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Three Dog Night was a label-manufactured, pop rock group featuring a trio of talented vocalists that thrived from the late 60s to the mid 70s, not on their songwriting ability, but on their knack for finding and covering tunes written by the likes of Laura Nyro, Harry Nilsson, and Paul Williams and turning them into huge Top 40 hits. While they were wildly successful with the LP-buying/concert-going public, the fact that they rarely recorded any of their original compositions made them, deservedly or otherwise, a sort of joke among serious musicians. Tragically, the once highly creative and innovative band known as Chicago had slowly but surely become Three Dog Night's quasi-equivalent in the late 80s and never so much as on this, their 17th studio release. They may not have turned into a laughing stock, exactly, but the esteem and respect that they'd earned over the decades had certainly deteriorated drastically. They'd sold out.
Let me say emphatically that while I concede that this album has a modicum of merit and is not a total disgrace, there's absolutely not a smidgen of progressive rock to be found. "So why do you own it?" you may ask and rightfully so. Well, first of all by 1988 the ruthless MTV virus had exterminated prog in the USA and slick, 3-4 minute songs were all anyone was being exposed to. Secondly, I, like many disillusioned baby boomers, was slogging through a gut-wrenching divorce in those days and several of the tunes included here spoke directly to many of the emotions I was harboring at the time. For better or for worse, music has always been my pacifier, especially in moments of extreme mental anguish, and for that reason alone I latched on to this album. To this day I have a soft spot in my head and heart for it. I won't apologize.
"Heart in Pieces" (Think I could relate?) opens things up and it's a continuation of the large- scale production mindset that made their previous LP such a guilty pleasure for me. It's got Danny Seraphine's programmed drums, harmony vocals stacked up to the stratosphere and a Technicolor wall-of-sound approach as rich and fattening as Bananas Foster. The formerly prominent horn section of Lee Loughnane, James Pankow and Walt Parazaider has been blended in to the ocean of synthesizers to the point where they're hardly distinguishable and, in their stead, a metallic electric guitar has become the focus. This is weird because they didn't even have a full-time guitarist on the roster! Yet 70% of the tracks have an in-your-face guitar solo, indicating that they no longer cared to be identified with the clean brassy sound that had made them a unique force to be reckoned with. Producer Chas Sandford and some session cat named Dan Huff are listed as the axe wielders so take your pick as to who plays what and when. They sound the same.
No longer relying on their own ability to pen chart-topping singles, the group turned to folks like Diane Warren (the 80s and 90s phenomenon who was churning out radio-friendly staples in her sleep for AOR artists like Cher and Celine Dion) for sellable, commercial material. Fueled by the inimitable voice of Bill Champlin and a ton of cavernous depth, her "I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love" did its job and rose to #3 on the Billboard hot 100. It's a power ballad for the desperately heartbroken who can't seem to get over the "girl who got away" from their past and pathetically cry into their Budweiser along with the lyrics that they "don't wanna love nobody else." It's cheesier than a Green Bay Packer fan, to be sure, but effective in some twisted way nonetheless. Keyboard dude Robert Lamm's sole contribution is next, "I Stand Up," a dance number reminiscent of old school Chicago mixed in with more than a trace of the lame white boy funk that was so popular at the time. A rare yet aggressive horn arrangement is the only thing worth mentioning.
"We Can Last Forever" suffers mightily from the deadly Peter Cetera syndrome that turned the band into mush masters in that it's a syrupy, formulaic love song that makes your stomach queasy. An overkill of lush keyboards and loads of nerdy "I love you big time" poetry, as expected. Mr. Champlin has come up with some fantastic tunes in his career but the dull-as-a-butter-knife "Come in from the Night" isn't one of them. It's semi-hard rock on the verses, glossy R&B on the choruses and has filler fodder scribbled all over it. Diane Warren's "Look Away" gave the windy city men another coveted #1 hit and it's hard to argue with her craft when she gets those kinds of results on a regular basis. Bill's voice is passionate and soulful but the complete absence of any horns at all is disturbing. This could've been recorded by anybody. Of course, the lyrics about a sad sack ruing the day he let his dream woman walk out his door were perfectly aligned with my dour mood and I cranked up the volume every time it came on. I confess. What a sap I was.
Jason Scheff, the designated crooner-in-residence since replacing pretty boy Cetera, took the fans' comparisons to Peter way too literally as his schmaltzy "What Kind of Man Would I Be?" reveals all too clearly. At least there's a brief horn section interlude in the middle instead of another "rawk" guitar ride. The aptly-titled "Runaround" has a driving beat but it's so plain Jane vanilla that you forget the tune even before it's finished. Champlin's golden tones grace the step-away-from-the-ledge-and-get-over-yourself ditty, "You're Not Alone," but once again there's not a horn to be heard. It climbed to #10, though, so hopefully it stopped someone from swan diving off the Sears Tower and injuring an innocent pedestrian. Hope springs eternal. Finally, Lamm sings "Victorious" to bring up the rear and despite the unexplainable drums-in-a-well effect, at least it doesn't sound like anything else that preceded it. It's more like something you'd hear from a band like Toto, actually, and one gets the feeling that they had no idea what to do with this queer duck except to tack it on the end.
So what have we learned about Chi 19? Hopefully that, unless you're a die-hard Chicago fanatic, you don't want to touch this album with a ten-foot pole. Production-wise, it sounds excellent but you can say that about most of their stuff, anyway. It simply is what it is, lite rock fare from front to back. In '88 I used it as a sympathetic shoulder to weep upon because of my awful circumstances as that demoralizing decade came to a close but nowadays it's about as useful as an old, moth-eaten wedding tuxedo that doesn't fit anymore. But if you're ever experiencing a bout of "she stomped on my heart and smushed that sucker flat" depression then this might be a good friend to hang out with. 1.6 stars.
Having recorded three albums produced by David Foster, Chicago decided it was once again time for a change. Foster had been a major reason for the band's renewed success in terms of both singles and chart appearances, although "Chicago 18" had not sold nearly as many copies as its immediate predecessors. Foster's rigid hands on approach though was probably the major reason for the split, the band wanting to diversify their sound even further. Producers Ron Nevison and Chas Sanford came in as replacements (Nevison produces four tracks, Sandford six). New boy Jason Scheff recruited his former band mate Dawayne Bailey to the line up to add further lead guitar.
Significantly, the band further removed themselves from song-writing duties, relying on hired hands such as Diane Warren and Albert Hammond to provide the material. This can be seen as a clear effort to secure further commercial (i.e. singles) success, and to turn away even further from their roots. For this album, Bill Champlin stepped up as lead singer on the songs selected as singles, the brass section being once again relegated to minor or non-existent supporting roles. In terms of the music, there are no surprises here, the album is very much a case of "Chicago 18, part 2".
The opening "Heart in pieces" is a Starship like pop rock song with a heavy back beat and a catchy but uninspired hook. Totally predictably, this upbeat opener is followed by a ballad, Diane Warren and Albert Hammond's "I don't wanna live without your love" being a classy song of course. The presentation here is actually high quality too with a nice anthemic chorus, but Chicago it just ain't. Dawayne Bailey is immediately afforded centre stage on lead guitar, the brass section offering only a token input. Robert Lamm's "I stand up" does offer the brass section an opportunity to come to the fore a bit more, but the prosaic funky nature of the song and the switch to lead guitar for the main solo wastes the opportunity.
Jason Scheff does a fine impersonation of Peter Cetera on the multi-tracked ballad "We can last forever", but the public were not duped and the song failed to break into the Billboard top 50. "Come in from the night" is another bland AOR number, with strong hints of Journey. Diane Warren's second composition here is "Look away" which took Chicago back to the top of the US singles chart for a final time. Bill Champlin makes a decent job of the vocals, but his unfamiliar voice and the lack of horns throughout make this one of the least Chicago like songs ever.
"What kind of man would I be" sung by Jason Scheff was not released as a single from this album. It was however slightly remixed for the "Greatest Hits" collection which followed this release ("Chicago 20") and then put out in single format. It would prove to be the last single by the band to make the top 10 in the US. The song itself is safe and chart focused. Bill Champlain's "Runaround" continues the alternating upbeat followed by ballad structure of the album.
"You're not alone" written by Jim Scott is very Foreigner like, the repeated chorus being well composed pop. The album closes with its longest track, "Victorious" running to around 6 minutes. While slightly more interesting in terms of arrangement, the song is a bit of a dirge.
The overwhelming focus on commercialism throughout this album render it of little interest to prog fans, and indeed to traditional fans of Chicago. I have to confess though that seen for what it is, this is a very enjoyable album. The strong melodies, well composed songs, and proficient musicianship may seem a little wasted, the phrase "underachieving" comes to mind, but in terms of pure entertainment "Chicago 19" is well worth a listen.
This would be founding member drummer Danny Seraphine's last album with the band. He was fired during a UK tour, the other band members citing a lack of commitment to the tour from him. Seraphine believed the real reason was that the newer members of the band resented the amount of say he had within the band.
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text:
"""
===============================================================================
Delaunay: Generate random networks based on Delaunay Tessellations
===============================================================================

"""
import sys
import scipy as sp
import numpy as np
import OpenPNM.Utilities.vertexops as vo
import scipy.sparse as sprs
import scipy.spatial as sptl
import scipy.ndimage as spim
from scipy.spatial import Voronoi
from OpenPNM.Network import GenericNetwork
from OpenPNM.Base import logging
logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)

class Delaunay(GenericNetwork):
    r"""
    This class contains the methods for creating a *Delaunay* network topology
    based connecting pores with a Delaunay tessellation.

    Parameters
    ----------
    name : string
        A unique name for the network
    domain_size : list of floats, [Lx,Ly,Lz]
        Bounding cube for internal pore positions
    num_pores : int
        Number of pores to place randomly within domain
    prob : 3D float array
        Values should be between 0 and 1 as determines probability of point
        with relative domain coordinates being kept. Array does not have to
        be same size as domain because positions are re-scaled
    base_points : [Np,3] float array
        coordinates to use instead of random generation
    Examples
    --------
    >>> import OpenPNM
    >>> pn = OpenPNM.Network.Delaunay(num_pores=100,
    ...                               domain_size=[0.0001, 0.0001, 0.0001])
    >>> pn.num_pores()
    100

    """

    def __init__(self, num_pores=None, domain_size=None, prob=None,
                 base_points=None, **kwargs):
        """
        Create Delauny network object
        """
        super().__init__(**kwargs)
        self.generate(num_pores, domain_size, prob, base_points)

    def generate(self, num_pores, domain_size, prob, base_points):
        r"""
        Method to trigger the generation of the network
        """
        logger.info('Start of network topology generation')
        self._generate_setup(num_pores, domain_size, base_points)
        if base_points is not None:
            try:
                dim = sp.shape(base_points)[1]
                if dim != 3:
                    raise Exception('base points must be 3D')
            except:
                raise Exception('base points must be 3D')
            self['pore.coords'] = base_points
        else:
            self._generate_pores(prob)
        self._generate_throats()
        logger.debug('Network generation complete')

    def _generate_setup(self, num_pores, domain_size, base_points):
        r"""
        Perform applicable preliminary checks and calculations required for
        generation
        """
        logger.debug('generate_setup: Perform preliminary calculations and checks')
        if domain_size is None:
            raise Exception('domain_size must always be specified')
        if num_pores is None and base_points is None:
            raise Exception('num_pores or base_points must be specified')
        elif num_pores is None and base_points is not None:
            num_pores = len(base_points)
        elif num_pores is not None and base_points is not None:
            logger.warning('both num_pores and base_points arguments given' +
                           ' num_pores over-written')
            num_pores = len(base_points)

        self._Lx = domain_size[0]
        self._Ly = domain_size[1]
        self._Lz = domain_size[2]
        self._Np = num_pores
        r"""
        TODO: Fix this, btype should be received as an argument
        """
        self._btype = [0, 0, 0]

    def _generate_pores(self, prob=None):
        r"""
        Generate the pores with numbering scheme.
        """
        logger.info('Place randomly located pores in the domain')
        if prob is not None:
            coords = []
            i = 0
            while i < self._Np:
                coord = np.random.rand(3)
                [indx, indy, indz] = np.floor(coord*np.shape(prob)).astype(int)
                p = prob[indx][indy][indz]
                if np.random.rand(1) <= p:
                    coords.append(coord)
                    i += 1
            coords = np.asarray(coords)
        else:
            coords = np.random.random([self._Np, 3])

        coords *= np.array([self._Lx, self._Ly, self._Lz])
        self['pore.coords'] = coords

    def _generate_throats(self):
        r"""
        Generate the throats connections
        """
        logger.info('Define connections between pores')
        pts = self['pore.coords']
        Np = len(pts)
        # Generate 6 dummy domains to pad onto each face of real domain This
        # prevents surface pores from making long range connections to each other

        x, y, z = self['pore.coords'].T
        if x.max() > self._Lx:
            Lx = x.max()*1.05
        else:
            Lx = self._Lx
        if y.max() > self._Ly:
            Ly = y.max()*1.05
        else:
            Ly = self._Ly
        if z.max() > self._Lz:
            Lz = z.max()*1.05
        else:
            Lz = self._Lz

        # Reflect in X = Lx and 0
        Pxp = pts.copy()
        Pxp[:, 0] = 2*Lx-Pxp[:, 0]
        Pxm = pts.copy()
        Pxm[:, 0] = Pxm[:, 0]*(-1)
        # Reflect in Y = Ly and 0
        Pyp = pts.copy()
        Pyp[:, 1] = 2*Ly-Pxp[:, 1]
        Pym = pts.copy()
        Pym[:, 1] = Pxm[:, 1]*(-1)
        # Reflect in Z = Lz and 0
        Pzp = pts.copy()
        Pzp[:, 2] = 2*Lz-Pxp[:, 2]
        Pzm = pts.copy()
        Pzm[:, 2] = Pxm[:, 2]*(-1)
        # Add dummy domains to real domain
        # Order important for boundary logic
        pts = np.vstack((pts, Pxp, Pxm, Pyp, Pym, Pzp, Pzm))
        # Perform tessellation
        logger.debug('Beginning tessellation')
        Tri = sptl.Delaunay(pts)
        logger.debug('Converting tessellation to adjacency matrix')
        adjmat = sprs.lil_matrix((Np, Np), dtype=int)
        for i in sp.arange(0, sp.shape(Tri.simplices)[0]):
            # Keep only simplices that are fully in real domain
            # this used to be vectorize, but it stopped working...change in scipy?
            for j in Tri.simplices[i]:
                if j < Np:
                    adjmat[j, Tri.simplices[i][Tri.simplices[i] < Np]] = 1
        # Remove duplicate (lower triangle) and self connections (diagonal)
        # and convert to coo
        adjmat = sprs.triu(adjmat, k=1, format="coo")
        logger.debug('Conversion to adjacency matrix complete')
        self['throat.conns'] = sp.vstack((adjmat.row, adjmat.col)).T
        self['pore.all'] = np.ones(len(self['pore.coords']), dtype=bool)
        self['throat.all'] = np.ones(len(self['throat.conns']), dtype=bool)

        # Do Voronoi diagram - creating voronoi polyhedra around each pore and save
        # vertex information
        self._vor = Voronoi(pts)
        all_vert_index = sp.ndarray(Np, dtype=object)
        for i, polygon in enumerate(self._vor.point_region[0:Np]):
            if -1 not in self._vor.regions[polygon]:
                all_vert_index[i] = \
                    dict(zip(self._vor.regions[polygon],
                             self._vor.vertices[self._vor.regions[polygon]]))

        # Add throat vertices by looking up vor.ridge_dict
        throat_verts = sp.ndarray(len(self['throat.conns']), dtype=object)
        for i, (p1, p2) in enumerate(self['throat.conns']):
            try:
                throat_verts[i] = \
                    dict(zip(self._vor.ridge_dict[(p1, p2)],
                             self._vor.vertices[self._vor.ridge_dict[(p1, p2)]]))
            except KeyError:
                try:
                    throat_verts[i] = \
                        dict(zip(self._vor.ridge_dict[(p2, p1)],
                                 self._vor.vertices[self._vor.ridge_dict[(p2, p1)]]))
                except KeyError:
                    logger.error('Throat Pair Not Found in Voronoi Ridge Dictionary')

        self['pore.vert_index'] = all_vert_index
        self['throat.vert_index'] = throat_verts
        logger.debug(sys._getframe().f_code.co_name + ': End of method')

    def add_boundaries(self):

        r"""
        This method identifies pores in the original Voronoi object that straddle a
        boundary imposed by the reflection. The pore inside the original set of pores
        (with index 0 - Np) is identified and the coordinates are saved. The vertices
        making up the boundary throat are retrieved from the ridge_dict values and
        these are used to identify which boundary the throat sits at.
        A new pore and new connection is created with coordinates lying on the
        boundary plane.
        N.B This method will only work properly if the original network remains
            unaltered i.e. not trimmed or extended
            This preserves the connection between pore index on the network object
            and the Voronoi object
            The point of using this method is so that the throat vertices created by
            the Voronoi object are preserved

        This method will create boundary pores at the centre of the voronoi faces
        that align with the outer planes of the domain.
        The original pores in the domain are labelled internal and the boundary pores
        are labelled external

        Examples
        --------
        >>> import OpenPNM
        >>> pn = OpenPNM.Network.Delaunay(num_pores=100,
        ...                               domain_size=[0.0001,0.0001,0.0001])
        >>> pn.add_boundaries()
        >>> pn.num_pores('boundary') > 0
        True
        """

        bound_conns = []
        bound_coords = []
        bound_vert_index = []
        throat_vert_index = []
        # Find boundary extent
        [x_min, x_max, y_min, y_max, z_min, z_max] = \
            vo.vertex_dimension(self, self.pores(), parm='minmax')
        min_point = np.around(np.array([x_min, y_min, z_min]), 10)
        max_point = np.around(np.array([x_max, y_max, z_max]), 10)
        Np = self.num_pores()
        Nt = self.num_throats()
        new_throat_count = 0
        # ridge_dict contains a dictionary where the key is a set of 2 neighbouring
        # pores and the value is the vertex indices that form the throat or ridge
        # between them
        for p, v in self._vor.ridge_dict.items():
            # If the vertex with index -1 is contained in list then the ridge is
            # unbounded - ignore these
            if np.all(np.asarray(v) >= 0):
                # Boundary throats will be those connecting one pore inside the
                # original set and one out
                if (p[0] in range(Np) and p[1] not in range(Np)) or \
                        (p[0] not in range(Np) and p[1] in range(Np)):
                    # The dictionary key is not in numerical order so find the pore
                    # index inside
                    if p[0] in range(Np):
                        my_pore = p[0]
                    else:
                        my_pore = p[1]
                    my_pore_coord = self["pore.coords"][my_pore]
                    new_pore_coord = my_pore_coord.copy()
                    # Rounding necessary here to identify the plane as Voronoi can
                    # have 1e-17 and smaller errors
                    throat_verts = np.around(self._vor.vertices[v], 10)
                    # Find which plane we are aligned with (if any) and align
                    # new_pore with throat plane
                    if len(np.unique(throat_verts[:, 0])) == 1:
                        new_pore_coord[0] = np.unique(throat_verts[:, 0])
                    elif len(np.unique(throat_verts[:, 1])) == 1:
                        new_pore_coord[1] = np.unique(throat_verts[:, 1])
                    elif len(np.unique(throat_verts[:, 2])) == 1:
                        new_pore_coord[2] = np.unique(throat_verts[:, 2])
                    else:
                        new_pore_coord = np.mean(throat_verts, axis=0)
                        pass
                    bound_coords.append(new_pore_coord)
                    bound_conns.append(np.array([my_pore, new_throat_count + Np]))
                    bound_vert_index.append(dict(zip(v, throat_verts)))
                    throat_vert_index.append(dict(zip(v, throat_verts)))
                    new_throat_count += 1

        # Add new pores and connections
        self.extend(pore_coords=bound_coords, throat_conns=bound_conns)
        # Record new number of pores
        Mp = self.num_pores()
        Mt = self.num_throats()
        new_pore_ids = np.arange(Np, Mp)
        new_throat_ids = np.arange(Nt, Mt)
        # Identify which boundary the pore sits on
        front = self.pores()[self['pore.coords'][:, 0] == min_point[0]]
        back = self.pores()[self['pore.coords'][:, 0] == max_point[0]]
        left = self.pores()[self['pore.coords'][:, 1] == min_point[1]]
        right = self.pores()[self['pore.coords'][:, 1] == max_point[1]]
        bottom = self.pores()[self['pore.coords'][:, 2] == min_point[2]]
        top = self.pores()[self['pore.coords'][:, 2] == max_point[2]]
        if len(top) == 0:
            top = self.pores()[self['pore.coords'][:, 2] ==
                               np.asarray(bound_coords)[:, 2].max()]
        # Assign labels
        self['pore.boundary'] = False
        self['pore.boundary'][new_pore_ids] = True
        self['throat.boundary'] = False
        self['throat.boundary'][new_throat_ids] = True
        self['pore.right_boundary'] = False
        self['pore.left_boundary'] = False
        self['pore.front_boundary'] = False
        self['pore.back_boundary'] = False
        self['pore.top_boundary'] = False
        self['pore.bottom_boundary'] = False
        self['pore.right_boundary'][right] = True
        self['pore.left_boundary'][left] = True
        self['pore.front_boundary'][front] = True
        self['pore.back_boundary'][back] = True
        self['pore.top_boundary'][top] = True
        self['pore.bottom_boundary'][bottom] = True
        # Save the throat verts
        self["pore.vert_index"][new_pore_ids] = bound_vert_index
        self["throat.vert_index"][new_throat_ids] = throat_vert_index

    def domain_length(self, face_1, face_2):
        r"""
        Returns the distance between two faces
        No coplanar checking this is done in vertex_dimension
        """
        L = vo.vertex_dimension(self, face_1, face_2, parm='length')
        return L

    def domain_area(self, face):
        r"""
        Returns the area of a face
        No coplanar checking this is done in vertex_dimension
        """
        A = vo.vertex_dimension(self, face, parm='area')

        return A

    def _export_vor_fibres(self):
        r"""
        Run through the throat vertices, compute the convex hull order and save
        the vertices and ordered faces in a pickle dictionary to be used in
        blender
        """
        import pickle as pickle
        Indices = []
        for t in self.throats():
            indices = list(self["throat.vert_index"][t].keys())
            verts = self._vor.vertices[indices]
            # Need to order the indices in convex hull order
            # Compute the standard deviation in all coordinates and eliminate
            # the axis with the smallest to make 2d
            stds = [np.std(verts[:, 0]), np.std(verts[:, 1]), np.std(verts[:, 2])]
            if np.argmin(stds) == 0:
                verts2d = np.vstack((verts[:, 1], verts[:, 2])).T
            elif np.argmin(stds) == 1:
                verts2d = np.vstack((verts[:, 0], verts[:, 2])).T
            else:
                verts2d = np.vstack((verts[:, 0], verts[:, 1])).T
            # 2d convexhull returns vertices in hull order
            hull2d = sptl.ConvexHull(verts2d, qhull_options='QJ Pp')
            # Re-order the vertices and save as list (blender likes them as lists)
            Indices.append(np.asarray(indices)[hull2d.vertices].tolist())
        # Create dictionary to pickle
        data = {}
        data["Verts"] = self._vor.vertices
        data["Indices"] = Indices
        pickle.dump(data, open("fibres.p", "wb"))

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


In our new Strategic Plan, we embrace the value of transportation justice and promise to advocate for everyone's equitable access to safe, affordable and healthy transportation. To achieve those goals, we're upping our game when it comes to multilingual and culturally competent engagement.
We're increasingly approaching our work so as to show up in communities with a view toward community-generated outcomes. While we continue to promote the bicycle for everyday transportation throughout the city, we know that the best solutions for safe streets come about when community members design the solutions they value most.
Show up: This past February was a great month for our increasing efforts to celebrate community events that matter most to the communities where we work. At the Chinese New Year Festival we sent staff with both Mandarin and Cantonese fluency to talk about bicycle safety and tips. The previous weekend, we partnered with 100% College Prep, which provides academic resources in Bayview-Hunters Point, to co-host a Community Bike Build. And we were thrilled to host a February ride with Bayview youth as part of that community's Black History Month Parade.
Listen: As an example of listening, consider our latest work in Chinatown as part of our Safe Routes to School partnership. We are hosting community meetings in partnership with Chinese Newcomers Service Center, where we listen to the stories that grandparents, parents and caregivers tell us about the challenges they face crossing some of the city's most dangerous streets to and from Gordon Lau, Jean Parker and John Yehall Chin elementary schools. In order to better understand the challenges that Chinatown residents face along their commutes, the SF Bicycle Coalition started organizing large-scale "walking school buses," improving the visibility of families walking to school.
The SF Bicycle Coalition has also added listening sessions as part of our introductory bicycle education courses in diverse communities across the city. As a result, we can design curriculum that is targeted specifically to meeting the needs of the various communities where we work.
Learn: When I first started working at the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, we had already distributed over 500 bicycles to low-income community members as part of our Community Bike Build program. Yet we found that residents in low-income neighborhoods where we hosted Bike Builds didn't really embrace bicycling. So we asked ourselves what we could do better.
We spent three months during the summer of 2017 surveying recipients from our Community Bike Build program to better understand what would support past participants in feeling more confident biking in their neighborhoods.
We learned that residents wanted more informal neighborhood rides. As a result, we partnered with ¡PODER! to launch Community Cruises — rides led by and for people of color. We also learned that if parents didn't know how to ride a bike themselves, they did not feel comfortable letting their children bike around their neighborhoods. Knowing this, we now lead family rides for parents interested in biking with their children in conjunction with Learn-to-Ride biking events for children at schools.
Very importantly, we are working to better understand the real and perceived barriers that many people face when riding their bikes in San Francisco. We continue to increase our network of community partners, take an intersectional approach to our work and teach bike safety classes in culturally competent ways.
If you would like to volunteer to be a part of our culturally competent programmatic outreach efforts, please visit sfbike.org/volunteer and sign up.
← Can You Bike More Than Us in May?


text:
Q: vim doesn't display cp1252 characters I'm running gvim, under Windows. I pasted some text from a web page but vim does not display the hyphen and smart quotes.
When I check the encoding that vim is using (:set enc) vim reports that it is using cp1252.
When I check the hex value of the codes under the cursor (ga) vim reports the correct cp1252 code values (0x96, 0x93, and 0x94).
And yet it does display the smart single quotes (0x91 and 0x92)
Can anyone explain what is happening?
Thanks,
Steve

A: The "DejaVu_Sans_Mono" and "Lucinda_Console" fonts both displayed the characters with codes between 0xA0 and 0x9F correctly. There are probably others that do so as well. I'm using gvim, so I selected them from the menubar (Edit/Select Font). Subsequently I added the line "set guifont=DejaVu_Sans_Mono:h12" to my _vimrc file. The "h12" specifies font size. – justerman

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Local, Movie Trailers
"Dinner For Schmucks" HD Trailer Starring Paul Rudd, Steve Carrell, and Zach Galafianakis
Posted: April 9, 2010 at 4:23 pm / by Blake Fehl / comments (0)
tags: dinner for schmucks, jay roach, laurie macdonald, le diner de cons remake, lucy punch, Paul Rudd, Ron Livingston, stephanie szostak, Steve Carrell, walter f. parkes, what is dinner for schmucks a remake of, zach galafinakis
I'm man enough to admit, I have a man crush on Paul Rudd. I think the guy is awesome, and he seems like he'd be cool to have a beer with. It is probably because I associate him with his roles. It might not even be a man crush, more like I would like to be him. (Who wouldn't want the life of an A-list comedy actor?) Regardless, he has a big sell in Dinner for Schmucks. Rudd and Carrell have to sell the buddy comedy, and some how make fun of people without being too mean spirited. They'll do well with a strong supporting cast that includes Zach Galafianakis and Ron Livingston.
Can the crew sell this remake of French film, Le dîner de Cons?
Tim, is an up-and-coming executive who has just received his first invitation to the "dinner for idiots," a monthly event hosted by his boss that promises bragging rights to the exec that shows up with the biggest buffoon. Tim's fiancee, Julie, finds it distasteful and Tim agrees to skip the dinner, until he bumps into Barry–an IRS employee who devotes his spare time to building elaborate taxidermy mouse dioramas–and quickly realizes he's struck idiot gold. Tim can't resist, and invites Barry, whose blundering good intentions soon sends Tim's life into a frenzied downward spiral and a series of misadventures, threatening a major business deal, bringing crazy stalker ex-girlfriend, Darla, back into Tim's life and driving Julie into the arms of another man.
Starring: Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Lucy Punch, Zach Galifianakis, Stephanie Szostak
Directed by: Jay Roach
Produced by: Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald
Release Date: July 23rd, 2010

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Azaperone is a pyridinylpiperazine and butyrophenone neuroleptic drug with sedative and antiemetic effects, which is used mainly as a tranquilizer in veterinary medicine. It is uncommonly used in humans as an antipsychotic drug .
Azaperone acts primarily as a dopamine antagonist but also has some antihistaminic and anticholinergic properties as seen with similar drugs such as haloperidol. Azaperone may cause hypotension and while it has minimal effects on respiration in pigs, high doses in humans can cause respiratory depression .


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«Oigo mi corazón» es una canción interpretada por la cantante española Edurne, escrita por Zippy Davids, Finn Martin y adaptada al español por ella misma.

Fue lanzada en 2011 como segundo sencillo de su cuarto álbum Nueva piel.

Vídeo musical

El vídeo fue rodado durante la noche. Cuenta con la colaboración de José Corbacho y Dani Martínez. Rodado en un sex shop, se puede ver a Edurne con un maquillaje fosforescente y bailando sensualmente.

Formatos

Descarga digital

Posicionamiento en listas

Diarias

Véase también
 Anexo:Discografía de Edurne

Referencias

Enlaces externos
 Web oficial de Edurne

Sencillos de Edurne
Sencillos de 2011

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


This magnificent movie, filmed on a set consisting of a red-and-black checked floor and neon light boxes, cross-cut with scenes shot around the theatre, sees Waits adopt a variety of guises; the pencil-moustached ticket-seller who 'dreams the film', a sit-down comedian in stained white tuxedo and glitter-flecked face - sort of Victor Borge from Hell - and more or less straight troubadour. The music is from Frank's Wild Years, Rain Dogs and Swordfishtrombones. Musical, visual and verbal puns abound; elements of vaudeville, burlesque and soulful balladry are orchestrated by what is evidently, for all the downbeat, offbeat imagery, a fantastically energetic imagination. A concert film unlike any other, owing something to the work of '40s fashion photographer/jazz film-maker Djon (Jammin the Blues) Mili, and with no shots of an audience at all.


text:
Campaign Exposes Fissures Over Issues, Values and How Life Has Changed in the U.S.
4. Perceptions of the presidential candidates, and primary preferences
In the 2016 presidential race, registered voters remain skeptical about how each of the candidates would fare as president. No more than 36% say any of the remaining five candidates would be a good or great president, and in the case of three of the candidates (Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz and Donald Trump), more voters say each would be a "poor" or "terrible" president than say they would be "good" or "great." Only John Kasich is seen by more as a potentially good or great president (33%) than as a poor or terrible one (19%), with the plurality of voters (39%) saying that Kasich would make an "average" president.
About a quarter of voters (26%) say that Trump would be a good or great president, while nearly six-in-ten (59%) say he would make a poor or terrible president. Just 12% say Trump would be an average president, far fewer than say this about any of the other candidates. While about as many say Cruz would be a good or great president as say this about Trump (29%), far fewer (36%) say he would make a poor or terrible one; 31% say a Cruz presidency would be average.
Of the Democratic candidates, Clinton is somewhat more polarizing than Sanders: One-third of voters (33%) say she would be a great or good president, while 46% say she would make a poor or terrible president. Just 20% say Clinton would be an average president. Although about as many voters (36%) view Bernie Sanders' potential presidency as good or great as say this about a potential Clinton presidency, fewer voters offer negative evaluations of a possible Sanders presidency (35%), while somewhat more (26%) say he would be average.
The share of voters saying a Kasich presidency would be good or great has grown from just 13% in January to 33% today, and somewhat fewer now say he would make a poor or terrible president (19% today, 24% then). In January, nearly a third of voters (31%) did not offer an opinion about a possible Kasich presidency; today 9% do not. Although overall views of most other candidates as possible presidents are little changed over the last few months, the share of voters who say Trump would be a poor or terrible president is up seven points (from 52% to 59%).
Partisans' views of the candidates as possible presidents
About half of Republican and Republican-leaning registered voters say Trump (49%) would make a good (29%) or great (21%) president, while 30% say he would be poor (12%) or terrible (19%).
The share of GOP voters saying Trump would be a good or great president has declined seven points since January (from 56%), while the share saying he would be poor or terrible has increased eight points. Though this change is seen across most Republican groups, the rising share saying he would be poor or terrible is somewhat more pronounced among Republican women than men. Today, 38% of GOP women say he would be a poor or terrible president, up from 24% in January (by comparison, just 24% of Republican men say Trump would be poor or terrible, little changed from 20% in January).
The possibility of a Cruz presidency is also viewed positively by about half of Republican voters (48%); 33% say Cruz would be an average president, while only 17% say he would be a poor or terrible one. These views are slightly less positive than they were in January (when 53% said he would be good or great and 13% said he would be poor or terrible).
About four-in-ten Republican voters (38%) now say Kasich would make a good or great president, while roughly as many say he would be an average one (37%); 18% say he would be poor or terrible.
Although fewer GOP voters rate a potential Kasich presidency as good or great than say this of Trump or Cruz, evaluations of Kasich as a possible president have grown significantly more positive over the course of the last two months. Today 38% of GOP voters say Kasich would be a good or great president, up from 17% in January, and just 18% say he would be poor or terrible (25% in January).
Among Democratic voters overall, Clinton and Sanders are viewed similarly. Roughly six-in-ten say Clinton (57%) and Sanders (59%) would make good or great presidents, while nearly three-in-ten say they would be average presidents.
The share of Democratic voters saying Clinton would make a good or great president is down seven points since January (64% then, 57% today), while views of Sanders' potential presidency as good or great have increased by a similar share (51% then, 59% today). As was the case in January, few today say either Clinton (14%) or Sanders (10%) would be poor or terrible presidents.
Democratic voters remain intensely negative in their evaluations about a potential Trump presidency. Fully 84% say he would make a poor or terrible president—including 67% who believe he would be terrible. Just 7% say Trump would be average, while 6% say he would be good or great.
Though Democratic views of the other GOP candidates are not particularly positive, they are considerably less negative. Cruz, for instance, is expected to be a poor or terrible president by about half of Democratic voters (52%), while only 14% say he would be good or great (29% say he would be average). And Democratic voters view a Kasich presidency more positively than negatively: 42% say Kasich would be an average president, 29% say he would be good or great, while just 20% say he would be poor or terrible.
Among Republican voters, a possible Clinton presidency is viewed more negatively than a Sanders presidency. Still, both are viewed as poor or terrible potential presidents by the majority of Republicans (81% say this of Clinton, 64% of Sanders).
How GOP primary backers view the other Republican candidates
More than eight-in-ten supporters of each of the three GOP candidates say their candidate will make a good or great president, but they are far less positive in their assessments of the other two men in the field. Across the board, fewer than a third of any Republican candidate's supporters say either of the other candidates would be good or great presidents.
But Trump stands out for his relatively poor performance among Cruz and Kasich supporters. Fully 50% of Cruz supporters say Trump would be a poor (22%) or terrible (28%) president. Kasich supporters are similarly negative about Trump: 55% say he would make a poor (19%) or terrible (36%) president.
By contrast, only 25% of Kasich supporters say Cruz would be a poor or terrible president, while just 17% of Cruz supporters say this about Kasich. And roughly a quarter of Trump supporters say Cruz (25%) and Kasich (26%) would be poor or terrible presidents.
How supporters view Sanders and Clinton as possible presidents
More than eight-in ten supporters of Clinton (88%) and Sanders (82%) say their candidate would make a good or great president. But views about their intraparty opponent are not as overwhelmingly positive.
Sanders supporters, in particular, have mixed views of a potential Clinton presidency: A 45% plurality say she would be an average president, while about as many say she would be a good or great president (27%) as say she would be a poor or terrible one (28%).
By comparison, a 45% plurality of Clinton supporters say Sanders would be a good or great president, while about a third (34%) say he would be an average one. Just 16% of Clinton supporters say Sanders would be a poor or terrible president.
The GOP primary race
Overall, Donald Trump is supported by 41% of Republican and Republican-leaning registered voters; 32% favor Ted Cruz and 20% support John Kasich.
Trump performs better among Republican men than women. While significantly more Republican men back Trump (45%) than support either of the other GOP candidates (30% Cruz, 19% Kasich), the proportion of women who prefer Trump is little different than the share who back Cruz (38% Trump, 34% Cruz).
There are only modest age differences in GOP candidate support, with older people slightly more likely than younger people to back Trump. But there are substantial educational, income and religious differences.
Trump garners more support from those with lower levels of education and income: Nearly half of Republican voters who have not attended college (48%) and 44% of those with some college education but no degree support Trump, compared with only about a third of those with bachelors (32%) or postgraduate (30%) degrees. Conversely, Kasich performs better among more highly educated Republicans: Fully 41% of those with postgraduate degrees back Kasich for the nomination, compared with just 11% of those who did not attend college. Support for Cruz varies little by education.
Among white evangelical Protestant Republican voters, support is roughly divided between Trump (38%) and Cruz (41%), while a clear majority (57%) among the smaller share of the GOP electorate that is religiously unaffiliated supports Trump. Republican voters who regularly attend religious services are more likely to back Cruz (44%) than either Trump (29%) or Kasich (20%), while Trump leads among less frequent attenders.
Roughly equal shares of self-described conservative Republican voters (43%) and moderate and liberal Republican voters (38%) support Trump. Cruz performs better among conservative Republicans than among moderates and liberals (37% vs. 23%). And a greater share of moderate and liberal Republican voters than conservative Republican voters support Kasich (30% vs. 15%).
The Democratic primary race
Hillary Clinton is supported by 49% of Democratic and Democratic-leaning registered voters, while Bernie Sanders is backed by 43%.
There are substantial age and gender differences in support for the two Democratic candidates.
Democratic voters under 30 prefer Sanders by more than three-to-one (74% Sanders, 21% Clinton), while those 30-49 are more divided (43% Clinton, 48% Sanders), and Democratic voters 50 and older back Clinton by substantial margins (she leads among those 50-64 by 35 points and by 58 points among those 65 and older).
Democratic women back Clinton by a 13-point margin (52% vs. 39%), while Democratic men are more divided in their preferences (46% Clinton, 48% Sanders).
But gender differences are particularly pronounced among younger people: There is a 16-point gap among those under 50 in support for Sanders between Democratic men and Democratic women (68% vs. 52%). By comparison, there is no gender gap among Democratic voters ages 50 and older (69% of men and 67% of women back Clinton).
Black Democratic voters are more likely than whites to support Clinton (58% vs. 47%). Clinton also performs better among Democrats who regularly attend religious services (58% vs. 45% among those who attend less frequently), and among self-identified conservatives and moderates (55% vs. 44% among those who identify as liberal).
Would Trump and Clinton unite their parties?
A 56% majority of Republican registered voters expect that disagreements within the GOP will keep many Republicans from supporting Donald Trump if he becomes the party's nominee; just 38% say the party will unite solidly behind him.
By contrast, 64% of Democratic voters say the Democratic Party will unite solidly behind Hillary Clinton if she becomes the party's nominee, while just 30% expect that disagreements within the party will keep many from supporting her.
In March 2008, similar majorities of Democrats said the party would unite behind Barack Obama (66%) if he became the nominee or Clinton herself if she became the nominee (64%).
But the share of Republican and Republican-leaning registered voters who say the Republican Party will unite solidly behind Trump (38%) is far lower than for other GOP frontrunners in elections dating back to 1996.
In both 2008 and 2012, clear majorities of Republican voters expected the GOP would unite behind John McCain and Mitt Romney, respectively. And in 1996, about as many said the party would unite behind Bob Dole as said disagreements would keep many from supporting him (46% vs. 39%).
Among Republicans, about two-thirds of those who support Ted Cruz (66%) and John Kasich (68%) say the disagreements within the GOP would keep many Republicans from uniting behind Trump if he were to become the nominee, while roughly a quarter of each say the party would unite behind Trump. More than half of Trump supporters (55%) expect Republicans to unite behind him, while 39% say they expect divisions to prevent many from supporting their candidate.
Though Democrats overall are more optimistic about the party's ability to unite behind Clinton if she becomes the nominee, Sanders supporters are divided on this question: About half (48%) say the party will come together to support Clinton, while about as many say disagreements within the party will keep many from supporting her (46%). By an overwhelming margin, most Clinton supporters say that the party will unify behind her (81% say this).
Next: Methodology Next Page → ← Prev Page
March 2016 Political Survey Dataset
1. Views of the primaries, press coverage of candidates, attitudes about government and the country
2. Views on immigration, diversity, social issues
3. Views on economy, government services, trade
PublicationsNov 10, 2016
A Divided and Pessimistic Electorate
PublicationsAug 3, 2016
Few Clinton or Trump Supporters Have Close Friends in the Other Camp
PublicationsJun 22, 2016
Partisanship and Political Animosity in 2016
PublicationsApr 26, 2016
A Wider Ideological Gap Between More and Less Educated Adults
Little Public Support for Reductions in Federal Spending
Candidate Support
Political Polarization
Fact Tank01/17/2019
Internet & Tech03/01/2018
Social Trends01/17/2019
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I am Umm Muaz from Pakistan and am in the process of setting up a website for the home education community in my country. I would like to add your article "The case against time out" as this technique has recently been employed by parents and hailed as beneficial. Could I kindly have permission to do so?
What is your web site about? What is its purpose? Whom do you wish to serve? You need not answer any of those questions, of course. However, I would like to facilitate your achieving your goals. If there are other articles of mine on my site that you believe might interest your readers, please feel free to use them. You need, of course, only acknowledge my authorship. Are you an educator or psychologist?
The website will be the cyberspace location of our organisation: HOMEWORKS, which is a support and resource group for home education.
d. promote correct information about home education (highly misunderstood in our country).
Whom do you wish to serve?
b. those who are inclined towards homeschooling but do not have enough resources and conviction to take the plunge.c. those who are questioning the school system and are looking for alternatives.
Are you an educator or psychologist?
I am a mother by choice, a graphic designer by profession and part of two amazing families (mine and my in-laws).
I taught how to do this as a teacher educator of prospective preschool teachers and secondary school teachers. When I was a high school teacher, the very saddest thing I witnessed was the destruction of the motivation to learn in many students. These students were brought into classrooms, seated in rows, taught to sit still, made to be silent, and then didactically taught by their teacher.
Umm, as you probably know the shelves of university libraries are filled with years of well-conducted research studies that demonstrate over and over again that learning is best if it is an active, not a passive processes; that children and adolescents should be engaged and interested in their learning and have a say in what and how they learn. When I became a parent, the vast majority of schools still had not changed in this country. Dare I watch the withering and death of the motivation to learn in my own two sons? That, with all good conscience, I could not do.
Umm, your website will be of great service if it can provide your readers with the best knowledge about learning we have to date. Again, I wish you well. It is a great pleasure for me to be in contact with you.
Sincerely, Peter Ernest Haiman, Ph.D.
Thank you so much for your guidance and tips. I have been reading your articles and finding them helpful. My son is 6 months old. He usually has company as we live in a joint family system. But when he is with me, I sometimes wonder what kind of things i should be doing with him to nurture his inherent curiosity. I do not want to over entertain him and make him over dependent on people / confused.
We plan to home educate him, God willing. I would like to know what method you employed for your sons. I am in the process of research but I am inclined towards unschooling. A little scared to be honest. Advice?
What you should be doing is learning about the attachment research and how it is related to brain growth (especially right brain growth) in the first two years of life. The quality of attachment you make with your child is not only directly related to brain growth, it is also related to your child's emotional, intellectual and social development. Research has now identified four kinds of attachment: secure; insecure-resistant; insecure-avoidant; and a relatively new type called Type D, an insecure-disorganized/disoriented pattern.
Of course, what you want for your child is for him/her to develop a secure attachment. This is done when you or another primary caregiver has frequent, close interaction with the child and you learn to read each other's signals and respond promptly and appropriately. Then the child learns trust in the primary caregiver. These experiences also promote right brain growth. This area of the brain houses the neurons capable of emotional self-regulation. Although the human brain is physically growing until roughly age 24 or 25 years, the above physical growth, for the most part, takes place by age three. These developments, mentioned above, last throughout life.
Now, you asked what kinds of things you should be doing with him. You should be watching him. What does he show an interest in? If he shows an interest in a bird up in a tree, get him a book with pictures of birds. Get him toy birds he can hold and play with. In this way you are watching for his intrinsic interests and appropriately responding to them. If you do this consistently, he will learn he can trust that you are really there for him. And his right brain will grows as well. Do you see how it works?
Your son is 6 months old. He is in what Piaget called the sensory-motor stage of cognitive development. This means he will learn mostly by touching, mouthing, hearing, looking, and tasting. Have three groups of toys that you rotate from time to time, based on your son's demonstrated expression of boredom with them. Place one of the groups in a safe place on the floor in your child's room or an activity room. Place the other two groups in two boxes (one per box). Each group of toys should have 5 or 6 toys in it. The toys should be of different colors and textures and challenge different fine motor skills, like pushing (cars), putting on top of each other (blocks), opening and closing (books), shaking with bells (rattles), etc. Note which toys interest your son and which do not. Like the example of the bird, above, when your son shows more of an interest in one or two toys than the others that are out on the floor, go and find some other toys like the ones he has expressed an interest in.
Your goal as a home educator is always to extend and elaborate the intrinsic interests of your child. This is the key!!! The purpose of the two other boxes is to have very different toys in them. Then you can rotate the toys for your child when he seems bored with the toys that are currently on the floor. I hope the above is helpful. Please feel free to ask me other questions.
I just reread your question and my answer to it. There is no "method" for educating all children. Each child is different from other children—even though they each are from the same social class, are the same religion, and the same age. Each child is unique. The key, again, is finding out what your individual child is interested in and then extending and elaborating and enriching that interest. Your child's interests will and should change from time to time. As a parent, you should be watching your young child to observe these changes. When you child shows a new interest, introduce play activities that captivate your son's interest. Watch how he responds when you present an activity. Does he go to it? Does he show disinterest? Does he seem overwhelmed? His response will tell you and be your best guide. His response is your "method" evaluator. His response will tell you if you are overwhelming him, or if he is still interested, or if he may be tired, or if he may be hungry.
A child's response can tell many things to an observant parent. This allows the parent to "listen" to their child's needs and responsively and sensitively care for their child. In my last email to you, I did not stress as much as I had wished one important fact: learning is active! Children learn by doing. What kinds of things do you think they learn?
That was a GREAT help. I'm going to print this out, read it and work on it. If you don't mind, can I please share this (online or personally) with other parents?
Thanks a lot. Really appreciate it.
Of course you can!! The more we can spread information about children and child rearing that is empirically based, the healthier it will be for our families and our societies, and the more chance that there will be peace in the world. Anger in families and war between societies is caused, to a very great extent, when the young have been raised by parents who, although they may love their children, do not know how properly to raise them. These parents raise their children as they were raised. These parents do not take the time to learn about the most important job a human being has: the rearing of a child.
I am sorry for not replying earlier as I was discussing it with my husband. We are comfortable with you posting the dialogue.
Here is my next question: Our son gets very excited with book reading. Before he could move his arms and legs, he would look at the books with rapt attention. But now he grabs the book and puts it in his mouth. We are hesitant to now read from paper books as some of them have bent and slightly ripped. Should we just stick to cloth/indestructible books?
The first question we must ask is: why your son is placing the book in his mouth? What reason or reasons cause him to do that? When we, as adults, begin by asking this question, we give ourselves an opportunity to think rationally and problem solve from an understanding of what the research says about child growth and development. This reduces the stress in the child's life. It reduces the stress in the parent's life. And it actually can enhance development, especially when a child is young.
Recall what I wrote about sensory motor learning in a previous email. Good parenting requires the development of good diagnostic skills. By that I mean, good parents can competently determine the cause(s) of the behavior of their child and then promptly and sensitively act to fulfill the underlying need or needs the behavior reflected. This is the same thing a medical doctor does. A patient comes in with symptoms. The doctor carefully looks at all the symptoms to diagnose the cause of the physical illness. Then the doctor treats the causes, not the symptoms. Oh, the doctor may give some temporary symptomatic relief, yes. But that is not the doctor's goal at all. The doctor would be a failure if it were. The goal is to find and treat the causes of the symptoms. This is what a good parent does, as well.
I will stop here for now. May I suggest that you get a hold of "Childhood and Society," second edition, by Erik Erikson, published (1963) by W.W. Norton & Co. Familiarize yourself with his Eight Ages of Man. Over the years, they have held up very well, and have been supported by the research—especially the early years. I hope the above has helped.
Sincerely, Peter Ernest Haiman, Ph. D.


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Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (Scotland) Act 2013
2013 asp 11
Previous: Part
Next: Part
Changes over time for: PART 5
There are currently no known outstanding effects for the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (Scotland) Act 2013, PART 5 .
PART 5 SApplication of act to certain persons and bodies
44Companies and other organisationsS
(1)Everything to be done by an organisation under this Act is to be done by the organisation acting through—
(a)the proper officer of the organisation, or
(b)another person having for the time being the express, implied or apparent authority of the organisation to act on its behalf for the purpose.
(2)Subsection (1)(b) does not apply where a liquidator has been appointed for the organisation.
(3)For the purposes of this Act—
(a)the proper officer of a company is the secretary, or person acting as secretary, of the company,
(b)the proper officer of an unincorporated association (or of a company that does not have a proper officer within paragraph (a)) is the treasurer, or person acting as treasurer, of the association or, as the case may be, the company.
(4)But, where a liquidator or administrator has been appointed for the organisation, the liquidator or, as the case may be, the administrator is the proper officer.
(5)If two or more persons are appointed to act jointly or concurrently as the administrator of the organisation, the reference to the administrator in subsection (4) is to—
(a)such one of them as is specified in a notice given to the Tax Authority by those persons for the purposes of this section, or
(b)where the Tax Authority is not so notified, such one or more of those persons as the Tax Authority may designate as the proper officer for those purposes.
(6)In this section, "organisation" means—
(a)a company,
(b)an unincorporated association.
I1S. 44 in force at 1.4.2015 by S.S.I. 2015/108, art. 2
45Unit trust schemesS
(1)This Act (with the exception of the provisions mentioned in subsection (8)) applies in relation to a unit trust scheme as if—
(a)the trustees were a company, and
(b)the rights of the unit holders were shares in the company.
(2)Each of the parts of an umbrella scheme is regarded for the purposes of this Act as a separate unit trust scheme and the umbrella scheme as a whole is not so regarded.
(3)An "umbrella scheme" means a unit trust scheme—
(a)that provides arrangements for separate pooling of the contributions of participants and the profits or income out of which payments are to be made for them, and
(b)under which the participants are entitled to exchange rights in one pool for rights in another.
(4)A "part" of an umbrella scheme means such of the arrangements as relate to a separate pool.
(5)In this Act—
"unit trust scheme" has the same meaning as in the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (c.8), and
"unit holder" means a participant in a unit trust scheme.
(6)The Scottish Ministers may, by regulations, provide that a scheme of a description specified in the regulations is to be treated as not being a unit trust scheme for the purposes of this Act.
(7)Section 620 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 (c.4) (court investment funds treated as authorised unit trusts) applies for the purposes of this Act as it applies for the purposes of that Act, with the substitution for references to an authorised unit trust of references to a unit trust scheme.
(8)A unit trust scheme is not to be treated as a company for the purposes of schedules 10 (group relief) and 11 (reconstruction relief and acquisition relief).
46Open-ended investment companiesS
(1)The Scottish Ministers may, by regulations, make such provision as they consider appropriate for securing that the provisions of this Act have effect in relation to—
(a)open-ended investment companies of such description as may be prescribed in the regulations, and
(b)transactions involving such companies,
in a manner corresponding, subject to such modifications as the Scottish Ministers consider appropriate, to the manner in which they have effect in relation to unit trust schemes and transactions involving such trusts.
(2)The regulations may, in particular, make provision—
(a)modifying the operation of any provision in relation to open-ended investment companies so as to secure that arrangements for treating the assets of such a company as assets comprised in separate pools are given an effect corresponding to that of equivalent arrangements constituting the separate parts of an umbrella scheme,
(b)treating the separate parts of the undertaking of an open-ended investment company in relation to which such provision is made as distinct companies for the purposes of this Act.
(3)In this section—
"open-ended investment company" has the meaning given by section 236 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (c.8),
"umbrella scheme" has the same meaning as in section 45.
47Residential property holding companiesS
(1)The Scottish Ministers may, by regulations, provide for qualifying transfers of interests in residential property holding companies—
(a)to be treated as land transactions, and
(b)to be chargeable transactions.
(2)A "residential property holding company" means a company—
(a)whose sole or main activity is holding or investing in chargeable interests in residential property,
(b)whose property consists of or includes chargeable interests in residential property, and
(c)whose shares are not listed on a recognised stock exchange.
(3)For the purposes of subsection (2)(a) "chargeable interests" includes any interest which would be a chargeable interest but for the fact that it relates to land outwith Scotland.
(4)A "qualifying transfer" is a transfer of an interest in such a company that results in the transferee acquiring the right to occupy some or all of the company's residential property.
(5)Regulations under subsection (1) may in particular make provision, or further provision, about—
(a)the kinds of interest, transfer of which is a qualifying transfer,
(b)the kinds of transfers which are and are not qualifying transfers,
(c)the rights which are rights to occupy a company's residential property for the purposes of such transfers,
(d)the chargeable consideration in the case of such transfers,
(e)the tax bands and tax rates that are to apply to such transfers (including specifying tax bands and tax rates for such transfers),
(f)the person who is to be liable to pay the tax,
(g)the application or disapplication of any reliefs in relation to such transfers.
(6)Regulations under subsection (1) may also provide that, for the purposes of this section, "residential property" includes such other kinds of property as may be specified in the regulations.
(7)Regulations under subsection (1) may modify any enactment (including this Act).
48Joint buyersS
(1)This section applies to a land transaction where there are two or more buyers who are or will be jointly entitled to the interest acquired.
(2)The general rules are that—
(a)any obligation of the buyer under this Act in relation to the transaction is an obligation of the buyers jointly but may be discharged by any of them,
(b)anything required or authorised by this Act to be done in relation to the buyer must be done by or in relation to all of them, and
(c)any liability of the buyer under this Act in relation to the transaction (in particular, any liability arising by virtue of the failure to fulfil an obligation within paragraph (a)), is a joint and several liability of the buyers.
(3)The general rules are subject to the following provisions—
(a)if a return is required in relation to the transaction, a single return must be made,
(b)the declaration required by section 36(1) or (2)(a) (declaration that return is complete and correct) must be made by all the buyers.
[F1(3A)See also section 247 of the Revenue Scotland and Tax Powers Act 2014 (asp 16) (reviews, appeals etc. where joint buyers).]
(4)This section has effect subject to—
(a)the provisions of schedule 17 (partnerships), and
(b)paragraphs 15 to 18 of schedule 18 (trusts).
Textual Amendments
F1S. 48(3A) inserted (1.4.2015) by Revenue Scotland and Tax Powers Act 2014 (asp 16), s. 260(2), Sch. 4 para. 9(10) (with ss. 257-259); S.S.I. 2015/110, art. 2(1)
49PartnershipsS
(1)Schedule 17 makes provision about the application of this Act in relation to partnerships.
(2)The Scottish Ministers may, by regulations, modify schedule 17.
50TrustsS
(1)Schedule 18 makes provision about the application of this Act in relation to trusts.
[F2(3)See also section 248 of the Revenue Scotland and Tax Powers Act 2014 (asp 16) (reviews, appeals etc.: trustees).]
F2S. 50(3) inserted (1.4.2015) by Revenue Scotland and Tax Powers Act 2014 (asp 16), s. 260(2), Sch. 4 para. 9(11) (with ss. 257-259); S.S.I. 2015/110, art. 2(1)
51Persons acting in a representative capacity etc.S
(1)The personal representatives of a person who is the buyer in a land transaction—
(a)are responsible for discharging the obligations of the buyer under this Act in relation to the transaction, and
(b)may deduct any payment made by them under this Act out of the assets and effects of the deceased person.
(2)A receiver appointed by a court in the United Kingdom having the direction and control of any property is responsible for discharging any obligations under this Act in relation to a transaction affecting that property as if the property were not under the direction and control of the court.
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Booster Shots against Scary COVID Virus Variants Are in the Works
Vaccine makers are designing follow-up shots based on new mutations to keep the disease at bay
By Charles Schmidt on February 18, 2021
Credit: Stephen Zenner Getty Images
Since the pandemic began, its viral cause—SARS-CoV-2—has been mutating. These genetic changes appeared inconsequential at first. But recently some alterations have produced variants with the unsettling potential to make the new COVID vaccines less effective, just as the shots have begun to make their way into people's arms. Now, drug makers are responding by developing different follow-up shots against these variants to keep the disease at bay. These efforts mark the next phase in what's shaping up to be a long battle between an ever-changing virus and the immunizations deployed against it.
The worrisome new variants change the behavior of the virus. One, called B.1.1.7, was detected first in the United Kingdom. It contains several mutations, including one that helps the virus transmit more easily between people, and it also could be more lethal than the original version. Scientists predict it could be the dominant strain in the United States by March. Another disturbing variant, called B.1.351, was noticed first in South Africa. This one contains mutations that make it far more difficult for immune system antibodies to interfere with the coronavirus' spike protein. Spike is the viral component that latches onto cells to start infection, and thus it is a major target for natural antibodies and those produced by vaccination. In a recent preprint, a research paper that has not yet been peer-reviewed, scientists reported that antibodies taken from the blood of people who got two shots of the new Moderna vaccine were 8.6 times less effective at neutralizing B.1.351 in laboratory samples than they were at neutralizing earlier versions of the virus. That same study indicated that the new vaccine made by Pfizer was 6.5-fold less active against that new variant.
[Read about five emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2, what new mutations they have, and how they can make these versions more contagious or more resistant to vaccines and treatments]
These reductions may not hamper vaccine effectiveness, however, particularly against the severe levels of disease that put people in the hospital. Antibody levels induced by the vaccines are so elevated to begin with that such drops still leave enough antibodies to offer protection, according to virologist Roberto Burioni from the Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, who noted his view on Twitter.
Real-world evidence also offers positive news, indicating that the current vaccines protect against the worst forms of COVID. In a clinical trial that included South Africa, where B.1.351 has become widespread, Johnson & Johnson's vaccine reduced the average person's risk of getting severe disease by 85 percent and reduced the risk of hospitalizations and death by 100 percent. Overall, it reduced risk of symptomatic infections by 57 percent. Lance Baldo, chief medical officer at Seattle–based Adaptive Biotechnologies, which makes tests to evaluate immune responses to viral infection, says protection against severe disease likely is because the vaccines produce broad antivirus activity that extends beyond antibodies, and probably involves T cells, which recognize and kill infected cells. [Editor's note, 2/19/21: This sentence was changed to say the company is based in Seattle, not in San Francisco as the original article stated.]
Paul Offit, a pediatrician and director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia agrees. It "is good news" that vaccines in general protect against severe COVID, he says, and keeping people out of the hospital is a top priority. "If fully vaccinated people start winding up hospitalized with one of these variants, then we need to worry more. So far that line hasn't been crossed," he says.
UPDATED SHOTS
To boost protection against even mild disease, vaccine makers think they can adapt the existing shots to the variants without too much trouble. Vaccines based on genetic material, such as the Moderna and Pfizer immunizations, are especially well suited to these modifications, since scientists can easily swap in new genetic sequences as needed. Moderna plans on tackling variants with a two-pronged strategy. The company intends to test a booster shot of its existing vaccine to see if bumping up antibody levels even higher can protect against emerging variants. Moderna has also begun manufacturing a new vaccine targeted specifically at mutations contained in the B.1.351 variant. The company president, Stephen Hoge, says that booster could be used with people who were immunized with the first Moderna vaccine, or a vaccine from a different company. He also says the shot could be used on people who already had a natural infection from the earlier virus but may be vulnerable to reinfection from one of the new variants. In a January 25 press release, the company announced that it was advancing the booster into preclinical studies and an early-stage clinical trial in the United States.
Hoge would not comment on when the new booster might be publicly available. He emphasized that "our current vaccine appears to have generated neutralizing antibodies that we think are protective against" the most concerning variants, shown in a preprint released in late January and based on research by scientists at the U.S. National Institutes of Health and Moderna. Hoge said that "if two or three months from now the variants really start take over in terms of infection, and we're getting clinical data that say 'OK you can boost,' then we'll have to figure out when we switch and how."
[There is a new generation of COVID vaccines on the way. Read about how they differ from the first shots, and their possible advantages]
Other companies are moving in a similar direction. Pfizer has posted preprint results indicating that its vaccine protects people against B.1.1.7 and B.1.351. But in an e-mail to Scientific American, a Pfizer spokesperson said the company is also "laying the groundwork to respond quickly if a variant of SARS-CoV-2 shows evidence of escaping the vaccine." An updated vaccine would be administered as a booster, the spokesperson said.
AztraZeneca, which uses a common cold virus to deliver spike protein DNA into human cells, plans to release a new vaccine against B.1.351 in the fall. Johnson & Johnson, which also uses a harmless virus as a delivery vehicle for its DNA vaccine, has just applied for emergency authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The company is "thinking about whether a revised booster or other modified vaccine [for addressing variants] may be necessary," said the vaccine's co-developer Dan Barouch, director of virology and vaccine research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.
Finally, the vaccine maker Novavax, now in late-stage clinical trials with a shot made from an early-version SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, is working on an updated booster that the company expects to test in April or the months thereafter. In an e-mail to Scientific American, a Novovax spokesperson said company officials are looking into targeting the South African variant, although a decision has not been made yet.
Even as vaccine researchers strategize ways to produce new shots, it is not yet clear what kind of tests will be needed to secure government authorization to use them. Norman Baylor, former director of the FDA's Office of Vaccines Research and Review, and currently the president of Biologics Consulting, in Alexandria, Va., emphasizes that for simple changes to gene-based vaccines, most questions about safety and effectiveness can be answered with small, rapid studies; these could enroll at most a few hundred people, rather than the tens of thousands needed for the original vaccine clinical trials. The aim, he says, is to show that the neutralizing antibody levels induced by a booster are "comparable to those seen in the clinical trial with the original vaccine." If that turns out to be the case, and the manufacturing platform itself remains unchanged, he says, then it is likely a booster will quickly get a green light.
But approval still leaves major questions about how to deploy a booster and against which mutations. "Who should get it and when? Do companies have the capacity to switch gears and start generating millions of doses of a new vaccine targeting the mutations?" Baylor asks.
Experts anticipate that in the future, COVID vaccine programs could mirror plans for immunizing against yearly influenza. For that disease, the World Health Organization and other collaborating agencies track circulating strains and tailor vaccines as part of an internationally synchronized strategy. If SARS-CoV-2 continues to circulate for years, or becomes a background virus that never completely goes away, decisions about which variants to vaccinate against could be made in a similar way, proposes Nikolai Petrovsky, an immunologist at Flinders University, in Bedford Park, South Australia. As it currently stands, "vaccine manufacturers are each deciding on their own strategy," Petrovksy says. The better approach, he says, would be for companies and international groups to coordinate their efforts around a consensus set of mutations deemed most likely to escape vaccine immunity.
Until that happens, Petrovsky stresses that the best way to stop dangerous new variants from emerging is to vaccinate globally as fast as possible while encouraging mask wearing, social distancing and other basic public health measures. These steps will deprive the virus of new hosts in which it can evolve new versions. "We will always be vulnerable until everyone is protected," he says.
Read more about the coronavirus outbreak from Scientific American here. And read coverage from our international network of magazines here.
Charles Schmidt is a freelance journalist based in Portland, Me., covering health and the environment. He has written for Scientific American about therapeutic viruses that can infect harmful bacteria and about dangerous contaminants in drinking water. Credit: Nick Higgins
Recent Articles by Charles Schmidt
A Valuable COVID Drug Doesn't Work against New Variants
Omicron-Specific COVID Boosters Are Coming
'When Will Kids under Five Get COVID Vaccines?' and Other Questions


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Larry Krasner on why he endorsed Elizabeth Warren, and the backlash from the Bernie Sanders die-hards
The backlash — however concentrated — reveals the fractures between liberal voting blocs in the Democratic Party and the difficulty of building a coalition of voters in a heated primary race that can lead to friction between candidates' supporters.
Bernie Sanders (left) appears on Criminal Justice Reform Roundtable, a panel with Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner (center) and other criminal justice reformers at Philadelphia Community Access Media on Friday, May 4, 2018.Read moreDAVID SWANSON / Staff
by Julia Terruso
When Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner announced that he was endorsing Sen. Elizabeth Warren for president, some of his supporters who back Sen. Bernie Sanders lashed out:
"Cancel Krasner." "Legendary sellout."
"If our revolution helped him get elected, wtf is he doing backing Warren?" went the Twitter responses.
Krasner, viewed as one of the nation's most progressive prosecutors and a liberal darling, was courted by Warren and Sanders. His backing of Warren surprised some because of the overlap between Sanders' and Krasner's supporters in Philadelphia, as elsewhere. Reclaim, the group formed by Sanders supporters after he lost in the 2016 Democratic campaign, helped get Krasner elected district attorney in 2017.
The backlash — however concentrated — reveals friction between liberal voting blocs in the Democratic Party and the difficulty of building a coalition in a heated primary race.
On Thursday, Krasner downplayed the discontent as limited to a tiny corner of the internet. He noted similarities between the two senators and his belief that backers of either candidate would support the other in the general.
"Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are not attacking each other, in debates and on the campaign trail, because they know better," Krasner said. "They understand that we are in a moment when the country is going to reject Donald Trump in favor of a more progressive vision than Joe Biden can offer, and it would be foolish in the extreme for these two friends and allies … to turn on each other."
Sanders' base is fiercely loyal. Supporters give money to him so frequently he tops the charts in donations received. And few of his supporters donate to other candidates. Many felt he wrongfully lost in 2016 and see him as the original and most authentic banner-carrier for the movement. When the Working Families Party endorsed Warren this summer, a handful of Sanders supporters sent hundreds of angry messages to staffers at the organization.
While Reclaim Philly helped Krasner win in the city with a large cohort of progressive younger voters in the Fishtown, Southwest Center City, and West Philadelphia neighborhoods, his victory was also the result of a broader coalition, including support in many of the city's predominantly African American neighborhoods. Reclaim has yet to endorse a candidate for president. Its political director, Amanda Mcillmurray, said Krasner's endorsement was surprising but not a shock.
"I think people put a lot of stock in this one politician is going to be able to change things and feeling like their hope is being stolen from them," Mcillmurray said. "It's important for us to continue to hold Larry accountable, but that doesn't mean determining who he supports in different races."
Krasner has been a Sanders guy in the past. He voted for him. He's been photographed in a Hindsight Is 2020 T-shirt with a picture of Sanders on it. The two did a criminal justice roundtable in May 2018.
But in the end, he said it came down to who he believes can best implement liberal policies.
Some of Sanders supporters said they see Warren as more moderate, despite proposals considered liberal.
"Just the fact that she was a Republican," said Nikki Walter, a Sanders supporter who lives in West Philly. "I mean, she voted for early-stage-dementia Reagan." (Warren has said in interviews that she did not vote for Ronald Reagan)
But Walter said she'd gladly back Warren if she is the nominee and thinks the frustration is mostly bluster.
"In my experience and my circles, it tends to be that people who are on Twitter and care that much about politics tend to just lose their mind a little bit," she said. "I think that some people are kind of in a rush to Hillary-ize [Warren] and I don't think she's that far right."
Others insisted that when it comes to criminal justice reform, Sanders has the better track record.
"As someone who volunteered for [Krasner's] campaign, I'm definitely disappointed," said Jonah Gardner of the Philadelphia chapter of Democratic Socialists of America, which has endorsed Sanders. "If Krasner is opposed to change on the scale Bernie is arguing for, it makes me wonder how committed he still is to this fight."
Mcillmurray said she personally supports Sanders (she was a delegate for him and a campaign staffer) but Warren is a close second.
"Both are saying things aren't working, and we need to radically transform what's happening," she said. "They just have a little bit different ideas of how."
Krasner stressed that even Sanders has voiced support for a Warren presidency: "I have not forgotten and no one should forget that Bernie Sanders, early in his prior campaign for president, said the only reason he ran was that he couldn't persuade his friend Elizabeth Warren to run for president. I heard what he said, and I remembered what he said."
This story has been updated to reflect that Sen. Warren has said she did not vote for Ronald Reagan.
Julia Terruso
I cover politics and our divided electorate. I'm interested in what unites and separates us, shifts in voting trends, and grassroots movements.


The synergies between innovative sealing technologies and the development of engineer competency will be a central theme of Flexitallic's appearance at the Valve World Exhibition (Stand 3E14).
Flexitallic, the global sealing solutions specialist, is committed to supporting skills development within industry as effective use of its gasket technologies ensures increased competency levels among engineers and therefore, safer on-site operations.
Through its Academy of Joint Integrity, Flexitallic delivers Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) and Energy Institute (EI)-accredited mechanical joint integrity programmes to support the skills development and competencies of engineers.
Flexitallic's holistic approach to sealing technology will be evident at Valve World with daily demonstrations of its products and training utilising its specialist Flange Assembly Demonstration Unit (FADU).
Providing hand-on, practical training scenarios, the FADU forms an integral part of the Academy's joint integrity programmes for engineers involved in flange assembly, pipeline integrity and operations in hazardous areas.
The units enable engineers undergoing training to tighten a bolted joint and see the impact of tightening procedures, on-screen, through innovative load monitoring software.
Among the advancements in gasket technology being highlighted at Valve World will be Thermiculite®. Exclusive to Flexitallic, Thermiculite® gasket material was developed over a 15-year period for use in critical services applications, from cryogenics to temperatures in excess of 1000oC.
Comprised of thermally and chemically exfoliated Vermiculite, a versatile, inorganic, non-oxidising mineral, Thermiculite® demonstrates considerable versatility and has become specified by name throughout industry.
Its versatility has enabled Flexitallic's engineers to devise bespoke sealing configurations in equipment and piping systems to increase operational up-times for customers.
Thermiculite® is used in a number of gasket solutions, including Change™, which is resilient gasket featuring a unique sealing construction utilising a new high-tech welding process. It delivers a more dynamic seal, with superior compression and recovery than any other gasket on the market.
Joining Flexitallic on its stand at Valve World will be its new global partner Sage Environmental Consulting, which delivers specialist emission control and process safety environmental services.
The partnership enables the companies to offer new and enhanced services to customers relating to the identification, management, prevention and repair of fugitive emissions.
The two companies will also be involved in a workshop at Valve World on Wednesday 3 December at 1.30pm.
Key speaker and moderator, Rich Davis, Flexitallic's Business Development Manager for Western Hemisphere and China, will be joined by colleagues from Sage to provide an update on the current and new API testing requirements in relation to fugitive emissions testing and application in the chemical industry.
Alex Lattimer, Marketing and Academy Director at Flexitallic Ltd, said: "Creating innovative and effective technologies is only half of the challenge of achieving leak-free joints. Continually developing and assessing engineer competencies and skills should work hand in hand with producing new technologies to ensure plants can achieve optimum productivity from plant equipment.
"This holistic approach is part of our commitment to ensure our customers are 'Flexitallic Safe' through every innovation we make, application we meet and training competency we provide.


Oh how adorable - what great photos you got!! The robins are not one bit happy up here right now with all the snow - perhaps I should send them down to Brooklyn?
so so cute! must be a pleasure to watch them!
robins love the water. they'll even play under a hose while i'm watering. they're such cheerful birds.
Now this is the kind of makeover that I like!


Last night I dreamt I had a beautiful black stallion I was leading around from my vehicle. I wasn't riding him so much as using my wheels to match his pace. But then I got lost and confused and worried about the horse's safety after navigating a particularly troubling intersection so I pulled him aside to have a talk .
"I'm lost!" I said. "I'm so sorry."
"That's okay," he said. "But you've been running me pretty hard. I mean, I'm a race horse and all, I can handle a lot, but this IS a really tough pace you know."
I apologized. "I know, I can see that. I'm inexperienced," I explained, citing why I didn't notice horse cues of overdoing it earlier, like his sweaty, glistening flanks.
"Can I make you a bed here?" I asked, patting the back of the camper. "We have a ways to go. Maybe you can lie down so you don't have to keep running while I'm lost & still trying to find my way."
"That would be nice," he said. I worried he'd refuse but he accepted and I ran around pulling together couch cushions and blankets to make him the softest bed I could muster.
Go easy, was the message. Easy, there.
Sounds like a fun dream!
And that's a great message to carry with you every day.
Of course, it's also possible the dream was a metaphor for mans insatiable quest for the perfect ice cream flavor and a cup of coffee that is always served at the correct temperature - hot but still drinkable.
Ah, my girl's favorite flavor! On the basis of that alone, you're a good person!
Haha, also, I meant "you might be right about the COFFEE though." Darn multitasking!
No way!! haha. Does she also like chocolate & peanut butter? I swear, Wawa makes the best chocolate pb ice cream I've ever tasted. That's my second fave.
This is TOTALLY the kind of thing people should mention in their dating profiles, btw. Right?!?
Seriously, if people aren't compatible on food, it's a much steeper hill.
My girl and I survive because even though she's a picky eater, I'll eat anything. So as long as I know it's something she'll like, we're good.
I love dreams! I used to keep a dream journal and I also used to try to look up the meanings. Had a book on it and everything but I finally realized it's more about what YOU think the dream means. And I like the meaning you got from this one.
Death Cobbler doesn't go over well.
On emotional abuse (from an advice column).


The M Audio Axiom 49 Semi-Weighted and Pro MIDI controllers give you total control over your MIDI production. Whether you produce hip hop, jazz, or rock, the Axiom 49 has enough features to keep you busy making music.
The M Audio Axiom 49 Semi-Weighted and Pro MIDI controllers are far more than just keyboards. Aside from 49 keys, the controller comes with a variety of assignable controls for any parameter you wish.
Eight pressure sensitive, assignable drum pads on the M Audio Axiom 49 Semi-Weighted and Pro MIDI controllers make it easy to lay down drum tracks or fire samples. Nine assignable sliders in the middle of the controllers are great for hands on control over a software mixer or a number of effects.
Fifteen assignable buttons on the M Audio Axiom 49 Semi-Weighted and Pro MIDI controllers allow you to start and stop loops on the fly. Eight endless rotary knobs are assignable to any MIDI filters or effects.
A backlit LCD screen is clearly visible regardless of your lighting conditions. The M Audio Axiom 49 Semi-Weighted controller has 20 non-volatile memory spaces for using different software, while the pro model comes with 50.
The M Audio Axiom 49 Pro MIDI controller is an upgraded version of the original Axiom 49. It includes an improved keybed featuring professional action, TruTouch technology. The LCD screen on the M Audio Axiom 49 Pro MIDI controller shows you exactly what you are changing with each control.
The M Audio Axiom 49 Pro MIDI controller comes with M Audio's new HyperControl MIDI mapping system, which automatically maps the controls on the Axiom 49 Pro to parameters within production software. This eliminates the need to assign every control manually and is compatible with software such as ProTools, Reason, Logic, and Cubase.


Diana has been tutoring pre-school children for several years. To support their reading journey, keep them motivated and make learning fun, she produced many games, worksheets and exciting activities.
One of the most successful activities was the Personalized Sight Word Stories. These were born out of her desire to ensure that her preschoolers could recall the Sight Words that they had learned, within the context of everyday reading.
She created hand drawn stories for each child, featuring their friends, family members and pets, and using only the Sight Words the child had already learned. Though time-consuming, this was a big hit with the children, who loved pointing out the pictures of themselves and their parents in the book!
Diana witnessed a huge boost in the confidence of the children once they were able to read their own stories. Additionally it gave them an opportunity to practice their Sight Words repeatedly by reading short stories instead of reading flash cards.
The success of the Sight Word Stories with her own students led Diana to produce "Sight Word Adventures with Jay and Kay" which introduced 72 Sight Words, and more recently "Sight Word Mania" which introduces over 100 Sight Words.
Build the triangle bowling pins by cutting them out, folding and taping them together. Line them up and let your little ones bowl them over with table tennis balls. When they knock the pins over, they get a chance to score points by reading the Sight Words on the two-sided triangle pins.
This week's word, COME, is introduced in Sight Word Mania 2 : Green Words.
Another way that we prepare for the next Sight Word Story!
I print the Sight Words for the story we are going to read and lean them against the steps on the staircase. (I stand them up so that no one slips on them).
Each time my daughter and I go up the stairs, she tries to read the words on the steps. Rewards are aplenty if we can get to the top of the stairs reading all the way!
This week's word, CHILDREN, is introduced in Sight Word Mania 3 : Blue Words.
A few weeks ago, I shared some ideas on celebrating your child's reading progress.
 One of the ideas was to throw a Reading Party, so I created these invitation cards that your child can give to all the potential invitees. Having your child write their names on the invitations to be given to their aunts, uncles, grandparents etc, will show them just how special their achievement is.