text:
Have you heard of Selective Mutism? Do you know what living with Selective Mutism is like?
Selective Mutism is an extreme form of anxiety disorder, a much more serious version of social anxiety phobia — and much more prone to being misunderstood by people who haven't heard of it.
Silence is not Golden depicts the journey of Nigel Ng, who was diagnosed with Selective Mutism as a young boy. Nigel suffered many setbacks but overcame most of them, though he still struggles with the condition today.
This book dispels the myths and stereotypes of Selective Mutism. It says what Nigel has been wishing to say but couldn't for a very long time. It provides a voice for those with Selective Mutism. It Breaks the Silence for the Silent.
October is Selective Mutism Awareness Month. It is an opportunity to understand and respect Selective Mutism sufferers. By buying this book, you help them raise awareness. By reading this book, you take a step to understand their condition better, to remember that it is not their choice to be silent, and to fight the stigma of mental illnesses.
This book is an insightful, honest and reflective narration of Nigel's fight against Selective Mutism. He has shown tremendous courage and endurance in his journey, and continues to embrace new experiences and challenges with open arms. Nigel shares with us the beauty of accepting our vulnerabilities and spirit of living life to the fullest.
Louisa Tan, Clinical Psychologist
Mental Muscle – https://www.mentalmuscle.org/single-post/2017/01/30/A-Day-in-the-Life-What-is-Selective-Mutism
SAMH – https://www.imh.com.sg/page.aspx?id=1108
Everyday People – https://www.facebook.com/NIGEL12345678/posts/10211406580113482
Patientsengage – http://www.patientsen Save & Exit gage.com/personal-voices/my-son-taught-me-be-less-judgemental
IMH Link
Projectcare – https://projectcare.co/when-it-all-went-silent/
https://www.facebook.com/silenceisnotgoldenbynigel/posts/992498940854129
Loving mums circle
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=858846624250390&id=738376552964065&substory_index=0
Enter the mind of a Selective Mutism
nigelsilenceisnotgolden@gmail.com
Click on the Facebook messenger to chat with us
Silence Is Not Golden © 2016 - 2017


How to query the log of a specific git repo branch using gitpython?
How do I use a GitHub access token with GitPython?
How can I get a list of first parent commits using git python?
is there a git bisect command from python?
git pull command failing when run inside a python script using gitpython lib, but succeeds when run directly via shell.
Get next-older tag for a given commit?


SMOKEYB3 has no current links.
Grettings to my co-conspirators against society!
Greetings to my co-conspirators against society. Always looking to meet new and interesting people. Bonus points for non-conformites and people willing to be themselves no matter what someone else says.
Help us keep Goth Passions free of spam and fake profiles.


text:
Ethos and School Values Welcome Our School Charter Senior Leadership Team Staff List Prospectus
Thank you for visiting our website today. We can only hope to give a taste of life at our vibrant and happy school community here. Children who attend are between 4 and 11 years of age and they are our best ambassadors, so please ask them what they think of London Meed Primary School.
Our school values of 'Honesty, Creativity, Respect and Care' underpin most of our work because we know these four values contribute strongly to positive attitudes to learning.
London Meed is organised into two classes per year group. Our Early Years Foundation stage is called 'The Orchard' and our youngest pupils have their own dedicated play space, along with access to a wooded area. Although there are two classes, children usually have access to learning opportunities in both classrooms, as well as to the shared outdoor environment. KS1 has four classes and another generous play space, including a covered outdoor classroom. KS2 has eight classes, with six of those opening onto the KS2 playground with a field. The other classes open onto an internal courtyard area.
We have a Special Support Centre for eleven children with EHCPs primarily for Speech and Language disorder or difficulty. Our SSC is currently full.
Child-care is offered off-site because children are brought to school from a breakfast club and collected and transported to one of two after school clubs operating in the Burgess Hill area. We can also provide a list of local child minders, with their contact details.
We are proud of the breadth of experiences we offer our school community because we aim to encourage and promote contribution through attendance at sports, academic and music clubs. We ideally want every child to pursue an interest in something, by offering memorable learning experiences.
Please come and visit – make an appointment on 01444 232336 and I'll look forward to meeting you.
Natalie Langtree
Acting Head teacher

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
'The Right Moment Has Come for People to Rise Up and Say No More' to Fossil Fuels
Written byJanine Mendes-Franco
Posted 25 September 2014 16:00 GMT
Read this post in Español
Participants of the climate change march in Trinidad and Tobago form the shape of a heart in the Queen's Park Savannah in Port of Spain. Photo by Nico Kersting, courtesy IAMovement, used with permission.
A lot of talk has followed the Climate Summit, which took place on September 23 at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, about the magnitude of the occasion. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that the 120 people or more gathered (from heads of state and government officials to members of civil society) were there "not to talk, but to make history." American actor Leonardo diCaprio, who gave an address, told the attendees that they would either "make history or be vilified by it."
Some Caribbean territories have been paying attention and made history themselves two days before the summit by participating in a global calendar of events that turned out to be the most well-attended climate change marches in history. At the summit, Trinidad and Tobago promised that "100% of the country's electricity will come from natural gas, supporting net-zero global emissions goal before end of the century".
Climate change is an urgent global issue that many feel has been ignored for far too long by world leaders and change makers, who, primarily for economic reasons, have failed to take action on a problem that could threaten the very existence of humanity. The summit was one step in the process of moving towards a worldwide agreement on climate change by next year, under the Framework Convention the UN has provided.
In Trinidad and Tobago, a small group of young activists and environmentalists organised a climate change march to show solidarity with the global cause and make a statement alongside other marches that were going on in major cities around the world. In this part one of a two-part post, Global Voices interviewed Jonathan Barcant, one of the co-founders of the non-governmental organisation IAMovement, which aims to effect positive change in education, community building and environmental awareness. Barcant spoke about the march, climate change, and Trinidad and Tobago's role in helping to create a more sustainable world.
Jonathan Barcant, co-founder of the non-profit IAMovement and one of the organisers of the Climate Change March in Trinidad and Tobago. Photo used with permission.
Global Voices (GV): Why was it important for Trinidad and Tobago to have a climate change march?
Jonathan Barcant (JB): Trinidad and Tobago is the second highest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world per capita, according to a University of Trinidad and Tobago statistics report. We are a massive fossil fuel producing and consuming nation, and therefore the general opinion of citizens on the subject of climate change has been dismissal and disregard, due to the feeling that we simply have no place talking about this issue when we are one of the biggest perpetrators. Helpless feelings on the part of citizens has, however, been to the advantage of the politicians, who feel no local pressure against climate pollution and therefore have free reign. We thought it important for this event to happen to stand with [other global marches] but also to create feelings of solidarity locally, by showing [people] that they are not alone, and there are in fact a strong group of citizens willing to stand up for one of the most important issues of our day.
GV: What do you expect to come out of the summit and what role will Trinidad and Tobago have to play?
JB: We hope that [the marches] will send a strong message to those at the U.N. Summit that we as citizens of the world do care, and that we are no longer willing to sit by and watch leaders fail to make tough but critical decisions. As a major player in the fossil fuel economy, Trinidad and Tobago ought to play a leading role in climate summit talks. We hope that our event will also send the message to our leaders that citizens of Trinidad and Tobago do care about the future of our country and our world.
GV: What was the local response to the march like?
JB: We had over 500 online Avaaz petition signers, and 165 participants who showed up to the event. We see this as a great success as it was the first event of its kind here. There was a real sense of achievement, empowerment and unity, and we hope that this serves as a cornerstone for future work and discussion on this issue, and may start the ball rolling on this topic locally sooner rather than later.
GV: The UN Climate Change Conference in Paris is 15 months away, when it is expected that a global agreement will emerge. The Rockefellers have already announced that its philanthropic arm will be selling off all investments they have in fossil fuels and reinvesting in clean energy. What should Trinidad and Tobago's national commitment be to this global deal?
JB: Some studies suggest that Trinidad and Tobago may have as little as 15 years of oil and natural gas reserves remaining. Climate change aside, while a tremendously important issue, the country should be thinking about the future of its children and grandchildren, who will be adults when our fossil fuel reserves have been depleted. Our nation currently runs on the income from fossil fuels. If (and when) that were to run out, the [economic] situation would change drastically, and could, quite frankly, be nightmarish. We have become a society used to comfort and quick money, and if that were to disappear, it's quite natural that problems such as violence and crime would ensue. This however, is still entirely avoidable. It is in the best interest of the nation to reinvest without delay in renewable energies such as wind and solar [power]. By doing so, we would reap both short and long term benefits by providing good employment for many in green industry – from laborers to designers to business managers – boosting our world reputation as a clean, green and renewable-moving nation. This, in turn, would likely encourage tourism and, most importantly, gradually remove our dependence on fossil fuels, so that by the time our resources are depleted, we are sustainable.
GV: Why do you think it has taken climate change so long to be taken seriously by world leaders and what do you think has been the impetus for citizens to make their voices heard?
JB: The fossil fuel industry [has] had a strong hand for a very long time in lobbying world leaders to support continued fossil fuel extraction, for their continued profit. This, and the fact that climate change is a slow occurring phenomenon – over decades – and is largely invisible (apart from scientific data and more recently, weather events), means that 99% of the population, the common man, have had little grasp on what has really been happening and how they could possibly do something about it. Leaders, who have mostly had only the whispers and manipulating hands of lobbyists to determine their moves, have been too fearful […] to make key climate emission agreements. The powerful movement of scientists and activists […] has resulted in some incredible information sharing through documentary and human mobilization efforts. The climate change issue [has been] simmering in the back of people's minds for too long, while the frustration has built at each failed climate summit. The right moment has come for people to rise up and say 'No More'.
Look out for the second installment of this post, in which Jonathan Barcant talks about why people should care about climate change, what the a world running on clean energy might look like, and whether the climate change marches have actually made a difference.
Recent Caribbean Stories
2 days agoGuyana
The Caribbean Community stands with Guyana in Venezuela border dispute
Venezuela refuels its territorial dispute with Guyana in area with massive offshore oil find
5 days agoTrinidad & Tobago
The pandemic killed Trinidad & Tobago's 2021 Carnival, but soca music keeps the spirit alive
It's Europe that should be first to say "no" to fossil fuels and not depend on…you know whom.
boinkie
and what should they use instead to cook? Deforest the place and go back to wood? Run around in horse drawn carts and fill the streets with manure? Get rid of airconditioners so that all the tourists go elsewhere to spend their money? And why should a white guy from canada tell poor blacks in Trinidad they need to cut down on their carbon footprint?
This is a white guy from Trinidad (not from Canada) who cares about the future of Trinidad.. Fossil fuels won't last forever here in T&T. And I can also assure you, those reaping the benefits of fossil fuels here are not poor, whether white or black. The poor in Trinidad are not the ones reaping the benefits from fossil fuels..
See second half of interview, which talks more about the benefit to T&T of shifting to clean energy in advance before fossil fuels run out. Beneficial move to all..
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/09/26/trinidad-tobago-climate-change-march-jonathan-barcant-iamovement-part-2/
Pingback: 'We Should All Care About Climate Change Because It Will Have a Direct Impact on the State of the World' · Global Voices
[…] the first installment of this post, Global Voices interviewed Jonathan Barcant, co-founder of the non-profit group IAMovement, and one […]
Pingback: Artists Create Climate Change Mural in Grenada to Warn of Modern-Day 'Paradise Lost' · Global Voices
[…] better late than never. Inspired by the global marches against climate change which took place on September 21, a group of artists and activists in Grenada decided to paint a mural to raise local awareness […]
Pingback: Corruption, Climate Change and Chik-V Stole Headlines in the Caribbean in 2014 · Global Voices
[…] government's apparent commitment to develop an ecologically sensitive area, young activists in Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada were taking part in the global marches against climate change and organising grassroots […]
Pingback: Trinidad and Tobago Joins World in Marching for Climate Change Awareness « caribbeanclimate
[…] the opening of the event, IAMovement's co-founder Jonathan Barcantacknowledged the importance of waste management efforts to Trinidad and Tobago, noting that greater […]


text:
Tom Berrett, Cambridge U.
Thursday, 22 November 2018, 12:15 - 13:15
Tom Berrett, Cambridge University
Efficient multivariate entropy estimation and independence testing
Efficient multivariate entropy estimation via k-nearest neighbour distances
Nonparametric independence testing via mutual information
Abstract : Many statistical procedures, including goodness-of-fit tests and methods for independent component analysis, rely critically on the estimation of the entropy of a distribution. In this talk I will first describe new entropy estimators that are efficient and achieve the local asymptotic minimax lower bound with respect to squared error loss. These estimators are constructed as weighted averages of the estimators originally proposed by Kozachenko and Leonenko (1987), based on the k-nearest neighbour distances of a sample of n independent and identically distributed random vectors in d dimensions. A careful choice of weights enables us to obtain an efficient estimator for arbitrary d, given sufficient smoothness, while the original unweighted estimator is typically only efficient for d up to 3.
The next part of the talk will be to use our entropy estimators to propose a test of independence of two multivariate random vectors, given a sample from the underlying population. Our approach, which we call MINT, is based on the estimation of mutual information, which we may decompose into joint and marginal entropies. The proposed critical values, which may be obtained from simulation in the case where an approximation to one marginal is available or resampling otherwise, facilitate size guarantees, and we provide local power analyses, uniformly over classes of densities whose mutual information satisfies a lower bound. Our ideas may be extended to provide a new goodness-of-fit tests of normal linear models based on assessing the independence of our vector of covariates and an appropriately-defined notion of an error vector.
Location: R42.2.113
Contact: Nancy De Munck - This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it


Company culture is the foremost ingredient to this transformation. Each individual needs to be engaged with the company and need to have brought into its vision for success. It is likely that a customer will encounter more than one person within your company, all of these people must be empowered to represent your brand in a positive and consistent way. They need to be able to demonstrate the values of your company throughout all customer interactions.
Employees need to be empowered to engage with customers/prospects through the use of Social Media. You trust them on the telephone, so why not trust them with social media? Okay, the telephone is mostly one to one communication whereas, social media is one to world communication. Guidelines need to be established so that employees know what the boundaries are and can feel comfortable operating within them.
Strategies need to be put in place to create Exceptional Experiences. Do you understand the buying process for a customer? The process may begin through a response to a tweet or a visit to your website. What is the experience of the customer? I can hear some readers thinking, our website is great, it has excellent graphics, it is easy to navigate etc .....etc. But, you need a website which is interactive, this could be the first point of customer engagement, you need to make sure that customers are able to engage no matter where they find themselves in the buying process. The experience that they have online needs to be consistent with face to face interaction with your staff.
In the following video, I talk about an experience I had with a mens clothing shop by the name of "Munn's, the mans store". They replaced a suit which I had for over a year. It began to change colour and therefore they provided me with a brand new suit. This was an exceptional experience which had not involvement of any online technology. However, I blogged about the experience and to this day I see people have been searching google and have stumbled upon it. Each time someone sees my independent, yet novice review, they will gain social trust and are likely to be willing to give the store a go.


text:
Q: My dad doesn't want me to TOUCH alcohol
My dad doesn't want me to touch alcohol before I turn 21.

Is it perfectly natural to use 'touch' here? I searched for it and found some examples, but not enough to make me sure.

A: It is a form of clichéd hyperbole, but so natural and common that it may not be noticed as such. What the father literally wants is for the child not to drink alcohol. Drinking generally requires touching, but it is possible to touch without drinking. (The same father may sometimes tell the child, "Bring me a can of beer," and not think himself inconsistent.) The point is to make the prohibition exaggerated and emphatic -- don't even touch it (let alone drink it). A more extreme version would be, "Don't touch it with a ten-foot pole."

A: Yes, it is perfectly natural. Not to touch something can mean to avoid or reject it.

A: "I came in touch with alcohol at a young age"
"I came in touch with jazz during college"
Is a phrasing you more often see the use of touch in.
But your sentence is perfectly fine as well.
As shown in the second example, it does not have to be physical.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
New Westminster Hyacks' linemen Yanni Angelopoulos (left) and Isaiah James were more than happy to give a boost to the school's middle-distance running star Grace Fetherstonhaugh earlier this week as she prepares runs in the B.C. high school cross-country championships this Saturday at Jericho Beach Park in Vancouver. (Varsity Letters photo by Howard Tsumura)
Feature High School Cross Country
B.C. high school X-C championships: Hyacks' gracious Grace in love with the thrill of the race
November 3, 2017 Howard TsumuraComment(0)
NEW WESTMINSTER — Grace Fetherstonhaugh had a sizzling summer on the track.
On Saturday, she hopes to finish off a fantastic fall on the trails.
Coming off the summer of her life as a double-medalist at the Canadian Under-20 track and field championships as a 16-year-old, the New Westminster Hyacks' senior harrier is hoping that her recent history of performing big in big races continues as she heads to Vancouver's Jericho Beach Park on Saturday morning for the B.C. High School Cross-Country Championships.
"That's been the big thing for me," began Fetherstonhaugh earlier this week when asked to describe the confidence she has gleaned over just the past four months of her running career.
"After you see yourself break boundaries that you didn't think you could, you really want to see how much more you can improve."
As all of that pertains to Saturday's cross-country finals, Fetherstonhaugh is among the top returning finishers from a season ago.
New West's Grace Fetherstonhaugh (right) and Desirae Ridenour of Duncan's Cowichan Secondary, battled in the 3000m at last season's BC High school tracked field championships in Langley. (Wilson Wong, UBC athletics photo)
With 2016 champion Hannah Bennison of Vernon now graduated to a collegiate career at NCAA Div. 1 Providence, and senior Taryn O'Neill (Lake Country-George Elliott), last season's fourth-place finisher, feeling under the weather, the favourite heading into the proceedings will be Justine Stecko of Victoria's Oak Bay Secondary.
Last season, the Grade 11 Stecko finished sixth, and a victory Saturday would make her the first Bays' female to win the race since Justine Johnson won the last of her three straight titles in 2008.
"Taryn is feeling sick right now, so she's not going to be there," said Fetherstonhaugh, "and that's too bad because I know she would have had a really good race.
"But there's Justine Stecko, Annika Austin (Kitsilano, 16th), Madsion Heisterman (8th, Brentwood College), and so many others," she continued of the class of seniors expected to brave the elements when the girls race begins at 11:30 a.m.
New Westminster's Grace Fetherstonhaugh looks to improve on her 10th place finish of a season ago at the B.C. high school cross country championships. (Varsity Letters photo by Howard Tsumura)
Last season, among that group, Heisterman was eighth and Fetherstonhaugh 10th.
And when Fetherstonhaugh says she would love to see her cross-country results feed off the momentum of her summer on the track, it's with good reason.
In early June, as a Grade 11, she set the new B.C. high school championship meet standard with a gold-medal run in the 1,500m steeplechase (4:54.81).
She later claimed bronze in both the 1,500m (4:32,80) and 3,000m (9:51.03) races (read about it here), in the latter finishing behind winner Desirae Ridenour of Cowichan and silver medalist O'Neill.
She then took all of that to another level in early July in Ottawa, where as a rising senior, she earned podium honours in both of her races, claiming bronze medals in both the 3,000m steeplechase and the 3,000m, despite being part a field that included rising first- and second-year collegians.
"I had the (qualifying) time for the steeplechase, so I wanted to do it (at the Under-20s) and see what would happen," laughed Fetherstonhaugh who is coached at Royal City Track and Field by Sean Dixon, "but what ended up happening is that I was actually a lot more happy with what I did in the 3000m."
Consider that Fetherstonhaugh had yet to run a sub-10:00 3,000m before the start of her Grade 11 year, and it's clear that she finished her outdoor season as one of the nation's rising middle-distance stars.
The 9:51 she ran at B.C. high schools was a personal best, but she destroyed that mark in a swift field led by fellow Class of '19 star Brogan MacDougall.
Fetherstonaugh finished third in a time of 9:33.71, some 18 seconds better than her previous best.
Courtney Hufsmith of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies finished second (9:32.80) while MacDougall, the Kingston, Ont., native, ran a sizzling 9:21.84 to win in decisive fashion.
Fetherstonhaugh also ran a 10:25.90 in the 3,000m steeplechase to finish third.
Later in the summer, she traveled to Brandon, Man., and competing in her own age group at the Canadian Legion championships, she took gold in both the 2,000, steeplechase and the 3,000m.
Still, her U-20 experience sits at the forefront.
"There were girls there who were 16, 17 and 18 so there were still quite a few my age," said Fetherstonhaugh. "It was a really cool experience to be around the older athletes, because they had senior nationals going on at the same time. I just loved being in that atmosphere."
Clearly, 2017 has been Grace Fetherstonhaugh's breakthrough year, and it's led to increased interest from university programs.
"I am still deciding where I want to go for university, but it has definitely opened up opportunities for me," she smiles. "So I am excited for next year too. But as far as where I might go, I'm still in the deciding stage."
But most importantly, she's at the stage and the place that every high school senior with a love of the track and trails would love to be.
"I didn't expect my track season to go as well as it did last year," she says, "so for me, this is all definitely an ideal scenario."
As Fetherstonaugh was being interviewed along the sidelines of Mercer Stadium earlier this week, she concluded things by making mention of her school's football team, the Hyacks, who happen to be ranked No. 1 in B.C. AAA and were just getting set to begin practice.
When it's suggested to her that a great picture for this story would be to have her hoisted on the shoulders of two of the team's burly linemen, she needed no convincing.
"That would be fun," she said.
And, for someone who has proven herself to be one of the best young middle-distance runners in the nation, symbolically fitting.
The action at Jericho Beach Park begins with the para-race at 9:30 a.m.
Junior girls (10 a.m.) and junior boys (10:45 a.m.) follow, with the senior girls race beginning at 11:30 a.m. and the senior boys wrapping up the day at 12:15 p.m.
Tagged bc high school cross-country, bc high school track and field, Grace Fetherstonhaugh, Howard Tsumura, new Westminster hyacks, royal city track and field, sean Dixon
Q&A: UBC's big-play receiver Alex Morrison on getting wide, going deep and loving his football journey
11.03.17: Varsity Letters' B.C. High School Football Report, Friday Night Lights edition


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The new Joe Pep Junior Academy membership is now availble for children aged 12 years and under to join. This platform has been developed to help develop golf in younger people in the heart of Oxford. With a fantastic startup package and support programme being developed package is limited to JUST 40 places.
For more details or to join please CLICK HERE or call the pro shop on 01865 244258.


Pickett Design Associates initially provided peer review during the Design Development phase of this project. The scope expanded to include interior design services and coordination between the related disciplines of the University. With the use of natural materials, such as stone and wood, and enhanced by natural light, the public spaces create a feeling of warmth and well-being. Pervasive throughout the finish palette, including furniture upholstery, art and signage, are images drawn from nature. Signage panels on each floor feature organic material embedded into a resin panel. These specialty items enhance the ease of way-finding throughout this new facility. The natural color schemes used throughout the patient floors further create a relaxed ambiance and connection to nature.


South side of Baldwin Street, between Beverly (West) and McCaul (East) Streets. Installed in the windows of buildings.
Neon writing placed in windows of houses or shops.
The inspiration for Curreri's (LET ME BE YOUR) TEDDY BEAR is a found scrapbook, seemingly created by a young Elvis Presley fan, full of lovingly collaged Elvis images.
The charm of Toronto's Baldwin Street life, with its mix of small businesses and private residences, has uniquely personal feel effusing a sense of people's lives rather than being overwhelmed by commerce or consuming. Through an installation of sweet messages, in collaboration with the residents of Baldwin Street, artist Chris Curreri captured a sense of the personal while recognizing the commercial aspects of the area. Viewed only from the street, as one walked along Baldwin, passersby were treated to a neon love poem glowing from above. All Elvis Presley song titles, the glowing text anonymously announced itself from the second floor windows of Baldwin Street residential homes. The signs declared a kind of romantic longing for all its viewers, but remained unreachable, inanimate, and incapable of receiving response.
Source: Scotiablank Nuit Blanche 2006 (2006).


text:
Monidigah är en ort i Azerbajdzjan.   Den ligger i distriktet Lerik Rayonu, i den södra delen av landet,  km sydväst om huvudstaden Baku. Monidigah ligger  meter över havet och antalet invånare är .

Terrängen runt Monidigah är kuperad åt sydväst, men åt nordost är den bergig. Den högsta punkten i närheten är  meter över havet,  km söder om Monidigah. Närmaste större samhälle är Lerik,  km nordväst om Monidigah.

Trakten runt Monidigah består i huvudsak av gräsmarker. Runt Monidigah är det ganska tätbefolkat, med  invånare per kvadratkilometer.  Inlandsklimat råder i trakten. Årsmedeltemperaturen i trakten är  °C. Den varmaste månaden är juli, då medeltemperaturen är  °C, och den kallaste är januari, med  °C. Genomsnittlig årsnederbörd är  millimeter. Den regnigaste månaden är oktober, med i genomsnitt  mm nederbörd, och den torraste är juli, med  mm nederbörd.

Kommentarer

Källor

Externa länkar

Orter i Lerik Rayonu

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: How to read a file byte by byte in Python and how to print a bytelist as a binary? I'm trying to read a file byte by byte, but I'm not sure how to do that. I'm trying to do it like that:
file = open(filename, 'rb')
while 1:
   byte = file.read(8)
   # Do something...

So does that make the variable byte to contain 8 next bits at the beginning of every loop? It doesn't matter what those bytes really are. The only thing that matters is that I need to read a file in 8-bit stacks.
EDIT:
Also I collect those bytes in a list and I would like to print them so that they don't print out as ASCII characters, but as raw bytes i.e. when I print that bytelist it gives the result as
['10010101', '00011100', .... ]

A: To read one byte:
file.read(1)

8 bits is one byte.

A: There's a python module especially made for reading and writing to and from binary encoded data called 'struct'.
Since versions of Python under 2.6 doesn't support str.format, a custom method needs to be used to create binary formatted strings.
import struct

# binary string
def bstr(n): # n in range 0-255
    return ''.join([str(n >> x & 1) for x in (7,6,5,4,3,2,1,0)])

# read file into an array of binary formatted strings.
def read_binary(path):
    f = open(path,'rb')
    binlist = []
    while True:
        bin = struct.unpack('B',f.read(1))[0] # B stands for unsigned char (8 bits)
        if not bin:
            break
        strBin = bstr(bin)
        binlist.append(strBin)
    return binlist

A: To answer the second part of your question, to convert to binary you can use a format string and the ord function:
>>> byte = 'a'
>>> '{0:08b}'.format(ord(byte))
'01100001'

Note that the format pads with the right number of leading zeros, which seems to be your requirement. This method needs Python 2.6 or later.

A: The code you've shown will read 8 bytes. You could use
with open(filename, 'rb') as f:
   while 1:
      byte_s = f.read(1)
      if not byte_s:
         break
      byte = byte_s[0]
      ...

A: Late to the party, but this may help anyone looking for a quick solution:
you can use bin(ord('b')).replace('b', '')bin() it gives you the binary representation with a 'b' after the last bit, you have to remove it. Also ord() gives you the ASCII number to the char or 8-bit/1 Byte coded character.
Cheers

A: a = 'a'
byte = a.encode()
format ( byte[0] , '08b' )


text:
Q: Haskell tricky space overflow Running into a space overflow when trying to run this code (I've commented out the changes I've already tried):
{-# LANGUAGE BangPatterns #-}

import System.IO (hFlush, stdout)
import System.Environment (getArgs)
-- import Data.List (foldl')
import qualified Data.Map as Map
-- import qualified Data.Map.Strict as Map
-- import qualified Data.ByteString.Char8 as B

data Trie = Trie { isWord :: Bool, children :: Map.Map Char Trie }

initial :: Trie
initial = Trie False Map.empty

insertWord :: String -> Trie -> Trie
insertWord [] trie     = trie { isWord = True }
insertWord (c:cs) trie = trie { children = Map.insert c child $ children trie }
    where
      child = maybe (insertWord cs initial) (insertWord cs)
              (Map.lookup c (children trie))

-- insertWord :: String -> Trie -> Trie
-- insertWord [] trie     = trie { isWord = True }
-- insertWord (!c:(!cs)) trie = trie { children = Map.insert c child $ children trie }
--     where
--       child = let a = maybe (insertWord cs initial) (insertWord cs)
--                       (Map.lookup c (children trie))
--               in seq a a

fromWords :: [String] -> Trie
fromWords = foldr insertWord initial

-- fromWords :: [String] -> Trie
-- fromWords = foldl' (flip insertWord) initial

toWords :: Trie -> [String]
toWords = concatMap results . Map.toList . children
    where
      results (c, t) = (if isWord t then ([c]:) else id)
                       . map (\str -> c:str) $ toWords t

completions :: String -> Trie -> [String]
completions [] trie     = toWords trie
completions (c:cs) trie = maybe [] (map (c:) . completions cs)
                          (Map.lookup c $ children trie)

main :: IO ()
main = do
  [prefix] <- getArgs
  dict <- readFile "/usr/share/dict/words"
  mapM_ putStrLn (completions prefix (fromWords $ lines dict))
--  dict <- B.readFile "/usr/share/dict/words"
--  mapM_ putStrLn (completions prefix (fromWords $ map (B.unpack) $ B.lines dict))

Output:
$ ./trie abba
Stack space overflow: current size 8388608 bytes.
Use `+RTS -Ksize -RTS' to increase it.

The output from "+RTS -h": http://i.imgur.com/i3pdT7S.png
I can get the code to work if I specify "+RTS -K1G". I'd really appreciate if someone could point me in the right direction.

A: You had the right idea with the commented-out foldl' approach -- you just need to make sure children is forced when a Trie is; i.e. make the children field in Trie strict.
data Trie = Trie { isWord :: Bool, children :: !(Map.Map Char Trie) }


I've been meaning to write a little post explaining how I create my faux-risograph illustrations in Photoshop. My buddy Anika asked me about it the other day and I figured it was time to finally do it! So, here we go- a little tutorial on how to fake some delicious printing textures. I am not an expert and I don't have all the answers! But this is a method that works for me, so here it is.
You'll need to start with a color-separated image, with a grayscale layer for each color you want to print. There are a lot of ways to do this, from processing an existing image to literally drawing on different physical layers of paper. It's too meaty to explain in this post, but you can (as always) find good resources online.
So, a Riso printer doesn't do grayscale. It will automatically convert grey areas to halftones when you print it. So to fake that, I'm going to use Photoshop to make a halftone myself. I start by opening one of my layers. It happens to be in RGB mode, I need to get it to Bitmap in order to make my halftone, but it won't do that unless I make the color space Grayscale first.
To do this, I hit Image > Mode > Grayscale. It might prompt me to discard color information, that's fine. Then I hit Image > Mode > Bitmap.
So let's step back a bit: an important thing to note with halftones is screen angle. Essentially, in order to get the best color-mixing results and avoid a possible moiré pattern, you need to set your halftone dots to specific angles. Photoshop is giving you an option to do that. I use this handy-dandy chart from wikipedia- even when I'm not doing CMYK, I can adapt it to what I'm looking at. I've played around with using each of these 4 ratios, but not in depth enough to give you much of an opinion. (Not an expert!) I'm going to use the top right this time.
I'm looking at my blue layer here, and that's my darkest color. So, I'm going to use the screen angle for black: 15°. I'm changing my frequency down to 150 here to show the texture off better for web. You also have options for what shape the "dots" will be - experiment! See what you like! I'll leave it on "round" this time.
This time, I'm setting my screen angle to 75°, because red is my midtone.
Now I have 3 truly black and white weird pixelly layers! Time for the magic.
I create a new RGB document and paste in each of these 3 layers so they're stacked on top of each other. They all have white backgrounds that we need to take out so we have isolated black layers to re-color. I grab the magic wand and set tolerance to 0, uncheck anti-alias, uncheck contiguous, and uncheck sample all layers. I select the white area and delete it, then repeat this for the remaining layers.
It ends up with a weird, dark grayscale version of the image, but that's ok!
Now we add the color back in! I lock transparent pixels (press / or the button on the layers panel) and use the paint bucket to recolor my layers, one by one.
Set the layers to multiply to mimic the translucent ink, and voila! Your image!
This isn't quite enough texture for me, so I do two more things to rough things up a little. Firstly, part of the charm of riso, to me, is the imperfect registration. So I'm just going to nudge & rotate my layers around a little bit.
Select all > Copy to get it onto my clipboard.
Then I go back to my document and pick a layer. I'll start with blue. I hit the "add layer mask" button down at the bottom to create the mask. Then I need to click the visibility checkbox next to this new mask on my channels pallet, before I can paste into it. (I don't know why this is! But it is!) From here, I fiddle with the contrast, scale, and placement of my texture until it looks pretty good.
Repeat with the other 2 layers (try NOT to line up your textures - place them a bit differently each time) and you're done!
It's not a huge difference, but I like how it brings warmth and life and imperfection to the image. It can really transform a piece!
Trying to get my comic hat back on a little bit. Also trying to make some darn mac and cheese!
Here's a piece I've been chipping away at for the last few weeks. It started as just meditative little straight-to-ink sketchbook doodle. I really liked how it turned out, so I thought I'd try coloring it up as if it were a riso print. Because that means color separations, it's always a bit of a puzzle, but that keeps things new!
Hopefully before too long I'll have a chance to get it printed up for real!
We had the prettiest snow here a few weeks ago - big fat flakes drifting down, just enough to cover the grass in a soft white blanket. I took a long drive in the country to visit a friend and just feasted my eyes on the beautiful Breugel-esque rolling hills. It's been in my mind ever since, so here's a little drawing to get it out onto paper.
I realized I should get some practice drawing interior spaces, so I dreamed up this little illo of some siblings embroiled in a fierce game of pretend. I do think I started to find fun in the background elements - I liked the storytelling I could accomplish by adding toys/clutter/etc.
Bit of ink & watercolor silliness. I find that when I try to do pieces for my portfolio, I always overthink & make them so much more complex than they need to be. I'm wondering if maybe I explore some ideas with traditional media, where I usually keep things pared down anyway, maybe I can keep that looseness if/when I do a "real" (digital) version for my portfolio.
Hilariously I write in that caption that I sometimes overthink/overcomplicate things when I go digital, which I'm pretty sure is exactly what happened here anyway! At least I know myself!
I'm working on a project that involves a lot of desserts, so I decided to try and practice on a few before I really dig in! Here are a few little dessert doodles - a strawberry parfait, an ice cream sundae, and a host of mini pies!
I scanned them in and took them apart into 80-something little individual icons. Photoshop did NOT enjoy that particular export-to-layers, but we survived! I then took them into Illustrator and I've been playing around with making different repeats. I've really only dabbled in this before, but it's always interesting to me.
I'm really enjoying seeing how much I can stretch & transform one set of little plants! I'm also finding myself looking around my house, visualizing patterns on every surface trying to think of what might look good where..
I've also made a little gallery of all the pieces.
For every day in October, I did a straight-to-ink painting in red & black. They're all 8"x8" and botanical/plant inspired. Beyond that... well, I tried every single thing I could think of! I used a lot of different materials - brush pens, dip pens, felt tip pens, ballpoint, markers, etc.
It was really fun trying to find ways to keep things fresh & interesting, and also going back and mining ideas to see what I could riff on. I certainly feel like I have a lot to keep building on over the next few months. That said.. I'll be glad I don't need to do it EVERY DAY anymore!
Nearly all of these pieces are available for sale on my shop. I hope to do a few prints & other things with them soon as well so stay tuned.
Had this idea rattling around in my head for a week or two - glad I managed to get it out. A friend of mine is moving away and she gave me her massive set of primsacolor pencils, including some crazy neon colors. I'm normally more into muted palettes - especially lately - but I couldn't resist. However, I have certainly learned a bit about how hard it is to digitize those crazy neon colors!
Happy summer, everyone! I cannot get over how green it is, everywhere! Every neighborhood, roadside, and park around here just seems to be bursting with foliage and life.
This drawing above is my attempt to capture what it feels like right now, to walk outside and be completely engulfed in a wall of green. I based it loosely on a photo I took while walking in the nearby park - I loved the play of light and dark and how it made such interesting shapes.
It's another big colored pencil piece- my most complex by far. I thought I'd work on it on and off for about a week or so, turns out it was more like three! I really enjoyed the process, though. The "sketch" was nothing more than a light V to delineate the white area, from there I drew in shapes as I colored them, working mostly from bottom to top and front to back.
I love when things get announced and I finally get to show you what the heck I've been doing!
Last summer, I got to check off another dream project - working on a game/app! An educational kids app, no less. I got to make art for this massive phonics app & game collection called Phonics Museum.
I illustrated fourteen different games, with various multiple states, and created a host of other assets for various animations and other parts of the app. Whoah!
Here's a little example of what I mean- this game is one of several that involve connecting pieces to create a sort of Rube Goldberg track or machine. I also had to make lots of different track pieces - that was a total logic puzzle for me at times as well!
Another cool challenge that comes with any freelance gig is having to draw things that you wouldn't think to draw otherwise. That came up a lot on this project, but one of the best examples I can think of was the ship game. I had to draw three different ships, each in various states of disrepair. I was baffled as to how I would do it, but once I started I actually really enjoyed it!
So wild! There's more screenshots and such over on the Phonics Museum website.
Big thanks to my art director, Sean Hennessey, over at MajorMega! He always knew exactly what to tweak to make the pieces that last little bit better.
Alongside my illustration work, I also teach kids art classes a couple times a week. It's a great complement to freelance life - gets me out of the house and talking to humans, gives me a community to be a part of, and best of all, I get to spend time with my wonderful, inspiring students!
I've been wanting to make a few drawings as exercises in capturing all the rich little details that make my students seem like the real human beings that they are. I had particular fun trying to create outfits for them that felt real- their clothing choices are always crazy awesome.
Hopefully I'll get to do more of these soon!
I've been finding myself wanting to work with traditional media more and more lately. I have a nice, sunny room upstairs where I've set up some sketchbooks and inks, and I tend to doodle there while I drink my morning coffee. I don't really plan anything, I just sit down and paint whatever seems fun or relaxing in that moment.
This is a mini collection of some of those paintings. I definitely want to make more - I feel like it's going somewhere, but I don't know where yet. It's all definitely something new to me, which is really fun and energizing.


First in a series of books that explores Irish folklore for children. In the first book, readers are introduced to the king of Lir who is happy living in the castle with his wife and four children. They rule over their subjects until one day the queen dies. The family is disconsolate. After a time the king invites his wife's sister to come and live in the castle to help take care of the children. He eventually marries her. Unknown to the king, Aoife is mean and unloving toward the children. She lets out her frustrations by retreating to a distant spot in the castle where she screams. One day she decides to take the children to the lake where she places a curse on them. She condemns them to spend three centuries as swans. They plead with her to leave them with human voices and the ability to sing. Feeling a bit guilty, she accedes to that wish.
The king is furious with his queen. Meanwhile, the king is distraught and searches throughout the kingdom for his children. The king discovers them one day and decides to spend the rest of his life living by their side. He uses his own magic to turn his wife into a shrieking crow. The children spend their lives swimming and wandering the seas until one day they meet St. Patrick.
Charming pencil drawings enhance the story. Most children will not be familiar with the plot. This book is an easy read for middle-grade students who enjoy folklore and myth.


text:
The Rohingya in Myanmar: a genuine effort toward peace?
Myanmar's Rohingya population is one of the world's most vulnerable groups. As the country transitions to democracy, Margherita Belgioioso looks at the prospects for the Rohingya.
Margherita Belgioioso
Image credit: European Commission DG ECHO
Myanmar's (also known as Burma) Rohingya population is one of the most vulnerable ethnic groups in the world today. They have been stripped of their nationality and subjected to extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrest, and other abuses. Desperately seeking refuge and security many have fled their homes, moving to other parts of Myanmar, or leaving the country. Bangladesh, Thailand, India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and China have been preferred destinations of this community in flight, but for the vast majority, their suffering has not ended upon leaving Myanmar.
The widespread persecution in their native Myanmar stems primarily from the 1982 Citizenship Law. This law defined a concept of Burmese nationhood based on being Burmese and Buddhist, and in turn justified the discrimination and persecution of the Rohingyas base.
The 'legality' of anti-Rohingya violence
Burma has a rich ethnic minority population which account for roughly 30% of the total Burmese population. The Rohingya Muslims are predominantly concentrated Rakhine State, in western Myanmar. There are no official figures, but it is estimated there are around 1.4 million Rohingya in Rakhine - approximately half the state's total population - of which 800,000 reside in the three townships, making up 80% of the cities' total population.
The Rohyngas in Rakhine define themselves as an indigenous Burmese ethnic group descended from Arab merchants which settled from the 8th century in Southern Eastern Asian Colonies. Until 1784 Rakhine (formerly known as Arakan) was part of an independent kingdom whose boundary included a southern portion of today's Bangladesh. Arakan territory divided Islamic and Buddhist Asia. This is reflected by Rohingya language which is a mixture of Bengali, Persian, Arabic and Arakanese.
In 1962, a Coup established a military government in Myanmar. Since then, ethnic cleansing and human deportation against Rohingya has taken place. In 1982, the Citizenship Law made impossible for Rohingyas to be recognized as Burmese citizens. Decreeing stateless status for the Rohingya ethnic group, the Citizens Law forms the legal basis for the continuing arbitrary violence against the Rohingya community. From 1990 Rakhine was militarised and oppressive tactics against Rohingya intensified. Since then the state of affairs did not improved.
In June 2012, an outbreak large-scale violence against the Rohingya caused thousands of deaths and forced displacement of over 100,000 people throughout Rakhine State. Rohingya have been largely segregated in order to create 'Muslim-free' areas. At the end of 2012 UN estimates a further 13,000 displaced Rohingya. During the time of the violence, the website of the Burmese President carried a message stating that the only way to end communal violence in Rakhine State was to send Rohingyas to either UNHCR refugee camps or to a third country.
The credibility of Myanmar
Despite the ongoing democracy reforms, the meetings to promote dialogues with ethnic armed groups and the nationwide ceasefire, Myanmar's for peaceful transition is, at best, incomplete. I believe that a genuine resolution for decades of armed and ethnic struggle can only come if the neglected minorities, such as Rohingyas, are fully integrated in the process of dialogue.
Unless steps are taken in this direction violence against Rohingya will be still be seen as justified in the years to come, with consequences for the stability and development of the whole region. In this sense, a lack of substantial measures appears evident. With the Citizenship Law still in place, for example, the first national census after thirty years, expected in 2014, will further marginalize Rohingya population with respect to the 2015 election.
The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, Tomás Ojea Quintana, complains that the government is failing to address the causes of the violence in Rakhine and, most notably, to hold the security forces accountable for systematic human rights violations.
According to a recent brief by ALTSEAN research team, one year on from the renewed sectarian violence against Rohingya, the government has not taken any substantial steps towards a resolution. Government authorities continue to detain Rohingya activists and call for the enforcement of discriminating policies against Rohingya. Rafendi Djamin, Indonesian human rights activist and representative to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), warns that the failure to control deadly sectarian violence by the Myanmar government could see violence escalate, leaded to likely genocide against the Rohingya minority
From January 2014, Myanmar will be the regional leader of ASEAN and chairman of the AICHR: the ASEAN Intergovernmental consultative body on Human Rights. The Arakan Project outlined in 2012 that the amendment of the Citizenship law, birth certificates and documentation to Rohingya children, abolishment of local policies of restricting marriages and births, the guarantee of quality health care, education services, access to food and the ban on forced labour, are all essential measures to ensure the protection of Rohingyas' basic human rights.
Yet policies and restrictions institutionalizing racial discrimination remain in place for national security reasons and there is no plan to amend the 1982 Citizenship Law. Both internal and regional stability, peace, and development will likely be affected by Myanmar's commitment towards the integration of Rohingyas and other Muslim minorities in the peace process.
Margherita Belgioioso recently finished her Master degree in Conflict Resolution and Peace at the University of Essex obtaining the distinction. She currently works as research and analyst intern on conflict and terrorism trends in Africa.
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This posts describes (with GIFs and words) the most common clustering algorithms available through Scikit-learn.
It's a common task for a data scientist: you need to generate segments (or clusters- I'll use the terms interchangably) of the customer base. Where does one start? With definitions, of course!!! Clustering is the subfield of unsupervised learning that aims to partition unlabelled datasets into consistent groups based on some shared unknown characteristics. All the tools you'll need are in Scikit-Learn, so I'll leave the code to a minimum. Instead, through the medium of GIFs, this tutorial will describe the most common techniques. If GIFs aren't your thing (what are you doing on the internet?), then the scikit clustering documentation is quite thorough.
You can download this jupyter notebook here and the gifs can be downloaded from this folder (or you can just right click on the GIFs and select 'Save image as…').
Clustering algorithms can be broadly split into two types, depending on whether the number of segments is explicitly specified by the user. As we'll find out though, that distinction can sometimes be a little unclear, as some algorithms employ parameters that act as proxies for the number of clusters. But before we can do anything, we must load all the required modules in our python script. We also need to construct toy datasets to illustrate and compare each technique. The significance of each one will hopefully become apparent.
Based on absolutely no empirical evidence (the threshold for baseless assertions is much lower in blogging than academia), k-means is probably the most popular clustering algorithm of them all. The algorithm itself is relatively simple: Starting with a pre-specified number of cluster centres (which can be distributed randomly or smartly (see kmeans++)), each point is initally assigned to its nearest centre. In the next step, for each segment, the centres are moved to the centroid of the clustered points. The points are then reassigned to their nearest centre. The process is repeated until moving the centres derives little or no improvement (measured by the within cluster sum of squares- the total squared distance between each point and its cluster centre). The algorithm is concisely illustrated by the GIF below.
Variations on the k-means algorithm include k-medoids and k-medians, where centroids are updated to the medoid and median of existng clusters, repsectively. Note that, under k-medoids, cluster centroids must correspond to the members of the dataset. Algorithms in the k-means family are sensitive to the starting position of the cluster centres, as each method converges to local optima, the frequency of which increase in higher dimensions. This issue is illustrated for k-means in the GIF below.
k-means clustering in scikit offers several extensions to the traditional approach. To prevent the algorithm returning sub-optimal clustering, the kmeans method includes the n_init and method parameters. The former just reruns the algorithm with n different initialisations and returns the best output (measured by the within cluster sum of squares). By setting the latter to 'kmeans++' (the default), the initial centres are smartly selected (i.e. better than random). This has the additional benefit of decreasing runtime (less steps to reach convergence).
k-means performs quite well on Dataset1, but fails miserably on Dataset2. In fact, these two datasets illustrate the strenghts and weaknesses of k-means. The algorithm seeks and identifies globular (essentially spherical) clusters. If this assumption doesn't hold, the model output may be inadaquate (or just really bad). It doesn't end there; k-means can also underperform with clusters of different size and density.
For all its faults, the enduring popularity of k-means (and related algorithms) stems from its versatility. Its average complexity is O(knT), where k,n and T are the number of clusters, samples and iterations, respectively. As such, it's considered one of the fastest clustering algorithms out there. And in the world of big data, this matters. If your boss wants 10 customer segments by close of business, then you'll probably use k-means and just hope no one knows the word globular.
This technique is the application of the general expectation maximisation (EM) algorithm to the task of clustering. It is conceptually related and visually similar to k-means (see GIF below). Where k-means seeks to minimise the distance between the observations and their assigned centroids, EM estimates some latent variables (typically the mean and covariance matrix of a mutltinomial normal distribution (called Gaussian Mixture Models (GMM))), so as to maximise the log-likelihood of the observed data. Similar to k-means, the algorithm converges to the final clustering by iteratively improving its performance (i.e. reducing the log-likelihood). However, again like k-means, there is no guarantee that the algorithm has settled on the global minimum rather than local minimum (a concern that increases in higher dimensions).
In contrast to kmeans, observations are not explicitly assigned to clusters, but rather given probabilities of belonging to each distribution. If the underlying distribution is correctly identified (e.g. normal distribution in the GIF), then the algorithm performs well. In practice, especially for large datasets, the underlying distribution may not be retrievble, so EM clustering may not be well suited to such tasks.
No surprises there. EM clusters the first dataset perfectly, as the underlying data is normally distributed. In contrast, Dataset2 cannot be accurately modelled as a GMM, so that's why EM performs so poorly in this case.
Unlike k-means and EM, hierarchical clustering (HC) doesn't require the user to specify the number of clusters beforehand. Instead it returns an output (typically as a dendrogram- see GIF below), from which the user can decide the appropriate number of clusters (either manually or algorithmically). If done manually, the user may cut the dendrogram where the merged clusters are too far apart (represented by a long lines in the dendrogram). Alternatively, the user can just return a specific number of clusters (similar to k-means).
Divisive: Starts with the entire dataset comprising one cluster that is iteratively split- one point at a time- until each point forms its own cluster.
Agglomerative: The agglomerative method in reverse- individual points are iteratively combined until all points belong to the same cluster.
Another important concept in HC is the linkage criterion. This defines the distance between clusters as a function of the points in each cluster and determines which clusters are merged/split at each step. That clumsy sentence is neatly illustrated in the GIF below.
You might notice that HC didn't perform so well on the noisy circles. By imposing simple connectivity constraints (points can only cluster with their n(=5) nearest neighbours), HC captures the non-globular structures within the dataset.
Conveniently, the position of each observation isn't necessary for HC, but rather the distance between each point (e.g. a n x n matrix). However, the main disadvantage of HC is that it requires too much memory for large datasets (that n x n matrix blows up pretty quickly). Divisive clustering is $O(2^n)$, while agglomerative clustering comes in somewhat better at $O(n^2 log(n))$ (though special cases of $O(n^2)$ are available for single and maximum linkage agglomerative clustering).
Mean shift describes a general non-parametric technique that locates the maxima of density functions, where Mean Shift Clustering simply refers to its application to the task of clustering. In other words, locate the density function maxima (mean shift algorithm) and then assign points to the nearest maxima. In that sense, it shares some similarities with k-means (the density maxima correspond to the centroids in the latter). Interestingly, the number of clusters is not required for its implementation and, as it's density based, it can detect clusters of any shape. Instead, the algorithm relies on a bandwidth parameter, which simply determines the size of neighbourhood over which the density will be computed. A small bandwidth could generate excessive clusters, while a high value could erroneously combine multiple clusters. Luckily, sklearn includes an estimate_bandwidth function. It uses the k-nearest neighbours (kNN) algorithm to determine an optimal bandwidth value. I suppose that makes it even easier than k-means to implement.
Originally invented in 1975, mean shift gained prominence when it was successfully applied to computer vision (seminal paper #1 #2). I won't discuss the underlying maths (that info can be found here and here). Intuitively, cluster centers are initially mapped onto the dataset randomly (like k-means). Around each centre is a ball (the radius of which is determined by the bandwidth), where the density equates to the number of points inside each ball. The centre of the ball is iteratively nudged towards regions of higher density by shifting the centre to the mean of the points within the ball (hence the name). This process is repeated until balls exhibit little movement. When multiple balls overlap, the ball containing the most points is preserved. Observations are then clustered according to their ball. Didn't follow that? Well, here's the gif.
Now, you might be thinking "An algorithm that needs absolutely no input from the user and can detect clusters of any shape!!! This should be all over Facebook!!!". First of all, as we'll find out, it can't detect clusters of any shape. Plus, there's no guarantee that the value returned by estimate_bandwidth is appropriate (a caveat that becomes more pertinent in higher dimensions). Speaking of high dimensionality, mean shift may also converge to local optima rather than global optima. But the biggest mark against Mean Shift is its computational expense. It runs at $O(Tn^2)$, compared to $O(kn*T)$ for k-means, where T is number of iterations and n represents the number of points. In fact, according to the sklearn documentation, the estimate_bandwidth function scales particularly badly. Maybe humans (and data science blogs) will still be needed for a few more years!
print(*["Dataset"+str(i+1)+": "+ str(max(meanshifts[i].labels_)+1) + " clusters"
Mean shift clusters Dataset1 well, but performs quite poorly on Dataset2. This shouldn't be too surprising. It's easy to imagine where you should overlay 4 balls on the first dataset. There's just no way you could accurately partition Dataset2 with two balls (see the GIF below if you don't believe me). We've only considered a flat kernel (i.e. makes no distinction how the points are distributed within the ball), but, in some cases, a Gaussian kernel might be more appropriate. Unfortunately, scikit currently only accepts flat kernels, so let's pretend I never mentioned Gaussian kernels. Either way, you'd need some really exotic kernel to identify the two clusters in Dataset2.
Affinity propagation (AP) describes an algorithm that performs clustering by passing messages between points. It seeks to identify highly representative observations, known as exemplars, where remaining data points are assigned to their nearest exemplar. Like mean-shift, the algorithm does not require the number of clusters to be prespecified. Instead, the user must input two parameters: preference and damping. Preference determines how likely an observation is to become an exemplar, which in turn decides the number of clusters. In that sense, this parameter somewhat mimics the number of clusters parameter in k-means/EM. The damping parameter restricts the magnitude of change between successive updates. Without this, AP can be prone to overshooting the solution and non-convergence. Provided convergence is achieved, damping shouldn't significantly affect the output (see last GIF in this section), though it could increase the time to reach convergence.
AP doesn't really lend itself to illustration with GIFs. I'll still provide some GIFs, but a mathematical description might be more informative in this case (i.e. I'm now going to paraphrase the AP wikipedia page). AP starts off with a similarity (or affinity) matrix (S), where similarity (s(i,j)) is often formulated as the distance between points (e.g. negative Euclidean distance). The diagonal of the matrix (s(i,i)) is important, as this is where the preference value is inputted. In practice, 'passing messages between points' translates to updating two matrices. The first is the responsibility matrix (R), where r(i,k) represents the suitability of data point k to serve as an exemplar for point i. The second matrix is known as the availability matrix (A), where a(i,k) indicates the appropriateness of point k being an exemplar for point i, taking into account how well suited k is to serve as an exemplar to other points.


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Content tagged with "science fiction"
Jun 21, 2021 – Season 12 Episode 18
Cosmic Queries – Robot Ethics with Dr. Kate Darling
Are robots going to take over? On this episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson & comic co-host Negin Farsad explore our future with artificial intelligence by looking at our past with animals with robot ethicist and author of A New Breed, Dr. Kate Darling.
Science Fiction and Star Trek, with Zachary Quinto
"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." Neil deGrasse Tyson explores Star Trek and science fiction with Zachary Quinto (Spock), comic co-host Chuck Nice, and astrophysicist and StarTalk geek-in-chief Charles Liu, PhD.
Feb 3, 2020 – Season 11 Episode 5
Quirky Cosmic Queries
Aliens, the multiverse, immortality, ʻOumuamua, and more – Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Paul Mecurio answer the quirkiest fan-submitted Cosmic Queries on topics from all across the universe.
StarTalk Live at NYCC 2019 with Neil deGrasse Tyson
StarTalk returns to the main stage in front of a packed house at NY Comic Con. Neil deGrasse Tyson, co-host Chuck Nice, and StarTalk geek-in-chief astrophysicist Charles Liu, PhD explore the science found in comics, sci fi, and popular fiction! (Warning: Adult Language)
Aug 9, 2019 – Season 10 Episode 32
Cosmic Queries – Science in Pop Fiction, the Sequel
Wormholes, vibranium, Game of Thrones, Batroc the Leaper, Captain Marvel, tachyons, Thanos vs Ant-Man, Star Trek, and more – Neil deGrasse Tyson, Chuck Nice, and astrophysicist Charles Liu are back to answer more questions on the science of pop fiction.
Cosmic Queries – Science in Pop Fiction
Neil deGrasse Tyson, comic co-host Chuck Nice, and astrophysicist and StarTalk geek-in-chief Charles Liu answer fan-submitted questions about speed of light communication, Batman, the science of invisibility, the future of spaceships, the quantum realm, and much more!
May 30, 2019 – Season 10 Episode 22
Creating Science Fiction, with Gale Anne Hurd
The Terminator, The Walking Dead, Aliens, Dante's Peak, Armageddon, and more – explore what it takes to bring science fiction to life with Neil deGrasse Tyson, producer Gale Anne Hurd, comic co-host Chuck Nice, science fiction expert Jason Ellis, PhD, and volcanologist Janine Krippner, PhD.
Making Stuff, with Adam Savage
Neil deGrasse Tyson, author and inventor extraordinaire Adam Savage, and comic co-host Chuck Nice answer fan-submitted questions about MythBusters, the creative process, the future of engineering, movies, and much more!
Playing the Game of Thrones, with George RR Martin
Dragons, skinchangers, the undead – Neil Tyson explores Game of Thrones with George R. R. Martin. With co-host Matt Kirshen, medieval expert Racha Kirakosian, Bill Nye, paleontologist Mark Norrell, Dr. Steven Schlozman aka Dr. Zombie, and astrophysicist Charles Liu.
The Future of Us, with Sir Martin Rees
Technology, space travel, a changing climate – What does the future hold for us? Neil deGrasse Tyson ponders humanity's future alongside comic co-host Maeve Higgins and astrophysicist, author, and Astronomer Royal Sir Martin Rees.
Selling Space, with Bill Nye
Bill Nye the Science Guy and comic co-host Iliza Shlesinger answer fan-submitted Cosmic Queries about the politics and privatization of space including renting the International Space Station and ownership of the Moon.
Aug 24, 2018 – Season 9 Episode 31
The Spirit of Exploration, with James Cameron
Investigate the convergence of exploration, innovation, and imagination with Neil deGrasse Tyson and filmmaker and explorer James Cameron. Featuring comic co-host Chuck Nice and astrophysicist and StarTalk All-Stars host Charles Liu.


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Tag: William R. Kane
For Sale, Baby Shoes, Never Worn
Ernest Hemingway? William R. Kane? Roy K. Moulton? Avery Hopwood? Arthur C. Clarke? Anonymous?
Dear Quote Investigator: Most people are familiar with short stories, but there is another class of works that might be called short-short stories. "Flash fiction" and "sudden fiction" are labels that are applied to this style of literature. One of the most famous examples is a tale of only six words in the format of a classified advertisement that according to legend was crafted by Ernest Hemingway as part of a bet:
The reader must cooperate in the construction of the larger narrative that is obliquely limned by these words implying miscarriage or sudden infant death. There is a popular alternative text based on another item linked with babies:
For Sale, Baby Carriage, Never Used
Did Hemingway write either of these succinct telegraphic tales?
Quote Investigator: QI has found no substantive evidence that Ernest Hemingway composed this six word story. He died in 1961. A literary agent named Peter Miller stated that he was told the anecdote about Hemingway and baby shoes by a "well-established newspaper syndicator" circa 1974. Miller published this claim in the 1991 book "Get Published! Get Produced!: A Literary Agent's Tips on How to Sell Your Writing":[1]1991 Copyright, "Get Published! Get Produced!: A Literary Agent's Tips on How to Sell Your Writing" by Peter Miller, Quote Page 27, Shapolsky Publishers, New York. (Google Books … Continue reading
Apparently, Ernest Hemingway was lunching at Luchow's with a number of writers and claimed that he could write a short story that was only six words long. Of course, the other writers balked. Hemingway told each of them to put ten dollars in the middle of the table; if he was wrong, he said, he'd match it. If he was right, he would keep the entire pot. He quickly wrote six words down on a napkin and passed it around; Papa won the bet. The words were "FOR SALE, BABY SHOES, NEVER WORN." A beginning, a middle and an end!
Advertisements closely matching the abbreviated text above did appear in classified sections over the decades. Here is an example published in 1906. Intriguingly, this section of short ads was labeled: Terse Tales of the Town:[2] 1906 April 28, Ironwood News Record, Terse Tales of the Town, Quote Page 5, Column 1, Ironwood, Michigan. (NewspaperArchive)
For sale, baby carriage; never been used. Apply at this office.
In 1910 a newspaper article about a classified advertisement that was thematically similar and twelve words long was published:
Baby's hand made trousseau and baby's bed for sale. Never been used.
The article referred to the death of the child, and the sorrow of the parents. The unnamed journalist emphasized that within the easily overlooked quotidian advertisement was "woven a little story of the heart". The details of this important precursor are presented further below.
In 1917 an essay by William R. Kane in a publication for literary workers discussed the composition of powerful short stories. The concise title "Little Shoes, Never Worn" was suggested for a story about "a wife who has lost her baby". The details of this key precursor are also given further below.
In 1921 the newspaper columnist Roy K. Moulton described an ad with the words: "Baby carriage for sale, never used". Moulton presented the reaction of his friend Jerry:
Wouldn't that make a wonderful plot for the movies?
Details appear further below. During this ideational evolution the name Hemingway was never mentioned. QI did not find any sharp natural demarcations in this development, and hence there does not appear to be a single author for this tale.
Here are selected citations in chronological order.
Continue reading For Sale, Baby Shoes, Never Worn
1991 Copyright, "Get Published! Get Produced!: A Literary Agent's Tips on How to Sell Your Writing" by Peter Miller, Quote Page 27, Shapolsky Publishers, New York. (Google Books Preview)
1906 April 28, Ironwood News Record, Terse Tales of the Town, Quote Page 5, Column 1, Ironwood, Michigan. (NewspaperArchive)
Posted on January 28, 2013 October 5, 2018 Categories Ernest HemingwayTags Arthur C. Clarke, Avery Hopwood, Ernest Hemingway, Roy K. Moulton, William R. Kane1 Comment on For Sale, Baby Shoes, Never Worn


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New York, NY (Top40 Charts) UMG Nashville signs singer songwriter Sam Williams. The grandson of country pioneer Hank Williams and the son of outlaw legend Hank Jr., Sam Williams is the latest in a long line of American originals, however, he offers far more than just his family name. Sam sings with his own singular voice and he writes in his own singular style, fusing gut-wrenching honesty and plainspoken poetics with raw vulnerability and deep empathy.
"We are so proud and excited that Sam Williams is joining Universal Music Group," says Cindy Mabe, President UMG Nashville. "Sam's talent is timeless and boundless. He has such an incredible way of communicating and emotes as if he's channeling feelings from another place; somewhere deep inside himself. His powerful, soulful vocals combine with his introspective storytelling to fully immerse you into Sam's own life making you feel everything he feels. He's such a special talent and I believe Sam's music will help lead country music into its next evolution."
Sam's Glasshouse Children is expected later this summer. Early releases from the debut album, "Shuteye," "Can't Fool Your Own Blood," "The World: Alone," and the most recent "10-4," have garnered critical acclaim from American Songwriter, Billboard, NPR, The Tennessean, Rolling Stone and more.
Sam made his national television debut on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in April performing "Can't Fool You Own Blood," a song which earned the soulful performer a standing ovation following his Grand Ole Opry debut.
Maroon 5 To Officially Embark On 2021 Headline Tour Across North America
Drake & Live Nation Set To Open New Entertainment Venue 'History' In Toronto
Sheryl Underwood, Daytime Emmy Award-Winner To Host The "48th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards" On June 25, 2021
BMI Celebrates Its Top Gospel Music Creators At The 2021 BMI Trailblazers Of Gospel Music Awards
Brooklyn Bowl Nashville Set For Opening Weekend June 25th & 26th With Performances By Grammy Award-Winning Old Crow Medicine Show
NBC's New Music Series American Song Contest Now Open To Submissions
Angelique Kidjo Unveils "Mother Nature" Music Video Featuring Sting
Sony Music Publishing And Jimmie Allen Partner To Sign Tate Howell To Global Deal
Sam Varga Releases Punk Rock Cover Of 'good 4 u' By Olivia Rodrigo


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Chinese Herbal prescriptions, usually comprising of several herbs into one formula, have the distinct advantage of treating multiple symptoms. The vast pharmacopeia of herbs and other ingredients however, must be prescribed by the herbalist on an individual basis. The same herb, for instance, can cause constipation in one individual and diarrhea in another. We encourage you to try Chinese Herbal Medicine as en effective and safe solution to your health needs.
parts of the body to specific parts of the ear was first developed in modern France.


Few media both capture and transmit our popular culture the way movies do. If you use movies in your research, cite them using guidelines similar to those for conventional print sources. The APA style guide, 6th edition, provides rules and examples for referencing these sources within the body of your paper.
When referencing a movie, follow the citation with the producer's surname and the director's surname with an ampersand and the movie's date, after by a comma; enclose the entire citation within parentheses. If the film has two producers, give both surnames. If there are three to five producers, list them all on the first reference, but on subsequent references, list only the first one, followed by et al. If the film has six or more producers, use the first listed producer and et al. on all references.
A citation for "Throne of Blood," which has two producers, one of whom is also the director, would look like this: (Kurosawa & Motoki, 1957). A citation for "The Secret of Kells," however, would look like this, because the film has seven producers, including the director: (Brunner et al., 2009). If the director is also a producer, you do not have to list that name twice.
Spirko, Jennifer. "How to Reference a Movie in the Body of Text in APA Format." , https://penandthepad.com/reference-movie-body-text-apa-format-2139.html. Accessed 22 April 2019.


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Caught in Congo's tides of war
A return to violence has forced 40,000 to cross Lake Albert into Uganda in search of refuge
By Max Bearak
Photography by Andrew Renneisen
Drone footage by Asaph Kasujja
When Congo plunged into a vicious war two decades ago that led to an estimated 5 million deaths, the northeastern province of Ituri was one of the country's bloodiest corners.
But by the mid-2000s, a tenuous peace prevailed. Healing was beginning between Ituri's two main ethnic groups, whose animosity had spiraled into tit-for-tat massacres. Most who had fled made a cautious return. There were even interethnic marriages. Two warlords from the province were the first people in the world to be convicted by the International Criminal Court.
A sudden return to violence in February and March has shattered any illusion of stability.
Nearly 400,000 people have been displaced by renewed violence, according to the United Nations. More than 40,000 of them have fled Congo entirely, crossing Lake Albert in rickety boats to Uganda, where they have been resettled in an ever-expanding refugee camp.
CONFLICT IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC
OF THE CONGO SINCE 1998
More fatalities
s. sudan
Sebagoro
Republic of
Source: Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED)
CONFLICT IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO SINCE 1998
Butembo
Ituri is only the latest of Congo's provinces to veer toward humanitarian catastrophe. More than 13 million Congolese need emergency aid, and 4.5 million have been displaced from their homes nationwide — more than anywhere else in Africa. But even by Congo's standards, the speed and scale at which the crisis in Ituri has unfolded is extraordinary, catching many, including locals, by surprise.
Vomulia Yeruse was in her garden when she heard the voices of a group of men approaching her home. The house was perched on a steep hillside, and her garden was downslope and out of sight. Her husband, she said, was inside, probably relaxing and listening to their transistor radio.
People in her village, Gobu, had been saying the old war was starting again, but it came quicker than Yeruse expected.
With nothing but her daughter, Christine, 3, tied to her back, her son, David, 6, in her arms, and about $11 she had tucked into a sock, she fled down the hill and into the bush. She has not seen her husband since that day in mid-March.
"If they find you in the house, they will burn it so you come outside," Yeruse said. "Then they catch you and chop you with the machete."
Civilians fleeing violence in Congo's Ituri province come ashore in Sebagoro, Uganda, in March after crossing Lake Albert. Andrew Renneisen/For The Washington Post
A U.N. worker counts arrivals from Congo who are being bused from Sebagoro on Lake Albert to Kyangwali refugee settlement in Uganda. Andrew Renneisen/For The Washington Post
Congolese arrivals wait to be assigned spaces in Kyangwali refugee resettlement camp. Over decades, Uganda has used the camp to settle waves of refugees fleeing Rwanda, Congo and Sudan. Andrew Renneisen/For The Washington Post
Yeruse and more than a dozen other refugees in Uganda interviewed by The Washington Post said they had passed through burned villages and stepped over bodies all the way after fleeing their homes until they boarded overloaded boats operated by men who made them sell everything they had for seats.
"If they don't chop you, you may still starve in the bush," said Yeruse, just hours after she arrived in the fishing village of Sebagoro on the Ugandan shore of Lake Albert. "People are even starving at the dock because they have no money to pay for the boat or for food."
To those who are fleeing and to outside observers, some aspects of the current situation worryingly echo Ituri's traumatic past.
Relations between the Hema and Lendu, thought to be on the mend, are plainly still raw, imbued with generations-old grievances over land ownership and unsettled scores from past conflicts. The brutality displayed over the past two months is on par with some of the worst from the crisis years ago: widespread rape, dismemberment of victims, the kidnapping of small children. The displaced are almost entirely Hema.
Growing instability across Congo comes against the backdrop of an increasingly intransigent president. Joseph Kabila, who had already served through a two-term limit, refused to step down in 2016. Strife in other provinces has benefited Kabila, who has used it as grounds for putting off elections, effectively keeping himself in power long after his tenure should have ended.
Three independent observers working in the province, who all spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect their ability to work there, said there was no direct evidence linking Kabila's government to instability in Ituri, but they said there were reasons to believe the fighting was not purely ethnic in nature.
Many who flee violence in Congo across Lake Albert end up at the sprawling Kyangwali refugee camp in Uganda.
They, as well as numerous refugees now in Uganda, cited a recent statement by Corneille Nangaa, the head of Congo's electoral commission, that instability in Ituri could hamper the government's ability to conduct a general election, long-delayed but now scheduled for December. Vast swaths of Congo are under limited government control at best, and the U.N. peacekeeping force, despite being the world's largest and most expensive, is increasingly stretched.
Lambert Mende, a spokesman for Congo's government, said that Nangaa's comments had been taken out of context and that "the situation is cooling down" in Ituri. He vehemently denied that the government was providing Lendu militias with weapons.
"There is no reason to delay elections," he told The Post, adding that reporters should be wary of "desperate opponents" who are trying to smear the government with a "bad image."
The Congolese government has held close to that line. In saying it will boycott a U.N. conference in Geneva this month aimed at raising funds to alleviate Congo's humanitarian crises, acting prime minister José Makila accused the United Nations of overstating the severity of the situation. Aid organizations were propagating a "bad image of D.R. Congo throughout the world," he said, using an abbreviated form of the country's name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Anti-Kabila sentiment was palpable in Kyangwali refugee camp in Uganda, about two hours by road from Sebagoro, where the refugee boats land.
"If Kabila isn't giving the Lendu pangas and petrol, then who is?" asked Makivuno Silva, 18, using a common word for machetes. He said that this time around, as opposed to the war that started just before he was born, no one thought of putting up a fight against the Lendu. "How can we even think of fighting back when we are outmatched like that?"
He and others scoffed at the idea of returning to Congo anytime soon, expressing a sentiment that may point to another political calculation behind the violence. If the displacement numbers are correct, and most of the displaced are indeed Hema, then Lendu politicians may be able to prevail over Hema candidates who they claim are wealthier, favored by the central government and use those advantages to win elections despite coming from a minority population.
Arrivals from Congo wait at a reception center to be assigned to a specific area in Kyangwali camp. Andrew Renneisen/For The Washington Post
Mapenzi Dzanina, 16, at her family's tent in Kyangwali camp in Uganda, fears she may never resume her schooling. Andrew Renneisen/For The Washington Post
Congolese who fled their country's Ituri province for Uganda disembark from a boat in Sebagoro. Andrew Renneisen/For The Washington Post
David Gressly, the U.N. secretary general's deputy special rapporteur for Congo, recently traveled through the affected parts of Ituri and said that while most of the Lendu population seemed still to be in place, Hema villages were devoid of women and children. Some Hema men, ages 15 to 50, have stayed behind to protect what is left of their livelihoods. The United Nations says nearly 80 percent of those who have fled to Uganda are women and children.
"We consider the situation to be quite tense and quite serious," Gressly said. Battalions of Uruguayan and Bangladeshi peacekeepers are being deployed in Ituri to prevent fighting from spreading farther south and west, he said. "This needs to be contained before it sets the whole place on fire."
Of Congo's tinderboxes, Ituri is the most combustible. Four major bouts of ethnic violence predate this year's strife, and locals say grievances between the Hema and Lendu go back to colonial times, when Belgian administrators gave the Hema better access to education and government jobs.
Although two militia leaders from Ituri were convicted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague in 2012 and 2014, another, Bosco Ntaganda, a Hema warlord, is still on trial, accused of 13 counts of war crimes and five counts of crimes against humanity.
A new set of ringleaders may be behind the recent violence, but journalists and human rights groups have not determined exactly who.
"You can't live a settled life there, not now, maybe never," said Yeruse. "Maybe I will die in Uganda."
Not returning to Congo means settling in Kyangwali. The land it sits on was bought by the Ugandan government in the 1960s and has been used to host successive waves of refugees from Sudan, Rwanda and Congo. New arrivals are bused to the camp from Sebagoro and given basic items like jerrycans for water collection, tarpaulins for shelter and machetes to chop tree branches from a nearby forest to prop up the tarps.
Congolese refugees stand at a gate of the Kyangwali refugee camp in Uganda.
The journey from Ituri can take three to 10 hours, depending on the quality of the boat's motor. Many operators prefer to cross at night, when the lake is calmer, their boats navigating among the thousands of scattered Ugandan fishermen who set their nets in the dark. From the shore, the fishermen's lanterns make it appear that the boats filled with those fleeing Congo are passing through the reflection of a starry sky, while the silhouette of Ituri's Blue Mountains looms behind them.
Most who arrive have not eaten for days and have spent multiple nights sleeping in Ituri's dense forest. Compounding the misery, some of the most recent arrivals have brought cholera, which is endemic in eastern Congo. Nearly 2,000 cases have been reported in Kyangwali. Thirty-six people have died, and new cases have been reported in locals near where the refugee boats come ashore. The only silver lining is that this outbreak is not of the drug-resistant variety. By government order, each person arriving in Uganda by boat is now put on a prophylactic course of antibiotics.
But a much more common affliction — boredom — has spread more widely through the camp, making the prospects of settling here all the grimmer for its largely young inhabitants.
"I had been in school for almost two years back in Congo. I might have wanted to be a nurse, or a teacher, but no matter what, I wanted to learn English," said Mapenzi Dzanina, a 16-year-old who managed to bring with her a cherished necklace but little else.
In late February, she and a few schoolmates watched from the forest as a group of men set their village alight. The arsonists spoke to each other in Lendu, which she understands, and to her, it seemed that they were under the influence of drugs. While storage rooms full of corn and cassava that their families had harvested went up in flames, the men laughed, she said.
It was not until she reached the Ugandan shore three days later that Mapenzi had anything to eat — biscuits given to her by a U.N. worker. In Kyangwali, she stood again among her friends from home, this time surveying the hills dotted with tents made of white tarp, sticks and mud that would be their home for the foreseeable future.
"There are no schools here," she said. "Maybe I won't ever go to school again."
Design and development by Andrew Braford.
Rebels in the Central African Republic are filling the void of an absent government
More than a dozen armed groups and a multitude of local militias have usurped control of about 80 percent of the impoverished former French colony.
Gay Kenyans sense they may be on the brink of a historic legal triumph
LGBT rights activists are challenging provisions of this former British colony's Victorian-era penal code that implicitly outlaw gay sex.


On March 15th, 2019, the Seattle Police Department Announced the Arrest of Ten People in a String of Theft Operations.
Bellevue, WA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 03/25/2019 -- Law enforcement reports that the broad anti-theft operation used undercover officers from the Major Crimes Task Force Detectives and the North Anti-Crime Team officers. According to information provided by representatives of the Seattle Police, law enforcement obtained information that indicated that shoplifters were repeatedly targeting the Home Depot and Lowe's home improvement stores. Indeed, the information suggested that serious shoplifting was occurring at these two stores on an almost daily basis.
These two department stores in question are located about a block away from each other, in Aurora Avenue in the north side of the city.
To carry out the sting operation, undercover Seattle police officers worked directly with employees from the store's loss prevention departments. Suspects were charged with both misdemeanor and felony theft offenses. One suspect fled from police, and was also charged with several other criminal offenses. In Washington, the key difference between a misdemeanor theft charge and a felony theft charge is the value of the money, property, or services that were allegedly stolen. Under Washington state law (RCW §9A.56.040), a defendant may be charged with misdemeanor theft in the third degree if they are alleged to have stolen goods or services valued at $750 or less. However, when the alleged value of the theft exceeds $750, the defendant can be charged with a second degree felony offense.
As explained by the Seattle criminal defense attorneys at the Nahajski Firm "Felony theft is an extremely serious offense in Washington.
Under the state's criminal code, a second degree felony is punishable by as much as five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Depending on the circumstances, a defendant could even face more serious penalties. If the unlawful taking of property involved actual physical violence or the threat of physical force, a defendant could face heightened criminal charges." Local law enforcement has stated that property theft continues to be a high priority. Specifically, the Seattle Police Department reports that the Aurora Avenue corridor — a section of the city that is home to a number of different businesses — will continue to receive a heightened degree of emphasis and oversight from offices.


Hey man...what's going on here?....i don't want to seem or sound egotistical...but it is what it is..and IAM.
Thank you for sharing your innerstanding with us. I was putting some pieces together in my head based on the graphics and what was said in another video. It's about how all the geometry exists in the ocean and makes its way to land. I just came back from a visit to Japan. I really enjoyed eating when I was there the vegetables were amazing!! Anyway I was just thinking of the geometry that I noticed all over, in nature, in architecture, and in the presentation of each meal. Even the vegetables like the lotus root has really interesting geometry. So I was thinking about my American grocery store and what kinds of vegetables might also have interesting geometry. I wonder if there is something that can be gained from consuming vegetables that have developed more intricate geometrical patterns?
great innerstanding and great visuals. It keeps you it is a piece of the innerverse tht we seldom look at through an objective lense. bring out the inner light. it will not hurt to more than try, but to create it and inner, under, and overstand it. Peace and blessings to all.
Exceptional Masterpiece of co-creative, translucent overstanding, magnificent tones and graphics... innerstanding visuals of perfect magnificence, nu crystaline formations, wholistic pure water.
optimum prime harmonics.. in between time distance and space a balance fulcrum view.