ANTaR ACT, Amnesty ACT/NSW and the ANU Law Reconciliation Action Plan Committee joined forces to host the Imagining a different justice future for Indigenous Children in the ACT Forum on 30 May 2016.
The forum was organised to explore supporting community initiatives and practical ways to deal with the high adult incarceration rates in the ACT whilst at the same time acknowledging some of the successes achieved in the reduction of young people Indigenous Australians in detention.
It brought together the Minister for Indigenous Affairs Chris Bourke, the Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs and Corrections Andrew Wall and Greens MLA and Minister for Corrections Shane Rattenbury with community members Traci Harris (Women's Legal Centre and former member of Galambany sentencing court), Dr Paul Collis (member of Galambany) and Wayne Applebee (former member of Galambany sentencing court), along with scholars including Dr Anthony Hopkins (ANU Law, impacts of sentencing on Indigenous Australians), Dr Lorana Bartels (UC Law & Justice, Indigenous people and the criminal justice system), Dr Tony Foley (ANU Law, restorative justice and Indigenous youth incarceration) and Jeremy Boland (former ANU Law, prisons project).
The forum was moderated by Mary Spiers Williams (ANU Law) who expertly enabled the conversation to flow as questions were asked by members of the audience and students from the ANU Law Reform Social Justice Group and Amnesty International groups at ANU/UC.
What is the current situation regarding the impact of the criminal justice system on young Indigenous Australians in the ACT?
Will reducing the incarceration rates result in the increased victimisation of Indigenous women and children?
What initiatives can counter the negative impacts of the criminal justice system in court, prisons and initial contact with police?
What policy positions do the various parties have on these issues and are any attempts being made to develop a tri partisan (Labor, Liberal and Greens) approach?
The forum was incredibly well attended and filled to capacity on a cold, wintry Canberra night. Discussion centred on the successes achieved by the ACT in the area of Indigenous youth incarceration, including a 47% reduction in 2013-14, and how these might be extended for adults. The Minister for Indigenous Affairs cited recent initiatives that have been introduced or are being considered in the ACT including pre-sentencing reports that inform the court on links between a defendant's offending and their Indigenous status, increasing the availability of programs that Galambany sentencing court can direct offenders to and making the Galambany sentencing court available to adult offenders as a restorative justice measure.
Wayne Applebee, P aul Collis and Traci Harris talked about their experience with Galambany sentencing court, and how it engages people to see how their behaviour affects the community and how they can take responsibility – it is important for re-engaging with their mob, without shaming.
Anthony Hopkins talked about recent developments for considering Indigenous identify in sentencing and reminded those present of the need to contextualise Indigenous offending within the framework of colonisation and the impacts that are still with us. He said that it was about not looking at this as the person's problem but as the community's problem and how sentencing can change this.
In response to questions about whether reducing incarceration rates would increase domestic violence, Traci said that violence is related to the intergenerational trauma that followed from colonisation, and that solutions should focus on access to resources to decrease violence – locking up is not the solution. Mary noted that there can be a misunderstanding behind efforts to reduce incarceration – it is not about just letting people out, but reducing the underlying causes.
In general, all those present agreed with many of the measures and issues being discussed. There was agreement from all politicians that it is important to reduce incarceration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. However, they also agreed that there was not a need for a tri-partisan approach on how to do this, but rather that the best ideas can emerge from debating different ideas.
Feedback from participants and attendees was positive and there was wide support to continue the discussion and keep the focus on these issues in future forums and events. This was just a start and there were many issues, such as the removal of children, that were raised but could not be explored fully in the evening.
The event was covered in the media by local ABC news (see story here: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-31/indigenous-incarceration-rates-forum-canberra/7460982) and on SBS Living Black Radio.


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Rebelmouse retools its Web and mobile apps with slicker design and new features for sharing content
Social aggregation and sharing service Rebelmouse has revamped its platform to introduce a more mobile-friendly design and new features, like the ability to automatically populate posts with images and other content.
Keeping true to its core mission of providing users with a platform for grouping and sharing the most interesting content they stumble across on the Web all in one place, the changes are designed to increase the visual appeal of content shared on your page but without adding unnecessary clutter.
For example, the refresh brings in full-width header images to drive higher engagement and a new navigation bar on the left-hand side of the screen, which the company says balances accessibility with keeping the page distraction-free.
As well as automatically adding images or GIFs to your post (just type a headline and it'll find something appropriate, in theory), the update also adds support for in-line dynamic content. So, the next time you want to embed a tweet, Facebook post, YouTube video etc. all you need to do is paste the link in your post.
Rounding off the list of notable changes is the addition of a live preview as you're composing a post, and some new social sharing options.
The company said that the new design was also conceived with mobile visitors in mind, so the page will resize dynamically according to the device it's being being viewed on, though there are still native iOS and Android apps – both of which have been updated to include the new options and design.
The features have actually been gradually rolling out over the course of the last two weeks, but Rebelmouse wanted to ease into the new version before announcing it to ensure any remaining bugs had been worked out.
➤ Rebelmouse | App Store | Google Play
Featured Image Credit – Shutterstock
Greater platform accountability could help stop the spread of 'Finfluencer' misinformation
Social media companies should be converted into nonprofits
Why Zelenskyy's 'selfie videos' are helping Ukraine win the PR war against Russia
GraphQL could be the key to taming the API explosion

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- After Dayton's best postseason run in 30 years, head coach Archie Miller is confident it won't take the Flyers nearly as long to repeat that success.
No. 11 seed Dayton knocked off Ohio State, Syracuse and Stanford before falling to top seed Florida 62-52 on Saturday night in the NCAA tournament's South Regional final.
The scrappy team from the Atlantic 10 was the tournament's favorite underdog by the end of its run -- blasting past big-name programs and all the way to the Elite Eight with a deep rotation that specialized in defense and energy.
The architect was Miller -- an intense 35-year-old from Pennsylvania who comes from a coaching family. Older brother Sean guided Arizona to the same point in the NCAA tournament, exiting just hours after his sibling when the Wildcats lost to Wisconsin 64-63 in overtime.
The Flyers' success also has made their coach a hot commodity. Dayton athletic director Tim Wabler announced earlier this week that Miller's contract had been extended through the 2018-19 season, though a bigger-name program could be interested in the coming weeks.
Dayton should be good again next season. The Flyers expect to return three starters, including sophomore Dyshawn Pierre, who scored 18 against the Gators. Five more from the bench who saw regular minutes also will be back.
One of the three departing seniors -- guard Vee Sanford -- said those who view Dayton as a small-time program are misinformed. Dayton was one of six teams from the Atlantic 10 that received an NCAA tournament bid this year.
Junior Devin Oliver scored 12 points in Saturday's loss to Florida. He said Miller's work ethic has been crucial to the team's development.
Miller said he appreciated the sacrifice his players made to play his style. The Flyers used 11 or 12 players on most nights and playing time could vary widely depending on who was being productive on a given night.
The approach has been successful, and the expectations for the program have risen exponentially.


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Q: Why Nullable<DateTime> can be assigned to a paramter which only can be implict converted from DateTime? There is no implicit conversion from Nullable<DateTime> to DynamoDBEntry.
But I have code like this. It works well.
class DocumentData {
    private readonly Document doc;

    protected void SetValue(string key, DateTime? dateTime)
    {
        DateTime? old = GetDateTime(key);
        if (old != dateTime)
            doc[key] = dateTime;
    }
}

In fact, I tested some other code. I think it's nothing to do with DynamoDB.
class TestDateTIme
{
    public static void Test() {
        DateTime? a = DateTime.UtcNow;
        Convert(a);
    }
    public static void Convert(MyClass m){
        return;
    }
}

class MyClass
{
    public static implicit operator MyClass(DateTime date)
    {
         return new MyClass ();
    }
}

A: Good question. What you dexcribe is this:
class MyClass
{
    public static implicit operator MyClass(DateTime date)
    {
         return new MyClass ();
    }
}

That's an implicit user-defined conversion from a non-nullable value type (here DateTime) to the class type, a reference type.
Then a conversion DateTime→MyClass "induces" a conversion DateTime?→MyClass as it seems.
With the above example, this compiles:
DateTime? nullableDateTime = XXX;
MyClass myClass = nullableDateTime;  // implicit conversion from nullable!

I tried to read carefully the part of the C# Language Specification beginning with:

User-defined implicit conversions
A user-defined implicit conversion from type S to type T is processed as follows:
  [...]

Here the source S is DateTime?, and the target T is MyClass. With the notation of the spec, S0 and Sx become DateTime and the conversion you wrote is "selected".
When nullableDateTime has a value, it is pretty clear that this value is unwrapped, then fed to the user-definede conversion of yours. It seems to be in agreement with the spec.
When nullableDateTime does not have a value (is null), it looks like the resulting myClass becomes a null of that type, that is a null reference of the class type. This is based on experimenting. I am not sure where in the spec this behavior, with null from struct to class, is described.
Conclusion: The behavior you asked about, is probably a consequence of the way the specification is written, but I am not sure where it says that null shall go to null without actually invoking your conversion method.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
If we have loaded a crystalline specimen into the electron microscope and we press the diffraction button, then what we see is grid of bright spots. People often say this grid (which is usually incomplete only a few bright spots are lit up, unless the specimen has been accurately aligned) is like a diffraction grating pattern. It is like a diffraction grating pattern, although in fact, unlike the pattern we would obtain from an optical diffraction grating, the behaviour of an electron diffraction pattern is made more complicated by the thickness of the object and multiple (dynamical) scattering.
I still think it is worth rehearsing the behaviour of a conventional (optical) diffraction grating before we try to discuss three-dimensional electron diffraction effects. There three reasons for this: 1) diffraction from periodic (crystalline) arrays of atoms is absolutely key in electron imaging, and so we may as well spend some time understanding fully the simplest example of diffraction from a one-dimensional periodic object; 2) the diffraction grating can give us a qualitative insight into the nature of the convolution theorem; 3) the diffraction grating can illuminate, in a physical way, the difference between the Fourier integral and the discrete Fourier transform.
in order to find the amplitude of the Fraunhofer diffraction pattern. Now lets think about taking the Fourier transform (that is, forming the Fraunhofer diffraction pattern) of not a continuous top-hat function, but one made up of a series of spikes, like a hair comb. Physically, we would construct this from a series of equally-spaced slits a diffraction grating. The functional form of the exit wave emerging immediately behind the grating looks like this:
To begin with, lets assume each spike in this function is infinitesimally narrow. We can use our mechanical Fourier transform machine to calculate what the diffracted amplitude will look like a very long way from the grating, as a function of angle. I want to think about this by considering more and more slits, starting off with just two slits. In other words, a series of functions that looks like this:
In the complex plane, we will have wave value vectors for these four examples that, at some small scattering angle, add like this:
At we increase the scattering angle, the vectors rotate, changing the resultant vector, which, as before, we draw between the two ends of chain of wave vectors. Of course, in the limit of infinitely many tiny slits, we tend towards the chain being a continuous line, like in our calculation of the sinc function. At the opposite limit of just two slits, we just have our Youngs slits amplitude distribution. It doesnt take much imagination to think through what will happen to the resultant vectors, as a function of scattering angle, between these two extremes. Qualitatively, for an increasing number of slits, the diffracted amplitude looks like this:
These diagrams are not quantitatively accurate (I did them using the mouse and the curve autoshape, so they are a bit wonky the crossing points and magnitudes are purely qualitative). Whats happening is that as we increase the number of slits, then the snake of added component vectors writhes around in a tighter and tighter bundle. Every so often, the bundle straightens out into a large magnitude. For two slits, the first maximum magnitude occurs on the first vertical line (above), and is purely negative. For three slits, it occurs on the second line, and is positive. For four slits, the first maximum magnitude occurs on the third line, and is negative, and so on and so forth.
Aside: We might infer from these diagrams that the complex value of a diffraction pattern from an array of atoms changes very dramatically depending on whether we have an even or an odd number of atoms across the width of a crystallite. Well, that's not quite true. The way we've constructed our distribution of slits (atoms) here means that an even number of slits appear shifted (by half their spacing) along the x-axis relative to the case of an odd number of slits. This shift is really responsible for the positive and negative peaks in the amplitude, because a shift introduces a phase ramp across the Fourier transform. Because here we have arranged to keep the result purely real (by keeping the slits symmetric about the origin), then this phase change results in a π shift in some of the even-slit diffraction peaks. Don't worry about it... :end of aside
Source: www.rodenburg.org
300mm x 300mm Heelguard Pattern Grate - Full Stainless ...
Laser abstract pattern through a diffraction grating
Mini moving head laser with Grating patterns(X-LASER)
Electromagnetically induced grating (EIG) is an optical interference phenomenon where an interference pattern is used to build a dynamic spatial diffraction grating in matter. EIGs are dynamically created by light interference on optically resonant materials and...
Due to the effect of a spatial context or temporal context, the perceived orientation of a test line or grating pattern can appear tilted away from its physical orientation. The tilt illusion (TI) is the phenomenon that the perceived orientation of a test line or...
An apparatus and method for simultaneous chirp adjustment and frequency conversion of an ultra-short input optical pulse A.sub.1 characterized by a center angular frequency .omega..sub.1,0 in a non-linear optical material with a quasi-phasematching (QPM) grating...
Grating formula
Texas ID hologram
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Hologram Arcade games


I've always been fascinated with the band Sugarcubes. A mix of pop sensibilities and great songs and some Euro-weirdness that renders a listener visually transported into Bjork's beautiful voice.
I was delighted to discover during my still going on strong Radiohead obsession that Thom York and Bjork duet on "I've Seen It All Before". A fantastical, great somber song.


text:
Stripe signs deal to process more of Amazon's payments
Payments company to increase its use of online retailer's web services
Stripe will increase its use of Amazon Web Services, which has acted as the company's cloud infrastructure provider, to help grow the fintech business and serve customers. Photograph: Neil Hall/EPA
Ciara O'Brien
Mon Jan 23 2023 - 14:44
Irish-founded payments technology company Stripe has signed an expanded deal with Amazon that will see the fintech process more of the online retailer's payments.
The new agreement will see Stripe become a strategic payments partner for Amazon in the US, Europe and Canada, processing payments for Prime, Audible, Kindle, Amazon Pay, Buy With Prime and other Amazon services. That accounts for a significant part of Amazon's total payments volume.
[ Stripe enters 30-day consultation with staff over job cuts ]
Meanwhile, Stripe will increase its use of Amazon Web Services (AWS), which has acted as the company's cloud infrastructure provider, to help grow the fintech business and serve customers.
The two companies have a long-standing partnership, working together for more than a decade. In 2017, Amazon used Stripe's core payments technology to help drive growth in Asia and Europe, and support Amazon's events such as Prime Day.
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"Stripe has been a trusted partner, helping accelerate our business at every turn," said Max Bardon, vice-president of payments, Amazon. "In particular, we value Stripe's reliability. Even during peak days like Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday, Stripe delivers industry-leading uptime."
Stripe's expansion of its AWS usage will see the fintech use the cloud infrastructure provider's suite of services that help boost efficiency in data processing and enhance security.
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"The platform gives Stripe enormous developer leverage, which we then deploy in service of our users," said David Singleton, chief technology officer at Stripe. "As we look at the decade ahead, it's clear the best path forward for Stripe and for our users is to partner more closely with Amazon."
[ Amazon kicks off round of job cuts affecting 18,000 people ]
Stripe, which was cofounded by Irish brothers Patrick and John Collison in 2010, has built an extensive payments infrastructure for companies and handles billions of dollars in transactions each year.
Ciara O'Brien is an Irish Times business and technology journalist
StripeAmazonAmazon Web Services


text:
Tag Archives: Sonic the Hedgehog
Episode 081 – Not Sonic the Hedgehog (WCW vs. nWo games, 1997 and 1998)
By sgreenwell on November 14, 2016 | 2 Comments
This week in Your Parents Basement, the show has been taken over by a rogue element! We are no longer covering Sonic the Hedgehog – and trust us, we're so disappointed by that – and instead, we're covering WCW vs. nWo World Tour from 1997, and WCW/nWo Revenge from 1998! Both are by Asmik Ace and AKI for the Nintendo 64. We're joined by Steve's buddy josh
You can manually download this week's "we're outta time!" podcast here or subscribe to the show via the iTunes store. To manually subscribe, use this link in the device / podcast player of choice. You can also follow us on Twitter, or 'like' us on Facebook.
0:00 – Intro, which features the excellent title theme from the game we thought we'd be covering. Josh crashes the proceedings a few minutes in, so we segue from Sonic to wrasslin' talk.
46:00 – Emails! John Tetris wants to know about wrestlers as well.
1:05:30 – Even though Brisket is out of the picture for today's show, we still have to help some people in… Ask The Sweet Boys.
1:11:00 – Snifferoo. WE'VE GOT TO CATCH THEM ALL!
1:11:45 – Outtake.
– According to Price Charting, World Tour and Revenge are both cheaply priced. They go for $3.75 to $5 for the loose carts, and $13 to $18 if you want the box and manual included. In contrast, the more advanced No Mercy goes for $8 for the cart, and $27 for the box and manual.
– The awesome book that Steve mentions, Death of WCW by R.D. Reynolds and Bryan Alvarez, is available on Amazon.
Posted in: Nintendo 64, Podcasts, YPB Volume II	| Tagged: Ask the Sweet Boys, Bryan Alvarez, Butterscoot, Death of WCW, emails, Huell, Josh, No Mercy, Price Charting, R.D. Reynolds, Sonic the Hedgehog, Steve, WCW, WCW vs. nWo World Tour, WCW/nWo Revenge, WWE, WWF
Vidya Game News – November 3, 2016
By sgreenwell on November 3, 2016 | Leave a comment
– Daaayyyyyyttttoonnnnaaaa! From Polygon and other sites, Sega has confirmed that a new entry in the Daytona USA series will be coming out. Read more here.
– Apparently, the creator of Balloon Fight first brought up the NES Classic Edition idea about 10 years ago! You can read a translated interview with Yoshio Sakamoto here, via Nintendo Everything.
– The director of Deadpool (Tim Miller) is stepping away from that series, and his next project will be Sonic the Hedgehog, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
– Supermodel Gisele Bundchen dressed up as Luigi for Halloween, because her SBB was dressed as Mario. Popsugar has the story here, based on her 'stagrams. (And hey, listen to our shows on Mario 1 and Mario 2 here and here!)
– And speaking of the Brady household… From Steve's home state paper The Providence Journal, what game did Tom Brady like to play with his roommate? Well, Tecmo Bowl, of course! Read more here. And listen to our Tecmo Bowl show here.
– Via Gamespot, Crash Bandicoot now talks! … in the Netflix TV show Skylanders Academy. Check out our Crash Bandicoot episode here!
– Fire Emblem came out for the Game Boy Advance in 2003. While it was the first (official) English localization for the series by Nintendo, it was the seventh main game of the series. Rumor goes that Nintendo finally decided to give it the ole translation try because of the popularity of Marth in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
– Ratchet & Clank came out Nov. 4, 2002 for the PS2. Insomniac's effort was well-reviewed, and spawned a series.
– Valkyria Chronicles, a solid turn-based, tactical RPG, came out on Nov. 4, 2008 for the PS3. Surprisingly, it was by Sega! A remastered version came out on May 17, 2016 for the PS4, to rave reviews.
– The first Dragon Age game from Bioware came out for the PS3, 360 and PC on this day in 2009.
Posted in: Arcade, Game Boy Advance, NES, PC, Playstation, Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Saturn, Vidya Games News, Xbox 360	| Tagged: Balloon Fight, BioWare, Crash Bandicoot, Daytona USA, Deadpool, Dragon Age, Fire Emblem, Gamespot, Gisele Bundchen, Insomniac, Kevin McNamara, Luigi, Mario, Marth, NES Classic Edition, Netflix, Nintendo, Nintendo Everything, Ratchet & Clank, Sega, Skylanders Academy, Sonic the Hedgehog, Tecmo Bowl, The Hollywood Reporter, The Providence Journal, Tim Miller, Tom Brady, Valkyria Chronicles, Yoshio Sakamoto
Vidya Game News – June 23, 2016
By sgreenwell on June 23, 2016 | Leave a comment
– Cool: An Ecco the Dolphin prototype for Dreamcast has been found. Read more here.
– This week, blastr has another cool list, this one on 10 Genesis games that deserve comebacks. It's by Dany Roth and you can read it here. Included are past YPB games Comix Zone and Vectorman!
– Natsume had a busy E3, as they showed sequels and remakes for Harvest Moon, Wild Guns and River City Ransom. Read a write-up from Gaming Illustrated's Greg Johnson here. And, listen to our River City Ransom show here!
– From James Vincent at The Verge, Warcraft is now the highest-grossing film based on a video game of all-time, thanks to its strength in China. It surpassed Prince of Persia, which finished with $336 million. Warcraft is up to $378 million and counting. (And for our Warcraft show, go here!) Allison Elkin at VICE has a piece on what ex-World of Warcraft players think of the movie.
ON THIS DAY IN VIDEO GAME HISTORY…
– Guess who turns 26? Sonic! The first game in the series, Sonic The Hedgehog, came out this day in 1991. The series is still alive, by the way.
– Also, on this day in 1996, the Nintendo 64 was released in Japan. It was a pretty, pretty, pretty good system. Pilotwings 64 and Super Mario 64 were the prominent launch games.
Posted in: Dreamcast, Nintendo 64, PC, Sega Genesis, SNES, Vidya Games News	| Tagged: Allison Elkin, blastr, Comix Zone, Dany Roth, Ecco the Dolphin, Gaming Illustrated, Greg Johnson, Harvest Moon, Natsume, Nintendo, Pilotwings 64, River City Ransom, Sega, SoaHCity, Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario 64, Vectorman, VICE, Wild Guns
Vidya Game News – May 5, 2016
By sgreenwell on May 5, 2016 | Leave a comment
– Of all the things Sega could license… A movie adaption of Shinobi could be coming soon, per Variety. It's a solid game, but when it comes to story-based ninja games, it's no Ninja Gaiden.
– Also, Sega has allowed modding to its games on Steam. As you can imagine, this has led to all sorts of fun, like Kirby starring in Sonic The Hedgehog and difficulty hacks for Comix Zone. Zack Kotzer of Motherboard has a good summary article on some changes.
– From Carl Batchelor of Niche Gamer, NES dungeon crawl game Shadow Brain has gotten a translation patch.
– Ryan Shoptaw of Gaming Conviction says a prototype cart for DuckTales 2 is now for sale.
– Nolan Bushnell, the original vidya games guy for Atari, is now working on cell phone games.
– Over on Cinemassacre, Mike and Bootsy play the NES hack Luigi's Chronicles 2, an ultra-tough remake of Super Mario Bros. 3.
– In 1992, Wolfenstein 3D was released for the PC by id Software. You play as William "B.J." Blazkowicz and shoot down a ton of Nazis, and it was as awesome as it sounded at the time. It was the FPS game that popularized the genre.
– On May 6, 2001, Mario Party 3 came out for the N64. Yes, there were three Mario Party games for the 64! It was also the last Mario game for the system.
– Konami released Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow in 2003 for the Gameboy Advance. It is one of the excellent Metroidvania games in the series. (And hey, check out our episodes on Castlevania and Super Metroid!)
Posted in: Game Boy Advance, NES, Nintendo 64, PC, Sega Genesis, Steam, Vidya Games News	| Tagged: Atari, Bootsy, Capcom, Carl Batchelor, Castlevania, Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, Cinemassacre, Comix Zone, DuckTales, DuckTales 2, Gaming Conviction, id Software, Justin Kroll, Kirby, Konami, Luigi's Chronicles 2, Marc Platt, Mario Party, Mario Party 3, Mike, Niche Gamer, Ninja Gaiden, Nintendo, Nolan Bushnell, Ryan Shoptaw, Sega, Shadow Brain, Shinobi, Sonic the Hedgehog, Steam, Super Mario Bros. 3, Wolfenstein 3D
Vidya Game News – April 28, 2016
By sgreenwell on April 28, 2016 | Leave a comment
– From Ryan Divish and Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times, Nintendo is selling its majority stake in the Seattle Mariners. The valuation is $1.4 billion, and a follow-up story on how the deal was struck is here. The initial purchase price? Around $100 million, according to a January 1992 New York Times article by Lawrence Malkin.
– Kotaku has an excerpt from Alyse Knorr's book on the making of Super Mario Bros. 3, and it's an awesome read! Check it out here.
– Now out: Sega 3D Classics Collection, for the Nintendo 3DS. Games include Power Drift, Puyo Puyo 2, Fantasy Zone II and II W, Sonic the Hedgehog, Thunder Blade, Galaxy Force II, Altered Beast and Maze Walker.
– Pretty much every site on the ole Internet had a piece about the new NES adapter that lets you use some modern controllers.
– Nintendo has a Humble Bundle available until May. Highlights include Retro City Rampage and Citizens of Earth.
– Historically, nothing prominent has come out on April 28, so… On April 29, 1998, Tekken 3 came out for the PlayStation. Released by Namco, it's considered one of the absolute best games for the system, and one of the best fighting games of all-time.
– A little game called Grand Theft Auto IV came out on April 29, 2008. It made a bazillion dollars for Rockstar.
– Similarly: Mario Kart Wii came out in 2008 as well. It was a pretty good day for games.
Posted in: NES, Nintendo 3DS, Playstation, Playstation 3, Vidya Games News, Wii, Xbox 360	| Tagged: Altered Beast, Alyse Knorr, Boss Fight Books, C-Net, Citizens of Earth, Fantasy Zone II, Galaxy Force II, Geoff Baker, Grand Theft Auto IV, Humble Bundle, Kotaku, Lawrence Malkin, Major League Baseball, Mario Kart Wii, Maze Walker, Namco, Nintendo, Polygon, Power Drift, Puyo Puyo 2, Retro City Rampage, Rockstar Games, Ryan Divish, Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario Bros. 3, Tekken, Tekken 3, The New York Times, The Seattle Times, Thunder Blade
Vidya Game News – February 11, 2016
By sgreenwell on February 11, 2016 | Leave a comment
– Legitimately cool, but some NSFW text and language: Canadian punk band PUP has a ton of re-purposed vintage video game stuff for its music video of "DVP." Check it out on YouTube! It's definitely a must-watch for any old games fan.
– James Trew of Engadget has a cool retrospective on the Atari Lynx, which is one of those obscure systems from the early to mid-1990s.
– Are you in the Austin, Texas area on Feb. 21? You're in luck! You can attend the NBA Jam Invitational Tournament at Empire Control Room & Garage. Find more details here. Also, from FOX Sports and several other sources, the University of Florida used NBA Jam graphics for a promotion.
– In "WTF Sega???" news, The Worldfolio has an interview with the president and CEO of Sega Sammy Holdings Inc., and he said development continues on a live action-animation hybrid Sonic The Hedgehog movie. It's tentatively scheduled for a 2018 release.
– A hat tip to Friend of the Show Hypermotard, as he passed along this Reddit AMA with Don Rawitsch, one of the co-inventors of The Oregon Trail.
– From the appropriately named This Is Why I'm Broke, it's a Nintendo console lamp. The price of $95 seems a bit steep to me, but still, it looks pretty cool.
– In 2014, Square somewhat buried the third installment of Final Fantasy XIII, Lightning Returns, by releasing it in this traditional "dead" period. The game itself is a bit of a mess, but it has some cool concepts, like the ability to hunt enemies to extinction and the setting of the end of the world. Like a lot of recent Square efforts, it's undone by some meh storytelling in the third act.
– We typically don't use Japanese dates for "anniversaries" on the old YPB blog, but for whatever reason, Feb. 11 is a banner day for the genre in Japan. In 1990, Dragon Quest IV came out, and as usual it did major business in Japan. It didn't hit American shores until October 1992, and it was very much a "niche" title with seemingly only 15 copies released. A Nintendo DS remake came out in 2007 and 2008; it tends to be controversial, because while it cleans up some gameplay and "where do I go next?" aspects, it gives all of the characters ridiculous accents.
– In 1998, Xenogears was released by Square in Japan. It has a strong cult following to this day because of its unique RPG system with martial arts and robots fighting, along with a plot that focuses on religion, psychology and identity crisis. The reaction is still mostly positive, even though the second half of the game falls apart a bit for behind-the-scenes budget reasons.
– Square released Final Fantasy VIII in Japan in 1999. It was the second Final Fantasy game for the Playstation, and drastically different from the preceding game, and as a result it's somewhat a black sheep in the series. Although it has sold more than 8.5 million copies, it's been passed over for remakes in favor of VII and X, even though its story and "look" hold up somewhat better. It's not really a game for Final Fantasy newcomers though, as the battle system takes some getting used to, and exploit knowledge on a second playthrough can let you become an all-powerful character within the game's first few hours.
Posted in: Atari Lynx, NES, Nintendo DS, PC, Playstation, Playstation 3, Sega Genesis, Vidya Games News, Xbox 360	| Tagged: AMA, Atari, Austin, Don Rawitsch, Dragon Quest IV, Dragon Warrior IV, DVP, EA Sports, Empire Control Room & Garage, Engadget, Enix, Final Fantasy VIII, Final Fantasy XIII, Fox Sports, James Trew, Lightning, Lightning Returns, Midway, NBA Jam, PUP, Reddit, Sega, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic the Hedgehog movie, Square, The Oregon Trail, This Is Why I'm Broke, Xenogears
Vidya Game News – January 29, 2016
By sgreenwell on January 29, 2016 | Leave a comment
Hey, it's some news!
– Marc Deschamps had a fun review, with pictures, of his time spent at a museum with a NES exhibit.
– It was all around the Internet this week, but the original story seems to be from a Huffington Post site: Michael Jackson did portions of the soundtrack for Sonic 3. Read more here by Todd Van Luling.
– PAX South is in San Antonio from today to Sunday. You know, in case you're in the area. For more info, visit the event's website.
– From mbgreen78 at DeviantART, it's video game dioramas! Check them out here.
– The most significant game released was Phantasy Star Online in 2001 for the Dreamcast. It was pretty much the first online console game that had a significant impact, and it makes plenty of "best of all-time" lists as a result.
– Depending on what source you look at, Final Fantasy Tactics came out today or yesterday in 1998. It was a cult classic for plenty of years, thanks to its awesome storyline and neat, turn-based strategy gameplay. Nowadays, it has been re-released for several different (mostly Sony) platforms, and it's still worth checking out. (And by the way, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance is out this week for the Wii U Virtual Console, per Gamasutra.)
Posted in: Dreamcast, Game Boy Advance, NES, Playstation, Vidya Games News, Wii U	| Tagged: DeviantART, Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, Gamasutra, mbgreen78, Michael Jackson, PAX, PAX South, Phantasy Star Online, Sega, Sonic 3, Sonic the Hedgehog, Square, Todd Van Luling
Vidya Game News – September 24, 2015
By sgreenwell on September 24, 2015 | Leave a comment
Would you kindly read these news stories?
– The U.S. never got the SNES game The Amazing Spider-Man: Lethal Foes. Until now! A translation patch is out for the Japanese ROM, which is said to be one of the few 16-bit licensed games that didn't suck. It was done by kepeb.
– Jacob Kauffman of an Arkansas NPR station has a cool interview with Dona Bailey, one of the few female programmers for the Atari 2600 and the creator of Centipede.
– From Sonic Retro and other sites, a lost arcade game, Waku Waku Sonic Patrol Car, is going to be preserved soon via backup means. The game itself isn't all that good, but hey, it's a neat bit of history.
– Amanda Bell of MTV.com has a collection of modern songs done by the ole Game Boy.
– The Local Voice of North Mississippi has a piece on Daniel Lee Perea, who's an expert NBA Jam player and who holds 72 different video game records. You can read it here.
– Jonesing for a modern day version of Myst? Then the long-developed The Witness might be up your alley. It finally has a release date of January 26.
-Hey, speaking of Myst… It was released on this day in 1993. If you didn't catch our episode on it, along with special guest Jovial Jackee, check it out here.
– In an actual bit of history, on that day in 2002 Rare was purchased by Microsoft for a reported $375 million. Thus began an "interesting" phase for the company, as games have generally slid in quality and sales since that time, instead of being a killer first-party developer for Microsoft.
– Speaking of weird departures from established standards and practices… Star Fox Adventures came out 13 years ago for the GameCube, between Sept. 22 and Sept. 27, depending on the country. It took Star Fox into the area of Zelda games, and away from traditional space shootin'. And another shameless plug! Check out our Star Fox and Star Fox 64 episode here.
– Ico, a well-respected, unique puzzle platformer, came out 14 years ago for the Playstation 2. It was considered one of the games of the year.
Posted in: Arcade, Atari 2600, Game Boy, Gamecube, PC, Playstation 2, Playstation 4, SNES	| Tagged: Amanda Bell, Bioshock, Centipede, Daniel Lee Perea, Dona Bailey, fan translations, Ico, Jacob Kauffman, kepeb, Marvel, Microsoft, MTV, Myst, NBA Jam, Nintendo, NPR, Rare, Sonic Retro, Sonic the Hedgehog, Spider-man, Star Fox, Star Fox Adventures, The Amazing Spider-Man: Lethal Foes, The Local Voice, The Witness, Waku Waku Sonic Patrol Car
Vidya Game News – August 20, 2015
By sgreenwell on August 20, 2015 | Leave a comment
On the East Coast, it's been too damn hot to do anything but play vidya games, and to read about vidya games. Here are some of the highlights from the past week:
– Holy smokes, the Mortal Kombat movie is now 20 years old! Hollywood Reporter has an awesome oral history of the movie, by Aaron Couch. The biggest 'trivia' aspect is probably that Cameron Diaz was initially cast as Sonya Blade, before being replace by Mrs. Pete Sampras after breaking her wrist.
– As mentioned on many sites and on the Playstation Blog, there will be a nifty Playstation 4 bundle available in November that will come with a Star Wars theme and a Darth Vader chest panel. Included are the latest Star Wars Battlefront game and four classic games, like the Super Nintendo's Super Star Wars.
– The Sega Blog has a multi-part interview with Sega staff on today's release of 3D Gunstar Heroes. It's an upgrade on the cult classic from the Genesis era.
– From Kotaku Australia, Kevin Wong tries to defend Mario Is Missing. It's a #hottake to me, since I've played it and not been impressed.
– Freelance artist Brooke Luder apparently did some pitch work for Crazy Taxi 4 and The Sonic Classic Collection, which is summarized here at the Sonic Stadium. You can find Luder's portfolio here.
– Sega will be releasing Puyo Puyo Quest in the states, under the title Cranky Food Friends: A delicious drop and match RPG. The news was on Pocket Gamer and other sites. If it looks and sounds familiar to you, it's because it came to the U.S. way-back-when as Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine.
– A neat roundup from Marc Morrison on 411Mania, in The 8 Ball column, which has the top eight worst 2D platformers, mostly from the eight and 16-bit eras. Some of the selections aren't surprising, and they're mostly correct: Home Improvement, Captain Planet, Bebe's Kids…
Who has the largest Nintendo collection in Australia? Sam Crowther possibly, according to WA Today.
– The only game of real significance released today, short of updates to sports games, is One Must Fall: 2097. It was a cool fighting game for the PC, which featured fightin' rowebuts that you could upgrade. Man, August can't get over soon enough…
Posted in: PC, Playstation 4, Sega Genesis, SNES, Vidya Games News	| Tagged: 3D Gunstar Heroes, 411Mania, Bebe's Kids, Bridgette Wilson, Brooke Luder, Cameron Diaz, Captain Planet, Cranky Food Friends, Crazy Taxi, Darth Vader, Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, Gunstar Heroes, Hollywood Reporter, Home Improvement, Kevin Wong, Kotaku, Marc Morrison, Mario is Missing, Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat movie, Naoki Horii, One Must Fall, Playstation Blog, Pocket Gamer, Puyo Puyo Quest, Sam Crowther, Sega, Sega Blog, Sonic Classic Collection, Sonic the Hedgehog, Sony, Sonya Blade, Star Wars, Star Wars Battlefront, Super Star Wars, WA Today, Yosuke Okunari
Ah, August 13. At least it's not a Friday the 13th, the day of OK movies and horrible games, historically. Looking at this week's neat vidya game stories from around the web:
– Polygon is doing the lord's work by ranking all 30 games in the Rare Replay classic remake for the Xbox One. You can read it here, but as a warning, it's an intense load in terms of video and flash for some older machines. The piece is by Philip Kollar.
– In Vancouver, a dude has souped up his Hyundai with a Sega Genesis theme, according to an article in the Parksville Qualicum Beach News.
– From Cinema Blend, an article by William Usher on the weird and terrifying Sonic games.
– The latest Kids React video is on the Nintendo 64's Pokemon Snap. It's like Kids Say The Darnedest Things, without roofie pudding pops!
– Cameron Faulkner of Tech Radar points out that a line can be drawn from the development of the Dreamcast to the eventual integration of Windows 10 into the Xbox.
– Ever wondered about the video game industry in Ireland? News Talk has you covered.
– The movie version of DuckTales, The Treasure of the Lost Lamp, turned 25 in August.
– From Kotaku, the secret NES and SNES games on Seinfeld's bookshelf.
– Xena: Warrior Princess came out for the Game Boy Color in 2001, as did World Series Baseball 2K2 for the Dreamcast. As you can imagine, August is still slim pickings for decent video game releases. The next year, NCAA College Football 2K3 came out.
– In 2003, EA Montreal was announced. It formally opened in March 2004. They've mostly produced accessory and spin-off games for EA, excluding NHL 07 and Army of Two.
Posted in: Dreamcast, Game Boy Color, Nintendo 64, Sega Genesis, Vidya Games News, Xbox One	| Tagged: Army of Two, Cameron Faulkner, Cinema Blend, DuckTales, DuckTales: The Treasure of the Lost Lamp, Electronic Arts, Hyundai, Ireland, Jerry Seinfeld, NCAA College Football 2K3, News Talk, NHL 97, NHL series, Nintendo, Philip Kollar, Pokemon Snap, Polygon, R.C. Pro Am, Rare Replay, Sega, Seinfeld, Sonic the Hedgehog, Tech Radar, The Parksville Qualicum Beach News, William Usher, World Series Baseball 2K2, Xena: Warrior Princess


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text:
namespace chrono {
namespace vehicle {

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Static variables
// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
const std::string ChSolidThreeLinkAxle::m_pointNames[] = {"SHOCK_A    ", "SHOCK_C    ", "SPRING_A   ",
                                                          "SPRING_C   ", "SPINDLE    ", "TRIANGLE_A ",
                                                          "TRIANGLE_C ", "LINK_A     ", "LINK_C     "};

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
ChSolidThreeLinkAxle::ChSolidThreeLinkAxle(const std::string& name) : ChSuspension(name) {}

ChSolidThreeLinkAxle::~ChSolidThreeLinkAxle() {
    auto sys = m_axleTube->GetSystem();
    if (sys) {
        sys->Remove(m_axleTube);
        ////sys->Remove(m_tierod);
        ////sys->Remove(m_axleTubeGuide);

        sys->Remove(m_triangleBody);
        sys->Remove(m_triangleRev);
        sys->Remove(m_triangleSph);

        for (int i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
            sys->Remove(m_linkBody[i]);
            sys->Remove(m_linkBodyToChassis[i]);
            sys->Remove(m_linkBodyToAxleTube[i]);

            sys->Remove(m_shock[i]);
            sys->Remove(m_spring[i]);
        }
    }
}

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
void ChSolidThreeLinkAxle::Initialize(std::shared_ptr<ChChassis> chassis,
                                      std::shared_ptr<ChSubchassis> subchassis,
                                      std::shared_ptr<ChSteering> steering,
                                      const ChVector<>& location,
                                      double left_ang_vel,
                                      double right_ang_vel) {
    m_parent = chassis;
    m_rel_loc = location;

    // Unit vectors for orientation matrices.
    ChVector<> u;
    ChVector<> v;
    ChVector<> w;
    ChMatrix33<> rot;

    // Express the suspension reference frame in the absolute coordinate system.
    ChFrame<> suspension_to_abs(location);
    suspension_to_abs.ConcatenatePreTransformation(chassis->GetBody()->GetFrame_REF_to_abs());

    // Transform the location of the axle body COM to absolute frame.
    ChVector<> axleCOM_local = getAxleTubeCOM();
    ChVector<> axleCOM = suspension_to_abs.TransformLocalToParent(axleCOM_local);

    // Calculate end points on the axle body, expressed in the absolute frame
    // (for visualization)
    ChVector<> outer_local(getLocation(SPINDLE));
    m_axleOuterL = suspension_to_abs.TransformPointLocalToParent(outer_local);
    outer_local.y() = -outer_local.y();
    m_axleOuterR = suspension_to_abs.TransformPointLocalToParent(outer_local);

    // Create and initialize the axle body.
    m_axleTube = std::shared_ptr<ChBody>(chassis->GetBody()->GetSystem()->NewBody());
    m_axleTube->SetNameString(m_name + "_axleTube");
    m_axleTube->SetPos(axleCOM);
    m_axleTube->SetRot(chassis->GetBody()->GetFrame_REF_to_abs().GetRot());
    m_axleTube->SetMass(getAxleTubeMass());
    m_axleTube->SetInertiaXX(getAxleTubeInertia());
    chassis->GetBody()->GetSystem()->AddBody(m_axleTube);

    // Transform all hardpoints to absolute frame.
    m_pointsL.resize(NUM_POINTS);
    m_pointsR.resize(NUM_POINTS);
    for (int i = 0; i < NUM_POINTS; i++) {
        ChVector<> rel_pos = getLocation(static_cast<PointId>(i));
        m_pointsL[i] = suspension_to_abs.TransformLocalToParent(rel_pos);
        rel_pos.y() = -rel_pos.y();
        m_pointsR[i] = suspension_to_abs.TransformLocalToParent(rel_pos);
    }

    // Fix the triangle body to the axle tube body
    ChVector<> pt_tri_axle = (m_pointsL[TRIANGLE_A] + m_pointsR[TRIANGLE_A]) / 2.0;
    ChVector<> pt_tri_chassis = (m_pointsL[TRIANGLE_C] + m_pointsR[TRIANGLE_C]) / 2.0;
    ChVector<> pt_tri_cog = (pt_tri_axle + pt_tri_chassis) / 2.0;
    m_triangle_left_point = m_pointsL[TRIANGLE_C];
    m_triangle_right_point = m_pointsR[TRIANGLE_C];
    m_triangle_sph_point = pt_tri_axle;

    // generate triangle body
    m_triangleBody = std::shared_ptr<ChBody>(chassis->GetBody()->GetSystem()->NewBody());
    m_triangleBody->SetNameString(m_name + "_triangleGuide");
    m_triangleBody->SetPos(pt_tri_cog);
    m_triangleBody->SetRot(chassis->GetBody()->GetFrame_REF_to_abs().GetRot());
    m_triangleBody->SetMass(getTriangleMass());
    m_triangleBody->SetInertiaXX(getTriangleInertia());
    chassis->GetBody()->GetSystem()->AddBody(m_triangleBody);

    // Create and initialize the revolute joint between chassis and triangle.
    ChCoordsys<> rev_csys(pt_tri_chassis, chassis->GetBody()->GetFrame_REF_to_abs().GetRot() * Q_from_AngX(CH_C_PI_2));
    m_triangleRev = chrono_types::make_shared<ChLinkLockRevolute>();
    m_triangleRev->SetNameString(m_name + "_revoluteTriangle");
    m_triangleRev->Initialize(m_triangleBody, chassis->GetBody(), rev_csys);
    chassis->GetBody()->GetSystem()->AddLink(m_triangleRev);

    // Create and initialize the spherical joint between axle tube and triangle.
    ChCoordsys<> sph_csys(pt_tri_axle, chassis->GetBody()->GetFrame_REF_to_abs().GetRot());
    m_triangleSph = chrono_types::make_shared<ChLinkLockSpherical>();
    m_triangleSph->SetNameString(m_name + "_sphericalTriangle");
    m_triangleSph->Initialize(m_triangleBody, m_axleTube, sph_csys);
    chassis->GetBody()->GetSystem()->AddLink(m_triangleSph);

    m_link_axleL = m_pointsL[LINK_A];
    m_link_axleR = m_pointsR[LINK_A];
    m_link_chassisL = m_pointsL[LINK_C];
    m_link_chassisR = m_pointsR[LINK_C];

    // Initialize left and right sides.
    std::shared_ptr<ChBody> scbeamL = (subchassis == nullptr) ? chassis->GetBody() : subchassis->GetBeam(LEFT);
    std::shared_ptr<ChBody> scbeamR = (subchassis == nullptr) ? chassis->GetBody() : subchassis->GetBeam(RIGHT);
    InitializeSide(LEFT, chassis->GetBody(), scbeamL, m_pointsL, left_ang_vel);
    InitializeSide(RIGHT, chassis->GetBody(), scbeamL, m_pointsR, right_ang_vel);
}

void ChSolidThreeLinkAxle::InitializeSide(VehicleSide side,
                                          std::shared_ptr<ChBodyAuxRef> chassis,
                                          std::shared_ptr<ChBody> scbeam,
                                          const std::vector<ChVector<>>& points,
                                          double ang_vel) {
    std::string suffix = (side == LEFT) ? "_L" : "_R";

    // Unit vectors for orientation matrices.
    ChVector<> u;
    ChVector<> v;
    ChVector<> w;
    ChMatrix33<> rot;

    // Chassis orientation (expressed in absolute frame)
    // Recall that the suspension reference frame is aligned with the chassis.
    ChQuaternion<> chassisRot = chassis->GetFrame_REF_to_abs().GetRot();

    // Create and initialize spindle body (same orientation as the chassis)
    m_spindle[side] = std::shared_ptr<ChBody>(chassis->GetSystem()->NewBody());
    m_spindle[side]->SetNameString(m_name + "_spindle" + suffix);
    m_spindle[side]->SetPos(points[SPINDLE]);
    m_spindle[side]->SetRot(chassisRot);
    m_spindle[side]->SetWvel_loc(ChVector<>(0, ang_vel, 0));
    m_spindle[side]->SetMass(getSpindleMass());
    m_spindle[side]->SetInertiaXX(getSpindleInertia());
    chassis->GetSystem()->AddBody(m_spindle[side]);

    // Create and initialize the revolute joint between axle tube and spindle.
    ChCoordsys<> rev_csys(points[SPINDLE], chassisRot * Q_from_AngAxis(CH_C_PI / 2.0, VECT_X));
    m_revolute[side] = chrono_types::make_shared<ChLinkLockRevolute>();
    m_revolute[side]->SetNameString(m_name + "_revolute" + suffix);
    m_revolute[side]->Initialize(m_spindle[side], m_axleTube, rev_csys);
    chassis->GetSystem()->AddLink(m_revolute[side]);

    // Create and initialize the shock damper
    m_shock[side] = chrono_types::make_shared<ChLinkTSDA>();
    m_shock[side]->SetNameString(m_name + "_shock" + suffix);
    m_shock[side]->Initialize(chassis, m_axleTube, false, points[SHOCK_C], points[SHOCK_A]);
    m_shock[side]->RegisterForceFunctor(getShockForceFunctor());
    chassis->GetSystem()->AddLink(m_shock[side]);

    // Create and initialize the spring
    m_spring[side] = chrono_types::make_shared<ChLinkTSDA>();
    m_spring[side]->SetNameString(m_name + "_spring" + suffix);
    m_spring[side]->Initialize(scbeam, m_axleTube, false, points[SPRING_C], points[SPRING_A]);
    m_spring[side]->SetRestLength(getSpringRestLength());
    m_spring[side]->RegisterForceFunctor(getSpringForceFunctor());
    chassis->GetSystem()->AddLink(m_spring[side]);

    // Create and initialize the axle shaft and its connection to the spindle. Note that the
    // spindle rotates about the Y axis.
    m_axle[side] = chrono_types::make_shared<ChShaft>();
    m_axle[side]->SetNameString(m_name + "_axle" + suffix);
    m_axle[side]->SetInertia(getAxleInertia());
    m_axle[side]->SetPos_dt(-ang_vel);
    chassis->GetSystem()->AddShaft(m_axle[side]);

    m_axle_to_spindle[side] = chrono_types::make_shared<ChShaftsBody>();
    m_axle_to_spindle[side]->SetNameString(m_name + "_axle_to_spindle" + suffix);
    m_axle_to_spindle[side]->Initialize(m_axle[side], m_spindle[side], ChVector<>(0, -1, 0));
    chassis->GetSystem()->Add(m_axle_to_spindle[side]);

    // Create and initialize spindle body (same orientation as the chassis)
    m_linkBody[side] = std::shared_ptr<ChBody>(chassis->GetSystem()->NewBody());
    m_linkBody[side]->SetNameString(m_name + "_linkBody" + suffix);
    m_linkBody[side]->SetPos((points[LINK_A] + points[LINK_C]) / 2.0);
    m_linkBody[side]->SetRot(chassisRot);
    m_linkBody[side]->SetMass(getLinkMass());
    m_linkBody[side]->SetInertiaXX(getLinkInertia());
    chassis->GetSystem()->AddBody(m_linkBody[side]);

    // Create and initialize the spherical joint between axle tube and link body.
    ChCoordsys<> sph1_csys(points[LINK_A], chassisRot);
    m_linkBodyToAxleTube[side] = chrono_types::make_shared<ChLinkLockSpherical>();
    m_linkBodyToAxleTube[side]->SetNameString(m_name + "_sphericalLinkToAxle" + suffix);
    m_linkBodyToAxleTube[side]->Initialize(m_linkBody[side], m_axleTube, sph1_csys);
    chassis->GetSystem()->AddLink(m_linkBodyToAxleTube[side]);

    // Create and initialize the spherical joint between axle tube and link body.
    v = Vcross(points[LINK_C] - points[LINK_A], ChVector<>(0, 1, 0));
    v.Normalize();
    w = points[LINK_C] - points[LINK_A];
    w.Normalize();
    u = Vcross(v, w);
    rot.Set_A_axis(u, v, w);

    // Create and initialize the universal joint between draglink and knuckle
    m_linkBodyToChassis[side] = chrono_types::make_shared<ChLinkUniversal>();
    m_linkBodyToChassis[side]->SetNameString(m_name + "_universalDraglink");
    m_linkBodyToChassis[side]->Initialize(m_linkBody[side], chassis, ChFrame<>(points[LINK_C], rot.Get_A_quaternion()));
    chassis->GetSystem()->AddLink(m_linkBodyToChassis[side]);
}

void ChSolidThreeLinkAxle::InitializeInertiaProperties() {
    m_mass = getAxleTubeMass() + getTriangleMass() + 2 * (getSpindleMass() + getLinkMass());
}

void ChSolidThreeLinkAxle::UpdateInertiaProperties() {
    m_parent->GetTransform().TransformLocalToParent(ChFrame<>(m_rel_loc, QUNIT), m_xform);

    // Calculate COM and inertia expressed in global frame
    utils::CompositeInertia composite;
    composite.AddComponent(m_spindle[LEFT]->GetFrame_COG_to_abs(), m_spindle[LEFT]->GetMass(),
                           m_spindle[LEFT]->GetInertia());
    composite.AddComponent(m_spindle[RIGHT]->GetFrame_COG_to_abs(), m_spindle[RIGHT]->GetMass(),
                           m_spindle[RIGHT]->GetInertia());

    composite.AddComponent(m_linkBody[LEFT]->GetFrame_COG_to_abs(), m_linkBody[LEFT]->GetMass(),
                           m_linkBody[LEFT]->GetInertia());
    composite.AddComponent(m_linkBody[RIGHT]->GetFrame_COG_to_abs(), m_linkBody[RIGHT]->GetMass(),
                           m_linkBody[RIGHT]->GetInertia());

    composite.AddComponent(m_axleTube->GetFrame_COG_to_abs(), m_axleTube->GetMass(), m_axleTube->GetInertia());
    composite.AddComponent(m_triangleBody->GetFrame_COG_to_abs(), m_triangleBody->GetMass(),
                           m_triangleBody->GetInertia());

    // Express COM and inertia in subsystem reference frame
    m_com.coord.pos = m_xform.TransformPointParentToLocal(composite.GetCOM());
    m_com.coord.rot = QUNIT;

    m_inertia = m_xform.GetA().transpose() * composite.GetInertia() * m_xform.GetA();
}

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Get the wheel track using the spindle local position.
// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
double ChSolidThreeLinkAxle::GetTrack() {
    return 2 * getLocation(SPINDLE).y();
}

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Return current suspension forces
// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
ChSuspension::Force ChSolidThreeLinkAxle::ReportSuspensionForce(VehicleSide side) const {
    ChSuspension::Force force;

    force.spring_force = m_spring[side]->GetForce();
    force.spring_length = m_spring[side]->GetLength();
    force.spring_velocity = m_spring[side]->GetVelocity();

    force.shock_force = m_shock[side]->GetForce();
    force.shock_length = m_shock[side]->GetLength();
    force.shock_velocity = m_shock[side]->GetVelocity();

    return force;
}

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
void ChSolidThreeLinkAxle::LogHardpointLocations(const ChVector<>& ref, bool inches) {
    double unit = inches ? 1 / 0.0254 : 1.0;

    for (int i = 0; i < NUM_POINTS; i++) {
        ChVector<> pos = ref + unit * getLocation(static_cast<PointId>(i));

        GetLog() << "   " << m_pointNames[i].c_str() << "  " << pos.x() << "  " << pos.y() << "  " << pos.z() << "\n";
    }
}

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
void ChSolidThreeLinkAxle::LogConstraintViolations(VehicleSide side) {
    // TODO: Update this to reflect new suspension joints
    // Revolute joints

    {}
}

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
void ChSolidThreeLinkAxle::AddVisualizationAssets(VisualizationType vis) {
    ChSuspension::AddVisualizationAssets(vis);

    if (vis == VisualizationType::NONE)
        return;

    AddVisualizationLink(m_axleTube, m_axleOuterL, m_axleOuterR, getAxleTubeRadius(), ChColor(0.7f, 0.7f, 0.7f));

    AddVisualizationLink(m_triangleBody, m_triangle_sph_point, m_triangle_left_point, getAxleTubeRadius() / 2.0,
                         ChColor(0.7f, 0.3f, 0.8f));
    AddVisualizationLink(m_triangleBody, m_triangle_sph_point, m_triangle_right_point, getAxleTubeRadius() / 2.0,
                         ChColor(0.7f, 0.3f, 0.8f));

    AddVisualizationLink(m_linkBody[LEFT], m_link_axleL, m_link_chassisL, getAxleTubeRadius() / 2.0,
                         ChColor(0.3f, 0.3f, 0.8f));
    AddVisualizationLink(m_linkBody[RIGHT], m_link_axleR, m_link_chassisR, getAxleTubeRadius() / 2.0,
                         ChColor(0.3f, 0.3f, 0.8f));

    // Add visualization for the springs and shocks
    m_spring[LEFT]->AddVisualShape(chrono_types::make_shared<ChSpringShape>(0.06, 150, 15));
    m_spring[RIGHT]->AddVisualShape(chrono_types::make_shared<ChSpringShape>(0.06, 150, 15));
    m_shock[LEFT]->AddVisualShape(chrono_types::make_shared<ChSegmentShape>());
    m_shock[RIGHT]->AddVisualShape(chrono_types::make_shared<ChSegmentShape>());
}

void ChSolidThreeLinkAxle::RemoveVisualizationAssets() {
    ChPart::RemoveVisualizationAssets(m_axleTube);

    ChPart::RemoveVisualizationAssets(m_spring[LEFT]);
    ChPart::RemoveVisualizationAssets(m_spring[RIGHT]);

    ChPart::RemoveVisualizationAssets(m_shock[LEFT]);
    ChPart::RemoveVisualizationAssets(m_shock[RIGHT]);

    ChSuspension::RemoveVisualizationAssets();
}

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
void ChSolidThreeLinkAxle::AddVisualizationLink(std::shared_ptr<ChBody> body,
                                                const ChVector<> pt_1,
                                                const ChVector<> pt_2,
                                                double radius,
                                                const ChColor& color) {
    // Express hardpoint locations in body frame.
    ChVector<> p_1 = body->TransformPointParentToLocal(pt_1);
    ChVector<> p_2 = body->TransformPointParentToLocal(pt_2);

    auto cyl = chrono_types::make_shared<ChCylinderShape>();
    cyl->GetCylinderGeometry().p1 = p_1;
    cyl->GetCylinderGeometry().p2 = p_2;
    cyl->GetCylinderGeometry().rad = radius;
    body->AddVisualShape(cyl);
}

// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
// -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
void ChSolidThreeLinkAxle::ExportComponentList(rapidjson::Document& jsonDocument) const {
    ChPart::ExportComponentList(jsonDocument);

    std::vector<std::shared_ptr<ChBody>> bodies;
    bodies.push_back(m_spindle[0]);
    bodies.push_back(m_spindle[1]);
    bodies.push_back(m_axleTube);
    ChPart::ExportBodyList(jsonDocument, bodies);

    std::vector<std::shared_ptr<ChShaft>> shafts;
    shafts.push_back(m_axle[0]);
    shafts.push_back(m_axle[1]);
    ChPart::ExportShaftList(jsonDocument, shafts);

    std::vector<std::shared_ptr<ChLink>> joints;
    joints.push_back(m_revolute[0]);
    joints.push_back(m_revolute[1]);
    ChPart::ExportJointList(jsonDocument, joints);

    std::vector<std::shared_ptr<ChLinkTSDA>> springs;
    springs.push_back(m_spring[0]);
    springs.push_back(m_spring[1]);
    springs.push_back(m_shock[0]);
    springs.push_back(m_shock[1]);
    ChPart::ExportLinSpringList(jsonDocument, springs);
}

void ChSolidThreeLinkAxle::Output(ChVehicleOutput& database) const {
    if (!m_output)
        return;

    std::vector<std::shared_ptr<ChBody>> bodies;
    bodies.push_back(m_spindle[0]);
    bodies.push_back(m_spindle[1]);
    bodies.push_back(m_axleTube);
    database.WriteBodies(bodies);

    std::vector<std::shared_ptr<ChShaft>> shafts;
    shafts.push_back(m_axle[0]);
    shafts.push_back(m_axle[1]);
    database.WriteShafts(shafts);

    std::vector<std::shared_ptr<ChLink>> joints;
    joints.push_back(m_revolute[0]);
    joints.push_back(m_revolute[1]);
    database.WriteJoints(joints);

    std::vector<std::shared_ptr<ChLinkTSDA>> springs;
    springs.push_back(m_spring[0]);
    springs.push_back(m_spring[1]);
    springs.push_back(m_shock[0]);
    springs.push_back(m_shock[1]);
    database.WriteLinSprings(springs);
}

}  // end namespace vehicle
}  // end namespace chrono

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Home Archive Desire for love forces a great punake to start composing in her...
Desire for love forces a great punake to start composing in her teens
'Oku 'i loto ha youtube 'o e fo'i hiva 'ofa ne ne fuofua fa'u. Ne ne kamata fa'u 'eni 'i hono ta'u 18.
Kalino Latu
One of Tonga's greatest female singers and composers, Tu'imala Kaho said her thirst for romance when she was 18 forced her to start composing love songs on her own.
Her mother, 'Anamalia Kaho, was a poetess and Tu'imala said she did not want her mum to compose her love songs.
Tu'imala, 76, said the environment she grew up in was poetic. Apart from her mother her uncle, 'Anamalia's brother Vaisima Hopoate, was another great poet and musician.
Hopoate was sent by the late Queen Sālote Tupou III, who is regarded by many as the greatest punake of modern Tonga, to compose and teach Tongan lakalaka compositions and performance for the queen's kāinga at Kanokupolu.
"I learnt while I was young about the language to be used when referring to nobility and royalty," Tu'imala told Kaniva.
She said this was vital in composing Tongan songs and music.
"You have to make sure that you do not mix the language and use words for commoners to royals. That's disrespectful," Tu'imala said.
"It is not an easy task. There are too many changes and thinking involved before you get a good song and music," Tu'imala said.
The first song she composed was Taumaiā Ke ke 'Iloa, a song she composed to a man she knew. She fell in love with him when he left to work in Vava'u as a Police Inspector.
Tu'imala said she composed the song and asked her cousins, who were brought up together with her to practice and record it.
Tu'imala said the most fragrant flowers in Tonga were classified as Kakala 'Eiki or chiefly flowers. These included nukonuka, tuitui, pipi, ahi, fa, heilala, mohokoi and maile.
The less important flowers and plants, such as mo'osipo were kakala vale, would be used in songs if the composers were referring to commoners.
Tu'imala said when she became seriously involved in singing and performing, songs were strictly scrutinised by a national music committee before being passed to be aired on the national radio.
She said on one occasion the king attended the committee while scrutinising some songs and in one song a composer referred to his lover as heilala.
The performance was stopped and one of the committee scrutineers, Taimani Fotu, asked the composer to explain his usage of the plant heilala in his song.
After the composer confirmed he was referring to his lover, the song was rejected and the composer was told to go back and correct that part of his song.
Tu'imala said the king appeared to have felt for the composer and suggested that the song should be aired because she was referring to his lover. However, Fotu insisted that if they passed the composer's song than they were allowing something wrong to air.
Her musicianship
Apart from the talent being in her blood and family, Tu'imala said she was schooled in musicianship by the Roman Catholic nuns at 'Ahopanilolo.
"The nuns loved my songs and they encouraged me to sing regularly and sing in front of them. I thought that was unimportant, but I later realised this was really important for my career," Tu'imala said.
She also learnt music and how to sing professionally from the late Professor Futa Helu.
She said she helped Professor Helu in many concerts held to raise funds to help build the 'Atenisi Institute.
Her first husband was a former Roman Catholic priest who taught Tu'imala some Latin music and songs.
Her second husband was the late Lord Ma'afu Tukui'aulahi who was a Seventh Day Adventist.
"When I had to lead prayer services at church I used to sing them," Tu'imala said.
She also composed many religious songs.
You may also like these:
Song reveals struggle to bear criticism Tu'imala received after her daughter married prince
Song reveals connection between Tu'imala and King of Ukulele, Sione 'Āleki
Previous articleNauru authorities detain TVNZ Pacific reporter for interviewing refugee
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text:
Kamloops-area suppliers join lobbying for lower taxes
Victoria TimesColonist
Regional suppliers of heavy industry in Kamloops are telling the City that a fairer and more competitive industrial tax is critical to the future of their operations. The companies — suppliers to Domtar's operations — have made written submissions in support of a heavy-industry lobby to reduce their tax load. Tolko, Domtar, Lafarge and Arclin representatives are expected to appear before council at Tuesday's regular meeting to lobby for a further reduction in taxes.
Domtar: How the paper industry overcame the 'sins of its past'
Montréal-based Domtar Corp. brands itself "The Sustainable Paper Company." It is fast becoming a wood fiber innovation engine using sustainability as the foundation of its business transformation. David Struhs, Domtar's vice president of sustainability, explains how co-generation, new manufacturing and attention to market niches are some of the ways the company is pursuing this vision. David Kiron: You use the phrase "virtuous circle of sustainability" in talking about your strategy. That's a good phrase. Do you see giving younger workers something interesting to do as contributing to their wellbeing?
Tolko's PM upgrade will produce stronger kraft paper
Tolko's strong drive for innovation and the market demand for stronger paper has led the company's paper mill in The Pas, Man., to concentrate on further enhancements to its kraft papers. Known internationally for its SPK and SPX brands in the sack manufacturing markets, Tolko's Manitoba Kraft Paper Division is focusing on increasing the cross direction and machine direction strength of all its paper grades, providing the advantage of a higher balanced tensile energy absorption to customers worldwide.
Ontario's sawmill industry sees 'resurgence,' says union
Northwestern Ontario's sawmill industry is on the rebound, with mills opening their doors again and workers collecting paycheques, says one union official. "We lost so many, especially in the sawmill industry," said Stephen Boon, national representative for Unifor, the union representing thousands of workers across the northwest. "Almost every mill in Ontario at some point was down. But you definitely are starting to see a resurgence, especially in the sawmill sector," Boon said.
Boise Cascade third quarter profits down
Mail Tribune
Boise Cascade, whose Western Oregon operations include mills in Medford and White City, reported a reduced year-over-year profit in the third quarter despite increased sales. The Boise, Idaho-based wood products firm reported net earnings of $15.9 million in the third quarter, or 39 cents per share, compared to net earnings of $23.5 million, or 79 cents per share, in the third quarter of 2012. Boise Cascade said its third quarter sales of $878.0 million topped last year's revenue by 15 percent above the same quarter in 2012.
European sawmills triple softwood logs and timber exports to China
After a slowdown in 2012, China's expanding housing market has driven up its demand for logs and timber this year. Even if Russia, Canada, US and more recently New Zealand are the major suppliers for China, the European sawmills are beginning to make their presence felt on the Chinese market. According to the latest Eurostat figures, in the first seven months of 2013, EU's softwood logs exports to China more than tripled over the same period of 2012. Romania has the lead, with a share of 28% of all European exports (and a 224% increase yoy), followed closely by France (27,9%) and Lithuania (22,9%).
Timber confirmed as the best
NZ Timber Industry Federation
The New Zealand Timber Industry Federation (NZTIF) has welcomed confirmation that timber is the best construction material for coping with New Zealand's seismic conditions. Experiments carried out in June by BRANZ, (Building Research Association of New Zealand) on behalf of the Ministry of Education, have shown that timber framed buildings can cope with stresses three times that of the Christchurch earthquakes, and still remain standing. The Ministry of Education commissioned the tests in order to establish how much force its school buildings could withstand in an earthquake.
B.C. must end grizzly bear trophy hunt
Dr. Faisal Moola, Phd David Suzuki Foundation, Faculty of Forestry, University of Toronto
Region: Canada West
Re: Conservation officers seeking information on grizzly believed illegally killed near Lillooet, Oct. 17 — B.C.'s grizzly bear populations face a perfect storm of threats: habitat loss from logging, mining, fracking and other industrial activities; the cascading effects of salmon collapse and climate change; and human-caused mortalities as a result of sport hunting, collisions with trains and vehicles, and the inevitable challenges grizzlies endure because of careless human behaviour.
Logging truck rules need review, says union chief
Current system puts drivers and public at risk
The union representing a majority of the province's forestry workers is calling for an industry review of logging trucks after a fatal accident on the Sea-to-Sky Highway on the weekend. At around 2:30 p.m. PST on Saturday, a logging truck overturned near Whistler, spilling its load and killing a 65-year-old motorcyclist, who was crushed by the logs.
Stable forestry sector key to Ontario's economic prosperity: FONOM
Northern Ontario municipalities are increasingly concerned about the lack of progress between environmental groups and the forestry sector in Northern Ontario, particularly as discussions elsewhere have led to agreements. The breakdown in talks has caused increased uncertainty for Ontario's forestry sector, and the Province's leadership is needed immediately to protect the viability of resource development in Ontario.
National forest plans prescribed burns
Oregon Mail Tribune
Region: US West
More than 8,000 acres of prescribed burning is planned beginning this fall and through the spring on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. Prescribed burning is intended to improve forest health by reintroducing the role of fire, improving habitat for wildlife and lessening the chances for a catastrophic wildfire by reducing the woody material on the forest floor, said forest spokeswoman Virginia Gibbons. All told, if the weather permits, the burning would include some 6,000 acres of hand-pile burning and nearly 2,400 acres of under-burning, she said.
New world for Montana foresters: Speak Chinese, hobnob with celebrities, listen closely
The future looks fabulous for new foresters if they can do one thing, Pyramid Mountain Lumber's Gordy Sanders told a roomful of forestry students Monday afternoon. "I want somebody who can walk on water," Sanders said during a Montana Forest Products Week symposium. Speaking Chinese, top-notch writing skills and marketing savvy also compete with basic silviculture training. "It's a little more complicated than 35 years ago when I stepped out of the pickup truck," University of Montana Dean of Forestry and Conservation Jim Birchfield said at the gathering.
Economic assessment of mountain pine beetle timber salvage
A recently published study by U.S. Forest Service researchers evaluates potential revenues from harvesting standing timber killed by mountain pine beetle in the western United States. The study shows that while positive net revenues could be produced in West Coast and Northern Rockies states with active timber markets, the central Rocky Mountain states of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming—which have the largest volume of standing dead timber—would not generate positive net revenues by salvaging beetle-killed timber.
Lumber tax focus at annual conference
The San Diego Daily Transcript
The beginning of this year brought a new law that requires a 1 percent assessment on purchases of lumber products and engineered wood products for use in California, based on its selling prices. The law, AB 1492, affects retailers of lumber products or engineered wood products and purchasers, including construction contractors. Last week, former state Sen. George Runner — who now sits on the state Board of Equalization, which administers the tax – spoke at the West Coast Lumber & Building Material Association's annual conference in San Diego. He discussed steps he's taking to ensure the law's fair implementation, some of the grievances he's had with it and its procedure of implementation.
UM forestry students manage timber on Mount Jumbo for diverse benefits
MARSHALL CANYON – A team of University of Montana forestry students set down the trail in the low light of this canyon on Monday to showcase their work restoring a stand of outlying forest to an earlier time. While the saws lay quiet, their vision ran long, recounting a time before fire suppression became the Western way, and when this plot on Mount Jumbo appeared as a patchwork blend of meadows and forests peppered with trees of varying age.
Greenpeace slams palm oil giant supplying Oreo, Gillette
Oreo cookies and Gillette shaving cream are among products driving the destruction of Indonesia's forests, Greenpeace said Tuesday, accusing agri giant Wilmar International for supplying "dirty palm oil" to make the grocery items. In its report "Licence to Kill", Greenpeace said that Singapore-based Wilmar, the world's biggest palm oil processor, was sourcing its oil from illegally cleared land and destroying the habitat of critically endangered Sumatran tigers.
Forestry sector in softwood planting warning
SCOTLAND'S £1 billion forestry industry will come under threat from a lack of softwood if the Scottish Government does not raise support for planting, the sector's trade body has warned. Stuart Goodall, chief executive of Confor, called for ministers to increase forestry grants from £36 million to £45m to incentivise landowners to plant trees – such as furs, pines and spruces – instead of taking common agricultural policy subsidies.
Two-pronged approach to boost forest carbon storage
More carbon will sometimes be stored in forests if a bigger variety of tree species is planted along with key species – such as nitrogen fixing trees – that are known to contribute strongly to carbon storage, according to researchers at The University of Western Australia. In a new study published recently in the journal Nature Climate Change, Dr Kristin Hulvey from UWA's School of Plant Biology and her team compiled and analysed data from existing forest studies to compare carbon storage in mixed tree plantings to carbon storage in monoculture plantings.
Fires not due to climate change: expert
9NewsNational
Linking the bushfire disaster in NSW to climate change is "an absolute nonsense" and reducing fuel loads in the Australian bush is urgently needed, a leading scientist says. Retired Monash University researcher David Packham says global warming is a gradual process which doesn't explain major bushfires. Greens deputy leader Adam Bandt has been accused of playing politics by linking the NSW bushfires to the new federal government's climate change policies. But Mr Packham says there is no link. "It's an absolute nonsense," he told AAP.
Climate change action is essential risk management
While the government is preparing to repeal the carbon price, the fires in New South Wales remind us that it is in Australia's interest for the world to act on climate change – and that starts with a credible effort at home, writes Frank Jotzo. No specific incident like the NSW fires can be unequivocally attributed to climate change. But extreme weather – droughts, heatwaves, fires, floods – is exactly what we would expect to see much more of as a result of climate change.


Billers is an acceptable word in Scrabble with 9 points. Billers is an accepted word in Word with Friends having 12 points. Billers is a 7 letter medium Word starting with B and ending with S. Below are Total 88 words made out of this word.
Note: There are 1 anagrams of the word billers. Anagrams are meaningful words made after rearranging all the letters of the word.
Note There are 2 vowel letters and 5 consonant letters in the word billers. B is 2nd, I is 9th, L is 12th, E is 5th, R is 18th, S is 19th, Letter of Alphabet series.


text:
What We Do + -
Industrial Concrete
Texas A&M Concrete, LLC
Over 20 years in the Construction Industry with emphasis in all phases of construction, estimating and project management of concrete construction. Been involved in design build with architects, engineers and general contractors for jobs ranging from $500,000 to $15 Million...
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Copyright © 2023, Texas A&M Concrete, LLC | 1901 Aldine Western Rd. Houston, TX 77038 | Office (281) 405-9557


You can get in touch with me at arabic.calligrapher(at)gmail.com or via this form! Thank you!
Welcome to Arabic Calligraphy Design. I practice traditional and contemporary Arabic calligraphy, and do custom calligraphy for tattoos, design work, and original pieces. All my work is hand-written, I do not use computer fonts in my designs. To get started, have a look at the Styles page to see some of the different styles I normally work in, or if you're interested in a tattoo, click the Tattoos page. When you're ready, send me an email at arabic.calligrapher@gmail.com, and we can work together on what you'd like designed.


Kori Ali Muhammad told his family there was a war happening between blacks and whites in America.
On weekday morning, police say Muhammad pedunculate the streets of downtown city, fatally shooting 3 white men with a .357 revolver. Before surrendering to police, he allegedly yelled "Allahu akbar," and expressed unloved toward Caucasoid race and also the government, in line with city captain Hun trained worker.
Local authorities and also the Federal Bureau of Investigation square measure investigation whether or not Muhammad's actions amounted to hate crimes. trained worker aforementioned police don't believe it had been Associate in Nursing act of act of terrorism.
In addition to Tuesday's killings, police aforementioned Muhammad was suspected within the fatal shooting of a watcher, additionally a white male, last week.
The attack began at around 10:45 a.m. within the three hundred block of North Van terra firma Avenue. inside a couple of seconds, a second burst of shot was detected, then a 3rd and a fourth. a complete of sixteen rounds were laid-off in four locations, Dyer said.
After the shots were detected, trained worker aforementioned the driving force of a PG&E truck got wind of the city's police station to report that a traveler had been shot by a gunman UN agency had approached them on foot.
After firing at the truck passenger, Muhammad walked west on East Mildreda Avenue where he came across a resident and opened fire, Dyer said, but missed his target.
Muhammad then continued walking on Mildreda and approached Fulton Street, where he fatally shot another man before reloading his weapon, Dyer said.
He then headed toward Catholic Charities in the 100 block of North Fulton Street and fired a second fatal volley of gunfire, killing a man in the parking lot.
An officer in the area spotted the gunman running south on Fulton. He then "dove onto the ground" and was taken into custody, the chief said.
"As he was taken into custody, he yelled out, 'Allahu akbar,' " trained worker aforementioned.
"Allahu akbar" roughly translates to "God is great," and is a common positive refrain uttered by Muslims in prayer or in celebration. But the phrase has also been linked to terrorist attacks. The gunman who killed 13 people in a terror attack at Fort Hood, Texas, screamed "Allahu akbar" as he opened fire in 2009, and the phrase is often tweeted by social media accounts sympathetic to Islamic State and other terror groups.
The victims in Tuesday's attack were not immediately identified. In a statement released last week, Fresno Police said Muhammad was believed to have shot and killed Carl Williams, an unarmed 25-year-old security guard, outside of a Motel 6 on North Blackstone Avenue on Thursday.
Muhammad did not make any references to race during last week's attack, according to Dyer, UN agency aforementioned investigators can want time to see the precise motive within the shootings.
Muhammad de jure modified his name from Kori Taylor once he was a young person, in line with his gran, Glenestene Taylor, UN agency aforementioned Muhammad was acting surprisingly once he visited her Sunday. He was crying, however she believed he was merely going out of city.
A Facebook profile page for a Kori Ali Muhammad from city paid deference to black pride and black nationalism, with pictures of the red, inexperienced and black Pan-African flag and a raised paw.
The rambling profile includes militant and apocalyptic language and repeated demands to "let black people go." He referenced "white devils" and praised melanoma skin cancer.
Brian Levin, director of Cal State San Bernardino's Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, said many of Muhammad's social media postings make reference to terms used by the Nation of Islam, which has been labeled a racist hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Pointing to Muhammad's repeated references to "white devils" and "Yakub" — the villainous figure responsible for creating white people, according to Nation of Islam lore — Levin said it is likely Muhammad thought he was taking part in a race war against whites.
"We're living in an era of violent reciprocal prejudice, and there are references on his website to Fard Muhammad, the founder of Nation of Islam, and Nation of Islam uses the term white devils quite prolifically, as did this shooter," Levin said.
Muhammad also repeatedly used the phrase "Black Dragon Lion Hawk" in his Facebook posts, and Levin said such nods to warrior culture are also common in black separatist circles.
But Glenestene Taylor didn't remember her grandson showing a racial bias, toward whites or anyone else, in all his years staying with her or during countless visits to her predominately white Fresno neighborhood, she said.


This month at Arc of Life we are committing to a 30 day fitness challenge: the Squat Challenge! With the weather turning to beautiful sunshine, fitness challenges are a great way to kickstart a healthy, active summer. We want to encourage everyone to participate in a challenge that pushes you out of your comfort zone. Sometimes, though, it can be hard to commit and follow through with a challenge.
When you first start a month-long challenge, it may seem daunting to reach the end goal of 200 squats, or 200 crunches, or 50 push ups, etc. But that's the point. You don't want a challenge that will be to easy. Spend each day improving toward a goal. Not only will your body love you for your commitment to fitness, your mind will also thrive with the mental stimulation of successfully completing a goal.
Develop your fitness levels in a safe manner by building up to a goal over time.
You can specifically track your progress and recognize when you are or are not reaching your goals.
You are not alone in the fitness challenge! Find motivation in the community, reach your goals with friends, coworkers, family. Know that your struggles are normal and reach out to your community to receive encouragement.
Accountability: You are responsible for your health, no one else can take responsibility! Hold yourself accountable in order to strive for a more active lifestyle.
All fitness challenges can be modified to suit your level of performance. If you are experiencing difficulties completing a full squat, for example, instead do a half squat or a chair squat. Is a regular squat to easy? Add in weights or pulses in between each movement.
Check out this video to learn how to do a basic squat and a modified chair squat.
Are you interested in beginning a fitness challenge? Here is our Squat Challenge for both beginner and advanced squatters, start this challenge with your friends and family!


Testking brings you cutting edge IBM IBM Analytics training materials you can always rely on. You can now prepare for your IBM Analytics exams without leaving your home and simply download everything you need from Testking website. Our IBM preparation materials provide you with a better scope of knowledge, concepts and exam questions than any officially endorsed IBM courses. In other words, we give you everything you need to pass your IBM Analytics exams.


Our goal is to share with you invaluable information about buying and selling homes in Orlando, Celebration, Windermere and other areas in Central Florida. In addition to being able to search the Multiple Listing Services for the latest single family homes, townhouse and condo listings, you can set up an email Listing Alert system that will keep you up to date whenever there is a new home for sale that fits your requirements. Visit our listings section to see our recent home listings and featured property section that contains a number of special listings like waterfront properties, golf course & country clubs, 55 plus, luxury homes, and any other selections of your choice. Search New Homes Communities. If you are an investor or custom home builder, you can also search for vacant land, multi-family residential units, and commercial real estate listings using the Advanced Search.


At the clinic you can receive specialized medical care. The specialist doctors are volunteers dell'Onlus Medicine Solidarity and Migrazioni.SERVIZI DIAGNOSTICIIl Solidarity Medicine Service provides patients, as a support specialist medical activity, even some instrumental investigations. These tests are performed within the outpatient facility and performed by medical or nursing staff. For more complex examinations health personnel, upon notice, send their patients to the nearby public health facilities.
The question of user support of Solidarity Medicine emerges from a rich territory of inconvenience related to the fragility of social conditions; This requires careful medical care, qualified and easily accessible. A poor social context constitutes a further risk factor for health, in relation to the difficulty of access to diagnostic paths and effective therapeutic.
The presence, since February of 2005, at the clinic and a family psychotherapist allowed to respond in a unified manner to the different needs and orienting welcoming families in difficulty, making them increasingly autonomous in managing their difficulties in the field of right to health.
At the service, in addition to specialized activities described above, the nursing clinic is active where the patient is assisted by highly qualified nursing staff. The following describes the relevance of nursing activities.


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