Carey, and, on the brief, James A. Peasley, for the appellant (plaintiff).
John H. Cassidy, for the appellee (defendant).
WHEELER, C. J.
The case is one of conflicting evidence, so plain that there was not the slightest justification for the appeal from the denial of the motion to set aside the verdict. The taking of an appeal upon this ground, thus compelling the printing of the entire evidence, was an abuse of the right of appeal.
The issue of the negligence of the defendant as well as the issue of the contributory negligence of the plaintiff, were, upon the evidence offered by the parties, conclusions for the jury to draw and not conclusions for the court to draw as matter of law; and therefore the error assigned in the failure of the court to charge plaintiff's eleventh request, that the plaintiff was not guilty of contributory negligence, is not well taken.
The court charged the jury: "I will state to you that there is another fact that must be taken into consideration by you in determining whether or not the plaintiff's conduct was that of a reasonably prudent man, and that is whether it was reasonably necessary for him to go between the cars in order to get on the car in question." The plaintiff's assignment of error as to this portion of the charge must be sustained. The determination of whether the plaintiff's conduct was that of a reasonably prudent man was for the jury. The court's restriction of this determination to the jury's finding "whether it was reasonably necessary for him to go between the cars," was the setting up by the court of the standard of reasonable care as applied to this particular case. That the court could not do. It was an invasion of the province of the jury. And if the jury had confined its consideration of the conduct of the reasonably prudent man to this one consideration, they would have failed in their duty which was to have before them the entire situation — all the facts in evidence bearing upon this point — and then say what the reasonably prudent man would have done in the light of these circumstances.
The court several times charged the jury that the defendant would not be liable if the plaintiff's injuries were the result of inevitable accident. No real attempt was made in the case to disprove the defendant's negligence; the only question open upon the evidence offered was that of the contributory negligence of the plaintiff. Under these circumstances inevitable accident had nothing to do with the case, and we fear the repeated charge upon this subject may have led the jury to think otherwise. Whether, if this error stood alone, we should regard it as so harmful as to require a new trial, we need not determine in view of other conclusions reached by us.
Another part of the charge, assigned as plaintiff's tenth error, is this: "And on the other hand, if you find that this accident occurred as the defendant claims it occurred, because this plaintiff was attempting to ride upon the bumper, and thereby his injuries were occasioned, there can be no doubt that he failed to exercise due care, that he contributed to his accident of his own negligence, and therefore he cannot recover." We have already said that in this case the issue of the plaintiff's due care should not be limited to one feature of the case, but must be decided upon a consideration of all the facts bearing upon it; and in such a case as this, is for the jury.
The charge was erroneous for another reason. If the jury found the plaintiff stood upon the bumper at the time he was injured, his standing upon the bumper was a condition, not a cause, of his injuries. The release of the air-brake and the movement of the car back, brought the cars together and injured the plaintiff. His being on the bumper did not cause the car to move or have any relation to it. It may have been a dangerous place and negligent for him to place himself there, and if he had fallen off when the car moved forward to its destination, the position of danger might well have had relation to his fall. But the collision of the front car with the rear was a danger that he had not been warned against and could not reasonably be expected to anticipate.
A similar situation arose in Smithwick v. Hall Upson Co., 59 Conn. 261, 270, 21 A. 924. Smithwick was helping to store ice in a brick building, and was warned not to stand upon a certain part of the platform on which he worked, because it was not safe. He, contrary to the warning, stood on this part of the platform, and was injured by a brick wall falling against him; as to which he had not been warned. We said: "The plaintiff had full knowledge of and was abundantly cautioned against certain particular sources of peril and danger, and he voluntarily neglected the warnings and took the risk of those perils and dangers. He was injured through the negligence of the defendant from an entirely different source of danger, of which he knew and could know nothing, and of whose existence it was the duty of the defendant to warn him. Under these circumstances the failure or neglect to heed the warning does not constitute contributory negligence. . . . To have that effect it must be an act or omission which contributes to the happening of the act or event which caused the injury." In Nugent v. New Haven St. Ry. Co., 73 Conn. 139, 141, 46 A. 875, a passenger stood upon the footboard of a trolley-car and leaned backward and came in contact with a pole near to the track while the car was in motion. We held: "That the plaintiff was on the footboard of the car must, on the finding as stated, be deemed not the cause of his injury, but only a condition. . . . Although he was on the footboard of the car, if he had not leaned back he would not have been injured. The leaning back was the proximate cause of his injury." Upon this principle we have held that the violation of a statute or ordinance, in actions of negligence, is immaterial "unless the act of violating the law is in itself a breach of duty to the party injured in respect to the injury suffered." Monroe v. Hartford St. Ry. Co., 76 Conn. 201, 206, 56 A. 498; Feehan v. Slater, 89 Conn. 697, 701, 96 A. 159. Closely related cases applying the doctrine of proximate cause in a like manner are: Hoyt v. New York, N. H. H.R. Co., 78 Conn. 709, 713, 63 A. 393; Smith v. Connecticut Ry. Ltg. Co., 80 Conn. 268, 67 A. 888. In the first the passenger, thinking he had reached the station, got up, walked to the door, fell, and because there were no gates on the platform, was thrown under the car, and we held: "Whether, under some circumstances, the conduct of the plaintiff as found was careless or not, it had no necessary relation, as a proximate contributing cause, to injuries actually caused by the negligence of the defendant in leaving the platform in a condition unsafe, and which passengers had no reason to anticipate." In the latter case we held that driving across a street-railway track in front of an approaching car under such circumstances as to constitute negligence, did not bar the action if the railway company, by a new act of negligence, caused the injury. We said: "If, after an act of omission constituting negligence on the part of one injured at a railroad crossing, the railroad car or cars might have been so controlled, by the exercise of reasonable care and prudence on the part of those in charge of them, as to avoid the injury, then a failure to exercise such care and prudence would be an intervening cause, and so the plaintiff's negligence no longer a proximate cause, and therefore not a bar to his recovery."


The College of Veterinary Medicine hosted its 50th annual Open House on Saturday. The event is an opportunity for the Ithaca community to explore veterinary medicine and learn more about careers in animal science.
Despite being the symbol of the Democratic Party, donkeys are often stereotyped as stubborn and are treated merely as livestock. The fourth Annual Donkey Welfare Symposium, held from Sept.
"We are thrilled that this investment will help to reduce the financial burden on a number of families pursuing life-changing veterinary procedures," Petrie said.


Jenni opened Agile in the City: Bristol with a Keynote on Wednesday 1st at 9:30am.
Jenni Jepsen is a transformation advisor at goAgile, a Denmark-based agile consulting firm, where her focus is on helping people deliver value faster and create lasting change.
By focusing on the value to be achieved and understanding where clients are and where they want to go, Jenni works closely with them to increase organisational effectiveness, motivation and results.
Jenni consults, writes and speaks worldwide about leadership, teams, and how to take advantage of how our brains function to get optimal thinking in the workplace. She runs Intent-based Leadership™ courses together with award-winning author of Turn the Ship Around!, L. David Marquet, and is currently writing a book about how leaders create ownership.


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Q: gspread package not updated on pip or conda I'm trying to use get_worksheet_by_id function from the gspread package.
I can see the function is available in https://github.com/burnash/gspread/blob/master/gspread/models.py
It's also listed in documentation.
But I it's missing in pip and conda repositories. As a result I'm not able to use it.
https://pypi.org/project/gspread/#files
https://anaconda.org/conda-forge/gspread/files
Not sure where to report it.

A: As you can see if you look at the blame, the function was only added by this commit, which is from march 2021. The latest version available from pypi and conda-forge is however from february. That is why you don't have if when you install through these channels.
Some suggestions:

*

*You could simply edit the code of the library in your site-packages

*Install from the github sources, either by cloning the repo and doing python setup.py install or through python -m pip install git+https://github.com/burnash/gspread

*Create an issue on the github repo and ask that the version on conda-forge/pypi is updated to include this feature.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Hard Bop News from Michael Lauren's All Stars
In the blog's second visit with Michael Lauren, he talks about his newest CD, a collaborative effort in both performance and composition: "Old School/Fresh Jazz."
The high-spirited "Lisboa Boogaloo" delivers unadulterated fun; no fuss, no muss, just joy. "More Soul" is appropriately titled with a beguiling solo from guitar. Sax and drums trade barbs and toss challenges to each other in "A Fresh Jazz Drum and Saxophone Duet," the pace requiring a solid display of innovative call-and-response. The sweet golden unity in "You Want It You Got It" gives a smart melody and a brilliant, ear-catching rhythm; and "2-4" glows with a fastidious and creative sax.
A generous compilation of sparkling new music, this CD delivers its jazz promise multiple times over.
How does the sound of your earlier "Once Upon A Time In Portugal" differ from this new CD?
The first CD had a similar sound from track to track because most of compositions were in the hard bop tradition. Once the sound and the balance of the rhythm section and the horns was set, it was kept pretty much the same throughout the album, except for an occasional minor change here and there.
The new CD has a greater variety of styles and compositions. Each track has a somewhat different approach. Overall, the sound is fatter and deeper on this album. Except for the duets, the drums were placed in the center and inside the band (similar to the first record).
I like that concept for drums because for me that makes the music warmer, natural and more cohesive.
There are 16 tracks. That's a lot of material. How long in the making?
At the end of 2017, I told the band that I wanted to record a new album in either the late winter or early spring of the New Year.
Like the first CD, I asked for material from anyone who wanted to contribute to the new album. I told the guys that I wanted the CD to retain some of the hard bop tradition, but that they could write what they thought would work best for the instrumentation and sound of the band. I also asked some guys to write a specific type of tune and went outside the band for an original hard bop tune when I felt that the album needed another one.
I am grateful that my band and Portugal as a whole has such excellent composers. We played some of tunes on the album during gigs in the months preceding the sessions. I created the rhythmic ideas and soloing concepts for each of the duets about a month before the recording sessions. The duets and the tunes that hadn't been played previously were played for the first time on the recording date itself.
I guess the total preparation time was around three months. We did the recording over three days and the bulk of the mixing was done in five days, with additional tweaks and changes done later.
The biggest surprise related to this project?
That the album captures the current eclectic state of Contemporary Jazz. Although this was not my initial objective, I think it is great that this is what has occurred.
What was your most recent master class about?
My most recent Master Class was titled "Welcome To Odd Times: A Method For Learning To Play In Odd Meters In All Styles." It included the skills and concepts drummers need to know in order to develop a comprehensive odd-meter approach.
Unless you have the solo as a drummer, talk about the joy in providing the texture behind the lead sax or trumpet.
Accompanying a soloist (within a style's parameters) has a number of objectives including framing the form of the solo structure, laying down a consistent flow, creating rhythmic challenges, having a conversation with the soloist and creating tension and release within the solo. The joy for me is performing these tasks, as well as listening to what the soloist has to say in order to support his ideas.
I am always very happy if I helped create excitement in the solo and provided a groove that not only inspires the soloist but also contributes to the soloist's musical statement in a way that gets an audience to respond.
Other comments?
I wanted my second album to be an eclectic, exciting, accessible, and inclusive record that would not only feature my versatility as a drummer but would also highlight the talents of the All Stars.
I believe I have achieved my objective.
For more information, visit www.michael-lauren.com.
Photos courtesy of and with permission of Michael Lauren.
© Debbie Burke 2018
DebbieBurkeAuthor
Debbie Burke, jazz author, Jazz in Portugal, Michael Lauren All Stars, Old School/Fresh Jazz, Once Upon a Time in Portugal, You Want It You Got It
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The Afterlife of the American T-Shirt
NPR's Planet Money T-Shirt Project tracks the life of the American clothing staple from fields of budding cotton, to the machines, workers and delivery methods that produce them, and finally to the consumer. Its piece on the afterlife of donated
Smart Car USA launched a Twitter campaign for two days earlier this month that capitalized on our love of selfies. The promotion asked fans to tweet a selfie with the hashtag "#smartwrapme." Smart Car then tweeted back with a photo
"Welcome, You've Got Mail"
You've Got Mail – a fan favorite rom-com celebrating New York in the fall, tenacious small businesses, and AOL chat room romance – recently turned 15 years old! In celebration of the big 1-5, People.com decided to take a look
A House of Goodness
What do you get when you put Jesus, Ghandi, and Mother Teresa all in one space? The answer is a "house of goodness". This is the concept that UNICEF created for their recent ad campaign, and it is pure comedic
Modern Day Caroling
Although you have likely been listening to Christmas carols for about six weeks or more (whether intentional or just because you can't escape them), I present to you a gem of a video of the wonderful Amy Poehler and Billy
When word of a snowstorm catches wind on the streets of Boston, the panic spreads like wild fire. Delayed trains, late buses and slippery streets are just a few of the terrors that come with falling precipitation in this town.
Beyonce is Just Whatever
Let's go trolling. I really, really, really don't like Beyoncé Knowles – I don't think she's even worthy of a one name moniker. She's an average singer with above average looks… … and is married to one of the most successful
SalonCapri / Life & Style
If Only For A Second
One French cancer patient's comment has inspired an incredible video campaign for The Mimi Foundation. When discussing her current condition, a cancer patient named Katy said: "You know what I miss the most? Being carefree…for now, that is not possible."
Just Another Reason Why Ellen Rules All
Ellen has always been and will always be my favorite talk show host/human being of all time. I just want to be friends with her. Who doesn't, really? Anyway, Ellen recently had Kanye West on her show to debut his new


WG the Carver on Sunday, October 2, 2016.
Fortunately for us, the products of his passion, talent, and time will live on.
Please take a minute to look at What 's New??
"A man who works with his hands is a laborer; a man who works with his brain is a craftsman; but a man who works with his hands and his brain and his heart is an artist."


The land of eternal snow cover. Well the same may not be entirely true, but the state has a fair share of snow covered mountains. In addition to the snow it has a good jungle cover. As one flies from Leh to Delhi during summer the barren mountains give way to the snow covered peaks with huge glaciers in the valleys. This scene suddenly changes as one crosses over from Lahoul to the Kulu valley. The mountain ranges are now dotted with signs of habitation and thick green cover. As one continues to move further south the mountains turn to hill and finally it is all plain. The moment one sees plain it is time to say good bye to Himachal.
After India became free in 1947, a number of princely hill states were integrated into a single unit to be administered by the Government of India through a Chief Commissioner. As a result, Himachal Pradesh came into being as a part 'C' state of the Indian Union on 15 Apr 1948, by integrating 31 big and small hill States. In 1956 following the recommendations of the State reorganization Commission it was converted into a Union Territory. Subsequently, some more hill areas of the Punjab state were added to this UT and it was made a full state.
The total area of Himachal Pradesh is 55,673 square kilometers which is divided into 12 administrative districts. Area-wise Hamirpur is the smallest district and lahaul & Spiti the largest.
Himachal Pradesh is blessed with some of the finest rivers like Satluj, Beas, Ravi and Chenab. These rivers and their tributaries are bestowed with exotic trout, mahaseer, snow trout etc. Besides there are many natural lakes located in the higher reaches and man made impoundments harboring more than 78 species of fish.
The various mountain ranges offer some of the most thrilling and challenging trekking and mountaineering opportunities in the world. Easy trekking is possible in the low lying Shiwaliks and long and more adventurous trekking is possible in the higher reaches of the mountain ranges which have permanent cover of Ice and snow. During trekking one encounters sweeping valleys and deep gorges, thick forests and alpine meadows, boulder strewn hills and snowy peaks, thundering streams and fluffy clouds. The pleasures of trekking are unlimited.
The state offers endless opportunity for mountaineers. From easy to technically difficult peaks abound the upper reaches. The mountains here promise the ultimate mountaineering experience. The higher summits are concentrated in Lahoul-Spiti, Kangra, Kullu, Chamba and Kinnaur, inlaid in a labyrinth of valleys and glaciers. Ideal climatic conditions and the ease of reaching the base camp sites add josh to you and your efforts.
The capital city of Himachal is the beautiful Shimla.
1 Bathad Bagi pul 10 days trek. Details.


Thank you for the follows and the sharing!
Again, I wanted to thank you all for following, reading, commenting and sharing our website and our social media so that people can keep informed and we can pull off publishing our stories. Without your help, this isn't a possibility. We originally wrote these stories for our own enjoyment. Editing them for an audience has been challenging. But we think they're worth the effort. We believe these stories are awesome and using fantasy that actually touches on reality… they are needed. It will definitely be worth the hard times to see our characters published.


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Home » About PIPS
About PIPS
Establishing PIPS - realization of a dream
The Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services, PIPS, was formally established as an as an exclusive and independent, first of its kind research and capacity building facility for the parliamentarians, through an Act of Parliament on December 15, 2008. No matter it had started functioning in an interim facility since April 2006.
The Parliament in Pakistan had remained deprived of the power of Knowledge that comes from timely, accurate and credible information and objective bipartisan analysis on the most sensitive of national matters till the establishment of PIPS. The intense need for such an institution was direly felt and expressed in 2005 in the Speakers Conference of the National and Provincial houses. The Legislative Development Steering Committee (LDSC) of the National Parliament under the chairmanship of Deputy Speaker National Assembly chose to work for setting up the Institute with the support of the Pakistan Legislative Strengthening Project (PLSP). Based on the deliberations of the LDSC, comprising eight MNAs and four Senators in addition to Secretariat leadership of National Assembly and the Senate; various comparative studies and feasibility papers prepared by PLSP and the LDSC steered the initiative. The LDSC visualized PIPS as an autonomous entity, functioning under the leadership of the parliament and guided by a Board of Governors.
Cross Party Consensus to pass PIPS Act:
The members of two National Assemblies 2002 and 2008 and the Senate joined hands in not only envisioning the project but also steering it through legislation and across party advocacy. In fact PIPS legislation is a true manifestation of cross party caucusing in both the Senate and the National Assembly of Pakistan. The PIPS bill saw all parliamentary parties, government and the opposition working together. The bill was drafted by former Senator Ch Muhammad Anwer Bhinder from Pakistan Muslim League, (Quaid e Azam) PML Q, and ably supported by the former LDSC members such as former Deputy Speaker National Assembly Sardar Muhammad Yaqoub PML Q, Senator Ms Rukhsana Zuberi, Pakistan Peoples Party PPP, and Senator Azam Khan Swati JUI(F), Awami National Party ANP, respectievly. Members of the 2008 LDSC, MNAs Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, Deputy Speaker Mr Fasial Karim Kundi, Ms Yasmeen Rehman (all from PPP) and MNA Mr Ayaz Sadiq, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) PML N, contributed to finally get it through in the 13th National Assembly as a consensus Act. We acknowledge that USAID PLSP founding Chief of Party Eleanor Valentine and two of her successors – Christopher Shields and Carmen Lane –actively assisted the parliament in general and the LDSC in particular to make PIPS a reality. The institute was thus officially created through a consensus Act of Parliament passed in December 2008.
PIPS Board of Governors - reflection of Federation of Pakistan:
The establishment of the PIPS through unanimous support of the Parliament reflected the will and vision of not only the National Assembly and Senate, but also of the provincial Houses of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan, who are all represented through their Speakers in the PIPS Board of Governors.
Under the Act, the Chairman Senate and Speaker National Assembly were charged with the responsibility of nominating the members of the founding BOG. Considering the importance of the institute and the role of the Board of Governors, they tried to pick up the best of the lot keeping in view their background and experience for taking up this onerous responsibility. The Board of Governors, chaired by Chairman Senate or Speaker National Assembly by three-year rotation, has the overall control of the Institute and it guides its functioning. Executive Director is the chief executive of the institute and works under the control of the Board. Speaker of the National Assembly Madam Fehmida Mirza became the founding President of the PIPS Board of Governors, who along with Deputy Chairman Senate, Senator Mir Jan Muhammad Khan Jamali inaugurated the official construction launch of PIPS building in June 2010.
The Board, which thoroughly drafted, debated and approved comprehensive sets of Financial and Recruitment Rules that has laid a sound foundation to build a centre of excellence based on professionalism and merit, which reflects integrity and accountability in its functioning. The Board also appointed former Secretary General of National Assembly Mr Khan Ahmad Goraya as its founding Executive Director.
PIPS Vision & Mission
The Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services envisions establishing an appropriate forum to equip parliamentarians with cutting-edge strategies and tools to perform their representative, legislative and oversight functions effectively and efficiently.
PIPS endeavors to provide high-quality, accurate and result-oriented services to elected members and staff of the Legislatures in Pakistan to promote parliamentary excellence.
PIPS was instituted under an Act of the Parliament in December 2008. Its predominant objectives are to:
Assist parliamentarians in making informed policies by conducting or commissioning independent research on topical issues;
Conduct professional development and orientation programs for elected parliamentarians and staff of the national parliament and provincial assemblies;
Gather and organize data as well as provide complete, accurate, timely and relevant information to facilitate parliamentarians in their work; and
To maintain transparency and accountability in all its functions;
Provide technical support and various intellectual and knowledge resources to parliamentarians.
The PIPS team endeavors to work in unison for its sacred mission by following their cherished core values of:
Integrity: PIPS faculty and staff are inspired by honesty and truthfulness as personified by the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and emphasized in numerous speeches by the founder of nation Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. The team considers integrity as their primary value so as to create synergy towards their common mutually set goals.
Non Partisanship: Institute's professional faculty is committed to provide nonpartisan analysis to assist MPs in making informed decisions to secure the national interest as aspired by the people of Pakistan.
Professionalism: PIPS team values its humility to perpetually seek learning new concepts and ideas for keeping themselves abreast with essential skills-set that make them effective, efficient and knowledgeable professionals.
Accessibility: PIPS faculty remains readily approachable to MPs for provision of timely services at their doorstep.
Anticipation: Institute team continues a vigilant appraise of national and international developments to accordingly assist MPs through essential technical support in anticipation to challenges and new realities concerning the country
PIPS Role and Functions:
PIPS is committed to serve all national and provincial legislatures in their efforts to perform their onerous tasks of law making, executive oversight, policy making and representation according to the aspirations and will of the people of Pakistan and to strengthen the tradition of a democratic order in the country. According to the mandate of the Institute as mentioned in the PIPS Act, the functions of the institute are as follows:
to maintain the national, provincial and international data, information and statistics to provide to the Parliamentarians for the efficient performance of their duties;
to undertake research in respect of the Federal and Provincial laws and also to have a study of international laws to help the Parliamentarians in the law making process;
to provide technical assistance to Parliamentarians in performance of their duties;
to provide training to the Parliamentarians and parliamentary functionaries for performance of their duties;
to arrange seminars , workshops or conferences;
to take measures for the development of law making;
to maintain a record of all the existing Act, Ordinances and other enactments in force in Pakistan and in each Province;
to assist Parliamentarians and legislative bodies in their efforts to ensure the public's understanding of working of Parliament;
to arrange legislative drafting courses with special emphasis on parliamentary practices;
to manage the internship programs for the Parliament and Provincial Assemblies;
to establish and maintain resource centers for the Parliamentarians;
to support the parliamentary committees in the performance of their duties;
any other function as may be assigned to it by the Parliament or the Board.
PIPS aspires to set standards of excellence by providing legislators and their staff physical , technical, intellectual and knowledge resources to conduct research, better prepare for debates, enhance legislative processes and benefit from unparalleled learning environments.
The Constitution of The Islamic Republic of Pakistan (updated 31st May 2018)
PIPS Act
PIPS Recruitment & Financial Rules
Latest Publication
PARLIAMENTARY RESEARCH DIGEST NOVEMBER, 2019
PARLIAMENTARY RESEARCH DIGEST OCTOBER, 2019
PARLIAMENTARY RESEARCH DIGEST JUNE, 2019
PARLIAMENTARY RESEARCH DIGEST JULY, 2019
PARLIAMENTARY RESEARCH DIGEST MAY, 2019
PARLIAMENTARY RESEARCH DIGEST APRIL, 2019
PARLIAMENTARY RESEARCH DIGEST MARCH, 2019
LEGISLATIVE DRAFTING MANUAL January 2019


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Q: Размытый шрифт в Google Chrome

Разрабатываю сайт. Первоначальная версия находится по адресу test.rmcb.ru. Позже дополнил сайт разделами, но первый экран, который вы видите на изображениях - не трогал вообще.
После того как закончил сайт обратил внимание, что шрифт и png с названием компании в центре круга стали размытыми. Данная проблема наблюдается только в Google Chrome и пропадает, если я увеличиваю или уменьшаю масштаб. В firefox и даже yandex browser шрифты нормальные.
Код не выкладываю, так как, и в первом и во втором случае, он одинаковый.
В чем проблема, ведь я не менял код первого экрана?

A: Попробуйте применить такие свойства:
body {
    -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;
    -moz-osx-font-smoothing: grayscale;
    text-rendering: optimizeLegibility;
}

A: В Хроме есть проблема с шрифтами.Уже давно есть баг репорт. И он даже был исправлен, но снова вернулся. Попробуйте на более старых версиях Хрома. Также попробуйте применить какой-то websafe шрифт


NEW footage has emerged showing a baby whale frolicking in the waters off Augusta.
It is believed to be the first southern right calf born in Flinders Bay during this migration season.
Whale Watch Western Australia co-owner Gemma Sharp said a local noticed the mother whale close to the beach surrounded by smaller dorsal-finned creatures earlier this week.
"We weren't quite sure what was happening. The smaller dorsal fins could have been sharks, but it was a local pod of dolphins," Ms Sharp said.
"The dolphins had surrounded the mum and baby to protect them. They were protecting the female, who was in labour, from the sharks.
"They (dolphins) were fending off any possible threat.
Ms Sharp said about 2000 southern right whales called Flinders Bay home for a few weeks each year, with about 20 to 60 pregnant females expected to give birth in the area.
She said this month was the peak of the season, with humpbacks and southern right species playing in the bay.
"We will see more southern rights as we transition into July but not in the same numbers as the humpbacks," she said.
WA is home the world's biggest population of humpback whales, about 35,000 according to Ms Sharp said.
From late May to late August humpbacks make their annual journey north to breeding grounds in the warmer waters off the Kimberley coast.
However, Flinders Bay is a nursery for young southern right whales because the water is the ideal temperature for them.


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4 toed salamander
Copeia. As a member of the lungless salamander family (Plethodontidae), it absorbs oxygen through its skin. January 2007 Outdoor Illinois / … The snout is short and blunt. In early spring the females nest on land, along the banks of small ponds. Appears to be uncommon and spotty across its range, but doing well in protected areas like Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Four-toed salamanders are smooth-skinned and reddish brown with a light gray speckled belly. Life history: Courtship, mating, and egg-laying are all terrestrial activities, but larvae of the Four-toed Salamander are aquatic. Selected breeding pools typically have sphagnum moss growing on logs, rocks and along the shoreline. Diet: Small invertebrates, such as worms, spiders, and mites. It has three key identifying characteristics. Taking care of our cave and spring ecosystems and protecting groundwater quality is critical for them. The only other Ontario salamander with four toes on the hind feet is the mudpuppy, which is totally aquatic, never loses its gills and can grow significantly larger than the four-toed salamander. in total length (Petranka 1998). The Prairie Research Institute's Illinois Natural History Survey provides a species distribution map and more natural history information. Find local MDC conservation agents, consultants, education specialists, and regional offices. Length: 3-4 inches. Background and Range: The four-toed salamander is Connecticut's smallest salamander. First, both the hind feet and the front feet have four toes whereas most salamanders have five toes on each hind foot. The four-toed salamander lives in Missouri's eastern Ozarks, among mosses in heavily forested streams and creeks and sinkhole ponds. Habitat: Found in sphagnum or moss bogs, shallow wetlands, forested wetlands, vernal pools, and headwater streams. Four-toed Salamander Hemidactylium scutatum (Temminck and Schlegel, 1838) Key Characters: 4 rather than 5 toes on hind feet; circular constriction at base of tail. Dorsum is rusty brown to grayish with small dark flecks. Description: A small salamander (2.0 to 4.0 inches in length) with a noticeable constriction at base of tail and four toes on each foot. Call 1-800-392-1111 to report poaching and arson, Plethodontidae (lungless salamanders) in the order Caudata (salamanders). Nests have been seen from early April to May, but breeding will start in March. They are medium-sized amphibians. The snout is noticeably blunt when compared to other salamander species. The Four-toed Salamander has a brown back and gray sides, with dark speckles on the back and sides. Sides are grayish brown with black stippling, and the belly is pure white with numerous large, irregular black spots. The first is that it purposely sheds off its tail to distract the enemy. The Four-toed Salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum) holds a number of dubious distinctions. The four-toed salamander is a member of the lungless salamander family. They are very sensitive to water quality, and human-caused water pollution, siltation, and other degradation, plus habitat destruction and fragmentation, threaten their survival. They are small reaching about 4 inches in length. The Four-toed Salamander is orange to reddish brown above with patches of black spots. Four-toed Salamander : Four-toed Salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum) Their rusty brown back, white belly with black spots, constriction at the base of the tail, and 4 toes on the hind feet easily identify Four-toed Salamanders. SCIENTIFIC NAME: Hemidactylium scutatum. It is the only white-bellied salamander in Nova Scotia. Foods include a variety of small arthropods and mollusks. Amphibians, including salamanders, toads, and frogs, are vertebrate animals that spend at least part of their life cycle in water. Besides its diminutive size (a typical adult may only reach 2-3 inches in length), it is also the only terrestrial salamander with four toes on all four feet. Its dark, slender, greenish-brown body is mottled with bronze and black. Copeia. In Missouri, this species lives among mosses along heavily forested headwater streams and spring-fed creeks associated with sandstone or igneous bedrock, and also in and near natural sinkhole ponds. Mating occurs in terrestrial areas throughout the autumn months. Breitenbach, G.L. They are almost always found under cover objects: rocks, logs, bark and other debris. They usually have moist skin, lack scales or claws, and are ectothermal (cold-blooded), so they do not produce their own body heat the way birds and mammals do. Females often share nests; solitary nests are brooded by the female. Breeding occurs in autumn. Other terrestrial salamanders in Minnesota have 5 toes on their back feet. We facilitate and provide opportunity for all citizens to use, enjoy, and learn about these resources. A small, delicate salamander with a thick, round tail and four toes on both fore- and hind limbs. Its base color is red-brown with dark flecks on its sides. Mating can occur in fall or spring at breeding ponds, seepage pools or springs. General color is yellowish tan to brown on the back with many faint, irregular black posts. The animals breathe through their skins, and the lining of the roof of the mouth. Because a number of new locations have been discovered, this species is now listed as "apparently secure." It remains on Missouri's list of Species of Conservation Concern. There are three subspecies that are found throughout Canada: the eastern, central and western long-toed salamander. The underbelly is pure white with distinctive black spots. Finding several four toed salamanders in an vernal wetland in early april. The frequency of communal nesting and solitary brooding in the salamander, HEMIDACTYLUM SCUTATUM. Description: A small, 2-3.5 inch salamander with a brownish or chestnut back and a white belly with black spots. All the rest of Wisconsin's land dwelling salamanders have five. It may be more than 2 years before they become sexually mature adults. Historical versus Current Distribution - The current knowledge of distribution of four-toed salamanders (Hemidactylium scutatum) is summarized in Petranka (1998); Four-toed Salamanders range from southeastern Canada south to the Gulf of Mexico and west to Oklahoma, Missouri, and Wisconsin. They sometimes nest communally. I got low to the ground while hand-holding my camera and lens to photograph this Salamander. Status in Tennessee: In 1994, listed as "In Need of Management" by TWRA. Check out the IDNR's Wild About Illinois Salamanders! Missouri's herptiles comprise 43 amphibians and 75 reptiles. Breeding may occur in both autumn and spring. Elsewhere in its range, this species is associated with sphagnum (peat) bogs. This species is found statewide in Connecticut, most frequently in low-lying, non-calcareous areas. All other salamander species in Ontario normally have four toes on the front feet and five on the hind feet. Four-toed Salamanders undergo a relatively short aquatic larval period, when compared to other species of the same family, ranging between 3 and 6 weeks. 1934:50. J. Herpetology. Four-toed Salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum), a Special Concern species, prefers northern and southern hardwood forests and to a lesser degree, conifer swamps. Reptiles, including turtles, lizards, and snakes, are also vertebrates, and most are ectothermal, but unlike amphibians, reptiles have dry skin with scales, the ones with legs have claws, and they do not have to live part of their lives in water. It is often speckled with black and bluish spots. Four-toed salamanders have 4 toes on each of their front and hind feet. Outside of breeding season the Four-toed Salamander lives in underground burrows or under logs and other debris on the moist forest floor. Considered one of the easiest salamanders to identify in TN, the Four-toed Salamander is found sporadically from the Western Highland Rim eastward to the state border. In northeastern Pennsylvania, they are a species of special concern. Breeding information: Mating begins in fall. website to learn about the four-toed salamander. It is the smallest terrestrial vertebrate in the Northeast (a typical adult may only reach 2-3 inches in length), and is the only terrestrial salamander with four toes on all four feet. All have four toes in front. Amphibians require water, where they mate, lay eggs, and develop into maturity. The tail is distinctly constricted near its base. The belly of adults is white with black markings. Four-toed salamanders undergo a relatively short aquatic larval period, when compared to other species of the same family, ranging between 3 and 6 weeks. (Makes sense, huh?) STATUS: Uncommon statewide, but possibly less secure in Coastal Plain, where it may be more locally distributed in disjunct populations. The snout is short and blunt. There are 12 to 14 costal grooves (vertical grooves on the sides of the body). It is unique in multiple ways. This species was listed as rare in Missouri for many years because of few locality records and because this species is recognized as a glacial relict (populations moved southward with glaciers, then persisted in mostly isolated, suitably cool locations after the glaciers retreated). How I Got The Photo: Four-toed Salamander. Like many other lungless salamanders, four-toed salamanders absorb oxygen through their skin as adults, but have a gilled, aquatic larval stage. Unique four-toed hind feet and a constricted ring around the base of its tail easily identify it. The four-toed salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum) is one of eight salamander species inhabiting Minnesota. The spring migration of the four-toed salamander Hemidactylium scutatum. Blanchard, F.N. The back is mottled brown and the sides of the body are grayish with some light flecking. Habitat: Hardwood-conifer or mixed forest with bogs, marshes, woodland ponds, open meadows, or dry wooded hillsides. The Four-toed Salamander Photos By Michael Redmer With better understanding of the species came discoveries of new populations of a northern glacial relict. Four-toed Salamander, Hemidactylium scutatum Considered one of the easiest salamanders to identify in TN, the Four-toed Salamander is found sporadically from the Western Highland Rim eastward to the state border. The Four-toed Salamander is known to have three main forms of self defense against predators. Second, its underside is … Additional Information: The Four-toed Salamander is a spring breeder and is easiest to find during this time period. Description: A small salamander (2.0 to 4.0 inches in length) with a noticeable constriction at base of tail and four toes on each foot. 1982. A small, delicate salamander with a thick, round tail and four toes on both fore- and hind limbs. It is our only terrestrial salamander that has four toes on its rear feet. Four-toed salamanders are habitat specialists, preferring areas in an around boggy, forested wetlands where sphagnum moss is often present. The relation of the female four-toed salamander to her nest. Most other Minnesota salamanders have five toes in back. Adults range from 3-4 inches long. It is a rusty brown color or gray-brown color with grayish sides. Females migrate to ponds, bogs, or streams in winter where they lay between 20 and 80 eggs in moss clumps or rotting logs. Four-toeds have black flecks on a reddish-brown back and grayish-brown upper sides. Its hind feet have four toes instead of five. General color is yellowish tan to brown on the back with many faint, irregular black posts. After hatching, larvae find their way to water where they will metamorphose in 20-40 days. Belly is white with conspicuous black spots. The four-toed salamander is called the four-toed salamander because it has four toes on its hind feet. Soon after ending their winter dormancy, usually in the first weeks of April, females move to a creek, ephemeral pool, or sinkhole pond and lay about 30 eggs in a protected pocket of moss overhanging water. Gear Used: Camera: Canon EOS 7D Mark II; Lens: Canon EF 100-400 mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS II USM; Technical: Location: Near The Ouachita National Forest (Arkansas) Date and Time Taken: October 15, 2016 (09:24:24 A.M.) Four-toed salamanders are the only terrestrial salamanders with four toes on their hind feet. Scientific Name: Hemidactylium scutatum Size: 2 – 4" (adult length) Status: Generally uncommon, with populations localized. This salamander species has no lungs. It overwinters from November through late March by burrowing underground to avoid freezing. 1934 (3):137-138. Description: Moderately slender species. Four-toed Salamander. Away from egg-laying sites, they live under rotten logs, in leaf litter, or under rocks in seepage areas. We protect and manage the fish, forest, and wildlife of the state. The Amphibians and Reptiles of Missouri, Second Edition, Wildflowers, Grasses and Other Nonwoody Plants. The top of the head and body is reddish brown and mottled with black markings along the back that extend onto the top of the tail. Four-toed Salamander. Adult Four-Toed Salamanders are small and slender, with brownish dorsal coloration mottled with black and gold flecks. Unlike other species of salamanders in Minnesota, the tail of the four-toed salamander may become detached from its body near a constriction at the base of the tail. This is one of several Missouri salamanders that live in caves, seeps, or spring-fed creeks. The four-toed salamander is a small plethodontid (lungless) salamander only 5 to 10.2 cm (2 to 4 in) in length. Habitat: Occupy moist deciduous, coniferous, or mixed woodlands, often near spring-feed creeks, bogs, or boggy ponds. They remain with the eggs and eat any that spoil. [1] [2] [3] Self Defense. 1934. If captured, a four-toed salamander easily breaks off its tail and escapes. Its tail and limbs are a dull orange with gray markings. Long-toed salamanders are one of six species of salamanders in BC. There is also an obvious constriction at the base of the tail. Description: The four-toed salamander is a fairly small salamander with the unmistakeable combination of four toes on each rear foot, a constriction at the base of the tail, and a white belly with bold black spots. Their size is usually between 8cm and 12cm (3-4 inches), averaging around 8.5 cm (3.3 inches). The four-toed salamander (Hemidactylium scutatum) holds a number of dubious distinctions. A single, isolated population found in Lincoln County is the only population known north of the Missouri River. Sides are grayish brown with black stippling, and the belly is pure white with numerous large, irregular black spots. After the 4–6 week embryonic period, the larvae hatch and make their way to the adjacent pond. The Four-toed Salamander is one of our three small, slender salamanders along with the Eastern Red-backed and Northern Two-lined Salamanders. Adult salamanders in this family do not have lungs but take in oxygen through their skin. 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4 toed salamander 2020


text:
"""Tests for non_semantic_speech_benchmark.distillation.models."""

import os

from absl import flags
from absl.testing import absltest
from absl.testing import flagsaver
from absl.testing import parameterized

import numpy as np
import tensorflow as tf

from non_semantic_speech_benchmark.distillation import models

class ModelsTest(parameterized.TestCase):

  @parameterized.parameters(
      {'frontend': True, 'tflite': True},
      {'frontend': False, 'tflite': True},
      {'frontend': True, 'tflite': False},
      {'frontend': False, 'tflite': False},
  )
  def test_model_frontend(self, frontend, tflite):
    if frontend:
      input_tensor_shape = [1 if tflite else 2, 32000]  # audio signal.
    else:
      input_tensor_shape = [3, 96, 64, 1]  # log Mel spectrogram.
    input_tensor = tf.zeros(input_tensor_shape, dtype=tf.float32)
    output_dimension = 5

    m = models.get_keras_model(
        'mobilenet_debug_1.0_False', output_dimension,
        frontend=frontend, tflite=tflite)
    o_dict = m(input_tensor)
    emb, o = o_dict['embedding'], o_dict['embedding_to_target']

    emb.shape.assert_has_rank(2)
    o.shape.assert_has_rank(2)
    self.assertEqual(o.shape[1], 5)

  @parameterized.parameters(
      {'frontend': True, 'tflite': True, 'spec_augment': False},
      {'frontend': True, 'tflite': True, 'spec_augment': True},
      {'frontend': False, 'tflite': True, 'spec_augment': True},
      {'frontend': True, 'tflite': False, 'spec_augment': True},
      {'frontend': False, 'tflite': False, 'spec_augment': True},
  )
  def test_model_spec_augment(self, frontend, tflite, spec_augment):
    if frontend:
      input_tensor_shape = [1 if tflite else 2, 32000]  # audio signal.
    else:
      input_tensor_shape = [3, 96, 64, 1]  # log Mel spectrogram.
    input_tensor = tf.zeros(input_tensor_shape, dtype=tf.float32)
    output_dimension = 5

    m = models.get_keras_model(
        'mobilenet_debug_1.0_False', output_dimension,
        frontend=frontend, tflite=tflite,
        spec_augment=spec_augment)
    o_dict = m(input_tensor)
    emb, o = o_dict['embedding'], o_dict['embedding_to_target']

    emb.shape.assert_has_rank(2)
    o.shape.assert_has_rank(2)
    self.assertEqual(o.shape[1], 5)

  def test_invalid_model(self):
    invalid_mobilenet_size = 'huuuge'
    with self.assertRaises(KeyError) as exception_context:
      models.get_keras_model(
          f'mobilenet_{invalid_mobilenet_size}_1.0_False', 5)
    if not isinstance(exception_context.exception, KeyError):
      self.fail()

  def test_truncation(self):
    m = models.get_keras_model(
        'efficientnetb0',
        frontend=False,
        output_dimension=5,
        truncate_output=True)

    input_tensor = tf.zeros([3, 96, 64, 1], dtype=tf.float32)
    o_dict = m(input_tensor)
    emb, o = o_dict['embedding'], o_dict['embedding_to_target']

    # `embedding` is the original size, but `embedding_to_target` should be the
    # right size.
    self.assertEqual(emb.shape[1], 5)
    self.assertEqual(o.shape[1], 5)

  @parameterized.parameters(
      {'model_type': 'mobilenet_small_1.0_False'},
      {'model_type': 'efficientnetb0'},
      {'model_type': 'efficientnetb1'},
      {'model_type': 'efficientnetb2'},
      {'model_type': 'efficientnetb3'},
      {'model_type': 'efficientnetb4'},
      {'model_type': 'efficientnetb5'},
      {'model_type': 'efficientnetb6'},
      {'model_type': 'efficientnetb7'},
      {'model_type': 'efficientnetv2b0'},
      {'model_type': 'efficientnetv2b1'},
      {'model_type': 'efficientnetv2b2'},
      {'model_type': 'efficientnetv2b3'},
      {'model_type': 'efficientnetv2bL'},
      {'model_type': 'efficientnetv2bM'},
      {'model_type': 'efficientnetv2bS'},
  )
  @flagsaver.flagsaver
  def test_valid_model_type(self, model_type):
    # Frontend flags.
    flags.FLAGS.frame_hop = 5
    flags.FLAGS.num_mel_bins = 80
    flags.FLAGS.frame_width = 5

    input_tensor = tf.zeros([2, 16000], dtype=tf.float32)
    m = models.get_keras_model(
        model_type, 5, frontend=True, truncate_output=True)
    o_dict = m(input_tensor)
    o = o_dict['embedding_to_target']

    o.shape.assert_has_rank(2)
    self.assertEqual(o.shape[1], 5)

  def test_tflite_model(self):
    m = models.get_keras_model(
        'mobilenet_debug_1.0_False',
        5,
        frontend=False,
        tflite=True)

    input_tensor = tf.zeros([2, 96, 64, 1], dtype=tf.float32)
    o_dict = m(input_tensor)
    emb, o = o_dict['embedding'], o_dict['embedding_to_target']

    emb.shape.assert_has_rank(2)
    self.assertEqual(emb.shape[0], 2)
    o.shape.assert_has_rank(2)
    self.assertEqual(o.shape[0], 2)
    self.assertEqual(o.shape[1], 5)

  @parameterized.parameters(
      {'model_type': 'efficientnetv2b0'},
  )
  @flagsaver.flagsaver
  def test_get_keras_model_frontend_input_shapes(self, model_type):
    flags.FLAGS.frame_hop = 5
    flags.FLAGS.num_mel_bins = 80
    flags.FLAGS.frame_width = 5
    flags.FLAGS.n_required = 32000
    m = models.get_keras_model(
        model_type=model_type,
        output_dimension=0,
        frontend=True,
        tflite=False,
        spec_augment=False)
    samples = tf.zeros([2, 40000], tf.float32)
    m(samples)

  @flagsaver.flagsaver
  def test_get_keras_model_frontend_pad_mode(self):
    """Check that pad mode is properly piped through."""
    # Flags for both models.
    flags.FLAGS.frame_hop = 5
    flags.FLAGS.num_mel_bins = 80
    flags.FLAGS.frame_width = 5
    flags.FLAGS.n_required = 32000

    model_input = np.random.random([2, 10000])

    def _model():
      return models.get_keras_model(
          model_type='efficientnetv2b0',
          output_dimension=0,
          frontend=True,
          tflite=False,
          spec_augment=False)
    flags.FLAGS.pad_mode = 'CONSTANT'
    m_constant = _model()
    flags.FLAGS.pad_mode = 'SYMMETRIC'
    m_symmetric = _model()

    o_constant = m_constant(model_input)
    o_symmetric = m_symmetric(model_input)

    for k in o_constant.keys():
      np.testing.assert_raises(AssertionError, np.testing.assert_array_equal,
                               o_constant[k], o_symmetric[k])

if __name__ == '__main__':
  assert tf.executing_eagerly()
  absltest.main()


text:
New faculty interview: Marion Aouad
Assistant Professor, Economics | Ph.D., UC Berkeley
research interests: health economics, applied econometrics, labor economics, economic demography
Marion Aouad, economics assistant professor, specializes in health economics. Her work aims to understand and analyze factors – including price, individual and family circumstance, and federal and state policies - that influence consumers' decisions for health care consumption, and the consequences of those decisions. She also studies how health insurance reforms affect the supply and demand-side of health care markets.
Her work, funded by the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Aging has been published in the Journal of Health Economics.
Aouad earned her bachelor's in economics at Princeton University and Ph.D. in economics at UC Berkeley. She spent a year as an assistant professor at the Copenhagen Business School in Denmark, and then two years as a postdoctoral research fellow at Stanford University School of Medicine before joining the UCI faculty in fall 2020. She's excited about the work being done by UCI's economists and researchers, and she's looking forward to being a part of the campus's vibrant academic community.
Barkowski awarded Georgescu-Rogen Prize
Market raising wages without government help (Op-Ed)
Economics Learning Center helps students tackle tough core concepts


Click to Enlarge Dog.com, the "talking dog" by Tomy ® - This robotic dog looks more like a dog than a robot and it is fun for kids and a hoot for everyone. Like all robotic pets, Tomy Dog starts life out as a puppy. The personality he has when he grows up depends on how he is treated during each stage of his life. As a puppy, he doesn't walk or talk. He pretty much just barks and whimpers. The interactive dog that learns as you talk to it. Press it's head or body it's nose lights up it walks it talks and tells jokes. The On/off switch is under its body. As he 'grows', he slowly starts talking more, eventually being capable of over 700 phrases and sounds. Then with eight sensors and fourty-five different movements, you'll have your hands busy with your new pet.


The Kinfolk Home welcomes readers into 35 homes around the world that reflect some of the key principles of slow living: cultivating community, simplifying our lives and reclaiming time for what matters most. With 289 full-color photographs spanning 368 pages, The Kinfolk Home is a detailed exploration into living spaces from the United States, Scandinavia, Asia and more.
368 pages, including 289 full-color photographs.


Success disaster is common among many entrepreneurs. But as far as problems go, it could be worse.
You start a company, stumble along in your garage and before you know it everyone wants what you're selling. Pretty soon, your products aren't selling so well because you can't make them fast enough. Customers are screaming down the phone and you're worse off than when you started. Success Disaster is a special case of what many start-ups believe - that they are doomed to failure. To avoid success disaster is to think negatively in the positive sense of the word: assume you will fail even when you succeed, and have a massive contingency plan in place. Treat success as a disaster waiting to happen: treat every customer like your last, and never assume you were that good anyway. There's nothing like rapid stardom to bring out the claws in all of us (these days, especially). Preparing for disaster is never a bad thing.


More than a dozen lawmakers are pressing the U.S. Army to explain its plans to modernize tens of thousands of Humvees slated to make up the majority of the service's light vehicle fleet through 2050.
In an Oct. 16 letter to Army Secretary John McHugh and Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, a group of 16 senators, including Sen. John McCain, a Republican from Arizona and chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, requested the "status of the Army's execution of the 2014 Tactical Wheeled Vehicle Strategy."
"It contemplates a massive investment of billions of taxpayer dollars that would address a critical set of operational capabilities for the next 20 years," the letter states.
The Army awarded Oshkosh Corp., a $6.7 billion contract to build the first 17,000 production models of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, the long-awaited replacement for the Humvee.
The contract is currently under protest by JLTV competitor Lockheed Martin Corp., and the Government Accountability Office is expected to rule on the protest in December.
But the Army only plans to buy more than 49,000 JLTVs to replace about a third of the Humvee fleet.
Lawmakers maintain that the Tactical Wheeled Vehicle Strategy "specifically identifies High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles, or HMMWV, recapitalization" as a means for supporting Homeland defense missions, the letter states.
"Against this backdrop, the Army's recent award of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle requires clarity about how the Army will recapitalize and maintain the readiness of its HMMWV fleet which today consists of more than 130,000 units," according to the letter. "Specifically, what are the near-term requirements to recapitalize and maintain the legacy HMMWV fleet?"
This is the latest wrinkle in the Army's attempt to provide the operational force with modern tactical vehicles that surpass the Cold-War era HMMWV.
But a fleet consisting of new JLTVs and modernized HMMWVs alone will not satisfy the needs of the Army's most deployable forces.
In mid-September, Army officials at the Maneuver Conference at Fort Benning, Georgia emphasized that Army light infantry units need a transportable, ultra-light combat vehicle that can they can take into a forced-entry operation.
Leaders argued that the number-one priority for the combat vehicle modernization strategy is mobility for the light forces.
Lawmakers, however, maintain that the HMMWV is currently the Army's "primary light tactical wheeled vehicle, used predominantly throughout the Army's Brigade Combat Teams as well as the Army National Guard and Army Reserve, according to the letter.
"The most modern configuration – the up-Armored HMMWV or Expanded Capacity Vehicle – remains the backbone for soldier transport and utility and according to the Army's own strategy, is projected to comprise nearly two-thirds of the light tactical vehicle fleet until 2050," the letter states. "As the Army deliberates the optimal way forward for HMMWV modernization, we urge consideration of existing programs that have already proven effective in delivering on time and under budget."