text:
Community Emergency Preparedness: A Manual for Managers and Policy-Makers (WHO, 1999, 141 p.)
Chapter 3 Vulnerability assessment
The process of vulnerability assessment
The planning group
Hazard identification
Describing the community
Description of effects and vulnerability
Hazard prioritization
Recommending action
Why a planning group is necessary
Once a project definition has been developed, forming a planning group is the second step in the vulnerability assessment process. Why is a planning group essential to the development of appropriate vulnerability assessments and emergency plans?
· Firstly, rapid access to diverse information is essential. It is possible to gather this information through correspondence, interviews, and telephone calls, but this will take time. Assembling the people who can provide information will make information-gathering more efficient.
· Secondly, no one is expert in everything and the contributions of experts in particular fields are required. Local experts may become the greatest critics of a vulnerability assessment if they are ignored.
· Lastly, if the vulnerability assessment is to be taken seriously, the commitment of all relevant personnel is essential. Allowing people to contribute to the vulnerability assessment objectives and to work together towards a common goal are effective means of gaining this commitment.
Before a planning group is selected it is important to find out whether one already exists. There may well be a group of people who are responsible for safety and crisis or emergency management in a given community. If such a group exists, it may be ideal for the purposes of preparing a vulnerability assessment because it may already have sufficient resources, the necessary authority, appropriate representation, an efficient reporting system, and sufficient expertise.
The suitability of any existing emergency management group should be assessed on the basis of the above criteria, as well as by reference to the project definition. Any shortcomings in the planning group will need to be addressed.
A planning group need not be fixed in its membership. The group will evolve according to its activities, and the end result will be a group of people committed to emergency preparedness in their community, who will be able to work together during actual emergencies. However, changes in the planning group composition, although desirable, may cause problems. Groups of people who work together will often develop a strong sense of unity and newcomers may often find it difficult to win the group's acceptance or feel comfortable working with it. Understanding this potential problem is already a partial solution; group members must welcome new members and avoid forming barriers between themselves and the community.
The planning group may also serve as a formalized emergency committee. Each member must therefore have sufficient authority to represent his or her organization in preparedness and response.
Working with the planning group
To work effectively with the planning group, the following should be considered. Firstly, the project definition will provide the group with a description of its aim, objectives, scope, and authority to take action. The group should be informed of the process for developing the vulnerability assessment. It will need to know the benefits of the assessment and the nature of the final product. The group will also need to understand how long the vulnerability assessment will take to develop and what resources will be used.
The following aspects of planning group meetings should be resolved:
- the authority of the group;
- the method of reporting;
- the means of communicating meeting dates and times;
- the frequency and timing of meetings;
- the conduct of meetings (chairing, agenda, minutes, recommendations, and follow-up actions);
- any educational requirements of the group.
It is essential that the planning group members discuss the project definition and make alterations if they see fit.
Once a planning group is assembled, it may be found that the individual members, coming from varied backgrounds and with different responsibilities in emergency management, have remarkably different perceptions of risk.
Risk perception is about the relationship between hazards, knowledge, and people's attitudes. It is impossible to be totally objective when assessing vulnerability or developing emergency plans, and so it is necessary to understand some of the different ways people approach the subject - they may have very different views on the nature and extent of the risk that a particular hazard presents, and on what constitutes vulnerability.
It is important to consider people's perceptions and attitudes in vulnerability assessment because these will strongly influence their actions. This inevitably leads to the question of whose perceptions of risk are right - and, indeed, whether there are right and wrong perceptions. Some may suggest that the opinions of experts in a given field must be correct, but such opinions are still based on individual perceptions. In addition, experts are not always exposed to the risks they are studying, unlike members of the community.
Table 2 shows some of the reasons for differences in risk perception between technical people and the general community.
Table 2. Factors relevant to the technical and cultural attitudes to risk
Technical attitude
Cultural attitude
Trust in scientific methods, explanations and evidence
Trust in political culture and democratic process
Appeal to authority and expertise
Appeal to folk wisdom, peer group and traditions
Boundaries of analysis are narrow and reductionist
Boundaries of analysis are broad; includes use of analogy and historical precedent
Risks are depersonalized
Risks are personalized
Emphasis on statistical variation and probability
Emphasis on the impacts of risk on the family and community
Appeal to consistency and universality
Focus on the particularity; less concern about consistency of approach
Where there is controversy in science, resolution follows status
Popular responses to scientific differences do not follow prestige principle
Impacts that cannot be specific are irrelevant
Unanticipated or unarticulated risks are relevant
aReproduced from reference 1 by permission of the publisher.
People with technical training or inclinations will tend to view hazards and vulnerability in terms of abstract risk. Risk is often described by the likelihood of a given harm, for example the probability of fatality from a hazard. Table 3 illustrates some typical individual fatality risks.
The general public, however, which does not have access to the data that permit numerical calculations of the probability of harm, will tend to use factors like those shown in Table 4.
If a hazard is characterized by a number of the factors on the right-hand side of Table 4, the public is likely to perceive it as a serious problem. This is not an irrational response, but a response based upon people's feelings and experience.
Different people think about hazards and vulnerability in different ways, and may use different criteria for judging their seriousness. The uncertainties of risk and vulnerability preclude correct perceptions of risk, although some perceptions may be more realistic than others. It is important to understand people's perceptions in order to develop appropriate emergency management strategies and to work with a diverse planning group.
Table 3. Risk to individualsa
Individual fatality risk levelb
Smoking 10 cigarettes a day (UK)
5000 × 10-6
Taking contraceptive pills
20 × 10-6
Cancer (all causes - Australia)
Homicide (Australia)
All natural causes, age 40 (UK)
Working in radiation industry (UK)
17.5 × 10-6
Any kind of violence or poisoning (UK)
300 × 10-6
Homicide (Europe)
Influenza (UK)
Floods (northern China)
Accident on road (driving in Europe)
Floods (USA)
2.2 × 10-6
Accident at home (Australia)
Accident on railway (Europe)
2 × 10-6
Struck by motor vehicle (pedestrian - USA)
Bushfire (Australia)
Earthquake (California)
Earthquake (Islamic Republic of Iran)
Bites of venomous creatures (UK)
Playing field sports (UK)
Storm and flood (Australia)
Accident at home (UK)
Hit by lightning (UK)
Accident at work (UK)
Wind storm (northern Europe)
Floods (Bangladesh)
Rupture of pressure vessel (USA)
0.05 × 10-6
aReproduced from reference 2 by permission of the publisher. Copyright John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
bA fatality risk of 1 × 10-6 means that there is a 1 in 1 million chance of an individual being killed as a result of a particular hazard in any given year.
Table 4. Factors relevant to hazards that may affect people's perceptiona
Perceived as unimportant
Perceived as serious
Not memorable
Controlled by individual
Controlled by others
Morally irrelevant
Morally relevant
Undetectable
Visible benefits
No visible benefits
Untrusted source

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Founded over 80 years ago, Tel Mond has developed into an intimate suburb with both religious and secular residents. Located in the heart of the Sharon region, Tel Mond is home to a vibrant and active Anglo community. Residents of Tel Mond benefit from being only kilometers away from high-tech job opportunities, shopping centers, and the beach, while also being able to enjoy the calm and luxury of living in a suburban community.
Tel Mond has local businesses and neighboring hi-tech parks, and is easily accessible to employment opportunities in the center of the country.
There are 3 secular elementary schools, which are all in one central location. There is also a middle school/high school in Tel Mond which services the secular community. Starting in elementary school, there are separate English classes in the schools for native-English speakers.
Both Bnei Akiva and Tzofim are active youth groups in the community. Tel Mond organizes joint programs for both secular and religious youth, which are sometimes recreational and sometimes educational.
Tel Mond is centrally located. There is a train station in one of the neighboring communities. As in most suburbs, it's advisable to have a car. There is bus transportation within the town, to the train, and to the main junction but not as frequently as in a city.
Tel Mond is situated just off the Tel Aviv-Haifa Route 4, and a 15 minute drive from the coast. The community is very close to the Bnei Dror intersection, a major transportation center. The train station is located in nearby Bet Yehoshua with regular service to Tel Aviv (20 minutes) and Haifa (50 minutes).
The community and school play a major role in welcoming the oleh family and provide support throughout their acclimation. Residents can receive olim services, such as ulpan, in the neighboring Netanya and Raanana.
Tel Mond has an active community center that offers after-school care, all types of extracurricular activities (such as karate, ballet, art, gymnastics, chess, drama in both English and Hebrew) and various cultural programming.
There is a local public library, and sports center, as well as health clinics, fitness facilities, banks, restaurants, supermarkets, and clothing stores. The town is located several kilometers away from major shopping centers.
90% of the homes in Tel Mond are semi-detached houses.
Neighborhoods in this community are named after the major street names. The older area is called Etzim. The Kiryat Hinuch (education complex) is located in the Nahalim neighborhood. Most of the English speakers reside in Tziporim, Giron, Rigashot, and Achuzat Adarim. The other nearby neighborhoods are called: Prachim and Avnei Chen. All of which are a short walk from the center of town, the schools, and the synagogues.


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It's never easy but it's always fulfilling.
It surely takes more than courage to be able to provide and be the primary support for our dependents. Before we're brave and tough enough, we were scared all the time. The only difference is we choose to keep it to ourselves. We divert our attention as much and as often as possible instead of letting the pain eat us alive. We suppress the insecurity that might happen in the future, because honestly there's no certainty to anything. We tell ourselves to keep moving forward and that feeling emotional over our what-ifs and could-have-beens are totally normal.
Whenever we're trapped inside the odd situations of life, we cry it out. Loud. We'd break down once in a while because we sacrirficed our hopes and dreams to make way for others people's hopes and dreams. We know that we can make it happen, but maybe we need to go on a different path because our loved ones are counting on us. We are doing well and fine but we always seem to want something more. Only until we realized that contentment comes with great responsibility as well. Our mere existence serves minimal purpose without it. We feel most productive when there are tasks to be filled throughout the day.
We'd know that we've made the right decision when we're able to help others get right back on their feet. It may sound selfless but realistically speaking, would there be a better way to actually do it? Being selfish can only make us feel terrible at the end of the day anyway. We can't sacrifice the dreams and hopes of our families altogether over ours. We are the epitome holder of the saying "family first". We're genuinely happy about helping them with all of what we have and continuously working to accept that heavy responsibility shouldered onto us. It's never easy but it's always fulfilling.
Money isn't everything, but it's something that plays a vital role. We're able to plot our dream destinations together, our hopes for a better tomorrow, and our fair share of smiles and sighs of relief. We learn to invest on experiences more than any material thing. Spending our money wisely becomes a natural instinct.
Ultimately, being the provider would evoke crucial independence. We know for a fact that we can rely on ourselves whatever happens. We may be lost at some point and feel the pressure on our backs, but we know that the sacrifices are all going to be worth it. Our long term goals remain to be our source of inspiration. It may take the backseat for now, but they push us harder to become a more driven and resourceful person. What's life without the misadventures after all?
To the courageous women reading this at the moment, we're proud of you.


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Creative writing is a course designed to refine key reading and writing skills through the creative process. The course will encourage students to see creative writing as a unique way of thinking, and as a way to express and convey meaning. Creative Writing is split into two half-semester courses. The fall semester focuses on poetry and creative nonfiction. The spring semester focuses on short stories and script writing. Students can choose to take one semester (and receive .5 credits) or to take both semesters (and receive 1 credit).
This fall semester course guides and instructs students in reviewing and practicing skills that will be assessed by taking the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Topics include algebraic principles, reading comprehension, grammar usage, and word choice. Tips and advice on how to successfully take the SAT as well as the ACT will be a part of this class.
Note: This class is normally taken by Juniors.
Prerequisites: Application and interview with yearbook advisor due before the end of the school year.


text:
A Sparkling Occasion
Nothing says "celebration" quite like the popping of a cork, and very little compares to a little effervescent fizz when it comes to romance. But when it comes to truly expressing your love, you simply can't go past the allure of Champagne. This issue we look at three French Champagne houses.
This is the number one selling champagne in France and the number three globally, with a consistent record for top rankings, even though it's one of the youngest champagne brands around.
The wine is aged for three years producing, according to their Cellar Master, 'an elegant wine suitable for drinking as an aperitif or for accompanying an entire meal'.
On the palate, it has a fresh opening, is smooth, pleasant and well balanced. On the nose, it's floral with a subtle predominance of white fruits such as pear, apple, almond and hazelnut. The blend is 40% pinot noir, 20% chardonnay and 40% pinot meunier.
Priced between: $60-$79
Find it at: Available in selected liquor outlets and supermarkets
www.feuillatte.com
This 150-year old wine house is one of the few remaining family-owned champagne houses in the world. Run by the widow Carol Duval-Leroy, the house produces world class and well-reviewed champagne.
There is a unique power and character which marks it out as a top-of-the-range champagne, known for its consistency, expertise, and creative spirit. The house of Duval-Leroy revels in the art of blending pinots and chardonnays. Enriched with around fifteen crus and a generous quantity of reserve wines, Duval-Leroy Brut confirms its complexity and is recognised for its consistency.
It provides a perfect balance between finesse and power, drawing out flavours of dark chocolate, cinnamon and roasted yellow figs, expressing its subtle, melt-in-the-mouth vinosity.
It is ideal as an aperitif wine, and provides a subtle accompaniment to white meats. And the beautiful bottle decorated with hearts is just perfect for wedding celebrations!
Find it at: Available at selected liquor outlets
www.duval-leroy.com
Gosset Grand Reserve Brut
The oldest wine house in Champagne, established in Ay back in 1584, this boutique producer still operates in the ultra-traditional style, producing limited quantities of premium wine. You can't go wrong with a drop that's endorsed by some of NZ's leading chefs and is listed on the wine menus of Michelin-starred hotels and restaurants around the world! Because of the limited quantities produced, you'll have to search specialty wine stores for this one.
Gosset's famous Grande Réserve is a delicate blend of several vintages of 46% chardonnay, 44% pinot noir and 10% pinot meunier. It is bottled in the distinctive antique style bottle synonymous with Champagne Gosset. On the palate you'll find it's powerfully "biscuity" with a "toasty" flavour and it is ideal for serving on its own or matching with food.
Priced between: $79-84
www.champagne-gosset.com
♥ This article was kindly supplied by My Wedding New Zealand's Premier Wedding Magazine


text:
Exodus from Urban Counties Hit a Record in 2021
Categories: Analysis | Published On: March 31, 2022 |
by August Benzow
Large urban counties (defined as those with more than 250,000 people that include an urban center) experienced a net loss of 863,000 residents in 2021, the first time this group has experienced negative growth in the aggregate in the past 50 years.
Sixty-eight percent of large urban counties lost population in 2021, an exceptionally high share by historical standards.
Only four of the top 15 counties for net domestic migration in 2011 saw positive domestic migration a decade later in 2021, underscoring just how substantially patterns have shifted.
California's Inland Empire, the Mountain West and eastern Texas saw some of the most comprehensive population growth in 2021.
The majority of the fastest growing counties in 2021 were suburban or exurban.
Over eight in 10 (81 percent) of exurban counties gained population in 2021, outperforming any other group
The 2010s was a decade of population decline or stagnation for many parts of the country as national population growth reached historic lows and the legal immigration pipeline slowed to a trickle. New county-level data shows that beneath these well-documented national trends, a more complex narrative emerges. Large urban counties that since 2016 have seen dwindling numbers of international migrants, a crucial ingredient for their economic success, experienced unprecedented losses of domestic migrants in 2021 as the pull of suburban and exurban counties intensified.
Record high share of large urban counties losing population
Population growth in large urban counties has been trending downward since 2016 after surging in the early 2010s. However, 2021 marked a historic first for these 78 counties, which as a whole saw a total population loss of 863,000 residents from the year prior.
Importantly, the decline was widespread, with 68 percent of large urban counties in the red. It is worth placing this in a historical context. Even during the exodus from America's urban centers in the 1970s, the share of large urban counties losing population never became a majority, and that was a period in American history where cities were experiencing disinvestment, high crime, and a stark lack of amenities.
Some of the effects of the pandemic that drove this outmigration are likely temporary, such as young people moving back in with their parents and the more affluent retreating to vacation homes. However, it seems less likely that those who purchased homes in the suburbs and exurbs during the pandemic, motivated in part by new remote work options, will be selling and moving back to cities.
Urban counties are no longer magnets for moves within the country
The fate of the 15 counties with the highest levels of net domestic migration in 2011 ten years later shows just how much the pandemic upended established trends. Only four of these counties had positive net domestic migration in 2021 and each of those four saw a decrease in domestic migration from the previous year. The only large urban counties with positive domestic migration in 2021 and an increase from the previous year were Kern County, California (Bakersfield), San Joaquin County, California (Stockton), El Paso County, Colorado (Colorado Springs), and Allen County, Indiana (Fort Wayne).
Even urban counties in booming metros like Travis County, Texas (Austin) and Mecklenburg County, North Carolina (Charlotte) were not immune to this trend. Both posted the first negative net domestic migration in the past decade in 2021 even though they managed to still have positive population growth overall. King County, Washington (Seattle) not only lost domestic migrants but saw its population shrink for the first time since the 1970s.
Population growth is now the most robust in suburbs and exurbs
Urban counties are no longer driving population growth in the country. Large urban counties make up 32 percent of the country's population while small urban counties represent 16 percent of the country's population, so around half the country's population are in these urban counties. The combined population of suburban and exurban counties make up 27 percent of the country's population and the remaining quarter of the population live in rural counties. In 2011, a year when the country as a whole added 2.3 million new residents, urban counties saw a net population increase of 1.5 million from the year prior compared to 0.6 million for suburban and exurban counties. By 2017 these two groups had nearly reached parity with the former adding 1 million new residents and the latter adding 0.9 million. Since 2017 suburban and exurban counties have had a net population growth that exceeds urban counties with a widening gap each year. This precipitous decline in urban population growth corresponds with a national slowdown in immigration.
In 2011, the top 15 counties for net population growth were almost all large urban counties with the exception of the slightly smaller Broward County, Florida (Fort Lauderdale) and the urban-adjacent Riverside County, California (near Los Angeles). By contrast, in 2021, only three large urban counties numbered among the top 15 for population growth. Sprawling suburban counties in the Sunbelt posted the largest population gains even though population growth overall was less than it was ten years ago.
Although large urban counties experienced the biggest reversal of fortunes in 2021, small urban counties saw worse outcomes as well, suggesting urban areas overall faced pressure from pandemic-related factors. Among small urban counties, San Mateo County, California (Silicon Valley) saw the steepest loss of 24,600, while Polk County, Florida (Lakeland) saw the biggest increase with 24,300 new residents.
While there has been much discussion of a flight to the suburbs, the share of suburban counties growing actually declined. Instead, exurban and rural counties saw a rising share of counties that gained population, with non-metropolitan rural counties seeing the highest population gain since 2008. Eighty-one percent of exurban counties gained population in 2021, outperforming any other group. The implication here is that Americans did not just move out of cities in droves in 2021, but also selected far flung places to move to.
Affordability, sprawl, and recreation are driving population shifts
The map of these demographic shifts shows some familiar pre-pandemic trends and some new patterns. Overall, the Sunbelt and the Mountain West continued to outshine the rest of the country. Remote rural counties in eastern Oregon and northern Idaho experienced robust population growth while every single county in Nevada gained population. This is also where some of the country's most successful small urban counties can be found, including Ada County, Idaho (Boise), Washoe County, Nevada (Reno), and Utah County, Utah (Provo). California experienced a dramatic shift to the interior of the state from the coast with counties like Kern (Bakersfield) experiencing the first positive domestic migration of the decade. Outside of major cities, the upper Midwest performed well as did New England.
The Great Plains struggled to retain population with Oklahoma being a clear exception. Its two major urban counties and the surrounding region all saw gain in population. The upper Midwest performed better than the lower Midwest overall, but both areas had few urban counties that gained population with Allen County, Indiana the biggest exception. The St. Louis metro provides an interesting example of state policy effects with the exurban counties on the Missouri side experiencing growth while those on the Illinois side lost population.
In the South, many large urban counties lost population while their surrounding exurbs and suburbs drew in more people. Notable examples include Davidson County, Tennessee (Nashville) and Fulton County, Georgia (Atlanta). Wake County, North Carolina (Raleigh) was an exception. It saw robust growth along with North Carolina's three other large urban counties: Wake (Charlotte), Guilford (Greensboro) and Durham. The sprawling metropolitan areas in Texas and Florida also did quite well even as their urban core counties like Harris County, Texas (Houston) and Miami-Dade County, Florida (Miami) hemorrhaged population.
The Northeast experienced robust rural and suburban population growth in eastern Pennsylvania and New England while all of its large urban counties lost population. In the New York City metropolitan area, the counties further out outperformed those closer in. A similar pattern can be seen in the D.C. metro region with the District and its surrounding suburban counties all shedding population while exurban and rural counties in Maryland and Virginia racked up population gains. This is further evidence that Americans were trying to put substantial distance between themselves and the country's urban centers.
One year of data is insufficient to draw any sweeping conclusions about the future of American cities. These places are hubs of dynamism and reinvention that have persevered through a multitude of economic and demographic shocks. Nonetheless, the share of Americans living in a suburban or exurban county has steadily increased from 22 percent in 1970 to 27 percent in 2021, while the share in an urban county has remained largely unchanged. And many of these urban counties include large swaths of suburbia and even extend into rural areas. Maricopa County, Arizona is more than five times the physical size of Cook County, Illinois (Chicago) and includes most of the suburbs surrounding Phoenix.
While 2021 may seem exceptional, and in many respects it was, it served to accelerate demographic trends in place before the pandemic. The momentum of cities clearly crested in the early 2010s and they may have a long road ahead to regain that momentum. Some shocks such as the widespread embrace of remote working relationships are starting to feel lasting and represent powerful forces for pushing economic activity out of urban hubs, especially the highest-cost ones. However, some things like immigration are within our control and policy-dependent, too. The future health of cities will depend on expanding the pipeline of skilled immigrants and addressing the housing stock and affordability crisis that makes living in far flung suburbs the cheapest option for many Americans.
Large urban counties intersect with an urban area with a population of 250,000 or higher. If multiple counties intersect the same urban area, the county with the highest population density was selected. Small urban counties intersect an urban area with a population of 100,000-250,000. If multiple counties intersect the same urban area, the county with the highest population share in a midsize city based on NCES definitions, is classified as small urban and the other counties as suburban. Suburban counties have an urban area with a population of 50,000 to 100,000. At least 25 percent of the population must be in a large or medium-sized suburb, based on NCES definitions, otherwise it's classified as exurban. If no population at all is in a large or medium-sized suburb, then it's classified as rural. Exurban areas have a population smaller than 50,000, at least 25 percent of their population in a large or medium-sized suburb and must be in a metro with a population of 500,000 or higher. All remaining metropolitan counties are classified as metro rural and all non-metropolitan counties are classified as non-metro rural.
Demographic Trends | Rural America
January 24, 2023|0 Comments
December 22, 2022|0 Comments


text:
Composer: John Baston
Format: A4 - Hardcover
Genre: Concerto
Instrumentation: Violin
Period: Baroque
Baston, John: Six Concertos in six parts for Violins and Flutes quantity
John Baston
A4 – Hardcover
John Baston: (fl 1708–39). English composer, recorder player and cellist. From 1708 to 1714 he and his brother Thomas (fl 1708–27), a violinist and probably also a recorder player, played in concerts at Stationers' Hall and Coachmakers' Hall, London, and at Greenwich. When the Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre opened in 1714, they probably became members of its orchestra; they performed there regularly in the interval 'entertainments', often in Baston's own recorder concertos, which have prominent solo violin parts. By 1722 he had moved to the rival Drury Lane Theatre, where he played in the interval music (and occasionally within the plays) until 1733, always in a concerto or solo for the 'little flute' (recorder); the concertos are twice named in advertisements as being by Dieupart and Robert Woodcock. In 1727 he (cello) and his brother (violin) were among the orchestra that played in the Lord Mayor's Day Royal Entertainments. Baston was one of the original subscribers to the Society of Musicians in 1739. His Six Concertos in Six Parts for Violins and Flutes, viz. a Fifth, Sixth and Consort Flute (London, 1729) are all showpieces for the soloist, who in nos.1 and 3 has a part for the normal treble recorder, in nos.2, 4 and 5 for the sixth flute (descant recorder in d"), and in no.6 for a fifth flute (descant recorder). Years of theatre experience showed Baston how to write lively, robust opening themes by balancing short phrases; they are, however, melodically undistinguished. The fast movements mostly provide busy chord-pattern work for the solo line, the simple harmonic style being unrelieved by any contrapuntal interest. Nos.3 and 6 (fast–slow) and 4 (slow–fast) have only two movements each; the others follow the Venetian three-movement model.
Putignano, Biagio: Da un crepa, for Voice and Piano, 5 short poems on lyrics by Elisa Biagini


Discussion in 'Mapping Questions & Discussion' started by Pooluke41, Feb 24, 2010.
On Dustbowl, the outside wall-cave things have this displacement like thing, how do you build it, and what sort of details should there be?
Show us a pic and i could probably answer. But otherwise, i have no idea what you're talking about.
Yeah, I can't tell what map features you mean. Upload a screenshot.
It's always easy to tell who will effectively use advice they given... and who won't.
I think OP is looking for the displacement stone walls.
Which is technically the same as the interior cave walls.
if you look at the sdk file of it, it looks like they take a whole bunch of square sheets and line them up, creating a flat wall of like 10 squares spanning the side of the map. they then paint the geometry of each, and sew the sides together.
I think you mean it's incredibly easy to see who just mocks people and who actually tries to help.
I'll leave the thread open so pool can use it for any further displacement related questions if needed, otherwise cease and desist in your rudeness. Or I'll have to throw the posting guidelines thread at you.
Ah, You can close it I don't really need anything else.
I'll stop, and sorry Pooluke.


text:
Maryland Legislature Passes Revised State False Claims Act
On Wednesday, the Maryland House of Delegates voted 89 to 51 to pass the Maryland False Claims Act, which will greatly expand Maryland's false claims law beyond its current limited application to healthcare-related false claims, such as Medicaid fraud. The Act will now allow individuals who have knowledge of any false claims made to Maryland or a local government to alert the state and will provide those whistleblowers protection from retaliation.
Under the Act, Maryland can recover up to triple damages and a $10,000 civil fine, and whistleblowers would be entitled to recover attorneys' fees and between 15 percent and 25 percent of the government's recovery. Interestingly, unlike the federal False Claims Act and most state false claims laws, which allow qui tam relators to continue litigation on their own, the Maryland False Claims Act requires that a court dismiss the case if the government declines to intervene.
The Maryland Senate already passed the Act in March by a vote of 46 to 1. The Act will now be sent to Maryland Governor Larry Hogan for his signature.


For those who are learning Web Designing, this is very useful Photoshop Tutorial, In this Tutorial you will learn how to make Navigation Bar in Photoshop.
Adobe Photoshop CS5 has many great features that really have made life easy for designers and photo editors. Though there is always possibility of difficulty to keep up with latest features and growing Adobe suite.
In this tutorial I'm going to show you how to create a clean Web 2.0 login form. You can download the PSD file at the end of the tutorial.
Photoshop is awesome when it comes to photo manipulation. Here we have gathered 35 Photoshop surreal photo manipulation tutorials that were release in 2011. We give salute all the artists, writers, webmasters who were involved in production of these awesome tutorials.
This weeks tutorial is for any photographer in need of a great looking portfolio. As per usual, it's a minimal, functional affair and should be a nice "quick loader" for Google. It assumes you have a basic working knowledge of Photoshop.
Step by step video tutorial on how to design a clean splash page in Photoshop. Majority of the time, less is more when it comes to designing splash/landing pages. Check out this video to learn how to design a very clean splash page in minutes. And don't forget to grab the free photoshop file!
Recently I was talking to a friend on Facebook, during the conversation I noticed the chat window UI and though to my self "what if I design my own chat window"? Well that's the inspiration for today's tutorial, we will create our very own chat window in Photoshop.
Bright button colors attracts attention to the readers, that's why it is best to use on call to action buttons. This is best for membership sites and E-commerce websites that the user need to sign up or buy a product.
Today I will show you how can you achieve a simple solution if your planning to create a Progress Bar that you can use on your website, software or apps.
I think we can all agree that collecting or sending information seems to be a huge corner-stone of importance amongst many websites. In this tutorial I'll be showing you how easy it is to create a modern stylish looking login form.
Today I will share with you how I created the login screen in photoshop, and how easy it is to create one. We will use dark colors with bokeh image behind the login screen to add vibrant and life.


Free verse, although identified with 'Modernism' in many minds, is nothing new. Indeed, it may be as old as poetry itself.
Who might say whether the first poems, couched perhaps in some meager primeval language (did Homo erectus have poetry, perhaps?), were recited to a beat or chanted in free form? Both exist in all the cultures of earth, from the most primitive to the sophisticated. Gregorian chant, e.g. is essentially free verse.
But I would write here of modern free verse, the stuff that's been written since the mid-19th Century (so, you see, it's not really all that new either). Much hated -- as was 'modern art' -- by many people for many years, now it is commonplace, rather the norm, in fact.
As is modern art, modern music, and all the rest of Modernism. It does amuse me occasionally to come across magazines that look down on rhymed or metered poetry as 'old fashioned.' It is no more so than free verse, these days.
Although Edgar Allen Poe never wrote a free verse poem, it has been recognized that he played an important role in its appearance. Poe was loved by the French (the Jerry Lewis of his time?). As a result, prose translations of his work were widely read. These profoundly influenced the Symbolist poets.
Translations in prose/free verse form, French to English, English to French, are where it pretty much started. Before long, those French Symbolists were writing the first prose poems. Not long after, Whitman and others were composing English-language free verse. This was not the Modern era -- this was the Late Romantic.
The Symbolists can be considered somewhat as poetry's analog to the Impressionist painters. They saw words in much the way those artists saw light, recognizing that the whole is made up of these parts, that each had its own host of connotations -- symbols and metaphors -- attached.
Both Symbolists and Impressionists had their day. When the Romantic era faded and the Modern began -- around 1910 or so is a useful date for this -- Modernism took up the free verse form quite readily.
The Late Romantic, of course, pre-shadowed the Modern, just as the Late Renaissance pre-shadowed the Baroque and the Late Baroque pre-shadowed the Romantic. Once the old ideas and ideals are brought to full development, the innovative begin to look for new artistic inspiration. Sometimes this results in the bizarre, the mannerist; sometimes it plants the seeds for the next great era.
Certainly, many great Modern poets did not write free verse, or did so only at times. Frost, Neruda -- they used meter and sometimes rhyme. Though with Neruda and his fellow Spanish language poets, it must be noted that rhyme and meter are decidedly easier to employ in their native tongue than in English. The whole concept of rhyme and strict meter came into English language poetry from outside, anyway, from French and Latin and Arabic influences. But I'm getting off the subject, a bit!
Why did Modernism embrace free verse? Was it the urge to rebel, to shock, to do away with the old? Traditional rhymed poetry certainly carried a lot of baggage with it by that time and Modernism was big on leaving that baggage on the platform and jumping unencumbered onto a fast train to the future.
There was also the desire, as with Cubism, to find new and different perspectives -- to break the rules that had governed our way of looking at things, of thinking of things. A host of 'isms' sprang up, trying to formulate these new ways, to put forth new concepts. Modernism could well be named the Age of Concept (and yes, I'm borrowing this from Tom Wolfe, somewhat).
Conceptualism, in all its many aspects, is ultimately -- in my opinion -- the reason for the wide spread acceptance of free verse in the Modern era (and Post-Modern, which is really just a stage of Modernism). It is the idea that the idea is the important thing. This is not the 'all' of Modernism, naturally, but it is a major facet.
A corollary is the now-commonplace statement that form follows function. The Modern poet, more often than not, saw no need for the old forms. They served no purpose in what he or she was attempting to achieve.
Form does, however, have its uses. We like form. It provides a jumping-off point, a reference. It provides order.
Now, free verse is also a form. That's why it has a name, after all! Recognizing that we categorize and name all things, that we see forms and order everywhere, allows one to choose a path. It becomes a map for our artistic journey.
So, today I might write free verse, tomorrow something alliterative and accentual, and perhaps heroic couplets the next. Or create a way of my own, if possible and if need be. The thing is to know why one chooses ones form.
Free verse is, obviously, here to stay, as thoroughly entrenched as any other way of writing poems. There is a great deal of bad free verse written, however, by poets who don't grasp the metaphors of the Symbolists, the visions of the Imagists, or the power of language in general.
Language must have power. The ultimate reason for relaxing the structure is to allow the words to shine through unimpeded. Which brings us back to original purposes of the Symbolists.
And I admit to a fondness (or weakness?) for the work of those French poets (who, as you may be aware, directly and heavily influenced Bob Dylan's song writing, as well as that of Patti Smith and many others, and indirectly influencing just about everyone else.). Recognizing, of course, that they are from a different era and attempting not to fall into pastiche -- that's something I do far too easily.
I'll never be a 'New Formalist' (not so new now, they've been around a couple decades or so), but as a writer of songs as well as poems, I do appreciate and explore the use of structure. It's important too, just as with words.
It's a matter of balance. We can push the words into the foreground, we can emphasize the structure, but both must be there, the one balancing the other. When I feel the need to let the words and their meaning shine, I may tend toward free verse (or the loosely accentual form I frequently employ). If the musicality of the structure is paramount, then its time for a stricter form and the words will serve that.
I can see a day when free verse will go out of style. All things do, inevitably, and, just as inevitably, come back. The poetry of 'slams,' the proliferation of the (mostly bad) rap-influenced rhyming poem, may point to that day.
For now, though, the free verse poem is still viable, still has power. It will still be written and read.


text:
package io.d8a.conjure;

import org.testng.annotations.BeforeMethod;
import org.testng.annotations.Test;

import static org.testng.Assert.assertEquals;
import static org.testng.Assert.assertTrue;

@Test
public class ChooseInOrderNodeListTest {

    private ChooseInOrderNodeList inOrder;

    public void generatesNodesInOrderAdded(){
        assertEquals(generate(), "one");
        assertEquals(generate(), "two");
        assertEquals(generate(), "three");
    }

    public void cyclesBackToBeginning(){
        assertEquals(generate(), "one");
        assertEquals(generate(), "two");
        assertEquals(generate(), "three");
        assertEquals(generate(), "one");
        assertEquals(generate(), "two");
        assertEquals(generate(), "three");
    }

    public void canBeReferencedInSampleGenerator(){
        ConjureTemplate generator = new ConjureTemplate();
        generator.addNode("order", inOrder);
        generator.addFragment("sample", "Answer is: ${order}.");
        assertEquals(generator.conjure(), "Answer is: one.");
        assertEquals(generator.conjure(), "Answer is: two.");
        assertEquals(generator.conjure(), "Answer is: three.");
    }

    @Test(expectedExceptions = IllegalStateException.class)
    public void generateFailsIfNoNodesAdded(){
        inOrder = new ChooseInOrderNodeList();
        assertEquals(generate(), "one");
    }

    public void canBeRegisteredAsType(){
        ConjureTemplate template = new ConjureTemplate();
        template.addNodeType("cycle", ChooseInOrderNodeList.class);
        template.addFragment("sample", "My favorite is [${type:\"cycle\", list:[\"a\",\"b\",\"c\"]}]");
        assertEquals(template.conjure(), "My favorite is [a]");
        assertEquals(template.conjure(), "My favorite is [b]");
        assertEquals(template.conjure(), "My favorite is [c]");

        assertEquals(template.conjure(), "My favorite is [a]");
        assertEquals(template.conjure(), "My favorite is [b]");
        assertEquals(template.conjure(), "My favorite is [c]");
    }

    private String generate() {
        return inOrder.generate(new StringBuilder()).toString();
    }

    @BeforeMethod
    public void setUp() throws Exception {
        inOrder = new ChooseInOrderNodeList();
        inOrder.add(new BareTextNode("one"), new BareTextNode("two"), new BareTextNode("three"));
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


A mass of quinoa seeds excavated from an archeological dig at a Brantford, Ont., construction site has been identified as being 3,000 years old, raising questions about the extent of trade among Indigenous peoples at the time.
The 140,000 seeds, which originate from the Kentucky-Tennessee area, seem as if they were "processed for delivery," said Prof. Gary Crawford of department of anthropology at the University of Toronto.
The findings were published in the December 2018 issue of American Antiquity.
This is just one of these unbelievably fortuitous discoveries," said Crawford.
Crawford says no one has reported this type of quinoa in Ontario before, and the discovery leads to more questions than answers, especially when it comes to trade.
He says the discovery shows that crops were part of trade at the time, and suggests that people in what is now Ontario were connected to others farther south.
He says it's possible the seeds were grown here, but there's no evidence.
"Of course the lack of evidence doesn't mean they weren't growing it. But for now I think the safe interpretation is this stuff was being imported," said Crawford.
The seeds were found in 2010, after the site was assessed to see if there were any relevant archeological items in the area. Crawford says there was nothing unusual about the initial findings, as most of the items came from the area.
It wasn't until the team examined sediment from a pit beside the site that they discovered something much bigger.
"It's the first time I've been close to being shocked in 45 years of research, and I would say more delighted and surprised than shocked, but it was one of those 'O-M-G' moments that one gets when they're doing research," said Crawford.
Indigenous Canadians and Native Americans are and were sophisticated people, as sophisticated as anyone else in the world, and they were involved in fascinating kinds of things," said Crawford.
Whitlow notes that the largely peaceful Indigenous people who occupied the area at the time had an extensive trade network and even a city, Onondaga, that covered some 15 acres.
The next step with the seeds, Crawford says, is to look at "relatives" of this type of quinoa in the Ontario area.
"I think we need to work together with botanists to sort out whether the wild species that grows in Ontario is actually a feral version of this crop and whether weed distributions we see in the province today actually can be traced way back to Indigenous Canadian activity in the province," said Crawford.
They wanted archeological evidence to confirm their people's oral history which was once passed down through generations, but had been fragmented during colonization.
"It's an area that has never been explored archeologically … that really is kind of a black hole," project director and archeologist Farid Rahemtulla told Daybreak North, adding that most parts of B.C. have been studied more closely.
"They told us that these villages were quite large," said Rahemtulla, and that people would gather for a few months in the summer and fall to harvest salmon and preserve the fish for the winter.
"The Babine watershed actually is home to quite a large number of the Skeena sockeye that come in from Prince Rupert," Rahemtulla said.
"As far as I know it might be the only one in the world," Rahemtulla said.


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What do the research scientist at the Detroit Institute of Arts, the chief information officer of the city of Detroit, and the planetarium coordinator and staff astronomer at the Michigan Science Center have in common? All three are women who are helping transform the fields of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) in Detroit by making important discoveries, incorporating innovative methods, and using their skills and technology to inspire the next generation of scientists.
The statistics for women in STEM are dismal—in 2014, women represented only 24 percent of the engineering workforce, 36 percent of the computing workforce, and 18 percent of the advanced manufacturing workforce.
But there's hope in Detroit.
In their respective fields, Cathy Selvius DeRoo, Beth Niblock, and Paulette Auchtung are working to change the way we view the world—and through their visibility and hard work, they have the power to inspire other girls and women with the potential to change lives through STEM.
Cathy Selvius DeRoo has been a research scientist at the Detroit Institute of Arts for 10 years—and since 2009, she's been the DIA's only research scientist. Her work brings together history, art, and science to find answers that shed new light on culture-defining artwork.
Selvius DeRoo first got involved with the DIA as a volunteer, working in the education department and volunteering in the lab. A research scientist position in the conservation department became available, and the rest is history.
There is no average day on the job for Selvius DeRoo. She is responsible for the analysis of all artist materials—including pigments, metal alloys, building techniques, and more—from cultures across the globe and time periods spanning millennia. All of these diverse works of art find their way to the conservation department, which keeps Selvius DeRoo's job interesting and constantly presents her with new challenges.
Selvius DeRoo works on multiple projects at a time, collaborating with other conservators at the DIA. And because there are so few conservation scientists in the Midwest, Selvius DeRoo regularly collaborates with other scientists and universities and museums across the region, including the Toledo Museum of Art and the Cleveland Museum of Art.
Selvius DeRoo is currently working on drawings by renowned painter Diego Rivera. "I've been working with the paper conservator to take minute samples from these drawings and analyze the drawing materials, charcoal, red ochre pigment, and other materials to understand Rivera's working methods," Selvius DeRoo says.
Selvius DeRoo believes that school programs and, most importantly, families should be influential in encouraging useful STEM traits (e.g. curiosity, resourcefulness, and creative problem) in girls at a very young age. She invites people not to take a narrow view of STEM training, especially because scientists typically don't work in the same field forever and there are so many options for scientists—from flavors and fragrance, to food safety, to archaeology and art museums.
Beth Niblock is the city of Detroit's chief information officer (CIO). Like Selvius DeRoo, although she works in science and technology, she is a big proponent of the arts. In fact, she prefers to refer to the collective fields as STEAM, with an "A" for the arts.
Niblock later became involved with Detroit government when she was recruited by the Obama administration to join a small delegation of top technology officials that worked together to make recommendations for the city. The team was led by the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy, and the officials worked to identify specific ways to grow and improve city services through the use of information technology.
In 2014, Niblock, then CIO of Louisville Metro, a position she'd held for 11 years, was recruited by Mayor Mike Duggan to become Detroit's first chief information officer. Her daily job responsibilities have significant, far-reaching impacts for the city of Detroit. Niblock describes her work as "directing all the technology that we use in the government, along with the people who have to use the technology." This includes desktop computers, the network, public safety, financial management, HR, and everything in between. "I'm in a lot of high-level strategy meetings about what we need to do to position Detroit for the future," Niblock says.
For instance, Niblock is leading a major open data initiative as a part of Mayor Duggan's push for more transparency in city government. When she first started on the job, Duggan issued an executive order for the creation of GO DATA (Government Open Data Access to All). With Niblock's leadership, the people of Detroit can now publicly view police data, demolition data, building permit data, and more information about city government operations and service delivery. The data are machine-readable and can be analyzed, downloaded, redistributed, and more.
Among other accomplishments, Niblock and her team have also improved the city's website, redesigning it in an incredibly short time period and making it mobile responsive. Now the people of Detroit can access crucial information about their city anytime, anywhere. In addition, Niblock and team will soon be done rolling out new computers to all people who work in city government, empowering them with remote desktop management and standardizing office productivity.
Niblock encourages girls to think about how they can change the world. "We want to have more women come into STEAM," she says. "We need to catch girls earlier in school and really get them involved." Niblock believes in increasing the visibility of women through powerful campaigns—like #ilooklikeanengineer—to showcase the diversity of women in STEAM fields and inspire people to rethink the traditional face of science as male. Organizations like Sisters Code are other great ways for more women to get involved.
Paulette Auchtung's interest in STEM started when she was a child living in rural Wisconsin. "My dad and I would go outside and look at the constellations and any special astronomical events that were going on," Auchtung says. "I was able to see meteor showers, the northern lights, and lunar eclipses as a kid." Her passion only grew stronger after a visit to the planetarium in the third grade.
Auchtung took advanced math and science classes in high school, and later attended University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, where she pursued a degree in physics and worked at her university's planetarium, teaching local schoolchildren about the night sky. During her college career, she did research on asteroids and dark matter. Later, Auchtung's educational travels took her to an internship at the Broward College Buehler Planetarium. "It really helped me to realize how much I loved education in a nontraditional setting," she says.
Auchtung's job responsibilities vary, depending on the day. A couple of days a week, she presents shows to the public or school groups at the planetarium. On other days, she programs new shows and content, fixes equipment, and works on other administrative tasks that keep the planetarium operating effectively.
Auchtung acknowledges that it can be difficult to get girls involved in STEM—particularly with the challenges of overcoming traditional gender roles and the idea that STEM fields are only for boys. She believes in the importance of fueling girls' curiosity through hands-on, informal learning experiences provided by Michigan Science Center and other museums.
This piece is part of a series highlighting Detroit's role as a hub for STEM education and careers in Michigan. It is supported by the Michigan Science Center.
Allie Semperger is a Michigan-based freelance writer.
Photos by Marvin Shaouni. Photos of Beth Niblock via SmugMug.


text:
// Copyright 2010 The Go Authors. All rights reserved.
// Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
// license that can be found in the LICENSE file.

// Original Go source here:
// http://code.google.com/p/go/source/browse/src/pkg/regexp/syntax/parse.go

package com.google.re2j;

/**
 * A "builder"-style helper class for manipulating character classes
 * represented as an array of pairs of runes [lo, hi], each denoting an
 * inclusive interval.
 *
 * All methods mutate the internal state and return {@code this}, allowing
 * operations to be chained.
 */
class CharClass {

  private int[] r;  // inclusive ranges, pairs of [lo,hi].  r.length is even.
  private int len;  // prefix of |r| that is defined.  Even.

  // Constructs a CharClass with initial ranges |r|.
  // The right to mutate |r| is passed to the callee.
  CharClass(int[] r) {
    this.r = r;
    this.len = r.length;
  }

  // Constructs an empty CharClass.
  CharClass() {
    this.r = Utils.EMPTY_INTS;
    this.len = 0;
  }

  // After a call to ensureCapacity(), |r.length| is at least |newLen|.
  private void ensureCapacity(int newLen) {
    if (r.length < newLen) {
      // Expand by at least doubling, except when len == 0.
      // TODO(adonovan): opt: perhaps it would be better to allocate exactly
      // newLen, since the number of expansions is typically very small?
      if (newLen < len * 2) {
        newLen = len * 2;
      }
      int[] r2 = new int[newLen];
      System.arraycopy(r, 0, r2, 0, len);
      r = r2;
    }
  }

  // Returns the character class as an int array.  Subsequent CharClass
  // operations may mutate this array, so typically this is the last operation
  // performed on a given CharClass instance.
  int[] toArray() {
    if (this.len == r.length) {
      return r;
    } else {
      int[] r2 = new int[len];
      System.arraycopy(r, 0, r2, 0, len);
      return r2;
    }
  }

  // cleanClass() sorts the ranges (pairs of elements) of this CharClass,
  // merges them, and eliminates duplicates.
  CharClass cleanClass() {
    if (len < 4) {
      return this;
    }

    // Sort by lo increasing, hi decreasing to break ties.
    qsortIntPair(r, 0, len - 2);

    // Merge abutting, overlapping.
    int w = 2; // write index
    for (int i = 2; i < len; i += 2) {
      int lo = r[i];
      int hi = r[i + 1];
      if (lo <= r[w - 1] + 1) {
        // merge with previous range
        if (hi > r[w - 1]) {
          r[w - 1] = hi;
        }
        continue;
      }
      // new disjoint range
      r[w] = lo;
      r[w + 1] = hi;
      w += 2;
    }
    len = w;

    return this;
  }

  // appendLiteral() appends the literal |x| to this CharClass.
  CharClass appendLiteral(int x, int flags) {
    return ((flags & RE2.FOLD_CASE) != 0)
        ? appendFoldedRange(x, x)
        : appendRange(x, x);
  }

  // appendRange() appends the range [lo-hi] (inclusive) to this CharClass.
  CharClass appendRange(int lo, int hi) {
    // Expand last range or next to last range if it overlaps or abuts.
    // Checking two ranges helps when appending case-folded
    // alphabets, so that one range can be expanding A-Z and the
    // other expanding a-z.
    if (len > 0) {
      for (int i = 2; i <= 4; i += 2) {  // twice, using i=2, i=4
        if (len >= i) {
          int rlo = r[len - i];
          int rhi = r[len - i + 1];
          if (lo <= rhi + 1 && rlo <= hi + 1) {
            if (lo < rlo) {
              r[len - i] = lo;
            }
            if (hi > rhi) {
              r[len - i + 1] = hi;
            }
            return this;
          }
        }
      }
    }
    // Can't coalesce; append.   Expand capacity by doubling as needed.
    ensureCapacity(len + 2);
    r[len++] = lo;
    r[len++] = hi;
    return this;
  }

  // appendFoldedRange() appends the range [lo-hi] and its case
  // folding-equivalent runes to this CharClass.
  CharClass appendFoldedRange(int lo, int hi) {
    // Optimizations.
    if (lo <= Unicode.MIN_FOLD && hi >= Unicode.MAX_FOLD) {
      // Range is full: folding can't add more.
      return appendRange(lo, hi);
    }
    if (hi < Unicode.MIN_FOLD || lo > Unicode.MAX_FOLD) {
      // Range is outside folding possibilities.
      return appendRange(lo, hi);
    }
    if (lo < Unicode.MIN_FOLD) {
      // [lo, minFold-1] needs no folding.
      appendRange(lo, Unicode.MIN_FOLD - 1);
      lo = Unicode.MIN_FOLD;
    }
    if (hi > Unicode.MAX_FOLD) {
      // [maxFold+1, hi] needs no folding.
      appendRange(Unicode.MAX_FOLD + 1, hi);
      hi = Unicode.MAX_FOLD;
    }

    // Brute force.  Depend on appendRange to coalesce ranges on the fly.
    for (int c = lo; c <= hi; c++) {
      appendRange(c, c);
      for (int f = Unicode.simpleFold(c); f != c; f = Unicode.simpleFold(f)) {
        appendRange(f, f);
      }
    }
    return this;
  }

  // appendClass() appends the class |x| to this CharClass.
  // It assumes |x| is clean.  Does not mutate |x|.
  CharClass appendClass(int[] x) {
    for (int i = 0; i < x.length; i += 2) {
      appendRange(x[i], x[i + 1]);
    }
    return this;
  }

  // appendFoldedClass() appends the case folding of the class |x| to this
  // CharClass.  Does not mutate |x|.
  CharClass appendFoldedClass(int[] x) {
    for (int i = 0; i < x.length; i += 2) {
      appendFoldedRange(x[i], x[i + 1]);
    }
    return this;
  }

  // appendNegatedClass() append the negation of the class |x| to this
  // CharClass.  It assumes |x| is clean.  Does not mutate |x|.
  CharClass appendNegatedClass(int[] x) {
    int nextLo = 0;
    for (int i = 0; i < x.length; i += 2) {
      int lo = x[i];
      int hi = x[i + 1];
      if (nextLo <= lo - 1) {
        appendRange(nextLo, lo - 1);
      }
      nextLo = hi + 1;
    }
    if (nextLo <= Unicode.MAX_RUNE) {
      appendRange(nextLo, Unicode.MAX_RUNE);
    }
    return this;
  }

  // appendTable() appends the Unicode range table |table| to this CharClass.
  // Does not mutate |table|.
  CharClass appendTable(int[][] table) {
    for (int[] triple : table) {
      int lo = triple[0], hi = triple[1], stride = triple[2];
      if (stride == 1) {
        appendRange(lo, hi);
        continue;
      }
      for (int c = lo; c <= hi; c += stride) {
        appendRange(c, c);
      }
    }
    return this;
  }

  // appendNegatedTable() returns the result of appending the negation of range
  // table |table| to this CharClass.  Does not mutate |table|.
  CharClass appendNegatedTable(int[][] table) {
    int nextLo = 0;  // lo end of next class to add
    for (int[] triple : table) {
      int lo = triple[0], hi = triple[1], stride = triple[2];
      if (stride == 1) {
        if (nextLo <= lo - 1) {
          appendRange(nextLo, lo - 1);
        }
        nextLo = hi + 1;
        continue;
      }
      for (int c = lo; c <= hi; c += stride) {
        if (nextLo <= c - 1) {
          appendRange(nextLo, c - 1);
        }
        nextLo = c + 1;
      }
    }
    if (nextLo <= Unicode.MAX_RUNE) {
      appendRange(nextLo, Unicode.MAX_RUNE);
    }
    return this;
  }

  // appendTableWithSign() calls append{,Negated}Table depending on sign.
  // Does not mutate |table|.
  CharClass appendTableWithSign(int[][] table, int sign) {
    return sign < 0
        ? appendNegatedTable(table)
        : appendTable(table);
  }

  // negateClass() negates this CharClass, which must already be clean.
  CharClass negateClass() {
    int nextLo = 0; // lo end of next class to add
    int w = 0;      // write index
    for (int i = 0; i < len; i += 2) {
      int lo = r[i], hi = r[i + 1];
      if (nextLo <= lo - 1) {
        r[w] = nextLo;
        r[w + 1] = lo - 1;
        w += 2;
      }
      nextLo = hi + 1;
    }
    len = w;

    if (nextLo <= Unicode.MAX_RUNE) {
      // It's possible for the negation to have one more
      // range - this one - than the original class, so use append.
      ensureCapacity(len + 2);
      r[len++] = nextLo;
      r[len++] = Unicode.MAX_RUNE;
    }
    return this;
  }

  // appendClassWithSign() calls appendClass() if sign is +1 or
  // appendNegatedClass if sign is -1.  Does not mutate |x|.
  CharClass appendClassWithSign(int[] x, int sign) {
    return sign < 0
        ? appendNegatedClass(x)
        : appendClass(x);
  }

  // appendGroup() appends CharGroup |g| to this CharClass, folding iff
  // |foldCase|.  Does not mutate |g|.
  CharClass appendGroup(CharGroup g, boolean foldCase) {
    int[] cls = g.cls;
    if (foldCase) {
      cls = new CharClass().
          appendFoldedClass(cls).
          cleanClass().
          toArray();
    }
    return appendClassWithSign(cls, g.sign);
  }

  // cmp() returns the ordering of the pair (a[i], a[i+1]) relative to
  // (pivotFrom, pivotTo), where the first component of the pair (lo) is
  // ordered naturally and the second component (hi) is in reverse order.
  private static int cmp(int[] array, int i, int pivotFrom, int pivotTo) {
    int cmp = array[i] - pivotFrom;
    return cmp != 0
        ? cmp
        : pivotTo - array[i + 1];
  }

  // qsortIntPair() quicksorts pairs of ints in |array| according to lt().
  // Precondition: |left|, |right|, |this.len| must all be even; |this.len > 1|.
  private static void qsortIntPair(int[] array, int left, int right) {
    int pivotIndex = ((left + right) / 2) & ~1;
    int pivotFrom = array[pivotIndex], pivotTo = array[pivotIndex + 1];
    int i = left, j = right;

    while (i <= j) {
      while (i < right && cmp(array, i, pivotFrom, pivotTo) < 0) {
        i += 2;
      }
      while (j > left && cmp(array, j, pivotFrom, pivotTo) > 0) {
        j -= 2;
      }
      if (i <= j) {
        if (i != j) {
          int temp = array[i];
          array[i] = array[j];
          array[j] = temp;
          temp = array[i + 1];
          array[i + 1] = array[j + 1];
          array[j + 1] = temp;
        }
        i += 2;
        j -= 2;
      }
    }
    if (left < j) {
      qsortIntPair(array, left, j);
    }
    if (i < right) {
      qsortIntPair(array, i, right);
    }
  }

  // Exposed, since useful for debugging CharGroups too.
  static String charClassToString(int[] r, int len) {
    StringBuilder b = new StringBuilder();
    b.append('[');
    for (int i = 0; i < len; i += 2) {
      if (i > 0) {
        b.append(' ');
      }
      int lo = r[i], hi = r[i + 1];
      // Avoid String.format (not available on GWT).
      // Cf. https://code.google.com/p/google-web-toolkit/issues/detail?id=3945
      if (lo == hi) {
        b.append("0x");
        b.append(Integer.toHexString(lo));
      } else {
        b.append("0x");
        b.append(Integer.toHexString(lo));
        b.append("-0x");
        b.append(Integer.toHexString(hi));
      }
    }
    b.append(']');
    return b.toString();
  }

  @Override public String toString() {
    return charClassToString(r, len);
  }

}


text:
Did You See Last Week?: The Event – Your World to Take
Sophia learns that Thomas and Isabel are scheming behind her back and…
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Sean and Leila discover Michael Buchanan's link to Inostranka while Thomas, Sophia…
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Sean and Agent Collier rescue Vicky while Martinez releases Sophia in order…
Did You See This Week?: The Event – A Matter of Life and Death
Thomas threatens to kill people if Martinez doesn't free the Inostranka detainees.…
Did You See This Week?: The Event – Protect Them From The Truth
After seeing the dead passengers of Flight 514, President Martinez offers William…
Did You See This Week?: The Event – To Keep Us Safe
When Sophia refuses to tell President Martinez what happened to Flight 514,…
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So last week started the season premieres of a few returning shows,…
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Officers at the Customs Service and the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) may perform similar duties, but their pay systems are very different and difficult to compare, according to a new study from the General Accounting Office. "Customs and INS have a wide variety of pay provisions directing how pay for officers is calculated…fundamental differences in how work is scheduled and how hours are counted also result in pay differences," said the report, "Customs and INS: Comparison of Officers' Pay (GAO-02-21). The report studied selected work schedules, shifts and pay for Customs and INS officers at the San Ysidro land border crossing near San Diego, Calif. during two pay periods in January and February 2001. The comparisons are only examples of a few work schedules, and do not represent Customs and INS operations nationwide, the report said. Customs and INS officers are responsible for checking every person coming through a U.S. port of entry for contraband and proper documentation, respectively. Although the agencies' missions are different, Customs and INS officers work closely together to prevent illegal aliens, drugs and contraband into the country. For overtime, Sunday and holiday work, Customs officers are generally paid for hours actually worked, while INS officers are paid based on the minimum period of time worked. But the differences in actual pay depend on each officer's specific work schedule, according to the report.
For example, for scheduled work on Sundays, Customs pays 1.5 times the hourly rate for actual hours worked, while INS provides two-days' pay for eight or fewer hours worked. A San Ysidro INS officer at the GS-11, Step 7 pay level who worked the 3 p.m. to midnight shift and two Sundays during the pay period studied would have earned $170 more under the Customs pay system. But a Customs officer at the same grade level who worked the 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. shift, including two Sundays and overtime, would have earned $781 more under INS pay provisions.
"The difference was primarily because the officer would have been paid 32 additional hours of overtime for 16 hours of overtime worked on two Sundays under INS provisions, in addition to pay for regularly scheduled hours," according to GAO.
Premium pay is also calculated differently for Customs and INS officers. For example, Customs officers can receive night pay at a higher rate for eight-hour shifts starting at noon, while night pay for INS officers is limited to shifts worked between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Customs officers can also receive an award between 3 and 5 percent of their basic pay for using a foreign language on the job, while foreign language proficiency is a condition of employment for INS officers. Customs and INS officials criticized the limited scope of the GAO study, saying it was not capable of making broad comparisons and conclusions on the different pay systems.
Unions that represent Border Patrol agents and other law enforcement officers have complained about unfair pay systems for years, but the issue has become more high-profile since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
A provision in the House Customs authorization bill (H.R. 3129) that would have cut premium pay for Customs officers who work certain night shifts was scrapped. The bill is still in the House.


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LF07 Smart Watch adopts Brand New Adsorption charge, tempered glass lens, Scratch-proof, Shatterproof, High hardness, wear resistance, corrosion resistance, carved through 42 CNC process, to create the solid body, give it an excellent feel.
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【Real-time Activity Monitor】- 24 hours real-time monitoring your activities. Walking steps, distance and energy consumption, these data sync to the phone app when paired with cellphone. All-day workouts at your fingertips, motivates yourself to achieve the exercising goals.
【APP Notifications & Call Alerts】- Syncs the notification from incoming calls, messages or the apps like whatsapp, skype, facebook, Instagram and etc. Meanwhile EX16 watch can flicker the icon of the message with the notifiaction tone "beep beeep". Reminds you to hold the important business.
【Buzzer Awake Alarms & Liminous Dial】- Set the awake alarms to remind yourself getting up in time (only set 1 alarm on watch, but set 3 alarms via the phone app). With liminous dial (need press the button), convenient to use the watch at night. Enjoying the entertainment of sporting watch at anywhere anytime.


text:
Jensen Sisters
Homesick Hearted
Check out our exclusive premiere
"Homesick Hearted"
The Jensen Sisters are making their way to country music in a big way. Kendra and Kansas are not your regular teenagers. Yes they are still in school and live the small town life, but they are making big moves in country music. It is this shift in lifestyle that has led them to their upcoming EP "Highway Hippie".
"Homesick Hearted" off the coming EP is what we are here to celebrate today. This single hits home to The Jensen Sisters. "Homesick Hearted" represents one of the hardest parts of their new career in music and life in general. It's a story of leaving the comfort and familiarity of what you have always known. I had the opportunity to speak with The Jensen Sisters about this very topic and a few others.
Get it on Spotify
Get it on Apple Music
Get it on Amazon Music
Get in on YouTube Music
We here at Southern Fellow feel that is an honor to be part of this journey that Kendra and Kansas are on. We would like to welcome The Jensen Sisters to the Southern Fellow family. Please check out our featured recipes that remind us of home. Also look for the giveaway at the bottom. Here is our interview with The Jensen Sisters.
Tell us about your road to country music.
We always say when it comes to country music we're fans first and musicians second. We grew up in a house surrounded by music, our parents always had the radio on. They really taught us to explore our options and encourage us to listen to more than just top 40 music. So when we started singing, that love for music was already there, it just took a different form.
Describe the perfect country song.
Well we think the perfect country & western song has to say something about mama, or trains, or trucks or prison, or getting drunk. But in all honesty, we think the perfect country song is anything that's written with a lot of heart. It should paint a picture and make you feel something.
If you could not play music, what career path would each of you be looking at?
That's a good question! We're both currently going to school so it's something we've thought about quite a bit. We both feel that if we weren't doing music as performers we'd still be working in the industry some way. Kansas loves graphic design and dreams about designing stadium tours. Kendra is really interested in the actual business side of music and thinks it would be so cool to work for a record label or publishing company some day.
How do you balance your school and music career?
Well… sometimes we don't. Haha! Kansas takes school very seriously and although she has to miss class quite a bit, she still makes her school work a big priority. Kendra is a freshman in college and has a more flexible schedule which allows her to focus more on the music. It's definitely not always easy and sometimes you have to multitask Kendra literally took her semester finals in the studio while recording the EP.
Connect with the Jensen Sisters
We are always developing recipes here at Southern Fellow; when writing music, what recipe do ya'll use?
We think songwriting is kinda like that old fashioned way of cooking, a dab of this a pinch of that. For us, songs always find us in different ways. Maybe the melody will hit first or one of us says something that sparks a hook. Regardless, our songs always center around the way we're feeling in the moment.
What game or movie universe would you most like to live in?
Kendra said Gone with the Wind. After thinking about it though maybe it wouldn't be the smartest thing to live during the Civil War era but she said she would risk it just to wear one of Scarlet O'Hara's dresses. Haha! Kansas chose The Wizard of Oz. She see's herself connecting with Glinda the Good witch on a personal level. Forget the ruby slippers, all she wants is Toto.
What is your first fond memory of food?
For both of us, the memory of our whole family gathering at our grandparents Minnesota farmhouse for Sunday dinners is probably our first fond memory of food. Southern food is great, but there's something about rich northern dishes. Lots of butter and cream. If you can't tell we're very Scandinavian. Haha!
What are the first 5 songs on your favorite playlist?
Oh gosh, we could probably name our top 50 haha, but if we both had to choose just 5 in no particular order Kendra's would be 9 to 5 by Dolly Parton, Are You Ready For the Country by Waylon Jennings, Traveler by Chris Stapleton, Beast of Burden by The Rolling Stones, and Vienna by Billy Joel. Kansas's would be On the Hunt by Lynyrd Skynyrd, Don't you think this Outlaw Bits Done Got Out of Hand by Waylon Jennings, Compared to a Soul by The Steel Woods, It's a long way to the Top by AC/DC, and Night Moves by Bob Segar and The Silver Bullet Band.
Try these recipes that will remind you of home!
Grandma's Sour Cream Pound Cake
My grandma's pound cake has seen it's share of weddings, funerals and birthdays. Every slice will remind you od home and the love that lives there.
Let's Cook
This recipe has been in our family for as far back as anyone can remember. It is the standard for BBQ sauce in our family. We invite you to make this sauce part of your family.
If y'all wrote a song about food, what would it be about?
Haha! If we were writing a feel good song it would be about popcorn, cause who doesn't feel good when they're eating it? If we were writing a ballad it would be a real sad tune about the way you feel when someone else eats the last bowl of cereal. We may or may not have gotten into physical altercations in the past over the last bowl of captain crunch.
What does the coming year look like for you?
Well I don't think we can really answer that. We've never really planned anything out this far, so why start now? We'll be out on the road playing music this summer and then back to work making more music after that.
What is something you think everyone should do once in their life?
Drastically change their hair color or go to the Minnesota State Fair. Those things have nothing to do with each other but you could probably do both at the same time.
What inspired y'all to write "Homesick Hearted"?
Simply put, the thought of us having to leave our home. We're at the point in our lives where we have to start thinking about growing up. Whether we're leaving to go off to college or going off to peruse our dreams, it's something that is definitely bitter sweet.
What hobby or interest do you each have that most people do not know about?
Well Kendra calls herself an old lady. Haha, she loves to read and cross stitch, I don't think many people know that. Kansas is a very talented artist. If she's not singing she's probably painting or drawing.
Is there anything else you want your family at Southern Fellow to know?
I don't think so, all these questions have been so much fun! The only thing we would add is that the whole Highway Hippie EP comes out May 31st, and people can preorder it on iTunes!
We again would like to welcome The Jensen Sisters to the Southern Fellow. The ladies are going to be rocking country music for a long time to come. Make sure you add "Homesick Hearted" and all there music to your playlist. Thank you for tuning in for this special edition of Feed the Band. We will see you nest time!
Connect with Southern Fellow
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HELP US CREATE THE CONTENT YOU WANT
Payton Taylor
Lockwood Barr


So as I've mentioned in my 'Oil Cleansing' post, I'm all about natural products for my skin (as much as I can help it) and I took a personal oath to avoid drying soaps, face washes, and harsh cleansers for my face and neck from January 2016 onwards. A lot of older women I've spoken to with great skin have all told me that the key to stay wrinkle free and fresh faced as you age is to completely skip soap on the face and neck, and to moisturise the entire body and face every single day like it's going out of style. I usually use Forest Essentials Cold Pressed Virgin Coconut Oil and warm water to cleanse my skin, but I have days where I'm just too tired, or too lazy to go through with the process (even though it only takes 10 minutes). On these days I need something quick, simple, and soap free to clean my face of dirt, pollution and makeup; and in steps the Mridul Soap Free Facial Cleanser from Kama Ayurveda.
Kama has been around since 2002 according to their website, but it popped up on my radar last year when I saw many seriously beautiful stores opening up in Mumbai and I was tempted to go in and take a look, having already been a fan of Forest Essentials and homemade beauty techniques. Kama Ayurveda is 100% organic and plant based, so this means no artificial colours, fragrances, animal products, urea, petrochemicals, glycol, or sulphates, plus they are cruelty free, so no animal testing (something I'm seriously behind). Their partner is one of India's original Ayurvedic Institutions- the Arya Vaidya Pharmacy in Coimbatore and they ensure the highest standards and quality control.
Ayurveda or "life-knowledge" has been around for centuries if not thousands of years in India, and basically looks to nature and natural substances for cures to various conditions. While a lot of it may not be authentic since it's not considered an actual science, and people can basically sell whatever they want, I do believe that it works for skin care. Most modern beauty products have some derivatives of natural substances in them and will market natural ingredients on their packaging such as oatmeal, herbs, natural antioxidants, and extracts from various plants and flowers, but these are combined with a whole mix of chemicals and preservatives that negatively affect your skin over the years.
The soap free cleanser from Kama has the following herbal powders- oatmeal, green gram, almond, neem, sandalwood, turmeric, camphor, chickpea, rose, and fennel. All of these are known to be miraculous for the skin; almonds for their vitamin E and fatty acid content, neem for battling acne, turmeric for disinfecting and cleansing, oatmeal to soothe, sandalwood to calm inflammation and add a glow, I could go on and on. Its packaged in a cute reusable metal jar and comes with a small wooden spoon inside to help you scoop some of the powder out.
The technique is super simple, just scoop about one heaping spoon of green powder into your palm or a small bowl, add a little water to make a paste and apply onto your skin. Leave on for 1-2 minutes and then massage the entire face with wet hands in upward circular motions, covering all the places where you applied makeup, including the eyes, and rinse off. Now it won't remove waterproof mascara completely but if you use oil beforehand for any heavy makeup then you'll be fine. For day to day use where you're not using too much makeup it's perfect, and does a double job of exfoliating and cleansing. My skin always feel amazing and soft afterwards, and sometimes I need a touch of moisturization for which I use a drop or two of coconut oil.
So for days when I'm too lazy to cleanse my face with oil, or when I'm having a super rushed morning, I turn to this all natural substitute to get the grime off in a healthy, organic and, most importantly, soap free method. If you try this product let us know how it worked for you!


text:
Home News Building and releasing
Building and releasing
MCC marks anniversary with groundbreaking, concert
June groundbreaking ceremony for MCC BC's new building in Abbotsford.
Photo: Barrie McMaster
Photos: Barrie McMaster
Mennonite Central Committee in B.C. is celebrating two milestones this summer – a successful effort to raise $10-million for a new building, and a 40th anniversary for MCC thrift stores in the province.
The fundraising success makes possible a summertime start of construction on a new facility in Abbotsford. Many of the MCC operations in southern B.C. are cramped for space, working in many cases out of rented facilities, says MCC BC executive director Wayne Bremner. The new Abbotsford building is designed to remedy the crunch, providing 80,000 square feet of space for MCC's B.C. operations and shops. The project will also add financial resources to MCC's funding for relief and development operations by ending the annual outflow of $350,000 for premises rental. Instead, says Bremner, more operational income will build equity and free funds for ministry.
The new facility includes space for a major thrift shop and used furniture store. It will give adequate warehousing space, bigger furniture repair facilities, room to package international relief and aid materials, room for Ten Thousand Villages, a centre to produce quilts for sale, Mennonite Foundation offices, and MCC BC office facilities. Bremner says there is space on the land for a second building in the future.
The second phase of fundraising for the centre has begun. When its $5-million goal is reached, the new building can become mortgage-free.
Hundreds of supporters and volunteers were on hand June 21–22 to celebrate the building landmark and its companion occasion, the 40th anniversary of B.C.'s thrift shops. The event coincided with the MCC BC annual general meeting held at Abbotsford's Central Heights Church.
Hundreds turned out for MCC BC's groundbreaking celebrations on the site of the new MCC Centre in Abbotsford, B.C. Siegfried Bartel, 97, long-serving former MCC BC board chair (centre), and his sons Reinhard (left) and Martin (right) were among those who dug in. Bartel also offered a prayer of blessing for the new project.
The weekend began with a celebration concert by singer-songwriter Brian Doerksen and male quartet The Ambassadors, attended by more than 1,000 people. The evening included a tribute to 999 volunteers. A video honoured more than 100 who have worked regular thrift store shifts for more than 20 years. The thrift shops, last year alone, raised $1.5-million for MCC relief and development work worldwide. Doug Willms, coordinator for B.C.'s 10 thrift shops, said, "It is so remarkable that we have such a faithful, dedicated group of volunteers."
Executive Director Tom Peters of MCC Canada was present, as were representatives of both BC Mennonite Brethren and Mennonite Church BC. Salvation Army Council chair Bob Singleton and directors were also present at the ceremony, along with Ward Draper of 5&2 Ministries, and city councillors. Abbotsford mayor Bruce Banman paid tribute to MCC's "vision and compassion", adding, "You still keep growing, finding more to do."
Following the annual general meeting on Saturday morning, the focus shifted to recently purchased property on Gladys Avenue in Abbotsford for a barbecue and groundbreaking ceremony. Master of ceremonies, board vice chair Ernie Schmidt, said because MCC depends so greatly upon its volunteers, everyone was invited to break the ground for the new building. "If you dig well, we can save money on excavation!" A donor (Home Hardware) provided shovels, complete with small plaques to mark the occasion.
Longtime MCC BC board chair Siegfried Bartel, 97, prayed that God would keep the construction workers safe and would bless the labours of MCC. Completing the groundbreaking ceremony, MCC released live doves – the symbol of Mennonite Central Committee's prayers reaching the heavens. MCC's logo, a stylized dove and cross, is recognized around the world.
Bremner says the weekend was a great celebration. "We were so honoured to have so many people come and share with us."
—Barrie McMaster, B.C. correspondent
Central HeightsMCCTen Thousand Villagesthrift store
Barrie McMaster
Veteran broadcaster Barrie McMaster was the MB Herald B.C. correspondent 2007–2015.