Attorney and author Marcia Clark co-writes and executive produces a new legal drama about Maya Travis (Robin Tunney), an L.A. district attorney who suffers a devastating defeat when prosecuting an A-list actor for double murder. With her high-profile career derailed, she flees for a quieter life in Washington. Eight years later when this same celebrity is under suspicion for another murder, Maya Travis is lured back to the DA's office for another chance at justice.
ABC New Shows has been added to My List.


Gather your friends and order some takeaway because Netflix has announced that the new Mowgli film will be available to watch from next month.
Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, starring Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale and Benedict Cumberbatch will be available to watch from the 7th of December.
The streaming service released a trailer yesterday and announced the release date on Twitter today.
The trailer starts off quite similar to previous Jungle Book movies with Mowgli enjoying his life with the wolf pack, but he soon starts to notice he is different.
He is drawn to the village and the people living in it. Eventually, he makes his way down and appears to live with them for a time.
Mowgli has to choose which path he will follow – that of a man or of a wolf.


The results of some of the biggest cross-national tests are in and we would like to x-ray the performance of U.S students.
PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) is an international body that measures reading ability, math and science literacy and other key skills among 15-year-olds in dozens of developed and developing countries around the world. In their most recently published results, it is indicated that U.S students fall in the middle of the pack amongst other students of the different countries. As of 2015, the U.S was placed at a dismal 38th out of 71 countries in math and 24th in science. This is quite contrary to what one would expect.
Another long-standing testing body is NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress), a project of the Federal Education Department. NAEP released its 2015 finding that shows a decline in the math scores of fourth and eighth graders; the first since 1990.
The average fourth-grade NAEP math score in 2015 was 240 (on a scale of 0 to 500), and this was at the same level as in 2009, down from 242 in 2013. The average eighth-grade score was 282 in 2015, compared with 285 in 2013; that score was the lowest since 2007. (The NAEP has only tested 12th-graders in math four times since 2005; their 2015 average score of 152 on a 0-to-300 scale was one point lower than in 2013 and 2009).
In another rating, the 2015 NAEP results rated 40% of fourth-graders, 33% of eighth-graders and 25% of 12th-graders as "proficient" or "advanced" in math and rated far fewer fourth- and eighth-graders as "below basic," the lowest performance level (18% and 29%, respectively, versus 50% and 48% in 1990), it is pertinent to note that improvement in the top levels appears to have also stalled out. (Among 12th-graders, 38% scored at the lowest performance level in math, a point lower than in 2005).
The disturbing nature of some of these statistics is what prompted a team at Rutgers University to analyze the NAEP data to try to identify the reasons for the drop in scores.


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The Plan: Inside the New 75 Rock
By Liam La Guerre	February 1, 2017 10:27 pm
75 Rockefeller Plaza's new lobby. Photo: Melissa Goodwin/For Commercial Observer. Under Construction; 75 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY. Workers put the finishing touches on the lobby at 75 Rockefeller Plaza
The lobby was one of the first things RXR tackled. It has marble and limestone walls and unique art work. Photo: Melissa Goodwin/For Commercial Observer.
Rents in the revamped building are going to be starting at $90 per square foot. Photo: Melissa Goodwin/For Commercial Observer.
Private offices which feature glass walls to let light into the common areas of the office on the 19th floor. Photo: Melissa Goodwin/For Commercial Observer
Open layout space on the 19th floor. Photo: Melissa Goodwin/For Commercial Observer
75 Rockefeller Plaza.
Around the same time Tina Fey's 30 Rock ended in January 2013, RXR Realty began working on another building in the famous complex: 75 Rockefeller Plaza.
SEE ALSO: WeWork Takes 200K SF in Flatiron District
The 1947 building, acquired in a 99-year, triple-net lease from billionaire Mohamed Al Faye, had never seen a top-down renovation before. But executives at the company were also looking at a Midtown rarity: the entire building was about to become vacant as Time Warner Cable (now called Spectrum) was leaving for Columbus Circle a year later, as Commercial Observer reported at the time.
So RXR began a $150 million plan for the new 75 Rock, which is on West 52nd Street between Avenue of the Americas and Fifth Avenue to make the building more competitive with other modern towers. That renovation is complete and set to debut tomorrow, and from the screws to the 18 elevators (14 of which are passenger), "everything is new," William Elder, an executive vice president at RXR, told CO during a tour of the building today.
Well, it would be 100 percent new, but the landmarked Indiana limestone façade is protected and can only be cleaned or enhanced, and even that requires New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission approval—which RXR received last summer.
"This is storied ground," Elder said. "This is a worldwide address—every tourist comes here and New Yorkers think of this as a great place to do business. We wanted to be true to the building's history, but we also wanted to be true to the modern elements of what you have to deliver to tenants to make it a functional place for them to do business."
The change of the building is really felt in its 24-foot high lobby, which was "just horrendous" with black granite walls, Elder said. The new Kohn Pedersen Fox-designed lobby has been made brighter with white marble walls and quartz floors. Also, the landlord used the same Indiana limestone that makes up the exterior of the building for two walls in the lobby.
With an empty building, RXR took time to revamp the tower's efficiency as well. It compacted and adjusted the core—which contains key elements for each floor, such as bathrooms, staircases, elevators, utility rooms and kitchens—to make more space on the floors for tenants. And columns were shrunk as well.
RXR prebuilt the roughly 14,000-square-foot 19th and 27th floors of the building with marble floors and carpeting, enclosed glassed private offices with large wooden doors and drop ceilings—a noticeable difference from lofty spaces that technology advertising media and information tenants lust for. And that's because RXR expects to attract financial institutions, law firms, consulting firms, hedge funds and accounting firms.
Cushman & Wakefield is marketing vacant space in the building, which is priced at about $90 to more than $100 per square foot.
The brokerage has already leased 40,000 square feet of retail space to American Girl and 185,343 square feet to Bank of America and Merrill Lynch Wealth Management (an arm of the bank) as the anchor tenant of the 623,000-square-foot building.
Most of the ground floor and the entire retail basement will be occupied by American Girl, but there is a remaining 5,000 square feet on the ground floor, which features up to 24-foot ceiling heights. Elder believes that that space could be for a high-end restaurateur. (Elder wouldn't reveal who they were talking to.)
In the future RXR hopes to design a terrace with lounge chairs and plantings on the building's set back, which is on the 10th floor. But for now the landlord is so proud of its work on the tower, RXR is moving its Manhattan offices from 1330 Avenue of the Americas to the entire 14,000-square-foot 14th floor of the 33-story 75 Rock later this year, as CO previously reported.
"When the owner takes a space in their building, to the outside world who wants to come in, that's the strongest statement you could make," Elder said. "We're proud of this asset and what we have done."
Keywords: 75 Rockefeller Plaza, American Girl, Bank of America, Cushman & Wakefield, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, Mohamed Al Faye, RXR Realty, slideshow, Spectrum, Time Warner Cable, Tina Fey, William Elder

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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CC Class Day: Don't Put Compromising Pictures of Yourself on FB
By Bwog Staff on May 21, 2013 12 Comments
Happy graduates and that guy's head.
Fortunately, PrezBo's hair weathered the extreme heat of today's College graduation ceremonies. A little after 9:30 am today, the class of 2013 marched with their gowns sticking to their sweaty under thighs. The Salutatorian, Yoshiaki Ko, made the first speech of the morning, discussing the "nexus" that Low Steps become when it's nice out and the intellectual and social connectedness of the student body and the university at large. Terrence McNally, class of '60, proceeded to give the Keynote address (highlights are after the jump). After student awards, Deantini urged the class of 2013 to "remember the imperative, 'Roar, Lion, Roar," and PrezBo promised to keep it brief in light of his speech for tomorrow's University Commencement. Class President, Ryan Mandelbaum, started his speech by taking a selfie at the podium and provided insights on his freshman self's "shearling lined Crocs." Hands were shook, pins were given and names were read, the last of which was "Beyoncé Knowles" (this actually happened) which is apparently the proper phonetic pronunciation of Meriam Raouf's name. You know it's unbelievable when a parenthetical disclaimer is necessary. Congrats CC 2013!
Malfunctioning subtitles
A 'C' of blue
Speeching
Stealthy pic of PrezBo
Oh when the grads, go marching in
Deantini
The newly graduated!
Speech Highlights: Yoshiaki Ko (Salutatorian): " How many Columbia students does it take to change a lightbulb? The answer is 76. One to change the lightbulb, fifty to protest the lightbulb's right to not change, and twenty-five to hold a counter-protest."
Terrence McNally (Keynote Speaker): "The only advice I have is: Be nicer to people. Wash your hands more frequently. Count to 100 at least twice before asking someone to marry you. Don't put compromising photos of yourself on Facebook. That's about it."
"My professors told me that the greatest thoughts were inside these buildings with the most exciting, exuberant city outside, so I felt justified in skipping my classes…and this carried through for the next four years."
"In the Eisenhower years, we didn't talk about who was gay…but there was a hell of a lot of wondering. I was out but I felt alone…but I didn't want to live my life secretively and furtively…but times have changed in my 50 years, in my lifetime."
"I still have recurring nightmares that I'm a Senior and I haven't opened a book the entire semester and exams and term papers are due in the morning. Fortunately, I always wake up before I drown myself in a Low Library fountain."
"My senior year I wrote the Varsity Show. It was about cannibals and celebrities who deserve to be eaten…today it would be the Kardashians…"
"I'm not smarter than everyone I know. I just received a superior education—my Harvard and Yale friends would agree."
"We need the class of 2013 to show us what else must be done to make this a more perfect planet. Let us make the future our friend."
Deantini: "This is the greatest College in greatest University in the world."
"It was believed that commencement addresses were important because students shouldn't be released into the world until properly sedated."
"The best use of life is to spend it on something that will outlast it." (quoting William James)
"Work hard, try hard, play hard…I know you're all Columbia students so you're probably thinking, play? What's play?"
"College walk doesn't go just from Amsterdam to Broadway, but around the world."
PrezBo: "However much other Universities claim to have a core, none's come close to Columbia's."
"Keep this educational experience alive and well."
Ryan Mandelbaum: "Daft Punk released a new album and a song on it goes, [singing] " We've come too far, to give up who we are, so let's raise the bar, and our cups to the stars." I chose this song mainly because the day I wrote this speech, James Bennet told me to quote Kanye West's Good Morning, "homie this 'stuff" is basic, welcome to Graduation," but there are a lot of curses and the entire first verse is about cheating on all your tests."
"If you look back on Facebook posts or tweets or emails from Freshman year, it will be excruciatingly painful."
"Some of us will have to wake up at 8 am to do something other than pregame for Bacchanal."
"Never change and don't give up who you are."
blurring illicit substances from your pictures doesn't work
CC class day 2013
class day
ryan mandelbaum
the Kardashians are a part of this complete breakfast
work hard try hard play hard-Deantini
Leave a Reply to I believe... Cancel reply
6 years ago at 9:59 pm
@yay Loved the "Good morning" reference!! ROAR
6 years ago at 11:27 pm
@anon Yoshiaki Ko (Salutatorian) plagiarized that line from like 50 different sites including wikicu. He should be expelled and his diploma taken away. He literally just stole a line and used it in front of the whole school….worst plagiarizing ever
I believe... says:
@I believe... …he prefaced it with something along the lines of "you all know the joke about Columbia students…" implying that it was not his own invention.
6 years ago at 12:47 am
@Anonymous whatever. he wasnt the real salutatorian anyway, and that chick wasn't the real valedictorian. the award for highest gpa (Albert Asher Green Memorial Award Recipient) went to some other kid who wasn't them.
6 years ago at 7:53 am
@Anonymous You must've missed that part in the program that said: "From among those students with the highest GPA, the Val and Sal are selected by the faculty Committee on Honors, Awards, and Prizes on the basis of faculty recommendations regarding the strength, breadth, depth, and rigor of their academic achievements as well as on evidence of their intellectual promise, character and achievement outside of the classroom."
This guy says:
@This guy You sir, are an A+ troll. I commend you. Clearly putting that Columbia education to good use.
@Anonymous this was the best class day ever. I love you CC 2013!!
@Anonymous YEAH, PRETTY SURE THIS WAS DEFINITELY THE BEST CLASS DAY EVER, EVEN CONSIDERING THE HUNDREDS-YEARS-OLD HISTORY OF THIS SCHOOL AND THE FACT THAT NOTHING SPECIAL HAPPENED THIS YEAR.
Nice hyperbole, bitch.
back to your cave says:
@back to your cave you asswipe
@Anonymous That's not what being Valedictorian or Salutorian is about, though. It's not just about being the best at taking tests or learning material, and I'm glad that the choices made reflect that. I couldn't be either, but to me it seems just as, if not more impressive that there are people like Leah and Yoshiaki who were able to be dedicated to academics and still make a difference outside of the classroom. That kind of balance isn't easy to achieve, and I'd like to see you try to match their examples! :)
All the same, a lot of respect to Joel, it's awesome! Congrats to everyone!!!
in the know says:
@in the know The above poster is right – college deans solicit letters of recommendation from faculty in the departments for each of the top 15-20 GPA holders. Then, a faculty committee determines the valedictorian and salutatorian from that pool, based on the letters received and close scrutiny of each transcript. The letters provide a much wider and deeper portrait of each person's accomplishments than a mere GPA. (Especially when all of the top basically have the same GPAs.)
@Anonymous Congratulations CC Class of 2013!!! Welcome to Columbia Alumni!


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The Shadow Can Only Mock, It Cannot Make
There's a scene in J.R.R. Tolkien's Return of the King in which Frodo and Samwise are reunited after Frodo's capture by the villainous Orcs. Upon freeing Frodo, Sam speculates about the nature of the twisted, malign creatures, and Frodo answers: The Shadow that bred them can only mock, it cannot make: not real new things of its own. So it is with the climate change denial industry, which attempted a rollout of a shiny new product, a young counterpart to teenaged climate activist Greta Thunberg. The Washington Post buried the lede in its initial coverage of the 'Anti-Greta':
Meet the anti-Greta, a young YouTuber campaigning against "climate alarmism" https://t.co/R03zXGx6jr
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) February 24, 2020
Besides the fact that this kid is backed by fossil fuel interests, it also turns out that she is a white nationalist. Anti-immigrant? Antisemitic? Yep, she's the complete package, wrapping up all sorts of loathsome right-wing lunacy in a baby-faced package. The fact that she's German is just the final joke in a bad farce. Meanwhile, oil industry creeps in Alberta have been circulating sexualized cartoons of Greta Thunberg while their young industry spokesmodel crashes and burns almost as soon as she took the stage.
The Shadow can only mock, it cannot make... Greta Thunberg is a genuine activist, inspired by a righteous anger that her generation is being robbed of its birthright by a tiny minority of obscenely wealthy profiteers. The shadowy petrochemical industry groups attempted to come up with a counter to Greta, and they rolled out a twisted simulacrum... it's time to send this little neo-Nazi back to Mordor.
MAGAvirus
It's funny when you see your thoughts echoed perfectly in the posts of others, but Doktor Zoom and Scott Lemieux perfectly echoed my sentiments regarding Mike Pence's appointment as Coronavirus Czar... this is a guy who allowed an HIV epidemic to hit rural Indiana on his watch. While there is no stigma attached to COVID 19 like there is to HIV, the fact remains that an anti-science bigot is going to be heading up the anti-pandemic efforts when we need for someone to be serious for a second.
The sad, sick fact of our current dilemma is that, amid other CDC budget cuts, Trump disbanded the US Pandemic Response Team in 2018, ostensibly as a cost-cutting measure, though Trump's self-dealing golf cart rentals have cost taxpayers over a half-million dollars. The CDC response to the outbreak is incoherent at best.
The creepiest thing about this potential calamity is that Trump has long been skeptical about vaccines. An anti-science fanatic who has gutted the non-partisan governmental agencies which respond to emergencies is the last person we need to respond to a medical crisis such as we're facing.
Gave up Lent for Lent
A while ago, I wrote a post about how authoritarian Christians decided to adopt a 'no Fat Tuesday, all Ash Wednesday' brand of Christianity. Even more worrisome, they adopted a bizarro form of Christianity entirely devoid of Christ... the gentle Nazarene was thrown over in favor of his smitey Old Testament dad. I used to be a fairly devout Catholic, but the sexual abuse scandals combined with a conservative orthodoxy which made friends of mine into second class citizens shunned by their families, made me decide to give up religion for Lent.
I actually used to observe what for me was the ultimate Lenten discipline... I would go coffee free for the forty-day season. Being a caf-fiend, this was quite a sacrifice, though it would end up with me 'resetting' my coffee addiction, returning to coffee the punch it should have. Now, I couldn't even be bothered, it's not like I live a profligate lifestyle, why give up an inexpensive luxury, even as an exercise in secular self-discipline?
I actually continued my Mardi Gras celebration into Ash Wednesday, meeting with friends at a Mexican restaurant not far from my workplace for a nice pre-work dinner. Who needs fasting and abstinence when one could have a nice, somewhat luxe dinner with close friends? Giving up Lent for Lent was a gradual thing for me, the cultural associations with not eating meat on Fridays used to be a point of pride, a mark of solidarity to a community. I'm a member of other communities, though, most of which haven't forced me to choose sides in a culture war that I would never have chosen.
When the World Seems Like It's Going to Hell, Laissez les Bon Temps Rouler!
Sure, the world is going to hell, with the COVID 19 outbreak seeming to approach pandemic status, violence breaking out in India during Trump's visit, and the stock market tanking, but it's also Mardi Gras, so I'm taking a breather to go eat a po'boy before going out drinking. Carnival may have been cancelled, but the good times must roll ever onward.
A few years back, I wrote a post about that song most associated with 'Mardi Gras', Iko Iko. Back in the 1960s, three teenaged relatives (two sisters and a cousin) had a hit with the song:
I found a performance by the group, now mature women, which demonstrates that they still maintained that sass and charm they had as schoolgirls:
I'm glad I wasn't drinking a Sazerac when Rose said she was 'moving her motor to the beat of the music'. Anyway, the world won't be getting any better or much worse within the next twenty-four hours, so might as well enjoy Fat Tuesday. There's always Ash Wednesday for reflecting on the current Badness.
A Remarkable Trajectory
After yesterday's triumphant post about science, here's some sad news, Katherine Johnson, the NASA computer whose mathematics skills were crucial to the success of the United States' manned spaceflight projects, has died at the age of 101:
We're saddened by the passing of celebrated #HiddenFigures mathematician Katherine Johnson. Today, we celebrate her 101 years of life and honor her legacy of excellence that broke down racial and social barriers: https://t.co/Tl3tsHAfYB pic.twitter.com/dGiGmEVvAW
— NASA (@NASA) February 24, 2020
Largely ignored for the contributions that allowed white men like Alan Shepard and John Glenn to (rightfully) be lauded as heroes, Katherine Johnson, an African-American woman, finally received the adulation she and her colleagues deserved, being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015, and ending up as one of the subjects of Margot Lee Shetterly's 2016 book Hidden Figures (the basis of the eponymous movie). That's a little late for someone whose mathematical work in the 1960s allowed the Apollo lunar modules to synch up with the orbital command modules to safely bring our Moon Men back to Earth.
I feel obligated to point out that sexism and racism ruin everything, and that Civil Rights are crucial to allowing humans to reach their potential. Katherine Johnson was able to succeed in a thirty-three year career with NASA despite the racism and sexism of American society, but it wasn't enough to make her a household name. Things have improved since the not-so-good old days, and NASA created a lovely tribute to her:
While I often rail against the short-term silliness of humanity, I believe in the long-term success of our species... provided we get over our bigotries and our greed. Sure, it looks as if the lunatics have taken over the asylum, but there are enough dedicated, brilliant people, such as Katherine Johnson, to maintain my faith in us.
Meanwhile, Real Science Proceeds Apace
Yesterday's post was about a self-taught 'engineer' conducting an experiment in an attempt to prove a pseudoscientific thesis... it was nice to see him using empiricism in his quest for knowledge, though his efforts... uhhhh... fell flat. Today, I am more interested in real science- the CERN crew has been able to create and maintain antimatter for up to twenty-four hours.
One of the mysteries of the universe is the prevalence of matter- if the Big Bang had produced equal amounts of matter and antimatter, the opposite-charged particles would have annihilated each other, resulting in No Universe At All. A small asymmetry at the beginning would have resulted in the current mass (heh heh) asymmetry. It's all very heady stuff, but suffice it to say that real discoveries are being made, and nobody has to plaster themselves onto the desert floor to make them.
Antimatter has come up in a few of the Secret Science Club lectures I have recapped. I imagine it will become a more common subject as physicists better learn how to create and maintain the stuff, even if it really wouldn't be so good for power generation.
The Flight of Stupid Icarus
There are those of us who fly to Empyrean heights while others trudge through the mud and muck. The peril, though, is that these heroes can fly too close to the Sun, which is small, close to the Earth, and trapped within the dome of the firmament. Such a hero was Stupid Icarus, aka 'Mad' Mike Hughes, who died as he lived, launching himself into the wild blue yonder in a steam-powered homemade rocket in another attempt to prove that the Earth is flat:
It seems as if his grasp of aeronautical/astronautical engineering was a sound as his grasp of astronomy and geology. Protip: steampunk is a genre of fiction.
There's something to be said, though, about dying in the pursuit of one's passions... it beats, say, dying of starvation in the gutter. Sure, he didn't contribute anything to the sum total of human knowledge (besides a cautionary tale to wannabe daredevils), but the world needs its Quixotes.
This one's for Mad Mike:
Just, like, pretend the song is stupid...
White, Far-Right, and Out of Sight!
It happens every February, when the 'why isn't there a White History Month?' crowd comes out of the woodwork... right-wing white guys decide to opine about civil rights matters. It isn't pretty:
David Barton honors Black History Month by arguing that white people don't get enough credit for ending slavery. https://t.co/hQQUKrl9oY pic.twitter.com/lqgo90hS5v
— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) February 21, 2020
Yes, white people deserve credit for ending the evil, hypocritical policies that white people put in place- where is Bull Connor's participation trophy for not gunning down marchers?
It gets even worse, as the lunatic fringe seeks to efface the first African-American president from history, and laud a racist buffoon instead:
Newsmax host calls Donald Trump "the greatest Black president ever" and "the first Black president" pic.twitter.com/brjDsvXfMU
— Jason Campbell (@JasonSCampbell) February 20, 2020
This is a quick post, written just before I head off to work. I'll have time to expand upon it during the quiet, pre-dawn hours. For now, though, I just have to note that these nutbars are disgusting, and entirely too predictable.
I Can't Believe It's Not Trump!
I didn't watch last night's Democratic debate, having spent much of the evening attending a state-mandated annual training course for licensing purposes, and the rest of the evening writing about using pulsar timing arrays to detect gravitational waves. I did, though, watch Elizabeth Warren's evisceration of Bloombito, and it was a thing to behold.
Bloomberg is basically Trump Lite, being a champion of racist policies and having a history of sexual harassment. Sure, he's a self-made billionaire, and a lot smarter than Trump, but his piggishness is merely better hidden than that of true vulgarian Trump. Trump's history of misconduct is buried by NDA's, and so is Bloomberg's history of misconduct:
Dear @MikeBloomberg,
Believe women.
Elizabeth Warren #DemDebate
pic.twitter.com/cu7tMADJxx
— Frederick Joseph (@FredTJoseph) February 20, 2020
I'll be voting for Elizabeth Warren in the primaries. It's time that a woman take the reins of power in order to get this country off of the calamitous course that greedy, regressive old men have followed. I can't help but think that Bloomberg is running merely to protect the huge tax cut he got under the GOP. If he thinks that Trump is embarrassing, he should run as a Republican... fix the party of Trump, Gohmert, and Gaetz. He should be escorted off the Democratic debate stage... it's too bad that we don't have Sandman Sims around anymore.
Secret Science Club Post Lecture Recap: Taking the Pulse of Gravitational Waves
Last night, I headed down to the beautiful Bell House, for this month's Secret Science Club lecture featuring Dr Chiara Mingarelli of the University of Connecticut and the Flatiron Institute's Center for Computational Astrophysics. Dr Mingarelli is also a member of NANOGrav, the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves. Taking the stage, Dr Mingarelli started off with a joke: "Thank you for clapping for my new tenure track position."
Dr Mingarelli started her lecture by acknowledging Black History Month and calling attention to the accomplishments of three African-American women... Katherine Johnson, is a former NASA computer who calculated orbital mechanics necessary for NASA's early forays into space, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015. Dr Jedidah Isler, is Yale University's first African-American woman PhD in astrophysics, and is an expert on blazars, the supermassive black hole powered galactic nuclei. Shirley Ann Jackson, MIT's first African-American woman PhD recipient, who was Chair of the NRC, president of RPI, and invented a portable fax machine.
After this topical introduction, Dr Mingarelli took us back to the deep past, the days soon after the Big Bang, when dark matter filaments spread throughout a very early universe. One billion years after the Big Bang, galaxies began to form as matter in halo clusters. Then galaxies began to form in spiral and elliptical shapes, the elliptical galaxies being the most massive galaxies, which have lost their spiral structure. Galaxies have supermassive black holes in their centers. Twenty four thousand light years from Earth, the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*, thought to have 4.6 million solar masses, lies at the center of the Milky Way. Stars near Sagittarius A* have randomly distributed orbits, but further stars have regular orbits. Dr Mingarelli showed us an animation by Dr Andrea Ghez depicting the orbit of stars around the Milky Way's center, similar to this video:
Galaxies merge, and Dr Mingarelli noted that the supermassive black holes at the center of galaxies merge as well. This merging creates gravitational waves, ripples in spacetime which actually cause distance to stretch and squash. To illustrate this, she performed a funny 'gravitational wave dance'. She then turned the topic of the lecture to pulsars, which she likened to cosmic lighthouses. Pulsars are excellent clocks, as accurate as all but the most modern atomic clocks, flashing radio waves at regular intervals (though gravitational waves can change the distance between a pulsar and Earth). Pulsars were discovered by Jocelyn Bell Burnell, whose supervisors at Cambridge University tasked her with looking for quasars. She discovered a periodic radio signal and was told to drop study of it, but she suspected that she would be kicked out of the program soon, so she studied this radio source with diligence. She initially called this radio source a 'periodic star' but a reporter gave the object the catchier name 'pulsar'. Her male supervisor won the Nobel prize for this discovery.
Pulsars serve as clocks, accurate to withing 100 nanoseconds over a decade. Redshift and blueshift in pulsars is caused by gravitation waves stretching and squashing distance. This doesn't happen very frequently, in fifteen years, no gravitational wave activity has been noted, suggesting longer wave periods or weaker gravitational waves. It's possible that, with better instruments, the entire galaxy may be purposed as a gravitational wave detector.
There are other means for detecting gravitational waves, such as LIGO, a ground-based laser interferometer. Dr Mingarelli had another dance to demonstrate how LIGO works, with one arm extending while another arm at a 90 degree angle contracts. She noted that the signal from two black holes colliding was about 100 hertz in frequency, which is audible. The colliding black holes which triggered LIGO were stellar mass black holes. When two supermassive black holes merge, they emit radiation from all over the electromagnetic spectrum: x-rays, UV light, radio waves. The LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) mission, slated for 2034, is designed to create a new avenue to explore the universe, meant to detect galaxy formation and mergers, subject important to cosmology and basic physics.
Dr Mingarelli then returned to the subject of timed pulsar arrays- the data sets are sufficiently long and of sufficient quality that the lack of results in signal detection is significant. Are there some sort of hangups in black hole mergers that reduce merger rates? Could black holes not be as massive as thought? One of the big problems of astrophysics is the Final Parsec Problem (PDF). Black holes sink to the bottom of gravitational wells until they get within a parsec of each other. Using only gravitational waves, it would take longer than the age of the universe to get the black holes to merge. The centers of galaxies are also filled with gas and stars, which might interact with black holes which 'slingshot' out matter, shrink, and lose energy so the black holes can finally merge after billions of years. If there are not enough stars, no merger will take place. Dr Mingarelli showed us a NASA video simulation of two black holes colliding:
As the black holes merge, their outer gas rings merge to form a circumbinary accretion disk. The merging black holes send out 'messengers', radiation and gravitational waves- by measuring the amplitude of these waves, we might be able to find out how the black holes merge, overcoming the final parsec problem. Dr Mingarelli posed a mind-bender of a question: do local conditions apply everywhere? It sounds ridiculous, it may be ridiculous, maybe there is no solution to the final parsec problem. In galactic mergers, a third galaxy results, with matter and energy ejected in the merger.
If no results are found through pulsar timing arrays by 2030, scientists will have to ask some hard questions- do all galaxies have supermassive black holes at their centers? Dr Mingarelli asserted that the science is doable, and scientists are doing it. She hinted at something exciting occurring, with detection possibly occurring within three years. She posed the question, do the models reflect reality? Do black holes have less mass than thought? Are their 'weirder' factors at play? The binary supermassive black hole problem should be resolvable, and one possible binary has been found using 'maps' of the cosmos. Not a lot of weird stuff has been detected by using pulsar timing arrays, but they may help astrophysicists figure out which galaxies harbor supermassive black holes, though such supermassive black holes might be decoupled from their gas accretion disks when we find them. There is probably a 'sweet spot' for supermassive black holes, bigger might not be better. At ten to the tenth power solar masses, mergers might take place too quickly, at lower masses, the energy of mergers might be hard to detect. The 'goldilocks zone' might be around one billion solar masses.
Dr Mingarelli noted that the Sombrero Galaxy might be one of the best candidates for the search while M87 might be too big, to difficult to detect a supermassive black hole in. The object of the search is to learn how galaxies develop and grow.
Dr Mingarelli followed the lecture up with a Q&A session. The first question regarded LIGO, and its limitation to low-frequency waves- Dr Mingarelli joked that if the wavelengths are too long, LIGO is no-go. Another question regarded dark matter- if dark matter follows the MACHO model, it could interact with black holes, but such interaction is hard to detect.
Asked about the ten year time frame, Dr Mingarelli noted that the most pessimistic model has the gravitational waves discovered withing ten years, if not, then something is broken with the model.
A question about Jocelyn Bell Burnell's biography elicited a sad tale of sexism... she had a child while getting her PhD, so she worked an array of temp jobs, as did her husband. Her salary was capped because, combined with her husband's salary, the family income would have exceeded that of her department head. She was also an Irish woman working in the UK during the Troubles. When she was finally awarded the Breakthrough Prize, she donated the winnings for a scholarship for refugees and migrants. Dr Mingarelli half-jokingly referred to her as St Jocelyn of the Pulsar.
Asked whether she herself faced discrimination, Dr Mingarelli said yes, but not as much as women of color typically face. She noted a subtle discrimination, having comments ignored, then attributed to male colleagues. She stated that things could get better, but that topic is a different talk.
I make no bones about having a bio bias, so it's important for me to pay heed to the physics and astrophysics lectures. Dr Mingarelli spoke about some heady subjects and leavened her talk with humor, so the brain-bending was accompanied by funny bone tickling. Her lecture also combined both the joy of discovery and the righteous indignation of an advocate for better representation of underserved populations in the STEM fields. This combination of hard science and sound policy is exactly what I expect from the Secret Science Club. Kudos to Dr Mingarelli, Dorian and Margaret, and the staff of the beautiful Bell House.
Here's a video of Dr Mingarelli lecturing about pulsar timing array and black hole mergers. This video is bound to stretch and squash your brain like gravitational waves stretch and squash signals from pulsars:
Pour yourself a nice beverage and soak in that SCIENCE!!!
Chinatown HO!
Last week, a drive-by commentor decided to challenge me regarding my dedication to the proposition that sanctuary cities are a good thing. In typical fashion, it was a bit of a stupid 'gotcha': Be sure to give sanctuary to the Asians that may be carrying the shiny new virus.
Aside from the fact that various governments have cracked down on travel to and from the city of Wuhan, and no cases of the COVID-19 virus have been reported in New York, businesses in New York City's Chinatowns are suffering because of fear of an outbreak and bias attacks against persons of east Asian descent have been reported. I refuse to live my life in fear, so I will be stopping in Manhattan's Chinatown either on my way to (if I can get my ass in gear in time) or from (the venerable Wo Hop is 24 hours) tonight's Secret Science Club lecture.
I'm a New Yorker, I refused to let the 9/11 attacks cause me to fear my Muslim neighbors, it's not like some epidemic nineteen years later is going to cause me to fear my Chinese immigrant and Chinese-American neighbors.
Geekly Day of Obligation?
I'm thinking of seeing The Rise of Skywalker tonight, more as the nerdly equivalent of a holy day of obligation than a burning need to see the film. To be honest, I'm more excited about Mark Hamill being cast as Skeletor in a 'He-Man' reboot (though Henry Rollins being cast as Triclops is even funnier). I figure it won't be in the theaters much longer- as it is, it's not playing in any of the cinemas in Yonkers, so I will probably see it in a mall theater the next county over. Luckily, this being President's Day, traffic probably won't be too bad.
I figure I'll add on to this post after I see the film. It hasn't garnered very good reviews, and I imagine it won't be as entertaining as the last 'Star Wars' project I watched, but it is supposed to finish a story arc that began in 1977, which contains some of my favorite films (Phantom Menace, natch!). I'm not one for nerdrage, but I'm also not one to gild a turd. Rest assured, though, if the movie is terrible, it won't have retroactively ruined my childhood.
The Firmest Pillar of Good Government Has Toppled
Years ago, I had an investigative job which took me to various courthouses around the NY Metro Area on a somewhat regular basis (mainly to get duces tecum subpoenas for medical records 'so ordered' by a judge). I remember taking great inspiration from the inscription about the New York County Courthouse:
For those who don't wish to squint at the photo, it reads 'THE TRUE ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE IS THE FIRMEST PILLAR OF GOOD GOVERNMENT'. Words to live by, if you are interested in good government. Those who see government as an obstacle to their private gain are uninterested in the true administration of justice... so here we have over a thousand former Department of Justice employees calling on AG Barr to resign. Barr is not interested in the true administration of justice, nor in good government- he's a bagman for oligarchs, trying to garner preferential treatment for the president's cronies.
Right-wing dead-enders often talk about a 'Deep State' that is undermining the Trump administration. In reality, the people who constitute the 'Deep State' are the largely non-partisan public employees who keep things running in government agencies. These are the men and women who deplore seeing the agencies that employed them degenerate into political machines for corrupt regimes. Barr isn't going anywhere, and there really isn't a mechanism to get rid of him at this time, but it's important that his misdeeds are noted, for historic purposes. Hopefully, we'll get through this rough patch for our nation, and keeping a record of how our norms were violated is an important part of warning future citizens that the mistakes of 2016 don't get repeated.
A Personal Favorite
Today was a fun day, though I am feeling it now... I can still take a beating at my age, but I feel it later. We spent about half an hour teaching my personal favorite judo throw, tai otoshi, to our advanced students. Tai otoshi is a funny throw, a hand technique which looks like a leg technique. In this video, watch the instructor's hands as he finishes the throw, it's that push/pull combo which impels his partner over his extended leg:
We had our students practice the technique from both standing (traditional) and kneeling (emphasizing that they can follow up with the kesa gatame pinning technique). We also encouraged them to get creative, playing with one handed variants (being a brute, I used to play around with a one-handed technique emphasizing the lapel grip, while my main sensei prefers one that emphasizes the sleeve grip... a matter of push versus pull). One of the girls, at the wise age of seven, figured out that tai otoshi is a good follow-up to an unsuccessful shoulder throw, seoi-nage... clever girl! I was very proud of everybody, they played well with each other, and they are a mixed group- we had students seven to fifteen, white belt to green, and they mixed it up regardless of relative size and experience. They are a wonderful bunch of kids. I especially loved the fact that they were taking so well to my favorite throw, a throw that plays well with other techniques. Even better was the fact that some of them figured out how to incorporate it into a suite of techniques, something which we've demonstrated to them with other combos.
Romance With a Side of Whimsy
It was while I was on line at the supermarket checkout (I don't use the self-scan... remember, the job you save may end up being your own) last night, purchasing provisions for the graveyard shift- the guy behind me, a gent of about sixty or so, had flowers and two Valentine's Day cards. I put the divider on the conveyor belt and joked that he had a good memory for calendar dates. I then busted his hump a bit about having two cards, "One for your wife, and one for your mistress?" He took it in good humor, then contrasted the two cards... one of them had a sincere message, and the other one was a 'Peanuts' themed popup card that played Linus and Lucy when opened, which tickled him pink.
I joked about how buying his wife two Valentine's cards would earn him some brownie points. He was a nice guy, and I imagine that his wife, being the sort of woman who'd get a kick out of a 'Peanuts' card, is a jolly gal. Romance with a side of whimsy, what a nice idea. The trope of tragic love is unhelpful to anyone, maybe we all should be slightly goofy when it comes to matters of the heart.
In New York, We Don't Negotiate With Terrorists
In a clear case of 'do what I want or your airports get it', Donald Trump is trying to extort the government of New York into dropping investigations into his fiduciary chicanery:
I'm seeing Governor Cuomo today at The White House. He must understand that National Security far exceeds politics. New York must stop all of its unnecessary lawsuits & harrassment, start cleaning itself up, and lowering taxes. Build relationships, but don't bring Fredo!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 13, 2020
Put succinctly, Trump wants to exclude New York airports from security pre-screening 'Trusted Traveler' programs unless the state drops its 'sanctuary' policy. Sanctuary status ensures that undocumented persons aren't afraid to go to the authorities if they are victims of crime. By keeping immigrants afraid, exploiters and abusers, such as Trump himself, are allowed to exploit and abuse their victims with little fear of their misdeeds coming to light.
Thankfully, our attorney general, Letitia James, isn't having any of it, reminding Trump that he is picking a fight with someone who has no responsibility for the lawsuits against him:
When you stop violating the rights and liberties of all New Yorkers, we will stand down.
Until then, we have a duty and responsibility to defend the Constitution and the rule of law.
BTW, I file the lawsuits, not the Governor. https://t.co/tsOLeEgiQp
— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) February 13, 2020
As a New Yorker, I can say that I have had a disdain for and disgust with Trump for decades... we deplored him before it was cool. It's nice to see that Tish James is continuing this grand tradition of dunking on The Donald. Besides, the people being discomfited by this policy are people who can afford regular air travel, so it's not as if the average New Yorker can't wait out this stupid conflict until our attorney general kicks Trump's ass.
Civil War 2.0 Pre-Enactor
Ugh, here's a dispatch from the fever swamps of the Right- a disgruntled right-winger ejected from a Civil War re-enactor troupe sent death threats (and a pipe-bomb) to his former faux comrades under the guise of 'Antifa'. Of course, he's a registered sex offender... most of these creeps seem to be. The perpetrator really laid it on thick, with a popular antifascist symbol used as the return address on the envelopes he sent.
A letter he sent to his former buddies is so incoherent that it suggests that the guy is an 'English only' nutbag- these people never seem to have a firm grasp on the language they claim to champion:
"Don't think metal detectors will help, we have plastic pipe bombs. If you won't stop this celebration of slavery than maybe we need to hurt the participants to stop it instead of just the visitors…We are the ones that did it to you last year, we used a bad bomb guy his mercury switch, and rocket launch wire didn't work on the pipe bomb covered in nuts, just so you know we are real and returning."
Thankfully, his little game was given away by his failure to obfuscate his detailed knowledge of the group, and an animosity toward a particular member. Even better, while serving a previous prison sentence, the d00d drew diagrams of pipe bombs, similar in design to the bomb he sent.
I think the guy would make a great cellmate for the MAGAbomber, though the way things are going, Trump will probably pardon them both and appoint them to high ranking positions in the DoJ.
Current Earworm: There's Great Danger
One of the best things about listening to college radio is that the DJs, not constrained by market studies, can play whatever they want. I recently heard a classic late-70s number by Wire, one I hadn't heard in a while, and it's been stuck in my head ever since. Here's Ex Lion Tamer from the band's first album, a two minute and nineteen second barn-burner with droll, cryptic lyrics that hint at deeper meaning:
"Next week will solve your problems... fish fingers all in a line.
The milk bottles stand empty. Stay glued to your TV set."
Is this a riff on the hand-to-mouth existence of poor people, eating cheap processed food while letting some services lapse for lack of money? Is it just a piss-take? Stuff to ponder while I'm driving to bar trivia tonight, to be sure.
Beautiful Settings for Ugly Policy
I like 'classical' architecture, the sort exemplified by the James A. Farley general post office in midtown Manhattan, itself the homely little sister to the late, lamented Penn Station. I like the idea of public buildings being 'civic temples', resplendent with Tuckahoe marble. I'm not married to the aesthetic, though, and there are examples of modernist architecture which I find appealing. I'm adamantly opposed to Trump's plan to issue an executive order mandating classical architecture for new federal building projects- the plan, dubbed Make Federal Buildings Beautiful Again (PDF) , seems tailor-made for corruption, for no-bid, cost-plus projects awarded to connected contractors who will deliver kickbacks. It also smacks of fascism- the Nazis were big on a particular national aesthetic. Trump really should butt out of the minutiae of government projects, especially considering his tastes run to a parody of the rococo. He can't even perform his current job functions, why even bother getting involved with construction projects across the country?
'Pretty courthouses for ugly policy' would be one hell of an aesthetic- he wants to expand upon the death penalty for drug dealers (excepting the Sackler family, to be sure). With the gloves off now that his impeachment was quashed by a corrupt senate, he's looking to go full Duterte. So much for criminal justice reform!
Yeah, Uh... Oscar Night
I don't like to think of myself as a philistine, but I'm not really that knowledgeable about the current film industry, having always been more of a reader than a filmgoer. Therefore, I'm looking over the list of Oscar nominees and I realize that I haven't seen a single one. The only film I saw in the theater last year was the big kaiju throwdown, which I saw on the big screen because I am a sucker for goofy monster movies and I know one of the actors involved in the motion-capture scenes.
I'm amused that Joker is nominated, because it's a 'comic book movie'. From what I've heard, it's also an homage to Scorcese, a man the Academy has snubbed for many years. I do have to note that all of the individuals nominated for best director are men... liberal Hollywood, my ass!
Makeup Application Gone Awry
The problem with being an abusive employer with no loyalty to anyone is that your underlings don't warn you when you do something stupid. Keeping that in mind, behold the 'Alpha Male' in the White House:
@realDonaldTrump returns to the White House from Charlotte, North Carolina. Photo by William Moon at the South Lawn of the White House on February 7, 2020 pic.twitter.com/n1a1Z93LrJ
— White House Photos (@photowhitehouse) February 7, 2020
This guy is supposed to be a billionaire, why does he always look like a wreck? Even funnier than that unflattering picture is a follow-up, describing Trump as 'dancing with the sunset and strong winds when he walked to the Oval Office from the Marine One on the South Lawn'. This is an example of laying it on too thick, it actually overshoots the DPK-style propaganda and lands firmly into parody territory. I can't imagine that this thread isn't a subtle undermining of an emperor who has no clothes. At any rate, it left a mark on the vain, vapid, venal one's psyche.
Post About Pokeweed
I'm not a Southerner by any stretch of the imagination, but I recently added pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) to my foraging repertoire. It's toxic, though tasty, and it comes up in the early spring, right around the time that my beloved stinging nettles are poking (heh) out of the ground. It was with some surprise that I recently found a post about pokeweed from the Saveur website.
It's a good article, but the idea of pokeweed making it to farmers' markets isn't plausible to me... after all, the stuff is toxic (though so are the ubiquitous kidney beans we eat worldwide). They are delicious, when boiled thrice, then cooked with oil or bacon drippings or what-have-you, but they do, as food historian and chef Michael Twitty noted in the article: "It will clean you out from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet." I don't know if it's because the body is trying to unload the stuff, but it gives Plantago a run (heh) for the money. For the record, I also eat Plantago, but it's not very high on my list.
This post also gives me an excuse, as if one were needed, to tout Michael Twitty's work- the man is a national treasure from a historical, sociological, and culinary standpoint:
My first exposure to the man was through his collaboration with the good folks at Townsends, with his period re-enactor cooking demonstrations being a good introduction to his oeuvre:
Akara are delicious, they'd go really well with a side of poke sallet.
Silver for Safety
Today, I learned that my beloved Yonkers was named the second safest city in the United States by the WalletHub website, ranking number one in their 'Home and Community Safety' category. According to a WalletHub analyst:
"Yonkers is the second safest city in the U.S. It ranked first in terms of home and community safety. There are a large number of active firefighters per capita, a large share of sheltered homeless and a low number of traffic and pedestrian fatalities per capita,"
This comes as a surprise to me... though I love my beautiful Yonkers, it wasn't so long ago that Yonkers had a hard reputation (CONTENT WARNING BOTH LINKS). I've never had any hassles in the City of Y______, but I figured that even my safe middle/working class neighborhood had occasional bar fights. I guess that it's not as rowdy here as I thought, does this make by 'Big Bad Bald Bastard' persona obsolete?
Mitt Grows a Spine?!?
Today's shocker was Mitt Romney's vote to convict Trump in the impeachment shitshow. I never knew the guy had the spine to buck the Republican ranks. Mitt cites his religious faith as the reason for his vote, and I have to note that the Mormons do have an interest in protecting the rights of religious minorities, being members of a religious minority themselves. I also suspect that Trump's anti-immigration policies are seen as problematic by a Mormon church that sees immigrants as potential converts.
I also imagine that Romney's current act against Trump was inspired to some extent by chagrin at his former subservience to the crass, vulgar Queens lout... the political manifestation of the emotions conveyed in this picture:
Oh, Mitt, you knew back then that you were doing something craven, at least you found your spine a few years later. I'm not ready to call Mitt's vote a 'profile in courage', it's more of a 'profile in not being utterly craven', but it's a start. He's already taking flak from Trump and his cult, and will probably be drummed out of the Republican party. I can't imagine him becoming a Democrat, but it seems a foregone conclusion that he will become an independent of some sort. If he can inspire other adherents of the LDS Church to follow suit, that would be a big blow to the Religious Right, with Mormons having an uneasy political alliance with evangelical Christians (much as conservative Roman Catholics do). I'm no Mitt fan, but if he can hasten the demise of the GOP, then I figure I could say something nice about him.
Seeing an Old Favourite With Heterochrome Eyes
One of my favourite podcasts is the SFFaudio, which concerns science-fiction and fantasy fiction. The hosts are genial and knowledgeable, and often engage in digressions about politics and current events. They also have a really good collection of PDFs of old pulp magazine scans, which are catnip to nerdy fellows such as myself.
This week, the subject of the show was The Lurking Fear, a particularly lurid early work by H.P. Lovecraft. At its heart, the story is a morlock/CHUD/troglodyte tale, set in a rural Dutch-American community in the Catskill Mountains. The episode starts off with a dramatic reading of the story, followed up by a discussion, in which the hosts bring up some possibilities which I never considered, but (given HPL's obsession with the downfall of families) seem natural. To engage in somewhat of a SPOILER, they bring up the idea that the story covers much of the same ground as the better known, better regarded The Shadow Over Innsmouth. The website also displays the original illustrations of the tale from its publication in Home Brew magazine, illustrations rendered by 'Bastard fave Clark Ashton Smith.
The story itself is a fun, albeit gruesome, horror tale, featuring some of Lovecraft's must purple prose- especially in his descriptions of the vegetation growing in the low, rolling mountain setting. Like most Lovecraft tales, it's somewhat marred by Lovecraft's racism against, of all people, the Dutch. This has passed into trope status in the Tor Lovecraft reread, termed by Ruthanna Emrys and Anne M. Pillsworth as 'The Degenerate Dutch'. If you are at all a fan of subterranean anthropophage tales, give it a listen, and stick around for the commentary afterwards. I certainly looked at the story differently after listening to it, and I don't even have Martense eyes.
Caucus? Sounds Raucous!
It's not very often that I cast my eyes Iowards... Iowa is one of the few states I've never been, the sort of state that Wisconsin friends would dismiss as 'Idiots Out Wandering Around'. It's not a very diverse place, and it's the sort of place that sends a creep like Steve King to DC... and this is why I wonder why the rest of us tolerate its outsized importance in our political processes.
That being said, the Iowa Caucuses actually sound like they'd be fun, once. Generally, I don't have the time to devote to a drawn-out process like a caucus- while I enjoy seeing my neighbors, I like being able to get to the polls, vote, and get out in ten minutes. When I meet with neighbors, booze is typically involved... that's the sort of neighborhood in which I reside. The caucus seems byzantine, the sort of cryptic contest in which a coin toss can place someone with no national appeal into the spotlight for a brief moment before the more representative states catch up.
For the record, I will be voting for Elizabeth Warren in the primary. She's smart and organized, able to bring twenty-something rentboys to their knees, and would make a good counterpoint to the abysmally stupid current occupant of the White House. I have a weird feeling that a centrist candidate such as Biden (or, indeed, Klobuchar) will win Iowa, but suspect that this will be just a blip. Maybe one countrywide primary election is the solution to the issue of Iowa, and the similarly not-so-diverse New Hampshire, playing a disproportionate role in national politics. The caucus may be a quaint historical artifact, but quaintness isn't exactly benefiting the country.
Super Bowl... or SATAN BOWL?!?!?
I've long maintained that, contrary to the conventional wisdom, the greatest trick the authoritarians ever played was convincing the world that the Devil exists. What better perpetual enemy than an invisible, immortal, irredeemable Adversary, one which couldn't be reached for comment to sort out the reasons for conflict? Even better, by claiming their human enemies are in league with this enemy of God, the authoritarians can portray them as irredeemable, worthy of nothing short of death.
The 'Satanic Panic' subset of conspiracy weirdos are claiming that the Super Bowl is one big Illuminati ritual to honor Moloch:
I love me a good old-fashioned Illuminati Satanic Superbowl theory https://t.co/kcxrP4NIyb
— Feminist Proper Gander (@dappergander) February 2, 2020
It seems that some of them have even figured out that 'Super Bowl' can be misspelled, as a hoary joke, as 'Superb Owl', and that this has a sinister significance:
I'm screaming pic.twitter.com/VtM8GqlBAe
I'm always amazed by how everyday terms and tropes come across as mysterious revelations to the malcontent shut-ins.
My personal favorite tweet in that thread is the one in which the nutbar refuses to consent to the 'energy harnessing' ritual of the halftime show. This is the first time I've even seen a MAGA fan concerned about consent. I don't know how they figure their energy would get drained by watching a show on the TV, but they should be so lucky to have Jennifer Lopez and Shakira drain their precious bodily fluids.
Posted by Big Bad Bald Bastard at 8:02 PM 14 comments
The Happy Ever After Is at the End of the Rainbow
Via LGM, this news comes as a genuine blow: Andy Gill, guitarist of Gang of Four, has died at the all-too-young age of 64. Emma Goldman famously said, "If I can't dance I don't want to be in your revolution." I have no doubt that Emma would have been a huge Gang of Four fan- the band combined trenchant satire, lefty politics, and an amazing groove. Andy Gill supplied the jagged guitars which formed a counterpoint to bandmate Hugh Allen's funk-inspired bass lines and lead singer Jon King's biting, juvenalian lyrics and haunting melodica playing.
I consider the band's first album (Entertainment!) to be essential listening. During the Iraq War, I compulsively listened to the album after watching the nightly news, while pounding away at a heavy bag... it was a good way to sublimate the wrath that I felt at the time. The opening track, Ether, was written about 'The Troubles', but with a quick edit, it could have been about Operation Iraqi Liberation, swapping out Gitmo for Long Kesh and Mosul for Rockall:
While singing songs of righteous rage, the band also managed to combine their anger with humor, such as describing a bikini-clad actress on television as 'dressed for the H-bomb' in I Found that Essence Rare (perhaps my favorite song by the band):
This humor comes to the fore in To Hell with Poverty, which perfectly showcases Andy Gill's discordant guitar playing:
In later releases, the band toned down the dissonance to produce some danceable music, but the leftist satire remained a key component of even their most 'commercial' sounding songs:
Sadly, the band's material remains as topical as it did back in the late 70s:
It is fitting that Andy Gill was touring until the end of his life, his message being so necessary in these dark and stupid days. The message that history is not made by great men is important in a day and age when stupid, venal men are in charge over much of the world:
I'm going to spend much of the overnight shift listening to Andy's music, and the message conveyed in the songs he helped to craft. It's not a comforting message, but it is a challenge to act for positive change... and it's danceable as hell. This is the sort of music that Emma Goldman would approve of- what better tribute to Andy Gill could there be?
ADDENDUM: I think I found that better tribute, from Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello- "His jagged plague disco raptor attack industrial funk deconstructed guitar anti-hero sonics and fierce poetic radical intellect were formative for me,"
When the World Seems Like It's Going to Hell, Lais...
Secret Science Club Post Lecture Recap: Taking the...


text:
is a rhythm game created by Sega and Crypton Future Media for the Nintendo 3DS and the sequel to Hatsune Miku and Future Stars: Project Mirai. The game is also a spin-off of the Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA series of Vocaloid rhythm games and was first released on November 28, 2013 in Japan with no international release until September 2015. Like the original, the game primarily makes use of Vocaloids, a series of singing synthesizer software and the songs created using these vocaloids most notably the virtual-diva Vocaloid Hatsune Miku. It is also the second game to include a Vocaloid made by Internet Co., Ltd., Gumi. An updated version of the game was released in 2015, first in Japan as , then in North America and Europe under the title of Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX.

Gameplay

While Project Mirai only had button controls, Project Mirai 2 adds use of touch screen controls where players tap the bottom screen. An increased sense of speed and additional gimmicks have also been added. In addition to hitting the markers on the touch screen with the right timing that goes with the song, the more difficult settings will increase it up to three different marker colors. The thicker lines seen on the trail will require players to hold down the touch screen part, and when it is rainbow-colored, players will be required to spin it around in circles.

The old style of play used in the first Project Mirai is still available, for those that prefer that, with a few new twists added. In addition to the A, B, X, and Y buttons, players also need to use the directional D pad for certain keys. Similar to the Touch Mode gameplay part, players will be required to hold down the buttons for the thicker lines. The rainbow colored parts can be done by rotating the Circle Pad in circles. There are also 2 Line parts that require both uses of the A, B, X, and Y buttons along with directional buttons, at the same time. The game also features a mini-game based on the Puyo Puyo series, known as "Puyo Puyo 39". The "My Room" and "Augmented Reality" feature also return in this game.

Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai Deluxe/DX

An updated version of Project Mirai 2 intended for worldwide release, Project Mirai Deluxe/DX makes the following changes:
 All videos were removed, and replaced with newly created real-time animations
 One new song was added
 Some charts were slightly modified
 Six songs were given exclusive new higher-difficulty charts
 A new mini-game based on Reversi.

Reception

Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX received "generally favorable reviews" according to review aggregator Metacritic.

Morgan Sleeper of Nintendo Life called the game "one of the 3DS' greatest hits," stating, "Its rhythm game core is inspired and addictive, the presentation is charming and fun, and there's no shortage of activities to keep you happily busy between songs, with dress-up, interior decorating, choreography, and a full-on Puyo Puyo mode all providing enjoyable distractions from the dancefloor." GameRevolution gave the game a nine out of ten, praising the game for its controls, amount of songs, creation tools, and videos, while criticizing the distracting background videos. Kyle Burleson of Destructoid called the entry his "least favorite outing of hers in the realm of games," criticizing its lack of difficulty and praising the amount of content.

Song List

There are 48 songs (79 if different singers is counted).

17 (27) songs are brand new while 31 (52) songs are from previous games.

Songs with a gray background are returning songs from previous games.
Songs with a yellow background are songs exclusive to Project Mirai DX.

References

External links
Project Mirai 2's Official Site
Project Mirai DX's Official Site
Project Mirai DX's Official Site

2013 video games
Music video games
Nintendo 3DS games
Nintendo 3DS-only games
Nintendo 3DS eShop games
Nintendo Network games
Sega video games
Creative works using vocaloids
Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA games
Video games developed in Japan

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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You are here: Home / Beyond Boulders Blog / HealthCORE: Encouraging underrepresented students to enter the fields of health and medicine
HealthCORE: Encouraging underrepresented students to enter the fields of health and medicine
April 19, 2018 Susan Ryan-Vollmar Leave a Comment
Schweitzer Fellow Peter Mattson
Looking to close the diversity gap in the health care professions, Boston Fellow Peter Mattson created Health Career Opportunities Reimagined (HealthCORE), a course that exposes underrepresented high school students in the Providence, RI, area to health care disciplines not covered in traditional pipeline programs such as global health, medical design, healthcare policy, and narrative medicine. It also includes a mentoring component, with individual sessions aimed at helping students develop a detailed plan to achieve their stated career goal. Peter Mattson, a student at Brown University's Warren Alpert Medical School, implemented his project after working with the school's Pathways to Medicine Program.
"Our goal is to inspire underrepresented students by increasing their exposure to a wide spectrum of career paths, nurturing their specific interests, and offering opportunities to turn their interest into meaningful action," said Mattson. "Multiple studies show that diversity in the medical field helps to improve patient satisfaction and equity in patient treatment—and that can only help a patient's health."
HealthCORE differs from other health career pipeline programs in two ways, said Mattson.
The first is rooted in Mattson's own path to medicine, which he said wouldn't have been possible without exposure to the fields of public health and global health, and learning about the work of health care innovators like Albert Schweitzer, Paul Farmer, Ophelia Dahl, Jim O'Connell, Michael Murphy, and John Snow. These luminaries helped Mattson see that health care professionals could be impactful in disciplines far beyond those that are practiced in hospitals and clinics—from public health and research to design and entrepreneurship. Hence, HealthCORE's focus on nontraditional health care careers.
"Most health career pipeline programs focus on teaching the basics—you conduct a spin-off science project, or you learn about how many years it takes to become a nurse or a pharmacist or a doctor, or you practice how to talk to a patient," Mattson said.
While HealthCORE covers that base level of education, students spend the majority of their time in the two-week summer program exploring other work health care professionals can take on "to inspire them through experience to think more broadly about what they could accomplish as health care professionals," said Mattson.
The second unique feature of HealthCORE is the subsequent HealthCORE+ component, which links students with mentors and professionals in the community that help them to identify and accomplish three unique health experiences during the academic year.
"This way, students gain first hand exposure to fields we discussed in class, which enhances their learning and guides them on their path to further education and career endeavors," Mattson said.
Mattson has enjoyed seeing how HealthCORE has inspired participants to explore health care careers of all kinds. To date, eight HealthCORE students have joined the Pathways to Medicine Mentorship program here at Alpert Medical School as one of their three HealthCORE+ experiences. Others have shadowed physicians, nurses, physical therapists on the job and a few students are taking public health classes at local colleges to expand upon their interests from the course.
He has also heard good things from some participants' high school teachers.
"Keily's involvement in HealthCORE has dramatically influenced her world view and inspired her to pursue a career in public health," wrote one teacher.
"My student who participated in the HealthCORE program was inspired to take ownership of her interest in the health field by learning as much as possible about various health careers, taking advantage of every health-related learning opportunity that has come her way since, and putting more energy and vigor into her academic work," another teacher stated.
For the past few months, Mattson has been meeting with fellow Brown med students Natasha Furtado Dalomba and Andrew Del Re, who will be continuing HealthCORE after Mattson's Fellowship year, and returning mentors Dr. Paul George and David Upegui. The group has been discussing how to strengthen the program, including creating more hands-on experiences for students during the two-week intensive period; formalizing the curriculum; growing the network of HealthCORE+ mentors through whom students will do internships, workshops, and shadowing; and creating a manual for how to start and run a HealthCORE chapter so that the program can be easily replicated.
"We'll happily work with other Schweitzer Fellows or health professions students who wish to establish a chapter as we expand," said Mattson.
Reflecting on his Fellowship experience, Mattson expressed deep appreciation for the chance to learn what it takes to conceive and implement an effective service project.
"ASF taught me so much about the organization, drive, and courage needed to sustain a project. You always have to be three steps ahead to keep a program evolving, but the students' dedication to their work sustains our team and keeps us fighting for their success," Mattson said. "The constant innovation and teaching invested in HealthCORE have been the keys to my happiness, as they remind me why I pursued medicine in the first place."
Filed Under: Beyond Boulders Blog Tagged With: Boston
Beyond Boulders Blog


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PAC-South
Camp Foster Schools
Zukeran Elementary School
For the most up to date version of this handbook please visit: http://www.dodea.edu/zukeranes/handbook.cfm
We're not too small, we're not too tall, but we Toucans, can do it all!
Unit 35017 (BLDG 5300)
Camp S.D. Butler, Okinawa
DSN Phone: 645-1019
From US: 011-81-98-970-1019
Zukeran.Principal@pac.dodea.edu
http://www.dodea.edu/ZukeranES
School Purpose Statement
Educating today's youth for tomorrow's challenges.
Goal 1 (Literacy)
Zukeran Elementary School will improve student literacy skills across all content areas as measured by DoDEA comprehensive assessments.
Goal 2 (Math)
Zukeran Elementary School students will improve their understanding of mathematical concepts and be able to apply those concepts to solve problems.
Zukeran ES School Hours
Office Hours 0700 - 1530 0700 - 1530
Registrar Registrar: Student Records Manager
Kenneth Gamon School Psychologist: Counseling Services & 504 Case Manager
Tara Taylor School Nurse/Health Aide
Diane Jackson School Counselor: Assessment Coordinator: SST Chairperson
Jeremy Walker School Webmaster
Welcome to Zukeran Elementary School!
Our dedicated staff is committed to helping every child reach his/her full academic potential, in an atmosphere of mutual respect and caring. Our goal is to provide a world class education for every student based on their individual needs and in accordance with DoDEA instructional goals and standards. The important task of educating our youth extends far beyond the confines of the school environment. It encompasses a strong commitment and involvement on the part of the school, family, and community. By working together and sharing our knowledge and experience, we can achieve the very best for our children. We know through research in education that parental involvement of any kind, through volunteer work at school, assisting with homework at home, or active participation in school organizations leads to higher achievement for students. We invite you to join us in providing the best education possible for your child.
We are committed to continuous school improvement, which involves our students, faculty, staff and our wonderful stakeholders. We are focused on an environment which is nurturing and collaborative. We use data driven results-based strategies and always ready for change as it impacts the global learner.
The DoDEA mission is to "Educate, Engage, and Empower Each Student to succeed in a dynamic world". As your Principal, I look forward to continuing to work with the military, civilians and contractors to support our organization's mission as we grow and change as a community.
Elementary school is a wonderful time for students, parents and educators. Each day is different, and we would like to assure you that we are passionate about challenging our students and are continually "Striving for Excellence" in all that we do. We look forward to meeting and working in partnership with you and your student/s!
Partners in Education,
Lori Hill, Ph.D.
Welcome to Zukeran ES!
On 29 August 2018, Zukeran Elementary opened its current 21st Century facility. It is a two-story facility with an expansive Commons area used for lunch and other large group gatherings, six grade-level instructional neighborhoods, separate art and music rooms, a gymnasium with a wood floor, and a dual purpose stage which opens to the Commons and a performance room. Along with its unique architectural features, the school is equipped with the technological features necessary to facilitate 21st Century teaching and learning.
Office Hours: 0700-1530
School Hours: 0725-1340
We are fully accredited by U.S. accreditation agencies.
Read more about our accreditation process.
We belong to the DoDEA Pacific DoDDS Okinawa School District which is part of the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA). DoDEA is a Department of Defense field activity operating under the direction, authority, and control of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness and the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Military Community and Family Policy.
DoDEA Pacific : School Year 2021 - 2022 Calendar
Standard DoDEA Pacific School Calendar
Saturday, December 25, 2021 Christmas: Federal Holiday
Saturday, January 1, 2022 New Year's Day: Federal Holiday
Dr. Lori Hill - Zukeran ES Principal
Dr. Lori Hill is excited for the opportunity to serve as the new Principal of Zukeran Elementary School.
As an instructional leader, she is dedicated to promoting 21st century teaching and learning, high academic achievement, and college and career readiness standards. She believes the social-emotional health and safety of all students is paramount to success in school and life. As such, community collaboration creating a positive school and home-learning environment is essential.
Dr. Hill comes to Okinawa from Kaiserslautern, Germany where she served as the Assistant Principal for Kaiserslautern Elementary School. She received her bachelor's and master's degrees from Marshall University in Communication Sciences and her Ph.D. from The Ohio University graduating Cum Laude with curricular focus in Autism Spectrum Disorders and Linguistics. As a military spouse, she has had the opportunity to experience diverse employment and has worked as the Director for private and non-profit organizations, Speech -Language Pathologist, Speech-Language Pathologist Assessor, and University Professor. She has served DoDEA in North Carolina and Spain.
Dr. Hill is married, has four children and two fur babies. Her husband "Doc" is a retired military physician who served with the US Army for over 30 years. He now enjoys a more leisurely pace as an Historical Fiction author. In her spare time, Dr. Hill enjoys reading, writing children's books, and quilting.
Mr. Kerwin Jones - Zukeran ES Assistant Principal
Mr. Jones appreciates and understands the military community and the education of military children. His stepfather was a Navy Electrician Submariner, and his mother was a Music Teacher for elementary and college students.
Mr. Jones was born in Jacksonville, Florida. After graduating from Palm Beach Gardens High School, Mr. Jones attended Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. He went on to complete his Master of Arts in Education Teacher Leadership from the University of Phoenix.
Mr. Jones has been an educator for over 40 years, with 31 years serving our military connected students. Mr. Jones has served as a classroom teacher and educational technologist in various locations throughout the DoDEA Pacific Region. As a classroom teacher, he has a strong belief in infusing technology into the education of our students. Mr. Jones, through his Educational Technologist role was able to provide leadership and support by mentoring fellow DoDEA educators in the area of educational technology throughout mainland Japan from Misawa and down to Okinawa.
Mr. Jones became the Assistant Principal at Zukeran Elementary in early 2019.
Dr. Jackie Ferguson - PAC-South District Superintendent (Acting)
Dr. Jacqueline Ferguson served as the principal of Wiesbaden Middle School for SY18-19. Prior to moving to Germany, Dr. Ferguson was the principal of Nile C. Kinnick High School and Ikego Elementary School, in Yokosuka, Japan. Dr. Ferguson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, a Master of Educational Administration, and a Doctorate in Curriculum, Supervision and Instruction.
Dr. Ferguson's twenty plus years of experience also include teaching in Texas, Germany and Japan, and serving as an assistant professor for Texas A&M University, San Antonio, in the College of Education. Her research agenda focuses on models of co-teaching and collaboration to improve student achievement with her most recent publication being: Wilson, J. C. & Ferguson, J. (2017). Chapter 7: Co-teaching in Undergraduate Education: Capacity building for multiple stakeholders. In D. Jarvis, & M. Kariuki (Eds). Co-Teaching in Higher Education: From Theory to Co-Practice.
Her husband, David Ferguson is a retired Air Force Officer and they have two sons, Josiah and Levi. They are honored to continue serving the military community and look forward to a successful school year.
Dr. Vann M. Lassiter - Pacific South Chief of Staff
Dr. Vann M. Lassiter began his career as a business, marketing, computer, and global studies teacher in Edenton, North Carolina. His enthusiasm and dynamic teaching style were unique; combining music, movement, discussions, technology, and a focus on the use of data to drive instruction assisted in raising state assessment scores in the career and technical education department of his school. He also co-developed an exchange program with a school in Demark and founded the school's first National Technical Honor Society for Career and Technical Education. Dr. Lassiter was selected as the 2010-2011 North Carolina AT&T Northeast Regional Teacher of the Year and the 2013 North Carolina Technology in Education Society Outstanding Leader Award.
After serving in the classroom, Dr. Lassiter was selected as the district Instructional Technology Coordinator and Educator-on-Loan with the Division of Digital Teaching and Learning at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. As technology coordinator, he supported schools in his district with the integration of technology aligned to standards and led research and implementation of a one-to-one computing program grant. As an Educator on Loan, he provided professional learning and support for students, teachers, and administrators throughout the state of North Carolina.
In 2015, he began his career in administration and served as the Director of Innovation and Technology for a school in Silver Spring, Maryland. In this role, he supported the implementation of a new standardized assessment, oversaw a department in spearheading the refinement of systems and processes, technology capital campaigns, professional learning, and served as a community partner liaison with universities, businesses, and non-profit organizations. He also developed the first Google Bootcamp for the school to support teachers in earning their certification. Dr. Lassiter joined DoDEA in 2018 and served as the Education Research Analyst for the DoDEA Europe Center for Instructional Leadership. He has been instrumental in the standardization of the school action planning process and supported other regional initiatives such as increasing access and equity to Advanced Placement courses and organizational initiatives such as the Learning Walkthrough and Focused Collaboration, using research and data to drive decisions and the delivery of professional learning. In November 2021, he joined Pacific South's DSO as the Chief of Staff.
Dr. Lassiter graduated from North Carolina State University as a North Carolina Teaching Fellow with a Bachelor of Science in Business and Marketing Education (Business Management Minor) and a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction. He earned a Ph.D. in Occupational and Technical Studies from Old Dominion University and holds a graduate certificate in School Leadership. An educator, author, and conference speaker, he passionately believes that one person can make a difference in the world using their gifts. His motto, "Live in and on purpose," fuels his love for continually learning and growing and inspiring others to do the same.
Homework is one means of developing the necessary skills of independent study and learning for present and future use. Homework promotes organizational skills and a sense of responsibility. It is also an opportunity for parents to become actively involved in their child's learning and for each child to reach his/her full potential. Through homework, students are given the opportunity to complete additional practice and application to strengthen skills; to expand and/or enrich regular class work; to complete work started in class; to make up work due to absence.
Teachers may assign homework as determined necessary to enhance student learning that is taking place in the classroom. Each child works at his/her own pace, so the amount of time needed to complete specific assignments may vary. The types of homework may vary to enable the student to have experience/practice in reading, writing, computational skills, and other subject areas during a given week. Frequency and length of assignments will be grade appropriate. At a very minimum, a child should read or be read to 15-20 minutes nightly
Students are responsible for ensuring that they:
Understand the homework assignment.
Take home all books and materials needed to do the assignment.
Complete the homework in the assigned format and turn it in when it is due.
Participate actively and cooperatively in the evaluation of their homework when appropriate.
Parents are encouraged to provide an environment which fosters the development of life-long learning skills.
A quiet place to work.
Necessary materials.
A regular study time.
Review the student planner.
Encouragement and praise.
Prohibited Items Policy
This policy applies to DoDEA Pacific
Some items prohibited at school include, but are not limited to the following:
Toys and electronic games
cell phones or other portable communication devices
iPods or MP3 players
skateboards, scooters, roller blades, roller skates, wheelies or skate shoes
stink bombs
chewing gum or betel nut
cigarette lighters and matches
tobacco products; e.g., cigarettes, cigars, pipes, chewing tobacco, smokeless tobacco, snuff
weapons and/or ammo (real or pretend)
laser light pointers
It is recognized that cell phones have become a parent's tool to help to monitor their children's whereabouts. During the school day student's cell phones should be in silent or manner mode. Interruption of classroom routines due to cell phone use could result in the phone being brought to the office for a parent to pick up. This includes students making outgoing calls, playing games, sending texts. Should a student need to contact a parent the school has phones for student use.
Athletics Policy
Eligibility Rules for Interscholastic Athletic Competitions
School administrators, athletic directors, and coaches shall ensure that the eligibility rules are observed in all DoDDS interscholastic athletic competitions in accordance with in DoDEA Manual 2740.1 and the Far East Programs Procedural Guide (FEPPG) - 15 Oct 2021
Student Travel Eligibility
DoDEA Manual 2740.1 and the Pacific Area Interscholastic Athletics Program Manual provide a uniform interscholastic athletic program and guidance on student travel eligibility. This policy extends to both academic and athletic events.
Athletic Contests: Students must participate in ten days of practice prior to competing in any athletic contest. Athletes participating in consecutive athletic seasons are exempt from the 10-practice rule as long as 10 days have not passed between active participation in the preceding sports season. Students transferring from another school may begin participating in contests immediately if the 10-day practice requirement has been met.
Far East Tournaments: Students may participate in the Far East Tournament if they have been a member of the team/activity for at least one-half of the season. Before departure for any Far East event another parent/player meeting will occur to review the Code-of- Conduct and to discuss expectations while attending the event. Players whose parents do not attend this meeting will not travel to the Far East event and/or participate in any games at the event.
Attendance Prior to Events: Students who do not attend school will not be permitted to participate in or attend any school- sponsored event that same school day, which includes a practice or game. Principals are authorized to make exceptions to this policy. (DoDEA Administrators' Manual – 1005.1).
2740.1: Interscholastic Athletic Program


Give your chicks a clean and safe place to start in this Baby Chick Starter Home. Plastic panels and durable and easy to clean. Can be used all season for multiple seasons. Includes an adjustable brooder lamp hanger. Bulb and shade sold separately.


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Just Us Grown Ups
Home of the JUGheads
About Our Guild ▾
Guild Charter
How the Guild is Run
Our Age Requirement
Discord Rules and Guild Chat Etiquette
Forums ▾
View Unread
Roster ▾
Guild Gallery ▾
Guild Library
About Our Guild
[JUGs] Code of Conduct
[JUGS] How the Guild is Run
Discord and Guild Chat Etiquette
As a guild comprised of adults, having to moderate social behavior shouldn't really be necessary. We know how to act. We've all obtained a level of social etiquette and common sense and should be able to interact with other guild members and outside players without unnecessary drama. Still, as a matter of redundancy and to clear out any confusion or grey areas, a list of rules must be established.
At all times, the personal rights of others as well as their right to enjoy playing the game must be respected.
You may not defraud other players or guild-members.
You may not harass, threaten or cause distress to other guild-members or players.
You may not solicit other guild-members by attempting to recruit them into a business venture or religious indoctrination.
You may not share or any personal information about another player without that person's consent.
You must, at all times, demonstrate respect and tolerance for any guild-member's race, religious beliefs, politics, sexual orientation, parenting methods or any aspect of their personal lifestyle. Bigots and hate-mongers are not welcome in our guild.
If, for some reason, a minor comes into a chat channel--whether it's voice or text based--you may not knowingly expose that minor to material that is unsuitable to a person of their age.
You may not use the guild or its website to violate any local, state, national, or international laws or regulations.
You may not post illegal or pornographic images on our website.
You must comply at all times with ArenaNet's policies with regard to the Game. Being in violation of their policies can bring unfavorable attention to our guild and it's members.
The purchasing of gold through any channels other than ArenaNet's in-game system (i.e. the Black Lion Trading Company) is strictly forbidden. Much of the gold sold by gold farmers is obtained from hacked accounts and other illicit systems.
The use of bots (third-party programs) to play, gather gold, level or post messages is forbidden.
The use of racial or sexual slurs, profanity, or any type of lewd or hate-based comments towards other players is forbidden in game.
You may not use our guild or its members to recruit for another guild.
It's a clear conflict of interest and can only serve as a detriment to our guild.
If you're a member of JUGs and want to start your own guild, you must first resign from this guild.
If you're a member of our guild and also a guild leader/officer of another small personal guild (e.g. old friends) that's fine, but if any effort is being made on your part to restart or grow the other guild, you'll also have to leave this guild first
We want to create a 'hands-off' environment where adults are trusted to behave themselves. We do trust you. If you, however, are found to be in violation of any of these rules you will be removed from the guild.


Fast shipping. When I received this product it was as simple as the website says. Just plug in and your done.
With a US fleet we ordered to try in our F150's through 450's. We are on both highway projects and commercial projects and in the first week the convenience of moving to alternate vehicles and ease of operation has made this a ideal in improving visibility and SAFETY. It's inky as bright as you lights although commands attention in high traffic work zones. Highly recommended.
As advertised very much a plug-and-play. Wish they would give you more options of turning lights on and off and speed of the lights. May come with later update.
Works as I expected. Auto bright lights will affect the operation of the module.


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Q: How to do custom turn on/off push notification in Background and Kill I need to develop custom turn off/on push notification. Value "on" or "off" I get from SharedPreferences.
In Foreground the option of turn off works well because it can set in onMessageReceived.
But how to do this options for Kill and Background modes?
For sending push notifications I use Postman.
My code in FMC:
class MyFirebaseMessagingService : FirebaseMessagingService() {

private val CURRENT_PUSH = "currentPush"
private var sPref: SharedPreferences? = null

override fun onMessageReceived(remoteMessage: RemoteMessage?) {
    super.onMessageReceived(remoteMessage)

    if(loadCurrentPushNotification()) {
        if (remoteMessage!!.data != null) sendNotification(remoteMessage)
    }
}

private fun sendNotification(remoteMessage: RemoteMessage) {
    val data = remoteMessage.data

    val title = data["title"]
    val content = data["content"]

    val notificationManager = getSystemService(Context.NOTIFICATION_SERVICE) as NotificationManager
    val NOTIFICATION_CHANNEL_ID = "1234"

    if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.O) {
        @SuppressLint("WrongConstant") val notificationChannel = NotificationChannel(NOTIFICATION_CHANNEL_ID,
                "SA Notification",
                NotificationManager.IMPORTANCE_MAX)

        notificationChannel.description = "SA channel notification"
        notificationChannel.enableLights(true)
        notificationChannel.lightColor = Color.RED
        notificationChannel.vibrationPattern = longArrayOf(0, 1000, 500, 1000)
        notificationChannel.enableVibration(true)

        notificationManager.createNotificationChannel(notificationChannel)
    }

    val notificationBuilder = NotificationCompat.Builder(this, NOTIFICATION_CHANNEL_ID)

    notificationBuilder.setAutoCancel(true)
            .setDefaults(Notification.DEFAULT_ALL)
            .setWhen(System.currentTimeMillis())
            .setSmallIcon(R.drawable.sa_launcher)
            .setContentTitle(title)
            .setContentText(content)
            .setContentInfo("Breaking")

    notificationManager.notify(1, notificationBuilder.build())
}

private fun loadCurrentPushNotification(): Boolean { //to read the status push notification from SharedPreferences
    sPref = getSharedPreferences("pushesOnOff", Context.MODE_PRIVATE)
    return sPref!!.getBoolean(CURRENT_PUSH, true)
}

}

A: I suspect that your push notification payload/content contains the notification key like
notification : {
   'title':'This is title'
}
If this is true, then you will not receive the onMessageReceived callback when your app is killed and hence your check will not work. In order to prevent this, remove the notification from your payload and only send data and it should work without any change on android side.
You can read about this behavior HERE.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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More regulations mean construction firms are court regulars for health and safety litigation
Health and safety litigation
According to research in the last 12 months more than half of the UK's construction companies have faced court action.
The survey organised by law firm Pinsent Masons found that 92% of 165 construction companies attending a construction and engineering law conference expected levels of litigation in the industry to increase or stay the same in the next 12 months.
Health and safety was the main area of concern, with 32% of companies stating that the threat of litigation from regulatory changes in health and safety being a significant concern.
A quarter of the firms surveyed expected next years Corporate Manslaughter Bill to have a significant impact on the construction industry's health and safety record.
Richard Laudy, head of the construction sector at Pinsent Masons, said: "We are now seeing the effects of legislation on an increasingly regulated industry.
Many involved in the industry feel that it is very much under scrutiny at present.
"A key challenge is to keep abreast of the various changes so that it can direct its focus on to the opportunities for growth in a buoyant market."
Our accident at work solicitors could help you claim compensation if you have been injured on a construction site. See further details our Construction Accident Claims page for more information.