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I have been a strong critic of X-Plane, particularly when used as a virtual gliding simulator. So when X-Plane 11 was recently released, I jumped right in with the default X-Plane glider, the Schleicher ASK21, fully expecting to be disappointed in the usual way. I decided to attempt to complete a ridge soaring task, rather than using short ad hoc flights to test the soaring environment and flight modelling. This cross-country flight test surprised me greatly. In spite of the obvious flaws in the X-Plane soaring environment, I was able to complete this task and, in fact, I found the experience to be both entertaining and enjoyable.
When you compare X-Plane with default FSX as a virtual gliding simulator, neither provides a convincing virtual soaring environment. However, the availability of the CumulusX! competition soaring environment add-on for FSX makes a huge difference. Moreover, there are a lot more 3rd party glider models available for FSX. Until, X-Plane or a 3rd party developer can provide a competition (multi-player) soaring environment similar to, or better than, CumulusX!, FSX will remain as my preferred virtual gliding simulator. Nevertheless, I have been inspired by my first cross country adventure in X_Plane 11 to try some more test flights, and possibly some more full cross-country adventures, in X-Plane.
So let us now have a look at this specific cross-country adventure, which has changed my view, at least to some extent, about using X-Plane for any virtual soaring. Firstly I will describe the task design and then the custom X-Plane weather settings. This will be followed by some discussion of issues that were noticed during the flight and my conclusions.
I chose Zell am See in Austria as my launching site. In X-Plane 11, the longest grass strip at Zell am See is 08L, so that seemed to be the best choice for my glider operations. However, I was later to learn that 08L no longer exists in the real world, which might explain why X-Plane has two roads running across the runway.
I put the start line on the ridge of hills running north from the airfield (TP SCM – Schmittenhoehe) and the finish line on the ridge of hills running towards the airfield from the east (TP HHN – Hahneck Kogel.) The maximum start height was set at 6000 feet above mean sea level and the minimum safe finish height was set at 300 feet AGL above the finish line.
Following are some issues that I noticed with X-Plane 11, but please note that I have very little experience with X-Plane in general and also bear in mind my previous comment that this cross-country glider flight was an enjoyable and entertaining flight regardless of these issues. I may also draw some comparisons with Microsoft Flight Simulator X, although I do concede that these comparisons are somewhat unfair given that I have a number of add-ons in FSX that improve the virtual gliding experience greatly.
When I start a flight with the ASK 21 glider in X-Plane, it defaults to an aerotow and begins to launch immediately. This is a bit of nuisance. I haven't worked out yet how to start a gliding flight with the wheel brake on, which might prevent an immediate launch. I would prefer to start the flight stationary and parked and then manually choose with keyboard or controller buttons whether to take an aero tow or a winch launch.
The aero tow ground roll seemed far too short to me, plus the tow plane got out of alignment with the runway as soon as it started moving – perhaps because it is susceptible to cross wind.
A nice feature in X-Plane is that tow plane can be manually steered left, right or straight ahead in flight, however, the turn rate is quite slow and does not appear to be adjustable. This limitation may be a problem in some terrain situations. The CumulusX! smart tow option in FSX does not have this feature although it does allow you to pre-select either a left hand or right hand turn out after lift off. I prefer the X-Plane feature.
There are two variometers in the X-Plane 11 ASK 21, which is not uncommon in gliders. It has an analogue vario and an electronic vario with a switch to enable the audio feedback. The two vario needles appear to be in lockstep, so I assume they are both indicating the same thing. The analogue vario is calibrated in metres per second but the electronic vario only has tick marks. The analogue vario looks very much like a standard "Winter" model Total Energy vario but it appears to react more like a Netto vario. This is contrary to what is written in the X-Plane manual. The electronic vario audio feedback appears to have three distinct tones – a warble, a constant tone and a series of beeps. The X-Plane manual says that the beeps indicate that glider is in an updraft and that the constant tone tells you that you are sinking but that does not correspond with my experience on this flight. It appears to me that the frequency of beeps is a representation of the Total Energy input to the glider in the form of height gain and the constant tone pitch seems to be linked to the Netto vario positive deflection representing the amount of lift in the surrounding airmass – in other words the constant tone appears to indicate that you are in an updraft and this is also contrary to what is stated in the X-Plane manual. I haven't worked out what the intermittent warble represents yet – it might be a glitch in the feedback sound. Even though the X-Plane variometer audio feedback is quite different to what I am most familiar with in some real-world gliders and in FSX, it is nevertheless quite useful once you get used to it and allows you to respond quickly to variations in lift while keeping your eyes outside the cockpit.
The ridge lift appears to be a tad erratic in X-Plane – certainly it is harder to predict than in FSX using the CumulusX! plugin. The lift doesn't appear to strengthen in indents in the ridge where the wind should get compressed and thus increase in speed and I haven't noticed any decrease in lift at the base of ridges. Also I have not been able to detect the typical sweet spot of maximum lift slightly to windward of the ridge tops. As I have no real-world experience with ridge soaring, I cannot say for sure that X-Plane ridge lift is not realistic – it just isn't as convincing to me personally as it is with FSX + CumulusX!. Maybe I need to increase the wind speed a bit to get better and more consistent ridge lift in X-Plane. I have noticed that lee side effects such as excessive sink and wind rotor are either not modeled in X-Plane or at best are very weakly modeled.
The thermals in X-Plane are what we know as blue thermals – that is they are not associated with cumulus clouds. Nor are they associated with ground features as far as I can tell. I recall hearing someone say that flying cross-country in blue thermals is a bit like a blind person stumbling across the countryside hoping to bump into to trees to climb. Unfortunately, there is no 3rd party plugin that I know of to provide cloud based thermals in the same way CumulusX! does for FSX.
The in-flight sound effects of the ASK 21 is reasonably convincing but it doesn't include any variation for the airbrakes (spoilers) being deployed. Moreover, the spoiler deployment should be linked to the wheel brake on the ASK 21, which it isn't in X-Plane.
The modelling of adverse yaw effect for the X-Plane ASK 21 seemed to be hardly detectable. I don't believe this is realistic for a glider.
The ground roll sound sound effects and landing tyre squeal are not realistic in my opinion.
I encountered two major pauses of the simulator during this flight but that could be my system or my X-Plane setup – further investigation required.
The lighting and scenery in this mountain area around Zell am See were very impressive in X-Plane 11, with the exception of the roads. Also the default X-Plane 11 mesh looked rather crudely triangulated compared to what I am used to seeing in FSX with enhanced add-on mesh.
I encountered one very obvious graphical anomaly in the scenery or mesh on the second leg of this task, and I got a good close-up look at this gap in the scenery in the video.
I managed to bump into a few thermals in this task and tried to stop and circle in one but it was too weak and difficult to center on the core. Nevertheless, that thermal did appear to me to be quite realistic compared to some real-world thermals, which are often quite lumpy and bumpy and sometimes have multiple cores that are difficult to center on.
In spite of these issues, this was, overall, a challenging and very enjoyable experience and I am encouraged to try some more X-Plane 11 glider flights in the future. I may try a 'flat-lands' (thermalling) cross-country task next, even though I expect it to be very difficult without cloud based thermals. Also I plan to repeat the Zell am See cross-country ridge soaring task in FSX as another YouTube video to see how different it will be using the CumulusX! add-on.
This entry was posted in X-Plane, YouTube flights on April 27, 2017 by James Allen.
I follow your videos in Youtube. Among other things, I've seen that you use XCSoar in Xplane11.
That has packed me and I have also XCSoar with the maps, airspaces, waypoints etc. downloaded.
Unfortunately, I can not XCSoar that is connected to another PC with my Xplane11-PC via network is not XCSoar and Xplane11 is not.
Or is XCSoar running only on the PC where Xplane11 is running?
I would be very grateful if you can tell me how I can run XCSoar by two PC with Xplane11.
I have researched over two hours on the Internet, also read the XCSoar manual, but I find no answers as I have the two PC to connect.
It would be nice if you could grab me under the wings.
I do not speak English, I had to do this through Google. Please, therefore, give simple instructions on how to install XCSoar and Xplane11 if possible.
Today I posted on my Sim Soaring blog a description of the method that I use to connect XCSoar from a networked PC to X-Plane 11. I hope that it is easy enough to follow or translate. I used some screenshots of my configuration and settings, which I hope will help. If you have any further questions on how to do this, please feel free ask.
Thank you very much for your bombastic instruction including pictures!
Your guide makes my installation in Xplane11 much easier and I am glad that there are such committed people who help Newbies!
If you are looking for a more realistic glider simulator, I'd strongly urge you to take a look at Condor 2.
I am currently testing various aspects of Condor2 – also making some YouTube videos. Condor2 can easily claim to have the most realistic soaring environment compared to other sims currently available. However, the graphics and sound effects still do not compare favorably in my opinion. Moreover, it still lacks VR support.


KBN: What is a zemi?!
Zemi dolls are based on traditional Caribbean totems. Created by local Victoria artist Rev, each spiritual doll is made with care, and positive healing energy.
and you will be entered into a draw to win this Zemi! Draw date will be New Years Eve 2011.
I came by the blog to make sure ya'll are going to be open leading up to the holidays... and I find you're giving away a Zemi!
I like the one with the rusty nail on Etsy - you're right about the inuit sunglasses, and the yarn makes me think of a sparrow's nest.
Miss you too! I love your blog! It reminds me of all the crazy hard work I had to do up north!


text:
#include "Benchmark.h"

#include "SkPaint.h"
#include "SkParse.h"

const char* SkTriState::Name[] = { "default", "true", "false" };

template BenchRegistry* BenchRegistry::gHead;

Benchmark::Benchmark() {
    fForceAlpha = 0xFF;
    fForceAA = true;
    fForceFilter = false;
    fDither = SkTriState::kDefault;
    fOrMask = fClearMask = 0;
}

const char* Benchmark::getName() {
    return this->onGetName();
}

SkIPoint Benchmark::getSize() {
    return this->onGetSize();
}

void Benchmark::preDraw() {
    this->onPreDraw();
}

void Benchmark::draw(const int loops, SkCanvas* canvas) {
    this->onDraw(loops, canvas);
}

void Benchmark::setupPaint(SkPaint* paint) {
    paint->setAlpha(fForceAlpha);
    paint->setAntiAlias(fForceAA);
    paint->setFilterLevel(fForceFilter ? SkPaint::kLow_FilterLevel
                                       : SkPaint::kNone_FilterLevel);

    paint->setFlags((paint->getFlags() & ~fClearMask) | fOrMask);

    if (SkTriState::kDefault != fDither) {
        paint->setDither(SkTriState::kTrue == fDither);
    }
}

SkIPoint Benchmark::onGetSize() {
    return SkIPoint::Make(640, 480);
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


This ETF offers broad-based exposure to TIPS, bonds issued by the U.S. government featuring principal that adjusts based on certain measures of inflation. As such, TIPZ may have appeal as a minor allocation in a long-term portfolio, with increased weighting given if investors are particularly concerned about inflationary pressures. TIP is one of several broad TIPS ETFs; and it is arguably the second most popular of the bunch, right behind TIP in terms of assets under management in the Category. This fund is competitive from a cost perspective and offers up impressive liquidity, making it worthy of consideration for any investors seeking exposure to this corner of the bond market. While TIPS have become popular as a means of protecting against inflation, it is noted that there are potential limitations to this asset class in accomplishing this objective as well. Short-term TIPS ETFs such as STIP or STPZ may be forth a closer look, as well as more creative alternatives such as CPI or other 'alternative' ETFs.
The adjacent table gives investors an individual Realtime Rating for TIPZ on several different metrics, including liquidity, expenses, performance, volatility, dividend, concentration of holdings in addition to an overall rating. The "A+ Metric Rated ETF" field, available to ETFdb Pro members, shows the ETF in the Inflation-Protected Bonds with the highest Metric Realtime Rating for each individual field. To view all of this data, sign up for a free 14-day trial for ETFdb Pro. To view information on how the ETFdb Realtime Ratings work, click here.
The following chart also includes the option to compare the performance of TIPZ relative to other ETFs and benchmarks or to include indicators such as Bollinger Bands, relative strength, and moving averages.


When George W. Bush takes the oath of office as president on January 20, 2001, his wife Laura Welch Bush will be at his side, holding the Bible—probably the same family Bible his father used twelve years earlier. From that moment on, neither of their lives will be the same. Quiet, unassuming Laura will be the focus of intense public scrutiny, starting no doubt with a critique of her Inauguration Day wardrobe. As she and George trip the light fantastic at the Inaugural Ball, all eyes will be on her gown. After all, that isn't just any dress—it is a part of American history; her wax facsimile will forever wear that ball gown in the First Ladies' Hall at the Smithsonian! What a transition for someone who, even as First Lady of Texas, was able to shop anonymously at Wal-Mart with her daughters as recently as two years ago.
Gore and Bush: Does It Really Matter?
I think it was Dennis Miller who first joked about Gush and Bore. This clever little play on words mirrors the public's perception of the two presidential candidates. Gore fought hard and may have finally overcome the popular belief that he is a bore, but it took a passionate kiss in front of millions to do it. Bush is saddled with his ties to the petro-chemical industry, but ironically, he was a failure as an oilman and his one big gusher never really did materialize.
Not only do the candidates have to battle their own public image and each other's characterizations, they must also fight the increasingly prevailing view that there is very little difference between the two major parties. For many voters, these candidates are interchangeable. What do their horoscopes tell us about their similarities and their differences and how do they relate to each other?
they point the cannon right at you.
It ain't me, it ain't me, I'm no senator's son.
It ain't me, it ain't me, I'm no fortunate one.
Remember the old tune "Fortunate Son" by Creedence Clearwater Revival? It seems to have been written with Vice President Albert Gore, Jr. in mind. The son of Tennessee Senator Albert Gore, Sr., Al Gore has spent his entire life preparing to enter rooms accompanied by the band playing "Hail to the Chief." And, it's likely he understands exactly what it means to have the cannon pointed right at him. After all, power at those dizzying heights is a double-edged sword indeed. The nominee of the Democratic Party for president, Al Gore has only one obstacle left in his quest for the presidency—another fortunate son, George W. Bush.
On February 29, 2000, Kathie Lee Gifford announced that she was quitting her fourteen-year stint as co-host of the popular morning talk show, Live with Regis and Kathie Lee. The show, which catapulted Kathie Lee to fame and fortune, is the centerpiece of her successful and varied career. Finding a replacement for the vivacious Kathie Lee will be no small task, since she and co-host Regis Philbin seem to be as natural a coupling as peas and carrots.
Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? the highest rated prime time quiz show ever, made "Is that your final answer?" the most popular catchphrase of 1999 and the show's host, Regis Philbin, an overnight success at age 66. Regis (or Reeg as he is affectionately known), born on August 25, 1933 (see chart notes about birthdate), is everywhere—talk shows, the news and magazine covers. He's the current media darling—not bad for a guy from the Bronx who, let's face it, is more accustomed to collective sneers and jeers than popular acclaim.
Man on the Moon, the much-anticipated film biography of Andy Kaufman, stars Jim Carrey as the legendary comic. Danny de Vito, one of Kaufman's Taxi co-stars, also appears in Man on the Moon and says that Carrey's performance is nothing short of remarkable. It is as if Kaufman were reborn in Carrey.
Is Carrey's chillingly accurate portrayal of Kaufman a tribute to his phenomenal talent, or might there be more—shall we say, cosmic—reasons for the similarities in the two? Amazingly enough, Kaufman and Carrey share a birthday, January 17. Kaufman, born in 1949, is thirteen years older than Carrey.
© 1999 Madalyn Hillis-Dineen: Astrologer.


Macrocarpa artboard crafted in-house at The Paper Rain Project, handpainted Mandala by fourtyonehundred.
'This board was painted in both the North and South Islands as I travelled New Zealand. This painting is about unity, a strong and balanced centre - flowing out into asymmetrical north and south regions. Different but they same, untied as one. As a country, as people, as earth dwellers we are all interconnected and part of one universal existence.' fourtyonehundred.


The Non-Canon Expert explains why so many Sith Lords suffered extreme physical deformity through their use of the dark side, looking at the words and understanding of this phenomenon among Sith Lords such as Darth Revan, Darth Bane, and Darth Plagueis.
This is a Legends story regarding the Sith and dark side with information primarily found within the three novels comprising the Darth Bane trilogy and the novel "Darth Plagueis." I hope that you enjoy it!


text:
Mnangagwa govt's dangerous paranoia will keep hurting economy
IT is not a secret that Zimbabwe's economy is under severe strain from various factors: effects of the coronavirus pandemic-induced lockdown, power cuts, currency crunch, high inflation, exchange rate misalignment, toxic politics, policy missteps and sanctions imposed over alleged human rights abuses by government on its citizens.
To that list we can add paranoia by President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his ruling Zanu-PF elite. And as usual, their fingers pointed in random directions, at everyone and everything in sight except themselves.
The President last Wednesday alleged that Zimbabwe's currency was under attack from businesses that were raising prices willy-nilly and that somehow this was part of a wider political plot against his government.
"We are witnessing a relentless attack on our currency and the economy in general through exorbitant pricing models by the private sector," Mnangagwa told Zanu-PF's politburo.
"We are fully cognisant that this is a battle being fuelled by our political detractors, elite opportunists and malcontents who are bent on pushing a nefarious agenda they will never win."
The International Monetary Fund in March warned that the country was facing a lethal cocktail of macroeconomic instability, climate shocks and policy missteps.
Yesterday, Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat) announced that inflation had risen to 785,55% year-on-year in May, from 765,57% the previous month. There is no way inflation will abate within the target set by Treasury and the Reserve bank of Zimbabwe of 50% by yearend without drastic measures, such as ditching the Zimdollar and bringing back the United States dollar as sole legal tender.
Zimbabweans were later treated to the spectacle of Home Affairs minister Kazembe Kazembe, with security chiefs in tow, pointing fingers at more detractors, this time including diplomats, church leaders, opposition figures and government's own senior employees.
"Some foreign diplomats accredited to Zimbabwe have quite often not shied from engaging in anti-government activism, which renders it difficult to differentiate them from card-carrying members of the opposition," Kazembe said.
By Friday, Mnangagwa was trying to re-enter the realm of the sober: "The liberalisation of our economy must continue in earnest. This includes the privatisation of bloated State industries which must now be expedited. Investment commitments must now be turned into tangible jobs. Our creative people must be allowed to grow and prosper," he said in a televised speech to announce further relaxation of the COVID-19-induced lockdown.
"Reforms, stuck in the wheels of bureaucracy, must be unleashed, catalysed and implemented. The time for action is now."
The last part, is indeed the crux of the matter. Too many promises, policies are stuck in the wheels of bureaucracy and you have not been able to untangle them. Mnangagwa's inability to confront his weaknesses or to provide solutions to a crisis is nothing new, it is borrowed from a classic late former President Robert Mugabe political playbook.
Mr President, that is not enough to save you from your own shame. Your paranoia against "detractors" and "enemies", real and imagined means the economy will continue to suffer. It is preventing you from taking the correct action to right the wrongs. You can write your own playbook, one that ensures a happy ending, but you need to make the effort.
More on: #Mnangagwa, #Paranoia, #Economy
Manningdale 1acre stands with title deeds
Stands for sale with water and electricity {24months installments}
244m2 corner stand with water and electricity {18 months installments}
Tshabalala 4bedroomed house walled and gated

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Teams comparison
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Shaquille Harrison
Shooting guard/Small forward | 8 | Utah Jazz
NBA Bio
Shaquille Harrison in the 2020-21 season
%FG
%3P
%FT
Regular season 7 0 4.1 42 -- 50 0.7 0.6 0.3 0.6 0.0 0.3 1.6 1.4
December 1 0 2.8 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
January 6 0 4.4 42 0 50 0.8 0.7 0.3 0.7 0.0 0.3 1.7 1.8
Latest 3 games played
1/19/2021 NOP@UTA 102-118 2 1/1 0/0 0/0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 1
1/15/2021 ATL@UTA 92-116 5 0/4 0/0 0/0 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
1/12/2021 UTA@CLE 117-87 6 0/1 0/0 0/0 0 3 1 2 0 1 0 1
Current season best games
1/3/2021 UTA@SAS 130-109 6 3/4 0/0 0/0 0 1 0 1 0 0 6 5
1/5/2021 UTA@BKN 96-130 7 1/2 0/0 1/2 1 0 1 0 0 0 3 3
Team salaries
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What I would like to do is lay out, in very brief compass, the Catholic understanding of the relationship between moralityand the existence of God and to show, thereby, why it is indispensably important for a society that wishes to maintain its moral integrity to maintain, at the same time, a vibrant belief in God.
Why do we do the things that we do? What motivates us ethically? Right now, I am typing words on my keyboard. Why am I doing that? Well, I want to finish my weekly column. Why do I want to do that? I want to communicate the truth as I see it to an audience who might benefit from it.
Why would I want that? Well, I'm convinced that the truth is good in itself. Do you see what we've uncovered by this simple exercise? By searching out the motivation for the act of typing words, we have come to a basic or fundamental good, a value that is worthwhile for its own sake. My acts of typing, writing, and communicating are subordinate, finally, to the intrinsic value of the truth. Take another example. Just before composing that last sentence, I took a swig of water from a plastic bottle on my desk. Why did I do that? Well, I was thirsty and wanted to slake my thirst.
But why did I want to do that? Hydrating my system is healthy. Why is health important? Because it sustains my life. Why is life worth pursuing? Well, because life is good in itself. Once more, this analysis of desire has revealed a basic or irreducible good. Catholic moral philosophy recognizes, besides truth and life, other basic values, including friendship, justice, and beauty, and it sees them as the structuring elements of the moral life.
When Pope Benedict XVI complained about a "dictatorship of relativism" and when Catholic philosophers worry over the triumph of the subjective in our culture, they are expressing their concerns that these irreducible values have been forgotten or occluded. In her great meditations on the sovereignty of the good, the Irish philosopher Iris Murdoch strenuously insists that the authentic good legitimately imposes itself on the human will and is not a creation of that will. At the limit, contemporary subjectivism apotheosizes the will so that it becomes the source of value, but this puffing up of our freedom is actually ruinous, for it prevents the appropriation of the objective values that will truly benefit us.
This "basic goods" theory also grounds the keen Catholic sense that there are certain acts which are intrinsically evil, that is, wrong no matter the circumstances of the act or the motivations of the agent. Slavery, the sexual abuse of children, adultery, racism, murder, etc. are intrinsically evil preciselybecause they involve direct attacks on basic goods. The moment we unmoor a moral system from these objective values, no act can be designated as intrinsically evil and from that state of affairs moral chaos follows.
So far we have determined the objectivity of the ethical enterprise, but how does God figure into the system? Couldn't an honest secularist hold to objective moral goods but not hold to God's existence? Let's return to our analysis of the will in action. As we saw, the will is motivated, even in its simplest moves, by some sense, perhaps inchoate, of a moral value: truth, life, beauty, justice, etc. But having achieved some worldly good—say of writing this column, or slaking a thirst, or educating a child—the will is only incompletely satisfied. In point of fact, the achievement of some finite good tends to spur the will to want more of that good. Every scientist or philosopher knows that the answering of one question tends to open a hundred new ones; every social activist knows that righting one wrong awakens a desire to right a hundred more. Indeed, no achievement of truth, justice, life, or beauty in this world can satisfy the will, for the will is ordered to each of those goods in its properly unconditioned form. As Bernard Lonergansaid, "the mind wants to know everything about everything." And as St. Augustine said, "Lord, you have made us for yourself; therefore our heart is restless until it rests in thee." You've noticed that I've slipped God somewhat slyly into the discussion! But I haven't done so illegitimately, for in the Catholic philosophical tradition, "God" is the name that we give to absolute or unconditioned goodness, justice, truth, and life.


This exciting new guide is a must-have for every Canon owner!It?s tailored specifically to working with Canon equipment and isdesigned to help Canon shooters use their systems more effectivelyand make informed decisions when purchasing equipment. Not onlywill Rob Sheppard teach readers how to use every feature andfunction, along with creative and practical photographic methods,but he also provides easy-to-understand instructions on how toexecute these techniques using a variety of Canon cameras. There?sinvaluable advice on which equipment best suits different shootingstyles and avoiding the guesswork associated with buying andchoosing lenses, filters, power accessories and flashes.
If you require further information about"How To Take Great Photos With The Canon D-slr System" please contact us.


text:
Home > Sex Tech > Kinky Bots: How Technology Will Make BDSM Power Exchanges Even More Intense
Home›Sex Tech›Kinky Bots: How Technology Will Make BDSM Power Exchanges Even More Intense
Kinky Bots: How Technology Will Make BDSM Power Exchanges Even More Intense
The future of power-exchange is going to be a wild ride!
Without a doubt, human sexuality is in the middle of some truly massive changes. Perusing just a few of our articles here at Future of Sex is enough to reveal how all kinds of new technologies are defining and expanding practically every aspect of emotional and physical pleasure.
It wasn't until recently, for example, that the idea of being Sapiosexual—or, if you prefer, Digisexuals—only existed in science fiction. Now, though, we have entire communities of people who find robots and other erotic technologies sexually appealing.
And then there's BDSM: the world of erotic power exchange. With the coming of these new technologies, we're going to look at how it's undergoing some equally, if not even more dramatic, changes—and what the near and far future might hold for this aspect of human sexuality.
Digital domination
Back in April of last year, Miranda Kane wrote an article for Metro UK exploring this very subject. In her piece, she outlined many developments she saw as altering BDSM play—some of which we'll be touching on shortly.
But before we do, it's also worth explaining just what BDSM sex actually is. Or, as you'll soon realize, some of what is.
You see BDSM, which often stands for Bondage/Discipline/Sadism/Masochism, isn't exactly a precise term. Rather, it covers a huge range of interests and activities, including many that don't always include power exchange: the consensual surrendering of sexual and/or emotional control to another.
Because it is such a wide-spreading umbrella term, it's important to approach any discussion of BDSM knowing that it's just about impossible to be totally inclusive of every aspect of it—especially in a short article like this one.
That being said, it's also worth noting that a large part of the BDSM community tries to hold to the basic precepts of safety, sanity, and consensuality, to protect all those involved. Even, as we'll soon find out, when technology is altering just about everything involving kinky play.
Erotic control
Echoing back to power exchange, for the first time dominants can be given unprecedented levels of access to their willing submissives.
In her article, Kane points out that several recent innovations have made constant monitoring not just possible but rather easy. Webcams, for instance, can be used to keep tabs on a willing submissive—as can giving permission for a dominant to oversee or control their property's social media.
This means that the common BDSM fantasy of 24/7 slavehood is much more attainable: that play doesn't have to stop once both parties leave their physical playspace.
Reaching out to touch someone
But ownership doesn't have to be restricted to passive monitoring. What is becoming a common feature of many sexual devices is the ability for them to be controlled remotely, giving a dominant the ability to turn one of them on as a sexual reward for good behavior—or switching them off when their slave misbehaves.
Similarly, it is now possible for things like mild electric shocks to be delivered as punishment. Though do keep in mind that electrical play is something that should only be done after extensive education in the risks involved.
Artificial domination
Speaking of electrical shocks, in July of last year we covered Gary, who had created an Alexa-controlled robotic dominant that could, on command, give jolts to his girlfriend/submissive.
While a garage project, the potential for the widespread use of something like Mistress Alexa is clear-cut: an artificial intelligence that could be linked to a physical device and so becoming the dream dominant to many hungry submissives.
Even removing an Internet-of-things sexual device or an electric shock deliverer, there are still a large number of kinky folks who would absolutely enjoy being dominated in their day-to-day lives—even if the person telling them what to do, or not do, isn't exactly human.
Staying with artificial intelligence, a non-human dominant has a lot going for it. Not only would it be tireless but it could be programmed not just for being strict and controlling but working with the exact emotional and physical needs of its submissive. This way it could become a form of therapist and even a mentor: guiding its property to sexual pleasure but also to attain all kinds of life goals.
Impacts and constrictions
Looking farther into the future, thought the use of smart materials it might even be possible to create other forms of physical play that could be controlled by either a remote person or, again, by artificial intelligences.
Soft robotics, programmable matter, or some combination of the two could take the form of a kind of garment that a submissive could wear. This way they could be rewarded with sexual pleasure, a form of bondage, or punished by short, intense pressure simulating a cane stroke.
Safety, again, would be an essential part of this system. Biometric sensors would tell the person, or program in charge exactly how much pressure or pleasure the submissive could safely take—and if something were to go wrong immediately call for medical assistance.
Power exchange and the future
Sex is changing and will continue to change more and more each and every year: our erotic horizons shifting and evolving with each new technological step. Things like gender, what sexual pleasure is and can be, new orientations, and more will make the future equally thrilling as well as challenging.
With these changes, the world of BDSM will also be transformed: with dominants, submissives, and the other sexualities under its umbrella term, having a universe of new tools and power dynamics to play with.
And, as we continue to develop things like artificial intelligence software, maybe a time when we will be controlled by machines—with our safe, sane, and consensual pleasure, of course.
Image sources: torbakhopper, zombieite, torbakhopper, Diane Simpson, Michael Roos
M. Christian
M.Christian loves nothing better than exploring the intersections of sex and technology—and speculating on the future of both. A highly regarded erotica writer he has six novels,12 collections,100+ short stories, and 25 anthologies as an editor to his name. His non-fiction regularly appears n many sites, but he's most proud of being a regular contributor to Future of Sex.
Of his erotic fiction, Tristan Taormino said that "M.Christian is a literary stylist of the highest caliber: smart, funny, frightening, sexy—there's nothing he can't write about … and brilliantly."
Reflecting his unique ability to sympathetically and convincingly write for a range of genders and sexual orientations, his stories have appeared in multiple editions of Best American Erotica, Best Gay Erotica, Best Lesbian Erotica, The Mammoth Books of Erotica, and others. His collection of gay erotic fiction, Dirty Words, was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award.
While a majority of his stories have been collected into books like Dirty Words, his fondness for combining sex and science fiction is clearly evident in collections that include Rude Mechanicals, Technorotica, Better Than The Real Thing, Skin Effect Effect, Bachelor Machine, and Hard Drive: The Best Sci-Fi Erotica of M.Christian.
As a novelist, M.Christian's versatility is on full display with and the somewhat controversial queer BDSM/horror/thrillers Finger's Breadth, and Me2.
M.Christian has worked on the industry's production side as an Associate Publisher for Renaissance E Books and as a Publisher for Digital Parchment Services. The latter dedicated to celebrating the works of science-fiction legends such as William Rotsler, Jerome Bixby, Jody Scott, Arthur Byron Cover, Ernest Hogan, and James Van Hise.
Covering topics like BDSM safety, sexual education, senior sexuality concerns, queer and gender issues, plus reviewing a variety of sextech products, M.Christian's non-fiction has appeared on sites like Kinkly, Tickle.Life, Sexpert, Queer Majority, Sex for Every Body, and—of course—his ongoing work for Future of Sex.
If there's anything M.Christian enjoys more than writing, it's teaching. A featured presenter, sometimes with his friend Ralph Greco Jr, at national sex and BDSM events, he's lectured on kink play (with an emphasis on safety), polyamory, boosting sexual creativity, and erotica writing--for beginners or those wanting to go pro.
M.Christian is a cohost on two popular sex-education podcasts: Love's Outer Limits with Dr. Amy Marsh and Licking Non-Vanilla with Ralph Greco, Jr.
M.Christian's Books (Sizzler Editions)
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Adult Star Brenna Sparks Wants Models to ...
Protective Threads: Can 'Smart' Clothing Really Keep ...
Social Media and Our Growing Culture of Sexual Voyeurism
Remote SexSex Tech
Why Camgirls Are Falling Victim to Content Thieves and Screencapping
By Libby
Couple Transforms Sex Acts into Live Music with Motion-Based Sensors
By Antony Scholefield
'We Need Touch': Sex Workers Resist Post-COVID OnlyFans Craze
By Eleanor Hancock
Sex Tech at CES 2019: VR Strippers, Voice-controlled Vibes, and Gender-bias Controversy
By Tom Woodley
RobotsSex Tech
Dolly Dearest: Photographer Captures Human Desire in the Artificial
Star Trek and the Future of Sex: Gay Characters and LGBT Love
The Seven Days of Swiping, Day 5: How Grindr Cornered the Gay Dating App Market for Men
Sexbot Q&A: Harmony the Animatronic Love Doll Answers Your Burning Questions


text:
Q: I am trying to install git on my mac and it's showing the same error while installing any package Code in terminal:
harshdhariwal@Harshs-MacBook-Air ~ % $ brew install git
zsh: command not found: $
harshdhariwal@Harshs-MacBook-Air ~ %

What is the problem?

A: You need to remove $ from your command line. It's a command prompt and probably was copied from a tutorial you were using.
Also before you install anything with brew you need to install brew itself. See here on how it can be done.

A: Please do not include the '$' in your command. only run 'brew install git'

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


In an unusual example of the traditional Lenten practices of fasting and abstinence, the bishops of California are asking Catholics to "exercise restraint" in their use of water because of an extreme drought in the state.
California is experiencing one of its driest periods since 1895. Last month, the state announced that 17 rural communities were within 100 days of running out of drinking water.
"Our human dignity relies on access to water," the bishops wrote in a statement released Thursday. "That same human dignity is diminished when we let this precious resource slip carelessly through our hands."
Recalling that the 40 days of Lent reflect the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert in prayer and fasting, the bishops said, "Californians are in an actual desert as an historic drought looms over us." The drought, they said, is having serious consequences, including farmers without enough water to irrigate their crops and farmworkers without jobs. Access to clean, drinkable water is at risk in many communities, they added.
They noted that legislators are struggling with how to ensure that both present and future water needs are met in an equitable way.
As the impact of the drought grows, "those with limited resources will be the first to suffer," the bishops said. "Wise conservation practices will mitigate those effects." Some water districts have already implemented mandatory rationing. Other districts are asking for voluntary reductions in water use.
This is the second time in the last two months that California's bishops have spoken about a faith-filled response to the drought. In early January, Sacramento Bishop Jaime Soto, as president of the California Catholic Conference, urged Catholics to pray for rain. "Let us especially pray for those most impacted by water shortages and for the wisdom and charity to be good stewards of this precious gift," read a portion of his suggested prayer.
In their Lenten message, the bishops again linked water conservation with stewardship for the common good. "May we receive the grace to better conserve our natural resources and expend our energies in works of charity so that justice and mutual respect may flow like a river through the cities, towns and fields of our State," they wrote.


text:
Biosorption of lead(II) on modified barks explained by the hard and soft acids and bases (HSAB) theory
Astier, C., Chaleix, V., Faugeron, C., Ropartz, D., Krausz, P., and Gloaguen, V. (2012). "Biosorption of lead(II) on modified barks explained by the hard and soft acids and bases (HSAB) theory," BioRes. 7(1), 1100-1110.
Chemical modification of Douglas fir bark and its subsequent utilization in adsorption of Pb(II) from aqueous solutions was investigated. The polysaccharidic moiety of barks was functionalized by periodate oxidation and derivatized after reductive amination in the presence of aminated oligo-carrageenans. Pb(II) adsorption isotherms of derivatized barks were then determined and compared to the capabilities of crude barks using the Langmuir adsorption model in terms of affinity (b) and maximum binding capacity (qmax). Compared to crude barks, the derivatization of barks by oligo-carrageenans resulted in significant enhancements of qmax and b by up to x8 and x4, respectively. The results obtained from crude barks on chemically grafted carboxylic and sulfated barks are discussed and interpreted through the Hard and Soft Acids and Bases (HSAB) theory.
Biosorption of lead (II) on modified barks explained by the Hard and Soft Acids and Bases (HSAB) theory
Cédric Astier,a Vincent Chaleix,a Céline Faugeron,a David Ropartz,b Pierre Krausz,a and Vincent Gloaguen a,*
Keywords: Douglas fir barks; Chemical modification; biosorption; Langmuir isotherm; Lead
Contact information: a:Laboratoire de Chimie des Substances Naturelles, EA1069, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, 123 avenue Albert Thomas, 87060 Limoges, FRANCE; b: UR1268 Biopolymères Interactions Assemblages, Plate-Forme BIBS, INRA, F-44300 Nantes, FRANCE; * Corresponding author: vincent.gloaguen@unilim.fr
The ability of barks to bind heavy metal ions from polluted waters and the impact of various operating factors on their properties have been largely described (Harman et al. 2008). Our previous work (Martin-Dupont et al. 2002) has demonstrated heavy metal binding capabilities of Douglas fir barks and the possibility to enhance their lead(II) binding capacities. Metal sequestration during biosorption follows complex mechanisms that mainly involve ionic interactions. Recently we demonstrated that the lead binding capacities of crude barks could be successfully increased through the covalent grafting of aminated oligogalacturonans (Astier et al. 2010).
Several chemical groups of biomass can attract and sequester metal ions: acetamido, amino, amido, sulfhydryl, sulfate, and carboxyl (Gardea-Torresdey et al. 1990). The role of these ion exchanger groups has been already studied (Martin-Dupont et al. 2004). This is the case of barks functionalized with a stilbene derivative whose sulfonate group enhances the sorbent selectivity for lead(II). Furthermore, the role of sulfate in lead(II) biosorption has been pinpointed in recent studies on carrageenans extracted from red algae (Yipmantin et al. 2011; Veroy et al. 1980).
The study aim was first to convert crude bark into a specific lead(II) biosorbent through the covalent grafting of aminated oligo-carrageenans. In a second part, the bio-sorption capabilities of chemically modified barks were compared to crude and oligo-galacturonan-modified barks and interpreted through the HSAB theory (Pearson 1987).
Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) bark samples were obtained from a local sawmill in the Limousin region (France). Barks were dried in a ventilated oven (40 °C), ground (particle size <200 µm), and stored in desiccators at room temperature.
All solvents and reagents were purchased from Aldrich, Acros, or VWR. Milli-Q deionized water (Millipore system) was used throughout all experiments. Chloroform was distilled over CaH2. Other solvents were used without further purification.
Bark Functionalization
Bark functionalization was realized according previous work (Astier et al. 2010).
Oligo-carrageenan synthesis and derivatization with spacer
Oligo-carrageenans were obtained by acid hydrolysis of commercial iota-carrageenan extracted from red algae. 1 g of iota-carrageenan was added to 100 mL of distilled water, and pH was adjusted to 4 with HCl (0.1 M). The mixture was stirred in an oven at 80 °C for 20 h. Oligomers of high degree of polymerization were removed by precipitation with 3 volumes of ethanol. Monomers were removed by size exclusion chromatography (Biogel P2, eluent: water). The purified fraction was concentrated, lyophilized, and analyzed by mass spectrometry.
The oligo-carrageenan mixture (100 mg) was dissolved in 1 mL of water, then was added to 3 mL of a methanolic solution containing 10 eq. of tert-butyl 3-aminopropylcarbamate (211 mg) and 16 eq. of NaBH3CN (121 mg). The mixture was stirred at 80 °C for 1 h and evaporated to dryness. The solid was taken up with 10 mL of water. Excess of amine was removed by 8 washes with chloroform (8 x 20 mL). The reducing agent was removed by size exclusion chromatography (Biogel P2, eluent: water). Deprotection was carried out by dilute TFA at room temperature during 20 min.
Bark Grafting
Periodic oxidation and reductive amination of bark
The procedure was adapted from our previous work (Astier et al. 2010). The first chemical step consisted of aldehyde group generation. To this end, the cellulosic and hemicellulosic moieties of Douglas fir bark were oxidized by periodic acid. Douglas fir bark (6 g) was suspended in a 0.157 M NaIO4 aqueous solution. In order to avoid radical-induced depolymerization, the reaction was conducted in the dark in the presence of propanol-1 as radical scavenger with a 9:1 (v/v) NaIO4/propanol-l ratio. The reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 7 days, and then reaction was stopped by destruction of excess periodate with ethylene glycol. The oxidized product was rinsed with milli-Q water and air-dried at 40 °C. In a second step, 200 mg of dialdehyde bark (DAB) were derivatized by reductive amination with aminated oligo-carrageenan mixture solution (0.026 M solution, assuming that DP = 4). NaBH3CN at a concentration of 0.064 M was used as reducing agent and pH was adjusted to 6.5; the resulting reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 5 days. Derivatized barks were rinsed with milli-Q water, air-dried at 40 °C, and stored in desiccators.
Determination of substitution degrees
Acidity was determined using the Boehm method (Boehm 1966). 50 mg of crude or modified barks were suspended in 10 mL of 0.1 M NaHCO3 solution and stirred during 72 hours under nitrogen. Suspensions were filtered on sintered glass (porosity 3); excess alkali was back-titrated by 0.1 N HCl. The substitution degree (DS) of bark (Table 2) was then estimated by using the following formula:
in which the quantity nH+(aminated bark) is the acid content of aminated barks (eq.g-1), nH+(NaBH3CN bark) is that of the barks treated with the reducing agent without amine (eq.g-1), nCHO (dialdehyde bark) is the content of aldehyde functions of barks after periodic oxidation (mol.g-1), and DP is the average number of glucidic residues of aminated oligo-carrageenan.
Electrospray ionization (ESI-MS) data acquisition was performed on an ESI ion trap (IT) instrument (LCQ Advantage, Thermo Electron, USA). Samples were dissolved in 1:1 MeOH-H2O at a concentration of 100 µg.mL-1. Their introduction was performed at a flow rate of 2.5 µL.min-1 in negative or in positive ionisation mode. MALDI Mass measurements were performed on an Auto flex III MALDI-TOF/TOF spectrometer (Bruker Daltonics, Bremen, Germany) equipped with a Smart beam laser (355 nm, 200 Hz) in negative ionization mode, with a reflector detection. Oligosaccharide samples were deposited onto a polished steel MALDI target plate and mixed in a 1:1 ratio (v/v) with N,N-dimethylaniline (DMA)/2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB) matrix solution (DHB 100 mg.mL-1 in H2O/ACN/DMA (49.9:49.9:0.2)). Acquisition parameters (laser power, pulsed ion extraction, etc.) were optimized for each sample.
IR and NMR spectroscopies
Crude, dialdehyde, and modified barks were characterized by infrared (IR) spectroscopy with a Perkin-Elmer Spectrum 1000 FT-IR spectrometer in the 600 to 4000 cm-1 range.
1H Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was performed with a Bruker DPX-400 spectrometer. Chemical shifts are reported as δ in parts per million.
Biosorption Experiments
Lead(II) biosorption
Biosorption experiments were carried out in batch conditions by adding 10 mg of barks to 10 mL of a single metal aqueous solution (Pb(NO3)2) at concentrations ranging from 0 to 2000 ppm (19.31 meq.L-1). The initial pH of each metal solution was adjusted to 5 by dropwise addition of 0.1 N HNO3. Suspensions were shaken at room temperature during 2 h to ensure equilibrium. Adsorbent was finally separated from the solution by vacuum filtration through a sintered glass filter (porosity 3). The maximum lead adsorption capacity qmax and the Langmuir constant b were then graphically obtained from the Langmuir adsorption isotherms methodology as previously described (Harman et al. 2008).
Metal ion analytical determinations
Concentrations of residual PbII in filtrate were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry at 283.6 nm with a Perkin Elmer AAnalyst 400 spectrophotometer, in the concentration range 0 to 10 ppm (0 to 96.5 µeq.L-1). The amount of adsorbent-bound lead was calculated from the difference between initial and final concentrations of the metal ion in solution.
Chemical Modification of Barks
The general procedure used for bark modification is described in Fig.1.
Fig. 1. (a) Hydrolysis and derivatization steps of carrageenan, (b) Functionalization and derivatization steps of the polysaccharidic moieties of Douglas fir bark
Amino oligo-carrageenan synthesis
Oligo-carrageenans were obtained by acid hydrolysis (HCl) of commercial iota-carrageenan (Viebke et al. 1995). This class of polysaccharides exhibits a backbone of alternating D-galactopyranose whose C-4 hydroxy groups are substituted by sulfate ester groups (G4S) and 3,6-anhydro-D-galactose with the C-2 hydroxy groups substituted by sulfate ester groups (DA2S). After elimination of oligo-carrageenans with high degree of polymerization (DP) by ethanol precipitation and removal of monomers by size exclusion chromatography on Biogel P2, a mixture of oligo-carrageenans (65% mass yield) was obtained. The average DP was determined by MALDI mass spectrometry. (Fig. 2).
Fig. 2. Negative MALDI-TOF mass spectra of oligo-carrageenans mixture obtained by acid hydrolysis
The most intense ions at m/z 709.115 and 811.087 correspond to [(DA2S-G4S)2-3SO3+H2O-H]– and [(DA2S-G4S)2-2SO3+H2O+Na-2H]– (Table 1). The reducing end of oligo-carrageenans was then converted into amine prior to reaction with dialdehyde barks. This methodology has been used in the determination of the configuration of 3,6-anhydrogalactose in galactans (Navarro and Stortz 2003). Attachment of amino group was performed through reductive amination of oligosaccharides anomeric carbon in presence of N-Boc-1,3-diaminopropan, followed by removal of the protective N-Boc group.
Table 1. Main Ions Identified for the Oligo-carrageenans m/z
ESI mass spectrometry of native, N-Boc protected, and unprotected oligo-carrageenans showed the efficiency of chemical reactions. Structural modification of pure [(DA2S-G4S)]2 (data not shown) oligo-carrageenan was also observed by positive ESI mass spectrometry. N-Boc protected and unprotected aminopropyl-[(DA2S-G4S)]2 oligo-carrageenan spectra showed the expected signals at m/z = 1117.1 ([M-6SO3]+) and m/z = 1073.3 ([(M-5SO3]+), respectively. Furthermore, modifications of oligosaccharides were confirmed with 1H NMR spectra. The fixation of N-Boc aminopropyl chain was established by 1H NMR analysis by the appearance of a signal at 1.47 ppm with an integrated intensity of 9 protons (Fig. 3).
Fig 3. 1H NMR spectra of (a) oligo-carrageenans and (b) oligo-carrageenans modified by tert-butyl 3-aminopropylcarbamate
Deprotection of Boc-protected amino group by diluted TFA was then confirmed by the disappearance of the signal at 1.47 ppm and no significant change in the osidic region of the spectrum.
Bark derivatization and characterization
Functionalization of bark involved the formation of dialdehyde functions in the polysaccharidic moieties by periodate (NaIO4) oxidation. The methodology is expected to produce high aldehyde functional group content while preventing extensive degradation of bark. Typical aldehyde content of 8.00 mmol.g-1could be estimated through the Canizzaro reaction (Pommerening et al. 1992; Klein-Koerkamp et al. 2009). Grafting of each aminated oligo-carrageenan was performed by reductive amination according to the procedure described in the experimental section. With value of 4.75 (Table 2), the degree of substitution is small but consistent with our previous data (Astier et al. 2010).
Table 2. Substitution Degrees and Mass Yield of Grafted Barks.
* Astier et al. 2010
FT-IR spectra of dialdehyde and functionalized barks are presented in Fig. 4.
Fig. 4. FT-IR Spectra of crude barks (a), dialdehyde barks (b), barks grafted with oligo-galacturonic acid (c – Astier et al., 2010), and oligo-carrageenans (d).
Aldehyde functionalization is clearly demonstrated through the changes of absorption bands at 1735 cm-1 (C=O stretching of aldehydes). The characteristic NH2 absorption bands from 3300 to 3500 cm-1 did not show up because of the overlap with the large OH band from 3200 to 3600 cm-1 as well as those of the sulfur-oxygen absorption bands because of the too low substitution degree.
Lead(II) Binding Properties of Crude and Oligo-carrageenan-grafted Barks
Adsorption of lead onto crude and grafted Douglas fir barks was studied through the Langmuir isotherm methodology. The Langmuir parameters, qmax (maximum lead adsorption capacity) and b (Langmuir constant, i.e. affinity), were graphically deduced from the data presented in Fig. 5.
Fig. 5. Lead(II) adsorption on barks: (a) isotherms, (b) Langmuir linearization; Crude barks; barks grafted with oligo-galacturonic acids (Astier et al., 2010), oligo-carrageenans
The results (Table 3) show that adsorption behavior of Pb2+ ion on both crude and grafted barks can be satisfactorily described by Langmuir isotherms (Fig. 4(b)). Quantitatively, the grafting of oligo-carrageenans onto barks could increase the value of qmax by up to 8 times. Furthermore, and compared to crude barks, grafting of oligo-carrageenan onto barks increased their affinity for lead by a factor 4.
Table 3. Langmuir Parameters of Crude and Modified Barks
* Astier et al., 2010.
The results show an increase of adsorption capacities of the modified barks. This property could be justified by the chemical modification of barks that introduces on their surface a larger number of ion exchange sites. Our chemical modification route of barks, based on periodic oxidation, makes it possible to modulate the nature of the adsorption sites. The choice of the ion exchanger group is guided by the nature of the particulate ion to be removed. Although many authors consider both sulfate and carboxylate as hard bases, these functional groups differ in size, electronegativity, etc. (Table 4).
Table 4. Atomic Parameters of Oxygen, Sulfur, and Carbon
These parameters establish the hardness sequence R-COO– > R-SO3–. According to the Pearson's theory of hard and soft acids and bases, carboxyl and sulfate groups are hard and intermediate-to-hard bases, and lead is an intermediate-to-soft metal. In the HSAB theory, hard metals adsorption involve mainly electrostatic interactions with small oxygen-containing ligands such as carboxyl groups, while soft metals adsorption involve mainly interactions with sulfur-containing ligands such as sulfate (Forstner and Wittman 1981; Niu et al. 2010).
In the case of grafted oligo-galacturonans, if the values of adsorption capacities actually increased, the affinity values remain stable, which is in perfect agreement with the HSAB theory. The grafting of a family of ion exchange groups, in the case of oligo-galacturonans, carboxylic acids, enhances the capacity of ion exchange by increasing the number of ion exchange sites. The grafted sites are identical, and they will present the same affinity for the same metal, regardless of their number. In contrast, grafting of oligo-carrageenans introduces sulfate on the surface of barks, and multiplying affinity values by 4 for lead. Such a result increases the interest of our approach and is explained by the HSAB theory. In fact, lead is a metal ion of moderate strength, and that is why it mainly interacts with ion exchange groups of medium strength such as sulfate groups. Carboxylate groups, which are harder, present a lower affinity for lead.
Ours work demonstrates the ability of modified barks to have a selective affinity against Pb(II). This affinity owes itself to the nature of ion-exchange groups naturally present or grafted onto barks. In the last case, adsorption capacities and affinity can be increased by factors 8 and 4, respectively.
Moreover, our results are consistent with the Hard and Soft Acid and Base theory proposed by Pearson to explain the phenomenon of heavy metal sorption onto by-products from a natural origin, e.g. barks.
Lastly, our strategy offers the experimenter the opportunity to direct the selectivity of modified bark to adsorb heavy metal by diversifying the grafted chemical groups. Then, selective ion exchangers with enhanced capacities of adsorption could be easily obtained after specific chemical modifications of agricultural or forestry by-products.
The authors gratefully acknowledge the Conseil Régional du Limousin and the OSEO Innovation institution for their financial supports and Dr. M. Guilloton for his help in manuscript editing.
Astier, C., Chaleix, V., Faugeron, C., Ropartz, D., Gloaguen, V., and Krausz, P. (2010). "Grafting of aminated oligogalacturonans onto Douglas fir barks. A new route for the enhancement of their lead (II) binding capacities," J. Hazard. Mater. 182, 279-285.
Boehm, H. P. (1966). "Chemical identification of surface groups," Advances in Catalysis and Related Subjects 16, 179-274.
Forstner, U., and Wittman, G. T. W. (1981). Metal Pollution in the Aquatic Environment, (2nd Ed.), Springer-Verlag, Berlin, New York, USA, 3-8.
Gardea-Torresdey, J. L., Becker-Hapak, M. K., Hosea, J. M., and Darnall, D. W. (1990). "Effect of chemical modification of algal carboxyl groups on metal ion binding," Environ. Sci. Technol. 24, 1372-1378.
Harman, G., Patrick, R., and Spittler, T. (2008). "Removal of heavy metals from polluted waters using lignocellulosic agricultural waste products," Ind. Biotechnol. 3, 366-374.
Klein-Koerkamp, C., Granet, R., Zerrouki, R., Villandier, N., Jérôme, F., Barrault, J., and Krausz, P. (2009). "Efficient oxidative modification of polysaccharides in water using H2O2activated by iron sulfophthalocyanine," Carbohydr. Polym. 78, 938-944.
Martin-Dupont, F., Gloaguen, V., Granet, R., Guilloton, M., and Krausz, P. (2004). "Chemical modifications of Douglas fir bark, a lignocellulosic by-product – enhancement of their lead(II) binding capacities," Separ. Sci. Technol. 39(7), 1595-1610.
Martin-Dupont, F., Gloaguen, V., Granet, R., Guilloton, M., Morvan, H., and Krausz, P., (2002). "Heavy metal adsorption by crude coniferous barks: A modeling study," J. Environ. Sci. Health. Part A 37(6), 1063-1073.
Navarro, D. A., and Stortz, C. A. (2003). "Determination of the configuration of 3,6-anhydrogalactose and cyclizable α-galactose 6-sulfate units in red seaweed galactans," Carbohydr. Res. 338, 2111-2118.
Niu, Y., Feng, S., Ding, Y., Qu, R., Wang, D., and Han, J. J. (2010). "Theoretical investigation on sulfur-containing chelating resin-divalent metal complexes," Int. J. Quantum Chem. 110, 1982-1993.
Pearson, R. G. (1987). "Recent advances in the concept of hard and soft acids and bases," J. Chem. Educ. 64, 561-564.
Pommerening, K., Rein, H., Bertram, D., and Muller, R. (1992). "Estimation of dialdehyde groups in 2,3-dialdehyde bead-cellulose," Carbohydr. Res. 233, 219-223.
Veroy, R. L., Montano, N., Deguzman, M. L. B, Laserna, E. C., and Cajipe, G. J. B. (1980). "Studies on the binding of heavy-metals to algal polysaccharides from Philippine seaweeds. 1. Carrageenan and the binding of lead and cadmium," Bot. Mar. 23, 59-62.
Viebke, C., Borgstrom, J., and Piculell, L. (1995). "Characterisation of kappa- and iota-carrageenan coils and helices by MALLS/GPC," Carbohydr. Polym. 27, 145-154.
Yipmantin, A., Maldonado, H. J., Ly, M., Taulemesse, J. M., and Guibal, E. (2011). "Pb(II) and Cd(II) biosorption on Chondracanthus chamissoi (a red alga)," J. Hazard. Mater. 185, 922-929.
Article submitted: October 15, 2011; Peer review completed: November 27, 2011; Revised version received: December 23, 2011; Accepted: January 18, 2012; Published: January 21, 2012.


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Despite NYC's high-quality, safe tap water, 1 in 4 New Yorkers drinks at least one sugary beverage per day.
Through the Partnership for a Healthier NYC, SIPCW created a Staten Island awareness campaign to promote water as a healthy, affordable, and environmentally friendly beverage option. The posters, "Drink Water: the Choice is Clear", can be found on Staten Island bus shelters, in promotional materials, and at various events.
Read the Staten Island Advance's coverage of this program.
Working with City Harvest, SIPCW helped host the My Plate Food Challenge.
Eight local food establishments agreed to create plates using the USDA's My Plate proportions: half vegetables or fruit, one-quarter starch, and one-quarter protein. Customers judged the plates while learning more about what a healthy plate looks like across various ethnicities.
Through Partnership for a Healthier Staten Island, SIPCW aims to improve the health of Staten Islanders and reduce the prevalence of chronic disease. SIPCW organizes and leads this borough-wide coalition of community partners to implement evidence-based and innovative health promotion strategies.


This small museum is in a lovely setting. Some of my favorite photos are from this site. This one is improved using black and white.
This entry was posted in architecture, Cee's Black & White Photo Challenge, pacific ocean, Photographs and tagged Cee's Black & White Photo Challenge, photography, point loma lighthouse, postaday, travel. Bookmark the permalink.
Love the shot. Wonderful perspective. Lots of interesting lines and angles.
Stunning photo. I forget to look up. I look down a lot, but not. WOW.


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Colocar  — род ос-блестянок из подсемейства Amiseginae. 2 вида.

Распространение
Юго-Восточная Азия.

Описание
Мелкие осы-блестянки (от 3 до 4 мм). Затылочный киль отсутствует, щёчные бороздки развиты; голова длинная. Мезоплеврон без бороздок и валиков. Пронотум выпуклый, короткий, примерно вдвое короче (0,5) комбинированной длины скутума, скутеллюма и метанотума вместе взятых. Скутум с глубокими нотаулями. Самцы крылатые с очень длинными усиками (длиннее всего тела). Самки неизвестны. Коготки лапок без зубцов. Паразитоиды. Таксон был впервые описан в 1957 году американским гименоптерологом Карлом Кромбейном (Karl V. Krombein; Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Вашингтон, США).

Систематика
2 вида.
  — Филиппины
  — Филиппины
 первоначально был описан в составе рода Cladobethylus

Примечания

Литература

Ссылки

Осы-блестянки
Роды перепончатокрылых
Насекомые Азии

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
England's best says 'Don't gamble with your game' in German.
Interactive Selection explains all at the GC Developer Conference (GCDC) August 21 to 23, 2006
Wimbledon, London, June 26, 2006. Interactive Selection, the market leader for recruitment working only in computer games and interactive entertainment, would like to announce that the Interactive Selection MD David Smith will be one of the leading speakers at this year's GC Developer Conference (GCDC) in Leipzig Germany on August 21 to 23, 2006.
'My topic of debate is called 'Don't gamble with your game' said David Smith. 'Great games are made when developers attract and retain the very best of staff, so my talk is targeted towards all game developers with an interest in hiring the best co-workers and all those interested in working for companies with the best hiring and retention policies'.
David's conference talk will also cover what Interactive Selection are best known for - offering second to none consultation to companies regarding the establishment of efficient recruitment processes; the interview day, the offer, the benefits package, employment contracts, personnel handbooks and retention policies.
About Interactive Selection
Interactive Selection was founded by David Smith in 1996 and over the last 10 years has worked tirelessly to help candidates find jobs with the world's top computer and video games developers, publishers, distributors and retailers. The company also works closely with the leading console hardware, accessory and peripheral manufacturers.
Interactive Selection are dedicated to finding the best opportunities for their registered job seekers in over 200 client companies that include Atari, Buena Vista Games, Climax, Digital Illusions, Eidos, Electronic Arts, Empire, Midway, Sega, Sony, THQ, UbiSoft and Vivendi Universal Games.
In recent years Interactive Selection clients have included online and wireless publishers and distributors of digital interactive entertainment products, ISPs, games retailers, entertainment and e-commerce portals on the internet, broadband or in cable, satellite, interactive TV or 3G mobile. Interactive Section also works in both the casual and serious games sectors.
We commit to the highest standards. Interactive Selection was the first recruitment agency specialising in games to join the REC, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, representing over 6000 recruiters in the UK. This body represents excellence in recruitment and demonstrates a commitment to high standards of service to both employers and candidates. David Smith is Vice Chairman of the REC's IT & Comms Sector Group.
Interactive Selection is also a proud member of PEER - the first non US recruiter to be invited to join the new trade association of Professional Electronic Entertainment Recruiters which comprises the recruiters worldwide committed to serving better the industry. All PEER members stand by the association's Charter Agreement which demands the highest professional recruiting standards and practice.
Web site: http://www.games-jobs.com
PR contacts: david@interactiveselection.com


AllThingsTalk | What are IoT Design Patterns?
What are IoT Design Patterns?
A slightly techy update today!
Design Patterns in the software development world are solutions to common challenges which help create complex systems using reusable 'templates' to reduce duplicate effort.
The big problem Design Patterns for IoT often get confused with Use Cases, which unfortunately don't appeal to end customers, and attempting to explain or market Design Patterns to non-developer types often causes a lot of confusion.
The Internet of Things, like any system, is made up of patterns which can solve many scenarios. Remotely control A, connect sensor value from B to C, read states directly from D, crunch data at E, these few tasks can be reused to solve a multitude of problems.
Let's take a look at the basic on how you can start solving problems with common methods of implementation.
Typical for telemetry sensors which send data to a service platform using protocols like MQTT or HTTP POST requests.
The good thing about this pattern is that the node can sleep whilst there is no state changes, saving power and bandwidth usage.
Using a client/server paradigm, the sensor acts like a web server, to deliver content to a user or service. The 'client' requests the state, and the 'server' responds with the latest value.
A very common pattern and great for those familiar with web development (E.g REST API's). It comes with issues when trying to scale, creating responsive experiences, and connecting from the internet using public IP addresses.
Used where physical interaction with an environment is required, it can allow automation, to save time, effort and energy by allowing control from a remote user or service.
This pattern requires the node to be awake and waiting for commands to be received. This can be costly if responsiveness and reliability are needed.
We all know there are many interesting use cases for IoT, but their underlying designs can be reused in many propositions, verticals and industries, to solve different problems, and create entirely different product lines.
Try out our experiments included in the SmartLiving Developer Kits and build your own systems using these common patterns (If you don't have one of our kits you can still try out the code and API's with any other computer you have!).


text:
Сергей Сергеевич Атаев (18 мая 1916, г. Каменец-Подольский — ) — белорусский советский учёный в области строительства. Доктор технических наук, профессор (1963). Заслуженный строитель БССР (1962). Заслуженный деятель науки и техники БССР (1980). Академик Белорусской инженерной академии, почётный член Научно-технического общества СССР, лауреат премии Совета Министров СССР, обладатель международного звания «Выдающийся инженер XX века»

Биография
В 1957-1972 директор Института строительства и архитектуры Госстроя БССР, с 1979 года директор Белорусского научно-исследовательского и проектно-технологического института организации и управления строительством Госстроя БССР, который сейчас носит имя С. С. Атаева.

На протяжении почти 30 лет он руководил Белорусским научно-техническим обществом строителей. Являлся председателем Президентского совета научно-технических обществ (НТО) строителей стран СНГ.

Научная деятельность
Научные работы посвящены проблемам комплексной механизации и автоматизации строительства и разработке методов повышения технической надёжности строительного производства.

Автор многих изобретений и около 200 научных работ, в том числе 11 монографий, которые оказали заметное влияние на технический прогресс в строительстве.

Награды
В 1996 году награждён медалью Франциска Скорины. Также награждён многими медалями СССР, орденом Трудового Красного Знамени.

Примечания

Ссылки
 Сергей Сергеевич Атаев
 Сергей Атаев: «Пьешь воду — помни об источнике»
Доктора технических наук
Заслуженные строители Белорусской ССР
Заслуженные деятели науки и техники Белорусской ССР
Кавалеры ордена Трудового Красного Знамени
Учёные Белоруссии
Учёные СССР
Награждённые медалью Франциска Скорины


Dinosaur games on Freegames66: We have created a list of the best Dinosaur games for you here. We have thousands of exciting Dinosaur games! You just have to choose one of our Dinosaur games and have fun!
You love Dinosaur game style? Don't go anywhere, at this site we have tons of games to serve your favourite. Here we have searched and collected the 13 best Dinosaur games for you. All of them are online games and they are totally free. You can play these Dinosaur games on both mobile and PC. Some of them are available on Google Play and App Store for Android and iOS devices as well as tablets.
We are showing you the games from 1 to 13 including Mexico Rex, Dinosaur Simulator: Dino World, Dinosaur Hunter, Dino Shift, T-Rex Rampage: Prehistoric Pizza and we still have 8 other Dinosaur games that are waiting for you to explore.
Mexico Rex is a fun game for those who love dinosaurs. Destroy everything, eat all human and complete this game.
Dinosaur Simulator: Dino World is not just another smashing game. By controlling dinosaurs, this game gives you a more powerful experience. Try it now!
Dinosaur Hunter is an interesting running game. In this game you control a truck with a machine-gun. You will drive in a forest and your enemies are dangerous dinosaurs. Your task is to overcome the obstacles, complete your missions and run to the destination safely. Play now!
Dino Shift is an interesting action game. Control your dinosaur, collect all objects in the map and get to the destination. Play now!
T-Rex Rampage Prehistoric Pizza is an interesting action game. In this game, you are the all-powerful and hungry T-Rex dino. Your task is to destroy everything on the way and find the pizza. Each time you destroy an object, you will have points. Try to get as many points as you can.
According to the information that we've collected, Dinosaur games are the favorite ones of over 35 players on Freegames66. These games have received over 11,633 plays and a rating of 8.5/10 from 41 votes.


text:
HomeLatest NewsYemen Latest News2 Americans freed in Yemen, flown to Oman
2 Americans freed in Yemen, flown to Oman
October 16, 2016 MEO Staff Yemen Latest News
-Kerry says the two Americans were freed as part of a diplomatic arrangement
– Two Americans held captive in war-torn Yemen have been freed and flown to the Omani capital, Muscat, the Omani state news agency reported.
The agency quoted a Foreign Ministry source as saying on Saturday Omani authorities had coordinated with Yemeni parties in Sanaa over the release of a number of American nationals held captive in Yemen.
"Two of them have been released," the unnamed source said, giving no further details.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, for his part, said the two Americans were freed as part of a diplomatic arrangement that included the airlift of Yemenis injured in a coalition airstrike on a funeral gathering in Sanaa last week, which left more than 140 people dead.
"An airplane flew from Muscat to Sanaa, it took the Houthi delegation back to Sanaa and it took wounded people from the funeral back to Oman – this is something we have been working on for the last days – and it also secured the release of two American citizens from the Houthi," Kerry told reporters in the Swiss city of Lausanne.
"Their names are not being released at this point in time, but we were very pleased with that and we continue to work on other hostage situations here and elsewhere."
Last week's airstrike has brought the Saudi-led coalition, which has been battling Yemen's Houthi group for more than a year now, under fire.
On Saturday, an inquiry team blamed "incorrect information" passed by the Yemeni command of the General Chief of Staff about a gathering of armed Houthi leaders in Sanaa for the deadly airstrike.
Yemen has been racked by chaos since late 2014, when the Houthis and their allies overran Sanaa and other parts of the country, forcing President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi and his Saudi-backed government to temporarily flee to Riyadh.
The conflict escalated when Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies launched a massive military campaign in Yemen last year aimed at reversing Houthi gains and restoring Hadi's embattled government.
flown
US elections and foreign policy
Syria: Lausanne talks fail to agree on solutions again
Iraq Latest News
Iraq: al-Baghdadi flees Mosul as allied forces advance
March 10, 2017 Ahmed Rashed Iraq Latest News, Islamic State Latest News
Sources said that Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State group, has fled Mosul and left operational commanders behind him as the battles intensified in the western part of the city and commanders say it [ More … ]
Abbas: Deals with Israel, US to be reconsidered amid annexation plans
May 14, 2020 MEO Staff Israel Latest News, Palestine Latest News
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has announced that Palestine will reconsider the deals and understandings reached with both Israel and the US, should Israel annex parts of the occupied West Bank. "We will hold the US [ More … ]
US has commitment from PYD to leave Manbij: State Dept.
August 16, 2016 MEO Staff Islamic State Latest News, Syria Latest News
US State Department said Monday that Kurdish leadership of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) promised the U.S. that Arabs would retake the Syrian Manbij city once it is liberated from Daesh, according to Anadolu Agency. "We do [ More … ]


(PRWEB, San Francisco, California, 7 November 2013) OnRelay's Mobile Office Phone service is now available as an in-app subscription service on iTunes Connect. OnRelay also adds several key features including an auto-provisioned fixed-mobile user license.
OnRelay launched its Mobile Office Phone for Android on Google Play earlier in 2013, and is aggressively growing the service across the US via a rapidly expanding agent network.
OnRelay has set the standard for cellular PBX implementations. Its US patent no 6,993,360 for a Mobile Branch Exchange is now referenced from 51 subsequent patents from the likes of Cisco, Avaya, NEC, AT&T, Nokia, Motorola, Ericsson, Samsung and Sprint. With OnRelay, the Mobile Office Phone app has the same cellular voice quality and coverage that users are accustomed to.


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One hundred years since Sarajevo
Today marks the one-hundredth anniversary of the event that triggered the outbreak of World War I. On a Sunday morning, June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand—nephew of the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Josef and heir to his throne—was assassinated as his motorcade made its way through Sarajevo on the final day of a state visit to Bosnia. Despite the shocking character of the shooting, which also claimed the life of the Archduke's wife Sophia, it was not expected that the killing of the scion of the Hapsburg dynasty would have particularly significant consequences.
However, in the course of July 1914 the crisis that followed the assassination steadily escalated. The response of the major European capitalist states was conditioned by tensions generated by conflicting geopolitical and economic interests that had been building up over the previous decade. The reactionary Hapsburg monarchy seized upon the assassination as a pretext for an attack on the Serbian regime, whose nationalist aspirations challenged the Austro-Hungarian Empire's domination of the Balkans.
In Berlin, the regime of Emperor Wilhelm II gave the Austro-Hungarian government a green light to confront the Serbs with an all but unacceptable ultimatum that would lead to war. It took this action knowing that an Austrian invasion of Serbia would lead to an intervention by the Russian Empire to protect its interests in the Balkans. The German regime saw the prospect of a major war with Russia as an opportunity to establish its dominance in Eastern Europe and, thus, change the balance of power throughout the continent.
This prospect, however, frightened the ruling class in France, which had entered into an alliance with Russia to block the growth of German power. In the event of a war between Germany and Russia, the French bourgeoisie was convinced that it could not stand aside and accept a German victory. At the same time, the German regime had prepared, long in advance, detailed plans for an attack on France if war broke out with Russia.
The crisis led to a catastrophic denouement. By the first week of August, the major powers in Europe—Germany and Austro-Hungary on one side and France, Russia and Great Britain on the other—were in a state of war.
There have been countless volumes written analyzing the sequence of events that led from the assassination in Sarajevo on June 28 to a full-scale European war by the first week of August. Much of this literature has sought to establish which regime bore primary responsibility for the outbreak of war. But while the research has led to the discovery of important information related to the war aims of one or another government—such as, for example, the far-ranging ambitions of the German regime—the essential causes of the war require a deeper level of analysis.
The assassination in Sarajevo was no more than a spark that ignited the highly inflammable structure of European and international geopolitics. While it is possible that war might not have broken out in August 1914 if the Archduke had not been assassinated, some other event would have led—sooner rather than later—to a general war.
In fact, during the years preceding the outbreak of World War I, there had been a series of "war scares" arising from conflicts between the major capitalist powers over colonial and financial interests. The political climate of Europe had become increasingly tense. State spending on armaments had risen dramatically during the first decade of the twentieth century.
The growing socialist movement of the working class—under the banner of the Second International—became increasingly alarmed at the dangers posed by capitalist militarism. The potential for war between the "Great Powers" had emerged from the nature of the capitalist system. As early as 1902, the Marxist theoretician, Rudolf Hilferding, warned that the "sharpening of the struggle for the world market cannot remain without consequences for the foreign policy of the capitalist nations." He noted that "increase in armaments, growth of the navy, internal reaction, violence and threats to peace in foreign relations, those are the necessary consequences of the newest phase of capitalist commercial policy." [Cited in Discovering Imperialism: Social Democracy to World War I, edited by Richard B. Day and Daniel Gaido (Chicago, 2011), pp. 348-49]
As the decade progressed and the disastrous implications of imperialism became more and more apparent, the struggle against war was placed at the center of the work of the Second International. At its congress in Stuttgart in 1907, the Second International denounced colonialism, declaring that it "must lead to enslavement, forced labor, or the extermination of the native population of the colonialized regions. The civilizing mission that capitalist society claims to serve is no more than a veil for its lust for conquest and exploitation." [Ibid, p. 28]
Five years later, at its Congress in Basel in 1912, the Second International issued a manifesto in which it declared:
If a war threatens to break out, it is the duty of the working classes and their parliamentary representatives in the countries involved… to exert every effort in order to prevent the outbreak of war by the means they consider most effective… In case war should break out anyway it is their duty to intervene in favor of its speedy termination and with all their powers to utilize the economic and political crisis created by the war to arouse the people and thereby to hasten the downfall of capitalist class rule.
But when the war broke out less than two years later, the leaders of the Second International repudiated their solemn commitment. On August 4, 1914, the largest and most politically influential section of the International, the German Social Democratic Party (SPD), voted to grant financial credits to the government, enabling it to prosecute the war. This act of political treachery marked the end of the Second International as a revolutionary force. The task of rebuilding a revolutionary International fell to those who opposed the capitulation of the Second International to the national ruling classes and to imperialism. Vladimir Lenin played the leading role in this struggle. His opposition to the war and defense of socialist internationalism laid the foundation for the victory of the socialist revolution in Russia in October 1917.
In opposition to all those in the Second International who justified their betrayal by absolving their own governments of responsibility for the outbreak of war, Lenin insisted that the war had grown out of the politics and economics of imperialism, and that all the governments were guilty. Subsequent research has confirmed Lenin's indictment. Each government was determined to defend the global interests of the capitalist class of its own country. As one historian has written, "For virtually all of them, war was no longer the worst option." [ The Arming of Europe and the Making of the First World War, by David G. Herrmann (Princeton, 1996), p. 226]
The World War was not an accident, the unintended result of policy mistakes. It arose inexorably from the contradictions of the capitalist system and the system of national states. Shortly after the war began, another revolutionary opponent of the betrayal of the Second International, Leon Trotsky, explained the historical significance of the war:
The War proclaims the downfall of the national state. Yet at the same time it proclaims the downfall of the capitalist system of economy…
The War of 1914 is the most colossal breakdown in history of an economic system destroyed by its own inner contradictions.
But war was not the only form in which the contradictions of the economic system would find expression. Trotsky foresaw another outcome to the crisis of world capitalism:
Capitalism has created the material conditions of a new socialist economic system. Imperialism has led the capitalist nations into historic chaos. The war of 1914 shows the way out of this chaos by violently urging the proletariat on to the path of Revolution. [ War and the International (Colombo, 1971) p. vii-viii]
One hundred years have passed since Sarajevo. In the course of a century, humanity has passed through two devastating world wars that cost the lives of tens of millions. The innumerable local wars incited by imperialism since the end of World War II have cost the lives of tens of millions more. And now, yet another global conflagration is being prepared.
Mankind cannot survive another world war, which would inevitably be waged with nuclear weapons. Such a catastrophe must be prevented.
The International Committee of the Fourth International observes this solemn anniversary by calling upon workers and youth throughout the world to take up the struggle against imperialism and war.
PerspectivesHistory


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The field of Geological Engineering incorporates a large range of activities consisting of the geological characterization of intricate structures of significant structures and structures, advancement of natural deposits (mining, water, hydroelectricity, forestry, gas and oil), examination and evaluation of groundwater motion and quality, the engineering security of significant facilities (dams, storage tanks, offshore drilling platforms, trains, pipelines and roadways), and the evaluation of geohazard threat. It likewise fors example elements of such fields as task financing and insurance coverage, land-use preparation, forensic geological engineering, and the application of geological understanding to the repair service and conservation of cultural heritage websites.
Geological engineers incorporate 2 disciplines: geology and engineering. Geologists study the Earth, its structure and structure, its history, and its previous plant and animal life. Engineers use clinical understanding and experience to develop and examine systems for the advantage of humanity.
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There is a constant shift in between geology and engineering science which the majority of us, as used earth researchers, run in this shift.
The field of geological engineering has a broad scope and matters practically to all parts of the economy. The majority of our graduates work for speaking with engineering or ecological companies as experts. Numerous are likewise used by federal government firms such as Ministries of Highways, Environment and Forests.
Geological engineers have a vital function since of their understanding of how the earth responds to different engineering procedures. Extremely skilled engineers are required to develop and build tunnels and excavations and to securely dispose of trash, sewage, and hazardous chemicals.
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Geological engineers are integrally included in the search for brand-new ore deposits. Ecological problems linked with mining are likewise being attended to by geological engineers. As the present pits and quarries end up being diminished, numerous geological engineers find and establish brand-new sources of commercial minerals near our towns and cities.
Lots of federal government companies, both on Federal and Provincial levels, use geological engineers to perform research study, and to establish and implement ecological requirements.
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Engineering Geology is a global interdisciplinary journal bridging the fields of the earth sciences and engineering, geotechnical and especially geological engineering. The focus of the journal is on geological or engineering researches that are of interest to engineering geologists, whether their preliminary training is in geology or civil/mining engineering.
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