text:
Blu-Ray Disc Players, Movies Coming Next Week
By CIO Staff
CIO	 Jun 16, 2006 8:00 am PDT
Next week, the high-definition video fight for consumers' hearts, minds and wallets begins in the United States.
The first player and content for the Blu-ray Disc high-definition movie disc format will be launched then, about three months after the first hardware and movies for the rival HD-DVD format went on sale.
Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD are both new optical disc formats vying to replace current DVDs for high-definition content such as movies. The main backers of Blu-ray Disc include Sony, Matsushita Electric Industrial (Panasonic) and Samsung Electronics, while companies supporting the rival HD-DVD format include Toshiba, NEC and Intel.
The launch on June 20 of the Samsung BD-P1000 player and eight movies from Sony Pictures Entertainment will signal Blu-ray Disc's entry into the consumer market.
The first eight Blu-ray Disc titles will include "50 First Dates," "The Fifth Element" and "The Terminator." A ninth film, "Ultraviolet," will launch simultaneously with the DVD version June 27. Movies slated for July include "Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction," "Stealth" and "A Knight's Tale."
There is technically little difference between the formats, as both use the same basic blue-laser technology and the same compression systems, so their picture quality will be very close or identical.
For consumers shopping for a high-definition disc player, early title availability will likely be one of the deciding factors for choosing either Blu-ray Disc or HD DVD. Currently the major Hollywood studios are backing one or the other of the two formats, so the same movie won't be issued initially in both formats.
Another differentiator will be price. The Toshiba HD-A1 HD-DVD player can be picked up for about US$500, while the Samsung player to be launched next week is listed at $1,000 on Amazon.com. Movie discs for both formats cost about $20 and up.
Some analysts and industry watchers expect the dueling formats to cause many people to delay purchase until it becomes apparent which of the two formats is stronger, in a fight reminiscent of the Betamax versus VHS videotape battle in the 1980s.
Another possibility is a so-called "Ultra Multi Drive" that can manage both new formats. Several companies are working on such drives, and they are likely to appear around the end of this year or sometime in 2007. If that happens, then consumers would be able to buy players that handle both formats, negating much of the struggle.
-Martyn Williams, IDG News Service (Tokyo Bureau)
Sony Blu-Ray DVDs to Hit Retail Stores on June 20
Check out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage.


Bassist Rodney Whitaker was among the leading lights of a new generation of contemporary jazz musicians emerging from Detroit. A native of the Motor City, he began playing the violin at the age of eight, switching to the bass five years later after hearing Paul Chambers on a John Coltrane album. Whitaker attended Wayne State University, and studied with Robert Gladstone, principal bass with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and trumpeter Marcus Belgrave.
As a teen, he joined saxophonist Donald Washington in the group Bird/Trane/Sko/Now!, which also included a young James Carter; he later replaced bassist Robert Hurst in the Terence Blanchard-Donald Harrison Quintet, followed by a three-year stint with Roy Hargrove. After recording with the likes of Blanchard, Hargrove, Antonio Hart, Junko Onishi and Mark Whitfield, Whitaker issued his solo debut Children of the Light in 1996. Hidden Kingdom followed two years later, and in 1999 the bassist returned with Ballads and Blues. His fourth album, Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow appeared in mid-2000.
Whitaker has been featured on more than 100 recordings, from film to compact discs. His film score, China, directed by Jeff Wray, will be released on PBS in Fall 2002.
Rodney, associate professor and director of Jazz studies at Michigan State University, is one of the leading teachers of Jazz double bass in the United States. A member of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, he has appeared and presented master classes at the International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE) conferences. Whitaker has presented numerous master classes across the nation at locations such as Duke University, Howard University, University of Iowa, University of Michigan, the New School (NY), Lincoln Center, and the Ford Detroit Jazz Festival. In addition, he is a consultant with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in the development of a Jazz education department, and has served on the faculties of University of Michigan and Juilliard Institute of Jazz.


Forward 2345 Head of Stock comprising 111 Cattle, including 95 Young Bulls & 19 Cows & OTM's, 2048 Sheep including 136 Ewes, and 13 Pigs including 59 Sows.
Forward Thirsk Thursday Forward 2486 head of stock comprising 290 cattle, including 136 young bulls and 17 cows and OTM's, 2122 sheep including 156 ewes and 74 pigs including 52 sows and 1 boar.
Forward Forward 189 Cattle inc 14 Young Bulls and 6 Store Hoggs.
Forward 2703 head of stock comprising 288 Cattle, including 100 Young Bulls and 24 Cows and OTM's, 2315 Sheep including 238 Ewes, and 100 Pigs including 78 Sows.
Forward Forward 2538 head of Stock comprising 257 Cattle, including 99 Young Bulls and 28 Cows and OTM's, 2189 sheep including 143 ewes, and 92 pigs including 71 sows and 1 boar.
Forward 1638 Head of Stock comprising 279 Cattle, including 95 Young Bulls and 32 Cows and OTM's, 1266 Sheep including 154 Ewes, and 93 Pigs including 67 Sows and 2 Boars.
Forward 181 Cattle inc 48 Young Bulls, 4 Feeding Cows and 48 Sheep.
Forward 1554 head of stock comprising 163 cattle including 69 young bulls and 9 cows and OTMs, 1387 sheep including 208 ewes and 4 pigs.
Forward 1816 head of stock comprising 361 cattle including 135 young bulls and 50 cows and OTMs, 1325 sheep including 171 ewes and 130 pigs including 83 sows and 1 boar.
Forward 1848 head of stock comprising 362 cattle including 125 young bulls and 50 cows and OTMs, 1357 sheep Including 213 ewes and 129 pigs including 75 sows and 1 boar.


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The files in the folder describe the map of each resource provider's resource types and their supported api versions in the api profile.

## Basics
An API profile represents a map of resource provider namespaces and their API versions. It is a representation of an Azure Platform declaring a set of APIs to be supported across all our clouds.Instead of specifying individual api-versions for each resource type across each namespace, the developer can just align the application to a profile and the tools/SDKs will themselves select the right api-versions as directed by the profile. With API Profiles developers can specify a profile version that applies to an entire template and, at runtime, ARM will pick the right versions of the resources. This way, the customers don't have to worry about which are the right resource versions to specific clouds.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-stack/user/azure-stack-version-profiles

## File Structure
The profile is a one to one map. The api version specified is a single version for the resource type, although the resource type could support other older api versions as well.

1. **Resource manager map**: The top level node `resource-manager` defines the map for the management plane of the resource provider and  api version of the resource type

1. **Data plane map**: The top level node `data-plane` defines the map for the data plane of the resource provider and  api version of the resource type

1. **Resource provider namespace **: Each RP will have a node under the top level nodes. If an RP is not specified in the profile, it means that the profile does not support the RP. Only the supported RP will have an entry in the profile.
    - Under the namespace, all the supported api versions for the namespace is specified
    - The api version should have a array value of all the resource types belong to that api version
    - The array value is empty for the data plane, as they do not have the concept of clearly defined resource types
    - The name should match the resource type name mentioned in the resource provider manifest and in the REST API spec.

The structure should appear like below:
```bash
{
+---"info":{
|    |    "name":"xxxx-xx-xx-profile",
|    |    "description":"description of profile"
\----},
+---"resource-manager": {
|    +---"rp-namespace1": {
|    |   +---"api-version1":[
|    |        +---"resourcetype1",
|    |        +---"resourcetype2"
|    |        ],
|    |   +---"api-version1":[
|    |        +---"resourcetype3",
|    |        +---"resourcetype4"
|    |        ]
|    \---},
|    +---"rp-namespace2": {
|    |   +---"api-version1":[
|    |        +---"resourcetype1",
|    |        +---"resourcetype2",
|    |        +---"resourcetype3"
|    |        ],
|    \---},
\---},
|    +
|    +
|    +
+---"data-plane": {
|    ----"rp-namespace1": {
|    |   +---"api-version1":[]
|    |   \---},
|    \---},
\---}
}
```

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


This video describes research conducted by Dr. Karen McKee, USGS Research Ecologist, and her university partners, Dr. Irv Mendelssohn (Louisiana State University) and Dr. Mark Hester (University of Louisiana at Lafayette). They are studying the effects of hurricanes on marsh and mangrove wetlands in the Mississippi River Delta, which contains over 40% of the U.S. wetlands in the lower 48 states. Although hurricanes can have devastating effects on human communities, they may provide nourishing sediment to subsiding wetlands. This video describes an investigation to determine how much storm sediment from Hurricane Gustav (2008) was deposited in marsh and mangrove stands and if these different types of vegetation influence sediment capture. McKee and colleagues carried out their research by helicopter, which is the only way to sample the vast wetlands in coastal Louisiana. The results of their investigation will lead to a better understanding of how hurricanes may benefit coastal wetlands.
For more information visit Coastal Louisiana: Impacts of Hurricanes on Salt Marsh and Mangrove Wetlands at USGS.
McKee, K.L., 2010, Coastal Louisiana: impacts of hurricanes on salt marsh and mangrove wetlands [video]: U.S. Geological Survey.
This video describes research being conducted by Dr. Karen McKee, USGS Research Ecologist, and her university partner, Dr. Julia Cherry. Their goal is to better understand the effects of sea-level rise and other global change factors on coastal wetlands in the Mississippi River Delta. This region contains over 40% of the U.S. wetlands in the lower 48 states These wetlands support commercial fisheries, provide habitat for waterfowl and wildlife, and act as storm buffers, protecting several important ports and cities such as New Orleans McKee and Cherry are conducting field and greenhouse experiments to quantify how plant productivity contributes organic matter to vertical soil building, which helps to counterbalance sea-level rise. They are also investigating how elevated concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may stimulate plant production and help marshes build vertically and avoid submergence. Their research is contributing to a better understanding of how coastal wetlands persist in the face of changing sea levels and how they may respond in the future.
For more information visit Effects of Sea-Level Rise on Coastal Wetlands in the Mississippi Delta at USGS.
McKee, K.L., 2010, Effects of sea-level rise on coastal wetlands in the Mississippi River Delta [video]: U.S. Geological Survey.


text:
Axonopus fissifolius is a grass species which is often used as permanent pasture.

Common names include common carpetgrass, caratao grass, and Louisiana grass in the United States, and mat grass, narrow-leaved carpet grass, and Durrington grass in Australia.

References

External links
Axonopus fissifolius. Tropical Forages.

Panicoideae
Flora of South America
Flora of Central America
Flora of the Southeastern United States
Native grasses of California
Grasses of Argentina
Flora of Argentina
Forages
Grasses of the United States
Grasses of Alabama
Flora without expected TNC conservation status

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
What happens to a wet washcloth in space?
By Matt Dellinger, CNN
Astronauts on the International Space Station get to do the coolest experiments. And sometimes the simplest ones can be the most impressive.
Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield demonstrates what happens when you wring out a soaking wet washcloth in zero gravity. The idea came from two high school students in Nova Scotia who won a contest to design a simple science experiment to be conducted on the ISS. The experiment had to use materials that were already available on the space station and was selected out of almost 100 entries.
Watch the video above to see the incredible effect of weightlessness on the water absorbed by the washcloth.
What are some simple experiments you would like to see conducted in space? Let us know in the comments below!
(The Science Seat will resume next Friday)
Post by: CNN's Matt Dellinger
Filed under: In Space • People in Orbit • Science Education • Science Friday
Robotic device helps paraplegics stand, company says
For someone who is handicapped, everyday tasks that most of us take for granted can be difficult. Simply reaching the top shelf at the grocery store, getting out of bed in the morning and even opening a door can be a struggle.
AMS Mekatronic, a Turkish research and design company, has introduced an innovative robotic device that transforms the concept of the traditional wheelchair.
The Tek RMD, or Robotic Mobilization Device, gives someone who is disabled the ability to stand upright, move around and be put in a more "comfortable position," its creator says.
A video demonstration of the device posted by AMS Mekatronic shows Yusuf Akturkoglu, the victim of a spinal cord injury, sitting in a bed using a remote to move the Tek RMD in front of him. He can mount the device from the rear by strapping himself in and pulling himself up. Using a suspension system with gas spring balances, the user needs only to gently pull on the device's handles to rise into a standing position.
When CNN asked him about the Tek RMD, Akturkoglu said it gives him greater mobility than he had before.
"I can live my life much closer to my life before the accident," he said. "I can fit into places that I didn't used to," and the psychological impact of communicating at eye level, instead of having to look up all the time, has made him more social.
Inventor Necati Hacikadiroglu told CNN he created the device because he has "always believed robotic technology could make a difference in disabled people's lives."
He says he designed the Tek RMD with a rear-mounting mechanism that will aid those who have difficulty getting into a normal wheelchair.
"You [normally] have to lift your body with your arms and throw your body into the chair." For a lot of people, this is difficult and can be "very dangerous without outside assistance," he said.
The Shepherd Center in Atlanta specializes in treating and rehabilitating victims of spinal cord injuries. John Anschutz, manager of the Assistive Technology program at the center, says it's important that the new device allows users to navigate very tight spaces.
"I don't know of a traditional wheelchair that can get into tight spaces like the [Tek RMD] can," he said. "To allow access to small-type spaces and allow for reach in those environments is really exciting."
But he also says that this device may not replace the traditional wheelchair.
"I suspect that this would not be used as a primary chair. It seems that it's more useful in a home or office environment."
The Tek RMD costs $15,000 and is sold in Turkey. There is not yet a distributor in the U.S.
Filed under: Discoveries • News • Robots

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Planning and manage technical service support for all machinery in responsibility area.
Planning and managing service team schedule to carry out PM and other technical services.
Leading service team in installation, repair and maintenance of machinery.
Carry out machines inspection and trouble shooting.
Writing field inspection report, machine abnormal report and claim report.
Analyzing and planning spare parts requirement to service machinery in responsible area.
Proposing company service package and equipment protection plan to customers.
Male or female 28 - 38 years old.
Bachelor Degree in Mechanical Engineer.
3 - 5 years' experience as field engineer or industrial machine installation repair and maintenance.
Fluent in English both speaking and writing especially technical technical reporting.
Driver's License and able to travelin responsible area.


text:
Masjid Muadh ibn Jabal, Leicester, UK
admin@fatwa-centre.com
Muadh Ibn Jabal
Masjid Muadh ibn Jabal
Why Darul Iftaa Muadh ibn Jabal
Lecturers at Darul Iftaa Muadh ibn Jabal
Islamic Q&A
The Iftaa Programme
The Syllabus
Mufti Ahmed Khanpuri
September 4, 2021 Testimonials
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In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. It brings us immense joy and happiness to see…
August 3, 2021 Latest Articles
A fatwa is a culmination of fiqh (jurisprudence) which has its roots in the Quran, Hadith, Ijmā' (consensus of the Sahabah), and Qiyās (analogy). The academic…
Sayyiduna Umar said: "Whoever seeks an answer in relation to Fiqh, let him go to Muadh ibn Jabal." [al-Tabarani]
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The Castelli Arenburg gel mitts are a must have for any female cyclist. Designed to protect your hands on the roughest of roads whilst keeping excellent grip between your hands and the bars.
Short fingered gloves are an essential for any cyclist.
Short fingered gloves are an essential for any cyclist, providing grippy interface between your hands and handlebars . With the Arenburg, you will have the best protection from vibrations and comfort thanks to Castelli's AX suede palm with maximum gel padding. They also give great ventilation with a featured mesh back to keep your hands cool. For a high level of comfort and the softest ride possible, get yourself a pair of Arenburgs.


HOUSTON — Houston Community College Trustee Chris Oliver, whose guilty plea to a bribery scheme recently became public, said that for a few thousand dollars cash he could make a vendor "a millionaire" by securing lucrative college contracts for him, court documents obtained by The Texas Monitor show.
The records also show that the vendor, local business icon Karun Sreerama — who was recently appointed to the powerful post of Houston public works director — met monthly with Oliver at a coffee shop to slip the trustee envelopes filled with cash.
Sreerama, identified in federal court documents by his initials "KS," had been also described as a "victim" in previous court records made public.
The details behind Oliver trading his influence to obtain thousands of dollars in cash is detailed in a federal arraignment document dated May 15, 2017.
See that full document here.
Sreerama said he would pay Oliver approximately $2,500 per month "based on what he had paid him in the past," records show.
The next meeting took place at a coffee shop just days later on June 2nd, 2015. Sreerama gave Oliver an envelope filled with $2,500 in cash and Oliver told Sreerama that "if he found a contract to bid on and a certified company, he would make him a millionaire," according to the document.
One time after getting his cash-filled envelope, Oliver provided Sreerama with a list of various contracts at HCC. Oliver implied that if asked, he would deny all knowledge of how Sreerama got the list.
By November 2015, Sreerama said he found a company to use in order to bid for a pest-control contract. At this meeting "Oliver discussed exerting his influence at HCC in order to move the company up the bid list so that they would have a better chance at securing the contract." Oliver also walked away with $1,000 cash in an envelope, and another $500 Visa gift card.
Sreerama continued to meet with Oliver and hand over money, the document shows.
By May 13, 2016, Sreerama told Oliver he had had enough, and that the company he was using to bid on the pest control contract was not willing to pay Oliver anymore money without some results, the document shows.
At that point, "Oliver ended the relationship," according to the document.
In all, Sreerama made $77,000 in unlawful payments to Oliver before the feds tapped Sreerama to aid in stinging the HCC trustees, according to federal official records and interviews. The bribes that Oliver pleaded guilty to accepting in 2015 and 2016 amounted to $12,000.
There has been fallout already from Oliver's guilty plea.
Houston Community College trustees announcing they will voted to censure Oliver and stripped him from his trustee chairmanships and his role as the board's vice-chairman.
And Sreerama, whose appointment to lead the city's public works department was announced mid-March, has been placed on paid leave by Mayor Sylvester Turner. Turner said Sreerama did not tell him about the relationship with Oliver.
Sreerama is not back at work. The mayor said this week he is continuing to review the matter.
Oliver's sentencing has been moved. It had been scheduled for Aug. 28, but is now scheduled for Nov. 13.


text:
Ambulances called nearly 1,000 times to Amazon's UK warehouses
Laura Tiernan
Ambulances have responded 971 times to emergency calls at Amazon's UK "fulfilment centres" since 2018, according to data obtained by the Mirror under Freedom of Information (FOI).
Ambulance callouts happened at 24 Amazon warehouses, the Mirror reported this week. This included 178 visits to the company's Tilbury warehouse in Essex, the largest in Europe, where an employee died earlier this month.
The newspaper obtained information from nine NHS ambulance trusts. It reported, "Paramedics treated people who had lost consciousness, or were suffering from traumatic injuries, breathing problems and chest or cardiac pain."
The Amazon distribution centre in Tilbury (credit: Google Maps)
Among the medical emergencies were two Amazon employees who were suicidal.
Ahead of this weekend's annual Black Friday discount sales, the newspaper's exposé underscores the brutal exploitation underpinning the company's global dominance and the obscene wealth of its founder Jeff Bezos who is worth £154 billion ($USD 205.5 billion) according to Forbes .
Amazon is expected to take £2 billion in UK sales this weekend and more than $USD 10 billion in the United States. Its total sales reached £20.63 billion in the UK during 2020, up by more than 50 percent in one year. The company employs 55,000 people in the UK and took on 22,000 extra staff last year as consumers shifted to online retail during the pandemic.
Global Amazon profits hit $USD 386.6 billion (£289.68 billion) this year, up 38 percent on the previous year. Amazon earned so much that even if all 1.3 million employees were paid a COVID bonus of $690,000, the company would still be as rich as it was in 2019. The company has a market value of $1.8 trillion.
The pandemic has vastly accelerated the grotesque inequalities and exploitation inherent in the capitalist profit system. Workers at Amazon's UK warehouses report they are treated like "slaves and animals", forced to meet impossible pick rates and bullied if they fall behind. A whistleblower from Tilbury told the Mirror, "Amazon sees people just like numbers, just like rats."
Testimony from employees to an Amazon Workers' Hotline set up by Unite and reported on Twitter includes:
"When my second child was born, I requested the time off and was 'ticketed' for being off work."
"They are checking on you all the time. Once one of managers came to the toilet after me and my friend to check what we were doing there. It was horrible."
"We have targets of 300 items an hour. The bosses are bullies. The last hour of the shift is 'Power Hour' where if your targets drop it messes up your rate for the whole shift."
"I had a panic attack at my work station and nearly passed out l, got told that I could only take rest of day off and was to come back to work the next day, there is no mental health support with the Amazon."
"They have cut the staff by half and the volume has increased during the pandemic. The staff got smaller and smaller, and now we are having to work way more and they have the audacity to say it is for our safety's sake they reduced the number of workers!"
In 2018, the GMB union published results from its own FOI investigation which showed 600 serious medical incidents at 14 Amazon warehouses in just three years. At Rugeley warehouse near Birmingham, there were 115 ambulance callouts, including two for electric shocks and eight for people who had fallen unconscious. Since then, conditions have worsened, with paramedics attending 30 percent more often in the past three years, or 120 additional ambulance visits per year.
Amazon's one million square-foot fulfilment centre in Fife. Credit: Chris Watt
Trade unions, charities, lobbyists, NGOs and other representatives of the upper middle class are staging their annual Black Friday protests today. The #MakeAmazonPay coalition is a top-down operation aimed at suppressing a worldwide rebellion by workers against social inequality and capitalist exploitation. Members of the coalition present themselves as champions of Amazon employees, tapping into workers' desire for globally unified action. But as with the Black Friday sales, it is necessary to look at the fine print.
#MakeAmazonPay reports it is holding "Black Friday actions" in Canada, Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Poland, Germany, Slovakia, Austria, Luxembourg, Spain, Ireland, Turkey, Australia, New Zealand, Bangladesh, India, and Cambodia.
But despite the horrific conditions facing warehouse and delivery workers worldwide, and despite (or rather because of) the awesome potential power of the company's 1.3 million strong workforce, no globally coordinated industrial action has been called. Amazon's Black Friday profits will not be jeopardised. The protests are being widely promoted in the media precisely for this reason, in stark contrast to the media blackout of the explosive strikes by Spanish metal workers in Cadiz.
Token protests being held today in Britain confirm the stage-managed character of the Black Friday campaign. The GMB union announced it will protest alongside the Trades Union Congress, International Transport Federation, War on Want and Labour Behind the Label in the #MakeAmazonPay coalition. Four protests are taking place outside Amazon facilities in Peterborough, Coventry and Ellistown in the East Midlands, with the largest a gathering of 50-100 coalition supporters outside Amazon's HQ in London. No doubt Jeremy Corbyn, that walking talisman against the class struggle, will be on hand to deliver Fabian homilies about the need to protect Amazon workers from rampant profiteering and the importance of Amazon paying taxes.
The #MakeAmazonPay coalition is led by the Progressive International whose founder, political charlatan Yanis Varoufakis, betrayed the Greek working class as Finance Minister in the Syriza government, imposing mass austerity diktats on behalf of the European Union, European Central Bank and NATO. These are people who have nothing to offer the working class except defeat.
The coalition has published a list of "common demands", addressed to Amazon and capitalist governments, calling for "fair pay", for Amazon to pay tax and to compensate for its impact on the planet. It calls on Amazon to begin "sharing power with workers, for instance by welcoming worker representatives elected by their colleagues in different management levels, and by increasing options for workers to receive not only shares in the corporation, but also voting rights, so that the company moves towards a model of democratic governance."
Politically, its demands promote "unions' rights to promote workers' interests" and "giving unions access to Amazon worksites to inform workers on the benefits of unionization". Its advocacy of the pro-company trade unions is in line with efforts led by United States President Joe Biden, whose Democratic Party administration has publicly encouraged efforts to unionise Amazon warehouses in Alabama, New York and elsewhere.
Union control of Amazon and logistics workers is viewed as a strategic imperative in ruling circles. The financial oligarchy is reliant on the unions' vast apparatus to suppress strikes, discipline the workforce, weed out militants, promote economic nationalism and prevent the emergence of a global mass movement by the working class against capitalism.
To defend themselves, Amazon workers need to rely on their own strength. Independent rank-and-file committees, democratically controlled by workers, must be created at every Amazon facility worldwide, fighting for decent wages, health and safety, a reduction in line speed, reduced hours, and the outlawing of corporate spying and bullying.
A fight by Amazon workers would win enormous sympathy and support among delivery drivers, transport and logistics workers, health workers and in the working class internationally. The demand must be raised for Amazon's transformation into a public utility and the seizure of Bezos's obscene wealth to meet urgent social needs, including the elimination of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The World Socialist Web Site urges all Amazon workers who agree with this perspective and want to take up a fight to contact the International Amazon Workers Voice (IAWV) newsletter.
Sign up for the International Amazon Workers Voice newsletter
For information, strategy and updates, sign up below.
Trade unions stage scattered protests on Amazon's Black Friday
Planned strikes by DHL workers in UK as Unite seek to block national action
Global class struggleAmazon workersBritainEurope


Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Norbert Reich is a renowned expert on European private law.
This year's Lasok lecture will be given by Professor Norbert Reich.
The lecture will be followed by a drinks reception which all guests are welcome to attend.
The annual Lasok Lecture, held since 1977, attracts eminent speakers including EU commissioners, politicians and judges to deliver a paper on an aspect of European Union law of current and significant interest to a wide public audience.
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Norbert Reich is Emeritus Professor of Private law and European Economic Law at the University of Bremen, Visiting Professor of Law and Governance at Groningen University, the Netherlands, and is a renowned expert on European private law.
In 1973 Norbert Reich became a Professor at the Hamburg University for Economics and Politics (HWP). From 1982 he was a Professor at the University of Bremen and from 2005 an Emeritus Professor. He also served as the leading director of the ZERP, the Centre of European Law and Politics at the University of Bremen from 1982-1991. In 2000 he received an honorary doctorate from Helsinki University and from the University of Bucharest in 2014.
From 2001-2004 Norbert Reich was the Rector at the Riga Graduate School of Law. Besides being a Visiting Professor at Groningen, Norbert Reich holds visiting professorships at the Universities of Montpellier, Fribourg, Keele, Luzern and Tartu. Prof. Reich's other activities include several advisory activities in European Economic and Consumer Law.
Academic Law Lecture open to the public – reviving a traditional and popular lecture event in the academic calendar.


In the post-apocalyptic performance "Trance", we witness the initiation of a new member in neo-fanfare 9×13, in which the percussion plays a leading role. Since the beginning of mankind, drums have been used to accompany journeys to other worlds. Trance takes us on such an adventure, powered by a percussion chariot filled with tribal elements, traditional percussion, junk instruments and electronica. Join us in this alienating musical ritual, with newly composed music, a taut and theatrical choreography, and experience the ultimate fanfare wasteland!
This is a free public try-out in preparation for the premiere on Sunday June 18 at Festival Classique.
What do you get when you combine ten leading musicians, contemporary music and a marching band? 9×13!
With flute, saxophones, horn, trumpet, trombones, tuba and percussion 9×13 brings contemporary music directly to a broad and diverse audience. At first look, a traditional marching band, but it's much more. It's a brass band reborn: theatrical, challenging and versatile.
The finest contemporary composers cut loose and re-think the rules of marches, ballads, dances and waltzes. Enticing new music, with taut choreography and a skilled theatre direction that embraces narrative, abstract and absurd. Whether that's at festivals, in the park, on the street, or in the concert hall, for a special event or simply in your front yard. Allow yourself to be challenged, moved, shaken and stirred by the cutting edge productions of 9×13.


text:
Home > Neuroscience > News Articles
Have A Cocktail: How Zombie Ant Fungi Manipulates Brains Of Hosts
By News Staff | August 25th 2014 12:30 PM | Print | E-mail
A parasitic fungus that reproduces by manipulating the behavior of ants emits a cocktail of behavior-controlling chemicals when encountering the brain of its natural target host, but not when infecting other ant species, a new study shows.
The findings, which suggest that the fungus "knows" its preferred host, provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon, according to researchers.
"Fungi are well known for their ability to secrete chemicals that affect their environment," noted lead author Charissa de Bekker, a Marie Curie Fellow in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, and Ludwig Maximilian of the University of Munich. "So we wanted to know what chemicals are employed to control so precisely the behavior of ants."
A dead ant manipulated by a species of so-called "zombie ant fungus" clings to a twig in a South Carolina forest. Newly published Penn State research represents the first extensive study of zombie ants in North America. Credit: Hughes Lab., Penn State
The research focused on a species from the genus Ophiocordyceps -- known as "zombie ant fungi" -- which control their ant hosts by inducing a biting behavior. Although these fungi infect many insects, the species that infect ants have evolved a mechanism that induces hosts to die attached by their mandibles to plant material, providing a platform from which the fungus can grow and shoot spores to infect other ants.
To study this mechanism, the researchers combined field research with a citizen-scientist in South Carolina, infection experiments under laboratory conditions and analysis using metabolomics, which is the study of the chemical processes associated with the molecular products of metabolism.
The scientists used a newly discovered fungal species from North America -- initially called Ophiocordyceps unilateralis sensu lato while it awaits a new name -- that normally controls an ant species in the genus Camponotus. To test whether a species of fungus that has evolved to control the behavior of one ant species can infect and control others, they infected nontarget hosts from the same ant genus and another genus (Formica).
They found that this obligate killer can infect and kill nontarget ants, but it cannot manipulate their behavior. "The brain of the target species was the key to understanding manipulation," de Bekker said.
The researchers next removed ant brains, keeping the organs alive in special media. The fungus then was grown in the presence of brains from different ant species to determine what chemicals it produced for each brain.
"This was 'brain-in-a-jar' science at its best," said co-author David Hughes, assistant professor of entomology and biology, Penn State. "It was necessary to reduce the complexity associated with the whole, living ant, and just ask what chemicals the fungus produces when it encounters the ant brain.
"You don't get to see a lot of behavior with fungi," he said. "You have to infer what they are doing by examining how they grow, where they grow and most important, what chemicals they secrete."
He explained that fungi are nourished via osmotrophy, by which they secrete compounds that degrade the bigger molecules in their environment into smaller ones that then can be taken up by the fungus. Using metabolomics, the researchers could determine precisely the chemical crosstalk between the fungus and the ant brain it grew alongside.
"We could see in the data that the fungus behaved differently in the presence of the ant brain it had co-evolved with," said de Bekker, whose Penn State co-authors also included Andrew Patterson, assistant professor of molecular toxicology, and Phil Smith, director of the Metabolomics Core Facility.
The researchers found thousands of unique chemicals, most of them completely unknown. This, according to Hughes, is not surprising, since little previous work has mined these fungi for the chemicals they produce.
But what did stand out were two known neuromodulators, guanobutyric acid (GBA) and sphingosine. These both have been reported to be involved in neurological disorders and were enriched when the fungus was grown in the presence of brains of its target species.
"There is no single compound that is produced that results in the exquisite control of ant behavior we observe," de Bekker said. "Rather, it is a mixture of different chemicals that we assume act in synergy.
"But whatever the precise blend and tempo of chemical secretion," she said, "it is impressive that these fungi seem to 'know' when they are beside the brain of their regular host and behave accordingly."
Noted Hughes, "This is one of the most complex examples of parasites controlling animal behavior because it is a microbe controlling an animal -- the one without the brain controls the one with the brain. By employing metabolomics and controlled laboratory infections, we can now begin to understand how the fungi pull off this impressive trick."
The research also is notable, the scientists contend, because it is the first extensive study of zombie ants in North America. Typically assumed to be a tropical phenomenon, they exist in temperate habitats but can be hard to find.
"This whole project has been made possible by Kim Fleming, a resident of Donalds, South Carolina, an avid nature photographer who found the original samples and posted pictures of them online," said Hughes.
"It has been a joy to work with Kim, who has become an integral part of our team taking thousands of photos of the zombie ant fungi during her daily walk in the woods."
He noted that the newly discovered species of zombie ant fungus will be named after Fleming, who is a co-author on the study.
"Through Kim, we have been able to engage with the wider community in South Carolina, including the biology program at Erskine College," said de Bekker. "It's been a great way to share our science with the public."
Source: Penn State
Zombie Ant Fungi Manipulate Where Victims Die
Zombie Invasion In Its 48 Millionth Year
Plant Zombies: How Bacterial Parasites Turn Them Into The Living Dead
Sustainable Agriculture- What Ants Knew 50 Million Years Before We Did
Very Cool Parasitic Behaviors


text:
"Grant Gustin" Tagged Posts
Filming in Vancouver: The Flash, Batwoman, Loudermilk, and Sacred Lies
by Craig Takeuchi	in Town on July 2, 2019
Ruby Rose stars in Batwoman, which begins shooting Season 1 this week.
This week, several TV series are getting back on set to start production in Vancouver on their latest season.
One includes a powerpacked show about a superhero who certainly knows a thing or two about being getting a move on.
Another is a comedy that revolves around a cynical recovering alcoholic who works as a substance-abuse counsellor.
Yet another series is about a teenager without hands who has escaped a cult whose leader has been killed.
And there's a new series joining the Arrowverse gang.
For details about all of these shows, join us after the jump for an overview of what's going on this week in Vancouver's screen scene.
Filming in Vancouver: The Flash, Little Fish, and Home Before Dark all wrap
by Craig Takeuchi	in Town on April 8, 2019
The Flash is finishing up production on Season 5.
This week is all about calling it a wrap.
There's a high-concept feature film that pits love against memory loss that's finishing up production.
And over on the small-screen side of things, an Arrowverse TV series and a brand new teen investigative series are also completing production on their most recent seasons.
So, if you care to join us, here's a look at what's leaving Vancouver's screen scene this week.
Filming in Vancouver: Jason Momoa, Arrowverse TV series, and more get back in action
by Craig Takeuchi	in Town on January 2, 2019
Jason Momoa is shooting the sci-fi TV series See in Vancouver.
New year's greetings to you all, dear readers!
A big thanks to those of you who have spent time reading this blog over the past year and a hearty welcome to all new visitors to these pages.
A new year means a fresh reboot for Vancouver's busy screen scene, with productions resuming work after a holiday season and the eventual promise of some new projects that'll be coming down the pipe.
In this week's roundup, we're taking a look at the former—TV series that are getting back on set to produce their latest seasons.
It's a chance to take a look at what shows are shot in Vancouver—some of which you may not even have been aware were shot here.
Filming in Vancouver: Orlando Bloom, Riverdale, The Good Doctor, Supergirl, The Flash, and more
Okay, so this is where things start to get really hectic.
A ginormous slew of TV series, which wrapped up last year or earlier this year, are now heading back to town to start filming their next season.
There's everything in the mix that you can think of: dramas, sci-fi, superheroes, and more.
As if that's not enough, two feature film productions are getting underway today as we speak.
Since we've got a lot to get through in this week's roundup of what's going in Vancouver's screen scene, let's get to it.
Filming in Vancouver: Johnny Depp, The Flash, Arrow, Once Upon a Time, and more
by Craig Takeuchi	in Uncategorized on July 4, 2017
Some big-name movie stars are heading to town and some superpowered TV series are getting ready to do battle once again.
This week's roundup is action-packed and full of surprises so strap yourselves in and hang on tight because here we go!
Filming in Vancouver: Arrow, The Flash, Neil Patrick Harris, Anna Faris, and more
by Craig Takeuchi	in Uncategorized on April 17, 2017
Although The Flash is racing towards its season finale, the show has been renewed for another season.
While two superhero TV series are wrapping up production this week, the good news is that some new productions will be coming to Vancouver over the next few months. And a lemony TV series kicks off in town today.
But let's start off with some news for the legions of Deadpool fans.
Vancouver Screen Scene: From Arrow and the Flash to Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow
by Craig Takeuchi	in Uncategorized on June 27, 2016
DC's Legends of Tomorrow is only one of several superhero TV series shooting in Vancouver.
Get ready for it: Vancouver's about to be hit by a ton of superheroes (and the stars who play them).
At one time, Vancouver was a hot bed for sci-fi series, such as Stargate, Sanctuary, and Continuum. While sci-fi productions are still aplenty in the city, superheroes are the specialty du jour—and that's particularly true starting this month.
There'll be plenty of high-powered action, dramatic scenes, and star sightings as several TV series launch into production on their latest seasons.


text:
\section{Introduction}
It has become popular to use over-fitted mixture models in which number of cluster $K$ is chosen as a conservative upper bound on the number of components under the expectation that only relatively few of the components $K^\prime$ will be occupied by data points in the samples $\mathcal{X}$. This kind of over-fitted mixture models has been successfully due to the ease in computation.

Previously \citet{rousseau2011asymptotic} proved that quite generally, the posterior behaviour of overfitted mixtures depends on the chosen prior on the weights, and on the number of free parameters in the emission distributions (here $D$, i.e. the dimension of data). Specifically, they have proved that (a) If $\underline{\alpha}$=min$(\alpha_k, k \leq K)$>$D/2$ and if the number of components is larger than it should be, asymptotically two or more components in an overfitted mixture model will tend to merge with non-negligible weights. (b) In contrast, if $\overline{\alpha}$=max$(\alpha_k, k \leqslant K)<D/2$, the extra components are emptied at a rate of $N^{-1/2}$. Hence, if none of the components are small, it implies that $K$ is probably not larger than $K_0$. In the intermediate case, if min$(\alpha_k, k \leq K)\leq D/2 \leq$ max$(\alpha_k, k \leqslant K)$, then the situation varies depending on the $\alpha_k$'s and on the difference between $K$ and $K_0$. In particular, in the case where all $\alpha_k$'s are equal to $D/2$, then although the author does not prove definite result, they conjecture that the posterior distribution does not have a stable limit.

\section{Hyperprior on symmetric Dirichlet distribution}\label{sec:hyper_fbgmm_background}

\begin{figure}[h!]
\centering
  \includegraphics[width=5cm]{img/gmplots/bgmm_finite_with_hyper.pdf}
  \caption{A Bayesian finite GMM with hyperprior on concentration parameter.}
  \label{fig:gmm_finite_with_hyper_second_one_same_with_first_one}
\end{figure}

Inspired by \citet{rasmussen1999infinite} and further discussed by \citet{gorur2010dirichlet}, they introduced a hyperprior on symmetric Dirichlet distribution prior. We here put a vague prior of Gamma shape on the concentration parameter $\alpha$ and use the standard $\boldsymbol\alpha$ setting where $\alpha_k = \alpha = \alpha_+/K$ for $k=1, \ldots, K$.

\begin{equation}
\alpha | a, b \sim \mathrm{Gamma}(a, b) \Longrightarrow p(\alpha | a,b) \propto \alpha^{a-1} e^{-b\alpha}.
\end{equation}

To get the conditioned posterior distributions on $\alpha$ we need to derive the conditioned posterior distributions on all the other parameters,. But for a graphical model, this conditional distribution is a function only of the nodes in the Markov blanket. In our case, the Bayesian finite Gaussian mixture model, a Directed acyclic graphical (DAG) model, the Markov blanket includes the parents, the children, and the co-parents, as shown in Figure \ref{fig:gmm_finite_with_hyper_second_one_same_with_first_one}. From this graphical representation, we can find the Markov blanket for each parameter in the model, and then figure out their conditional posterior distribution to be derived:
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
p(\alpha | \bm{\pi}, a, b) &\propto p(\alpha | a,b) p(\bm{\pi} | \alpha) \\
					&\propto \alpha^{a-1} e^{-b\alpha} \frac{\Gamma(K \alpha)}{\prod_{k=1}^K \Gamma(\alpha)} \prod_{k=1}^K \pi_k^{\alpha-1} \\
					&= \alpha^{a-1} e^{-b\alpha} (\pi_1 \ldots \pi_K)^{\alpha-1} \frac{\Gamma(K\alpha)}{[\Gamma(\alpha)]^K}.
\end{aligned}
\end{equation}

The following two theorems give the proof that the conditional posterior distribution of $\alpha$ is log-concave.

\begin{theorem}
Define
\begin{equation}
G(x) = \frac{\Gamma(K x)}{[\Gamma(x)]^K}.
\label{equation:gx_log_concave2}
\end{equation}

For $x > 0$ and an arbitrary positive integer $K$,  the function G is strictly log-concave.
\end{theorem}\label{theorem:gx_log_concave2}

\begin{proof}

From \citet{abramowitz1966handbook} we get $\Gamma(Kx) = (2\pi)^{\frac{1}{2}(1-K)} K^{K x-\frac{1}{2} } \prod_{i=0}^{K-1}\Gamma(x + \frac{i}{K})$.  Then

\begin{equation}
\log G(x) = \frac{1}{2}(1-K) \log(2\pi) + (Kx - \frac{1}{2})\log K + \sum_{i=0}^{K-1} \log \Gamma(x + \frac{i}{K}) - K \log \Gamma(x)
\end{equation}
and
\begin{equation}
[\log G(x)]^\prime =K \log K + \sum_{i=0}^{K-1} \Psi(x + \frac{i}{K}) - K \Psi(x),
\end{equation}
where $\Psi(x)$ is the Digamma function, and

\begin{equation}
\Psi^\prime(x)  = \sum_{h=0}^\infty \frac{1}{(x+h)^2}.
\label{equation:fbgmm_hyperprior_digamma_derivative2}
\end{equation}

Thus
\begin{equation}
[\log G(x)]^{\prime \prime} = \left[\sum_{i=0}^{K-1} \Psi^\prime(x + \frac{i}{K}) \right]- K \Psi^\prime(x) < 0, \quad (x>0).
\end{equation}
The last inequality comes from (\ref{equation:fbgmm_hyperprior_digamma_derivative2}) and concludes the theorem.

\end{proof}

This theorem is a general case of Theorem 1 in \citet{merkle1997log}.

\begin{theorem}
In $p(\alpha | \bm{\pi}, a, b)$, when $a \geq 1$, $p(\alpha | \bm{\pi}, a, b)$ is log-concave
\end{theorem}

\begin{proof}
It is easy to verify that $ \alpha^{a-1} e^{-b\alpha} (\pi_1 \ldots \pi_K)^{\alpha-1} $ is log-concave when $a \geq 1$. In view of that the product of two log-concave functions is log-concave and Theorem \ref{theorem:gx_log_concave2}, it follows that $\frac{\Gamma(K\alpha)}{[\Gamma(\alpha)]^K}$ is log-concave. This concludes the proof.
\end{proof}

From the two theorems above, we can find the conditional posterior for $\alpha$ depends only on the weight of each cluster. The distribution $p(\alpha | \bm{\pi}, a, b)$ is log-concave, so we may efficiently generate independent samples from this distribution using Adaptive Rejection Sampling (ARS) technique \citep{gilks1992adaptive}.

Although the proposed hyperprior on Dirichlet distribution prior for mixture model  is generic, we focus on its application in Gaussian mixture models for concreteness. We develop a collapsed Gibbs sampling algorithm based on \cite{neal2000markov} for posterior computation.

Let $\mathcal{X}$ be the observations, assumed to follow a mixture of multivariate Gaussian distributions. We use a conjugate Normal-Inverse-Wishart (NIW) prior $p(\boldsymbol\mu, \boldsymbol\Sigma | \boldsymbol\beta)$ for the mean vector $\boldsymbol\mu$ and covariance matrix $\boldsymbol\Sigma$ in each multivariate Gaussian component, where $\boldsymbol\beta$ consists of all the hyperparameters in NIW. A key quantity in a collapsed Gibbs sampler is the probability of each customer $i$ sitting with table $k$: $p(z_i = k | \mathbf{z}_{-i}, \mathcal{X}, \alpha, \boldsymbol\beta)$, where $\mathbf{z}_{-i}$ are the seating assignments of all the other customers and $\alpha$ is the concentration parameter in Dirichlet distribution. This probability is calculated as follows:
\begin{equation}
\begin{aligned}
p(z_i = k| \mathbf{z}_{-i}, \mathcal{X} , \alpha, \boldsymbol\beta)  & \varpropto p(z_i = k | \mathbf{z}_{-i}, \alpha, \cancel{\boldsymbol\beta})  p(\mathcal{X} |z_i = k, \mathbf{z}_{-i}, \cancel{\alpha}, \boldsymbol\beta) \\
& = p(z_i = k| \mathbf{z}_{-i}, \alpha) p(\mathbf{x}_i |\mathcal{X}_{-i}, z_i = k, \mathbf{z}_{-i}, \boldsymbol\beta) p(\mathcal{X}_{-i} |\cancel{z_i = k}, \mathbf{z}_{-i}, \boldsymbol\beta)\\
& \varpropto p(z_i = k| \mathbf{z}_{-i}, \alpha) p(\mathbf{x}_i|\mathcal{X}_{-i}, z_i = k, \mathbf{z}_{-i}, \boldsymbol\beta) \\
& \varpropto p(z_i = k| \mathbf{z}_{-i}, \alpha) p(\mathbf{x}_i | \mathcal{X}_{k,-i}, \boldsymbol\beta),
\end{aligned}
\label{equation:sdir_fmm_collabsed_gibbs}
\end{equation}
where $\mathcal{X}_{k,-i}$ are the observations in table $k$ excluding the $i^{th}$ observation. Algorithm~\ref{algo:sdir_fmm_plain_gibbs} gives the pseudo code of the collapsed Gibbs sampler to implement hyperprior for Dirichlet distribution prior in Gaussian mixture models. Note that ARS may require even 10-20 times the computational effort per iteration over sampling once from a gamma density and there is the issue of mixing being worse if we don't marginalize out the $\pi$ in updating $\alpha$.  So this might have a very large impact on effective sample size (ESS) of the Markov chain. Hence, marginalizing out $\pi$ and using an approximation to the conditional distribution (perhaps with correction through an accept/reject step via usual Metropolis-Hastings or even just using importance weighting without the accept/reject) or even just a Metropolis-Hastings normal random walk for $\log(\alpha)$ may be much more efficient than ARS in practice. We here only introduce the updating by ARS.

\IncMargin{1em}
\begin{algorithm}
\SetKwData{Left}{left}\SetKwData{This}{this}\SetKwData{Up}{up}
\SetKwFunction{Union}{Union}\SetKwFunction{FindCompress}{FindCompress}
\SetKwInOut{Input}{input}\SetKwInOut{Output}{output}
\Input{Choose an initial $\bm{z}$, $\alpha$ and $\boldsymbol\beta$;}
\BlankLine

\For{$T$ iterations}{
\For{$i \leftarrow 1$ \KwTo $N$}{
	Remove $\mathbf{x}_i$'s statistics from component $z_i$ \;
	\For{$k\leftarrow 1$ \KwTo $K$}{
		Calculate $p(z_i=k| \mathbf{z}_{-i}, \alpha)$ \;
		Calculate $p(\mathbf{x}_i | \mathcal{X}_{k,-i}, \boldsymbol\beta)$\;
		Calculate $p(z_i = k | \mathbf{z}_{-i}, \mathcal{X}, \alpha, \boldsymbol\beta) \propto p(z_i=k| \mathbf{z}_{-i}, \alpha) p(\mathbf{x}_i | \mathcal{X}_{k,-i}, \boldsymbol\beta)$\;
	}
	Sample $k_{new}$ from $p(z_i | \mathbf{z}_{-i}, \mathcal{X}, \alpha, \boldsymbol\beta)$ after normalizing\;
	Add $\mathbf{x}_i$'s statistics to the component $z_i=k_{new}$ \;
}
$\star$ Draw current weight variable $\bm{\pi} = \{\pi_1, \pi_2, \ldots, \pi_K\}$ \;
$\star$ Update $\alpha$ using ARS\;
}
\caption{Collapsed Gibbs sampler for a finite Gaussian mixture model with hyperprior on Dirichlet distribution}\label{algo:sdir_fmm_plain_gibbs}
\end{algorithm}\DecMargin{1em}

\section{Experiments}
In the following experiments we evaluate the effect of a hyperprior on symmetric Dirichlet prior in finite Bayesian mixture model.

\subsection{Synthetic simulation}
The parameters of the simulations are as follows, where $K_0$ is the true cluster number. And we use $K$ to indicate the cluster number we used in the test:

Sim 1: $K_0=3$, with $N$=300, $\bm{\pi}$=\{0.5, 0.3, 0.2\}, $\bm{\mu}$=\{-5, 0, 5\} and $\bm{\sigma}$=\{1, 1, 1\};

In the test we put $\alpha \sim \mathrm{Gamma}(1, 1)$ as the hyperprior. Figure~\ref{fig:hyperdirichlet_sim1_traceplot_and_table} shows the result on Sim 1 with different set of $K$. Figure~\ref{fig:hyperdirichlet_sim1_alpha_several_k} shows the posterior density of $\alpha$ in each set of $K$. We can find that the larger $K-K_0$, the smaller the poserior mean of $\alpha$. This is what we expect, as the larger overfitting, the smaller $\alpha$ will shrink the weight vector in the edge of a probability simplex.

\begin{figure}[!ht]
    \centering

    \includegraphics[height = 4.4cm, width = 0.32\textwidth]{img_sdir/ALPHA_TEST_result_gibbs_n300_ki-3_dirichlet(1-1)_sim-hand/traceplot.pdf}
    \qquad
\begin{tabular}[b]{cccccc}\hline
Sim 1 & \begin{tabular}[c]{@{}c@{}}NMI\\ (SE)\end{tabular}       & \begin{tabular}[c]{@{}c@{}}VI\\ (SE)\end{tabular}         & \begin{tabular}[c]{@{}c@{}}$\overline{K}$\\ (SE)\end{tabular} & \begin{tabular}[c]{@{}c@{}}$\overline{\alpha}$\\ (SE)\end{tabular} & $\overline{\pi}_{-}$ \\ \hline
$K=3$ & \begin{tabular}[c]{@{}c@{}}0.931\\ (8.5e-5)\end{tabular} & \begin{tabular}[c]{@{}c@{}}0.203\\ (2.5e-4)\end{tabular}  & \begin{tabular}[c]{@{}c@{}}3.0\\ (0.0)\end{tabular}           & \begin{tabular}[c]{@{}c@{}}1.84\\ (5.4e-3)\end{tabular}           & 0.0                  \\
$K=4$ & \begin{tabular}[c]{@{}c@{}}0.869\\ (2.0e-4)\end{tabular} & \begin{tabular}[c]{@{}c@{}}0.437\\ (7.7e-4)\end{tabular} & \begin{tabular}[c]{@{}c@{}}3.842\\ (2.6e-3)\end{tabular}      & \begin{tabular}[c]{@{}c@{}}1.43\\ (5.2e-3)\end{tabular}           & 0.08                 \\
$K=5$ & \begin{tabular}[c]{@{}c@{}}0.843\\ (2.7e-4)\end{tabular} & \begin{tabular}[c]{@{}c@{}}0.560\\ (11.1e-4)\end{tabular} & \begin{tabular}[c]{@{}c@{}}4.508\\ (3.2e-3)\end{tabular}      & \begin{tabular}[c]{@{}c@{}}1.01\\ (4.5e-3)\end{tabular}           & 0.12                 \\
$K=6$ & \begin{tabular}[c]{@{}c@{}}0.846\\ (3.3e-4)\end{tabular} & \begin{tabular}[c]{@{}c@{}}0.564\\ ( 14.9e-4)\end{tabular} & \begin{tabular}[c]{@{}c@{}}4.703\\ (5.2e-3)\end{tabular}      & \begin{tabular}[c]{@{}c@{}}0.618\\ (3.9e-3)\end{tabular}           & 0.11
\label{table:hyperdirichlet_sim1_posterior_summary}
\end{tabular}
\captionlistentry[table]{A table beside a figure}
\captionsetup{labelformat=andtable}
\caption{\textbf{Left:} An example of traceplot of Gibbs sampling using hyperprior on Dirichlet distribution for variances, weights and means when $K=3$ in Sim 1 (Upper one: variance; Middle one: weights; Bottom one: mean). \textbf{Right:} Summary of posterior distribution in Sim 1: NMI is the normalized mutual information between true clustering and the resulting clustering. VI is the variation of information between true clustering and resulting clustering. SE is the standard error of mean.  $\overline{K}$ is the average occupied number of cluster, $\overline{\alpha}$ is the average $\alpha$ during sampling, $\overline{\pi}_{-}$ is the average of extra weight.}
\label{fig:hyperdirichlet_sim1_traceplot_and_table}
\end{figure}

\begin{figure}[!h]
\centering
\subfigure[$K$=3]{\label{fig:sim1_alpha_k3}\includegraphics[width=0.34\textwidth]{img_sdir/alpha_posterior_ki-3.pdf}}
\subfigure[$K$=4]{\label{fig:sim1_alpha_k4}\includegraphics[width=0.34\textwidth]{img_sdir/alpha_posterior_ki-4.pdf}}
\subfigure[$K$=5]{\label{fig:sim1_alpha_k5}\includegraphics[width=0.34\textwidth]{img_sdir/alpha_posterior_ki-5.pdf}}
\subfigure[$K$=6]{\label{fig:sim1_alpha_k6}\includegraphics[width=0.34\textwidth]{img_sdir/alpha_posterior_ki-6.pdf}}
\caption{Posterior distribution for $\alpha$ in different overfitting settings in Sim 1.}
\label{fig:hyperdirichlet_sim1_alpha_several_k}
\end{figure}

\section{Conclusion}
We have proposed a new hyperprior on symmetric Dirichlet distribution in finite Bayesian mixture model. This hyperprior can learn the concentration parameter in Dirichlet prior due to over-fitting of the mixture model. The larger the overfitting (i.e. $K-K_0$ is larger, more overfitting), the smaller the concentration parameter.

Although \citet{rousseau2011asymptotic} proved that $\overline{\alpha}$=max$(\alpha_k, k \leqslant K)<D/2$, the extra components are emptied at a rate of $N^{-1/2}$, it is still risky to use such small $\alpha$ in practice, for example, how much do we over-fit (i.e. how large the $K-K_0$). If $K-K_0$ is small, we will get very poor mixing from MCMC. Some efforts has been done further by \citet{van2015overfitting}. But simple hyperprior on Dirichlet distribution will somewhat release the burden.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


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Subaru has donated more than $4.5 million dollars to
Make A Wish, helping to grant 610 wishes in the U.S.
Did Sheehy Subaru Hagerstown go above and beyond, provide exceptional service, or support causes that are important to you? We'd love to hear about it.
Love Promise Stories from Sheehy Subaru Hagerstown
Subaru and Sheehy Subaru Hagerstown believe in making a positive impact on the communities in which we live and work. We uphold that belief through our Love Promise Community Commitment. Every month, we select inspiring stories from customers and partners from around our area who strive to support our collective commitment and feature them here
Sheehy of Hagerstown brings reading to life – RHONDA S
General Manager at Sheehy Subaru of Hagerstown delivered 150 books to Williamsport Elementary School in Williamsport MD in October as part of Subaru's Love Promise Initiative. "Being a part of Washington Counties Community is who we are is what we do. Supporting our community around us helps everyone." Says Anthony. He also stated that having the ability to delivery books and see the faces of the teachers and children brought light into his eyes. Williamsport Elementary School is one of many Magnet programs in Washington County Md. A Magnet Program is a highly competitive gifted and talented programs for identified gifted and talented students. These advanced programs that are designed for the most highly gifted students in the county. Students must be invited to apply to elementary and middle school magnet programs. Sheehy Auto Stores recently acquired Sharrett Subaru in September 2019.


text:
Mexico's Suit Against U.S. Gun Companies May Seek More Than A Court Win
By James Fredrick
Published August 7, 2021 at 8:00 AM EDT
Bullet cases are seen on the ground at a crime scene after Mexico City's Public Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch was wounded in an attack, in Mexico City, on June 26, 2020.
MEXICO CITY — Hit men from the Jalisco New Generation Cartel rolled into a swanky Mexico City neighborhood on the morning of June 26, 2020, planning to assassinate the capital's police chief. They carried three Barrett .50 caliber sniper rifles, a Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol and 5.56mm caliber carbine, a Ruger 5.56mm caliber rifle and a Colt 5.56mm caliber carbine. After a terrifying shootout, two police officers and a civilian were killed, the police chief was wounded, and a drug cartel once again showed that it is armed like special forces.
The incident is featured in an unprecedented lawsuit by the Mexican government to expand responsibility for gun violence. On Wednesday, the Mexican government sued American gun-makers and distributors in U.S. federal court for damages caused by illicit firearms. The defendants include Smith & Wesson, Barrett, Ruger, Colt and several others.
The lawsuit aims to "make the defendant companies compensate the government of Mexico for the damage caused by their negligent practices," said Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard, who presented the suit filed in Massachusetts federal court. The Mexican government estimates $10 billion in damages from economic loss.
The companies have not commented publicly. But a trade association for the U.S. gun industry, the National Shooting Sport Foundation, rejected the allegations.
The lawsuit is a long shot in American courts, legal experts say. But for Mexico, it's about more than the courtroom.
"The Mexican government wants to put arms trafficking at the center of the conversation with the United States," says Cecilia Farfán-Méndez, the head of security research programs at the University of California, San Diego's Center for US-Mexico Studies. "They're saying, 'You're concerned about drug trafficking, well we're just as concerned about firearms trafficking.'"
Mexico has strict gun laws but is awash in guns
Yuri Cortez / AFP via Getty Images
U.S.-made M4A1 rifles with grenade launchers, part of an arsenal seized from the Jalisco New Generation Cartel in 2012 in Mexico City.
In Mexico, it's next to impossible for citizens to legally buy a gun. The one firearms store is owned by the military and it issues fewer than 50 permits per year, according to the government. But that hasn't stopped millions of firearms from circulating around the country.An estimated 200,000 firearms are illegally trafficked in from the U.S. every year, according to the U.S. government. Between 70% and 90% of firearms found at crime scenes in Mexico are traced back to the United States. In 2020, there were 24,617 homicides with a firearm in Mexico.
"All border security is directed towards stopping drugs from going into the US, not to identify arms going south," says Carlos Pérez Ricart, a professor of international relations at the Center for Economic Research and Training in Mexico City. "A single cell of three or four people can traffic between 300 and 400 arms into Mexico every year, no problem."
Manufacturers allegedly "attract and arm" cartels
The lawsuit alleges the arms companies aren't simply negligent but they also "design, market, distribute, and sell guns in ways they know routinely arm the drug cartels in Mexico."
The suit lists a striking example: Colt's .38-caliber "Emiliano Zapata 1911" edition. The gold-plated pistol is engraved with a Zapata quote: "It's better to die standing than to live on your knees." The gun is coveted by cartel bosses, according to local media reports. It was the weapon used to murder Mexican investigative journalist Miroslava Breach in 2017. The lawsuit provides several other examples of manufacturers allegedly tailoring products to cartel preferences.
The National Shooting Sport Foundation called all the allegations "baseless."
"The Mexican government is responsible for the rampant crime and corruption within their own borders," Lawrence Keane, the foundation's senior vice president and general counsel, said in a statement. "It is these cartels that criminally misuse firearms illegally imported into Mexico or stolen from the Mexican military and law enforcement. Rather than seeking to scapegoat law-abiding American businesses, Mexican authorities must focus their efforts on bringing the cartels to justice."
The Mexican complaint cites dozens of media reports, academic investigations and government briefs to allege the companies sell weapons knowing they will end up in cartel hands.
"Gun companies do know that a significant percentage of their products end up in the hands of cartels," Ioan Grillo, author of Blood Gun Money: How America Arms Gangs and Cartels, tells NPR. (He is one of the sources cited in the government's complaint.) "And the way that the products arrive in certain places, I think there's a case that they kind of see a market and know cartels are a significant part of this market."
Grillo says arms sales in border states like Texas, New Mexico and Arizona reflect the cartel demand for their preferred weapons, such as AK-47-style arms sold by defendant Century Arms and Barrett's .50-caliber sniper rifle.
The suit is a long shot
Arms manufacturers will almost certainly motion for dismissal, according to legal experts, but the Mexican government is hoping the allegations are taken seriously by a judge.
"It seems like a stronger case than at first blush," says Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond. The Mexican government "would argue the case shouldn't be dismissed because the information they need to prove [allegations like this] is in the hands of the manufacturers and they should be able to see documents, they should be able to depose the relevant players."
It's an uphill battle. The first hurdle to overcome is a 2005 law in the U.S., the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. It makes civil lawsuits against arms manufacturers, like the one filed by the Mexican government, almost impossible.
But Tobias says the Mexican government has argued that the commerce in arms lawshould not apply because of past Supreme Court decisions related to tort law abroad.
Additionally, gun-maker Remington — not named in the Mexican lawsuit — recently offered to settle with family members of the Sandy Hook massacre in a lawsuit claiming its marketing practices contributed to the massacre. This development is encouraging news for the Mexican government.
Mexico is resetting drug war cooperation
But even if the lawsuit fails, it has another objective.
"This neutralizes the U.S. argument for the drug war, it gives the Mexican government leverage negotiating with the U.S.," says Pérez Ricart.
For example, when U.S. officials complain that the Drug Enforcement Administration doesn't have enough leeway to work in Mexico, the Mexican government is now responding with complaints about arms trafficking.
In July, the Mexican government said it was done with the Mérida Initiative, the U.S.-Mexico drug war security agreement dating back to 2008, and wants to create new avenues for cooperation. The U.S. government may even welcome all these developments, says Farfán-Méndez at UC San Diego.
"I don't think [the U.S. government] would interpret the lawsuit as a hostile maneuver or anything," she says. "They actually might be happy if it goes somewhere in court because it's a way to start dealing with the issue."
Since President Biden has indicated he wants to bring back an assault weapons ban and implement other gun control measures, the U.S. and Mexican governments may share legislative priorities on firearms.
The Mexican government is a customer too
But Mexico's renewed focus on arms trafficking has one major contradiction, says Pérez Ricart.
"With one hand the Mexican government is suing these companies and with the other hand it's buying weapons from the same companies and distributing them to the military and police forces," he says.
National security protections make the extent of Mexican military purchases difficult to calculate, but defendants Colt, Glock and Barrett have all sold weapons to the Mexican armed forces over the last decade.
Mexican security forces — including police at all levels and the military — are also guilty of atrocities committed with firearms.
Poor oversight means an unknown number of these legally purchased guns also end up on the black market. In the last two years, 341 long arms and 1,075 pistols from police and military forces have been reported "missing" in Mexico, though experts suspect the real figure is much higher.
"It doesn't matter if they are legal or illegal," says Pérez Ricart. "There are too many guns in Mexico." He says stopping illegal trafficking isn't enough to end Mexico's frightening levels of gun violence.
James Fredrick
See stories by James Fredrick


MTI Consulting facilitated a Bangladesh business conglomerate, the Gemcon Group, to explore Ethiopia (with the rest of Africa to follow) for mainstream infrastructure and engineering business through MTI's Associate in Ethiopia.
A Gemcon delegation visited Addis Ababa recently.
Gemcon Limited is one of the largest manufacturers of Spun Pre-stressed Concrete (SPC) poles in Bangladesh. Since its formation in 1980, Gemcon Limited has made it possible for urban and rural areas of Bangladesh to benefit from electricity distribution. The company has decided to expand their operations beyond Bangladesh and has enlisted MTI Consulting to assist their entry to the electricity distribution market in Africa.
Ethiopia, the second fastest growing economy in Africa, was selected as a starting point for market entry and via MTI's Associate in Ethiopia - BCaD Consulting, a delegation from Gemcon Limited recently visited the capital of Addis Ababa. During the trip, the delegation from Bangladesh visited an Ethiopian SPC manufacturing plant. BCaD Consulting Management has been operating for two decades and carries out a wide range of business support activities through high calibre multi-disciplinary professionals in various fields – using both custom made models and internationally anchored ones for facilitating enterprise competitiveness.
BCaD Consulting has also worked with a large number of leading multilateral organisations/donor agencies such as the World Bank, ILO, USAID, Oxfam, SNV, and GIZ on multiple projects in areas such as entrepreneurship/micro enterprise development, capacity development training, financial education.
MTI Consulting is an internationally-networked boutique management consultancy, offering advisory services in strategy, strategic planning, corporate re-structuring, process re-engineering, performance management and international market entry.
Since its launch in 1997, MTI has worked on over 640 assignments in 43 countries, covering a diverse range of industries, clients and business challenges.


text:
From the 'Oden' ship's diary
2007.08.31 - Pirouette surveys of the Morris Jesup Rise
Survey results courtesy ODEN - Click to view larger image.
We continued moving towards the northern steep slope of the Morris Jesup Rise, where the Danish project has as a goal to map the foot of it.
When "ODEN" is breaking heavy ice using all her 25,000 hp we do not get much depth information from the multibeam, only some pings here and there pass through the noise and crushed up ice, so a new style of multibeam mapping was invented, which proved to be very efficient in these tough ice conditions.
To get good depth data we need either to break the ice as gently as possible or break a ship's length of ice, then back up while measuring the seafloor with multibeam. This is very time consuming.
Instead we found that we could break through the ice along our intended track until we found some smaller cracks or openings in the ice where we could spin the icebreaker 360 degrees while collecting data. In this way we efficiently covered the seafloor around us with a radius equal to the multibeam swath.
For example in 4000 m we could, during the most favourable conditions, measure with a radius of more than 10,000 m around the ship.
Our mapping soon showed that the northern slope of Morris Jesup Rise was wrongly placed on available bathymetric maps and also incredibly steep.
About Oden
The Icebreaker "ODEN" is owned and managed by the Swedish Maritime Administration. It is built by Götaverken-Arendal in Gothenburg in 1987, is 107 metre long with 19 crewmembers and a top-speed of 15 knots. It is fitted with the following KONGSBERG equipment:
EM 122 12 kHz multibeam echo sounder
SBP 120 sub-bottom profiler


What links did Picasso maintain with non-Western arts? This question, frequently addressed, was however avoided by the artist himself for a long time. This exhibition aims to decipher a relationship born of admiration, respect and fear.
The exhibition is organized by the musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, in collaboration with the Musée National Picasso-Paris.


text:
Q: Ruby - protect a variable while iterating through a loop I'm trying to perform an action with a nested array through a loop.  The loop executes once but then I get a nomethod error because the variable is not reset.
array = [[9, 2, 0, 0], [4, 1, 2, 2], [7, 1, 5, 5], [6, 1, 3, 1]]
comments = [[0, 0, 0], [1, 1, 1], [2, 2, 2]]

def shift_comments(array)
  array.each {|x| x.shift}
end

def map_distance_coordinants(array)
  array2 = array.map {|x,y| [Math.sqrt(x*x + y*y)]}
  array2
end

def input_is_comment_format(array, comments)

  distance_coordinants = shift_comments(comments)

  mapped_coordinanats = map_distance_coordinants(distance_coordinants)

  print mapped_coordinanats
  print comments
end

i = 0
while i < array.length
  input_is_comment_format(array[i], comments)
  i += 1
end

Returns:
[[0.0], [1.4142135623730951], [2.8284271247461903]][[0, 0], [1, 1], [2, 2]]
temp4.rb:9:in `block in map_distance_coordinants': undefined method `*' for nil:NilClass (NoMethodError)

How do I protect 'comments' so that I can use it for each iteration of the loop?  Thanks.

A: You could use dup:
input_is_comment_format(array[i], comments.dup)

so you have a copy of the array to work with and your original array won't be modified.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Vote: What Do You Want to Know about Medicare for All?
Tell us which question you'd like answered.
Kanyakrit Vongkiatkajorn
Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call
Last month, we asked for your questions about Medicare for All, a health care proposal that's becoming an increasingly popular campaign promise among 2020 Democratic candidates. Though Sen. Bernie Sanders has long advocated for Medicare for All, newcomers such as South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg have also weighed in.
We received dozens of questions, and selected five that our reporters are most interested in exploring. Vote for which question you want answered in the poll below, or, if you're unable to see the form, click on this link.
We'll be collecting votes until Wednesday, April 10th.
What Do You Want to Know About Medicare-for-All?


"This has been the first time I've ever had to seek legal assistance and I'm so glad I called you. Jennifer has been above & beyond helpful and answered any and all questions. I have recommended you to some friends that may need your expertise. Thank you again to Jennifer Boyer and her staff"
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"I as a client of Kellum Law Firm I would greatly give the Kellum Law Firm and staff a 5 star rating. They were very, professional, courteous and kind and I would request anyone else too them. I thank you all for a job well done. You all be bless!!!"
"Great job in all offices People were very helpful in all aspects Thank you!!!"
"They were NOT with me all the way, in fact, they had a separate law firm take over shortly after hiring them for an "in the bag" case. The lawyer they sent me to called to ask the same question THREE TIMES and stopped calling himself when I called him out on it. He was unprepared and obviously had done no research in preparation for my case. I settled for the simple fact that I wasn't putting my trust in them to get me a better deal. Terrible experience."


Keyword optimization is known as analyzing and selecting words to target in order to drive traffic from search engines to your website. The keywords that you choose are crucial for your search engine marketing. If you want your website to land on the front page of Google, use keywords that your customers use to find your business!
Keyword optimization is one of the hardest tasks in search engine marketing. This is the main way your business is going to be found. Your marketing team needs to get together to evaluate what your target audience is searching for. Whether paid or organic search, if you do not pick the proper words or phrases then you will fall behind the competition. You want to consistently update your keywords, as they are always changing. Keeping a continuous keyword analysis and expanding your database, will allow you to see your site traffic, leads, and sales grow!
Determining what keywords to put in place can be difficult. Your business should consider these factors of keywords: keyword popularity, relevance, and intent. Keyword popularity means that a word is very popular and is searched by many people. The more popular the keyword, the more traffic you will receive. It is important to target the most popular keywords as well as the less competitive ones. You want your website to be easily accessible. Stay away from complicated words or phrases that the average person would not search for.
Keyword relevance is crucial for your business to stay ahead of the competition. You will want to continuously update your keywords with what is new on your website. You cannot have words that are intended for products and services you presented a year ago. Your business needs to keep updated information so your customers do not fall behind.
You should aim to optimize for the high intent keywords rather than keywords of low intent. As you see the value of your keywords increase you will soon see your website traffic increase along with it!


Living in New Hampshire provides challenges to the plant pallet. Knowledge of plant material is extremely important when selecting trees and shrubs for your home. Let us help you select plant material that will survive and thrive through the harsh New England winters.


Golra Sharif: Mufti Mushtaq Ahmed Chishti , the main mufti of Golra Sharif passed away on tuesday 22nd April, 2014. He was a Khatib at darbar e Alia Ghosia Mehria Golra Sharif. Namaz e Janaza of Sheikh ul Hadis o Tafseer Hazrat Allama Molana Mufti Mushtaq Ahmed Chishti will be today (22nd April 2014) with namaz e asr at Darbar e Alia Ghosia Mehria Golra Sharif.
Golra Sharif is a town situated near the Margalla Hills, in the Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan, at about 520 m (1,710 ft) above sea level, 17 km (11 mi) from the ancient city of Taxila. The shrine in Golra Sharif has a lot of importance for the people of the Pothohar Plateau and yearly anniversary of the Pir Meher Ali Shah (RA) is attended by thousands every year to pay their regards.
Golra Sharif is a shrine of the Sufi Mystic Pir Meher Ali Shah in Islamabad, Pakistan. Hazrart Pir Meher Ali Shah (RA) received there Faiz, spiritual guidance and are the mureed of Shams Ul Arafin Pir Sial Lajpal of Sial Shareef in Sargohdah.


East Coast Vapors is the hottest vape lounge in Philly. Visit us now to kick back and relax!
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Getting started with a vape is easier than you might think. We offer starter kits and are more than happy to help you learn how to use an e-cigarette properly. The fun is in personalizing your accessories and choosing exciting new flavors to try. You can get it all in our shop and hang around to try it out in our vape lounge's relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.
We sell accessories for vaporizers as well as flavorings for the vapor itself.The world of e-cigarettes is constantly evolving and improving, and we are happy to stay up-to-date on all the new options available.
Stop in today to learn a little more about personal vapors and why they might be a great choice for you! Our customer service is simply the best. We would be more than happy to get you started today!


On the shores of Lake Ray Roberts State Park, surrounded by prestigious equestrian estates.
Pilot Point is designated as a Texas Scenic City.
August 07, 2017 Bonnie & Clyde Days Strike Pilot Point Again!
We hosted a meeting in our offices, to discuss our long term interests to remain and build in the Pilot Point area. We got immediate references to granting agencies with interest in our field, and agreed to stay in contact to work on the longer term, more strategic issues.


Osaka, Japan, October 10, 2018 - Bulgaria Captain Hristina Ruseva: We are really happy that today we won and all of the girls gave all their heart. This was a really important game for us and I am really happy and really proud. Thailand have incredible defence and play really good with all those combinations and good service. It was really hard and a really different type of play, so I am really happy that we took our concentration and we won today.
Bulgaria Coach Ivan Petkov: We are really happy after this game because of how we fought for the victory. I think that today we showed our great character because we played against a team which has a lot of confidence and is very difficult to play against.
Thailand Captain Pleumjit Thinkaow: It was a tough game because Bulgaria has good speed and technique compared to other European teams. We could not play our way. It was unfortunate that we lost a lot of points in a row due to their strong serve. We have a limited number of players because of injuries but in training we have been trying different positions just in case we need to cover this, so our training has been good from this aspect.
Thailand Coach Danai Sriwachamaytakul: Today's game was really difficult because Bulgaria has good speed and a strong attack. In the first set we could not cope with Bulgaria's game plan especially their serve and block but in the second and third sets we could react well to that. Our team numbers are limited but tomorrow is our last game and we hope to end with a win.


In early October 2018, AHIB completed the sale of City Center Place Apartments, a senior designated, Section 42 LIHTC property in downtown Birmingham, Alabama. The well-maintained property was originally constructed in 1998. It was financed with a combination of Section 42 LIHTC funds and HOME Loans from the Alabama Housing Finance Agency (AHFA) and the City of Birmingham. The property operates under regulatory agreements for both the LIHTC funds and HOME funds.
The property's non-profit board selected AHIB to confidentially market the asset. AHIB procured multiple offers from local, regional and national buyers. The selected buyer was experienced with affordable housing properties and successfully assumed a portion of the HOME Loans.


Got my first elk last year, an older bull. The backstraps and loins were amazingly tender, the rest is pretty dang tough. Every so often I get lucky and find some steaks in the freezer that turn out decent and anything I slow cook (roasts, crockpot shredded taco meat) have been great.
I cook elk steaks to 130-135 internally so rare/med rare and make sure the grill or skillet is hot to sear the outside.
I am not interested in sous vide as a cooking method.
As we go into the final countdown before archery season, what are some things people should be doing; field to freezer, to make sure their meat is the best it can be when prepared for a meal?
Cooled quickly? Aged in a fridge? Double wrapped in freezer paper? Marinade for 24 hours? Soak in milk? What's your secret?
Run it through a cuber and cook rare. It will help.
I pack out elk meat on the bone. I don't know if it helps meat quality but it might. It's also easier to handle for me but it is heavier.
I thaw frozen game meat (not burger) well ahead of when I plan to cook it. At least 5 days, maybe longer. It's a type of aging that seems to help.
Cooking sirloin and top round steaks and loins. I use a reverse sear method for medium rare. Low heat in smoker or oven to 118-120. Then sear in hot skillet or on hot grill for only a minute per side. Rest. I usually don't marinade loins or thick steaks. I like to cook loin (backstraps) in large pieces rather than cut into steaks. Easier for me to keep it medium rare.
Sometimes a few of the cuts will just be tougher than others even within the same animal. I don't mind using a Jaccard tenderizer on round steak even if it's going in stew or for chicken fry.
Fact-Some cuts are just going to be tougher than others. But the key with any wild game is cooling as fast as possible. However, some cuts of meat and some animals are just tough and not much you can do about it. Sounds to me, like you are doing everything right. My "tricks" are simple: Adolph meat tenderizer, tenderizing hammer, ample larding or wrapping and cook slow and low to medium rare. That said, the Scandanavians have a tenderizing method that does seem to work. Thaw and re-freeze several times.
First bull I killed was likely a 4 or 5.5 year old decent 6 point. We deboned; but it was after rigor had already set in, backstraps were great and burger was fantastic, but the rest was just a little bit tough. Small raghorn I shot last year I made more burger out of other non-prime cuts as both my wife and I enjoyed the burger more than some of the steaks from the first bull. Was a big mistake in hindsight as overall that animal was substantially more tender, and we did pack it out on the bone so who knows.
I am starting believe what I read about rigor mortis and it needing to take place. A few years ago I was able to shoot a cow at first light right near the road. She was smallish I would guess 1 1/2 YO but I am less than perfect at that. Anyway I double lunged her she never saw it coming. She bounded off not like a crazed animal and went about 70 yards and tipped over. I had the meat sacks in the freezer cooling by 10 am that day as it was maybe a 1/4 mile pack job for 2 guys. We had her processed that day and she was froze by dawn the next day. I thought it was going to be the best thing I had ever put in this yap. I was wrong it was tough as heck. Maybe the toughest I have ever eaten. Tasted great though. Now I am careful to not let it get solid in the freezer for a couple days. Cool asap but keep from freezing solid for a couple days. Seems to be working but no 2 elk are done the same due to temps logistics ect. One thing I have learned is that when an elk is killed in the evening we have great success with gutting. Pulling one hind quarter as it allows the hind end to cool. Split the neck to the chin and remove the esophagus. Roll it up on some logs so the air can get under it and cool the loins you don't want it laying on the ground. Nice and cool in the morning upon return. We leave undershirts on top of the carcass and string a clothes line above the carcass and hang a really thin noisy large trash bag over it. The slightest breeze will move the bag, with that and the scent from the shirts critters have not been a problem. Those elk seem to be the best in terms of cooled meat and tenderness.
The last 2 bulls I've killed at sun down and had them hanging in game bags within in an hour. I started cutting them up within 30 minutes of shooting. No rigor. Both were super tender. Last year I shot a mule deer with a rifle and got it in a sack and packed out immediately. It was like shoe leather. Same process as the elk. Not sure the difference other than I processed the MD in my kitchen the same day and it was in the freezer that night. The elk went to the butcher so I assume they hung for a few days?
I'm considering asking the butcher to hang my elk 5 days going forward. Thoughts????
My brother who is a chef told me to use something acidic to marinade. He recommends tomatoe juice or a can of stewed tomatoes... Do that overnight and grill.
My dad grew up on a farm and they always butchered all their own meat - Deer, Cattle & Hogs. I remember him joking (kind of) that they would let the deer "hang by the neck until the rope rotted off". Obviously not that long, but always at LEAST 5 days and 7 to 10 is even better, given the proper temperature conditions.
Sou s Vide for the steak. Instapot for everything else.
If the pack isn't too far, deboning only removes about 12-13 lbs from each leg.
I prefer to leave the quarters whole and hang them for two weeks before cutting.
If the pack out is a little longer, I will bone them to save some weight and then hang the bones meat in bags for a couple of weeks. The aging process is the same on or off the bone - it just cannot freeze!
The best elk meat I ever had was a bull we hung in a mine with ice on the floor. Hung it just past the ice where the temp was probably 34 to 36 for a month. Trimmed the white mold off and everything on that bull was like butter with great flavor!
Wish I still had access to that mine!
so you need to either freeze before rigor, or wait until rigor goes away?
Will rigor still proceed as normal if it's boned or quartered?
Last deer we did hung for less than 1 day and was stiff when we butchered it, wasn't all that tender, but not bad. Was warm, so we moved it along quick.
Once again....my meat handling theories are right in line with "Treeline". I age bone in for as long as possible. I`ll hang deer hair on for as long as 2-3 weeks in proper conditions. I see people kill a deer in the am and it`s in the freezer by the pm. Then they say they cook all the meat in a crotch pot....wonder why.
When packing it out, leave it on the bone while it rigormorts, and leave it on bone for a day or more after. That way it will not contract and get tough. That is for limb muscle only. All else, like backstrap, etc. can be deboned without getting tough. Like Lost Arra said.
I recently was on given some elk meat from two different bulls and just happened to get the exact same cut roast off each. One was very dark red and one more pinkish, the red one was much stiffer to the touch than the pink one was. Both tasted excellent, but the pink one was definitely more tender, I'm pretty sure both bulls were cared for the same and were shot and butchered by a man of some notoriety that's killed more stuff than smallpox and guides and takes care of animals for clients and knows what he is doing at a level most of us never will. The moral of my story is, wild meat is what it is and sometimes it's tough!
Lark, there are NO dumb questions. Well, asking for a general spot to hunt, not honey holes, with no show of homework.....that is pretty dumb. I prolly did it. Keep asking and sharing.
I hunt solo so the elk goes out deboned and stored on ice till I get home. Then it goes into the extra fridge for 5 to 7 days before I cut it up, that 5 to 7 days seems to make a huge difference. Shorter times seem to make for tougher meat, both deer and elk. The wife uses different marinades depending on what we are making and different cuts of meat are made into different dishes. The magic temp for a roast is 138 degrees.


text:
Q: Is there a compilation somewhere all kinds of whitespace: ascii and non-ascii whitespaces? I am working with documents of different sources (and also different languages) and I am having a lot of trouble with different definitions of whitespaces.
For instance '\xa0' does no belong to this list of wilipedia Whitespace
I want to replace all of them by ' '. For instance,
text = re.sub(r'\xa0', ' ', text)

A: U+00A0 is on that Wikipedia page you linked to, in the Unicode list.
I'd say that Unicode.org has the definitive list: http://unicode.org/cldr/utility/list-unicodeset.jsp?a=%5Cp%7Bwhitespace%7D