text:
Inferring the eccentricity distribution
David W. Hogg, Adam D. Myers, Jo Bovy
Standard maximum-likelihood estimators for binary-star and exoplanet eccentricities are biased high, in the sense that the estimated eccentricity tends to be larger than the true eccentricity. As with most non-trivial observables, a simple histogram of estimated eccentricities is not a good estimate of the true eccentricity distribution. Here, we develop and test a hierarchical probabilistic method for performing the relevant meta-analysis, that is, inferring the true eccentricity distribution, taking as input the likelihood functions for the individual star eccentricities, or samplings of the posterior probability distributions for the eccentricities (under a given, uninformative prior). The method is a simple implementation of a hierarchical Bayesian model; it can also be seen as a kind of heteroscedastic deconvolution. It can be applied to any quantity measured with finite precision-other orbital parameters, or indeed any astronomical measurements of any kind, including magnitudes, distances, or photometric redshifts-so long as the measurements have been communicated as a likelihood function or a posterior sampling.
Astrophysical Journal
https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/725/2/2166
Binaries: general
Methods: data analysis
Methods: statistical
Planetary systems
Planets and satellites: fundamental parameters
Stars: kinematics and dynamics
10.1088/0004-637X/725/2/2166
Dive into the research topics of 'Inferring the eccentricity distribution'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
eccentricity Earth & Environmental Sciences 100%
distribution Earth & Environmental Sciences 32%
sampling Physics & Astronomy 18%
binary stars Physics & Astronomy 13%
meta-analysis Earth & Environmental Sciences 12%
extrasolar planets Physics & Astronomy 12%
histograms Physics & Astronomy 12%
estimators Physics & Astronomy 12%
Hogg, D. W., Myers, A. D., & Bovy, J. (2010). Inferring the eccentricity distribution. Astrophysical Journal, 725(2), 2166-2175. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/725/2/2166
Inferring the eccentricity distribution. / Hogg, David W.; Myers, Adam D.; Bovy, Jo.
In: Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 725, No. 2, 20.12.2010, p. 2166-2175.
Hogg, DW, Myers, AD & Bovy, J 2010, 'Inferring the eccentricity distribution', Astrophysical Journal, vol. 725, no. 2, pp. 2166-2175. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/725/2/2166
Hogg DW, Myers AD, Bovy J. Inferring the eccentricity distribution. Astrophysical Journal. 2010 Dec 20;725(2):2166-2175. doi: 10.1088/0004-637X/725/2/2166
Hogg, David W. ; Myers, Adam D. ; Bovy, Jo. / Inferring the eccentricity distribution. In: Astrophysical Journal. 2010 ; Vol. 725, No. 2. pp. 2166-2175.
@article{7ab86fd0728b4889a690d98feb073404,
title = "Inferring the eccentricity distribution",
abstract = "Standard maximum-likelihood estimators for binary-star and exoplanet eccentricities are biased high, in the sense that the estimated eccentricity tends to be larger than the true eccentricity. As with most non-trivial observables, a simple histogram of estimated eccentricities is not a good estimate of the true eccentricity distribution. Here, we develop and test a hierarchical probabilistic method for performing the relevant meta-analysis, that is, inferring the true eccentricity distribution, taking as input the likelihood functions for the individual star eccentricities, or samplings of the posterior probability distributions for the eccentricities (under a given, uninformative prior). The method is a simple implementation of a hierarchical Bayesian model; it can also be seen as a kind of heteroscedastic deconvolution. It can be applied to any quantity measured with finite precision-other orbital parameters, or indeed any astronomical measurements of any kind, including magnitudes, distances, or photometric redshifts-so long as the measurements have been communicated as a likelihood function or a posterior sampling.",
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T1 - Inferring the eccentricity distribution
AU - Hogg, David W.
AU - Myers, Adam D.
AU - Bovy, Jo
N2 - Standard maximum-likelihood estimators for binary-star and exoplanet eccentricities are biased high, in the sense that the estimated eccentricity tends to be larger than the true eccentricity. As with most non-trivial observables, a simple histogram of estimated eccentricities is not a good estimate of the true eccentricity distribution. Here, we develop and test a hierarchical probabilistic method for performing the relevant meta-analysis, that is, inferring the true eccentricity distribution, taking as input the likelihood functions for the individual star eccentricities, or samplings of the posterior probability distributions for the eccentricities (under a given, uninformative prior). The method is a simple implementation of a hierarchical Bayesian model; it can also be seen as a kind of heteroscedastic deconvolution. It can be applied to any quantity measured with finite precision-other orbital parameters, or indeed any astronomical measurements of any kind, including magnitudes, distances, or photometric redshifts-so long as the measurements have been communicated as a likelihood function or a posterior sampling.
AB - Standard maximum-likelihood estimators for binary-star and exoplanet eccentricities are biased high, in the sense that the estimated eccentricity tends to be larger than the true eccentricity. As with most non-trivial observables, a simple histogram of estimated eccentricities is not a good estimate of the true eccentricity distribution. Here, we develop and test a hierarchical probabilistic method for performing the relevant meta-analysis, that is, inferring the true eccentricity distribution, taking as input the likelihood functions for the individual star eccentricities, or samplings of the posterior probability distributions for the eccentricities (under a given, uninformative prior). The method is a simple implementation of a hierarchical Bayesian model; it can also be seen as a kind of heteroscedastic deconvolution. It can be applied to any quantity measured with finite precision-other orbital parameters, or indeed any astronomical measurements of any kind, including magnitudes, distances, or photometric redshifts-so long as the measurements have been communicated as a likelihood function or a posterior sampling.
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KW - Methods: data analysis
KW - Methods: statistical
KW - Planetary systems
KW - Planets and satellites: fundamental parameters
KW - Stars: kinematics and dynamics
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DO - 10.1088/0004-637X/725/2/2166
JO - Astrophysical Journal
JF - Astrophysical Journal


Do You Need Public Liability Cover Just For You?
If you operate a SME business, whether it is just you as a sole trader or if you employ a handful of staff, the securing of a suitable policy is a matter of absolute common sense rather than a necessary evil.
It is unlike employers' liability insurance, which covers damages, injuries and illnesses caused to your staff as direct results of carrying out their working duties on your behalf. Public Liability policies serve much the same purpose in relation to anyone not employed by you.
Considering this in real terms, whether you run a small office based business, a plumbing outfit or a hairdressing salon, think about the customers, external contractors, members of the public and suppliers you cross paths with on a daily basis. Whether they are on your premises, you are on their premises or your are both on neutral territory, the amount and nature of incidents that might potentially occur are almost unimaginable.
Even if you work entirely remotely from home, there are likely to be occasions when you have to meet with customers or engage with members of the public. If you make or send deliveries to customers, minor as it might seem you could be at risk of claims being brought against you a recipient injures themselves on careless packaging.
Liability insurance is not for you or the employees working for you. It is a non-obligatory standard by which you can benchmark the health and safety measures you apply to your business. Much moreso, it is your financial assurance that you are adequately and legally covered if claimants bring cases against you for damages to their property, personal injuries and illnesses that are considered to be the fault of your business.
It is also worth bearing in mind that policy cover can do you an additional service when pitching for contracts. Most Local Government tenders now require successful candidates to have liability cover as a prerequisite to them even being considered as potential suitable suppliers. Amidst a no win no fee environment, many private sector procurement professionals have accordingly followed suit.
What Is Covered By Small Business Liability Insurance?
Standard policies generally cover £5million worth of damages and costs that your business might be deemed liable to pay out in cases of successful claims caused by a lack of due diligence by you or your representatives. Sectors and sizes of businesses dependent, many policies cover larger indemnity amounts of up to £10million.
Other occurrences that are perhaps not so immediately obvious as accidents, damages and illnesses are also insured against with liability cover. If the nature of your business involves goods in transit, there is the distinct possibility that, at some point, you might experience damages to, loss or theft of goods whilst they are en route between the point of dispatch and their ultimate destinations.
Likewise, you might have occasions when the services you fulfill for your customers require you to hire in equipment from third party suppliers. Should such hired equipment become damaged during the course of your duties, get lost or be stolen from you, it is only natural that your supplier will look to recoup their costs from you.
What Sorts Of Typical Claims Are Brought Against Small Businesses?
Claims against small businesses cover a diverse spectrum of scenarios that can range from minor cuts and falls, food poisoning, broken bones through to serious handicaps, terminal illnesses, even fatalities.
If you work on site with your customers at their premises and accidentally spill a drink over their computer equipment, your customer is within their rights to bring a damages claim against you. If you are a carpet fitter and, after completing a job in a customer's home, they trip and sprain their wrist on a piece you left loose, you can expect a claim to land on your doorstep.
Supposing you run a hairdressing business, either at your shop or on a mobile basis. Should you accidentally nick a customer's ear with your scissors whilst giving them a trim or singe their neck with an overheated hairdryer, they might well commence litigation against you.
For tradesmen who carry out the likes of building or electrical work, potential damages to customers' persons and properties sound not quite so flippant. Scaremongering aside, you will have read of cases in the press and even seen cases on TV of claimants being awarded damages running in to multiple thousands of pounds for severe damages to both property and health.
What Happens If You Do Not Have A Public Liability Policy?
If you do not have liability cover, you might just be lucky and get away with it, as there are no guarantees that your business will ever be held responsible for damages, injuries or illnesses. Likewise, there are no counter guarantees that it will not. Failing the ability to predict the future, many small business owners, like yourself, err on the side of caution in order to avoid regret.
Imagine that the worst comes to the worst, an unexpected incident happens and a claim is brought against your business. If you are uninsured, your business will be liable for Solicitor's fees and also Court and Barrister's fees if the case develops in to trial. If the Judge rules against you, your final bill will also encompass the compensation amount you are ordered to pay to the claimant, any medical costs they have shouldered in cases or accidents or illnesses, plus their legal fees on top of your own.
If you are insured, your Insurance Company and their legal representatives will broker the information on your behalf. All of the legal costs incurred in fighting your case will be covered for you by your Insurer. If you lose the case, the claimant's compensation and legal fees will also be paid for you under your policy cover.
If it sounds like a no-brainer, that is because it basically is. When referring to your small business, that small business is quite probably you – the disastrous consequences of being uninsured and losing a case need little spelling out.


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I saw this picture on facebook this morning from Sallyanne McShane and felt compelled to share it. I totally agree with her sentiment! There are lots of creative folk beavering away at home creating beautiful products and gifts to sell online with Etsy, Not on The High Street, at Artisan Fairs, local markets and more - and LOTS of them are entrepreneurial mums, stitching, drawing, painting, crafting, knitting, crocheting, making in the evenings when their little ones are tucked up fast asleep.......Let's support creative folk this Christmas!


text:
Sat, 08.14.1926
Lea Pride, Business, and Community Advocate born
Leatrice Pride
*On this date in 1926, Leatrice Pride was born. She was a Black administrator, community activist, and social director.
From St. Paul, Minnesota, Leatrice Inez Dodd Pride was the only child of Raymond and Timm Dodd. Her father worked as a Pullman Porter. Young Leatrice was raised by Benjamin and Lola D. Edwards along with there only daughter Beneta. Leatrice and Beneta were cultured in an area of St. Paul called the Rondo District. Between WW I and WW II, segregation was a fact of everyday life in Black Minnesota.
Along with the Black Church, and academic expectations for a college degree her home life pushed her to the best she could be. Growing up Leatrice and her sister spent time at the Hallie Q. Brown and Phyllis Wheatley Community houses. There they were shown many Black stars and artist of the day who stayed (and preformed) there due to segregation in white hotels. Paul Robeson, Duke Ellington, Marian Anderson and Roland Hayes were a few of the Blacks who came and were enjoyed by Leatrice and others. She graduated from Mechanic Arts High School and briefly attended the University of Minnesota.
In 1947, Pride moved to her cousins Betty and "Mama Hen" in San Diego. Three years later she and a fellow Minnesotan (Margaret Harris) rented a room in the Sugar Hill section of Los Angeles. From the moment she came to Los Angeles, Pride was equally active in civic, racial, and gender based causes. Throughout her life the arts, education, and public service typified her life. Pride was a charter member of the San Fernando Valley Chapter of the Links, Inc.; holding many offices and serving on many committees locally, regionally, and nationally. She was a distinguished member of the Coalition of 100 Black Women, equally serving and holding offices. Both organizations affectionately crowned her "Treasurer for Life."
She worked at L. A.'s downtown library, city hall, and traffic department until 1956 and for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) until 1958. It was during this time that she met and married Wallace Pride. The couple had three children, Dodd, Michaele, and Regan. Soon after, Pride graduated from California State University Los Angeles summa cum laude. She had a B. A. in Language Arts with honors and a M. A. in English.
After working at a publishing company, she began another career. In 1968 she became an instructor with Sawyer Business College, which led to the position of Education Chairman from 1970 to 1974. Also in 1974, Pride began working at Hughes Aircraft joining the Missile Systems Group as a manager of Contract Program Planning and control. Within the corporation she advanced to Manager of the Management and Executive Education Programs; she retired in 1993.
Pride was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.; and affiliated with the National Association of Female Executives. She also was a member of the Los Angeles County Art Museum and the California African American Museum. Leatrice Pride died on February 29, 2004.
To Become a Social Worker
To become a Market Research Analyst
IPCLinks.org
The Mchie/Pride Family Archives
My Career Advice (Finance), Archie Givens Jr.
Archie Givens Jr. is a businessman, activist, collector and historian. In this segment, he shares his advice to any young person with a career in business as a goal
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text:
a week in wireless
Written by The Informer
If you're anything like the Informer then you're just starting to think about what to buy your loved ones for Christmas this year. You're phoning your sister-in-law to find out what to get for your brother and then asking him what his wife wants. Same deal with the parents, the sister and her branch of the family. You've got no idea.
But you are not yet desperate enough to fork out £10 for a piece of paper certifying that you've sent a text message into space for one of your kin. This is the latest ruse from everybody's favourite wacky MVNO, Virgin Mobile. The firm has teamed with an outfit called SentForever.com that has built an entire business out of transmitting messages into space for people bored or silly enough to pay for the privilege. Now Virgin's customers can send these messages direct from their phones (They get converted and sent via satellite, of course, you can't text straight into space.)
Virgin described the service as allowing people to send "declarations of love and affection into the unchartered (sic) territories of space where they will travel through the cosmos for all eternity."
"We are quite literally over the moon," said the firm's Tim Dowling, evidently so excited that he confused himself as to the meaning of "quite literally".
But how can they guarantee that the messages will be travelling for all eternity? Granted, the Informer's no astrophysicist, but isn't it widely thought that, one day, the universe will collapse in on itself and cease to be? If so, the message will have to stop travelling at some stage, unless it actually travels beyond the bounds of this universe. Churlish to quibble, perhaps.
More importantly, do we really want our first contact with other intelligent life to contain the phrase: "luv u!!! lol!!!" No, I think we do not.
Clearly the Informer has come over all Bah Humbug this week, for the final Week in Wireless of 2008. And it's hardly surprising, what with this financial turmoil and everything. This week the nascent WiMAX sector felt the icy finger of the credit crunch upon its bare neck, as it was revealed that global sales of fixed and mobile WiMAX kit, as well as phones and Ultra Mobile PCs, fell sequentially by 21 per cent to $245m in the third quarter of this year.
And according to Infonetics, which pulled these numbers together, things aren't going to get any rosier next year. "With less cash available for network rollout – and possibly less spectrum being auctioned until the current financial crisis passes – WiMAX deployment will be inhibited for the next 12 months," said Richard Webb, wireless analyst for the firm. "Infonetics expects revenue growth to return to the overall WiMAX market in 2010, with growth being driven by mobile WiMAX, as a growing number of WiMAX networks are being rolled out based on 802.16e, even if initial services will be fixed CPE-based broadband."
And it's squeaky bum time at Nortel, too, as this week it emerged that the Canadian vendor has been seeking legal advice in anticipation of a possible bankruptcy protection filing. This is probably something that Nortel would have preferred to keep quiet. Indeed it has been at pains to reassure investors that there is no imminent prospect of such a filing and that the firm is just being cautious in case its restructuring plans come a cropper. Nortel reported a net loss of $3.4bn for Q3 this year.
In more financial news from vendor land, Alcatel-Lucent has announced a series of dramatic cost-cutting measures that it hopes will be enough to secure an operational breakeven point of €1bn revenue in both 2009 and 2010.
The belt-tightening initiatives by the giant vendor include a reduction in the number of managers by around 1,000 a cut in the number of its contractors by 5,000.
The cost-cutting announcements are part of a 'major strategic transformation' plan unveiled by Alcatel-Lucent today, which includes a realignment of its operations. The company is to focus on three markets: service providers, enterprises and selected vertical, and on four areas of investment: IP, optical, mobile and fixed broadband, and applications enablement.
The company says it is accelerating its shift of investments towards next-generation platforms. With the cuts and a tighter strategic focus, Alcatel-Lucent expects by 4Q 2009, on a run-rate basis, it should achieve total savings of Euro750m at a constant exchange rate.
Alcatel-Lucent's outlook for the telecoms market in 2009 is far from rosy. The supplier expects the markets size for equipment and related deployment services to drop, at a constant exchange rate, between 8 percent and 12 per cent.
And these aren't the only companies trying to find their way this Christmas, as Vodafone this week tabled a bid for Swedish mapping and navigation outfit Wayfinder Systems. The big V offered just under $30m for the firm, whose board of directors offered a unanimous recommendation to shareholders to accept the offer. It's the first time a carrier has made a play for a navigation firm, and it's a decent indicator of the industry's belief in the potential of the sector.
Meanwhile, Vodafone's former chief navigator, Arun Sarin, was the subject of industry rumour this week, with widespread speculation that he is about to take the top job at Yahoo. The firm's founder, Jerry Yang, departed last month, having failed to close a takeover deal with Microsoft by holding out for a higher price than Redmond's finest wanted to pay. Yahoo has also recently seen its advertising partnership with Google crumble to dust.
Sarin left Vodafone during the UK summer this year, announcing his intention to take a well earned rest. Whether or not the temptation to return to the cut and thrust of corporate life will prove too much to resist remains to be seen.
And, like a weird telecoms themed edition of seminal children's programme Bod, here comes Arun Sarin, and there goes… Carphone Warehouse co-founder David Ross, forced to resign this week amid a share scandal. Ross, who owns just shy of 20 per cent of the retail outfit that be launched with school chum Charles Dunstone, used 136 million of his 177 million shares as security against personal loans without telling anyone in the company, the naughty scamp. He did the same with shares in other companies.
The Financial Services Authority requires that company directors disclose all share dealings. Did Ross simply forget, like Rio Ferdinand with a drugs test? Or did he deliberately keep schtum because he was doing something bad? Only he can tell us that, and he probably won't, so you'll just have to make up your own minds.
Taking a more open approach to life this week is Google, which has released a SIM- and hardware-unlocked version of its G1 Android handset, dubbed the Android Dev Phone 1.
Unlike the operating platform's bootloader on retail devices, the bootloader on the Dev Phone 1 does not enforce signed system images, which means developers can flash the phone with custom builds of the Android OS. The developer unit also has a funky image printed on the back. Woohoo!
To purchase a Dev Phone, at a price of $399, users have to register as an Android developer on the Android Market site, and there is a limit of one device per developer account. Because the device is intended for developers, Google will not offer consumer support. Instead it offers only this slightly chilling disclaimer: "End users operate these devices at their own risk." Eek!
That's a nice warning to see when you open your Christmas presents, isn't it?
Anyway Readers, the Informer hopes you have a good break over the holidays, and wishes you peace and prosperity for 2009, when he shall invade your space next.


Wieser Vault is a Minnesota-based burial vault supplier with deep ties to the concrete industry. They supply full sized vaults, urn vaults and other urn and cremation products. wierservault.com features a clean, classy design, subtle animations, and an algorithm-based order form. Wieser Vault also support a variety of charities and nonprofits.


In our 21st advent calendar gift, we cover AbanteCart, a very popular e-commerce solution that just turned 5 years old last month. RIPS found multiple SQL injections, PHP object injections, and the complementary cross-site scriptings so that the more severe vulnerabilities can be exploited. Interestingly, the AbanteCart website was defaced just moments before we send out our analysis report to the development team.
The analysis with RIPS of the well over 200,000 lines of code took 4 minutes to complete. The most critical issues were primarily located in the language manager of the application and could thus be fixed as a bundle.
The truncated analysis results are available in our RIPS demo application. Please note that we limited the results to the issues described in this post in order to ensure a fix is available.
As an example, we detected a SQL injection vulnerability in the language manager of AbanteCart. The following code lines are affected.
The POST parameter source_language is passed on in an unsanitized state to the fillMissingLanguageEntries() function in line 225 and is then directly used in the function call to _clone_language_rows() as the argument $from_language in line 556. Here, the parameter $from_language is used in an unquoted and unsanitized way in the SQL query in line 868 that is executed later. In this case, it would suffice to cast the variable $from_language to integer in order to fix the vulnerability.
An attacker is able to use error-based SQL injection techniques in order to extract data from the database. For example, customer data or user credentials can be stolen by generating a SQL error message that includes the desired secrets.
In order to exploit the SQL injection described above we require access to an administration account. Using the cross-site scripting vulnerability described in the following example it is possible for an attacker to gain access to such an account and to cause damage to unsuspecting customers or the shop's reputation.
define('HTTP_ABANTECART', 'http:/' . $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'] .
As can be seen in the short code summary above, the variable $_SERVER['PHP_SELF'] is used more or less unsanitized in the the constant definition HTTP_ABANTECART and then printed in line 34. The rtrim() functions only trims whitespaces and the string static_pages from the end of the user-controlled request path. Similarly, the dirname() function returns the directory name of the parent of the given string, rendering it straightforward to circumvent by adding a child directory to the request path, similar to index.php/xss/rips/.
The last example of our case study describes another SQL injection vulnerability that occurs due to a simple programming negligence.
As one can see in the code summaries above, the POST array is used in the function call to createBackupTask() as the $data parameter. The array $data['table_list'] is then traversed in line 35 and each element is added in a sanitized way to the new $table_list array in line 37. Unfortunately, this array is not used in the resulting SQL query. Instead, the original and unescaped data in $data['table_list'] is inserted into the SQL query in line 39. This can be easily fixed by using the correctly escaped $table_list variable instead of $data['table_list'].
Combining multiple seemingly non-critical security issues can lead to high risk situations for companies and their customers at the same time, as we already demonstrated in our previous advent calendar posts. According to a Facebook comment, the defacement was related to a security issue in Joomla. Since a demo version with administrator privileges of the e-commerce solution was available, it might as well could have been an entry point for attackers though. We would like to thank the AbanteCart team for the quick fixes of our reported issues.
Martin has 10 years of working experience as a lead web application developer. He graduated in IT security at the Ruhr-University Bochum and is conducting research on state-of-the-art code analysis and web technologies. His security background is supplemented by practical development and project management expertise.


The Striker was surprisingly linked with an exit as the Blues were in the lookout for a new striker and were heavily linked with a move for Gonzalo Higuain. This attracted the attention of French Side, who are interested in bringing him back to France.
Giroud, who will arrive at Stamford Bridge next week, has revealed that he has no intentions to leave Chelsea and will discuss his future with Sarri.
He told Le Dauphine: "I have heard many things that have been said in the media. In the near future, my goal isn't to return to France. For now, I'm a Chelsea player.


text:
Q: WPF Dispatcher.Run throws null exception on Win 7 64 I have the following code to create a new UI thread on a .NET 3.5 application.
  private void OnCreateNewWindow(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
        {
            var rect = this.RestoreBounds;
            double l = rect.Left;
            double wth = rect.Width;
            double t = rect.Top;
            double ht = rect.Height;
            var progressThread = new Thread(() =>
            {

                progressWindow = new ProgressWindow(Visibility.Collapsed) { Height = 50, Width = 50 };
                progressWindow.WindowStartupLocation = WindowStartupLocation.Manual;
                progressWindow.Left = l + (wth - progressWindow.Width) / 2;
                progressWindow.Top = t - 35 + (ht - progressWindow.Height) / 2;

                progressWindow.Show();
                progressWindow.Activate();
                Dispatcher.Run();
            });

            progressThread.SetApartmentState(ApartmentState.STA);
            progressThread.Start();
        }

Crash is demonstrated here:
This works perfectly on 32 bit versions of Windows.  The first time I run this program upon PC reboot on 64 bit Windows 7, I get a null exception, if run via Visual Studio or an application crash outside of Visual Studio.
Exception details is dry:
System.NullReferenceException was unhandled

Stack trace is given below:
    [Managed to Native Transition]
    WindowsBase.dll!MS.Win32.HwndWrapper.DestroyWindow(object args) + 0xfc bytes
    WindowsBase.dll!MS.Win32.HwndWrapper.Dispose(bool disposing, bool isHwndBeingDestroyed) + 0xce bytes
    WindowsBase.dll!MS.Win32.HwndWrapper.Dispose() + 0x15 bytes
    PresentationCore.dll!System.Windows.Media.MediaContextNotificationWindow.DisposeNotificationWindow() + 0x22 bytes
    PresentationCore.dll!System.Windows.Media.MediaContext.Dispose() + 0xba bytes
    [Native to Managed Transition]
    [Managed to Native Transition]
    WindowsBase.dll!System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher.ShutdownImplInSecurityContext(object state) + 0x47 bytes
    mscorlib.dll!System.Threading.ExecutionContext.runTryCode(object userData) + 0x178 bytes
    [Native to Managed Transition]
    [Managed to Native Transition]
    mscorlib.dll!System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(System.Threading.ExecutionContext executionContext, System.Threading.ContextCallback callback, object state) + 0x62 bytes
    WindowsBase.dll!System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher.ShutdownImpl() + 0x87 bytes
    WindowsBase.dll!System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher.PushFrameImpl(System.Windows.Threading.DispatcherFrame frame) + 0x121 bytes
>   EMS.Controls.Dictionary.dll!EMS.Controls.Dictionary.Views.AuthenticateWindow.OnCreateNewWindow.AnonymousMethod() Line 56 + 0x5 bytes    C#
    mscorlib.dll!System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(System.Threading.ExecutionContext executionContext, System.Threading.ContextCallback callback, object state) + 0x9b bytes
    mscorlib.dll!System.Threading.ThreadHelper.ThreadStart() + 0x4d bytes

If I continue to run the program again, I get a message from the Program Compatibility Assitant, indicating that some compatibility settings have been applied.  Next time I run the program I no longer get this exception.  Anyone experienced this?

A: This problem had to do with the application launch sequence.  The progress window was being created on a separate UI thread so that authentication to a webservice, required for application launch, could be done on the UI thread.  It appears as though invoking webservice methods on the main UI thread is problematic based on this thread on MSDN .
Luckily, this is the only place in the application where webservice methods are invoked synchronously on the UI thread.
After making changes to launch the progress window on the main UI thread while authentication to the webservice on a background thread, problem has not occurred so far.
Interesting that this problem did not occur on other versions of Windows including Windows 7 x32.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
from unittest import mock
from unittest.mock import call

from osc_lib import exceptions

from openstackclient.network.v2 import ndp_proxy
from openstackclient.tests.unit.identity.v3 import fakes as identity_fakes_v3
from openstackclient.tests.unit.network.v2 import fakes as network_fakes
from openstackclient.tests.unit import utils as tests_utils

class TestNDPProxy(network_fakes.TestNetworkV2):

    def setUp(self):
        super(TestNDPProxy, self).setUp()
        # Get a shortcut to the ProjectManager Mock
        self.projects_mock = self.app.client_manager.identity.projects
        # Get a shortcut to the DomainManager Mock
        self.domains_mock = self.app.client_manager.identity.domains
        # Get a shortcut to the network client
        self.network = self.app.client_manager.network
        self.router = network_fakes.FakeRouter.create_one_router(
            {'id': 'fake-router-id'})
        self.network.find_router = mock.Mock(return_value=self.router)
        self.port = network_fakes.create_one_port()
        self.network.find_port = mock.Mock(return_value=self.port)

class TestCreateNDPProxy(TestNDPProxy):
    def setUp(self):
        super(TestCreateNDPProxy, self).setUp()
        attrs = {'router_id': self.router.id, 'port_id': self.port.id}
        self.ndp_proxy = (
            network_fakes.create_one_ndp_proxy(
                attrs))
        self.columns = (
            'created_at',
            'description',
            'id',
            'ip_address',
            'name',
            'port_id',
            'project_id',
            'revision_number',
            'router_id',
            'updated_at')

        self.data = (
            self.ndp_proxy.created_at,
            self.ndp_proxy.description,
            self.ndp_proxy.id,
            self.ndp_proxy.ip_address,
            self.ndp_proxy.name,
            self.ndp_proxy.port_id,
            self.ndp_proxy.project_id,
            self.ndp_proxy.revision_number,
            self.ndp_proxy.router_id,
            self.ndp_proxy.updated_at
        )
        self.network.create_ndp_proxy = mock.Mock(
            return_value=self.ndp_proxy)

        # Get the command object to test
        self.cmd = ndp_proxy.CreateNDPProxy(self.app, self.namespace)

    def test_create_no_options(self):
        arglist = []
        verifylist = []

        # Missing required args should bail here
        self.assertRaises(tests_utils.ParserException, self.check_parser,
                          self.cmd, arglist, verifylist)

    def test_create_all_options(self):
        arglist = [
            self.ndp_proxy.router_id,
            '--name', self.ndp_proxy.name,
            '--port', self.ndp_proxy.port_id,
            '--ip-address', self.ndp_proxy.ip_address,
            '--description', self.ndp_proxy.description,
        ]
        verifylist = [
            ('name', self.ndp_proxy.name),
            ('router', self.ndp_proxy.router_id),
            ('port', self.ndp_proxy.port_id),
            ('ip_address', self.ndp_proxy.ip_address),
            ('description', self.ndp_proxy.description),
        ]
        parsed_args = self.check_parser(self.cmd, arglist, verifylist)
        columns, data = self.cmd.take_action(parsed_args)

        self.network.create_ndp_proxy.assert_called_once_with(
            **{'name': self.ndp_proxy.name,
               'router_id': self.ndp_proxy.router_id,
               'ip_address': self.ndp_proxy.ip_address,
               'port_id': self.ndp_proxy.port_id,
               'description': self.ndp_proxy.description})
        self.assertEqual(self.columns, columns)
        self.assertEqual(self.data, data)

class TestDeleteNDPProxy(TestNDPProxy):

    def setUp(self):
        super(TestDeleteNDPProxy, self).setUp()
        attrs = {'router_id': self.router.id, 'port_id': self.port.id}
        self.ndp_proxies = (
            network_fakes.create_ndp_proxies(attrs))
        self.ndp_proxy = self.ndp_proxies[0]
        self.network.delete_ndp_proxy = mock.Mock(
            return_value=None)
        self.network.find_ndp_proxy = mock.Mock(
            return_value=self.ndp_proxy)

        # Get the command object to test
        self.cmd = ndp_proxy.DeleteNDPProxy(self.app, self.namespace)

    def test_delete(self):
        arglist = [
            self.ndp_proxy.id
        ]
        verifylist = [
            ('ndp_proxy', [self.ndp_proxy.id])
        ]
        parsed_args = self.check_parser(self.cmd, arglist, verifylist)
        result = self.cmd.take_action(parsed_args)
        self.network.delete_ndp_proxy.assert_called_once_with(self.ndp_proxy)
        self.assertIsNone(result)

    def test_delete_error(self):
        arglist = [
            self.ndp_proxy.id,
        ]
        verifylist = [
            ('ndp_proxy', [self.ndp_proxy.id])
        ]
        self.network.delete_ndp_proxy.side_effect = Exception(
            'Error message')
        parsed_args = self.check_parser(self.cmd, arglist, verifylist)
        self.assertRaises(
            exceptions.CommandError,
            self.cmd.take_action, parsed_args)

    def test_multi_ndp_proxies_delete(self):
        arglist = []
        np_id = []

        for a in self.ndp_proxies:
            arglist.append(a.id)
            np_id.append(a.id)

        verifylist = [
            ('ndp_proxy', np_id),
        ]
        parsed_args = self.check_parser(self.cmd, arglist, verifylist)

        result = self.cmd.take_action(parsed_args)

        self.network.delete_ndp_proxy.assert_has_calls(
            [call(self.ndp_proxy), call(self.ndp_proxy)])
        self.assertIsNone(result)

class TestListNDPProxy(TestNDPProxy):

    def setUp(self):
        super(TestListNDPProxy, self).setUp()
        attrs = {'router_id': self.router.id, 'port_id': self.port.id}
        ndp_proxies = (
            network_fakes.create_ndp_proxies(attrs, count=3))
        self.columns = (
            'ID',
            'Name',
            'Router ID',
            'IP Address',
            'Project',
        )
        self.data = []
        for np in ndp_proxies:
            self.data.append((
                np.id,
                np.name,
                np.router_id,
                np.ip_address,
                np.project_id,
            ))

        self.network.ndp_proxies = mock.Mock(
            return_value=ndp_proxies)

        # Get the command object to test
        self.cmd = ndp_proxy.ListNDPProxy(self.app, self.namespace)

    def test_ndp_proxy_list(self):
        arglist = []
        verifylist = []

        parsed_args = self.check_parser(self.cmd, arglist, verifylist)
        columns, data = self.cmd.take_action(parsed_args)

        self.network.ndp_proxies.assert_called_once_with()
        self.assertEqual(self.columns, columns)
        list_data = list(data)
        self.assertEqual(len(self.data), len(list_data))
        for index in range(len(list_data)):
            self.assertEqual(self.data[index], list_data[index])

    def test_ndp_proxy_list_router(self):
        arglist = [
            '--router', 'fake-router-name',
        ]

        verifylist = [
            ('router', 'fake-router-name')
        ]

        parsed_args = self.check_parser(self.cmd, arglist, verifylist)

        columns, data = self.cmd.take_action(parsed_args)

        self.network.ndp_proxies.assert_called_once_with(**{
            'router_id': 'fake-router-id'})
        self.assertEqual(self.columns, columns)
        self.assertCountEqual(self.data, list(data))

    def test_ndp_proxy_list_port(self):
        arglist = [
            '--port', self.port.id,
        ]

        verifylist = [
            ('port', self.port.id)
        ]

        parsed_args = self.check_parser(self.cmd, arglist, verifylist)

        columns, data = self.cmd.take_action(parsed_args)

        self.network.ndp_proxies.assert_called_once_with(**{
            'port_id': self.port.id})
        self.assertEqual(self.columns, columns)
        self.assertCountEqual(self.data, list(data))

    def test_ndp_proxy_list_name(self):
        arglist = [
            '--name', 'fake-ndp-proxy-name',
        ]

        verifylist = [
            ('name', 'fake-ndp-proxy-name')
        ]

        parsed_args = self.check_parser(self.cmd, arglist, verifylist)

        columns, data = self.cmd.take_action(parsed_args)

        self.network.ndp_proxies.assert_called_once_with(**{
            'name': 'fake-ndp-proxy-name'})
        self.assertEqual(self.columns, columns)
        self.assertCountEqual(self.data, list(data))

    def test_ndp_proxy_list_ip_address(self):
        arglist = [
            '--ip-address', '2001::1:2',
        ]

        verifylist = [
            ('ip_address', '2001::1:2')
        ]

        parsed_args = self.check_parser(self.cmd, arglist, verifylist)

        columns, data = self.cmd.take_action(parsed_args)

        self.network.ndp_proxies.assert_called_once_with(**{
            'ip_address': '2001::1:2'})
        self.assertEqual(self.columns, columns)
        self.assertCountEqual(self.data, list(data))

    def test_ndp_proxy_list_project(self):
        project = identity_fakes_v3.FakeProject.create_one_project()
        self.projects_mock.get.return_value = project
        arglist = [
            '--project', project.id,
        ]
        verifylist = [
            ('project', project.id),
        ]
        parsed_args = self.check_parser(self.cmd, arglist, verifylist)
        columns, data = self.cmd.take_action(parsed_args)

        self.network.ndp_proxies.assert_called_once_with(
            **{'project_id': project.id})
        self.assertEqual(self.columns, columns)
        self.assertItemsEqual(self.data, list(data))

    def test_ndp_proxy_list_project_domain(self):
        project = identity_fakes_v3.FakeProject.create_one_project()
        self.projects_mock.get.return_value = project
        arglist = [
            '--project', project.id,
            '--project-domain', project.domain_id,
        ]
        verifylist = [
            ('project', project.id),
        ]
        parsed_args = self.check_parser(self.cmd, arglist, verifylist)

        columns, data = self.cmd.take_action(parsed_args)
        filters = {'project_id': project.id}

        self.network.ndp_proxies.assert_called_once_with(**filters)
        self.assertEqual(self.columns, columns)
        self.assertItemsEqual(self.data, list(data))

class TestSetNDPProxy(TestNDPProxy):

    def setUp(self):
        super(TestSetNDPProxy, self).setUp()
        attrs = {'router_id': self.router.id, 'port_id': self.port.id}
        self.ndp_proxy = (
            network_fakes.create_one_ndp_proxy(attrs))
        self.network.update_ndp_proxy = mock.Mock(return_value=None)
        self.network.find_ndp_proxy = mock.Mock(
            return_value=self.ndp_proxy)

        # Get the command object to test
        self.cmd = ndp_proxy.SetNDPProxy(self.app, self.namespace)

    def test_set_nothing(self):
        arglist = [
            self.ndp_proxy.id,
        ]
        verifylist = [
            ('ndp_proxy', self.ndp_proxy.id),
        ]

        parsed_args = self.check_parser(self.cmd, arglist, verifylist)
        result = (self.cmd.take_action(parsed_args))

        self.network.update_ndp_proxy.assert_called_once_with(
            self.ndp_proxy)
        self.assertIsNone(result)

    def test_set_name(self):
        arglist = [
            self.ndp_proxy.id,
            '--name', 'fake-name',
        ]
        verifylist = [
            ('ndp_proxy', self.ndp_proxy.id),
            ('name', 'fake-name'),
        ]

        parsed_args = self.check_parser(self.cmd, arglist, verifylist)
        result = (self.cmd.take_action(parsed_args))

        self.network.update_ndp_proxy.assert_called_once_with(
            self.ndp_proxy, name='fake-name')
        self.assertIsNone(result)

    def test_set_description(self):
        arglist = [
            self.ndp_proxy.id,
            '--description', 'balala',
        ]
        verifylist = [
            ('ndp_proxy', self.ndp_proxy.id),
            ('description', 'balala'),
        ]

        parsed_args = self.check_parser(self.cmd, arglist, verifylist)
        result = (self.cmd.take_action(parsed_args))

        self.network.update_ndp_proxy.assert_called_once_with(
            self.ndp_proxy, description='balala')
        self.assertIsNone(result)

class TestShowNDPProxy(TestNDPProxy):

    def setUp(self):
        super(TestShowNDPProxy, self).setUp()
        attrs = {'router_id': self.router.id, 'port_id': self.port.id}
        self.ndp_proxy = (
            network_fakes.create_one_ndp_proxy(attrs))

        self.columns = (
            'created_at',
            'description',
            'id',
            'ip_address',
            'name',
            'port_id',
            'project_id',
            'revision_number',
            'router_id',
            'updated_at')

        self.data = (
            self.ndp_proxy.created_at,
            self.ndp_proxy.description,
            self.ndp_proxy.id,
            self.ndp_proxy.ip_address,
            self.ndp_proxy.name,
            self.ndp_proxy.port_id,
            self.ndp_proxy.project_id,
            self.ndp_proxy.revision_number,
            self.ndp_proxy.router_id,
            self.ndp_proxy.updated_at
        )
        self.network.get_ndp_proxy = mock.Mock(return_value=self.ndp_proxy)
        self.network.find_ndp_proxy = mock.Mock(return_value=self.ndp_proxy)

        # Get the command object to test
        self.cmd = ndp_proxy.ShowNDPProxy(self.app, self.namespace)

    def test_show_no_options(self):
        arglist = []
        verifylist = []

        # Missing required args should bail here
        self.assertRaises(tests_utils.ParserException, self.check_parser,
                          self.cmd, arglist, verifylist)

    def test_show_default_options(self):
        arglist = [
            self.ndp_proxy.id,
        ]
        verifylist = [
            ('ndp_proxy', self.ndp_proxy.id),
        ]

        parsed_args = self.check_parser(self.cmd, arglist, verifylist)
        columns, data = (self.cmd.take_action(parsed_args))

        self.network.find_ndp_proxy.assert_called_once_with(
            self.ndp_proxy.id, ignore_missing=False)
        self.assertEqual(self.columns, columns)
        self.assertEqual(self.data, data)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
The Broad Institute Joins National Effort to Improve Precision Medicine
Obama announced the partnership in an op-ed published in the Boston Globe.
By Jamie Ducharme·	 7/7/2016, 10:27 a.m.
Photo by Len Rubenstein/Provided
President Obama pledged his commitment to advancing precision medicine—and detailed a far-reaching research initiative—in an op-ed published in the Boston Globe Thursday.
The National Institutes of Health, he wrote, will partner with organizations around the country—including the Broad Institute in Cambridge—to collect and study huge swaths of data from a million patients, hopefully using those insights to further precision medicine and move toward cures for chronic diseases. The project is part of Obama's Precision Medicine Initiative (PMI), and is expected to launch later this year.
"Our health care should be customized for us," Obama wrote. "The powerful and exciting field of precision medicine goes a step further and asks: What if we could…match a cancer cure to a patient's unique genetic code? Instead of trying a one-size-fits-all treatment, what if medical experts could tailor one specifically for everyone's body?"
The Broad Institute, along with Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Verily Life Sciences, will create the PMI's Data and Research Support Center, a system for collecting, storing, organizing, and analyzing the huge amount of data involved in the project.
"At Broad we are thrilled to have the opportunity to develop a data infrastructure that will assemble, curate, store, and make openly available the data necessary to drive a new era of discovery in biomedicine," Broad's project lead Sekar Kathiresan said in a statement.
That's no small task, since the study is the largest ever devoted to precision medicine.
"This range of information at the scale of 1 million people from all walks of life will be an unprecedented resource for researchers working to understand all of the factors that influence health and disease," NIH Director Francis Collins said in a statement. "The more we understand about individual differences, the better able we will be to effectively prevent and treat illness."
The NIH has so far given out $197 million in PMI grants. Among them was a $142 million award to the Mayo Clinic, for building a research specimen biobank.
Heather White Called Out a Major Real Estate Developer for Its All White Fitness Lineup. They Listened
Ayanna Pressley's Response to Her Hair Loss Is Personal, Political—and Courageous
How to Find Mental Health Care in Boston: An Essential Guide


text:
Sir Edmund Reginald Talbot de la Pole, 10. Baronet (* 22. Februar 1844; † 26. August 1912) war ein britischer Adliger.

Edmund de la Pole wurde als Edmund Reginald Talbot Pole als ältester Sohn von Sir William Pole, 9. Baronet und dessen Frau Margaret Talbot geboren. Er besuchte das Winchester College. Beim Tod seines Vaters erbte er 1895 den Titel Baronet, of Shute House in the County of Devon, sowie die Anwesen Old und New Shute House bei Axminster in Devon, wozu ein über 22 km2 großer Grundbesitz gehörte. Er änderte seinen Namen in Edmund de la Pole. In erster Ehe hatte er 1877 die verwitwete Mary Ann Sands, eine Tochter von Hastings Sands geheiratet, die jedoch bereits 1878 starb. In zweiter Ehe heiratete er 1884 Elizabeth Rhodes, eine Tochter von Charles Rhodes. Beide Ehen blieben kinderlos, so dass sein jüngerer Bruder Frederick sein Erbe wurde.

Literatur
 POLE, Sir Edmund Reginald Talbot de la. In: Who Was Who, online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014.

Weblinks

Baronet
Edmund, 10 Baronet
Brite
Geboren 1844
Gestorben 1912
Mann

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Our beautiful photo large link chain bracelet is presented in a silver polished and contains 5 of your favorite photos as the charms. A memorable way to wear a memory or photos of your special people! Charms are fixed with a vertical silver pin that enables it to dangle gracefully with your hand movement. Charms can be imprinted with a photo or name/text of your choice.


Estrela do Mar is a lovely and romantic holiday villa situated in Sesmarias, near Gale. Sleeping 4 persons, the villa is complete with a private pool, air conditioning and Wi-Fi Internet. And for fans of James Bond movies, check out the 'hidden entrance' to the lower level bedroom!
The holiday home has 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms spread over 2 levels. It's comfort and the vicinity of the beach, sports activities and places to go out make this a fine holiday home to celebrate your holidays- perfect for small families or for a couple seeking a romantic break.
The main living area is on the lower level of the villa and is complete with a TV with cable channels, Wi-Fi internet, Bluetooth speaker, split unit a/c and furnished with comfy sofas. Patio doors lead directly to the poolside terrace.
The living area is open plan to the kitchen which is fully equipped with appliances including a toaster, kettle, fridge freezer, electric hobs, oven, microwave, nespresso coffee maker and dishwasher. Separate utility room with washing machine, iron & ironing board.
Bedroom one is on the upper entrance level of the villa, and this bedroom has a double bed, split unit a/c and an en suite with large walk-in shower unit and double wash basins. From this level a spiral staircase leads down to the lower level and the main living area.
Bedroom two is situated behind a hidden entrance off the main living area on the lower level. This room has a double bed, double wardrobes with safe and an en suite shower room. With the bedroom door open the living room split unit a/c unit covers this bedroom as well.
Poolside terrace with 4 sun loungers, dining table and integrated charcoal BBQ. The pool measures approximately 6 x 3 metres.
The holiday home is situated close to restaurants and bars 500 m from Coelha beach and 10 kms from Albufeira. Nearby attractions include water sports, golf, Zoomarine in Guia and the water park Slide & Splash in Lagoa.
Rates include maid service, towels and linen. Pool towels, a hairdryer and a safe are provided for your convenience.
It was good, great for our needs.


At a time when the new freedoms of the post-Mao years are in jeopardy, many issues of intense concern to Chinese can freely be discussed only abroad. Of these, among the most important is the Cultural Revolution, about which Nien Cheng has written one of the best books yet to appear. Life and Death in Shanghai is a clearsighted and moving account by a cosmopolitan Shanghai woman now in her seventies who left China in 1980 and has since lived in Washington. It is a very different tale from those of former Red Guards, who were hardly more than children during the upheaval and were groping to find coherence in a world in which families and public institutions had been shattered.
Nien Cheng was born into a well-to-do family in Beijing in 1915. She studied at the London School of Economics, and married a Chinese diplomat, who was assigned during the Kuomintang period to Canberra, Australia. Her years abroad appear to have given her a sense of distance from events that few of her contemporaries share, and she can now write with a frankness that would be impossible had she stayed in Shanghai. Her book is remarkable for being written in graceful and evocative English without the aid of a collaborator or translator.


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Home > Cruise the 'Enchanted' Galapagos Islands
Cruise the 'Enchanted' Galapagos Islands
"You have reached a unique place in the world; GALAPAGOS", proclaims a sign in the arrivals hall at Baltra airport, the 'gateway' to these "Enchanted Islands", where our first birds are handsome Galapagos Doves and both Small and Medium Ground-Finches, all hopping around the café outside the airport building. From here it's a short bus ride to the Itabaca Canal separating tiny Baltra from the much larger island of Santa Cruz, where the rocks by the jetty are adorned by bright orange Sally Lightfoot Crabs and a solitary Lava Heron, while numerous Brown Noddies, Brown Pelicans, diving Blue-footed Boobies and an occasional Galápagos Shearwater add excitement to the short ferry ride across the canal. As we drive into the central highlands of Santa Cruz, the arid landscape of xerophytic scrub is replaced by lush verdant vegetation consisting of 'Daisy Trees' and woods festooned with epiphytic moss, which thrives here in the moisture laden mist (La Garúa). Suddenly there are Giant Tortoises everywhere, hundreds of them, in every direction, with attendant Cattle Egrets. As the awesome dome-shelled giants trundle around, or simply wallow in muddy pools, there are plenty of Darwin's Finches to 'classify', and a short stroll soon produces Small, Medium, and stocky Large Ground-Finches, with humungous bills, in contrast to the fine beak of the nearby Green Warbler-Finch. It's remarkable to think that such starkly differing designs arose from a common ancestor! Other delights here include a black-faced male Small Tree-Finch, and a Woodpecker Finch with the jizz of a Nuthatch, as well as Galápagos Flycatchers and Mockingbirds, Yellow Warblers and Smooth-billed Anis, all at ridiculously close range, along with neat White-cheeked Pintails on a small pond, where the drakes display by erecting their tail ends behind their bowed heads, whereupon they may get 'lucky' with a lady.
After lunch at a restaurant secluded in the forest, we visit the Charles Darwin Research Station, where tiny offspring of the Giant Tortoises are the fruits of a breeding programme to conserve the varying subspecies of tortoises which inhabit the different islands, although it was too late for Lonesome George, the last of the magnificent 'saddlebacks' from Pinta, who died in 2012, and is now preserved as an example of what can happen when thoughtless people interfere with nature. On the way back along the waterfront, the catch of the day, including a huge twelve foot long swordfish, is being carved up, attracting a Lava Gull, numerous Brown Pelicans, and even a Sea Lion, all waiting beside the fishermen for tit bits, like dogs at their masters' tables. It's dark by the time we board two inflatable Pangas, which create phosphorescent 'sparks' as they riffle the water en route to our yacht, the swish and sumptuous Beluga, which gently rocks us to sleep, while anchored in the channel.
The engine starts up at 5am and by dawn we are moored in a narrow sound between North and South Plaza, ready for a dry landing on the tiny south island, where the vegetation consists of tall Prickly Pear Cactus 'trees' and a carpet of red succulents. Once ashore amongst snoozing Galápagos Sea Lions, with more cavorting in the shallows, a jet black male Galápagos Cactus-Finch is new for the trip, along with roosting Swallow-tailed Gulls, which are nocturnal feeders, hence the large brown eyes, bordered by a striking red eye ring. There are also tiny scurrying Lava Lizards, skinny black Marine Iguanas and hefty yellow-headed Land Iguanas, all passively vying for the attention of our cameras. One of the Land Iguanas rolls a fallen prickly pear fruit with its 'paws' in order to break off the fine spines, before munching on the fruit. At the far side of the island the trail follows a line of low cliffs, where thousands of Galápagos Shearwaters noisily ride the breeze, some often whizzing by at eye level just feet away from us; a spectacular experience, with Great Frigatebirds and Brown Pelicans floating by at low level, as the occasional Red-billed Tropicbird cruises by offshore. Time quickly passes with so much to see, and back at the jetty, a Lava Heron dashing forward to grab a Sally Lightfoot Crab brings a memorable morning to an exciting close.
After lunch, it's time to 'rock 'n' roll' en route south to Santa Fé, where we land on a sandy beach amidst a colony of Sea Lions with suckling pups, completely unfazed by our arrival. While on the beach looking at the local doves, a Galápagos Hawk swoops in low over our heads, scattering the doves, before landing on a rock at the edge of the beach, and then posing on a small bush, oblivious to the nearby audience, busy snapping away at the hawk. Such tame behavior makes these islands a paradise for wildlife watchers and photographers. Along the trail, we literally step over large Santa Fé Land Iguanas and Sea Lions, while Galápagos Mockingbirds, Small and Medium Ground-Finches and several Yellow Warblers hop around our feet. Back at the beach, another juvenile hawk waits to be photographed, while sitting, within stroking distance, on a national park stone plaque, as if glued on by the local tourist board! A day filled with remarkable sights.
This morning we awake to the spectacular sight of Kicker Rock, a towering sheer-faced chevron of rock, looking like a giant shark's tooth, separated from its larger neighbour by a narrow deep channel. A grey sky and a choppy swell whipped up by a stiff breeze is not an inviting mix for snorkeling, but below the waves all is calm and tranquil. Below the surface, the sheer rock face, plastered with yellow and purple soft corals and large white Volcano Barnacles, plunges vertically into a deep blue abyss, alive with a colourful variety of fish in all shapes and sizes, including diminutive Pink Cardinalfish, King Angel Fish, Galápagos Sharks and awesome Spotted Eagle Rays, while several large Green Turtles pass serenely by, and all this before breakfast! Wow!
Next stop is Cerro Brujo on San Cristóbal, where shorebirds include Semi-palmated Plover, Whimbrel, Least Sandpiper, Wandering Tattler, Lava Heron, Lava Gull and even Yellow Warbler, alongside seemingly ubiquitous Sea Lions. Just inland from the beach, a lagoon produces more White-cheeked Pintails and a dozen or so dainty Wilson's Phalaropes, with a couple of Chatham Mockingbirds in the adjacent scrub. Walking along a sweeping white sandy 'desert island' beach, lapped by clear blue water in the company of Sea Lions and Marine Iguanas, with the spectacular Kicker Rock on the otherwise empty horizon is a real privilege.
This afternoon, we have a choppy 'wet' crossing, for a dry landing in Puerto Baquerizo Moreno, with yet more Sea Lions and Sally Lightfoot Crabs on the waterfront. From here it is a relatively short bus ride inland and yet the climate is 'poles apart' with misty cloud shrouding the upland landscape, which is dripping with heavy drizzle. Consequently, the 'viewpoint' is not fit for purpose except for very close views of a Grey Warbler-Finch, looking remarkably like a plump Chiffchaff, but with a weak wheezy song. Ironically, back at the waterfront, the Sea Lions are still basking in the sunshine!
It's a new day with a different vista; a full rainbow arcing across Gardner Bay off Española, where we land on another idyllic white sandy beach with the usual Sea Lions, as well as a welcoming party of inquisitive and vocal Hood Mockingbirds, so curious that they hop around our feet and onto our rucksacks lying on the sand! Nearby a Large Cactus-Finch hops unobtrusively on the sand near the bushes, while crushing seeds with its heavy sharp-pointed beak. Combing the beach, we also find Western Sandpiper and Marine Iguanas in bright red and green breeding colours, and then there is time to go for a swim with the Sea Lions. Back on board, it's a quick change ready for snorkeling with playful Sea Lions and yet another Green Turtle.
Still on Española, we land this afternoon at Punta Suarez, with good views of tiny Elliot's Storm Petrels and Green Turtles from the dinghies on the crossing. Stepping over an 'orgy' of large red and black sneezing Marine Iguanas, sprawled all over each other, and all over the trail, we soon come face to face with the first of many 'drop dead gorgeous' Waved Albatrosses, busy performing their stylised courtship rituals, in which they ceremoniously bow, and then clap their long lemon yellow bills together, followed by taking turns to wave their heads from side to side, then standing to attention and pointing skyward, and culminating with the bizarre-looking action of holding their beaks wide open as if suddenly startled. All this is repeated and can go on for several minutes until they walk away with a slow swaggering action. What a remarkable spectacle, and surely bird of the cruise. Further along the trail, we pass through a colony of Nazca Boobies, along with one or two Blue-foots and Swallow-tailed Gulls, before reaching the blowhole, where incoming surf is compressed through a gap in the lava, forcing up roaring spouts of spray higher than a house! Next stop is the Albatross 'runway' where these marvelous birds take a run and jump off the edge of the cliffs, launching themselves into a flight that could take them as far as Japan! Even when airborne they continue 'pedaling' with their massive webbed feet, which looks quite comical. Hundreds of photos later, on the way back to the jetty, a pair of American Oystercatchers pose nicely in the early evening sun, providing even more footage for the hard-working cameras, rounding off a fantastic day on a remarkable island.
After another imperceptibly smooth overnight cruise we awake off the island of Floreana, with another rainbow over the horizon and several Elliot's Storm Petrels defying gravity while feeding close in by the boat. First stop on Floreana is Punta Cormorant, where the large shallow lagoon is home to shockingly pink Greater Flamingoes, with several performing colourful flybys. The lovely beach at the end of the trail produces several shorebirds including Turnstone, Semipalmated Plover, Whimbrel, two Sanderlings, which are new for the trip, and a Yellow-crowned Night Heron walking towards us along the beach and then straight past us within just a few feet, while on a mission, making a bee line for a Sally Lightfoot Crab on a nearby rock! We also enjoy sightings of one or two Green Turtles offshore and lovely views of one actually on the beach! Back at the landing beach, we watch a sleeping juvenile Blue-footed Booby suddenly come to life and frantically beg for food when one of its parents arrives. After elevenses back on the Beluga, it's a quick change ready for snorkeling at the Devil's Crown, an aptly named jagged ring of lava formed from the weathered remnants of a partly submerged volcano. The teeming underwater life here includes chunky Chocolate Chip Sea Stars, slender-armed Blue Sea Stars, Green Turtles, purple and orange King Angel Fish, blue and yellow Razor Surgeon Fish, impressively large turquoise and pink Blue-chinned Parrotfish, and a massive shoal of shiny slender Black-striped Snappers in their thousands!
This afternoon, a leisurely Panga ride along the rocky shore, reveals four Galápagos Penguins swimming alongside the boats, more Wandering Tattlers and Blue-footed Boobies, and a pair of Magnificent Frigatebirds, perched in a low bush at the water's edge. Landing at Post Office Bay, we pass two freshly dug Turtle nests, and sort the mail in the nearby barrel, which has been in use as a mail box since 1793, where remarkably there is a postcard addressed to Wollaton in Nottingham and dated the previous day to our visit! Floreana has a colourful human history regaled by our guide Juan, including tales of sex slavery, denture sharing and serial killings! One just couldn't make it up.
After several bumps in the night we awake near Dragon Hill off the coast of Santa Cruz, where the leafless sun-bleached trees, from a distance, look as though they are coated with a thick frost. After a dry landing on a small headland of black lava, with Blue-footed Boobies and Brown Pelicans plunge-diving into the clear blue water, we find Grey and Semipalmated Plovers, Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers and a couple of Wandering Tattlers on the small lagoon. Inland, the dry sandy soil is ideal terrain for the Land Iguanas to dig nesting burrows into, and we come across several impressively bulky yellow Land Iguanas along the walk, including a couple of posturing males which eventually work out which is 'top dog' after a bout of wrestling. On the rocks back at the beach, the diminutive Lava Heron has been displaced by a Great Blue. Back on the Beluga, some members of the group relax on the sun deck, while others go snorkeling with a very playful Sea Lion, eager to tug and chew the tips of people's snorkeling fins.
After lunch, the Beluga sets sail for Santiago, where another snorkeling opportunity awaits. As usual there are King Angel Fish and thousands of Black-striped Snappers, as well as a large but shy Hieroglyphic Hawkfish, the well named Guineafowl Puffer Fish and the spectacular psychedelic Blue-chinned Parrotfish, audibly chomping away at hard corals with its powerful jaws. The last activity of the day is a walk on an unearthly landscape of 'fresh' black lava, crumpled into rope-like ripples as it set little more than 120 years ago, and little changed since then. Even in this apparently sterile environment, with no soil or surface water, and baked by the tropical sun, there is life; a solitary cactus, somehow surviving in a crack in the lava, Painted Locusts, the ubiquitous Yellow Warbler, and a juvenile Lava Heron, looking very perplexed by our arrival.
We have a turbulent overnight sailing north across the equator, with various crashes, bangs and wallops along the way, so that the dining room next morning resembles the aftermath of a saloon bar brawl, with chairs strewn across the floor! Our first landing on Genovesa is on a coral beach in Darwin Bay, amidst numerous Swallow-tailed Gulls, including a few chicks looking like overgrown juvenile Black-headed Gulls. Tiny Genovesa Ground-Finches hop around at close range, with Grey Warbler-Finch in the shrubs along the back of the beach, which are also festooned with nesting Great Frigatebirds and Nazca and Red-footed Boobies, one or two of which are white morphs. Each Frigatebird chick fills its nest, consisting of a flimsy platform of loose twigs, barely two feet above the ground. At this stage, they have the long hooked bill and dark flight feathers, with downy pale brown heads, while the mothers are close enough to show a pink eyering, and the fathers have a deep green glossy sheen on the mantle. Overhead, the air is full of Frigatebirds and Boobies, providing plenty of opportunities for flight shots at fairly close range, while time also flies by with so much action going on here.
The mid morning snorkel session along the wall of the flooded caldera, which forms Darwin Bay is the best of all the swims so far, with an amazing variety of colourful fish, such as the now familiar King Angels, Razor Surgeons, Blue-chinned Parrots and Black-striped Snappers, plus powder blue Giant Damselfish, with long white-trimmed fins and tails, a Porcupine Puffer with large dark eyes and blue fins, a huge black disc-shaped Marbled Ray and beautiful black and yellow-striped Moorish Idols, with long flowing white dorsal fin streamers, delicately 'pecking' the rocks with their long slender snouts.
This afternoon, cruising slowly along the base of the guano-plastered cliffs, we spot Blue-footed Boobies and a couple of snoozing Galápagos Fur Seals from the Pangas, and then follow in the footsteps of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, up the cliffs and onto the flat arid surface of Genovesa, through colonies of Nazca and Red-footed Boobies, with Genovesa Ground-Finches and Large Ground-Finches along the way. Beyond the dry and dead looking shrubs is an open area of broken lava slabs, teeming with Wedge-rumped Storm Petrels, dashing to and fro like flies over a pond. The petrels nest in crevices amongst the broken lava, along with Red-billed Tropicbirds, noisily chasing each other in small groups. The plentiful prey supports a small population of Short-eared Owls and eventually we pinpoint one hunkered down in a crevice in the lava. Although it is the same species as our own Asio flammeus, this is the dark-faced galapagoensis subspecies which is perfectly camouflaged against the dark brown lava hereabouts. Before our last supper on board the Beluga, we enjoy a cocktail with the crew and thank them for a truly wonderful experience.
At first light, Brown Pelicans are filling their pouches with small fish hiding below the boat, as we set off for a Panga ride into the Red Mangroves of Black Turtle Cove. Paddling quietly along the tranquil backwaters, we enjoy magical sightings of numerous Green Turtles, and both Black- and White-tipped Sharks, all right alongside the dinghies. Back at the Beluga, hundreds of Blue-footed Boobies swarm around the vessel, in a feeding frenzy. It's sadly time to say adios to the crew and disembark for the airport and a flight back to the mainland, but these fantastic islands have one last amazing experience in store; as a Brown Pelican dives into the water beside the landing stage, a Brown Noddy actually perches on the pelican's head, hoping for an easy meal! The sign at the airport was right; the Galápagos really is "a unique place in the world".


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China Netcom Sets Its Sights Abroad
By Mei FongStaff Reporter of The Wall Street Journal
Feb. 26, 2004 12:01 am ET
HONG KONG -- China Netcom Group is the No. 2 player in one of the world's largest and fastest-growing fixed-line telephone markets. But instead of sticking to domestic growth, the company is trying to burst onto the international scene ahead of planned stock listings in Hong Kong and New York this year.
Its vehicle for overseas expansion is a fiber-optic-cable network it found on the scrap heap a year and a half ago in the wake of the insolvency of Asia Global Crossing Ltd., an affiliate of Global Crossing Ltd. , of Bermuda.
Together with partners Newbridge Capital Inc. and Softbank Asia Infrastructure Fund, China Netcom paid just $80 million for the network, which only two years earlier had a book valuation of $1.2 billion. This month, China Netcom, acting through a subsidiary, announced it had bought out its partners to become sole owner of the fiber-optic network, renamed Asia Netcom Ltd.
Even after a brutal industry shakeout, selling bandwidth to carriers is a business burdened by falling prices and overcapacity. Wholesale prices have plunged during the past year by as much as 80% in the trans-Pacific and North Asian routes, estimates To Chee Eng, principal analyst at research firm Gartner Dataquest.
By contrast, China Netcom's fixed-line business in China has expanded mostly as a result of the explosive popularity of the so-called personal handy-phone system, an inexpensive wireless network that allows users to roam usually only within one metropolitan area. In the past year, the company has increased its number of PHS subscribers to 10.6 million from 2.23 million, or about 40% of the nationwide total, according to technology-research firm BDA China.