text:
\section{Introduction}
\label{section introduction}

Secret communication by means of basic ciphers and steganography has been used since antiquity.  By the time of World War II, mechanical cipher machines such as Germany's Enigma brought cryptography to an advanced level.  Cipher systems were designed with secret and complex construction and often made use of secret keys.  As new systems were being developed, cryptanalysts employed mathematics and espionage to break the secrecy of such systems, with substantial success.

The theoretical investigation of secret communication was formalized by Claude Shannon as a fundamental component of his broad theory of communication.  In his 1949 paper, ``Communication Theory of Secrecy Systems'' \cite{ShannonSecrecy49}, Shannon showed among other things that truly secret communication over a public channel cannot be achieved with less secret key than is needed for a Vernam cipher using a one-time pad.  The Vernam cipher utilizes shared secret key to hide the message via a bit-wise exclusive-or operation.  This produces a transmitted signal that is independent of the message if the key is an independent sequence of random bits, as with the one-time pad.  To formalize the study of secret communication, Shannon assumed that an eavesdropper knows everything about the encryption system except the secret key.  Furthermore, he allowed the eavesdropper to use unlimited computational resources to break the encryption.  These assumptions lay foundation for strong statements about secrecy.  However, the most famous result from this work is that perfect secrecy, where the ciphertext (transmission) reveals nothing about the plaintext (message), requires a secret key with as much entropy as the message itself.

Exchanging such large secret keys for perfect secrecy can be unrealistic.  Thus, the field has advanced through a number of different compromises:  computational limits on the eavesdropper; noisy public channels for communication; metrics for partial secrecy; etc.

Practical modern applications of cryptography have been mostly based on secrecy that is computationally difficult to discover.  Diffie and Hellman introduced in \cite{Diffie76newdirections} the use of asymmetric keys for cipher systems and trapdoor functions, which are easy to compute but hard to invert, to keep the keys secret.  Systems of this type maintain secrecy as long as the trapdoor function is not inverted for the particular key used.  To date, complexity theory has yet to provide certificates of proof that commonly used encryption systems are computationally difficult to break.  Nevertheless, in practice such systems have proven extremely useful.

Mathematical proofs of secrecy along the lines of Shannon have remained an active area of research.  Information theoretic secrecy may someday be a cost effective and desirable framework for encryption if an inexpensive method for secret key exchange is developed, which may come about through the use of quantum channels as pioneered by Bennett and Brassard \cite{BennettBrassard84}.  Additionally, quantum computing may bring security risks to the state-of-the-art cryptographic systems that don't provide information theoretic secrecy.  However, perhaps more importantly, the study of information theoretic secrecy builds a foundation of precise problems, with answers that provide important insights into the nature of secret communication.  These insights may be used to shape the development of practical systems for encryption in complex settings.

Since Shannon, various settings have been explored.  The wire-tap channel is a setting introduced by Wyner \cite{WynerWiretap75}, where the intended receiver and an eavesdropper each get different noisy versions of the transmitted signal.  If the eavesdropper has a noisier view of the signal than the intended receiver, then perfect secrecy can be achieved without the use of a secret key, although a low rate of communication might be required.  This has inspired related work on physical layer security.  Some settings allow for correlated (but not identically equal) measurements to be made by the various participants in consideration, from which they can derive a secret key or make inferences about the information source.  See, for example, \cite{4594958}.

Even in the simplest of settings, a general theory of secrecy must address partial secrecy.  The following section discusses this topic, which is the focus of this work.

\section{Partial Secrecy}

Most work on information theoretic security, including Shannon's \cite{ShannonSecrecy49} and Wyner's \cite{WynerWiretap75}, address the concept of imperfect or partial secrecy.  A widely used metric of partial secrecy is {\em equivocation}.  The term ``equivocation'' was used in an information theory context as early as Shannon's 1948 paper \cite{Shannon48}.  In the process of communicating through a noisy channel, the receiver of the communication may be confused (due to the noise) as to which signal was actually transmitted.  The goal of a reliable communication system is to remove the confusion.  For the purpose of providing an intuitive illustration, Shannon considered the analog transmission of a random information signal over a noisy channel.  The result is equivocation, in the English language sense of the word.  Because of the noise, the receiver cannot uniquely identify the meaning of the information, which is the source sequence that was transmitted.  Shannon quantified equivocation as the conditional entropy of the source sequence $X^n$ given the output of the channel $Y^n$.

In a secrecy system, equivocation of the information signal with respect to the eavesdropper's knowledge is a desirable outcome.  Let ${\cal E}$ represent everything that the eavesdropper knows.  If perfect secrecy is achieved, then the eavesdropper's knowledge, ${\cal E}$, is independent of the information, $X^n$.  In this case, the equivocation $H(X^n|{\cal E})$ is equal to its upper bound of $H(X^n)$.  On the other hand, if the equivocation is zero, then the eavesdropper knows the information perfectly.  Consequently, equivocation has been adopted repeatedly as a measurement of partial secrecy.  It is also a nice quantity to deal with for information theorists.  In a variety of work, including for example \cite{4594958}, the greatest possible equivocation is sought under the communication and secret key constraints.

Shannon referred extensively to equivocation in his landmark secrecy paper \cite{ShannonSecrecy49}.  He outlined the properties of equivocation that make it an intuitive and useful quantity to deal with.  However, the mathematical use of equivocation in his work served as an intermediate mechanism for determining how long a cipher can be used before it can be cracked with reasonable certainty.  In his setting, the roughly linear relationship between the equivocation of the secret key and the length of the ciphertext made the analysis of equivocation a useful avenue to the results.  The paper does not use equivocation as a metric of partial secrecy.

Equivocation is not a thoroughly motivated measurement for partial secrecy, but it does have some interesting consequences and properties.  For example, equivocation of a message implies a lower bound on the size of a list that an eavesdropper can reliably limit the message to.  If the eavesdropper has some other description of the information to supplement the intercepted transmission, he might be able to deduce the information in spite of the encryption, but the amount of additional information must be at least as great as the equivocation created by the encryption system.  In the setting of \cite{ShannonSecrecy49}, the extra side information comes implicitly from the redundancy of the information source, and hence the ability to compress.  For instance, if an eavesdropper is aware of a compression algorithm that is more efficient than the compression used by the encoder in an encryption system, then he can use this ability to rule out unlikely sequences from the information source.  This would be like an eavesdropper intercepting a partially encrypted video sequence and decoding a (exponentially large) list of candidate videos.  If the eavesdropper then painstakingly watches each video in the list, most will be ruled out as garbage.  The redundancy of the source effectively provides side information to the eavesdropper.

Other approaches for measuring and maximizing partial secrecy have been explored.  In the work of Merhav \cite{1176626}, secrecy is measured by the probability that an eavesdropper can guess the message correctly.  This uses large deviations analysis to evaluate and minimize that probability.  Under perfect secrecy, the probability that an eavesdropper guesses an i.i.d. information sequence correctly goes exponentially to zero.  In a different approach, Maurer \cite{Maurer93} suggested a combination of computational and information theoretic secrecy.  He proposed an encryption scheme that uses very little secret key and a very long public random sequence.  The secret key selects parts of the random sequence to combine and use as a one-time pad.  Assuming that the eavesdropper cannot reasonably explore all parts of the random sequence, a high probability event yields the message and the transmission conditionally independent.  Thus, with an assumed computational limit, the system yields {\em conditionally-perfect secrecy} with high probability.

We take a different approach to partial secrecy.  Just as rate-distortion theory generalizes lossless compression, we can generalize lossless encryption by assigning a distortion function to the eavesdropper.  Suppose the eavesdropper attempts to reconstruct the data.  We don't care whether the eavesdropper reconstructed the exact sequence, but instead we care about the average distortion that the eavesdropper incurred.  In the simplest case, which we confine ourselves to in this work, we require the intended receiver to decode the information losslessly (with high probability) and attempt to force the eavesdropper to have a poor reconstruction of the data.

Our work is similar in ambition to Yamamoto's approach in \cite{YamamotoCipherDistortion97}.  He also assigned a distortion function to the eavesdropper.  However, the related bounds presented in that paper miss a crucial point.  It turns out that it is too easy to force the eavesdropper to have a poor reconstruction.  With only a trickle of secret key at any positive rate, the eavesdropper will reconstruct as poorly as if there was perfect secrecy.  This result will not be proven or thoroughly discussed in this paper.  But needless to say, a more interesting notion of partial secrecy is desired for the sake of a general theory.

In contrast to Yamamoto's setting, in our work the eavesdropper is allowed to reconstruct the source causally, based on the intercepted transmission and the past information in the sequence, represented mathematically as
\begin{eqnarray*}
\mbox{Eavesdropper's estimate of } X_i & = & Z_i(I,X^{i-1}),
\end{eqnarray*}
where $I$ is the transmission.  In this case, an interesting notion of partial secrecy emerges.  We establish a simple tradeoff between the rate of secret key and the max-min distortion that the eavesdropper will incur.

Secrecy is naturally motivated by competitive or adversarial settings.  Here also we find ourselves in a competitive setting, where an eavesdropper tries to reconstruct information, and the transmitter does all within his power to make this difficult.  In fact, since the eavesdropper can see the past information symbols, and appropriate situation to apply this result is in a repeated game.  The eavesdropper sees the past actions in the game and dynamically responds with the next action $Z_i(I,X^{i-1})$.  The distortion function then becomes the payoff of the zero-sum game.

\section{Problem Statement}

Let the source $\{X_i\}_{i=1}^{\infty}$ be an i.i.d. random process where the distribution of each element of the sequence $X_i$ is given by the probability mass function $p_0(x)$.  Let ${\cal X}$ be the support of $X_i$.

An $(R_0, R, n)$ code consists of an encoding function and a decoding function, utilizing a secret key rate of $R_0$ bits per symbol and a description rate of $R$ bits per symbol.  Specifically,
\begin{eqnarray*}
f & : & {\cal X}^n \times [2^{n R_0}] \to [2^{n R}], \\
g & : & [2^{n R}] \times [2^{n R_0}] \to {\cal X}^n.
\end{eqnarray*}

The secret key is represented by $\omega \sim Unif[2^{n R_0}]$.  The message $I = f(X^n,\omega)$, and the reconstruction $\hat{X}^n = g(I,\omega)$.  The encoder and decoder need not be deterministic; however, randomized encoding and decoding is not needed in this setting.  The converse part of the proof in Section \ref{section converse} holds even for randomized encoders and decoders.

A distortion function $d(x,z)$ takes on finite values,
\begin{eqnarray*}
d & : & {\cal X} \times {\cal Z} \to \Re.
\end{eqnarray*}

We say the rate pair $(R_0,R)$ can force distortion $D$ if there exists a sequence of $(R_0,R,n)$ codes for $n=1,2,...$ such that
\begin{eqnarray*}
\mathbf{P} (\hat{X}^n = X^n) & \to & 1, \\
\frac{1}{n} \sum_{q=1}^n \min_{z^{(q)} (i,x^{q-1})} \mathbf{E} \; d(X_q,z^{(q)}(I,X^{q-1})) & \geq & D.
\end{eqnarray*}
The rate-distortion triple $(R_0,R,D)$ is {\em achievable} for secrecy with lossless transmission if the rate pair $(R_0,R)$ can force distortion $D$.

Let the secrecy rate-distortion region ${\cal S}$ be the closure of achievable $(R_0,R,D)$ triples.

\section{Main Result}

The secrecy rate-distortion region ${\cal S}$ is equal to ${\cal S}_0$ stated below, as specified in the Theorem \ref{theorem main result}.

Define
\begin{eqnarray*}
{\cal S}_0 & \triangleq & \left\{
\begin{array}{rcl}
(R_0,R,D) & : & \\
& \exists & p(x,u) = p_0(x)p(u|x) s.t. \\
R_0 & \geq & H(X|U), \\
R & \geq & H(X), \\
D & \leq & \min_{z(u)} \mathbf{E} \; d(X,z(U)).
\end{array}
\right\}.
\end{eqnarray*}

\begin{theorem}
\label{theorem main result}
\begin{eqnarray*}
{\cal S} & = & {\cal S}_0.
\end{eqnarray*}
\end{theorem}

Notice that the bound on $R$ does not depend on the choice of auxiliary variable $U$.  Quite intuitively, the minimum description rate needed is the entropy rate of the source $H(X)$.  This means that there is not a tradeoff between secret key usage and communication over the public channel.  The slice of the secrecy rate-distortion region that corresponds to a fixed value of $D$ is a rectangular region.

\section{Converse}
\label{section converse}

\begin{proof}
In this section we prove that ${\cal S} \subset {\cal S}_0$.  Therefore, we start by assuming that $(R_0,R,D)$ is in the interior of ${\cal S}$.  In other words, assume that rates $(R_0,R)$ can force distortion $D$.  Now we analyze the sequence of codes that achieves this. \footnote{The boundary of ${\cal S}$ is taken care of because ${\cal S}_0$ is a closed set.}

We start by bounding $R_0$ using Fano's inequality.
\begin{eqnarray*}
nR_0 & = & H(\omega) \\
& \geq & H(\omega|I) \\
& \geq & I(X^n;\omega|I) \\
& = & H(X^n|I) - H(X^n|I,\omega) \\
& \geq & H(X^n|I) - n \epsilon_n \\
& = & \sum_{q=1}^n H(X_q|I,X^{q-1}) - n \epsilon_n \\
& = & n H(X_Q|I,X^{Q-1},Q) - n \epsilon_n,
\end{eqnarray*}
where $\epsilon_n$ goes to zero as $n$ goes to infinity due to Fano's inequality, and $Q$ is uniformly distributed on $[n]$ and independent of $X^n$.

It is beneficial to assign names to the collections of random variables to correspond with the definition of ${\cal S}_0$.
\begin{eqnarray*}
X & \triangleq & X_Q, \\
U & \triangleq & \{I,X^{Q-1},Q\}.
\end{eqnarray*}
Notice that $X_Q \sim p_0(x)$ since $Q$ is independent of $X^n$.

Therefore, to summarize the bound on $R_0$,
\begin{eqnarray*}
R_0 & \geq & H(X|U) - \epsilon_n.
\end{eqnarray*}

The bound on $R$ is straightforward from lossless source coding and will be omitted.

Finally, we can massage the definition of achievability into a bound on the distortion $D$.
\begin{eqnarray*}
D & \leq & \frac{1}{n} \sum_{q=1}^n \min_{z^{(q)} (i,x^{q-1})} \mathbf{E} \; d(X_q,z^{(q)}(I,X^{q-1})) \\
& = & \mathbf{E} \; \left[ \min_{z^{(q)} (i,x^{q-1})} \mathbf{E} \; \left( d(X_Q,z^{(Q)}(I,X^{Q-1})) | Q \right) \right] \\
& = & \min_{z (i,x^{q-1},q)} \mathbf{E} \; d(X_Q,z(I,X^{Q-1},Q)) \\
& = & \min_{z(u)} \mathbf{E} \; d(X,z(U)).
\end{eqnarray*}

Since $\epsilon_n$ goes to zero and the space of distributions is compact, the converse is proven.
\end{proof}

\section{Sketch of Achievability}

\begin{proof}
In this section we outline the proof that ${\cal S} \supset {\cal S}_0$.  Because we use standard techniques of covering and binning, the proof only necessitates an outline.

Assume that $(R_0,R,D)$ is in the interior of ${\cal S}_0$, and consider the validating choice of $p(u|x)$.  First use a communication rate of $R_1 = I(X;U) + \epsilon$ to specify the index of a $U^n$ sequence from a rate-distortion-like codebook.  We can refer to this as a covering codebook.  Then use rates $R_2 = R_0 = H(X|U) + \epsilon$ bits to send a randomly assigned bin index based on the sequence $X^n$ and the common randomness $\omega$.  The message $I$ is the combination of these two communication steps, with a total rate of $R = R_1 + R_2$.  From standard techniques we know that $X^n$ can be decoded with high reliability from $I$ and $\omega$.

The second part of the message, which is the hash value of the source sequence $X^n$, has been hidden from the eavesdropper because the hash value is based on common randomness equal to the length of the message.  This is essentially an unstructured one-time-pad, and indeed a standard one-time-pad could very well be used instead for this part of the communication.

We now refer to the derivations in \cite{Cuff08} to claim that from the point of view of the eavesdropper, who knows only the sequence $U^n$ specified by the encoder, the posterior distribution of the source $X^n$ is close in total variation to the output of a memoryless channel from $U^n$ to $X^n$.  In other words,
\begin{eqnarray*}
p(x^n|i) & \approx & \prod_{j=1}^n p'(x_j|u_j(i)),
\end{eqnarray*}
where $p'(x|u) = \frac{p_0(x)p(u|x)}{\sum_{\tilde{x}} p_0(\tilde{x})p(u|\tilde{x})}$.

Given this posterior distribution of $X^n$, the eavesdropper minimizes the distortion by choosing the function $z(u)$ that minimized $\mathbf{E} \; d(X,z(U))$ and constructing the sequence $Z_i = z(U_i)$.  The resulting distortion is asymptotically
\begin{equation*}
\min_{z(u)} \mathbf{E} \; d(X,z(U)).
\end{equation*}
\end{proof}

\section{Linear Program Characterization}

The information theoretic region ${\cal S}_0$ accurately specifies the secrecy rate-distortion region; however, the optimization involved in this characterization yields an even simpler structure.  Due to the concave nature of the entropy function, the only efficient distributions $p(x|u)$ are corner points in the max-min distortion curve, which are points for which the eavesdropper can choose several different reconstructions $z_1, z_2, ...$ that each equally minimize the expected distortion.  This is characterized by the following set of distributions.
\begin{eqnarray*}
{\cal P} & \triangleq & \left\{ p(x) \; : \; \left| arg \max_z \mathbf{E} [d(X,z)] \right| \geq |{\cal X}| \right\},
\end{eqnarray*}
where $|{\cal X}|$ is the cardinality of the support of $X$ under the distribution $p(x)$.

As long as $d(x,z)$ is not redundant, meaning that there do not exist distinct $z_1$ and $z_2$ for which $d(x,z_1)=d(x,z_2)$ for all $x$, then ${\cal P}$ will be a finite set of points.  We assume this without loss of generality.  Let us refer to the distributions in ${\cal P}$ as vectors $p_1,...,p_K$, so that
\begin{eqnarray*}
{\cal P} & = & \{ p_1,...,p_K \}.
\end{eqnarray*}

Each point in ${\cal P}$ has an associated entropy
\begin{eqnarray*}
\alpha_k & \triangleq & H(p_k)
\end{eqnarray*}
and incurs a minimum distortion
\begin{eqnarray*}
\beta_k & \triangleq & \min_z \mathbf{E}_{p_k} \; d(X,z).
\end{eqnarray*}

\begin{theorem}
\label{theorem linear program}
The secrecy rate-distortion region can be characterized with a linear program.  Let $R = H(X)$ and $R_0$ be arbitrary.  Define $D^*$ to be the minimum $D$ such that $(R,R_0,D) \in {\cal S}$.  Then $D^*$ can be computed from the following linear program.
\begin{eqnarray*}
\mbox{maximize } & & \mu^T \beta \\
\mbox{subject to } & & \mu \in \Re_+^K, \\
& & \mu^T \alpha \leq R_0, \\
& & \sum_{k=1}^K \mu_k p_k = p(x).
\end{eqnarray*}
\end{theorem}

\section{Binary Source with Hamming Distortion}
\label{section binary}

Consider an information source that is an i.i.d. sequence of Bernoulli-$p$ bits (for $p<1/2$), with Hamming distortion incurred by the eavesdropper.  The applications of Theorems \ref{theorem main result} and \ref{theorem linear program} yield the following communication tactic.  First, use lossy compression to reveal the location of $(1-2p)$ zeros, leaving an equal number of ones and zeros concealed in the sequence.  When done carefully, the posterior distribution of the concealed bits will be consistent with unbiased i.i.d. coin flips.  Using the secret key, encrypt as many of these bits as possible.

With this technique, the distortion incurred will be $D = R_0/2$ for $R_0<2p$.  Notice that with perfect secrecy, created by applying a one-time-pad to the entire data at a secret key rate of $R_0 = H(p)$, the distortion incurred by the eavesdropper is $D=p$, since the eavesdropper will construct $z_i=0$ for all $i$.  We see that with optimal secret key usage, the full distortion $D=p$ can be forced on the eavesdropper while only using a secret key rate of $R_0 = 2p < H(p)$.  In other words, some reduction in secret key usage, below the requirement for perfect secrecy with a one-time pad, goes without penalty in this framework.  Furthermore, were we to use the secret key in a naive way and hide the first portion of the information sequence while revealing the rest, the resulting minimum distortion would be strictly suboptimal.

\bibliographystyle{IEEEtran}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


text:
US Nuclear Lab Investigates Plutonium Facility Breach
Los Alamos confirmed that 15 workers may have been exposed to plutonium.
Susan Montoya Bryan
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Officials at one of the nation's premier nuclear labs are investigating the potential exposure of employees to plutonium.
Los Alamos National Laboratory confirmed Monday that 15 workers were being evaluated after a breach involving a gloved box that was being used to handle the material. The incident happened in June.
The area inside the plutonium facility was secured and there was no risk to public health or safety, lab officials said in a statement sent to The Associated Press.
"Laboratory employees responded promptly and appropriately and cleared the room in a safe manner," the lab said.
It's unknown how long the review will take and what changes might be made to ensure another breach does not happen.
Los Alamos is preparing to resume and ramp up production of the plutonium cores used to trigger nuclear weapons. It's facing of a 2026 deadline to begin producing at least 30 cores a year — a mission that has the support of the most senior Democratic members of New Mexico's congressional delegation as the work is expected to bring jobs and billions of federal dollars to update buildings or construct new factories.
The effort has drawn much criticism from nuclear watchdog groups that long have been concerned about the lab's safety record and missed deadlines and repeated cost overruns.
State officials also have voiced concerns about the federal government's ability to clean up existing contamination from decades of bomb making and nuclear research at the lab while generating new waste.
To meet a mandate set by the federal government to replace the nuclear stockpile's aging plutonium cores, the work is being shared by Los Alamos and the Savannah River Site in South Carolina. Congress is hashing out how much money will be funneled to the two sites as part of ongoing negotiations on the latest defense budget bill.
Los Alamos began as a secret city in the mountains of northern New Mexico where government scientists and the military gathered as part of the Manhattan Project to develop the first atomic bomb. Since the 1940s, it has grown into a massive complex.
The mission of producing the plutonium cores has been based at Los Alamos for years but none have been manufactured since 2011 as the lab was dogged by a string of safety lapses.
The June 8 incident at the lab's plutonium facility was recently made public in a weekly report by inspectors with an independent safety board that monitors activities at federal labs around the country.
According to the report, air monitors sounded when an employee pulled out of the glovebox gloves after weighing and packaging plutonium oxide powder. Significant contamination was noted on his protective clothing, hair and skin. Nasal swabs were positive, and airborne radioactivity was documented in the room.
The inspector reported that radiation protection personnel successfully decontaminated the worker and that 14 other workers also were being monitored.
Divers Find Parts of Crashed Plane's Black Box
Hitachi Renovating Factory to Build Electric Motors
US Industrial Production Up 1.6% in December
2 Nuke Plants, 1 Bribery Scandal, No Answers
Union representatives say the devices "infantilize" workers.
Unemployment Claims Jump as Virus Takes Toll
The number of people seeking unemployment aid soared to its highest level since late August.
Volkswagen Sales Down 15% in Pandemic Year
Sales of battery-only cars, however, jumped 214%.
Searchers Hunt for Crashed Plane's Voice Recorder
At least 160 divers were deployed to find the recorder that holds conversations between pilots.
Policy Management in the Human-Cobot Workforce Era
How will manufacturers know that their employees are prepared for working closely with autonomous machines?
Pandemic Threatens Plans to Retrieve Titanic's Radio
The Marconi wireless telegraph machine sent distress calls to nearby ships.
Job Openings Down, Layoffs Spike
The slowdown in job postings was widespread across most industries.
Respiratory Therapist Sentenced for Stealing COVID Equipment
He pleaded guilty to stealing a ventilator and other equipment and selling it for personal gain.
Germany saw more people buy electrics than diesels last month.
Company Defies State's Demand to Shut Down Pipeline
Enbridge said it would continue to operate the oil pipeline through the Straits of Mackinac.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


How many donors do you not get because of your website? How much revenue are you losing because of your website? You probably don't know, it's not the easiest thing to figure out, but a small increase in your conversion rate can have a pretty big (and often unseen) impact on your online fundraising.
For example, if your landing page had 500 visitors and the average donation amount was $100, a conversion rate of 10% would result in 50 donors and $5,000. Keeping all other variables the same, a conversion rate of 15% will yield 75 donors and $7,500. Or an increase of 50% with just a 5% change in conversion rate (you can play with some numbers in this sheet here if you like).
That's a short and simplistic explanation of online fundraising and conversion rates, but hopefully you can see the opportunity and bottom line results of a great, donor focused donation experience.
The good folks at KISS Metrics had a great post titled The Psychological Trigger That's Confusing Your Customers (and What to Do about It) where they discuss cognitive biases, their impact on conversions and how to work with them. The advice is great for donation pages as well (if you read the article, just swap "donor" for "customer").
The post is a bit design heavy, but even without big budgets or fancy designers, the principles are great and can apply to any charity and website. For example, here's two areas you can probably improve in right away without a ton of investment.
… when we're presented with too many options, our brain's default solution is to not choose. (Have you ever skipped answering a few emails just because you weren't sure how to answer them?) This particular cognitive bias is commonly referred to as analysis paralysis.
If you are bombarding your supporters with too many options, they may just take off because it's all too much. Simplify your asks as well as the flow.
When visitors arrive on your landing page, they need direction. Do not assume that people will just read all your content and know what they need to do next.
Using spacing, visuals and limited copy, you can help show donors where to go and guide them to a great experience in supporting your cause.
In your fundraising and communications, you want your donors to have a great experience with you so they feel good, give and give again. Don't forget about your online donation experience as a poor landing page and website can be costing you money and donors. And you may not even know it.


# by xen-tools 4.2.1 on Thu Sep  8 05:11:42 2011.
[    0.000000] Detected 2500.064 MHz processor.
[    0.048615] ACPI: Interpreter disabled.
[    0.050201] xen_balloon: Initialising balloon driver.
[    0.172459] i8042: PNP: No PS/2 controller found. Probing ports directly.
[    0.175813] EDD information not available.
[    0.574889] NTFS driver 2.1.30 [Flags: R/O MODULE].
[    0.690706] USB Mass Storage support registered.
[    0.754312] blkfront device/vbd/51714 num-ring-pages 1 nr_ents 32.
[    0.763736] Initialising Xen virtual ethernet driver.
[    0.764371] blkfront device/vbd/51713 num-ring-pages 1 nr_ents 32.
[    0.778114] Event-channel device installed.
ALERT!  /dev/xvda2 does not exist.  Dropping to a shell!


Your card company might grant your request if you have a good credit score.
Is there any hope for me to negotiate my credit-card rates? I've been getting mailings for new cards with low rates, but I'd rather not apply for any new credit cards if I can avoid it.
It's certainly worth a try. The fact that you've been getting solicitations for new cards is a good sign: It means that you probably have a good credit record, which makes you a hot commodity among lenders. Stung by defaults from risky borrowers, lenders have been cutting credit limits on millions of cardholders, canceling some risky accounts and making it tougher for people with average or poor credit to get approved for a credit card. Meanwhile, issuers have been competing to attract customers with good credit records, says Bill Hardekopf, of LowCards.com.
A recent survey by Lending Club found that 93% of people know they can try to negotiate a lower rate on their credit cards, but only 29% have tried. And of those who tried, two-thirds were successful.
Gather ammunition by collecting those credit-card solicitations you've been receiving, and come up with a target rate, says Jennifer Openshaw, chief consumer adviser for Lending Club. Call your card company and mention that you've gotten offers from other card companies (and if you're a longtime customer, make sure to say so). Let the company know the specific rates and ask what it can do. "If you don't make progress, ask for the supervisor," says Openshaw. "The most important thing is to be confident." If you don't carry much of a balance, consider asking to get the annual fees waived rather than the interest rate lowered -- especially because many card companies have boosted their annual fees over the past few months.
It also helps to make moves to boost your credit score before you call -- see Fast Ways to Improve Your Credit Score for tips.
If your negotiations don't work and you don't have too many cards already, consider one of the card offers. However, be careful about balance-transfer fees before making the switch. From July 2009 to March 2010, the median balance-transfer fee has increased from 3% to 4% of the transferred balance, according to a study by the Pew Health Group. If the balance-transfer fee is too high, you could end up paying more in transfer charges than you'd save by getting a lower interest rate. See Are Balance Transfers Still a Good Deal? for more information.


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RD.COM Arts & Entertainment Royal Family
Bridgerton: Who Is Queen Charlotte? Was She Britain's First Black Royal?
Lynnette NicholasUpdated: Sep. 13, 2022
Getty Images, Courtesy Netflix
Yes, Black royals existed long before Meghan Markle married Prince Harry—and Queen Charlotte, the wife of King George III, was one of them.
With its colorblind casting, decadent showcasing of Regency London Era social norms, and intriguing narratives, Shondaland's Bridgerton, which airs on Netflix, instantly captured the world's attention. Not only does the series showcase an alluring interracial couple in the main plot, but it also centers around storylines that succinctly depict double-standards for the haves and have nots, the emotional and psychological residue that can accompany being a part of high-society, and yes, a Black Queen Charlotte.
Many have long speculated that Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was of African descent; now Bridgerton's bold and audacious portrayal of her has presented the perfect opportunity to dig further into who Queen Charlotte really was. Can't wait for the next season to start? Check out what's ahead for Bridgerton Season 2 and Bridgerton Season 3, according to the books.
Was Queen Charlotte Black?
Queen Sophia Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, a small northern German duchy, was the youngest daughter of a duke and a princess who went on to marry England's King George III. According to many historians, Queen Charlotte was, indeed, of African descent and was often portrayed as a woman of color in portraits. "With features as conspicuously Negroid as they were reputed to be by her contemporaries, it is no wonder that the Black community, both in the United States and throughout the British Commonwealth, have rallied around pictures of Queen Charlotte for generations," writes Mario de Valdes y Cocom, a historian of the African diaspora, in PBS Frontline. "They have pointed out the physiological traits that so obviously identify the ethnic strain of the young woman who, at first glance, looks almost anomalous, portrayed as she usually is, in the sumptuous splendor of her coronation robes."
Queen Charlotte was a direct descendent of Margarita de Castro y Sousa, a 15th-century noblewoman from the Portuguese royal house. As proof of her African ancestry, Valdes explains that art historians believe the Black magi featured in 15th-century Flemish paintings were in fact members of the Portuguese de Sousa family, who would have served as models for the artist. To keep up with modern royalty, check out our British royal family tree.
The importance of the casting of Queen Charlotte is not lost on her castmates. Adjoa Andoh, a Ghanian-British actress who plays Lady Danbury in Bridgerton, says of the queen's ancestry in New African, "Queen Charlotte, the wife of George III, was the descendant of an African woman and Alphonso III of Portugal. She was mixed-race. So it's very exciting that we have a mixed-race actress, Golda Rosheuvel, playing the queen in Bridgerton." Andoh goes on to tell of Britain's anti-slavery history in the 18th-century, including Ottobah Cugoano, an author, abolitionist, and activist from the Gold Coast (what is now known as Ghana), and Ignatius Sancho, who was a composer and abolitionist. "…for me the importance of the way the show has been cast, is to put back into people's understanding that there was an African presence at all levels of society in Britain at that time," she adds.
What was Queen Charlotte's personality like?
It's not only the appearance of Bridgerton's Queen Charlotte that is garnering attention; even her exquisite gowns and fantastical wigs pale in comparison to her giant-size on-screen personality and captivating persona. It's hard to imagine that a 19th-century royal had all of that wit and pizzazz, and it's quite entertaining to watch in the series. However, history indicates that the real Queen Charlotte was a bit more demure. She loved beautiful gardens, had a penchant for botany, and was empathetic and compassionate; she opened several orphanages.
In Bridgerton, aspects of the Queen's public poise contrast with her private struggles with King George III's mental state in several scenes. "In public, it's very lavish. It's very fun. It's very naughty. It's very regal. There's a position of power," actress Golda Rosheuvel, who plays Queen Charlotte, shared with Insider. "In private, I think you see her as a real human being who desperately, desperately, desperately loves her husband and is having to deal with the unknown. She's a rounded character." Many historical accounts support the notion that Queen Charlotte truly loved King George III—they had 15 children together—and she was committed to him until her death. Despite having so many offspring, George and Charlotte's children went on to become embroiled in "the succession crisis of 1817," one of the top royal family scandals.
Author Julia Quinn's perspective on Queen Charlotte being portrayed as Black
Courtesy NetflixThough Queen Charlotte is not mentioned at all in Julia Quinn's Bridgerton novels that the Netflix series is based on, many wonder what the author has had to say about Queen Charlotte's being portrayed as Black in the TV series. "I go back and forth between wishing I had actually written her in the books, and then being glad I didn't, because I don't know if I could have done as good a job," Quinn told OprahMag.com. Quinn very much approves of Rosheuvel's portrayal of the queen and wrote her a fan letter after seeing the show.
The casting choices made in Bridgerton, along with its portrayal of Black royalty, interracial love, and intimate relationships with partners from differing stations in life, are clearly working. Over 80 million people from around the globe see something in this series, and we like to think that says a lot about humanity. There's something so naturally appealing and fulfilling about seeing people live and fight to love, no matter what color they are.
Can't pass up a good love story? Check out these best romance novels of all time.
Royal.UK: Queen Charlotte
Frontline: "The Blurred Racial Lines of Famous Families"
New African: "Adjoa Andoh: 'It's a real honour to be playing in Bridgerton'"
Insider: "'Bridgerton's' Queen Charlotte explains King George III's mysterious illness"
OprahMag.com: "Bridgerton's Queen Charlotte Was a Real Royal"
Universal History Archive/UIG/Shutterstock
Mysteries Surrounding the British Royal Family
Universal History Archive/Shutterstock
The Scandalous Story of How King George VI Became King
Alex Bailey/Netflix/Kobal/Shutterstock
What "The Crown" Gets Wrong About the British Royal Family
Lynnette Nicholas
Lynnette is a regular contributor to the Culture section on RD.com. She is a culture expert and certified film critic covering the latest in Black culture, books, film and television, faith, and the intersection of parenting and entertainment. She graduated with a degree in English Literature from the University of Florida, and when she's not writing or traveling, you can find her at an art gallery, theater performance, or film screening discussing the impact of media on children and teens.
Over 11,500 Jars of Olay Regenerist Retinol 24 Moisturizer Sell Each Day
How the Actors from "The Crown" Compare to the Real-Life British Royals
The Surprising Reason Queen Elizabeth Never Writes Checks


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Hello, Limoncello! There's plenty to love in this contemporary yellow, gray and black Kanvas collection. From giant realistic blooms to delicately detailed butterflies and cool geometrics.
Love the texture in those giant blooms!
Limoncello is the featured collection in the Winter issue of our Fat Quarterly newsletter. It includes a swatch pack of the fabrics, and the free pattern to make the runner shown on the cover.
Click here to find more information about ordering the Fat Quarterly newsletter.
Try our Feminello free quilt pattern, featuring the Limoncello prints.
It will be available on our website soon.
Click here to see the entire Limoncello collection.
Mmmmm...... puckery good fun, and you had me at 'butterflies'!
Horse Lovers: Born to Run!


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Q: Why does this de Bruijn code always return 0s for the last few bits I am computing cyclic de Bruijn sequences using the following code:
import sys
if len(sys.argv) > 1:
  n = int(sys.argv[1])  # get n from the command line
else:
  n = 4
N = 2**n
count = 0

def debruijn(x):
  if x.find(x[-n:]) < len(x)-n:  # check if last n chars occur earlier in the string
    return
  if len(x) == N+n-1:
    print(x[:N], x[N:])
    return
  debruijn(x+"0")
  debruijn(x+"1")

x = "0"*n
debruijn(x)
print("sequences")

This gives:
0000100110101111 000
0000100111101011 000
0000101001101111 000
0000101001111011 000
[...]

as the output. Why is x[N:] always equal to 000? There doesn't seem to be anything in the code that would guarantee this.

Posted to https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/3339778/why-does-searching-for-a-non-cyclic-de-bruijn-sequence-always-give-you-a-cyclic as requested by @Prune

A: It's a cyclic sequence: the last (n-1) bits, by definition, match the first (n-1) bits.  x[:(n-1)] == x[-(n-1):]
Since you forced your first digits to 0000, the "last" three are 000.  Try changing your initial sequence and see:
debruijn("0110")

Output:
0110000100111101 011
0110000101001111 011
0110000101111010 011
0110000111101001 011
0110010000111101 011
0110010100001111 011
0110010111101000 011
0110011110100001 011
0110100001011110 011
0110100001111001 011
0110100101111000 011
0110100111100001 011
0110101111000010 011
0110101111001000 011
0110111100001010 011
0110111100101000 011

Why does it work?
Your only check in the code is to see whether the current last-4 sequence has been used already.  Why does this suffice to guarantee wrap-around success?
All by itself, it doesn't: you could easily begin with 00001000, consuming the 1000 sequence you want at the tail.  However, if you do use up that sequence early, then you won't be able to extend the partial sequence to 16 bits.  It's trivial with four matching bits: the 7-bit sequence 0001000 is now a dead end.  It takes a little more work to prove it out for other starts, but it's the same general principle: the only ones that make it to the full 16 bits are forced to have saved needed wrap-around sequences.
Look at the 0110 case to see the range of possibilities: the various solutions employ both 1-bit ends, all four 2-bit ends, and six of the eight 3-bit ends (100 and its complement, 011 won't work because of their combinatorial overlap with 0110).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Courtesy photo<br>Welcome Rufous hummingbirds by putting up feeders.
Originally Published: March 13, 2013 9:59 p.m.
Last week, I received a phone call, an email, and a personal visit in the store from three different individuals who were each reporting the occurrence of a Rufous hummingbird in their yard. Wow, that seems really early! But, then again, they have a long way to go!
I suppose in some ways it is not surprising that male Rufous hummingbirds are showing up already. Male Anna's hummingbirds - our most common hummingbird species in the Prescott area - start showing up in January and February. The difference between the two species is that Anna's will stay here while Rufous hummingbirds are just passing through Prescott on their way to points thousands of miles to the north of us.
We all know how aggressive and territorial hummingbirds are. There is a competitive advantage for hummingbirds to come back early. If they are the first to arrive at a home with a hummingbird feeder, they lay claim to the feeder and the surrounding habitat. When other hummingbirds come back weeks later, they are harassed, chased and prevented from frequenting the feeder.
This is the reason many homeowners put up multiple hummingbird feeders. During the peak season, I have eight hummingbird feeders out in my yard. They still fight, but at least more hummingbirds are able to drink.
Rufous hummingbirds are not a breeding species in our area - they are considered a transient species. They neither winter nor summer here; they just pass through our area on their way north in the spring and on their way south in the fall.
The month of August is the peak season for migrating hummingbirds. It is during August that you can experience a feeding frenzy at your feeders with Anna's, black-chinned, Rufous, broad-tailed, and occasionally calliope hummingbirds all "tanking up" in preparation for migration. By mid-September, most of the hummingbirds are gone with the exception of lingering Anna's.
While it may seem early, I would encourage you to get at least one hummingbird feeder out right away. It wouldn't surprise me if your feeder is discovered in just a day or two. Gradually, as more and more hummingbirds start showing up, you can put out more and more feeders. Don't be surprised if a woodpecker tries to take advantage of your hummingbird feeder - they also love the sugar water solution.
Eric Moore is the owner of Jay's Bird Barn at 1046 Willow Creek Road in Prescott. Email questions related to wild birds to Eric@JaysBirdBird.com.


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Candid Emotion | Photo of the Week
By True Photography, April 15, 2016 Photo of the Week
There are many benefits to having two photographers at your wedding. One of the biggest advantages is having the same moment documented from multiple perspectives. For example, at Susan and JR's wedding at Grand Tradition, all eyes were fixed on Susan as she entered the ceremony site. However, because we had two photographers in action, we were also able to capture JR's priceless reaction. It's fleeting, personal moments like this that we feel tell the *true* story of the wedding day, which is why it is our Photo of the Week.
Check out more of Susan and JR's tropical Arbor Terrace wedding.
Party-Rock is in the House Tonight | An Inspiration Board of "True" Moments
By True Photography, July 01, 2013 Be Inspired
A wedding day is cram-packed with emotion and activity. In a matter of minutes, we are taken on a roller-coaster ride through tearful, sentimental moments that require waterproof mascara and a pack of Kleenex. Then, before we know it, we are experiencing joy and ab-crunching laughter. It is these dramatic shifts throughout the day that make wedding photography such a thrilling pursuit.
At every wedding we photograph, we are on our feet, capturing real, split-second moments on camera. Some of the most "true" moments of genuine bliss we've seen are immediately after the vows have been exchanged, and the mood has turned celebratory. This transition from ceremony to reception gives the newlyweds and their guests a chance to commemorate the day, cut loose, and even bust a move or two!
So, for this week's inspiration board, we bring you some of our favorite "party rocking" moments from recent weddings. You'll see the elated expression on our groom's face as he's hoisted up during the Hora, a spirited rendition of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" performed by a group of friends, and an intimate glimpse of eye contact between husband and wife on the dance floor. These genuine, once-in-a-lifetime moments were deftly captured and preserved by our skilled photographers. Enjoy!


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Jessica Sanderson, Of Counsel, The Volkov Law Group, joins us for her initial posting on the False Claims Act. Jessica can be reached at jsanderson@volkovlaw.com.
On December 21, 2018, the Department of Justice ("DOJ") released its Fraud statistics showing $2.8 billion recovery under the False Claims Act ("FCA") for 2018. While this number is staggering, fiscal year 2018 FCA recoveries were down more than ½ billion dollars from 2017. In fact, 2018 recoveries are the lowest we have seen since 2009.
In this article, we simplify the DOJ statistics by creating graphics that reveal patterns and trends. We then highlight some of the policy developments over the year. Along the way we discuss practical applications and make a few predictions for 2019. This article is not intended to be a comprehensive review of all FCA developments, but please contact the Volkov Law Group if you want to know more.
What Do The Government Statics Tell Us?
Whistleblowers: The government's statistics start in October 1986, the month in which Congress enacted qui tam provisions, which allow individuals known as "relators" to file FCA civil actions on behalf of the government and share in the recovery. In1987, the government recovered roughly $86.5 million under the FCA, and, not surprisingly, none of those recoveries came from qui tam actions.
The above charts demonstrate that private individuals and entities have been the driving force behind civil FCA enforcement over the last several years, and there are no signs of such activity letting up. With strong whistleblower incentives (see below) and protections, we fully expect individuals and the plaintiffs' bar to continue push FCA enforcement in 2019 and into the foreseeable future.
What does this mean for companies that do business with the government?
Now more than ever it is important to have robust compliance programs, with internal controls designed to prevent the submission of false claims and routine audits to detect any errors. Every good compliance program should include effective reporting mechanisms and swift responsive action following reports. If whistleblowers are truly motivated to do the right thing (and not simply looking to profit from an FCA claim), and feel they have a safe place to be heard and a satisfactory remedy, they may be less likely to initiate a qui tam action. And if entities that do business with the government receive internal reports of potential FCA violations, they may be able to swiftly stop potential misconduct, reduce potential damages and make an informed decision whether to self disclose. DOJ has repeatedly emphasized that companies trying to conduct ethical business, and which promptly disclose potential issues, may receive cooperation credit.
The above chart also shows that since in 2009 (when Congress expanded the scope of the FCA and augment whistleblower protections), whistleblowers recovered nearly $4.8 billion; in other words, the past 9 years – less than one third of the total time frame – account for more than two thirds of all relator share awards. It remains to be seen whether the slight downward trend since 2016 will continue or whether it will pick back up again.
Recoveries: The first chart below begins in 1993, because that is the first year in which recoveries in cases where the government declined intervention exceeded 0% of total recoveries. In fact, recoveries in actions where the government does not intervene have never exceeded 17% of total annual recoveries (which was in 2017). In 2018, recoveries from qui tam cases in which the government declined intervention constituted only 4% of total recoveries, which is more consistent with prior years.
We expect to see substantial FCA activity in the healthcare sector continue into the future, especially considering the incredible spending in this sector. With an aging baby-boom population and rising prices for medical goods and services, "national health spending  projected to grow at an average rate of 5.5 percent per year for 2017-26 and to reach $5.7 trillion by 2026" (which includes an annual growth in spending for Medicare at 7.4% and an annual growth in spending for Medicaid of 5.8%. DOJ has also signaled its intent to hold individuals accountable and to pursue criminal charges under appropriate circumstances.
Defense: FCA activity and recoveries in the defense sector may ramp up in 2019 as well. In fact, in November 2018 (part of fiscal year 2019), DOJ announced a $236 million settlement with three South Korean companies that resolved FCA and other violations stemming from bid rigging and price fixing of fuel supply services to the Department of Defense. This single resolution in 2019 is more than twice the total amount recovered in the defense sector during 2018.
At the start of 2018, two DOJ memos suggested that prosecutors might take a less aggressive stance towards FCA enforcement during the year. First, in a leaked memo known as the "Granston Memo," the Director of the Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section of DOJ's Civil Division, directed prosecutors to more seriously consider dismissing cases filed under the FCA's qui tam provisions. Among other things, the Granston Memo reasoned that dismissal of whistleblower cases is "an important tool to advance the government's interests, preserve limited resources, and avoid adverse precedent." Two weeks later, then Associate Attorney General Rachel Brand issued a memo to prosecutors essentially precluding the use of "noncompliance with guidance documents as a basis for proving violations," including FCA violations. Brand's directive would apply, for example, to HHS, CMS, or OIG guidance. Brand emphasized the DOJ's November 27, 2017, Guidance Policy from then Attorney General Sessions that prohibits the DOJ from using "noncompliance with guidance documents as a basis for proving violations." In February 2018, Deputy Associate Attorney General Stephen Cox confirmed, "we won't be using noncompliance with a guidance document to prove a violation" of the FCA, and elaborated that DOJ is "focusing our limited resources on the most meritorious cases and the most legally viable theories." Cox even went as far as acknowledging the "obvious costs on defendants" of opposing meritless qui tam cases.
It is still a bit too soon to tell whether these policy statements will result in a tangible change in FCA enforcement, and the 2018 statistics discussed above do not reveal much in this regard (largely because FCA matters typically take more than one year to investigate and resolve). By the end of 2018, however, the DOJ had followed through in at least two significant ways.
First, in an Amicus Curiae brief filed in the Supreme Court on November 30, 2018, the DOJ stated it had "determined that, if this case is remanded to the district court, the government will move to dismiss" the action based on some of the factors listed in the Granston Memo and the Justice Manual. Second, in United States ex rel. Health Choice Group, LLC v. Bayer Corp, DOJ moved to dismiss a qui tam case pending in the Eastern District of Texas (and signaled its intent to move to dismiss ten similar qui tam actions in different judicial districts), brought by the same "professional relator" against multiple defendants. Clearly the government determined that the case lacked merit and risked draining precious governmental resources. But the DOJ also seemed to express disdain for "a limited liability company established for the sole purpose of serving as the named relator" that was "set up by investors and former Wall Street investment bankers." The relator viewed FCA claims as a "massive business opportunity," and gathered evidence under the "false pretense" that it was conducting a "research study." The defense bar has long protested that FCA whistleblowing has become a lucrative business for repeat professional relators and others who bring meritless claims leveraging the threat of defense costs and treble damages and per claim penalties. An increased willingness by the DOJ to intervene and dismiss meritless cases would be a welcomed relief. On that note, current Attorney General nominee William Barr once agreed: he thought the qui tam provisions were "basically a bounty hunter statute . . . an abomination . . . [he] wanted to attack." But just days ago, during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on his nomination, Mr. Barr stated he no longer believes the FCA is an abomination and committed to "diligently uphold" the FCA.
The Volkov Law Group will continue to monitor this area and post important FCA developments on our blogs. As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact any one of our attorneys.
 Department of Justice Fraud Statistics (available at https://www.justice.gov/civil/page/file/1080696/download?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery. All graphics in this article are derived from these statistics.
 The federal government's fiscal year is October 1 – September 30. Unless stated otherwise, references to years in this article are to the government's fiscal year.
 DOJ Press Release No. 18-1690, Justice Department Recovers Over $2.8 Billion from False Claims Act Cases in Fiscal Year 2018 (Dec. 21, 2018), available at https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-recovers-over-28-billion-false-claims-act-cases-fiscal-year-2018.
 Office of the Actuary, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, National Health Expenditure Projections 2017-2026, available at https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/NationalHealthExpendData/Downloads/ForecastSummary.pdf.
 DOJ Press Release No. 18-1503, Three South Korean Companies Agree to Plead Guilty and to Enter Into Civil Settlements for Rigging Bids on United States Department of Defense Fuel Supply Contracts (Nov. 14, 2018), available at https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/three-south-korean-companies-agree-plead-guilty-and-enter-civil-settlements-rigging-bids.
 Memo, U.S. Dep't of Justice, Factors for Evaluating Dismissal Pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 3730(c)(2)(A) (Jan. 10, 2018), available at https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/4358602/Memo-for-Evaluating-Dismissal-Pursuant-to-31-U-S.pdf.
 Memo, Limiting Use of Agency Guidance Documents in Affirmative Civil Enforcement Cases (Jan. 25, 2018), available at https://www.justice.gov/file/1028756/download.
 Deputy Associate Attorney General Stephen Cox Delivers Remarks at the Federal Bar Association Qui Tam Conference, available at https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/deputy-associate-attorney-general-stephen-cox-delivers-remarks-federal-bar-association.
 Justice Manual, available at https://www.justice.gov/jm/justice-manual.
 Gilead Sciences, Inc. v. United States ex rel. Campie, No. 17-936, brief available at https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/briefs/2018/12/21/17-936_gilead_sciences_ac_pet.10.pdf.
 United States ex rel. Health Choice Group, LLC v. Bayer Corp, Case 5:17-cv-00126-RWS-CMC, Dkt. No.116 (Dec. 17, 2018), available at https://www.laborandemploymentlawcounsel.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/224/2018/12/US-Motion-to-Dismiss-Health-Choice-Advocates-v-Gilead-Sciences-ED-Tx-12-17-18.pdf.
 Id., see also J.C. Herz, "Medicare Scammers Steal $60 Billion A Year. This Man Is Hunting Them" (Wired, March 2016), available at https://www.wired.com/2016/03/john-mininno-medicare/.
 United States ex rel. Health Choice Group, LLC v. Bayer Corp, Case 5:17-cv-00126-RWS-CMC, Dkt. No.116 (Dec. 17, 2018).
 The Miller Center, Presidential Oral Histories, George H.W. Bush Presidency, Transcript of Interview with William P. Barr (April 5, 2001), available at https://millercenter.org/the-presidency/presidential-oral-histories/william-p-barr-oral-history-assistant-attorney-general.
 See Tinker Ready, "Attorney General nominee Barr commits to 'diligently uphold' the False Claims Act," (Jan. 15, 2019), available at https://www.whistleblowersblog.org/2019/01/articles/false-claims-qui-tam/barr-to-uphold-fca/.


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Kobo Expands into India With Local Bookseller Partners Crossword, WHSmith
17 October, 2013 11 May, 2017 e-Reading Hardware, eBookstoreOne Comment
India's billion plus populace has a new ebookstore option today.
Kobo has just signed 2 Indian bookstore chains as their partners. WH Smith India, a subsidiary of the UK bookseller, will be selling Kobo's ereaders and tablets in their 24 stores in India. Crossword, WH Smith's larger and more successful competition, will also be carrying the hardware in 84 stores across the subcontinent.
In addition to the new partners, Kobo is launching 3 ereaders and the Kobo Arc Android tablet in India. There's no mention of Kobo's newest products, but the press release does mention that the Kobo Touch, Kobo Glo, and Kobo Aura HD will sell at a rang of prices from 7,999 rupees ($130 USD) to 13,999 rupees ($229 USD), and the Kobo Arc will sell for 11,999 rupees, or about $195 USD.
Crossword already has some of the hardware on their website, where it is discounted by 12% to 16%. They don't list the Aura HD, yet. They also have yet to integrate a Kobo ebookstore but are instead sending customers to Kobo's website. WH Smith India shows no sign of Kobo, but their website would best be described as underdeveloped. I don't think it's an ecommerce site so much as it is a placeholder.
Kobo claims to have 4 million titles in their ebookstore in 68 languages, including 95% of India's bestselling content featuring work from top-selling Indian authors including Jhumpa Lahiri, Ramachandra Guha, and Sachin Garg.
I hope that's true, because Kobo is going to be facing steep competition in India. Amazon, Apple, and Google all having launched a local ebookstore in the country last year, and Amazon has even signed a couple local retail partners, including Croma. This gadget retailer is also going to carry Kobo's ereaders but I don't think they will also be a partner in the ebookstore.
But in spite of Kobo's late entry, their practice of signing local partners is probably going to give them an advantage. This was certainly true in France, where Kobo is in 2nd or 3rd place.
In a survey commissioned by Kobo and conducted by Ipsos India, 93% of self-identified readers, said they are familiar with reading devices or apps that allow for reading across a variety of devices and 56 percent said they would prefer to read digital content on a dedicated reading device. Furthermore, 54 percent of respondents said they would read more if they had an ereader that provided them with access to their own digital library anytime, anywhere, anyplace.
Microsoft Drops Hints About the Xbox and Their eReading Plans
Intel CEO Expects to See $99 Intel Tablets by Christmas
Destination Infinity18 October, 2013
Great news. Though I have just bought the Kindle, I wish this option was there back when I bought it! Nyways, Kobo is always a future consideration 🙂
I would say that Kindle has a huge advantage, not only because it moved first, but also because their bookstore is a pleasure to navigate. There are so many reviews on Amazon and hence evaluation/discover-ability is easier.
Kobo's bookstore is good and they sell in rupees for customers from India. But I feel that they should develop some USP. The device could be one, but a more innovative delivery mechanism (think Prime) might be a good catch.


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Dozens of Al Jazeera journalists hacked by Saudi and UAE
By Sana Hussain
PoliticsTop Stories
Al Jazeera Studio | Al Jazeera
An investigation reveals that over 36 journalists' phones have been hacked since October 2019 using Israeli spyware.
Al Jazeera journalists were hacked using a private intelligence firm software in a major cyber attack allegedly ordered by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in July/August 2020, a report by top digital cybersecurity experts from the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto revealed.
The NSO Group is an Israeli technology firm whose spyware called Pegasus enables the remote surveillance of smartphones. Using Pegasus and other softwares, the phones of 36 Al Jazeera journalists and one Al Araby TV journalist were compromised. The other softwares, Monarchy and Sneaky Kestrel are connected to the Saudi and UAE government, respectively.
Starting in October 2019, one of the first targets was Tamer Almisshal, an investigative reporter for Al Jazeera who has uncovered several sensitive topics across the Middle East. In January 2020, after being concerned that he might have been hacked, Almisshal allowed the Citizen Lab researchers to monitor his phone.
Almisshal's phone would connect to Apple servers first, which resulted in the downloading of the Pegasus spyware and installation on his phone. The data would then be extracted and sent back to Pegasus servers.
The software can not only extract information, but it can also be used to record audio from the microphone including both ambient "hot mic" recording and audio of encrypted phone calls, and take pictures. It can also track device location, and access passwords and stored credentials.
Read also: Al Jazeera journalist files lawsuit against Saudi, UAE crown princes
Launched in 1996, Al Jazeera is a network that rose to prominence by being critical of Arab leaders, and reporting independently from the region's regimes, as a result it's always been a thorn in the side of Saudi, Egyptian, Emirati and other Arab governments. Long been hailed as a bastion of free speech in the Middle East, the broadcaster has always been a target for authoritarian regimes.
In 2017, Saudi, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt announced the illegal blockade on Qatar, severing all diplomatic relations with the latter. The quartet issued a list of 13 demands that would bring an end to the blockade, with one of them being the shutting down of the global Qatar-based broadcaster.
According to the report, the GCC market is a booming one for spyware, with some of the "most significant customer bases" globally. The UAE apparently became an NSO Group customer in 2013, in what was described as the "next big deal" for NSO Group after its first customer, Mexico. In 2017, Saudi Arabia (which the Citizen Lab calls KINGDOM) and Bahrain (PEARL) appear to have also become customers of NSO Group. Haaretz has also reported that Oman is an NSO Group customer, and that the Israeli Government prohibits NSO Group from doing business with Qatar.
With this latest attack on Al Jazeera, there are at least 50 publicly known cases of journalists and others in media targeted with NSO spyware.
"The Al Jazeera attacks are part of an accelerating trend of espionage against journalists and news organizations. The Citizen Lab has documented digital attacks against journalists by threat actors from China, Russia, Ethiopia, Mexico, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, among others. Other research groups have documented similar trends, which appear to be worsening with the COVID-19 pandemic. Often these attacks parallel more traditional forms of media control, and in some cases physical violence," said the report about cybersecurity attacks and hacks on journalists.
Isarel
Qatar and Turkey sign agreement to cooperate on parliamentary affairs
Both countries are strong strategic partners and have in recent years signed over 60 deals in various fields. Qatar and Turkey have signed a new...
Al Jazeera ditches its right-wing platform, less than a year after launch
The platform received backlash from journalists at Al Jazeera and beyond as many saw it as a step away from the network's editorial principles. Al...


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Q: Android Plugin DDMS not showing up on Eclipse Perspective Although the DDMS plugin is installed (verified by checking the installed plugins) in Eclipse, it is not showing up in the Perspective (which is showing only JAVA & DEBUG). Any help with this would be great. Thanks, animesh

A: You can find all perspectives by opening the menu Window > Open Perspective > Other.... The two perspectives shown at the top right are just shortcuts to commonly used ones. If you open the DDMS perspective from the aforementioned menu it will now show at the top right.


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Q: No such file or directory(public/assets/manifest*) During my rails(3.2.16v) deploy with capistrano v3 I am getting the following error.
$cap development deploy --trace
DEBUG [014a40e4] Running /usr/bin/env [ -L /home/ec2-user/capistrano-3/my_app/releases/20140117124107/public/assets ] on 50.13.220.55
DEBUG [014a40e4] Command: [ -L /home/ec2-user/capistrano-3/my_app/releases/20140117124107/public/assets ]
DEBUG [014a40e4] Finished in 0.602 seconds with exit status 1 (failed).
DEBUG [9c5901ab] Running /usr/bin/env [ -d /home/ec2-user/capistrano-3/my_app/releases/20140117124107/public/assets ] on 50.13.220.55
DEBUG [9c5901ab] Command: [ -d /home/ec2-user/capistrano-3/my_app/releases/20140117124107/public/assets ]
DEBUG [9c5901ab] Finished in 0.639 seconds with exit status 1 (failed).

//// this error is at the end of the trace
** Invoke deploy:assets:backup_manifest (first_time)
** Execute deploy:assets:backup_manifest
DEBUG [a08f4c02]    cp:
DEBUG [a08f4c02]    cannot stat `/home/ec2-user/capistrano-3/my_app/releases/20140117064709/public/assets/manifest*'
DEBUG [a08f4c02]    : No such file or directory
DEBUG [a08f4c02]
cap aborted!
cp stdout: Nothing written
cp stderr: Nothing written

Tasks: TOP => deploy:assets:backup_manifest
The deploy has failed with an error: #<SSHKit::Command::Failed: cp stdout: Nothing written
cp stderr: Nothing written
>
** Invoke deploy:failed (first_time)
** Execute deploy:failed

I don't have any assets folder in my local machine too. Can any body help me??

A: Add to Gemfile gem 'sprockets', '2.12.3'

A: This happens with sprockets 3.0.x and capistrano-rails, and seems fixed with capistrano-rails 1.1.3.
If your Gemfile has gem 'capistrano-rails', '~> 1.1' (as recommended in the installation guide), just type bundle update capistrano-rails to upgrade.
See https://github.com/capistrano/rails/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md#113-apr-18-2015 or https://github.com/capistrano/rails/issues/111

A: Try:
touch /home/ec2-user/capistrano-3/my_app/releases/20140117064709/public/assets/manifest

I think a previous cap <env> deploy that was misconfigured has gummed up the works, and now your forever doomed. Simply touching a manifest file, will allow the task deploy:assets:backup_manifest to keep on doing its thing, since it expects the previous builds manifest file to be there to clean up. So, give it something to clean. Anyways, this solved my problem.
tl;dr; Make trash, keep littering, someone, somewhere will clean up after you, in this case one previous precompile's trash is assets_manifest_backup's treasure.
I had also ssh'ed to server, ensured that RAILS_ENV=production bundle worked just fine, and had to resolve some ssh deploy keys for a private git repo. That could have been the gum, gumming up my works.

A: Are you precompiling your assets ? maybe it will help to precompile your assets before deployng.


For me, Kuwait is like a treasure hunt. I find it challenging to locate places or see things clearly.
Byan Botanical Gardens were a inspirational find. They are positioned within Byan Palace and open once a week on a Thursday between 9am – 1pm. It feels like a secret tropical garden. Using ink pens I drew lush, green leaves during several visits to the Gardens. I layered and stitched fabric over the drawings playing with the idea of visibility.


Watches are meant to keep time, but the UK-based firm of Bremont and the Bletchley Park Trust have teamed up to produce a watch that preserves time. The Bremont Codebreaker is a limited edition chronograph that uses original artefacts from the famous cryptographic facility to commemorate British code breaking efforts during the Second World War.
Bletchley Park was one of the best kept secrets of the Second World War and remained so for decades after until the story was made public in 1974. The ancient estate with its Victorian mansion was the headquarters for the Government Code and Cipher School (GC&CS), where 9,000 scientists, mathematicians and others were tasked with decrypting enemy ciphers from the German Enigma and Lorenz machines. It was where Alan Turing laid the foundations for modern computer science and artificial intelligence and was the birthplace of Colossus, the world's first programmable electronic computer.
The efforts of the team at Bletchley Park were perhaps the greatest single strategic advantage of the Allies and may have shortened the war by two years. The Codebreaker is meant to not only act as a commemoration piece, but also a physical container of some of that story. According to Bremont, the Codebreaker was Inspired by a classic 1940's officers watch and that 240 steel Codebreaker watches will be created along with 50 rose gold watches. Each numbered watch has a flyback Chronograph GMT automatic movement and is made from materials directly related to the code breaking efforts.
The rotor of the watch is made from the wheel of an original Enigma cipher machine. The Enigma was not only Germany's most advanced coding device, but the most advanced in the world. Based on a Polish commercial design, it used a combination of rotors and wire plugs to scramble electrical circuits into about 158 trillion possible settings and encrypted messages in so complicated a fashion that the Germans thought it unbreakable. In 1939, this was true, but the Axis powers didn't count on was human genius coupled with the first generation of computers.
The crown of the Codebreaker includes a piece of pine taken from the floor of Hut 6. Built in 1940, Hut 6 wasn't much to look at. It was just another knocked together wartime shelter thrown up on the grounds of Bletchley Park, but it was the center of the effort to decrypt German Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe Enigma ciphers. It was here that the Enigma settings partially deduced by the Bombe were used to complete the decryption before going on to Hut 3 for translation and analysis.
The series numbers in the cases of the limited edition watches seem a bit odd at first glance because they're actually from the few remaining punch cards from Bletchley Park. A small avalanche of punch cards were used to find the Enigma keys and wheel orders by allowing operators to limit the number of wheel settings studied, but very few of these have survived since the war. When the GC&CS became the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) and was preparing to release records to the National Archives, a mere handful of what had once been two million cards were discovered. Five of these cards have been incorporated into the Codebreakers to display each watch's number.
The Codebreaker comes in either stainless steel or rose gold and has a 39 Jewels, three-legged Glucydur balance with Nivarox 1 mainspring with incabloc shock protection and 46-hour power reserve. It has sapphire crystals front and back and is water resistant to 10 atmospheres (100 m). Keeping with the period, it has a classic-style leather strap.
Unfortunately, history doesn't come cheap. The Codebreaker sells for US$18,700 with a percentage going to help pay for the ongoing restoration of Bletchley Park, which is now a museum site.
The video below outlines the features of the Bremont Codebreaker.


The SequenceActivity is a CompositeActivity, meaning the SequenceActivity can contain other activities.
The SequenceActivity class coordinates the running of a set of child activities in an ordered manner, one at a time. The SequenceActivity is completed when the final child activity is finished.
Classes that derive from SequenceActivity should not implement the IActivityEventListener interface, or the derived class will not execute correctly.
Defines the interface for an object that listens for an event.


text:
Can Bozdoğan (born 5 April 2001) is a German professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Eredivisie club Utrecht, on loan from Schalke 04.

Career

Schalke 04
Bozdoğan made his debut for Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga on 14 June 2020, starting in the home match against Bayer Leverkusen.

Beşiktaş (loan)
On 27 August 2021, he agreed to join Süper Lig club Beşiktaş on a season-long loan with an option to make the move permanent.

Utrecht (loan)
On 26 July 2022, he joined Eredivisie club Utrecht, again on a season-long loan with an option to make the move permanent.

Personal life
Born in Germany, Bozdoğan is of Turkish descent.

Career statistics

References

External links

2001 births
Living people
German footballers
Germany youth international footballers
German people of Turkish descent
Association football midfielders
FC Schalke 04 players
Beşiktaş J.K. footballers
FC Utrecht players
Bundesliga players
Süper Lig players
Eredivisie players
Footballers from Cologne

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


When Tracie-Ann shared her breathtakingly beautiful plus size maternity photo shoot photos with me, I couldn't help regretting not having my own maternity photos taken. The truth is that I didn't realize how truly amazing I looked when I was pregnant. I was so focused on a belly that looked more like a "B" than a "D". I couldn't see my own beauty. I also didn't realize that a great photographer can help you to recognize how stunning you really look!
Over the past 5 years, I've pushed myself way beyond my comfort zone in an effort to connect with and love my plus size body. Between doing boudoir photography, and speaking to many photographers, I've picked up some tips on having a stress-free photo shoot. I can't tell you how many women share with me the regret of not doing a plus size maternity photo shoot, so I hope these tips encourage you to take a risk and book a plus size maternity photo shoot for yourself right away!
1. Find the Right Photographer!
Selecting the right photographer for a plus size maternity photo shoot goes well beyond scoping out their website, Instagram and Facebook pages. It starts with finding someone who is experienced in photographing plus size pregnant women. If you have a B belly or are still waiting for your bump to pop, you'll want a photographer who is skilled at making your bump appear round and pronounced. With that said, if you love your B-shaped belly then celebrate it and have it photographed! It's your photo shoot so be sure to tell your photographer the look you're going for. There are many examples within the video below of over 200 plus size maternity photo shoots (and personal photos).
When looking for an experienced photographer, ask your plus size friends for recommendations or review local photographers' pages to find photos that you identify with.
As we saw in Tracie-Ann's glorious photos, she had a few adorable plus size maternity outfits. You'll want to pick out your outfits well in advance so you're not feeling frazzled the day of the photo shoot. Take a peek at the adorable options below.
If you select the location in advance or have your photographer make some suggestions, you can envision where you'll be and not feel anxious. I not only recommend a beautiful outdoor space like a public park with lovely scenery but also have some pictures taken at home where you feel most comfortable! Consider starting at home and in your nursery (if you already have it set up) and then venturing out and about somewhere beautiful.
You want to be able to relax (as much as possible) and feel like you can be yourself during your plus size maternity photo shoot. Therefore, if you feel comfortable doing so, share any insecurities you have about your body with your photographer rather than focusing on them in your head while photos are being taken. You'll also want to avoid doing anything you wouldn't normally do, like putting on fake lashes if you don't routinely do so. As I share within my article How to Look Perfect in a Picture, the more you're able to just be you, the more your photos will shine!!
Once you've found the right photographer, picked out the perfect outfit or outfits, selected a location that feels good to you, and have tried to relax…it's time to just enjoy the experience. Smile! Laugh! Rub that beautiful belly and trust that your photographer will take good care of you. Remember these photos aren't just for you and your partner to cherish, they are also for your child! I know you're going to rock your plus size maternity photo shoot and I hope you'll share your images with me via Instagram by sharing the #plusmommy hashtag.
If you'd like even more tips, the recently published My Plus Size Pregnancy Guide has an entire chapter talking about plus size maternity photography and includes a template for e-mailing prospective photographers. I'd recommend checking it out since everything can't be addressed within one blog post!


can you both explain the mentioned points in a 2 line?
Video marketing, social media marketing, social media optimization are the trending in digital marketing.
Mobile first marketing, influencer marketing, voice search & chat bots.
digital marketing trends are email marketing, Orm and SEM.
Guest Posting, Content Marketing, Video Promotion, are trending digital marketing trends nowadays.
the appeal of augmented reality lays in engagement. The interactive experiences lead users to develop closer relationships with your brand.Most of the time, the purpose of this technology is fun engagement.
Video marketing, social media marketing, social media optimization, live video are the trending in digital marketing.
Content will still be the king.


text:
The Library of Congress > Researchers > Search Finding Aids > 1986 Neptune Plaza Concert Series collection, 1986
1986 Neptune Plaza Concert Series collection, 1986
Title Page | Collection Summary | Scope and Content | Biographical/Organizational Note
Access restrictions apply. Some or all content stored offsite.
AFC 1986/037
American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Extent (Manuscripts)
Extent (Sound Recordings)
24 sound tape reels : analog, 7 1/2 and 15 ips, double track, stereo. ; 10 in.
Extent (Graphic Images)
10 photographic prints : black and white
315 photographs : negatives, black and white
408 slides : color
American Folklife Center
English, Armenian, Chinese, Malinka, Polish, and Spanish
Cite or bookmark this finding aid as: https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.afc/eadafc.af011013
LC Catalog record: https://lccn.loc.gov/2004695156
Manuscript materials, sound recordings, photographs, and color slides documenting the performance of bluegrass music, blues music, Armenian music, Senegalese music and dance, Irish music, country music, gospel music, Chinese traditional music and modern compositions, Caribbean music, and Polish music and dance celebrating the Harvest Festival from several regions in Poland. Most concerts were recorded live outdoors on Neptune Plaza in front of the Thomas Jefferson Building, Library of Congress. The concert of Chinese music was recorded in the Coolidge Auditorium, Library of Congress. The May 22 concert was held in celebration of the tenth anniversary of the Neptune Plaza Concert Series. Concerts were held from April through September 1986, sponsored by the American Folklife Center and the National Council for the Traditional Arts.


text:
#JungleJustice:Angry mob sets notorious robber ablaze in Benue (Graphic photos)
Angry mob lynched a suspected notorious robber to death in Korinya town of Konshisha Local Government Area of Benue State.Witnesses said the suspect identified as "Natho" who had for a very long time terrorised his rural town met his waterloo on Monday January 6, after allegedly snatching money from a popular business man in the community.
It was gathered that the alleged thief and his gang also allegedly forcefully made away with valuables belonging to the business man, and that it was about the fourth time the alleged thieves dispossessed the same victim of valuables.
It was further learnt that when the people of the area heard about the incident, they were displeased and decided to mount road blocks on the two exits of the community in order to apprehend the alleged culprits.
The police, however, according to witnesses swiftly swooped on the notorious suspect, arrested him and took him into custody.
But, the angry mob were said to have mobilised to the police post in the area and forcefully retrieved the suspect who they thereafter set ablaze.
The Police Public Relation Officer for Benue Command, Catherine Anene, who confirmed the incident, said that the mob took away the suspect who was earlier apprehended by the police.
See the graphic photos below.


Teenagers Jack Edwards, 18, and Jason Sangha, 19, both posted their maiden Sheffield Shield half-centuries at the SCG today.
A stunning fightback from exciting teenagers Jason Sangha and Jack Edwards has left the NSW Blues well placed on the opening day of the JLT Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania at the SCG.
Sangha was unbeaten on 70 and Edwards 50 with the Blues going to stumps at 5-285 in their first home match of the season after winning the toss and batting.
Both players made their maiden Shield half-centuries in their third match, and debut First Class match at the SCG, combining for an unbroken 104-run partnership.
Sangha and Edwards were team mates in Australia's Under 19 World Cup side, with Sangha captaining the team to the final against India in New Zealand last February.
Edwards starred during the Blues JLT One-Day Cup campaign at the start of this season as the team's highest run-scorer in the tournament with 273 runs at an average of 54.6.
Sangha did not play the one-day matches but started with Edwards in the Shield team, showing glimpses of what he is capable of in the first two matches.
Both had a top score in the 30s but Sangha was coming off a pair following the innings loss to Victoria in the previous match.
Promoted from number seven to number five in a show of faith by the Blues hierarchy, Sangha started slowly before gradually revealing a full range of shots. He faced 104 balls, hitting six fours and a six.
Edwards was typically free flowing, facing 71 balls. He also hit six fours and a six.
Their century partnership was the second of the day after the 125 added by Dan Hughes (78) and Kurtis Patterson (56).
Unfortunately neither pushed on for a century following the early loss of Nick Larkin, leg before wicket for six.
Former Test paceman and Manly product Jackson Bird (1-47) helped Tasmania fight back as the visitors struck twice in the final six overs before tea.
Bird held a catch at gully to dismiss Patterson then trapped Hughes lbw.
After the break the Blues lost Moises Henriques for seven and captain Peter Nevill for eight.
The Blues made three changes for the match, including spinners Nathan Lyon and Steve O'Keefe and seamer Sean Abbott.


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


To ensure your investment is secured and well managed, we provide an attractive investment program with holistic turnkey rental solutions for the owners.
Habitat Group's project developments are truly for investment. All the master plan, facilities and room layouts are designed to serve various forms of rental services and to operate as a 5-star hotel.
The rental guarantee of 6 % per year for 3 years ensures the owners will gain a steady income during the early years of the hotel operation.
The properties are managed by international branded hotel operators with consistent reputation in high quality services and professional rental management.
Capital gain from land appreciation and the property's brand growth can be expected when the owners sell their properties.
The properties are "Freehold" ownerships with title deeds which can be used as a collateral asset for financial purposes and to generate recurring income.


Interpretation of statistical evidence in criminal trials: The prosecutor's fallacy and the defense attorney's fallacy.
Thompson, William C.,Schumann, Edward L.
Two experiments tested 217 undergraduates' ability to use statistical evidence on the incidence rate of a "matching" characteristic when judging the probable guilt of a criminal suspect, based on written descriptions of evidence. Exp I varied whether incidence rate statistics were presented as conditional probabilities or as percentages and found the former promoted inferential errors favoring the prosecution, while the latter produced more errors favoring the defense. Exp II exposed Ss to 2 fallacious arguments on how to interpret the statistical evidence. The majority of Ss failed to detect the error in one or both of the arguments. In both experiments, a comparison of Ss' judgments to Bayesian norms revealed a general tendency to underutilize statistical evidence.


text:
John Schneider Explores General Lee Confederate Flag Controversy in New Film, 'Christmas Cars'
Sterling Whitaker
Former The Dukes of Hazzard star John Schneider is paying homage to the show that first made him famous with a new movie he is making, and he will push back against critics of the Confederate flag that appears on the show's classic car, the General Lee.
Schneider is filming a movie titled Christmas Cars, an independent film he is developing via his studio. Schneider and his new wife, Alicia Allain, worked on the new movie together, which Schneider wrote and directed. He says the film was inspired by all of the fans who have asked him whether there would be a Dukes reboot over the years.
"And I say, 'Probably not because they made that awful movie in 2005 and that means they don't understand the source material.' I think I do," Schneider tells Fox News. "So we made Christmas Cars. I play a guy who was on a show 40 years ago and I drove an orange Charger with a flag on the top of it and number 1 on the door."
Schneider plays a fictional version of himself in the film, a former television star who's since fallen on hard times. He now owns a store, and he starts selling a line of die-cast replicas of the famous car from his old show to honor the 40th anniversary of the series. He sells out of his inventory, only to see that success threatened by someone who calls for a boycott of the memento.
"And he does that by getting online and saying, 'Boycott this man because he and his show and his car are the universal sign of intolerance and racism,'" Schneider explains.
"So I went from having five thousand orders to having 4,800 people who want their money back," he adds. "So it's pretty cool. So it is life imitating art or art imitating life. It's one of those things."
Warner Bros., which owns the merchandising rights to The Dukes of Hazzard, stopped sales of merchandise bearing the Confederate flag in 2015, after a mass shooting at a church in Charleston, S.C. The 21-year-old shooter reportedly said he was there specifically to "shoot black people," and images later turned up online of him with the Confederate flag, re-igniting a long-running debate over its place in American culture. Schneider has since become embroiled in the debate about the meaning of the flag, against his will.
"People have told me now for the last four years or five years or so, what I must think because of the car I drove on the television show and they tell me what that car meant on the television show," he tells Fox News. "Well, who the hell are you to tell me what that car meant then or to me now?"
"If the flag on that car when we did that show represented inequality or racism in any regard, Uncle Jesse would have made us scratch it off with our teeth. And people know that," Schneider adds. "But people are also led around by social media. We have a line in the movie where my barber — Floyd, the Barber — says, 'People don't think what they think anymore, they think what they're told to think.'"
Christmas Cars is available for pre-order on DVD via Schneider's official online store. Orders will be shipped by Nov. 25. Watch a trailer for the movie above.
NEXT: The Confederate Flag in Country Music
See the Cast of The Dukes of Hazzard Then and Now:
Source: John Schneider Explores General Lee Confederate Flag Controversy in New Film, 'Christmas Cars'