text:
\section{\label{intro}Introduction -- Maser Surveys}

Arguably, one of the main uses for astronomical masers is their signpost function. To give a few examples: Interstellar water vapor (H$_2$O) masers arise from high velocity outflows of accreting low- and high-mass protostars. Many class II methanol (CH$_3$OH) masers mark the positions of deeply embedded protostars that are difficult or frequently impossible to locate by any other phenomenon. 1612 MHz hydroxyl (OH) masers mark intermediate-mass stars during a short-lived phase of high mass loss.
Surveys for maser emission thus help finding interesting sources and often have surprising results.

\subsection{Two Types of Surveys}
There are, essentially, two types of surveys - \textit{Blind surveys} and
\textit{targeted surveys}.
\subsubsection{\label{blindsurveys}Blind Surveys}
\noindent
Blind surveys cover large areas of the sky in an unbiased way, integrating (possibly) uniformly to a pre-set flux density limit. The covered area may be the whole sky, like for the NRAO Very Large Array Sky Survey (NVSS), a 1.4 GHz continuum survey of all the sky north of $-40\ifmmode{^{\circ}}\else{$^{\circ}$}\fi$ declination ({\cite{Condon_etal1998}), but for maser surveys they usually are not. Rather, most blind maser surveys cover selected molecular clouds or portions of the Galactic plane.
An important example of the latter is the unbiased OH maser survey of the southern Galactic plane conducted by Caswell and collaborators
(\cite{Caswell_etal1987} and references therein).

Surveys for H$_2$O\ masers in the spiral arms of external galaxies may cover whole galaxies, which for nearby systems such as M31 or M33 comprise many hundreds or even thousands of separate pointings. Blind surveys can be made either with multiple separate pointings, measuring, for full sampling, a grid of $0.5\times$FWHM beam-width spaced positions.
Alternately and more efficiently, ``on-the-fly'' mapping may be employed, during which the telescope is constantly moved at a certain slew rate and data are taken continuously.
In the past, most blind surveys were conducted using single dish telescopes. For newly found sources, in many cases improved positions were determined with follow-up observations with accuracies limited by telescope pointing errors (usually a few arcseconds) or much smaller ($\ll 1''$) with interferometers.

Clearly, full-interferometric surveys are highly preferable (see \S\ref{vla}), delivering much better gain stability, position accuracy and direct information on the small-scale maser distributions. However, the limited correlator bandwidth of today's most effective interferometer, the NRAO Very Large Array (VLA), has been a severe problem in conducting efficient blind surveys at high frequencies, in particular for sources with a priori unknown velocities (see \S\ref{frequencycoverage}).

\subsubsection{\label{targeted}Targeted Surveys}
In contrast, \textit{targeted surveys} consist of pointed observations toward sources that were identified as promising targets based on certain criteria.
If one searches for masers in a certain species, one such criterion might be the existence of maser emission from another species at or in the vicinity of the target position. Examples for this are searches toward the positions of the OH masers found in the Caswell surveys (\S\ref{blindsurveys}), for  H$_2$O\
masers
(\cite{Caswell_etal1989} and references therein)
and CH$_3$OH\ masers (\cite{Norris_etal1987, Menten1991, Caswell_etal1995}).

Another example is extragalactic H$_2$O\ masers, all of which were either found in targeted searches toward HII regions complexes (first in M33; \cite{Churchwell_etal1977}) or the nuclear regions of the target galaxies. The latter masers are located either in a parsec-scale accretion disk around an active galactic nucleus  or interacting with a jet emerging from it (see, e.g., \cite{Lo2005} and Greenhill, these proceedings) or from a starburst region surrounding the nucleus on a few hundred pc scale (e.g., Castangia et al., these proceedings).

Extremely fruitful selection criteria for finding masers and the interesting sources that host them have been color criteria derived from mid/far-infrared surveys. Namely, the InfraRed Astronomy Satellite (IRAS) covered the whole sky at 12, 25, 60, and 100$\mu$m, which resulted in the IRAS Point Source Catalogue. A survey of a $\pm 5\ifmmode{^{\circ}}\else{$^{\circ}$}\fi$ latitude wide strip of the whole Galactic plane was made with the Midcourse Satellite Experiment, MSX, in several IR bands.
Representative portions of the plane were covered by other surveys, e.g., ``ISOGAL'' with the Infrared Space Observatory, ISO (\cite{Omont_etal2003, Schuller_etal2003}). New multi-IR band space-borne surveys of the Galactic plane and the whole sky with the Spitzer Space Observatory (GLIMPSE, \cite{Benjamin_etal2003}) and Akari (\cite{Murakami_etal2007}), respectively, will yield many thousands of targets for maser surveys.
We now give a few examples for IR color-selected maser surveys.

A series of successful 1612 MHz OH satellite line surveys with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) and the VLA using IRAS colors resulted in the detection of more than a thousand OH/IR stars
(\cite{Sevenster_etal2001} and references therein).

Deguchi and collaborators have highly effectively used IRAS colors to identify targets for very successful 43 GHz $v = 1$ and $2, J = 1 \to 0$ SiO and 22.2 cm H$_2$O\ maser surveys of practically all of the Galactic plane accessible with the  Nobeyama 45 m telescope.
Using infrared magnitudes and colors from the ISOGAL and MSX catalogues,
\cite{Messineo_etal2002} searched for SiO maser emission in 441 objects and detected it in 271 of them.

While all of the above surveys found many hundreds of objects allowing statistical and kinematical studies (like characterizing the Galactic bar potential; see \cite{Habing_etal2006} and H. Habing's contribution to these proceedings), they also resulted in the serendipitous discovery of a number of highly interesting objects. For example, 1612 MHz OH maser sources with extremely wide and/or peculiar velocity appearance could be classified as extreme mass-loss proto-planetary nebulae: important, short-lived and, therefore, difficult to find transition objects in the evolution from asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star to planetary nebula (e.g.,
\cite{Zijlstra_etal2001, Deacon_etal2007}; see also J. Chapman's contribution to these proceedings).

\begin{figure}
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=6cm]{evlacoverage.eps}
\includegraphics[width=7cm]{evlasensitivity.eps}
  \caption{\textit{Left}: Comparison of the frequency coverage of the present VLA (dark stripes) with that of the EVLA (dark plus lighter stripes, i.e. continuous coverage from 1 to 50 GHz). The frequencies of the 6.7 and 12.2 GHz CH$_3$OH\ and the 6.0 GHz OH lines are indicated. Also indicated is the EVLA's virtually limitless redshift coverage of the 22.2 GHz H$_2$O\ line. Note that the H$_2$O\ line from the $z=0.660$ QSO SDS J0804+3607 is redshifted to 13.4 GHz (\cite{BarvainisAntonucci2005}).
  \textit{Right}: Comparison of the sensitivities of the present VLA (crosses) and the EVLA (continuous line). Shown is the $1\sigma$ rms noise level reached in 12 h of integration for continuum and spectral line observations in a 1 \ifmmode{{\rm km~s}^{-1}}\else{km~s$^{-1}$}\fi\ wide velocity channel. Figures are taken from the EVLA proposal, which is available on the EVLA WWW site: http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/evla/pbook.shtml.} \label{fig:evlacoverage}.
\end{center}
\end{figure}

\begin{figure}
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=6.5cm]{sgrastarsio.eps}
\includegraphics[width=6.5cm]{NGC6323.eps}
  \caption{\textit{Left}: Composite spectrum of the velocity range over which $v=1, J=1 \to 0$ SiO maser emission was found with the VLA toward the Galactic center. That this is a ''mosaic'' obtained with seven different frequency settings was necessitated by the present VLA correlator's limited capabilities (from \cite{Reid_etal2007}). \textit{Right}: Spectrum of the 22.2 GHz H$_2$O\ line toward the active galaxy NGC 6323 taken with a wideband spectrometer at the Green Bank Telescope. The channel spacing is 0.33 \ifmmode{{\rm km~s}^{-1}}\else{km~s$^{-1}$}\fi\  (from \cite{Braatz_etal2004}) To cover the 1100 \ifmmode{{\rm km~s}^{-1}}\else{km~s$^{-1}$}\fi\ with emission at the same resolution with the current VLA correlator would require 37 settings.}\label{fig:spectra}
\end{center}
\end{figure}

\section{\label{vla}The Expanded Very Large Array}
Throughout its operation the VLA has made significant contributions to maser science, mainly through observations of ground-state hydroxyl (OH) and water vapor (H$_2$O) masers and, from the 1990s on, of SiO masers.

If phase calibration can be achieved, for maser surveys and time monitoring an interferometer is much preferred to a single dish telescope equipped with receivers of comparable quality. This is particularly true for the VLA, for the following reasons: (a) At K and Q band (H$_2$O\ and SiO masers), the VLA has a larger collecting area than any single dish (1.7 times that of a 100 m telescope). At longer wavelengths, the Arecibo 300m telescope has a much larger collecting area but can only observe a much smaller part of the sky. (b)  Atmospheric disturbances do not correlate. Consequently, spectra produced from interferometer data have higher quality.    (c) All of the VLA's receivers are available at all times. This is important for monitoring and not generally true for other observatories. (d) Importantly, even in its lowest resolution configuration (D-array) and, in particular at its maximum A-array resolutions around $1''$, $0\as08$, and $0\as04$ at 1.7, 22.2, and 43 GHz, respectively, the VLA yields good enough
\textit{relative} positions to get a detailed picture of the distribution of individual maser components and good enough \textit{absolute} positions for VLBI correlators.

Representing 1970's technology, the VLA, despite its continuing success, has many shortcomings, preventing it from being the ideal spectral-line and in particular maser survey instrument.
The Expanded Very Large Array (EVLA) will overcome many of the VLA's limitations. While using the existing VLA's infrastructure (antennas, railroad tracks, general logistics),
it will be equipped with more sensitive receivers with much larger bandwidth, full spectral coverage from 1 to 50 GHz, an immensely more powerful correlator and much faster electronics.

Comprehensive, detailed information on all technical aspects of the EVLA can be found on the EVLA Project Book WWW site: http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/evla/pbook.shtml

\subsection{\label{frequencycoverage}Frequency Coverage}
Given the bandwidths of receivers available in the 1970s, the VLA has a number of discrete wavelength bands each of limited width (see Fig. \ref{fig:evlacoverage}). Two of these, the 18--21 cm L band and 1.3 cm K band, contain important maser lines from the OH and the H$_2$O\ molecules, respectively. The 7 mm Q band added in the mid-1990s gave access to SiO maser lines. The very widespread 6.7 GHz (4.5 cm) CH$_3$OH\ line, detected in 1991, and the 6.0 GHz (5 cm) OH hyperfine structure lines, excellent probes of the Zeeman effect, are not covered as aren't many other maser lines, e.g., from the NH$_3$\ molecule (see Table 1).

A key EVLA requirement is continuous frequency coverage from 1 to 50 GHz. This will be met with 8 bands (see Fig. \ref{fig:evlacoverage}): Two existing (K, Q), four replaced (L, C, X, U), and two new (S, A) bands. The  existing meter-wavelength bands, P (90 cm) and 4 (4 m) are retained with no changes. K and Q band will benefit from greatly improved receivers. In Fig. \ref{fig:evlacoverage} the dark stripes show the frequency coverage of the present VLA while the dark plus light stripes show that of the EVLA. All bands will have significantly wider instantaneous width than in the current VLA. In the highest frequency (K and Q) bands the bandwidth will be $2\times8$ GHz each (RCP+LCP); compare to today's $2\times100$ MHz! While affording fantastic continuum sensitivities, all the maser lines listed in Table 1 will be observable. In Fig. \ref{fig:evlacoverage} the frequencies of the 6.7 and 12.2 GHz CH$_3$OH\ and the 6.0 GHz OH lines are marked. Also indicated is the EVLA's virtually limitless redshift coverage of the 22.2 GHz H$_2$O\ line. Note that the (by far) highest redshift H$_2$O\ line yet detected (from the $z=0.660$ QSO SDS J0804+3607) is shifted to 13.4 GHz (\cite{BarvainisAntonucci2005}).

\subsection{\label{vlacorrelator}The Correlator}
Most higher frequency (K and Q band) maser observations with the VLA have been severely limited by its 1970s technology correlator. The VLA correlator has a maximum bandwidth of 50 MHz per intermediate frequency (IF) band. In unsplit mode (i.e. 1 IF) it has a maximum of 16 frequency channels, which reduces to 8 per band if we chose a 2 IF mode, e.g., right plus left circular polarization and 4 per band for a $2\times$(RCP+LCP) = 4 IF mode, where two IF pairs with different frequencies (which have to be within 500 MHz of each other) are employed. For simplicity's sake let us only consider the 1 IF (1 polarization) mode for the 22.2 GHz H$_2$O\ line: To adequately resolve individual narrow maser features (and to avoid ``ringing'' caused by poorly resolved strong lines), we require a velocity resolution of 0.2 \ifmmode{{\rm km~s}^{-1}}\else{km~s$^{-1}$}\fi, corresponding to 14.8 kHz, which is close to a correlator configuration that affords 256 channels spaced by 12.2 \ifmmode{{\rm km~s}^{-1}}\else{km~s$^{-1}$}\fi. Considering that, due to band edge roll-off, only the inner 70\%\ of the bandpass are usable, the total velocity range that can be covered is 30 \ifmmode{{\rm km~s}^{-1}}\else{km~s$^{-1}$}\fi, which is inadequate for many interstellar H$_2$O\ masers, which frequently have velocities spread over many tens of \ifmmode{{\rm km~s}^{-1}}\else{km~s$^{-1}$}\fi, even if the systemic velocity of the source in question is known. Increasing the bandwidth by a factor of 2 results in half the channels and an inadequate four times worse resolution of 48.8 kHz (0.66 \ifmmode{{\rm km~s}^{-1}}\else{km~s$^{-1}$}\fi) since we are dealing with a ``recirculating'' correlator. For SiO masers (Q band) the situation is even much worse, in particular for the kind of searches described in \S\ref{targeted}, in which the stars' velocities a are a priori unknown.

Extragalactic H$_2$O\ megamaser spectra frequently consist of narrow features with a width comparable to that of Galactic maser features ($\approx 1$ \ifmmode{{\rm km~s}^{-1}}\else{km~s$^{-1}$}\fi; see Fig. 2). For the most interesting H$_2$O\ megamaser sources (those with NGC 4258-like Keplerian rotation signatures; see \cite{Miyoshi_etal1995}) maser features are found around the systemic velocity as well as at velocities offset by up to $\sim 1000$ \ifmmode{{\rm km~s}^{-1}}\else{km~s$^{-1}$}\fi\ of the latter.
Consequently, when searching for new such sources one needs to scan a total range of $\approx 2000$ \ifmmode{{\rm km~s}^{-1}}\else{km~s$^{-1}$}\fi, a tedious job with 30 \ifmmode{{\rm km~s}^{-1}}\else{km~s$^{-1}$}\fi\ increments. The situation is aggravated by the fact that these masers are variable and many of their high velocity components are weak, which requires repeated and deep observations. Fig. \ref{fig:spectra} shows an H$_2$O\ spectrum taken toward the AGN at the center of NGC 6323 taken with the Green Bank telescope equipped with 200 MHz wide spectrometer with a channel spacing corresponding to 0.33 \ifmmode{{\rm km~s}^{-1}}\else{km~s$^{-1}$}\fi.

The EVLA's correlator will overcome all of the described problems.

\subsection{``Dead times''}
Every change in a VLA observation, be it a change in position or in the frequency setup, is afflicted by a ``dead time'' of 20 seconds, which derives mainly from limitations of the ancient electronics. This makes fast surveys in which integration times per position are small compared to these dead times extremely inefficient.  As an example, the NVSS was conducted as discrete snapshot pointings with each pointing taking 30 s of which only 7.7 s was actual dwell time (\cite{Condon_etal1998}).

On-the-fly (OTF) observations (see \S\ref{blindsurveys}) are impossible with the current VLA. A glimpse at the power of fast-scanning OTF interferometer surveys was recently provided by an 18 GHz  continuum survey with a single baseline of the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA).  \cite{Ricci_etal2004} covered 1216 square degrees with an effective dwell time of 0.2 seconds, resulting in an rms noise of 15 mJy, they obtained 221 confirmed detections $> 60$ mJy.

For the EVLA very low overhead levels are a design feature.
\clearpage
\begin{table}[!t]
\footnotesize
 \begin{center}
 \caption{\label{maserlines}Astronomical Maser Transitions Observable with the EVLA}
 \begin{tabular}{llll}\hline
Species                 & Transition & Frequency (MHz) & Number/Type \\
OH~~$^2\Pi_{3/2}$       &$J={3\over2},$ $F=1\to2$&\phantom{$0$}\d1612.2310(2)       &\textit{T}~SFR/\textit{H}~O-CSE   \\
                        &\phantom{$J={3\over2},$} $F=1\to1$     &\phantom{$0$}\d1665.4018(1)       &\textit{H}~SFR/\textit{T}~O-CSE   \\
                        &\phantom{$J={3\over2},$} $F=2\to2$     &\phantom{$0$}\d1667.3590(1)       &\textit{H}~SFR/\textit{T}~O-CSE   \\
                        &\phantom{$J={3\over2},$} $F=2\to1$     &\phantom{$0$}\d1720.5300(1)       &\textit{H}~SFR            \\
                        &$J={5\over2},$ $F=2\to2$               &\phantom{$0$}\d6030.747(5)        &\textit{T}~SFR            \\
                        &\phantom{$J={5\over2},$} $F=3\to3$     &\phantom{$0$}\d6035.092(5)        &\textit{T}~SFR            \\
                        &$J={7\over2},$ $F=4\to4$               &\d13441.4173(2)        &\textit{S}~SFR/\textit{T}~SNR    \\
OH~~$^2\Pi_{1/2}$       &$J={1\over2},$ $F=0\to1$               &\phantom{$0$}\d4660.242(3)  &\textit{T}~SFR    \\
                        &\phantom{$J={1\over2},$} $F=1\to1$     &\phantom{$0$}\d4750.656(3)  &\textit{T}~SFR            \\  &\phantom{$J={1\over2},$} $F=1\to0$ &\phantom{$0$}\d4765.562(3)  &\textit{T}~SFR            \\
H$_2$O                  &$J_{K_{\rm a},K_{\rm c}}=$\phantom{$0$}$6_{16}\to5_{23}$ &\d22235.08(2)             &\textit{H}~SFR/\textit{H}~O-CSE      \\
CH$_3$OH$^{\rm a}$&$J_k=$\phantom{$0$}$5_{1}\to6_{0}A^{+}$  &\phantom{$0$}\d6668.5192(8)         &\textit{H}~SFR/Cl~II            \\
        &\phantom{$J_k=$}\phantom{$0$}$9_{-1}\to8_{-2}E$   &\phantom{$0$}\d9936.202(4)                    &\textit{1}~SFR/Cl~I  (W33-Met)         \\
        &\phantom{$J_k=$}\phantom{$0$}$2_{0}\to3_{-1}E$    &\d12178.597(4)                     &\textit{H}~SFR/Cl~II            \\
        &\phantom{$J_k=$}\phantom{$0$}$2_{1}\to3_{0}E$      &\d19967.3961(2)                   &\textit{S}~SFR/Cl~II            \\
        &\phantom{$J_k=$}\phantom{$0$}$9_{2}\to10_{1}A^{+}$ &\d23121.0242(5)                    &\textit{S}~SFR/Cl~II            \\
        &\phantom{$J_k=$}\phantom{$0$}$6_{2}\to6_{1}E$$^{\rm b}$ &\d25018.1225(4)   &\textit{T}~SFR/Cl~I            \\
        &\phantom{$J_k=$}\phantom{$0$}$7_{2}\to7_{1}E$      &\d25124.8719(4)   &\textit{T}~SFR/Cl~I            \\
        &\phantom{$J_k=$}\phantom{$0$}$8_{2}\to9_{1}A^{-}$  &\d28969.942(50) &\textit{S}~SFR/Cl~I            \\
        &\phantom{$J_k=$}\phantom{$0$}$4_{-1}\to3_{0}E$     &\d36169.265(30)  &\textit{T}~SFR/Cl~I            \\
        &\phantom{$J_k=$}\phantom{$0$}$7_{-2}\to8_{-1}E$    &\d37703.700(30)  &\textit{S}~SFR/Cl~II            \\
        &\phantom{$J_k=$}\phantom{$0$}$6_{2}\to5_{3}A^{+}$  &\d38293.268(50)  &\textit{S}~SFR/Cl~II            \\
        &\phantom{$J_k=$}\phantom{$0$}$6_{2}\to5_{3}A^{-}$  &\d38452.677(50)  &\textit{S}~SFR/Cl~II            \\
        &\phantom{$J_k=$}\phantom{$0$}$7_{0}\to6_{1}A^{+}$  &\d44069.410(10)  &\textit{T}~SFR/Cl~I            \\
NH$_3$$^{\rm c}$  &$(J,K)=$\phantom{$0$}(9,6)                &\d18499.390(5)   &\textit{S}~SFR            \\
        &\phantom{$(J,K)=$}\phantom{$0$}(6,3)               &\d19757.538(5)   &\textit{S}~SFR            \\
        &\phantom{$(J,K)=$}\phantom{$0$}(3,3)               &\d23870.1296(1)         &\textit{S}~SFR            \\
HC$_3$N &$J=~$$1\to0$               &\phantom{$0$}\d9098.1152 (2)          &\textit{1}~SFR            \\
H$_2$CO &$J_{K_{\rm a},K_{\rm c}}=$~$1_{10}\to1_{11}$      &\phantom{$0$}\d4829.6600           &\textit{S}~SFR            \\
CH~~$^2\Pi_{1/2}$       &$J={1\over2},$ $F=0\to1$               &\phantom{$0$}\d3263.795(3)        &\textit{T}~SFR            \\
                        &\phantom{$J={1\over2},$} $F=1\to1$     &\phantom{$0$}\d3335.481(2)        &\textit{T}~SFR            \\
                        &\phantom{$J={1\over2},$} $F=1\to0$     &\phantom{$0$}\d3349.194(3)        &\textit{T}~SFR            \\
SiO~~$v=0$      &$J=~$$1\to0$      &\d43423.858(10)        &\textit{1~SFR} (Orion-KL)/\textit{S}~O-CSE      \\
SiO~~$v=1$      &$J=~$$1\to0$      &\d43122.079(21)        &\textit{3~SFR}/\textit{H}~O-CSE      \\
SiO~~$v=2$      &$J=~$$1\to0$      &\d42820.582(23)        &\textit{3~SFR}/\textit{H}~O-CSE      \\
SiO~~$v=3$      &$J=~$$1\to0$      &\d42519.373(27)        &\textit{S}~O-CSE      \\
$^{29}$SiO~~$v=0$&$J=~$$1\to0$     &\d42879.916(10)        &\textit{1}~SFR (Orion-KL)/\textit{S}~O-CSE      \\
$^{30}$SiO~~$v=0$&$J=~$$1\to0$     &\d42373.359(10)        &\textit{1}~SFR (Orion-KL)/\textit{S}~O-CSE      \\
SiS     &$J=$$1\to0$               &\d18154.880(2)         &\textit{1}~C-CSE (IRC+10216)      \\
\hline
  \end{tabular}
  \end{center}
\suppressfloats
\suppressfloats
\suppressfloats
\scriptsize
$^{\rm a}$A comprehensive compilation of CH$_3$OH\ maser frequencies has been published by \cite{Mueller_etal2004}. $^{\rm b}$Emission and/or absorption from lines in the $J_2\to J_1E$ series of CH$_3$OH\ has been detected from $J = 3, \nu = 24928.70$ MHz to $J= 17, \nu = 30308.08$ MHz. Clear maser emission has been detected for the $J = 5$ to $J=9$ lines. The $J=6$ and 7 lines listed here are usually the strongest maser lines of this series. $^{\rm c}$Weak maser emission from 6 other non-metastable ($J\neq K$) $^{14}$NH$_3$ and 3 $^{15}$NH$_3$ lines between 20.8 and 23.7 GHz has been reported in the literature.\\
\textit{General remarks:}
Except for the high excitation H$_2$O, NH$_3$, and vibrationally excited SiO lines, many lines may also be observable in (quasi)thermal emission and/or absorption in regions that are not conducive to maser excitation. See  F. Lovas' WWW site for references to the laboratory measurements of the frequencies and for the first astronomical measurements of the lines (http://physics.nist.gov/cgi-bin/micro/table5/start.pl).
The numbers in parentheses following the frequencies denote the measurement error in the
last significant digit(s).
Abbreviations for different maser environments are SFR for star-forming
regions and O-CSE and C-CSE for oxygen-rich and carbon-rich circumstellar envelopes, respectively. Maser emission from the 1720 MHz OH line has also been found in supernova remnants (SNR). A leading ``\textit{H}'' means that there are hundreds of sources known, a ``\textit{T}'' means tens ($<100$) and an ``\textit{S}'' means some ($<10$). A ``\textit{1}'' means that only a single source has been found to show maser action and that source is listed. Apart from Orion-KL, SiO masers have been found in the \textit{3} SFRs W51N and Sgr B2(M). Methanol masers are marked as Class (Cl) I or to II; see
\cite{Menten1991}.
\end{table}

\subsubsection{\label{ultimate}The power of the EVLA: The ultimate Galactic plane star formation survey}
To demonstrate the awesome power of the EVLA let us consider a blind survey to find and characterize star-forming regions in the Galaxy. Let us first consider the 4--8 GHz EVLA C band. This band contains the frequency (6.7 GHz) of the by far most prominent class II CH$_3$OH\ maser line, the presence of which is a unique tracer of high-mass star formation. The power of sensitive CH$_3$OH\ maser surveys in this line has recently been demonstrated by a blind survey with the Arecibo 300m telescope: \cite{Pandian_etal2007} (see also these proceedings) observed a $b = \pm0\decdeg41$ wide strip from $l = 35\decdeg2$ to $53\decdeg7$ and found, at a completeness level of 0.27 Jy, a total of 86 sources, 48 of them new detections. A large scale single-dish survey covering all of the Galactic plane with an 8 channel array receiver on the Parkes and the Jodrell Bank telescopes is currently under way (\cite{Cohen_etal2007}).

A possible fully sampled C band Galactic plane survey would not only cover the 6.7 GHz methanol line but, in addition, all four hyperfine structure (hfs) lines of rotationally excited OH near 6.0 GHz and the three OH hfs lines near 4.7 GHz (see Table \ref{maserlines}).
The two strongest of the former, at 6030 and 6035 MHz, are excellent lines to study Zeeman splitting and determining magnetic field strengths in ultracompact HII regions (UCHIIRs) where they frequently exhibit maser emission. In more developed, compact HII regions they are seen in absorption (see, e.g., \cite{Fish_etal2006}).

Most interestingly, one would also be able to detect continuum emission from extremely weak UCHIIRs.
With the 4 GHz bandwidth one would reach in 10 sec an rms noise of 41 $\mu$Jy~beam$^{-1}$.
Note that the famous dual frequency \cite{WoodChurchwell1989} targeted survey of 75 UCHIIRs reached a comparable noise level in 4 minutes!

Splitting the continuum band in, e.g., four parts one would be able to determine the spectral properties of the continuum emission between 4 and 8 GHz, a range in which compact and many ultracompact HII region ''turn over'' from an optically thick spectrum with flux density, $S$, $\propto \nu^2$, to an optically thin spectrum ($S \propto \nu^{-0.1}$). The dynamics of the ionized gas could be studied from the velocities of recombination lines.
Note also, that with 50\%\ fractional
bandwidth coverage, the $uv$-plane would be heavily filled, which should result in improved imaging of the continuum emission (``bandwidth synthesis'').

Moreover, it would be possible to observe formaldehyde (H$_2$CO) absorption in the ubiquitous 4.8 GHz ground-state doublet line against the UCHIIRs' continuum emission and, thus, resolve the kinematic distance ambiguity for the detected star-forming regions. To emphasize, by setting spectral windows around the lines in question in will be possible to image all of the mentioned lines (and more) \textit{and} the continuum \textit{simultaneously}.

The ideal complement to this C band survey would be a K band (18--26 GHz) survey which would detect very low luminosity H$_2$O\ masers throughout the galaxy. Note that in contrast to CH$_3$OH\ and OH masers, H$_2$O\ masers are found in high- \textit{and} low-mass star-forming regions. Known masers in the nearby $\rho$ Oph or Perseus low-mass stars forming regions at distances, $D$, of 160 and 350 pc, respectively, have been found with flux densities of hundreds or even thousands of Jy (\cite{Claussen_etal1996}). Such masers placed at the distance of the Galactic center ($D = 8$ kpc) would have flux densities of a few tenths to a few Jy and be detectable in our survey. Such water masers would, in fact, be the only means to find evidence for active low-mass star formation at distances greater than a few kpc. \footnote{We note however, that the luminosity function of H$_2$O\ masers is poorly constrained at the lowest luminosity end (\cite{Palla_etal1993}). Therefore such detections would deliver little information for putting statistical or other constraints on low-mass star formation.}

Apart from detecting H$_2$O\ masers, the K band survey would highly efficiently detect hypercompact HII regions (HCHIIRs; see \cite{Kurtz2005}). These represent highly compact ($<50$ AU) radio continuum emission from embedded protostellar objects with early B to O star luminosities that have an optically thick spectrum up to the highest radio frequencies. With typical K band flux densities of a few mJy or even less (at a few kpc distance) the radio emission is thought to be ``choked off'' by accretion in these sources (\cite{Walmsley1995}) and its intensity cannot be predicted from their total luminosity. Representing the earliest (pre-UCHIIR) stages of high-mass star formation, observations of HCHIIRs are of central interest to constrain high-mass protostellar evolution schemes.

Also covered by the K-band survey would be simultaneous searches for all of the maser lines in that range listed in Table \ref{maserlines} and sensitive searches for absorption lines from  ammonia and other molecules toward the continuum emission of stronger UCHIIRs.

An important by-product of the K band survey would be a list of high frequency calibrator candidates whose suitability, i.e., compactness, could be tested with multi-wavelength data, more extended configuration EVLA  and/or VLBI observations. A dense net of calibrator sources will be highly useful for all high frequency EVLA observations and mandatory for ALMA, for which fast-switching (requiring a nearby calibrator) will be a standard observing procedure and not an exception as currently with the VLA.

If one conducted the C band survey in the B-configuration and the K band survey in the three times more compact C-configuration, both data sets could be restored with comparable synthesized beams around $1''$, which would be highly desirable for meaningful determinations of  band-to-band spectral index distributions.

\subsubsection{What the EVLA will not do}
The EVLA will not provide any enhancements over the VLA for frequencies below 1 GHz. This means, for example, that searches for high-redshift 1667 MHz OH megamasers will be restricted to the frequency range of the current P band system (306--340 MHz), corresponding to $z = $ 3.90--4.45), which will be retained unchanged. While a VLA search for OH gigamaser emission in the $z = 3.911$ broad absorption line quasar APM08279+5255, a well-known source of redshifted dust and CO emission, was unsuccessful (\cite{Ivison2006}), we note that this was the \textit{only} known such source to fall into this redshift band. Given this situation, the detection of high-$z$ OH gigamasers at $z > 0.67$ may have to await the Square Kilometer Array (see \S\ref{ska}).

Moreover, very unfortunately, EVLA Phase II, consisting of physically extending the VLA by adding additional antennas to bridge the gap from VLA to VLBA resolution (''The New Mexico Array'') was not funded.
For a long time MERLIN, will remain the only option to cover that interesting regime at radio wavelengths.
 MERLIN is currently undergoing an upgrade, resulting, a.o., in wider bandwidth receivers, that will enhance its sensitivity up to 30 fold (``e-MERLIN'', \cite{Garrington_etal2004}).

Finally, we emphasize the importance of the ATCA, the only versatile operating radio wavelength interferometer in the southern hemisphere, which will greatly increase with the advent of ALMA. The successful recent 7 mm upgrade and the soon too be installed much wider band correlator are very significant milestones.
\suppressfloats
\suppressfloats
\suppressfloats

\section{The Atacama Large Millimeter Array}
ALMA in its highest resolution configurations at 345 GHz, a wavelength at which weather conditions should allow observations for most of the time, in current planning will have a synthesized beam width of 12 milliarcseconds (mas),  $\approx 3$ times better than the highest VLA resolution. For  maser science with ALMA, see A. Wootten's contribution to these proceedings.  A few additional thoughts follow.
\suppressfloats
\suppressfloats
\suppressfloats

\subsection{Methanol masers}
 So far, a total of 19 class I and class II CH$_3$OH\ maser lines with frequencies between 84 and 230 GHz have been discovered in star-forming regions (\cite{Mueller_etal2004}). Class II CH$_3$OH\ masers show mas structure, i.e., a few AU at a few kpc and are VLBI targets (see, e.g., the contributions by Reid et al. and Xu et al. to these proceedings). In contrast, class I CH$_3$OH\ masers are heavily resolved at the highest VLA resolutions: 25 GHz maser spots in the nearby ($\approx 400$ pc) Orion region have sizes between 20 and 60 AU, or 50 -- 150 mas (\cite{Johnston_etal1997}) and VLBI observations of class I masers have not produced fringes (\cite{Lonsdale_etal1998}). With resolutions intermediate between VLA and VLBI values, ALMA observations of class I masers will reveal their morphology. Since existing observations suggest that they mark interface regions between protostellar outflows and dense ambient gas (\cite{Menten1996}) such observations will be very interesting.

 \subsection{Water masers}
 Apart from the most widespread 22.2 GHz $6_{16}\to5_{23}$  transition, a number
 of (sub)millimeter lines have been discovered from the vibrational ground state as well as from the lowest vibrationally excited state (see the contribution of Hunter et al. to these proceedings). Excitation calculations predict temperature and density ranges in which one might expect inversion of specific lines (\cite{NeufeldMelnick1991}).

 To exploit this, one has to ascertain that maser emission from different lines indeed arises from identical regions. Up to now this was not possible as virtually all submillimeter H$_2$O\ data came from single dish observations. Now, (quasi)simultaneous interferometric observations of the 22.2 and 321 GHz H$_2$O\ maser lines reported in these proceedings by Patel et al. indeed point to a more complicated picture. They find that in the Cepheus A star-forming region the H$_2$O\ maser emission from the much higher excitation 321 GHz line (1846 K above the ground-state) comes from different regions than the emission in the lower excitation 22.2 GHz (643 K) line. Needless to say, this is a wide field awaiting ALMA.

\subsection{HCN masers}
Maser emission from hydrogen cyanide (HCN) has been detected toward several mass-losing carbon stars.
Most of the maser lines are emitted from the vibrationally excited $\nu_2$ state.
For all circumstellar (SiO, H$_2$O, and HCN) masers it should be noted that highest resolution ALMA observations will not only reveal the structure of the maser distributions but will also resolve the stellar submillimeter photospheres of their host AGB stars (Miras) out to several hundred pc and even of further away red supergiants.

\section{\label{ska}The Square Kilometer Array}
See A. Green's contribution to these proceedings for a description of maser science with the SKA. Again, a  few more thoughts:

The usefulness of OH mega- (or rather giga-)masers as a probe of violent star formation at early epochs, complementary to (sub)millimeter dust and molecular and radio continuum studies, has been discussed in a number of studies (\cite{Briggs_etal1998, Townsend_etal2001, Ivison2006}). The SKA will have the potential to detect OH gigamaser emission at all redshifts of potential interest.

The SKA will open new vistas for maser astrometry  with microarcsecond accuracies (\cite{FomalontReid2004}) and the collecting area necessary to image NGC 4248-like systems into the Hubble flow, allowing a high-accuracy determination the Hubble constant (see  L. Greenhill's contribution to these proceedings).

\begin{acknowledgments}
I'm very grateful to Mark Reid for a thorough reading of the manuscript of this paper and to him and Rick Perley for useful suggestions.
\end{acknowledgments}
\suppressfloats
\suppressfloats
\suppressfloats

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


text:
Caline Malek
Minimal link between asylum seekers and terror attacks, study finds
The vast majority (73 per cent) of the 51 successful terror attacks carried out in Europe and North America since June 2014 were carried out by citizens of the country where the attack took place
There was little evidence in the study to link terror attacks, such as the one carried out on Las Ramblas in Barcelona in August, to the influx of asylum seekers into Europe and North America. Susana Vera / Reuters
Only five per cent of all successful terrorist attacks in Europe and North America in the past three years were carried out by refugees or asylum seekers, according to a recent study.
Fear Thy Neighbour: Radicalisation and Jihadist attacks in the West, a study by the Institute for International Studies in Italy, revealed that, of the 51 attacks that took place since Isil declared a Caliphate in June 2014 until June this year, 73 per cent of attackers were citizens of the country where the attack took place, some of whom had dual citizenship. A further 14 per cent were either legal residents or legitimate visitors from neighbouring countries.
"As we know, today migrants - and Muslim migrants, in particular - are often victims of prejudices and negative stereotypes," said Dr Francesco Marone, associate fellow at the institute's programme on radicalisation and international terrorism.
"So it is not entirely surprising that migration is also associated with terrorism, despite relatively few examples for this possible link. Actually, as said, the threat is to a large extent home-grown and domestic."
The majority of the attacks took place in France, which had 17, 16 in the United States, six in Germany, four in the United Kingdom and three in both Belgium and Canada followed by one in both Denmark and Sweden. That brings the number of attacks to 32 in Europe, or 63 per cent, and 19 in North America, 37 per cent, causing 395 deaths and 1,549 injuries.
"Terrorism and mass migration are two distinct and very different challenges that Europe face," Dr Marone said. "In our work, we found little evidence of a direct link between these two phenomena. Our report shows that, compared to attackers who were citizens, legal residents or visitors from neighboring countries, those who were residing illegally in a country or came from abroad is small."
In a discussion on Thursday on the evolution of Jihadist terrorism in Europe, he spoke of the lack of social and economic integration as a serious problem.
"But we show that the levels of radicalisation are uneven throughout Europe and are not automatically associated with the levels of integration," Dr Marone saidon on Thursday during the online forum Security Debate Plus, moderated by Abu Dhabi-based counter extremism think tank Hedayah, among others.
Lack of social integration leads to home-grown radicalisation, analysts say
Are we getting inured to terrorist attacks?
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed asks world to unite against terrorism
ISIL and Al Qaeda still pose threats worldwide, UN experts say
"Several radicals and terrorists in Europe have no link with a specific country or a specific local conflict. They belong to a global jihadist movement."
He suggested combining "hard," repressive measures with "soft," preventative measures of counter-radicalisation and de-radicalisation.
"Our idea is that in many cases between the individual and society, the role of networks and small groups is crucial," Dr Marone said. "Personal relations, including pre-existing family and friendships ties, are often very essential – let's think about the presence of the many brothers in terrorist cells from the Boston Marathon, to Charlie Hebdo, the Bataclan attack and Barcelona."
The study notes that eight per cent of terrorist attacks were carried out by individuals acting under direct orders from Isil's leadership, while 26 per cent were committed by people with no connections whatsoever to Isil or other jihadist groups but were inspired by their message. The majority, 66 per cent, were carried out by individuals who had some form of connection to Isil or other jihadist groups but acted independently.
And although Isil appears to be waning and its fall near, Dr Marone said it seemed nonetheless likely that the cause of global jihadism would survive the group and continue to represent a threat to the West in the years to come. "IS, with its 'state', has represented a formidable catalyst for jihadist mobilisation in Europe and in the world," he added. "In short, the problem has diverse and deep roots."
Experts call it one of the most urgent problems facing the world today.
"Over the last couple of months, we've had some good success in driving Daesh out of Syria and Iraq but let's not fool ourselves," said Jamie Shea, deputy assistant secretary general for emerging security challenges at Nato. "We know that this is a very flexible type of organisation that has already turned up in Afghanistan, Libya, increasingly in Yemen, Somalia and Nigeria, so we know it has a very adaptable business model. Even if it's been defeated on the battlefield, a considerable propaganda capability via social media has driven many so-called lone wolves into attacks."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Zoann and Tim Wall's story
The Story of Christian, Christopher and Nathaniel Wall
From an article by Lee Herrold, Goshen News Staff Writer
Published Wednesday, October 18, 2000
"Goshen Couple Shares Loss and Hope"
Faith and companionship saw Tim and Zoann Wall through the loss of three baby sons in a matter of a year. The Goshen couple lost twin sons Christian E. and Christopher D., who were born prematurely Christmas Day 1996. Zoann delivered them at just 20 weeks into her pregnancy. The twins were still alive when the Walls got to the hospital, but died before delivery. On January 6, 1998 Zoann gave birth to Nathaniel Patrick, at 21 weeks along. Nathaniel weighed 1 pound, 3.6 ounces, and lived for two hours after birth.
The twins were born in Hutchinson, Kansas, where Tim and Zoann were visiting Tim's parents for the holidays. Christian weighed 12.4 ounces and Christopher 15.1 ounces. They were delivered one hour apart. "Their eyes were still sealed, but they had fingernails and eyebrows and even a little hair," Zoann recalled. The labor could not be stopped with Nathaniel, Zoann said, explaining that doctors discovered that her cervix opened prematurely. The Walls had support of family and their church, Silverwood Mennonite Church. The couple said they were in a state of shock when the twins were born. But they chose to see their sons, hold them and take pictures. "I think it would have been a lot harder if we hadn't seen the babies or held them," Zoann said. "It definitely helps you deal with the grief." "It was kind of a hollow feeling," Tim said. "He was just crushed," Zoann said. "I just stared out at this car in the parking lot all night," Tim added. It was difficult to call Zoann's parents and tell them the news, the couple explained, and the congregation of Silverwood Mennonite was stunned. The church has a prayer chain and the couple knew of at least eight churches across the country that were praying for them. "The church went through the loss with us." Zoann said.
The loss of Nathaniel was a different experience, Tim explained. "With Nathaniel, what I felt was, 'we know how to do this,'" he said. "It was a different kind of experience. We had a feeling of what would happen, but we had hope." All three sons are buried in Violett Cemetery, Babyland section, in Goshen.
Today the Walls are happily enjoying the result of two successful pregnancies. The birth of a daughter, Chloe, on January 27, 1999 and a son, Benjamin on March 21, 2001. Chloe was born healthy at 11 pounds and Benjamin at 9 pounds 12.2 ounces. With both pregnancies, Zoann said, doctors put in a cerclage, in which the cervix is stitched shut at the end of the first trimester so it cannot open prematurely. About three to four weeks before delivery doctors remove the cerclage.
"A tough question is when people ask how many kids we have," Tim said. "We consider that our family includes these other babies (Christian, Christopher and Nathaniel). "The thing that helped me was putting together the scrapbook," Zoann said. "Everything we've read says to take pictures." The Walls said Goshen General Hospital takes pictures of lost babies, regardless of whether or not the parents choose to, and keep them on file for family members to see at any time. (You are welcome to view the pictures we took of our sons, by clicking on the links below)
A support group called Parents Sharing Hope was born out of the Walls experience with perinatal bereavement. "We knew that not everybody would have the support we had," Zoann said. Parents Sharing Hope has been meeting for nearly three years. The group meets at the Goshen General Hospital chapel the fourth Monday of each month at 7 p.m.
"Heaven's youngest angels with the sweetest faces are often the hardest for us to view"
Christian E. Wall and Christopher D. Wall
Still born at 20 weeks
Forever our firstborn
Nathaniel Patrick Wall
Born 21 Weeks, Lived 1 hour, 45 minutes
We treasure our short time with you


As a member of the pop group The Communards, Richard Coles was part of the bestselling single of 1986: "Don't Leave Me This Way". When he returned into the public eye in the 1990s, he had unexpectedly become a vicar. He is now known as the presenter of Saturday Live on BBC Radio 4, and has recently published two books telling some of the stranger stories of the saints: Lives of the Improbable Saints and Legends of the Improbable Saints, both published by Darton, Longman and Todd.
Medieval hagiography is gloriously bonkers, isn't it, from a modern point of view.
How seriously do you think people took these stories?
Very seriously. The saints were central for Christians' way of life, and I think people had a very powerful sense of the active presence of saints in their lives. They were economically useful – there are sleepy villages in the poor south of Italy where they were able to stand on a wider stage than they would have done because they had some great levitating friar in the 19th Century. They had all kinds of uses.
If they're impossible for us to take seriously, does it give you a sense of a huge distance between us and our Christian forebears?
Not so huge sometimes. Some still take them very seriously – in parts of Catholic Europe or the Orthodox East, people have a very lively and unstraightforward relationship with the saints of their traditions.
For us I think it's a bit harder. But one of my favourite saints is from well into the enlightenment, the 1740s. He was a beggar in Rome who was charming and used to levitate so regularly in churches that the vergers used to wait for him to levitate so that they could sweep under him. Clearly there's some desire for saints doing spectacular things well into the enlightenment.
What are your thoughts about the truth of such stories?
Are saints important to your own faith?
Oh yes. I think that at the heart of all these stories you'll find a pearl, something irreducibly significant about these people – that their lives were compelling. I think what a saint does is anticipate the life of heaven, living in a way that only makes sense in the context of God's eternal bliss. Saints show you on earth a pattern of what might be, for you, for everyone.
I wouldn't recommend some of their austerities though. Rose of Lima rubbing chilli peppers into her face to remind her of the sufferings of Christ, that's not a discipline I'd advocate.
So they're just not wacky stories?
No, though I do like wacky stories. Christianity is a wacky story. I don't shy from wackiness.
Does sainthood itself appeal to you?
I think God wants us all to be saints, but I wouldn't put money on my own canonisation. If we just let God do God's work then we will all be saints; the thing is we put up so much resistance to the programme – and priests are notorious for putting up excessive resistance.
If you deal every day with the stuff of faith, you have the danger of becoming rather pedestrian about it. I think where it goes wrong for priests is not so much lapses into egregious sin, as lapses into colourlessness and boredom. Saints are never colourless and never boring.
Can we talk about your background? Was there much religion in your upbringing?
In the background, yes. My mother came from a very low church Anglican background, my father came from a very indifferent Anglican background, so I can't say that it was rigorous. But I was a chorister from when I was about eight – loved the music, loved chapel, but didn't believe any of it for a second. So a very Anglican start – I liked the smell, but I didn't really want to be part of it.
Would your parents have had any inkling that you might end up where you are today?
None at all. I remember my father urging on me with unusual force not to get ordained. So I've been a grave disappointment to him.
Do you get where that attitude comes from?
Yes, I do. He's a very gentle man, and the worst I've ever heard him say about anything is: "It's a bit weird," and he thinks religion is a bit weird. He goes, and receives communion, but doesn't like enthusiasm or waving your arms around – in religion, in politics.
Do you look back on yourself as a young atheist and feel there was something you were missing then, or was it just a different stage of your life?
There was definitely something missing. There were gaps in my life that accumulated into a real hole. And that's where faith took a home. I realised that I hadn't been living fully before, because it's difficult to live fully without some kind of spiritual life. I do think it's good for people. Sometimes it can produce very bad things, of course, but it brings a richness and a depth of reflection to life. I'm not saying it's the only way you can get it, but it's the only way I can get it.
Your pop career happened thanks to a car accident.
Yes, when I was 19 I was run over, and with the compensation money I bought a saxophone. I was already a pianist, but the saxophone was my entry to the pop world, which is bizarre when you consider how bad I was at it.
It was a pretty rapid career trajectory.
I was lucky in that I knew Jimmy Somerville, and hitched my wagon to one of the most prodigiously talented singers of his generation, so I never had to do that thing of going up and down the M6 in a van, we went straight in with a chart topping single. In a sense I was lucky, though it's not always good if things come too easy. It was like winning the lottery. These things do change us.
Yes, on the whole. It was incredibly well rewarded and I would not hand it back. But I never really liked being a pop star. I wasn't cut out for it. Jimmy and I had a rather difficult relationship, and I don't miss that.
In what way were you not cut out to be a pop star?
I didn't really like pop music. And there's something awful about compulsory fun that makes me want to go and drink White Lightning. Also, who was I trying to kid? In videos the record company made me stand at the back and move the lights so they didn't fall on me at all. A great face for radio, as they say.
And I had preposterously grandiose ideas of pop music being at the vanguard of a revolution, and pop music is at its best when it's honest and authentic, which was Jimmy.
But there was a political dimension to pop in the 1980s, wasn't there, which is completely missing under today's Tory government.
I think you can hear it in some music of black origin. What's different about the 80s is that "Smalltown Boy", Bronski Beat's first hit, was in the charts at the same time as Frankie Goes to Hollywood and George Michael, so there was something about pop and sexuality that was very potent. I'm glad that we had an opportunity to put into the mainstream a different version of what gay people were like. That was a good thing to do. People like that sometimes had a very significant effect on the lives of people who were coming out in places like Kettering where I come from.
Tell us how you became a Christian.
When I got to the end of pop music there was a lot of soulsearching. We had that great success and vindication, but it coincided with the arrival of HIV. All of a sudden people in our circle of friends were getting terribly ill and dying in ways which were completely unimaginable. It was then that I discovered this hole in my life that was calling out for something to fill it.
I started getting religious twinges, so I went to see a psychiatrist which was, I thought, the place to take that sort of thing, and he told me to see a priest. As soon as I got over my reluctance to walk through the door, I realised it was my natural habitat, I felt completely at home there.
I had had a year of mad drug-taking and getting into scrapes, and that made me look an idiot. It was rather humiliating, and that was good, because pop stars need humiliating. It made me think: "I've got to learn the rudiments of discipleship". And once I'd decided to do that, it came very quickly.
You have a parish ministry. Do you also see it as a ministry to represent Christianity in the media?
I'm much more comfortable trying to represent it in parish ministry. If you're in the mainstream media, people want you to be Derek Nimmo or the Vicar of Dibley. And that's not what I want to be. You have to think of ways to be authentic to your tradition, but not completely unintelligible.
What do you want to be that's not Derek Nimmo or the Vicar of Dibley?
I want to look like someone who's living a life that everyone else is living – with commitments and principles, enjoying the things that one enjoys, enduring the things that one has to endure – but with a public and obvious commitment to the Gospel. Which is becoming an increasingly unusual thing in the world in which I live.
I know how to do it – it's about having your priorities right and maintaining a life of prayer – but it's quite hard sometimes.
What do you think of the public profile of the Church today?
It's an interesting one. The more media part of me switches on the news and my heart sinks when I hear the latest clumsy debacle that we've got ourselves into. But there's a more thoughtful part of me that doesn't mind it so much, because I think the Church will always look weird, especially when mainstream values are so far from the values that we would want to sustain and cherish – the capitulation to materialism that is such a hallmark of our culture, and endless consumerist self-absorption – all of which I manifest in my own life. Christianity's got something very powerful to offer as a correction to that. That's inevitably going to make us look weird, but it's being the right sort of weird.
Was there any concern about the "weirdness" of having a priest present a non-religious programme such as Saturday Live?
It doesn't seem weird to me. But yes, some people deeply resent the fact that there's someone in a dog collar on the telly doing these sorts of things. I do what I do now because I saw other people make it look possible; I like to think that by doing this I might make it look possible to others.
What about the Church's attitude to gay people?
Well, poor old church, in a way, coming from a long history where the notion of homosexuality is so difficult. I don't share that view, but I hope to be patient; and there's a lot of opportunity for creativity in the tension between those two, provided people aren't unspeakably foul to each other. I do think it's important that we model, even in our most intense disagreements, a way of seeking reconciliation, a way of acknowledging the God-given dignity of those with whom we disagree.
In Britain, I think more and more people are getting used to gay people just being around. It's been a really rapid change, and rapid change isn't always easy. I've been very moved: if you can, with honesty and sacrifice, move from a position which is cherished to you, that's very impressive. Christians from a conservative background have moved far – way beyond their comfort zone sometimes – and that's greatly to their credit. It's a different world, for me, from what it was even 10 years ago.
The way forward, to use an ugly expression, is never to abandon reconciliation and to be decent to each other.


Did California Pass a Law Allowing Undocumented Immigrants to Vote in Federal Elections?
California did pass a law intended to increase voter turnout, but the state has not made it legal for undocumented residents to vote.
California has passed a law allowing undocumented residents to vote.
California has implemented a law providing for the automatic voter registration of motorists who obtain or renew driver's licenses, and critics contend that the law will make it easier for non-citizens to unlawfully vote.
California has not implemented a law authorizing non-citizens to vote in federal elections.
That announcement renewed interest in another California law, the "New Motor Voter Act," which was passed in October 2015. The combination of these two acts, one allowing undocumented residents to obtain driver's licenses, the other automatically registering citizens to vote when obtaining driver's licenses, sparked fears (which have been periodically resurrected for more than a decade) that California was allowing undocumented residents to vote.
California officials believe the program — which does not give license holders any US federal benefits — does make roads in the most populous US state safer, several state sources said.
It does not allow license holders, for example, the right to fly on airplanes inside the United States, nor does it give anyone legal residency status, the right to work or to seek a US passport.
"… Automated voter registration is actually a more secure way of doing things," California Secretary of State Alex Padilla told HuffPost.
Potential voters "have to demonstrate proof of age, the vast majority of time people are showing a birth certificate or a passport, which also reflects citizenship. That's arguably more secure than someone checking a box under penalty of perjury," Padilla said.
Initially the law required that the state implement the California New Motor Voter Program by 1 January 2020, but a lawsuit over the issue resulted in a legislative amendation that pushed the date forward to April 2018.
While it's true that undocumented residents living in California can obtain driver's licenses, the state has not passed any laws that also provide them the right to vote. The New Motor Voter Act was passed in an effort to improve voter turnout, and while this law does automatically register citizens to vote when they obtain or renew their driver's licenses, that action only applies to citizens who have already attested and/or documented an eligibility to vote.
In November 2016, the California city of San Francisco did pass a ballot proposition allowing some non-citizens to register to vote in local school board elections only.
This article was updated in January 2018 to include information about a recently settled lawsuit.
Courthouse News Service. 17 January 2018.
The Washington Times. 11 October 2015.


Luxurious yacht deck Photography desktop wallpaper, Water wallpaper, Ocean wallpaper, Umbrella wallpaper, Yacht wallpaper, Photography wallpaper - Photography no. 53176. Download this Luxurious yacht deck Water Ocean Umbrella Yacht desktop wallpaper in multiple resolutions for free.


text:
ART (abréviation de Android Runtime) est un environnement d'exécution utilisé principalement par le système d'exploitation Android. Il vise à remplacer la machine virtuelle Dalvik et à remplacer le bytecode par des instructions natives.

Principe de fonctionnement

L'arrivée d'Android 2.2 "Froyo" permet une optimisation des applications par du profilage de code et une recompilation fréquente de certains éléments du bytecode, afin de permettre de meilleures performances.

Au contraire de Dalvik, ART utilise la compilation anticipée, en compilant l'application à son installation, sans besoin ultérieur d'interprétation. ART permet ainsi d'augmenter les performances, donc d'augmenter la durée de vie de la batterie. De plus, le ramasse-miettes et les allocations mémoires sont plus efficaces, avec plus d'options de débogage ou de profilage des applications.

Pour conserver la rétrocompatibilité, ART utilise des fichiers APK ou .dex, ainsi que du bytecode Dalvik. Cependant, les fichiers .odex sont remplacés par des ELF ( Executable and Linkable Format). Après l'installation, seule l'ELF est utilisée, les spécificités Dalvik étant ignorées ou supprimées. En contrepartie, la compilation dure plus longtemps, et l'application prend plus d'espace de stockage.

Android 4.4 "KitKat" propose une préversion d'ART, mais conserve Dalvik par défaut. Par contre pour la version Android 5.0 "Lollipop", Dalvik est entièrement remplacé par ART.

Brevets

Aux États-Unis, un procès opposant Oracle à Google est en cours, car Dalvik enfreindrait des brevets d'Oracle. C'est une des raisons pour le changement vers ART, qui ne pose pas ce problème. En , la Cour suprême des États-Unis donne finalement raison à Google contre Oracle. Il  est notamment rappelé que Dalvik n'est plus utilisé depuis Android 5.0.

Voir aussi
 Android SDK
 Historique des versions d'Android
 Machine virtuelle

Références

Liens externes
 , XDA Developers, February 12, 2014
 , Google I/O 2014, by Anwar Ghuloum, Brian Carlstrom and Ian Rogers
 , Google I/O 2010, by Ben Cheng and Bill Buzbee
 Delivering Highly Optimized Android Runtime (ART) and Web Runtime on Intel Architecture, Intel, August 4, 2015, by Haitao Feng and Jonathan Ding
 Android N for Developers: Profile-guided JIT/AOT compilation, Android Developers, describes ART changes in the upcoming Android N

Android

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Take total control of your reviews, boost trust and get more customers using your business. Easily collect & display your favorite Google & Facebook reviews on any website.
Centralize and monitor your Google, Facebook and direct reviews from a single inbox. Get alerts when your business is given a new review.
Connect your Google & Facebook reviews and collect more reviews directly on your salon website. Display your favorites on your website in a beautiful review feed, and share to social media.
Get Google stars and a review rating in the search listings. Improve your website ranking with rich snippet schema code optimised for Google, get more visitors clicking through to your business's website.
Creating social media content takes time & costs big money. Reviews are your new source of free content, share your favorites to Facebook & Twitter easily.
Collecting reviews manually is slow and painful. Add a prominent 'Leave A Review' link to your website and collect more reviews effortlessly.
Don't let bad reviews damage your business. Receive alerts when your business is given negative reviews and see suggested actions to protect your reputation.
Easy integration with WordPress, Wix, Shopify, Squarespace and other systems, so you can display your reviews on any website in a matter of minutes.
Take the pain out of replying to reviews. With Innova you can respond to all your reviews from a single dashboard, replies can be private or public.
No review is displayed without your approval. Select which reviews are displayed on your website, and you can reply to a negative review without displaying it.
Choose your review displays: create a reviews page, or prominently show your reviews in a tab in the corner of your site. Choose a color and position to suit your own website.
Good, mediocre and bad reviews are flagged in green, orange and red. Save time with helpful suggestions of actions you could take with each new review.
Just letting you know we're really liking InnovaReviews. Have had it on our site for over a month, mainly used as a way to consolidate other reviews (FB, TripAdvisor) and share on our site.
Perhaps the coolest review tool out there!
Just discovered Innova and LOVE it! The team is open to new ideas and new features are being rolled out on a frequent basis!
I was having problems setting up the review tab, I reached out via email and was told they would look into the issue. After about 2 days the issue was fully resolved and now I am collecting reviews, which are vital for my service business.
Really impressed with the design and ease of setup/ download. Copied current reviews from Facebook page into an excel sheet for upload and voila, 23 x 5* reviews now on my website too.


Image: Tahar Lamri, courtesy of the author.
Robert Elliot's translation of Tahar Lamri's "Cous Cous Klan" appears in the September 2016 issue: There Is No Map: The New Italian(s).
My judgment, then, of whether the translation works or not is based largely on whether or not it jars with how I imagine it would sound with Tahar speaking it. As simple as that.
But not quite; the fact that Lamri commands the attention of roomfuls of teenagers so effortlessly depends not just on the tone of his voice, and not even entirely on the things he says, but also on the audience's expectations of him. In Italy, for a whole series of complex reasons, related more or less to the recentness of mass immigration into the country (mid-1990s onward) and the generally catastrophic way that has affected political and media discourse, anybody introduced to an audience as an "Algerian writer" automatically invokes a whole lot of preconceptions in people's minds, much more so than in countries like France, Germany, and Britain. These preconceptions may be fleeting, and are not necessarily negative—especially in a younger, more culturally diverse audience—but they definitely exist, and any speaker of non-Italian origin is forced to take them into account.
Tahar Lamri plays on them with great skill. In a live reading, the beginning of "Cous Cous Klan," with its interminable list of Arabic names, could be a classic example of this: the emphasizing of Samir's "Arab-ness" catches the audience unawares and sets the scene for the finely contrived insights into cultural identity in the paragraphs to follow. But it also poses questions: how does this interplay of preconceptions and reactions between audience and speaker carry over into the actual substance of his writing? Does he write, as he speaks to an audience, in a way that plays on what he believes his readers' preconceptions of him to be? Has he developed a set of literary devices to compensate for the absence of this real-life interplay? If so, what are they? And, more to the point, how do they translate into another language?
I will not attempt to answer these questions here. What I will do, though, from my privileged vantage point of knowing the sound of the author's voice, is explain a couple of choices I made to stop the translation from "jarring." I hope this will contribute to the debate on translating works—often written not in the author's mother tongue—referring to highly specific social and political circumstances that can deeply affect the language itself.
At first sight, this phrase may seem a bit overly formal, like a solicitor reading a will. Would it not be more normal to put "portable country" before "to my parents"? Perhaps, but then, as well as having to solve the problem of the possessive pronoun—it would now have to be "this portable country"—you would also lose the initial, slightly ironic, emphasis that Lamri would put on the words "my parents" if he were reading it. I'm sure about this. I can't imagine him reading it in any other way, and so that was the deciding factor when I chose this sentence structure. I decided that the risk of sounding formal, and of breaking the number one rule of always turning an Italian sentence on its head to make it sound more "English," was one worth taking in this case.
This is a trickier one. I could not for the life of me understand why Lamri had ended his description of the beautiful, fascinating Fayrouz with "gentle breeze blows." I could understand why something unusual like a person walking under the heavy rain was worth including in a description, but what's unusual about walking in a breeze? And then, to complicate matters further, in the original it's actually "the gentle breeze" and not "a gentle breeze." I rang extremely knowledgeable friends up to ask them if there could be any hidden literary or geographical allusions in "the gentle breeze," but there were none that they knew of. And then I thought: perhaps we're not meant to fully understand it. Perhaps we're seeing it not rationally but through the doting eyes of Djilani, who feels a kind of breeze—the breeze—whenever he sets eyes on his beloved in the street. A mystery package, in other words.
So what do you do with a mystery package that has to be delivered in another language? Unwrap it, take it to pieces, reassemble it as best you can? No, I would say, especially in the case of something written already in a second language, to do the bare minimum: leave the contents as intact as possible and just change the wrapping ever so slightly—"a breeze" instead of "the breeze"—and then see how it sounds.


Traffic Entertainment Group and B-Boy Records are proud to present one of the most influential and original hip hop albums in music history by none other than the BDP for 1987's Criminal Minded. The combination of the legendary KRS-One, the late DJ Scott La Rock (who was murdered just months after the album's release) and D-nice, brought forth a hard hitting street-wise album backed by an intelligent, politically and socially conscious approach to the lyrics over the minimal and simplistic beats of the time. Elevating the standards and proving that rap could be a dynamic and consciousness-raising medium, as the album touched on life in the South Bronx, paving the way for what some would call the official arrival of gangsta rap. The much anticipated, double-disc deluxe edition features the original ten tracks off of the album and is enhanced with the ultra rare video for the ''The Bridge Is Over'' with all cuts remastered from the original recordings. The second disc contains rare 12'' cuts and alternative versions as well as previously unreleased radio spots and audio footage. Also within the new packaging there is never before seen artwork packed with original illustrations by KRS-One himself, vintage BDP promotional material, unreleased photography, full lyric sheets, and in depth liner notes. A must have for collectors and a must listen for first timers!


In 2008, I left my job at Amazon.com to become the Director of Quality Assurance at a small startup called Ugobe. Ugobe made artificial life forms, a phrase that, up until then, I'd only hear in science fiction. It was a wonderful experience, interacting with some of the most forward-thinking people whom I've ever met. There was a lot that our products didn't do with respect to being completely autonomous and alive. However, we only believed that they couldn't do it yet.
Our first product was a robotic dinosaur named PLE0. Unlike other dinosaur robots, PLE0 had no remote. It decided what to do, when and how. If something happened to PLE0 (good or bad), PLE0 would react to it to show his approval or disapproval.
One of the fascinating aspects of the product was the way that it affected other life forms, mainly humans. As humans, we have an incredible capacity to fill in the gaps in our experience, if we observe 70% of an alive experience, we tend to fill in the gaps by overlaying our living experience onto the portion of the living experience that is present. This allows us to bond with the artificial life form as if it is alive. We see evidence of sadness, and consider the events that took the robot to being sad; and, soon, we're thinking about the robot's feelings to the point where some humans are visibly upset when PLE0 wails with discomfort.
As I was learning all of this, I decided to introduce PLEO to my 4-year-old. I found an excellent opportunity to do this while she was coloring one day. I thought that it would be interesting to see which activity would be more compelling. It turned out that I learned a lot more.
You can see that Sunny refers to PLE0 as "she," which was remarkable since at the lab we all referred to PLE0 in the masculine sense. Also, she was immediately asking if PLE0 could color with her. Lastly, as soon as she touched PLE0 and experienced PLE0's reaction, the coloring activity was out of her mind.
The video is only 1:43 because my camera phone didn't have the capacity of today's phones. This leaves a gap between the first video and this one. Sunny had been so rough with PLE0, that I began to pet PLE0 to try to bring down his anxiety so that Sunny could get a more balanced experience. Sunny let me know that she thought I was petting PLE0 too hard.
It's fun to look back at this video, now six years later. PLE0 was an acronym for Personal Life Enhancing Organism. Although he mainly sits on the shelf in my office today, he's the most human machine that I own.
We did. I believe that they're still selling, but from a different company. After Ugobe went out of business, Innvo Labs is selling them at PleoWorld (http://www.pleoworld.com/pleo_rb/eng/products.php).
Awesome post and videos! I have never seen anything like it!


Ice wine (Eiswein in Germany and icewine in Canada) is a rich, flavorful and rare dessert wine. To make ice wine, the winemaker leaves the grapes on the vine, long after traditional harvest season has ended, hoping neither rain nor hungry wildlife gets the grapes first. As soon as the temperature drops sufficiently and the grapes freeze, the grapes must be picked before dawn, and pressed before they thaw. Because much of the water in the grapes is frozen, the pressed juice is concentrated, rich in flavor and high in sugar and acidity.
This one's definitely a splurge, but if you consider that each grape (supposedly) yields but one drop of sugary-sweet juice, you might get why. Made with Cabernet Franc, with an interplay of complex red fruits and even some supple tannins (10% of the wine is aged in French oak). Round red flavors, at once bright and brambly.
With higher levels of acidity and sugar, ice wine is typically a good candidate for aging. Over time, brighter notes tend to recede and let a slightly richer, deeper character come out, as with this bottle from 2007—darker than a young ice wine, with notes of raisin intermingling with the more traditional apricot and lighter, honeyed fruits.
Another slightly aged ice wine, this one made from Cab Franc, with intermingling sweet and dry red fruit flavors (think cherry, strawberry, cranberry, pomegranate). There's less forward sweetness, tamed a bit by age, allowing the fruit to softly play a lead role.
Eiswein is one of the estate's sweet wine specialities. While we can produce noble sweet wines (Auslese, BA and TBA) in exceptional years only, we make Eiswein nearly every year. Grüner Veltliner is especially good for Eiswein. Because of this variety's thick skin, the grapes can hang on the vines for a very long time without any damage occurring. According to the Austrian wine law (unlike other countries) the grapes must be frozen naturally and can be harvested at a minimum temperature of -7°C.
Vidal is a hybrid (Ugni Blanc and Seibel) that has a thick skin suitable for harvesting late in the season. It is the grape grown most for Icewine in Ontario. It's good natural acidity gives great structure to the lusciousness of its tropical aromas and flavors of mango and lychee. Inniskillin Vidal Icewine is made in two distinct styles-without oak aging for fresh fruit emphasis and with oak aging for added complexity.
If you want to sample some really good ice wine, you can buy this one in 187 mL sizes. But go for the bigger bottle and you'll get twice as much golden, tropical fruit, pure honey, and florals lingering over a long, luxurious finish.
Germany—where eiswein started—tends to put out a slightly subtler product than Austria, complex and surprisingly gentle. This offering from the Mosel region seeps with lush light honey and apple as well as florals and the bright, pure freshness you've (by now) come to expect out of your eiswein (and ice wine).
When Magnotta celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2010, no doubt this crowd-pleasing Icewine was part of the fun. Luscious and sweet with apricot, candied peach, toffee and honey. A decadent match for aged cheeses, pecan pie or pineapple upside-down cake.


text:
Q: nav-bar and carousel-caption on it

 #slider {
     width: 100%;
 }
 .carousel-caption{
     top: 50%;
     transform: translateY(-50%);
     bottom: initial!important;

 }
 .carousel-caption h5{
    color: rgb(0, 0, 0);
    font-size: 42px;

 };

How To Make A Website

enter image description hereI loaded a navigation that has a slide carousel as well as a caption in the middle.
When the page is scrolled, the caption moves on the navigation by moving the page.
How can I eliminate this condition?
#slider {
     width: 100%;
 }
 .carousel-caption{
     top: 50%;
     transform: translateY(-50%);
     bottom: initial!important;

 }
 .carousel-caption h5{
    color: rgb(255, 255, 255);
    font-size: 42px;

 };

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Saudi Arabia beat Egypt 2-1 in each team's final match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, a match marred by officiating controversy and the continuation of trends for the Pharaohs under manager Hector Cuper.
Egypt's first World Cup finals since 1990 ended just as quickly as it began, with the Pharaohs succumbing to their second loss in as many games, this time 3-1 to hosts Russia.
Egypt let a masterful defensive performance go by the wayside in its first World Cup match in 28 years, conceding a 90th minute goal to José Giménez in a loss to Uruguay.


text:
Anyone else feel like they constantly need to sit down??
Healers420
It's driving me crazy. Sometimes (mostly at night) I get dizzy and feel like I have to sit down. It's hard to describe how I feel really just weak and kinda like my heart rate might be elevated and my legs get heavy. Is there anyone else out there feeling this sense of weakness? I have normal blood pressure when I go to my appointments, I'm not sure what could be causing this but it's giving me extreme anxiety!
zandriaadams000
Are you staying hydrated? I had a spell like that once and they put me in an iv, they told me dehydration can cause dizziness and faintness as well. I'd still go to the doctor and talk to them about just to be sure about things. I hope u get better!
@zandriaadams000,
honestly probably not drinking enough water, this could be it.. thank you for the advice!!
Moms Who Exclusively Pump Reveal How They Make It Work
Spouse doesn't do chores unless asked and is messy. Help!
January 26, 2022 | by Halagua
Looking for advice regarding being married to someone who doesn't do chores or anything around the house unless asked. I feel like I'm his mother because I'm always asking him to make the bed if he is the last to wake up, take the trash out...
Latest: 1 day ago | cachanel
My husband is making me feel like Sh!t
January 16, 2022 | by mamabearxo3
So I gained a lot of weight during pregnancy and literally have like 50lbs to lose. I HATE to even look in the mirror and feel like I don't belong in this body, I don't even recognize myself and I feel horrendously insecure. My husband is very...
Latest: 11 days ago | HydrateVigorously
Boyfriends family
January 11, 2022 | by katieb39526
Sorry for the length I just need to rant and it feels like no one cares about my feelings.We aren't married yet but plan to get married. He's been my best friend for 8 years and I've known his sister for like 6 years so his family has known...
Latest: 16 days ago | KayRickson
Please specify a reason for deleting Anyone else feel like they constantly need to sit down?? from the community. Note that once you confirm, this action cannot be undone.


Tickets are nonrefundable non-changeable and nontransferable. On entry customer must display a valid photo identification document such as original emirates ID, driving license, or original passport along with matching name on the debit / credit card that was used for purchase. Online ticket resale is prohibited. If the ticket is bought via a reseller such as Online ticket shop, Viagogo or Dubizzle it is considered invalid, entry to the event will be declined. It is the responsibility of the customer to be of the correct age required to enter the event. It is customers responsibility to abide by the dress code set by Shock Middle East (Shock Me Events). If the customer is declined entry by Shock Middle East (Shock Me Events) for any reason Shock Middle East (Shock Me Events) is not liable to refund the tickets. It is the responsibility of the customer to attend the event at the correct time.
Non-attended events will not be refunded by Shock Middle East (Shock Me Events). Shock Middle East (Shock Me Events) accepts no responsibility for any personal property lost or stolen, or injury or any losses sustained at the event. Shock Middle East (Shock Me Events) will not be responsible for any lost or damaged tickets. Exchanging of seats / tickets or categories is not allowed. One person per ticket. The ticket is valid only for the specified show and cannot be reused across multiple events. Shock Middle East (Shock Me Events) has the right to refuse entry once the show has started. No re-entry. Event artist lineup is subject to change at any time. Ticket resale is strictly prohibited, tickets purchased by ticket resellers will be canceled and will not be refunded.


We have loads of marketing resources for you, right here!
If you keep scratching your head, wondering why you are only getting trickles of traffic to your site and low social media engagement, you'll discover some things that might be missing from your digital marketing strategy.
Plus... We have a bunch of articles in the archives on sales and marketing you might find helpful.


In November 2014, a section of existing electricity transmission line near Battle Abbey, the site of the 1066 Battle of Hastings, was shortlisted as part of National Grid's Visual Impact Provision (VIP) project.
The Project is making use of a £500 million allowance made available by Ofgem until 2021 to reduce the visual impact of existing electricity transmission lines in protected landscapes in Great Britain.
The shortlist was compiled following a landscape and visual impact assessment, commissioned by National Grid, which identified the line section in High Weald AONB along with 11 others as having the most significant landscape and visual impact.
National Grid and the High Weald AONB Partnership are now working together to investigate whether it is possible to mitigate the impact of this section of transmission line.
The event is an opportunity to talk with the project team and share any information which we may need to take into account as part of this initial study. The information that we gain from this session will be used as a key part of a report on this section of line which will be fed back to the project's Stakeholder Advisory Group in April 2015.


This 4th floor oceanfront unit was remodeled in 2012. Ideally positioned on the 4th floor to take advantage of the view of the islands of Lana'i & Moloka'i as well as the trade wind breezes. Decorated to bring in the ocean colors and ambiance. Totally updated kitchen and bathrooms. Fully equipped kitchen for your culinary needs. Two separate bedrooms with Cal King beds and their own bathrooms; each bathroom have walk-in showers (no tubs).


text:
Report says city has inconsistent monitoring of public funds
Taylor Ablett, staff Tuesday, Oct. 6th, 2015
Photo: KPMG Auditor Oscar Poloni presents to city council. Supplied by Taylor Ablett.
The city is getting a taste of what's to come in the final core services review update. The final draft is calling out the high taxes in Timmins, saying we pay more than Sudbury and the Soo, and they are likely to get higher. The lead on the review, Oscar Poloni, says there is a lack of accountability in the city.
He says there is an inconsistent monitoring and reporting on use of public funds. Some departments have to come to city council to report on overages for capital projects, and some don't. Poloni says there is no way to hold the city accountable when those funds are used inefficiently. For example, he found two major expenses that didn't provide value to the city. Poloni refers to major expenses as several hundreds of thousands of dollars. That spending was for technology that wasn't used, and fixing damaged infrastructure. He says in both cases no one was held accountable.
Poloni also raised significant concerns over the city's organizational structure. He says it's too big and too broad, and control over the municipality is getting lost. The final report is being released on Election Day, October 19th.
More of the final draft is online, click here and scroll down to item 2A.


Associate Professor Stacy Duffield and her colleagues at North Dakota State University have always wanted to create the best teacher-preparation program in the nation. But it wasn't until they began collaborating with the 13 other partners in the Foundation's Teacher Effectiveness Initiative (TEI) that they were able to collect the robust data that drive their improvement strategies today.
To get a more accurate measure of NDSU's program performance, Duffield has collaborated with assessment personnel from the 13 other colleges and universities to design and implement a new system they all use to gather and compare feedback about their teacher-preparation programs. They call it the Common Metrics system.
Over the last five years, the Common Metrics system has designed and administered, with support from TEI and two technical assistance consultants, four surveys that span a teacher candidate's path from entering teacher preparation through the first teaching year. The surveys cover factors from what inspired the candidate to teach, to how well they apply specific teaching skills. All participating programs use the resulting aggregate data to inform their improvement strategies.
Evaluators who conducted the midpoint evaluation of TEI recognized the collaborative as one of the biggest successes to emerge thus far from the Foundation's current work.
While that professional acclaim is nice, Duffield says that the best measure of the Common Metric system's success is the quality of teachers the participating institutions produce.


text:
July 17, 2021 by Gourab Bisoi
Oumuamua is the first known interstellar object detected passing through the solar system. When Astronomers first detected it in the year 2017, it was too late to study it properly. But within that brief period, it exhibited some unexpected properties which left astronomers scratching their heads. Its elongated shape, lack of coma and facts that it changed its trajectory were surprising, leading to several competing theories about its origin. Many suggested it is a hydrogen iceberg exhibiting outgassing, or it is an extraterrestrial solar sail on a deep-space journey.
There is no way to know what it was for sure, as we didn't get a good look at it. But a paper published on ArXiv suggests that in future, we might be able to study other interstellar visitors properly and may even land on it using a small satellite with a solar sail.
The paper suggested that we could design and build a spacecraft that could catch the next interstellar visitor at short notice. The idea of an interstellar interceptor like this has already been discussed, and NASA's Innovative Advanced Concept (NIAC) program have been funding the study of such concepts. But the question is, such a mission will be feasible, and if so, then how would such an interceptor work?
The researcher suggested that combining solar sail technology with miniaturize space probes which make the spacecraft small and lightweight, could work.
JAXA's IKAROS probe to venus and the Planetary Society's LightSail 2 project in earth orbit have proven solar sails as a feasible propulsion system. Likewise, Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Cube One shown that CubeSats works like a charm. And researchers believe that both combined could be a powerful tool for exploration.
Solar sails are a method of spacecraft propulsion that take advantage of radiation pressure exerted by sunlight on large mirrors. The first spacecraft to make use of this technology was IKAROS, launched in 2010. A CubeSat is a type of miniaturized satellite for space research that is made up of multiple cubic modules of 10cm10cm10cm in size.
In the paper, the researcher proposes that a solar sailing CubeSat could be launched ahead of time, parking in an orbit around the sun to intercept an interstellar object whenever we noticed another interstellar visitor.
This kind of first response vehicle parked in an orbit around the sun could be activated when we discover any interesting object like Oumuamua. It can be designed for various mission types, like a five-year mission to study from up close. Or a 10 years mission to bring peace to such extraterrestrial object to earth for detailed study.
One of the major engineering challenges for such a mission concerns the solar sail's ability to manage heat. The interceptor would have to travel much closer to the sun than any previous solar sail tests, which usually use aluminium coated with Kapton. The properties of this material might enable it to survive within 0.15 AU of the sun without melting, but careful consideration will have to be given to shielding the control mechanisms and other spacecraft
Categories Asteroids, Astronomy, Astrophysics, Physics, Science, Technology Tags Engineering, INTERSTELLAR, NASA, NASA's Innovative Advanced Concept, Planetary Society, science, solar sail, Space, Spacecraft, The Planetary Science Journal


text:
Review by Hannah Woodhead @thethirdhan
John Malkovich Lily Collins Zac Efron
Going in with trepidation given Efron's track record.
Curiously light-footed for a biopic of a serial killer.
Efron is compelling, but the film itself leaves a bitter aftertaste.
This controversial Ted Bundy biopic starring Zac Efron only scratches the surface of its subject.
When the first trailer for Joe Berlinger's Ted Bundy biopic dropped, it was met with widespread internet derision, as viewers railed against the curious comic tone, as well as the decision to cast all-American heartthrob Zac Efron as a serial killer responsible for the murder of at least 30 women. That a two-and-a-half minute trailer could inspire a plethora of think pieces about the value of art about evil men and the so-called 'glamourisation of serial killers' proves that some 30 years after Bundy's death, he continues to cast a long shadow on pop culture.
Yet our collective fascination with true crime (and in turn serial killers) has existed for centuries – from Jack the Ripper and Elizabeth Bathory through to the Zodiac Killer and Son of Sam. While many films based on horrific true events can be exploitative and unnecessary, there is still room for those that add something to our wider understanding of events, or – more importantly – the victims, so often forgotten in narratives swept up with their shocking subject.
In theory, then, Joe Berlinger's Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, based on the memoir of Bundy's long-term girlfriend Elizabeth Kloepfer (also known as Liz Kendall), has a solid premise, seeking to reveal the insidious and devastating impact Bundy's crimes had upon the woman closest to him.
We first meet Kendall (Lily Collins) as she waits to meet with Bundy at Florida State Prison, before the timeline shifts back to their first meeting years earlier at a college bar in Seattle, Washington. The charming, handsome Bundy quickly appeals to Liz, and their life together seems idyllic, until Bundy is arrested in Utah and subsequently accused of aggravated kidnapping. From there Liz's life begins to unravel, as she is forced to reevaluate the life she built with Ted.
Yet the star of the show is unquestionably Efron, who captures the charm and manipulative streak which enabled Bundy to murder women across seven states over a four-year timeframe. It's a theatrical, absorbing performance which works in part because of Efron's own cultish celebrity, but also because he manages to convey something dark and sinister lurking beneath the polished surface. It's easy to understand why Bundy was able to operate for so long, and why he was able to escape from police custody twice – he just didn't fit the profile.
Unfortunately the magnitude of Efron within the film means that it isn't really Kendall's story, and Berlinger never really commits to her point of view. Although the film avoids garishly recreating Bundy's crimes (for the most part), we never gain any sense of who Bundy's victims actually were, or the true extent of the brutality they were subjected to.
Instead Berlinger's film becomes a curious courtroom spectacle that revolves around Bundy's ego and increasingly desperate attempts to avoid incarceration. He's the sort of character who sucks the air out of a room, and against Efron's juggernaut performance, Collins just can't quite keep up. Only in the film's final confrontation between Kendall and Bundy do we begin to fully appreciate what was taken from her by him.
It's hard to see the film as a glamourisation of serial killers – the intention seems to be to highlight the dangerous charismatic sociopathy of Bundy, and the ways in which monsters are often hidden in plain sight. Berlinger's film fails for different reasons. Efron's casting feels like a twisted compliment to Bundy, who probably would have been quite pleased to be portrayed by a handsome, bonafide Movie Star. And as a biopic, the film seems overly fascinated with its subject's mythology, failing to show anything about him that isn't already there in archive footage. It only scratches the surface of the true depravity Bundy was capable of.
Published 1 May 2019
Tags: Ted Bundy
Lars von Trier is up to his old tricks in this absurdly macabre and deeply self-conscious portrait of a serial killer.
Discover the Psycho-esque thrills of this '70s serial killer romance
By Anton Bitel
Peter Collinson's Straight on Till Morning offers a grisly vision of Britain in the 1970s.
articles Home Ents
A scene of almost unwatchable violence will colour your opinion on Michael Winterbottom's dark thriller.


text:
Expolio es la denominación de un tema y motivo iconográfico cristiano que presenta a Jesús antes de su crucifixión, en el momento en el que es despojado de la túnica inconsútil (sin costuras)  y que la costumbre designaba como recompensa para los soldados romanos, que en vez de repartírsela, para evitar romperla, se juegan a suertes, por lo que permaneció intacta. La exégesis que hacen los propios evangelios es el cumplimiento de una profecía del Antiguo Testamento (Repartieron entre sí mis vestidos, y sobre mi ropa echaron suertes); y también se la considera un símbolo de la unidad de los cristianos. Tradicionalmente se representa de color púrpura o rojo.

Los pasajes donde se narra esta escena en la que se despoja a Cristo de sus vestiduras (significado de la palabra "expolio"), bien en el Gólgota, o bien durante el Vía Crucis, están en el Evangelio de Mateo, en el Evangelio de Marcos, en el Evangelio de Lucas y el Evangelio de Juan. El Evangelio de Nicodemo (uno de los apócrifos) también recoge este momento, precisando que no se le desnudó, sino que se sustituyeron sus vestiduras por un perizonium (el «paño de pureza» que cubre sus partes pudendas en la representación habitual del crucificado).

Iconografía
El expolio de Cristo es uno de los temas más habituales en la producción artística del Greco, que repitió en varias ocasiones:

 El expolio (1577, Catedral de Santa María de Toledo). Lienzo de grandes dimensiones (165 x 99 cm) en la que Cristo aparece con una impresionante túnica roja que domina el centro de la composición. El artista cretense no siguió al pie de la letra ninguno de los textos del Evangelio, motivo por el que surgió una polémica con el cabildo catedralicio, que demoró el pago del encargo.

 El expolio (1580, Pinacoteca Antigua de Múnich). Versión derivada de la anterior.

El hijo del Greco, Jorge Manuel Theotocópuli, también realizó algunas pinturas sobre este tema.

Otra de las pinturas que tratan un motivo paralelo se debe a Francisco de Zurbarán, quien en 1661 pintó un Cristo recogiendo sus vestiduras para la iglesia de Jadraque. El tema es una escena previa, que aparece en los evangelios de Marcos y Mateo: el momento en que Cristo recoge su túnica parda tras la flagelación.

Notas

Bibliografía
 CARMONA MUELA, Juan: Iconografía cristiana, Madrid, Istmo, 1998, pág. 142. ISBN 84-7090-343-8.

Expolio
Expolio
Iconografía cristiana


(Sweden, January 17, 2017) BillerudKorsnäs is taking a further step into the Internet of Packaging by investing in a minority holding in UK technology company Hanhaa. The company's solution allows users to track not only the location but also the condition of their deliveries in real time and on a large scale no matter the country or carrier.
The investment is being made by BillerudKorsnäs Venture AB, which was formed last spring to develop new business for the Group by linking up with interesting innovation companies in early stage. The objective is to gradually generate and develop new business. The aim is to work closely with companies and actively contribute to developing new solutions in the packaging value chain. This is a relatively small investment for BillerudKorsnäs in financial terms.
"Combining our own core-related skills with the skills of these start-up companies will allow us to create fruitful collaborations and together identify entirely new solutions. We will also draw on our experience and knowledge of bringing products to market on an industrial scale. Together with Hanhaa, we're continuing to build tomorrow's Internet of Packaging. Expanding our offering of digital solutions will allow us to continue challenging conventional packaging for a sustainable future," said BillerudKorsnäs Venture Managing Director Anders Persson.
Hanhaa's system, Parcelive, tracks deliveries along the entire logistics chain.
Transmitter devices are placed in parcels and use GPS and GSM to track their position. Sensors measure and report in real time the condition of the goods, their location and what they have been exposed to in terms of temperature, drops and knocks. The system works regardless of country, scale or carrier. The devices are managed using a return system. The recipient pushes a button to prompt the display of a return address and then posts the device back.
"BillerudKorsnäs' wide-ranging skills and network within sustainable and efficient packaging solutions make them a perfect partner as we take our technology out into the logistics and packaging industry on a large scale," said Azhar Hussain, CEO of Hanhaa.
The solution is especially suited to logistics optimisation, continuous cold chain management, high-value goods and time-critical shipments, eg. allowing maintenance engineers to avoid expensive production losses by tracking consignments and precisely planning trips to customers.
Hanhaa is BillerudKorsnäs Venture's third investment. The previous two were: Denmark-based EcoXpac, which together with BillerudKorsnäs is developing a paper-based bottle with the long term aim to contain the pressure of carbonated drinks; and Norway-based Kezzler, a global leader in technology for assigning unique digital identities for individual packaging.