There was famine in the land of Israel as there is famine of the word of God in today's church. Going with her husband and two sons, she left the land of Israel for the sake of famine as people today are being pressed to leave the church for the sake of famine of God's word. They thought it was the wisest thing to do just the way the people today think its the wisest thing to do. She went out full but came back empty. She went out in hope and came back with regrets. We have to be careful lest we come back empty in the later end with a lot of regrets.
Note her words, "…the LORD hath brought me home…" (Ruth 1:21). Home implies where she belongs. If you're born again, you belong to the church. The heretics you're leaving the church for don't belong there. History has taught us that this kind of actions are always a mistake. To leave your post to maintain peace because of a threat to peace would never maintain that peace. That David left the throne for Absalom didn't make him not to seek his life. The throne was his but he left it to Absalom whose the throne was not. Emperor Mauritius, the pious emperor of Byzantine, for the sake of peace left the throne for his rogue General and retired to his private monastery, but his General went after him, captured him, and beheaded his children while he watched, and thereafter killed him and threw their bodies into the sea. The throne was his but he left it to his General whose the throne was not. You too must not leave the church for heretics whose the church is not. Leaving your post is never a way to seek for peace.
Also, to leave the church is to leave the field for the Devil. Wherever place you hope to find peace and green pasture, he'd bring the war there too. You can trust the Devil for that. Why not engage him in the field? Why not seek to take the field from him. Why not brandish the sword of the spirit and engage him right there?
The peace people are looking for in acting this way does not exist under the sun. Only in heaven can we have such peace. To take our mind from such delusions, the Bible clearly states, "there must be also heresies among you…" (1 Corinthians 11:19). It is a must. Not long after some left the church because of heresies, extortion, and wickedness, the Devil has sent heresies after them. Heresies such as "Christianity is not a religion," questioning the gender of God, whether or not hell and heaven is real, etc. So where's the peace. The Christian battle is not to be won by retreats but by head-on offensives. So let's be clear on that.
Whether it be to the arid land or to green pastures.
I meditated on this song a while. I wondered what message was in it for me at that present time. Then as I pondered on it, I began to receive the revelation that the church is the arid land. There's no food for the soul there it seems, but just let us go there, whether it is an arid land or a green pasture. Realising this I dressed up and went to church. When I got there, it was service as usual. Music and message that you know can't profit you a dime. But the Sunday after that a man who was not a pastor of that church was sent to preach. I know him very well and I didn't like his messages at all. And when he was introduced I had very little expectation of the message. But when he began to preach, very surprisingly and very contrary to my expectation, his message sparked such a great revival in me. He spoke about Moses, how he named his son Gershom (meaning sojourner), so as to keep himself in constant reminder that he was a stranger both in Egypt and in Moab. He took us through scriptures and delivered such a powerful message to us never to forget that we are strangers in this world, and that to keep this in our mind is something we must labour to do as we are so prone to forget these things. He chided the worldly lifestyle in the church, not exempting himself, and made an altar call for everybody to come and pray for mercy to be ready when the Lord shall come to take us home. I was so blessed by the message and went home spiritually refreshed and fired up.
Now this was one of the men who preached the gospel of mammon. I have not heard him in particular preaching so much about money but I didn't like his messages all the same, and he was one of the guys running a sick church. Yet through him such a powerful message of revival came to my soul in a way I am pretty sure may have not if I stayed at home.
If God has abandoned his church a while, don't think he can't come back to breath his life into the dry bones he left behind. Just as God revisited Israel as in the days of Naomi, he can by his own sovereign will and power choose to return with a sweeping revival. He could turn the hearts of these extortioners all the way back to himself in true and deep repentance. Why should you be left out when God returns to his church?
So let us not leave the church. Not leaving the church does not mean that you accept the things that are being done there or that you're a part of these things. But be there as a voice of righteousness and resist the powers there. In your respective churches stand for the truth and push for a total unity in purity of the whole church. Don't stop at anything short of that.
I am confident that Christ is resolved on destroying this church and raise a new rapturable church of noble soldiers as I explained in my article "THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST TO A BROTHER," and we can and ought to be his instrument to fulfilling that righteous purpose, but it can be done without leaving the church. It has to be done by challenging heresy head on. I expect to see better communication and questioning of false doctrine, and defending of the truth, either by letters, email messages, or by any means we see possible. Let us not fall for the deception of carving out one corner for our selves for a peaceful and united fellowship. We must keep the battle raging in the field for the truth of our Lord and God, and not hide out in the bush somewhere singing hymns and clapping hands. Don't say "they are deceivers deceiving the deceived, leave them alone." Rather stand there with the sword of the spirit of God and drive them out.
When the Bible says, "And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." (Revelation 18:4). This means we should strive to bring the church out of those sinful ways and not leave the church behind trying to come out of those sinful ways. Getting rid of the sinful ways is what's important not leaving an assembly. We have not left the ways of Babylon if just a hand full of people leave a church. It is when the sin of Babylon cease in the church that we, his people, have "come out of her." This therefore should be our goal.
So let us remain in the church and keep praying for her and doing all we can to have her come out of those sinful ways and be united in every way. If we have the courage, let us challenge even those in authority for their evil practices to their very faces. Let us hold the fort in midst of plenty or famine.
Naomi went out full, not just with possessions, family and all, she went full of hope, but she came back empty of everything including every hope. The actions of her family cost them much as they could not maintain a direct lineage to David. The great grand father of David could have been her son, but Boaz came in in his stead. Though Boaz raised seed for her son through Ruth, her family was not mentioned as part of the ancestors of David in any genealogical account of scriptures. They went through Boaz' lineage instead. You may have a wonderful role to play in God's story. Why should another step into your place? Let us therefore be warned and not make such mistakes but remain steadfast for the truth without leaving our post.
May God help us and grant us help and guidance in Jesus' name. Amen.
Prayer: Dearest Lord Jesus, I pray to you today asking for your help and guidance in knowing the best response to evil that has crept into your church in the sad times. Give us grace to be courageous, bold, and unrelenting in our contention for the faith. Help is dear Lord. This I ask in your matchless name. Amen.
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text:
Darius's Transitions
B.C.C. Honors Courses
B.C.C. Courses
New Student Seminar
N.Y.U. Courses
N.Y.U. Applied Psychology Courses (Major)
N.Y.U. Sociology Courses (Minor)
N.Y.U. Research Team
(Network)
(Resume)
Art 11 (2757H)
History 20 (2236Q)
Spanish 12 (2651H)
(FIELDWORK I)
Assignments 1-6
A.P.A. Ethical Standards
Counseling Psychology Presentation
(FIELDWORK II)
Ethical Dilemma
(FIELDWORK III)
Final Presentation
(RESEARCH METHODS I)
Lab Assignments 1-5
Out of Class Assignment
(RESEARCH METHODS II)
Out of Class Assignments 1-5
(BASIC STATISTICS)
`EMPIRICAL ARTICLE SUMMARY FORM
Reference (citation)
Aronson, J., Jannone, S., McGlone, M., & Johnson-Campbell, T. (2009). The
Obama effect: An experimental test. Journal of Experimental Social
Psychology, 45, 957–960. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2009.05.006
Study Frame
(relevance, background, theory)
R) To test the hypothesis that students prompted to think about Barack Obama prior to taking a difficult standardized verbal test would improve their performance relative to white students, and to African American students in control conditions that were not prompted to think about Obama
B) Past research on stereotype threat and role model effects, as well as a recent quasi-experiment (Marx, Ho, & Freidman) suggested the possibility of an ''Obama effect" on African American's standardized test performance, whereby the salience of Barack Obama's stereotype defying success could positively impact performance.
T) Stereotype Threat is the experience of anxiety or concern in a situation where a person has the potential to confirm a negative stereotype about their social group, which can impede a person's ability to perform to their full capacity.
Research questions/ Hypotheses
RQ) What effect might Mr. Obama's widely publicized success have on the psychological experiences of black American students in the realm of their intellectual abilities, performances, and efforts.
H1) African American test-takers would solve more items if prompted to think about Obama than if prompted to think about McCain, an unspecified politician, or no one at all.
H2) The salience manipulation would have no effect on the white test-takers.
Design (experimental, between-subjects, etc.; quasi-experimental; correlational)
This was an experimental, one-way, randomized groups, between-subjects, posttest-only design.
Undergraduate students from three different American universities, of mixed race and gender, and participating in a residential summer program sponsored by the American Association of Medical Colleges for medical school aspirants with approximately 80 students per testing session.
What is/are the independent (or predictor) variables?
IV) A brief political survey designed to prompt participants to think about either Barack Obama (Obama condition) or John McCain (McCain condition), or upon neither of the two (control condition).
What is/are the dependent (or outcome) variables?
DV) Resulting test scores after receiving the experimental manipulation.
Procedures (how was the study conducted)
The test given was a verbal section of the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) and was administered by a white male who ran the testing session in a manner designed to closely simulate typical group testing. All students in the experiment received the same test instructions, and within each testing session, participants were randomly assigned to receive one of three versions of the test booklet, which contained a cover sheet, the experimental manipulation, the test instructions, and the MCAT test. The manipulation (IV) consisted of a brief political survey being conducted by a colleague of the experimenter.
For students in the Obama condition, three small color photos of Obama were printed on the top of the sheet along with quoted statements from speeches that were chosen to highlight Obama's success. In the McCain condition Photos of himself in similar contexts as well as quotes highlighting his success were utilized.
In each condition, participants were instructed to indicate on a scale how much they agreed with each of the quoted statements. Next, participants were instructed to think of and list two positive things about the prospect of electing Obama (or McCain) to the presidency. In the control condition, participants were asked to generate two positive things about being politically informed. The manipulation (IV) was designed to induce focus not just upon McCain or Obama, but to prompt an explicit focus on their positive qualities. Following the test, participants answered an additional set of questions aimed at gauging their engagement with and attention to the election.
Data Analytic Plan (what statistics were used)
Students' test performance was computed by summing the number of correct answers. A 2 (race: white or black) x 4 (experimental condition: Obama, McCain, Unspecified Politician, or Control) x 2 (sex: male or female) ANOVA was performed on these scores.
For the participants whose SAT scores were known (n = 71), an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was conducted using SAT verbal scores as a covariate.
Participants open-ended positive statements about Obama were coded for level of positivity in which two independent coders (r = .97, Cohen's k = .92) scored each of the two positive statements before the two scores were summed to create a total positivity score.
Results/ Findings
For student scores an ANOVA was performed revealing a significant main effect of race, F(1, 104) = 26.83, p < .01, g2p= .205, with whites (M = 18.68) outperforming
blacks (M = 14.20). A race by sex interaction was also detected F(1, 104) = 6.61, p < .05, g2p = .06, such that white males (M = 20.82) outperformed white females (M = 17.61), while black females (M = 14.67) outperformed black males (M = 12.90).
There were no significant effects of presidential condition and no interaction between race and presidential condition (F < 1 in both cases) Black students solved no more problems in the Obama condition (M = 14.5) than they did in the McCain (M = 13.1), unnamed politician (M = 14.5), or stereotype threat control condition (M = 16.0). Analysis of the number of items attempted similarly revealed no effects of the Obama manipulation (F < 1).
Looking only at blacks in the Obama condition, test score was uncorrelated with positivity (r = -.01, p = .98), mentioning race (r = .02, p = .91), mentioning intelligence (r = .23, p = .20). The only significant correlation disconfirmed the logic of the Obama effect: students who reported greater engagement in the election earned lower test scores (r =
.35, p = .05). In a situation that reliably produces stereotype threat effects, this experiment used standardized procedures to get students thinking about Obama in a positive way, yet produced no evidence to suggest that doing so improved their test performance; participants primed to think about Obama performed no better than students in three alternative conditions.
Discussion/ Implications and Limitations
D) No evidence suggested that greater admiration for Obama was meaningfully associated with better performance, which is curious, given not only the effects obtained from laboratory experiments on black role models (e.g., Marx & Goff, 2005), but even more so, given the encouraging results of the Marx et al.'s quasi-experiment that specifically focused on Obama.
L) It is conceivable that giving the exam following the nomination but prior to the election, meant that Obama's success was insufficient to overcome the stereotype threat experienced by students in our testing sessions. Another possibility is that, given his extraordinary talents, Obama may be perceived as perhaps too innately talented to serve as a threat-buffering role model for the typical African American college student; perhaps his abilities are so stellar that the typical student cannot confidently conclude that ''if Obama can succeed, so can I." perhaps Obama was seen as an outlier— inspirational, but a bit out of reach as a role model.
I) possible selection biases in Marx's quasi-experiment may have facilitated finding an Obama effect. Specifically, participants in their study responded to advertisements to sit at pre-designated times to take difficult verbal ability tests. This may have restricted their sample to students comfortable being thus evaluated, and perhaps such individuals are more responsive to Obama's example. Aronson's sample was quite different; students volunteered for a summer enrichment program which included, among many diverse activities, some test preparation activities of which his group testing was an unadvertised part. In other words, participation in his experiment was not predicated on their feeling comfortable about ability evaluation. They think this may make their sample more representative of the typical Black American student than those recruited to participate in Marx et al. study, and thus they believe their experiment to be a more stringent test of the effect.
Marx et al. did not randomly assign their participants to condition. Rather, participants voluntarily chose whether to expose themselves to Obama, pay attention to his speeches, the presidential campaign, and so on. Again this raises the specter of selection bias; perhaps students who were attracted to and inspired by Obama's success were more likely to show the effect, or to experience less stereotype threat to begin with.
EMPIRICAL ARTICLE SUMMARY FORM
Marx, D. M., Ko, S. J., Friedman, R. A. (2009). The ''Obama Effect": How a salient
role model reduces race-based performance differences. Journal of Experimental
Social Psychology, 45, 953–956. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2009.03.012
R) The current study was conducted to assess whether, beyond simply inspiring hope, this ''Obama Effect" has a concrete positive influence on Black-Americans' academic performance.
B) When Obama's stereotype-defying accomplishments garnered national attention – just after his convention speech, and election to the presidency– they had a profound beneficial effect on Black-Americans' exam performance, such that the negative effects of stereotype threat were dramatically reduced.
T) That in-group role models (Obama effect) may be capable of buffering stereotyped targets from the adverse effects of stereotype threat when targets attend to these role models' counter-stereotypic behaviors.
RQ) whether Obama's accomplishments and status as a real world role model can help Black-Americans combat the adverse effects of racial stereotypes and consequently perform better on an academic exam, even under stereotype threat conditions.
H1) When Obama's stereotype-defying successes are pronounced he should boost Black-Americans' exam performance (i.e., Obama Effect) and thus reduce race-based performance differences even when exams are given under stereotype threat conditions.
This was a quasi-experimental, matched assignment, pre-test-post-test design.
N=472 participants (Black-American = 84, White-American = 388)
Time 1: Race
Time 2: Race and whether they watched Obama speech or didn't watch speech
Time 1-4: Verbal exam performance
At each data collection time participants were recruited via automated email prompts. Once participants logged on to the study website they were informed that the purpose of the study was to examine how people with different experiences solve problems. They were then told about the verbal exam.
For each data collection time we activated stereotype threat in two ways. First, participants were told that the verbal exam was ''created by the Massachusetts Aptitude Assessment Center, and is used as a diagnostic tool to assess verbal problem-solving ability." They were further told that ''the exam is accurate in identifying a person's intellectual strengths and weaknesses". Second, participants indicated their race before taking the exam.
The verbal exam consisted of 20 problems that were drawn from actual Graduate Record Exams (GREs). The format was identical to the GRE and consisted of three sections: reading comprehension, analogies, and sentence completions. Participants were only allowed 15 min to complete the exam. Scores could range from 0 to 20.
To assess whether Black-Americans were concerned about confirming the negative stereotype about their group's intellectual ability, participants responded to three statements (e.g., ''I worry that if I perform poorly on this test, others will attribute my poor performance to my race" on a 1–7 scale
After completing the stereotyped concerns measure and demographics questions, participants received a full written debriefing.
Time 1: They analyzed verbal exam performance as a function of participant race, controlling for education level (ANOVA)
Time 2: Exam performance was analyzed using a 2 (Participant Race: Black, White) by 2 (Watched Obama Speech: yes, no) between-participants ANCOVA, controlling for education level.
Time 3: They analyzed exam performance as a function of participant race, controlling for education level (ANOVA)
Time 1: They found a performance difference between White- (M =12.14) and Black-Americans (M = 8.79), F(1, 128) = 14.67, p < .05, g = .32
Time 2: Results showed a race main effect, such that White-Americans (M =12.65) performed better than Black-Americans (M= 8.56), F(1, 123) = 17.96, p < .05, g = .36. But more central to our reasoning was the significant race by success salience interaction, F(1, 123) = 5.70, p < .05, g = .21. Simple comparisons revealed that
among those participants who did not watch Obama's speech (success not salient), White-Americans (M = 13.19) outperformed Black-Americans (M = 6.79), F(1, 123) = 16.74, p < .05, g = .35. However, among those participants who did watch Obama's speech (success salient)
Time 3: They found the expected effect of race, such that White- Americans outperformed Black-Americans (M = 12.89 vs. M = 8.37), F (1, 95) = 10.19, p < .05, g = .32.
Time 4: White- and Black-Americans' performance was equivalent (M = 11.19 vs. M = 9.83), F (1, 112) = 1.01, p = .32, g = .09, demonstrating that Obama's impact as a role model, due to the salience of his concrete success, again reduced race based
performance differences
D) The Obama Effect embodies the ability of Black-American role models to buffer Black-Americans academic performance from the negative effects of racial stereotypes. Our work has wide applicability because it demonstrates the powerful impact role models have in the real world.
I) These findings provide strong evidence for the notion that the Obama Effect can reduce the adverse effects of stereotype threat, even when concerns about racial stereotypes continue to exist.
L) The study was conducted online which gave the experimenters little control over their sample. Also there was no mention of how many of the participants were female or male. A gender difference could of affected opinions or feelings of whether Obama was seen as a role model or not and could of affected the obtained results.
Darius Muniz
Professor Godfrey
Research Methods II
I) For Aronson et al. 2009:
1. Describe what makes this an experimental study:
In Aronson's study students were randomly assigned to one of three conditions either the Obama condition, McCain condition, or control condition. An independent variable was manipulated in the form of a brief political survey designed to prompt participants to think about either: Barack Obama (Obama condition), John McCain (McCain condition), or upon neither of the two (control condition). The dependent variable, which was the participants resulting test scores, was measured after the manipulation of the independent variable. The experimenters also controlled for possible confounds by administering a test resembling the verbal section of the Medical College Admissions Test that was administered by a white male, who ran the testing session in a manner designed to closely simulate typical group testing, and in which all students in the experiment received the same test instructions. Finally, the resulting data was analyzed utilizing ANOVA and ANCOVA statistics to determine if there were any significant main or interaction effects that would either support or refute their hypotheses.
2. What were the authors' conclusions (brief summary)?
The authors found no evidence suggesting that greater admiration for Obama was meaningfully associated with better performance. The authors believed that possibly giving the exam following the nomination but prior to the election meant that Obama's success was insufficient to overcome stereotype threat. Another possible explanation was that due to his extraordinary talents, Obama may have been perceived as perhaps too naturally talented to serve as a threat-buffering role model for the typical African American college student. They also believed that perhaps Obama was seen as inspirational, but a bit out of reach as a role model for students to relate to. To explain Marx's obtained results the authors cited that possible selection biases in Marx's quasi-experiment may have facilitated finding an Obama effect. Participants in the Marx study responded to advertisements to sit at pre-designated times to take difficult verbal ability tests. This may have restricted their sample to people comfortable being evaluated as such, and perhaps such individuals are more responsive to Obama's example. Aronson's sample consisted of students volunteering for a summer enrichment program which included, among many diverse activities, some test preparation activities of which his group testing was an unadvertised part. The authors thought this may have made their sample more representative of the typical Black American student than those recruited to participate in Marx et al. study, and thus they believed their experiment to be a more stringent test of the effect.
3. Do you believe them – why or why not? (Think in terms of internal and external validity)
Aronson and his team claim that their process of participant recruitment was done in such a way that reflected more accurately the typical Black American student. Conversely, Aronson claims that the participants in Marx's study were obtained in such a way that selection bias may have occurred making their participants less representative of the typical Black American student. This is one of Aronson's arguments for why Marx was able to achieve the results he did and why Aronson was not. I believe both Aronson and Marx's samples had poor external validity which affected both of the researcher's results. Aronson's participants were pre med students participating in a summer enrichment program who obviously already were above average academically and also were more motivated towards their education which would have made his participants unrepresentative of "the typical Black American student". This fact alone may have contributed to Aronson's null findings because his participants may have felt that they didn't need a role model and were already confident about their ability's. Aronson does have a valid point that Marx's participants had selection bias and were unrepresentative of the typical Black American student because they were recruited online, limiting their knowledge of the sample, and were offered a reward for participating, which also would of drawn a certain type of person. Also the fact that he had three times as many white participants as he did Black participants and gives no mention to gender Marx's participants had poor internal validity. These Factors definitely could have contributed to Marx's results and gives weight to Aronson's conclusions of why Marx obtained the results he did.
II) For Marx et al. 2009:
4. Describe what makes this a quasi-experimental study
This study was quasi-experimental because participants were not randomly assigned to experimental conditions though they were matched based on age and English proficiency. Also there was no manipulation of an independent variable but the presence of predictor variables being the four different points in time that data was collected from participants. This made this quasi experimental study a comparative time series design where the participants scores were checked for variance due to the salience of Obama's achievements from prior to nomination to winning the actual election.
The Obama Effect confirms the ability of Black-American role models to buffer Black-Americans academic performance from the negative effects of racial stereotypes and demonstrates the powerful impact role models have in the real world. These findings provide strong evidence for the notion that the Obama Effect can reduce the adverse effects of stereotype threat, even when concerns about racial stereotypes continue to exist. The authors also cited that the differences in scores obtained were affected by different timeframes showing that significant results occurred at different salience levels but were most substantial when Obama's success was most apparent and concrete during his nomination and post election.
6. Do you believe them? (Think in terms of internal and external validity)
The authors provide compelling evidence for the Obama effect by showing that there were differences in assessment scores at different time frames but that participant's performance were even more equal to their white counterparts at concrete stages in the time collection (e.g. time 2 and time 4). I think that since internal validity and external validity for this sample is weak due to its use of online recruitment, offering a reward for participation, unequal Black to White participant ratio, no mention of the gender differences of their participants, and the way that different samples were utilized for different time periods, these threats to the internal validity of the study casts doubts for me on the actual validity of Marx's obtained results. This also makes me ask myself if indeed all these threats to internal validity were the actual causes of Marx's supporting evidence for the Obama effect instead of Obama's actual ability to buffer stereotype threat due to his status as a role model.
7. What's your take home message about the influence of role models on stereotype threat? What would you tell your friend?
I believe that role models definitely moderate the motivation of people taking tests under conditions of stereotype threat. I think that for the evidence to be more concrete to the point of us being able to say that having a role model to buffer the effects of stereotype threat causes an increase in test scores and allows members of the stereotyped group to be more comfortable during these tests, more controlled and internally valid studies must be conducted. I would tell my friend that you should never judge a book by its cover. Although you have studies that imply one message or another and are very convincing, you should always read between the lines and analyze the research to ensure that all proper procedures were followed to make the study valid. Only then can we be confident that the results obtained in the study and the message it implies is actually worthy of being taken as fact. Also we know that the theory of stereotype threat is widely accepted as fact and that the Obama affect is being tested as a possible buffer to minimize these feelings of threat. We know that one article (Marx) found that the Obama affect through role models can increase test scores regardless of this threat and that another article (Aronson) refutes this finding by giving weight to its own contradictory findings. You must realize that the conditions tested under each study are very different, the samples were obtained differently, the samples were comprised of different individuals, and the results were analyzed differently. These facts make Aronson's study a poor replication of Marx's original study and therefore in my opinion could not be used as a valid refutation of Marx's findings.
I. Indicate the title, date and source of the article in APA stlye.
Ojalvo Epstein, H. (2011, October 21). Q and A How facebook use correlates with student
outcomes. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.NYtimes.com
II. Write a 2-3 sentence summary of the study, including key information about research design and methods.
This article was about a study that utilized college students to examine the relationship between frequency of Facebook use, participation in Facebook activities, and student engagement in college. The research was a correlational design and utilized an engagement scale, which is a scale that measures overall student engagement in both academic work and co-curricular activities, as an outcome variable.
III. State the information that makes it clear to you that it is a correlational study.
1. First there were several predictor variables used including; time spent on FaceBook, times logged into FaceBook, and activity engaged in while on FaceBook.
2. Second there were several outcome variables used including; engagement scale score, time spent studying, and time spent on in campus activities.
3. Lastly it was mentioned in the article that the participants were 64 percent female and 36 percent male and due to the overcompensation of female participants to male participants that the researcher controlled for gender in his analysis which was controlling for a possible third variable or selection bias that could of affected his outcome.
IV. Rate the quality/quantity of information provided about the research methods (scale from 1-5 where 1 = poor and 5 = excellent).
1. Quality of information: 4
2. Quantity of information: 2
V. Note 1-2 missing pieces of information about research methods that would be important to know.
1. The sample size of the participants would have been useful to determine the generalizability of the findings.
2. The researcher's data collection methods would have been useful to determine the strength of the study.
3. How student engagement was measured would have been important to know for validity and reliability purposes.
4. Since this was a devised scale by the researcher, information about if the measure was tested for internal validity using Cronbach's alpha and if the measure had construct validity and if it was deemed reliable would have made me more confident of the measures validity.
5. Whether this was a cross-sectional study collecting data at one point in time or a longitudinal study collecting data on more than one occasion.
I) Indicate the name of the intervention program and the organization that runs it.
The name of the program is PhotoCLUB and it is an empowerment based intervention. The organization that facilitates this program is the Advocacy and Social Action Research Group, which is headed by Dr. Alisha Ali and Dr. Mowry of NYU's Applied Psychology department.
II) Indicate the target population of the intervention program.
The PhotoCLUB intervention is being implemented with women and youth in various low-income housing and domestic violence settings.
III) Describe the goals of the intervention program and the main ways in which they seek to achieve these goals (program components).
For this intervention they have created a manualized, therapeutic approach to creating positive change by using digital photography as a form of empowerment and self-exploration for participants. This intervention is conducted over a period of four sessions for a duration of 90 minutes each. Participants are guided each week in taking photographs that reflect aspects of their personalities. The first assignment is the Here and Now, in which participants take photos that represent who they are right now. The second assignment is Others, in which participants take photographs representing how other people see them. The third assignment is Tomorrow, in which participants take photographs of who they want to become in the future. Through open discussions with facilitators and other members, participants then develop strategies for becoming their desired future selves.
This intervention aims to examine the mechanisms through which the PhotoCLUB program can positively impact the mental health of participants by using a combination of Possible Selves Theory (Markus & Nurious, 1986), which states that engaging in an imaginative process of envisioning an ideal future self can provide an essential link between the self concept and motivation for positive change, and Empowerment and Mental Health, which is research conducted by Nelson, Lord, and Ochocha (2001), which examined mental health and well being in relation to empowerment in community settings. These theories and research have been integrated to make up the PhotoCLUB intervention as a vehicle for conducting Participatory Action Research or (PAR).
"Knowledge Through the Education of Self"

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


January 18, 2016 New Braunfels Police Department:.
The first reported incident happened a little after 1:30pm on Saturday, Jan. 16th, in the 800 block of West San Antonio street outside of the McKenna Event Center. The 35-year old male victim reported that a unknown male entered his vehicle, displayed a firearm, and instructed him to drive. They traveled a short distance to the I-35 frontage road and the suspect exited the vehicle and was last seen on foot running southbound towards Ruekle Road. No injuries were reported. The suspect was described as a white or Hispanic male, approximately 5'8″ to 5'10" tall, wearing a red jacket with blue jeans shorts and dirty gray tennis shoes. The suspect was also wearing a black bandana on his head. The suspect was also described as thin, clean shaven, with gray hair, and was approximately 40 to 50 years of age.
The second incident was reported around 4pm Sunday, Jan. 17th, in the 200 block of South Kowald Lane. The 21-year old female victim reported that an unknown male flagged her down, entered her car, displayed a firearm, and instructed her to drive to Houston. Eventually the victim was able to stop the vehicle and then use a knife to stab the suspect in the left leg before escaping the car and running to a nearby bar (the Barbarosa Trough in the 4000 block of FM 758 in Guadalupe County) where she called police. She describes the suspect as a white male, possibly in his 30s, standing approximately 6-feet tall, with green eyes. She further described him as thin, clean shaven, with a black bandana covering his forehead, and wearing a red hoodie.
Investigators with the New Braunfels Police Department continue to investigate these reports and are warning drivers to avoid stopping for anyone they don't know, especially those matching this description. NBPD also advises residents to be aware of their surroundings, especially in parking lots, and to try to park near your destination in a well-lit area.
Anyone with information on the identity of the suspect is asked to call New Braunfels Police or Comal County Crime Stoppers. Comal County Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $2000 for information that leads to an arrest and/or grand jury indictment. To remain anonymous and to collect the reward, contact Crime Stoppers at 830-620-TIPS (8477), leave a tip online at http://comalcrimestoppers.org/, or text a tip by texting "Comal" plus your message to CRIMES (274637). To contact the New Braunfels Police Department directly about the identity of the suspect, call 830-221-4100.


The aims of this Brussels-based event will be threefold: – to give participants a state of the art on Science-based regulation, ahead of the EC Scientific conference on Alternatives (6-7 December 2016) – to report on EPAA achievements and milestones through 2016 – to bestow the EPAA 3Rs Science Prize on the winner MEP Françoise Grossetête (EPP First Vice-President) will also outline a vision for Science-based regulation.
Programme Where & When Centre de Conférences Albert Borschette (CCAB), European Commission : 36 rue Froissart, 1040 Bruxelles. Monday 5 December 2016 : 13:00-18:00 Targeted audience We expect an audience of 200 academics, representatives from EPAA members, European and international institutions, NGOs, as well as national regulatory authorities. Registration information The event will be web-streamed live and will also be available on this web page afterwards for consultation purposes. By registering, delegates will be automatically giving their consent to appear on the web throughout the streaming of the event. The link to the streaming will be given on this page, close to the date.
Registration – latest on 14 November 2016 – is free of charge.
If you want to attend this conference, please click on "Register now" and indicate your own/individual e-mail address in the box opening. During a first time registration for the system, an individual user account will be created, based on the e-mail address. After registration, please await the final confirmation of your participation from the Commission.


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The PowerTube 500 combines elegance and practicality: this new battery from Bosch, which combines sophisticated lithium-ion technology with a compact and elegant aluminum design, fits perfectly into the frame of the PEUGEOT eM02 FS.
The latest generation Roxshox suspension with Debon Air and Solo Air technology allows optimal control over all types of terrains with short and medium air dampers. Offering improved responsiveness on small shocks while effectively absorbing larger hits.


You've been at this for a while now and so you're ready to grow your freelance business.
You've achieved the goals you set yourself when you first started and now it's time to aim a little higher.
But where should you start when you want to take your business to the next level?
Have you revised your portfolio lately?
As a newbie, you likely took on a wide range of projects in a bid to develop a portfolio and start earning a living.
There's nothing wrong with that – that's the way most freelancers get started. But now that you've been in the game awhile, it's time to reconsider the impression your portfolio gives.
Have you updated it recently? Does it show your best work? Are the pieces relevant to the industry you're targeting?
Scrap older pieces that don't fit your target market. Focus on adding recent, relevant pieces that show off your skills.
Grow your freelance business and maintain a good work-life balance by bringing in outside help.
Hire a freelancer to take care of the things you're not so good at. That way, you'll have more time to focus on the things you are good at.
Join a freelancer network to meet others you can build working relationships with.
You'll find plenty online and there may be some in your local area, too. Facebook groups and Twitter chats are an excellent way to meet new people, especially if you're short on time or find face-to-face networking daunting.
I run #ElyHour, a weekly Twitter chat that helps freelancers, small business owners and local charities connect, support each other and share their latest news. If you're local to Ely, join us on Twitter. You might just meet your new business partner there.
Are you looking to hire someone outright or do you want to negotiate a skill-swap? Either way, you'll find all level of freelancers out there who are in a similar situation to you.
It would also be wise to consider entering partnerships with other freelancers. When others are offering complimentary services and targeting similar clients, it makes sense for them to team up.
Can you help each other get work? Can you work on projects together? Can you set up a referral scheme?
When you start out, it's common that a lack of confidence can hold you back from applying for the projects you want. You may feel that you don't have enough experience or the necessary skills to handle such projects.
As time goes on and you build on your experience and skills, your confidence levels should rise and you should come to believe in your own abilities more.
When this happens, it's a good sign that you're ready to grow your freelance business.
Take a step back and consider the projects you're currently getting. Compare them to your dream projects and then weigh up what's missing.
Are you close, or do you still have a way to go? Do you need to develop your skills? Are you on the right tracks, or do you need a change of direction? Is it time to adjust your focus and re-brand?
From there, you should be able to develop a plan for targeting your ideal clients and taking on longer and/or bigger projects.
Have you picked up some new skills along the way that you can start to offer as a service? Adding to your offerings could be a good way of both enticing new clients and developing stronger relationships with your existing clients.
The more you can do for a client, the easier you make it for them to come to you with extra work.
Maybe you're a virtual assistant who runs her own blog? Can you offer blogging or WordPress uploading as an extra service?
Maybe you're a graphic designer and you're also great at copywriting? Can you offer the graphics and text for new website designs?
Is there something you're interested in that you'd love to learn more about? Then pursue it. Find a course and learn a new skill, but do so with a business mentality.
Consider first how you will incorporate this new skill into your existing business. Will it help you grow your freelance business? Does it relate to your current services? Is it something your clients need? How could you tie it in with what you're already offering?
Worried you don't have the time? Get organised and learn to prioritise your workload so that you can use your time more effectively.
When you've gained experienced and skills and/or added value to your services, increasing your fees is a fair and natural step.
You don't need to have a reason, but you should always tell your clients in advance.
In case your clients ask why your prices are going up, it might be a good idea to have an answer prepared.
Avoid talking about your personal financial situation and instead focus on the added value the client now receives. For example, if you've developed your skills, talk about how you can now provide a more effective service.
Remember, there doesn't have to be a reason and you shouldn't have to explain your decision to anyone. But, if you want to keep your existing clients, then it's important you find a smart way to introduce your new rates to them.
If you're ready to grow your freelance business and need help taking those first steps, take a look at the many services I offer as a freelance virtual assistant. I'd be thrilled to help you level up your biz.


text:
#pragma once

/*
Author: Murilo Gabardo Kramar
Collaboration: Diego Vieira Feder
E-mail: murilogabardo@hotmail.com
CV: http://lattes.cnpq.br/8203093591818100

--->This is a Generic Template Simply Linked List

Acknowledgements:

 Professor Jean Marcelo Simao.

*/

template<class LType>
class List{

public:

    /*************************************************************************/

    //This is a Nested Class called Element
    //that is used to allow multiple lists to handle the
    //same item attached

    template<class EType>
    class Element {
    protected:
        //Pointer to the next element of the list
        Element<EType>* pNextElement;

        //Item that is attached to this element
        EType pAttached;

    public:
        Element()
        {
            pNextElement = NULL;
        }

        ~Element() {}

        //Get Next Element
        Element<EType>* getNextElement() const   {return pNextElement;}

        //Set Next Element
        void setNextElement(Element<EType>* pElement) {pNextElement = pElement;}

        //Attaches an Item to this Element
        void setAttached(EType pAtt) {pAttached = pAtt;}

        //Returns the attached Item in this Element
        EType getAttached() const {return pAttached;}
    };
    /**********************************************************************/

protected:

    /*First and Last Elents in the list*/
	Element<LType>* pFirstElement;
	Element<LType>* pLastElement;

    /*Auxiliary pointers to Elements*/
    Element<LType>* pBefore;
    Element<LType>* pActual;

    /*Auxiliary Item*/
    LType pAux;

    /*How long is this list?*/
	int listSize;

public:
	List()
	{
        pFirstElement = NULL;
        pLastElement = NULL;
        listSize = 0;
	}
	~List()
	{
		pBefore = pFirstElement;
		pActual = pFirstElement;
		for(; listSize - 1 > 0; listSize--)
		{
			pActual = pActual->getNextElement();
			delete pBefore;
			pBefore = pActual;
		}
		delete pBefore;
	}

    /*Returns the size of the list*/
	const int getListSize() const
	{
	    return listSize;
	}

    /*Stores an Item in an Element and puts this Element
    in the first position of the List*/
	void includeFront(LType pIn)
	{
        Element<LType>* pAux = new Element<LType>;
        pAux->setAttached(pIn);
        if(pFirstElement == NULL)
        {
            pFirstElement = pAux;
            pLastElement = pAux;
        }
        else
        {
            pAux->setNextElement(pFirstElement);
            pFirstElement = pAux;
        }
        listSize++;
	}

    /*Stores an Item in an Element and puts this Element
    in the last position of the List*/
    void includeBack(LType pIn)
	{
        Element<LType>* pAux = new Element<LType>;
        pAux->setAttached(pIn);
        if(pFirstElement == NULL)
        {
            pFirstElement = pAux;
            pLastElement = pAux;
        }
        else
        {
            pLastElement->setNextElement(pAux);
            pLastElement = pAux;
        }
        listSize++;
	}

    /*Removes an Element from the List and returns the Item
    stored within it*/
    LType remove(int position)
	{
	    if(position > listSize-1)

        {
            return NULL;
        }

        int index;

        pBefore = NULL;

        pActual = pFirstElement;

        for(index = 0; index < position; index++)
        {
            pBefore = pActual;
            pActual = pActual->getNextElement();
        }

        if(position == 0)
        {
            pFirstElement = pFirstElement->getNextElement();
        }
        else if(position == listSize-1)
        {
            pLastElement = pBefore;
        }

        if(listSize > 1 && position != 0)
        {
            pBefore->setNextElement(pActual->getNextElement());
        }

        pAux = pActual->getAttached();
        delete pActual;

        listSize--;
        return pAux;
	}

	Element<LType>* getFirst() const
	{
	        return pFirstElement;
	}

	Element<LType>* getLast()
	{
	        return pLastElement;
	}

    /*Operator overload, so if you want a Item that's in the middle
    of the list you can acess it.
    IMPORTANT: this overloading doens't create a new position, it is read-only*/
    LType operator[] (const int elementIndex) const
    {
		if((elementIndex < listSize) && (elementIndex >= 0))
		{
			int index;
			Element<LType>* pAux = pFirstElement;
			for(index = 0; index < elementIndex; index++)
			{
				pAux = pAux->getNextElement();
			}
			return (pAux->getAttached());
		}
		else
		{
			return NULL;
		}
    }

    /*Same as remove() but you search by Item Adress and doens't return it*/
    void exclude(LType* pIn)
    {
        int index;

        pBefore = NULL;

        pActual = pFirstElement;

        for(index = 0; pActual->getAttached() != pIn && index < listSize-1; index++)
        {
            pBefore = pActual;
            pActual = pActual->getNextElement();
        }

        if(index == 0)
        {
            pFirstElement = pFirstElement->getNextElement();
        }
        else if(index == listSize-1)
        {
            pLastElement = pBefore;
        }

        if(listSize > 1 && index != 0)
        {
            pBefore->setNextElement(pActual->getNextElement());
        }

        delete pActual;

        listSize--;
    }
};

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


In the glowing whiteness and silence of the mountaintop they found themselves whispering, as if in great reverence to nature's accomplishment.
For a place known as the "Meeting Place of the Winds," it was very still. It seemed to be a place of silence and secrets moved only by the wind.
*These are merely notes to myself. Obviously, I had not yet figured out what word to use.
I recognize this snippet as being much further along in the story.
This entry was posted in Jasmine & Role Playing Games, The Creative Process and tagged Meeting Place of the Winds, The Story of Jasmine on March 15, 2018 by Darlene.


text:
Q: Typescript Property Decorator in Vanilla JS? I found some code that uses a decorator as an instance variable in a class...
I tried to replicate this in plain Javascript, but it doesn't work.
This is the Typescript:
export function ObservableProperty() {
  return (obj: Observable, key: string) => {
    let storedValue = obj[key];

    Object.defineProperty(obj, key, {
      get: function () {
        return storedValue;
      },
      set: function (value) {
        if (storedValue === value) {
          return;
        }
        storedValue = value;
        this.notify({
          eventName: Observable.propertyChangeEvent,
          propertyName: key,
          object: this,
          value
        });
      },
      enumerable: true,
      configurable: true
    });
  };
}

Then, in the class:
export class MyClass extends Observable {
  @ObservableProperty() public theBoolValue: boolean;
…

I tried all sorts of ways to instantiate my JS-variable - always get errors…
Like:
@ObservableProperty
this.theBoolValue = false;

Is this even possible?

A: Decorators are a TypeScript thing, not a JavaScript thing (yet)
Looking at the TypeScript Docs, you can take their example (or even your example for that matter), and throw it in their Playground to get a the JavaScript equivalent.
For example, here is the TypeScript example:
function first() {
  console.log("first(): factory evaluated");
  return function (target: any, propertyKey: string, descriptor: PropertyDescriptor) {
    console.log("first(): called");
  };
}

function second() {
  console.log("second(): factory evaluated");
  return function (target: any, propertyKey: string, descriptor: PropertyDescriptor) {
    console.log("second(): called");
  };
}

class ExampleClass {
  @first()
  @second()
  method() {}
}

And that boils down to this in JavaScript:
"use strict";
var __decorate = (this && this.__decorate) || function (decorators, target, key, desc) {
    var c = arguments.length, r = c < 3 ? target : desc === null ? desc = Object.getOwnPropertyDescriptor(target, key) : desc, d;
    if (typeof Reflect === "object" && typeof Reflect.decorate === "function") r = Reflect.decorate(decorators, target, key, desc);
    else for (var i = decorators.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) if (d = decorators[i]) r = (c < 3 ? d(r) : c > 3 ? d(target, key, r) : d(target, key)) || r;
    return c > 3 && r && Object.defineProperty(target, key, r), r;
};
var __metadata = (this && this.__metadata) || function (k, v) {
    if (typeof Reflect === "object" && typeof Reflect.metadata === "function") return Reflect.metadata(k, v);
};
function first() {
    console.log("first(): factory evaluated");
    return function (target, propertyKey, descriptor) {
        console.log("first(): called");
    };
}
function second() {
    console.log("second(): factory evaluated");
    return function (target, propertyKey, descriptor) {
        console.log("second(): called");
    };
}
class ExampleClass {
    method() { }
}
__decorate([
    first(),
    second(),
    __metadata("design:type", Function),
    __metadata("design:paramtypes", []),
    __metadata("design:returntype", void 0)
], ExampleClass.prototype, "method", null);

A: Decorators are still a proposal, and have not yet officially been added to JS. They're currently undergoing a major redesign and they will be quite different from the current TypeScript implementation, which is based on the first version of the proposal. You can follow progress on the proposal here:
https://github.com/tc39/proposal-decorators
You could also use Babel to try decorators in JS in the meantime, but this is also based on the older proposal (even with the legacy option turned off...since decorators are actually now in a third version).
https://babeljs.io/docs/en/babel-plugin-proposal-decorators
So keep in mind that this is only a stopgap measure and that the code probably won't ever work natively in browsers in the future—you'll need to refactor it to match the new decorators proposal whenever it's completed.

A: A decorator is as simple as a Higher Order function, for example you can set a decorator 'log' as:
const log = (msg) => console.log(msg)

function decorator (logger) {
    return function (message) {
        logger.call(this, message)
        console.log("I'm the decorator")
    }
}

const decoratedLog = decorator(log);

decoratedLogger('hi world')

So, you can use decorators in javascript, it's a pattern, not an language ability. You just need to convert them to hofs.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


This week at work I made more mistakes than I usually do. One of those mistakes affected messaging to customers, and when mistakes affect customers, everyone who interacts with customers directly needs to be in the loop with equal access to information about the issue.
Making mistakes is a real bummer, and it'll probably take a few more days to shake off the icky feeling entirely.
While I wasn't consciously thinking about it at the time I started writing it, the internal documentation that I put together ended up looking a lot like a postmortem.
Sometimes they even include screenshots and supporting data. Sometimes they include an apology.
We often talk about mistakes or failures as personal learning opportunities, and they can also be teaching opportunities. When we take the extra time to describe the solution and document it clearly, we're not just learning from our mistakes; we're teaching others how to avoid similar mistakes in the future.
So, next time you flub it up, don't panic and don't keep it to yourself. Communicate, document, and share.


text:
Planning Permission Granted for Restaurant (A3 Use)
Stepping in to assist the architects, we have obtained planning permission for an additional A3 restaurant at South Mimms Motorway Service Area on behalf of our clients, Welcome Break.
A planning application was made for an additional A3 unit to provide further restaurant space at the MSA. The architect was asked to withdraw the planning application by Hertsmere Council following receipt of a consultation response from the Council's Parks Department who objected to the scheme on the grounds that the building would prevent access from the MSA to a regionally significant park, and prevent users of an adjacent bridleway using the MSA facilities.
We wrote to Hertsmere Council reminding them that the purpose of a Motorway Service Area are set out in DfT Circular 02/2013, The Strategic Road Network and the Delivery of Sustainable Development, and that while the development was in the Green Belt, the application should be determined under Paragraph 89 of the National Planning Policy Framework. The proposed development should be considered as an exception from the normal presumption against development in the Green Belt and that the building was not 'inappropriate'.
The Council agreed, and subsequently issued planning permission for the scheme.
⇐ Government Affordable Housing Policy Quashed
Milton Keynes Council Cannot Demonstrate a 5 Year Housing Land Supply ⇒


The Fernbachs were a large and influential family in the Batschka and in Apatin whose origins can be traced to Marlen and Goldscheuer in Baden-Wurttemberg.
The patriarch of the Batschka Fernbachs was Johann Georg Fernbach born about 1733 in Marlen. He and his wife, Magdalena Endt, had ten children seven of whom were born in Apatin. They were the great-great-grandparents of Balint (Valentin) Janos Fernbach born in 1871.
Valentin Fernbach was called the "Deichgraf" or "dike count" because he drained swampland between Apatin and Sonta. He created 10,000 Joch (one Joch is a little less than half a Hectare) of farmland by building dikes and pumps so that in case of flood the water could be drained out of the farmland. In this way he created his large fortune.
The Fernbachs owned a number of large schlosses or palaces just some of which were in Temerin, Baba Puszta (owned by Karl Fernbach) near Sombor in Aleksa Santic, and Sonta. The Sonta schloss was planned by the famous Apatin architect Franz Reichl for Valentin Fernbach. Fernbach was an avid hunter who travelled to Africa several times with two wealthy bachelor friends, Baron Emil Talian from Kanjiza and Graf Oskar Vojnic from Sabatka. Fernbach not only returned with many hunting trophies, but living animals as well. He created one of the first zoological gardens at his Sonta schloss. He brought back ethnological material and had a huge collection and great photos. His diary of his African trips has been published.
Valentin fathered two children with his servant Maria Johann, but this relationship was never accepted by the family. In 1926 the dikes broke, the wild animals died, the palace was severely damaged, but his collections were partly saved and today are in the museum of Sabatka.
After World War I ten thousand Joch of his farmland were expropriated and Valentin shot himself to death in 1926. After his death, the family sold his palace to the rich squire Dungyerski who tore it down and built a mill in Apatin with its material. That mill is still working today. Valentin's portrait now hangs in the Sombor administration of the Donau-Theis channel. The exact location of the palace can no longer be determined.
Valentin is buried in the Fernbach chapel in Apatin, where the first Fernbach settlers and all their descendants are buried. His servant, Maria Johann, was killed by a gypsy and her grave is beside the Fernbach chapel. Their children were raised by Valentin's sister in Sombor. She was accidentally shot and killed while standing by a window during the Hungarian invasion in 1941.
The old town of Apatin was divided in two parts by branches of the Danube River. The old Fernbach house was situated on the banks of a branch of the river so that boats almost landed there. It is behind this house that the swamp once existed. A market will be built on this old swampland. When Anton Fernbach left Apatin in 1903 he gave this house to the community as a home for the poor and it is still a home for the poor and mentally disturbed. During the war of 1996 refugees of Croatia were housed here.


text:
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Get New Fashion Nail Ideas To Give A New Look To Your Hands
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Many late-night restaurants in Seattle welcome the exuberant (and possibly alcoholic) crowd on Friday and Saturday evenings, and if you're lucky, maybe even during the
There is no denying that Wynwood is a center for some of the greatest eating and most well-liked activities in Miami, whether you think of
With a mix of laid-back attractions such as luxury, love, and romance, and blessed with enchanting Mediterranean weather, and really stunning views, Malibu is an
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Some of the New York international food presented here provide a taste of New York City. They have developed a prestigious reputation and inspired our
It only makes sense that food trucks—meals-on-wheels NYC's previously restricted to serving basic foods like burgers and hot dogs—have begun to compete with Gotham's greatest
Some Delicious Mediterranean Mouth Watering Dishes Famous in San Francisco
If you're travelling to San Francisco, make sure to put some flowers in your hair, the song advises. That phrase will be amended to add


Half a world away, Lucy Daltroff is on the island of Grenada, drinking in the sights, smells and tastes of a cacao plantation. The Belmont Estate has grown many different crops – including Grenada's famous nutmeg and mace – but now, thanks to the extraordinary efforts of one barefoot inventor, it is helping build a new business model for the chocolate industry. Will it enjoy the sweet taste of success?


text:
Q: How Power measured by Meters is affected by Harmonics? I want to know how energy meters (Electro-static or electronic) measure Energy (let's assume power, ignore time) when there are harmonics present.
I know what are harmonics, how are they generated and how do they affect actual power. I read that harmonics power (in most cases) is in the opposite direction of Actual Power. That means if the utility is providing power to a consumer who has a dominant non-linear load, and in-between them is an energy meter (plz ignore class, type, etc.). So energy meter would record less power. That is understandable.
I tested this scenario like this,
I applied a linear load to meter and recorded power of ~2.3KW (230V x 10A x 1.0 P.F). But when I applied Phase-fired (90 degrees) waveform which contains odd harmonics, the power recorded by meter was ~1.1KW given the same set of V, I and P.F.
I know meter records power accurately because you can see from the waveform that rms have been decreased (as each half-cycle is 50% clipped to zero). But there lies my question.
If meters are recording less power in the presence of harmonics, then isn't it a loss of utility and benefit of consumers? While consumer is responsible for generating harmonics and is getting profit on top of it?
Should meter record actual power while filtering out the harmonics?
To me, it sounds really confusing, and I tried to search for utilities and meter manufacturer point of view, and they seem to agree that meter should consider harmonics effect while measuring power as it would be beneficial to both? How?
I tried to raise my question as much as I could find the write words, I hope that people here would understand, and help me find the answer.
Thank You

A: There are electromagnetic energy meters with rotating aluminum discs and electronic energy meters, but I have never heard of an "electro-static" energy meter.
Electromagnetic energy meters measure real power and ignore harmonics because they measure power as the speed of a small motor that has a synchronous speed that is proportional to frequency. In effect, they can not measure harmonic volt-amperes because they can not tour at more than one speed at a time. There are torques developed due to harmonics, but some tend to drive the disc in the same direction as the fundamental and some in the opposite direction. The torques and counter-torques do not match, but they apparently don't interfere with the proportionality between speed and real power.
Electronic energy meters work by calculating instantaneous power at short sampling intervals. They multiply instantaneous voltage by instantaneous current. The result is integrated to calculate average power. If the voltage waveform is sinusoidal, no real power is transmitted and the result of the calculation is the fundamental power. If the voltage waveform is distorted, there is real power transmitted at both the fundamental and the harmonic frequencies and that is correctly included in the calculation.
If the objective is to calculate the power separately for each harmonic, the individual harmonic voltages need to be determined. I believe that fourier transform methods can do that.
I hope that provides a satisfactory intuitive explanation. Perhaps someone else can provide a rigorous explanation.


The average price of used cars less than two years old increased by more than £1,000 in the third quarter of 2018, according to auction firm Aston Barclay.
Known as the late and low sector, the average price of such vehicles went from £14,457 to £15,589, which Aston Barclay attributes to franchised dealers investing more in used stock to satisfy customer demand, after the introduction of WLTP caused some supply issues for car manufacturers.
Group operations director Martin Potter said: "The Q3 price rise in the late and low sector can be attributed to franchised dealers acquiring young used stock in light of WLTP to offer customers who are unwilling to wait for a new car.
"We believe the high demand and rising prices in the late and low and fleet sectors will continue until the WLTP new car supply challenges have been resolved, which could be spring 2019."
Aston Barclay's data also showed an increase in average petrol car values, which were up by £188 to £4,325.
Average diesel values were down by £60 but, despite this, Aston Barclay says demand for the fuel remains strong.
Hybrid/EV prices were down by £485, with increasing stock volumes reported from this sector.


In previous episodes, I had reached the point where the Mac is loading its pre-linked kernel, containing an optimised version of the kernel and all its extensions, from /System/Library/PrelinkedKernels/prelinkedkernel. From this point on, we have the great benefit of being able to read what happens in the unified log.
The log extracts which follow show, at the left in blue, the clock time in hours, minutes, and decimal seconds, then any subsystem identifier in red, and in black the eventMessage posted to the log.
For the sake of simplicity, this is analysed on a MacBook Pro 2017 (so no T2 chip or Secure Boot) booting from the internal SSD in APFS without any encryption.
The first log entry after boot may, as here, be out of time sequence. What seems to be happening here is that the log system is recording that it is continuing to write to an existing log file, which will expire within 1 day, and writing that to the log file on disk before it has written out those entries collected in memory during the boot process. That gives insight into the size of its in-memory cache, as sufficient to store over 5 minutes of quite busy log entries.
followed by the UUID not of that Mac, but probably of the event. The log items which follow were then held initially in memory, hence the log class given. The kernel version and its date follow, with information about virtual memory.
Inevitably, much of the early part of startup is devoted to hardware initialisation, even though many systems have already gone through basic setup during preceding phases in the boot process. Clocks and keys are also high on the list of priorities, with file integrity and fundamental security services making their appearance here as well.
On a laptop model, previous battery data are cleared early too, and smart management started.
It takes quite a while for this next important waypoint entry to appear: the Previous shutdown cause. Code 5 means that it was clean and user-initiated, and you can find a summary of other codes here.
Hardware setup continues, with Thunderbolt 3 next; you'll also sometimes see this referred to in the log by the codename of Thor. System security policy is loaded at about this time too.
Another important group of hardware-related entries are those concerning disks and their file systems. This still includes the traditional entry for BSD root, and even in Mojave proceeds to try mounting HFS+ volumes next, before mounting the APFS startup volume as seen here. That is followed by mounting /dev/disk1. Any file system problems are likely to surface here, where HFS+ journal replays should be recorded if they were required.
System time is adjusted, and this leads to the first log entries from named subsystems, concerned with security, and OpenDirectory. A lot of com.apple.opendirectory entries then follow.
Then, about 4.2 seconds after the first entry, the login window is prepared.
Until now, the new privacy system TCC hasn't written to the log. What follows with respect to TCC is fascinating, and worth an article all of its own: I will describe it in detail in the near future.
When starting up from a prelinked kernel, there are no log entries recording the loading of kernel extensions, which used to be a help when trying to diagnose extension problems and conflicts.
Shutting down is a quicker process, taking around half a second, but filled with copious complaints from com.apple.xpc.remote. First indications of an imminent shutdown include farewells from various systems.
If you want to compare these with what used to happen in macOS Sierra, you'll find a full account of the latter here.
Posted in Macs, Technology and tagged battery, extensions, kernel, kernel extension, kernelcache, log, Mac, macOS 10.14, Mojave, shutdown, startup, Thunderbolt. Bookmark the permalink.
Even before the T2 chip, I don't know of anyone competent to undertake repairs of Apple laptops other than AASPs and Apple itself. Although the right to repair is perhaps an important right to preserve, with T2 Macs it seems almost entirely theoretical.


Kuyper College, locally referred to as "Kuyper", is a four-year accredited higher education institution located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Kuyper is primarily a Christian leadership college that focuses on preparing studnets to become Christian leaders dedicated to serving mankind. The curriculum at Kuyper College is designed to provide students with a well-rounded academic experience, as well as a religious education based on biblical and scriptural study. The current president of Kuyper is Dr. Nicholas V. Kroeze.
While the underlying theme of all education programs at Kuyper is Christian service, the college offers a variety of career-oriented degrees and programs in several secular fields including information technology, business, education, communications, nursing, healthcare and many others. All programs offered at Kuyper are presented from a Reformed Worldview perspective. The college offers a very hands-on learning approach, has an attractive student-to-faculty ratio of 15:1 and most students participate in internship programs.
See the degree programs that are offered at Kuyper College.
See the distance education degree programs that are offered at Kuyper College.
See what it costs to enroll at Kuyper College and how many students are receiving scholarships, grants, or loans as financial aid to help cover the costs of tuition.
See the admission requirements for Kuyper College. Find out how many students apply and how many are accepted. View a graphical breakdown of the gender, age, and ethnicity of currently enrolled Kuyper College students.


TULSA, Oklahoma (March 29, 2019) –Rio Grande Valley (0-3-1) fell short to Tulsa Roughnecks FC (3-1-1), 1-2, on Friday night.
The Roughnecks kicked off the match attacking the Toros goal. In the 6th minute, Cristhian Altamirano shot from outside the box but missed up high to the left. The Toros had two back-to-back attempts but none were sent to the back of the net. First, in the 13th minute, Camilo Monroy shot from the right side of the box but was blocked. Then, Romilio Hernandez shot from outside the box but missed to the left.
Carlos Small received a ball from Monroy where he shot from outside the box to the center of the goal, but goal keeper Mason Stajduhar saved the shot in the 17th minute. Two minutes later, Toros defender, Andrew Samuels conceded a foul inside the box causing a penalty. Rodrigo da Costa takes the shot and sent it to the top right corner past goalkeeper, Michael Nelson, 0-1.
In the 30th minute, Houston Dynamo loanee, Juan David Cabezas, sent a ball to Monroy where he shot from outside the box but was saved in the top center of the goal. Right after, Isidro Martinez sent a cross to Small where he sent it to the top right corning missing the chance of the equalizer.
Tulsa didn't want to finish the half with a lone goal. In the 44th minute, Altamirano sent a ball to Janu Silva where he took a left footed shot from the center of the box but sent it too high. Right after, Altamirano shot but missed to the left side of the goal. One minute into stoppage time, Fabian Bastidas sent a shot from outside the box to the top right corner marking the second goal of the match, 0-2.
Forward Jesus Enriquez attempted a header following a cross from a set piece but missed high and wide. In the 61st minute, Nico Lemoine sent a left footed shot from outside the box to the left side of the goal.
The Roughnecks had an attempt in the 65th minute where da Costa shot from outside the box but was blocked. Three minute later, Michael Salazar missed a shot to the right of the goal from a difficult anger on the right.
Martinez took a corner where he sent a cross to Lemoine. Lemoine headed the ball to the bottom right corner going past Stajduhar in the 72nd minute. RGV FC gained momentum in the offensive side but failed to get the equalizer.
RGV FC finished the night with 12 total shots, three on target, two blocked shots and a 55.9 percent of duels won. Tulsa totaled 13 shots, four on target and four blocked shots.
For the Toros, Lemoine and Monroy led the team with three total shots and one on target. Martinez had four key passes and one assist. On the defensive side, Samuels had a total of five tackles, three clearances and four interceptions. Erick McCue ended with four interceptions, two tackles and three blocks. Nelson totaled two saves at goal.
Scoring Summary: RGV FC – N. Lemoine 72' (Assist by Martinez); TUL – R. da Costa 19' (PK), F. Bastidas 46'.
Misconduct Summary: RGV FC – Hernandez 21'; TUL – Legendre 56', Bastidas 70'.
TUL – Stajduhar, Roberts, Legendre (Reyes 69'), Hedrick, Lobo, Addai, da Costa, Altamirano, Bastidas (Gonzalez 77'), Barrett (Mompremier 63'), Silva.
Subs Not Used:Uzo, Ajeakwa, MacRae, Ferreira.
Stats: Shots: 13, Shots on Goal: 4, Saves: 2, Fouls: 13, Corner Kicks: 4, Offsides: 0.
RGV FC – Nelson, Adams, McCue (A. Cabrera 88'), Coronado, Samuels, Martinez, Cabezas (Lemoine 46'), Hernandez, Enriquez, Monroy, Small (Salazar 63').
Subs Not Used: Donovan, Copete, Corti, Jackson.
Stats: Shots: 12, Shots on Goal: 3, Saves: 2, Fouls: 11, Corner Kicks: 7, Offsides: 1.


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text:
Q: find y coordinate for cursor position in div in UIWebView I have a UIWebView with some basic html that acts as a simple editor.
// in initWithFrame: of UIView subclass.
_editorHTML = [@"<!doctype html>"
                   ""
                   ""
                   "<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width,initial-scale=1\">"
                   ""
                   ""
                   ""
                   ""
                   "
%@
"
                   ""
                   "" retain];

_webView = [[UIWebView alloc] initWithFrame:CGRectMake(0, 0, frame.size.width, frame.size.height)];
_webView.delegate = self;
_webView.autoresizingMask = UIViewAutoresizingFlexibleHeight | UIViewAutoresizingFlexibleWidth;
_webView.scrollView.bounces = NO;
[_webView loadHTMLString:[NSString stringWithFormat:_editorHTML, @""] baseURL:[NSURL fileURLWithPath:directory]];

- (BOOL) webView:(UIWebView *)webView shouldStartLoadWithRequest:(NSURLRequest *)request navigationType:(UIWebViewNavigationType)navigationType
{
    NSURL *url = [request URL];
    if (navigationType == UIWebViewNavigationTypeOther) {
        if ([[url scheme] isEqualToString:@"ready"]) {

            int height = (int)_webView.frame.size.height;
            [webView stringByEvaluatingJavaScriptFromString:[NSString stringWithFormat:@"document.getElementById('content').style.minHeight = '%dpx'", height - WEBVIEW_DIVHEIGHT_OFFSET]];

            return NO;
        }
    }
    return YES;
}

So, how can I determine the cursor position in my div so I can update my scrollView to make sure that the content is visible above the UIKeyboard thus not having to make the user manually scroll to keep the text in view?

A: You can get the selected range from the selection and use its getClientRects() method.
Live demo: http://jsfiddle.net/timdown/xMEjD/
Code:
function getCaretClientPosition() {
    var x = 0, y = 0;
    var sel = window.getSelection();
    if (sel.rangeCount) {
        var range = sel.getRangeAt(0);
        if (range.getClientRects) {
            var rects = range.getClientRects();
            if (rects.length > 0) {
                x = rects[0].left;
                y = rects[0].top;
            }
        }
    }
    return { x: x, y: y };
}

A: @timdown Interestingly enough, your script always returns 0,0 for the beginning of a line. The script from [question]: Coordinates of selected text in browser page does return the right Y value, though.
Repeated here for ease of searching:
function getSelectionCoords() {
    var sel = document.selection, range;
    var x = 0, y = 0;
    if (sel) {
        if (sel.type != "Control") {
            range = sel.createRange();
            range.collapse(true);
            x = range.boundingLeft;
            y = range.boundingTop;
        }
    } else if (window.getSelection) {
        sel = window.getSelection();
        if (sel.rangeCount) {
            range = sel.getRangeAt(0).cloneRange();
            if (range.getClientRects) {
                range.collapse(true);
                var rect = range.getClientRects()[0];
                x = rect.left;
                y = rect.top;
            }
        }
    }
    return { x: x, y: y };
}

A: This solution is an evolution of the accepted answer.  Fixes the newLine issue in WebKit.
function getCaretClientPosition() {
    var x = 0, y = 0;
    var sel = window.getSelection();
    if (sel.rangeCount) {

        var range = sel.getRangeAt(0);
        var needsToWorkAroundNewlineBug = (range.startContainer.nodeName.toLowerCase() == 'p'
                                           && range.startOffset == 0);

        if (needsToWorkAroundNewlineBug) {
            x = range.startContainer.offsetLeft;
            y = range.startContainer.offsetTop;
        } else {
            if (range.getClientRects) {
                var rects = range.getClientRects();
                if (rects.length > 0) {
                    x = rects[0].left;
                    y = rects[0].top;
                }
            }
        }
    }
    return { x: x, y: y };
}


Whenever I have leftover ham from the holidays I love to make this Wicked Good Western Keto Scramble recipe. It�s a delicious spin on the classic western omelet that uses my...... She's the author of the best-selling Wicked Good Ketogenic Diet Cookbook, Keto Life, Keto All the Way, and developed recipes for the 21-Day Ketogenic Diet Weight-Loss Challenge. Disclaimer : Please enjoy the recipes and personal anecdotes on WickedStuffed, but please understand this is a recipe blog.
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text:
TZIGANE *Pb*
Click to enlarge photos
COLOR: Black/ brown
HEIGHT: 16.3 hh
FOALED: 1998
Zenda Farrell, Agent
Antares Trakehners
www.antarestrakehners.com
Facebook: AnTares Trakehners
Fresh cooled or live cover
Email: antarestrakehners@gmail.com
ABOUT THIS HORSE:
By Graditz *E* out of Tekoa by Condus *E*
Breeder - Zenda Farrell/AnTares Trakehners, Fowlerville, MI
Agent - Zenda Farrell
Foaled 1998
Measurements - 16.3 hands, 195 cm girth, 22 cm cannon bone.
Tzigane was ridden by US Eventing Mike Huber. By the age of 5, he was the most successful Trakehner at Training level in North America and ranked 5th in the nation. In 2006 he was presented in show jumping under Helmut Schrant. In their first season, they won at M level and in 2007, they won and placed at S level. In 2008, Tzigane jumped in his first Grand Prix. By the fall of 2009, Tzigane had accumulated enough wins and placings to earn Verband approval. For many years, he has been a successful show jumping stallion, with numerous Horse of the Year awards. He was presented in Germany for the first time in 2010 at the Trakehner Stallion Show in Munster-Handoff. He also participated in the NMS Gala Show where he jumped over fire.
He is currently retired to stud at AnTares Trakehners. His offspring are proving to be as versatile as their sire, placing and winning in dressage, eventing and show jumping and are favorites with children and amateur owners and riders.
Fresh Chilled, Frozen or live cover available
https://www.antarestrakehners.com/tzigane-pb.html
https://www.allbreedpedigree.com/tzigane3


Suede: one of the many 70s throwbacks set to infiltrate our wardrobes this summer. Mottled and mattified, this retro fabric is loaded with nostalgia – recalling love-worn festival jackets, the toughness of cowboy boot leather and the satisfying fade of a well-used bag. This is a fabric that was born to age.


In the seven years since my first marriage exploded, I have lost many things I loved: homes, my dream of an in tact family, my son. Especially my son.
But with loss comes transformation and I have also gained things I love: my husband, our blended family, a new career, new friends. Three cats.
Still, as grateful as I am for my personal renaissance, I am haunted by the broken life narrative caused by both my adoption and divorce. Family constellations have shifted, tangible and psychic legacies have been diverted, snapped apart like fibers of a frayed rope. My efforts to give my children what I never felt growing up–a cohesive foundation–failed. I ruminate about the impact of this fragmentation on them and often feel desperate to find a constant, something solid they can grasp hold of and carry forward.
As I reflect on the choppy last several years, one such constant, blessed in its simplicity, comes to mind: The Big Pancake.
A sublime concoction of mostly butter and sugar, The Big Pancake, as it has been named by my children, has become our weekend morning ritual. Although Luca is no longer with us on the weekends, my daughter Francesca, almost nine, and stepson Kevin, almost seven, clamor for it with regularity.
I preheat the oven and take out my pink mixing bowl. I gather the seven ingredients: flour, butter, milk, eggs, nutmeg, confectioner's sugar, and lemon. I melt half a stick of butter in my cast-iron skillet, pour the batter on top, and when the edges brown, stick the skillet in the oven.
When it's done, sprinkled with confectioner's sugar and lemon, the pancake sinks down to a delectable crust: chewy-crunchy, sweet and tart, swimming in butter. The kids jockey for position with their plates, remembering who got to choose the first piece the weekend before, and whose turn it is this weekend. When it's Kevin's turn, Francesca tries to steer him away from the biggest of the four slices. He's onto her now and points to the piece that appears the largest.
I discovered Amanda Hesser's recipe (see below) soon after my divorce, while reading the New York Times Sunday Magazine. I didn't know then how powerful these seven simple ingredients would be; that this prosaic offering now known as The Big Pancake would gradually ease into my family's consciousness as if it had always been there.
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add the flour, milk and nutmeg until blended but still slightly lumpy.
3. Working quickly, remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle with the sugar. Return to the oven for 1 to 2 minutes more. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Serves 2 to 4.
Saw your entry on mamapedia and couldn't help reading your entire blog. My heart goes out to you and your kids. Hope everything works out for you.
Oh, and I will be making the big pancake this morning. How can I resist?
Thanks, Gizelle! Hope you enjoy The Big Pancake.
A stick of butter to be exact! Scandalous. But it was good and even the pickiest eater cleaned their plate. So, yeah! It was yummy, thanks.
Ditto for me – what Gizelle said. I came to your blog through your article on Mamapedia. I have to say being in the throws of an ongoing divorce (still in appeal), your article about Lucas had a profound effect on me. And against my therapist's advice, I sent your article to my ex just asking him to read it and contemplate the lessons we could learn as parents from your experience.
Thanks for clicking through from Mamapedia.
I hope that my experience might show your ex the benefits of amicable co-parenting. I wish all of you the best.


Our mission is to help deliver flawless apps and to create a powerful collaborative environment for the entire test automation community, without any barriers!
We are in the test automation industry for over 10 years, and have always been passionate for developing creative ways to turn repetitive and complex tasks into simple intuitive flows.
In 2015 our TestProject journey has begun and the first version of our platform was publicly launched in April of 2018. Our goal is to create a powerful and collaborative space that will help the automation community to face day-to-day challenges more easily and deliver flawless products.


During his 1819 stay in Rome, one of Turner's most extensive sketching campaigns was the large number of pencil studies made from the sculpture collections of the Vatican Museums (for a general discussion, see the introduction to the sketchbook). As Finberg first identified, the subject of this sketch is a general view of the Sala a Croce Greca (Hall of the Greek Cross), the room which connects the lower floor of the Museo Pio-Clementino, via the Scala (Staircase) Simonetti to the upper galleries. A contemporary description in John Chetwode Eustace's, A Classical Tour Through Italy, first published in 1813, recorded how the room 'opens on a double staircase, raised on twenty-two pillars of red and white granite: its steps are marble, its balustrade bronze. The middle flight conducts down to the Vatican library: the other two lead to the Galleria de Candelabri'.1 Turner had made notes from the relevant passage in the Italian Guide Book sketchbook (see Tate D13948; Turner Bequest CLXXII 9a).
Turner's sketch, representing the layout of the room rather than individual objects presented in isolation, is similar in manner to the plates illustrating the museums of Rome, Naples and Florence in James Hakewill's Picturesque Tour of Italy (1818). In the preface to the prints, Hakewill claimed that the views, based upon his own 1817 drawings, had never previously appeared in any similar publication.2 Amongst the rooms depicted were several from the Vatican, including two variant representations of the Sala a Croce Greca, Museum of the Vatican. Sala a croce greca (whereabouts unknown),3and Rome. Museum of the Vatican, Sala a croce greca looking to the Rotondo (British School at Rome Library).4 A second drawing by Turner depicting a more general view related to the former can be found on 48 verso (D15197; Turner Bequest CLXXX 47a). He also made sketches of some of the sculptures displayed within the room, including the two famous sarcophagi belonging to Constantia and Helena, respectively the daughter and mother of Constantine, see folios 47–47 verso (D15194–D15195; Turner Bequest CLXXX 46–46a).
Cubberley and Herrmann, no.5M.8, reproduced p.301; James Hakewill, A Picturesque Tour of Italy, London 1818, pl.34.


text:
SportsBaseballMets
Yonder Alonso's adjustments have paid off with power
Yonder Alonso #17 of the Oakland Athletics and the American League looks on during the 88th MLB All-Star Game at Marlins Park on July 11, 2017 in Miami, Florida. Credit: Getty Images / Mike Ehrmann
By Owen O'Brien owen.o'brien@newsday.com Updated July 22, 2017 10:39 PM
After the 2016 season, Yonder Alonso decided to make a change.
Battling injuries through much of his eight-year career, the A's first baseman was healthy last season, playing in 156 games, but hit just .253 with seven home runs and 56 RBIs. Far from the numbers teams like to see from their first baseman.
"I think it was after last season that I looked at myself and realized I needed to make some adjustments physically, so I went ahead and started watching a lot of video and started concentrating on picking some of my flaws," Alonso said. "Watching a lot of video just made me sure how people were attacking me and just took it into my offseason work and just a lot of repetition."
The work paid off as Alonso, who never hit more than nine homers in a season, has 21 home runs, 45 RBIs and a .270 batting average, so it's easy to see why the seventh player taken in the 2008 draft is on the radar of teams looking for some punch.
"I think mentally, I just changed my ways a bit," Alonso said. "Just trying to adjust physically and mentally with my swing and get a good approach."
Alonso, a first-time all-star, had a tremendous start to the season, including 10 home runs in May and a .303 average with an .803 slugging percentage for the month. He led all first basemen in All-Star votes for a period of time before making the team as a reserve.
"Once you get off to a decent start, the offense kind of soars," Athletics manager Bob Melvin said. "You stick with the adjustments you had and now they just become a part of you. He's always had the ability to do this, it's just coming all together for him this season."
And with his success has brought about trade rumors few could have expected entering this season. Alonso — along with his teammate, starting pitcher Sonny Gray — have been rumored in trade discussion with the Yankees over the past few weeks.
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"It is what it is," Alonso said of trade talks. "It's fun, it's cool. I'm not really thinking about it too much. Just playing baseball."
But if he ends up in New York, the newfound slugger already has a favorite restaurant in mind.
On Thursday's day off, Alonso took a few teammates to Quality Meats, a steakhouse in New York City, and had his go-to order, a bone-in filet.
Miami, Alonso's hometown, has one of its own Quality Meats based on the New York location.
But that doesn't mean he's thought of himself donning pinstripes during his short-term stay for a three-game weekend series with the Mets.
"I'm just enjoying the city. I really like this city," Alonso said. "I'm from Miami, so I've always been in kind of bigger cities but it's been fun."
Alonso, who re-signed for $2.65 million in the offseason, avoiding arbitration, has certainly been worth the investment for Oakland.
And the new swing bringing early success has been the key for Alonso throughout triumphs and struggles.
"Just a lot of confidence," he said. "I've said it before, if I'm 0-for-20, I can't wait until my 21st at-bat because I feel like with one swing I can do all the things I want."
In his previous seven seasons, a slump would demoralize Alonso and lead to further struggles.
"I think in the past I have and it's kind of affected me a bit but now I don't see it like that," he said. "I see the positive sides in everything and I understand that during the season, you go through some slumps, you go through some good ones. So for me, I always feel like I'm in a good one, no matter what."
By Owen O'Brien owen.o'brien@newsday.com
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