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

The new X-ray transient XTE J1806--246 was first detected (Marshall \&
Strohmayer 1998) with the {\it Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer} ({\it
RXTE}) and later most likely identified in the radio (Hjellming,
Mioduszewski, \& Rupen 1998) and optical (Hynes, Roche, \& Haswell
1998) bands.  The source is positionally coincident with the known
X-ray transient 2S 1803--245 (Jernigan et al. 1978) and with the X-ray
burster SAX J1806.8--2435 (Muller et al. 1998). If the latter
identification is correct then this would imply that XTE J1806--246 is
a low-mass X-ray binary (LMXB) harboring a low magnetic field strength
neutron star and not a black hole.

The neutron star LMXBs have been classified into the so-called Z
sources and the atoll sources on the basis of their correlated X-ray
spectral and X-ray timing behavior (Hasinger \& van der Klis
1989). The Z sources trace out a Z shape like track in the X-ray
color-color diagram (CD) with the branches called, from top to bottom,
the horizontal branch (HB), the normal branch (NB), and the flaring
branch (FB). The power spectra of the Z sources show on the HB strong
band-limited noise (called low frequency noise or LFN) with a cutoff
frequency of several Hertz, and, simultaneous with this, QPOs between
15 and 60 Hz, which are called horizontal branch QPOs or HBOs. On the
NB QPOs appear between 5 and 7 Hz which are called normal branch QPOs
or NBOs.  HBOs and NBOs often occur simultaneously.  In several Z
sources, the NBOs smoothly merge with 7--20~Hz QPOs seen on the FB,
the flaring branch QPOs or FBOs.  On all branches two additional noise
components are found, one at very low frequencies (the very low
frequency noise or VLFN), following a power law, and one at
frequencies above 10 Hz (the high frequency noise or HFN), which cuts
off between 50 and 100~Hz.

The atoll sources trace out a curved branch in the CD, which can be
divided in two parts: the island state and the banana branch. When the
source is in the island state motion in the CD is not very fast and
can take several weeks.  The power spectrum is dominated by very
strong (sometimes more than 20\% rms amplitude) band-limited noise.
The band-limited noise is also called HFN but it is at much lower
frequencies than the HFN observed in the Z sources and most likely
they are not related. Instead, it has been proposed that Z source LFN
and atoll source HFN are similar phenomena (van der Klis 1994).  On
the banana branch the source moves much faster through the CD (on time
scales of hours to days) and in the power spectrum only a weak
(several percent rms amplitude) power law noise component at low
frequencies is observed (the VLFN). The part of the banana branch
closest to the island state is called the lower banana branch, the
part away the upper banana branch. From the island state via the lower
to the upper banana branch the VLFN tends to get stronger and steeper
while the HFN becomes much weaker.

The physical parameter governing the state changes in a given source
is nearly certainly the mass accretion rate (see van der Klis 1995 for
a summary of the evidence). Some of the differences between the Z and
the atoll sources are also due to the differences in the average
accretion rate, but it has been proposed that differences in the
neutron star magnetic field strength also play a role (e.g., Hasinger
\& van der Klis 1989; Psaltis, Lamb, \& Miller 1995).

With the launch of {\it RXTE} at the end of 1995, in both the Z
sources and the atoll sources two other types of QPOs were discovered
at much higher frequencies, between 200 and 1200 Hz (the kHz QPOs; see
van der Klis 1999 for a recent review). In the Z sources, these kHz
QPOs are detected on the HB and the upper part of the NB. In the Z
source Sco X-1, the kHz QPOs are detected all the way up to the lower
part of the FB. In atoll sources, the kHz QPOs are strong in the
island state, weaker on the lower part of the banana branch, and
absent on the upper part of the banana branch. The similar properties
of the kHz QPOs in the Z sources and the atoll sources suggest that
these QPOs are most likely due to the same physical mechanism in both
types of sources.

Using data obtained with {\it RXTE} not only kHz QPOs were discovered
in the atoll sources, but also QPOs with frequencies around 60 to 80
Hz (Strohmayer et al. 1996; Wijnands \& van der Klis 1997; Ford et
al. 1997; Homan et al. 1998; Wijnands et al. 1998) and in one atoll
source a QPO was observed near 7 Hz (Wijnands, van der Klis, \&
Rijkhorst 1999). The properties of the 60--80 Hz QPOs suggest that
they could be due to the same physical mechanism as the HBOs in Z
sources (e.g., Homan et al. 1998; Psaltis, Belloni, van der Klis
1999). Wijnands et al. (1999) tentatively suggest that the 7 Hz QPO
can be identified with the NBOs in the Z sources. These recent {\it
RXTE} results show that whatever causes the phenomenological
differences between the Z and the atoll sources, it does not prevent
similar QPO phenomena from occurring (albeit with differences in
incidence and perhaps strength) in both source types.

Here we report on the correlated X-ray spectral and X-ray timing
behavior of XTE J1806--246 during the rise, the peak, and the decay of
its 1998 outburst. We report the discovery of a 7--14 Hz QPO during
the peak of the outburst. A preliminary announcement of this discovery
was already made by Wijnands \& van der Klis (1998). The correlated
X-ray spectral and X-ray timing behavior during the rise and the decay
is consistent with that of an atoll source. The outburst peak
properties are more reminiscent to Z source normal/flaring branch
behavior, which suggests that the lack of phenomena characteristic of
the normal/flaring branch in most atoll sources is due to a difference
in accretion rate only.

When this paper was essentially completed we became aware of a paper
by Revnivtsev, Borozdin, \& Emelyanov (1999) which uses the same
data. They concentrated on the analysis of the 9 Hz QPO and with
respect to that feature obtained results consistent with ours.

\section{Observations and Analysis  \label{observations}}

XTE J1806--246 was observed by the proportional counter array (PCA)
onboard {\it RXTE} as part of public target of opportunity
observations for a total of $\sim$32 ksec (see Table~\ref{obslog} for
a log of the observations). During all observations, data were
obtained in 129 photon energy bands covering the energy range 2--60
keV. Simultaneous data were obtained at different epochs with time
resolutions of 122 \micros~or 16 \micros~in 67 (April 27) or 18 (the
other data) photon energy bands covering the range 2--60 keV. During
all observations except the April 27 one, data were also obtained with
8 ms time resolution in 16 bands covering the range 2--13 keV.

We calculated FFTs using 16-s data segments of the 122 \micros~and 16
\micros~data in order to study the $>$ 100 Hz variability. We also
made 128 s FFTs using the 8 ms and 16 \micros~data in different photon
energy bands in order to study the energy dependence of the QPO and
the noise components.  Finally, we made 128 s cross-spectra between
different energy bands from the same data in order to study the time
lags of the QPO.  To determine the properties of the 7--14 Hz QPO, we
fitted the power density spectra of May 3 with a function containing a
constant (representing the dead-time modified Poisson level), a power
law (representing the underlying continuum), and a Lorentzian
(representing the QPO). To determine the properties of the peaked
noise component, we fitted the power density spectra of the other
data, after subtracting the dead-time modified Poisson level, with a
power law and an exponentially cutoff power law (representing the
peaked noise). The uncertainties in the fit parameters were determined
using $\Delta\chi^2=1$. Upper limits correspond to a 95\% confidence
level.

The PCA light curve, the CDs, and the hardness-intensity diagrams
(HIDs) were created using 64 s averages of the 16 s data.  In the CDs,
the soft color is defined as the logarithm of the
3.5--6.4~keV/2.0--3.5~keV count rate ratio and the hard color as the
logarithm of the 9.7--16.0~keV/6.4--9.7~keV count rate ratio. The
definition of the colors in the HIDs are the same as in the CDs. The
count rates in the HIDs are for the photon energy range 2.0--16.0 keV.
All count rates quoted in this paper are for 5 detectors. The count
rates used in the diagrams are background-subtracted but not dead-time
corrected. The dead-time correction is 3\%--5\%.

\section{Results \label{results}}

The outburst light curve is presented in
Figure~\ref{fig:lightcurves}. During 1998 April the source was rising
from $\sim$5000 to $\sim$7200 counts s$^{-1}$ (2.0--16.0 keV). It
reached a maximum of between 7000--8000 counts s$^{-1}$ in the 1998
May 3 observation. After May 3 the count rate decreased; the source
became almost undetectable ($\sim$10--20 counts \pers) by July (see
Table~\ref{obslog}).

The CD of all data before 1998 July 1 is presented in Figure
\ref{fig:cd}{\it a}. The data taken on July 1 and 17 are not plotted
because of the very low statistics of the data. In Figure
\ref{fig:cd}{\it a}, different tracks are traced out at different
moments in the outburst. A blow up of the data obtained between April
27 and May 22 is shown in Figure~\ref{fig:cd}{\it b}. During the rise
(the April data) and the decay (the May 17--22 data) the source traced
out a curved branch in the CD (Fig.~\ref{fig:cd}{\it c}). In
Figure~\ref{fig:hid_curved}{\it a} the CD is compared to the hard HID
(Fig.~\ref{fig:hid_curved}{\it b}; the hard color versus the count
rate) and the soft HID (Fig.~\ref{fig:hid_curved}{\it c}; the soft
color versus the count rate, note the axes are interchanged). Clearly
visible from these figures is that although the count rate can be
different by about 2000 counts \pers, the hard and the soft color can
have the same values (this is best visible by comparing the April data
which each other). By comparing the April 27 and the May 17
observation, it is also clear that the soft color can have different
values at the same count rates.  From Figure~\ref{fig:hid_curved} it
can also be seen on which dates the source was at a certain position
in the CD.  During the June observations, the source was in two
distinct places in the CD and HIDs which are separate from the rest of
the data (see Fig.~\ref{fig:cd}{\it a}).

During the peak of the outburst the source traced out, in a different
part of the CD compared to the rise and decay data, a pattern which we
interpret as a two-branched structure (Fig.~\ref{fig:cd}{\it d}).
When examining the CD at higher (16 seconds) time resolution, it is
clear that at the beginning of the May 3 observation the source was
located on the lower part of the right branch in the CD. The source
then gradually moved via the lower part of the left branch to the
upper left part. At the same time the count rate increased from about
7100 to about 7400 counts \pers~(2.0--16.0 keV).  After a data gap of
about 2000 seconds, due to an Earth occultation of the source, the
count rate had increased to about 7500--7600 counts \pers~(2.0--16.0
keV) and the source was on the upper part of the right branch in the
CD (compare also Fig.~\ref{fig:all_time}{\it a} and {\it b}). It is
impossible to say whether the source jumped to this place in the CD or
moved gradually to it. In the latter case it is also not possible to
say if this gradual motion of the source followed the same track or
followed a different route.  The CD is compared to the HIDs in
Figure~\ref{fig:hid_qpo}.  By comparing {\it a} and {\it c} it can be
seen what the count rate was at a certain position in the CD.

The source not only traced out different tracks in the CD during the
rise and the decay with respect to the peak of the outburst, but also
the power spectra were remarkably different. During the rise and the
decay two noise components can be distinguished in the power spectrum
(Fig.~\ref{fig:powerspectra} {\it left}): a noise component following
a power law at low frequency (the VLFN) and a broad noise component
which can be represented by a power law with an exponential cutoff
between 5 and 20 Hz (the HFN). The strengths of these noise components
and their other properties during the different observations are
displayed in Table~\ref{obslog}. During the last observation in the
decay for which noise could be detected (1998 June 14; see
Fig.~\ref{fig:powerspectra} {\it right}) the strength of the HFN had
increased to about 14\%. The VLFN could not be detected down to 0.01
Hz (note that Revnivtsev et al. 1999 reported the presence of the VLFN
below 0.01 Hz).  During the last two observations (1998 July 1 and 17)
no noise could be detected, however, the upper limits of typically
30\% rms amplitude on any noise component are not very stringent.
During the peak of the outburst the power spectrum is quite
different. The VLFN is still present but the HFN component is replaced
by a very significant (44$\sigma$) QPO (Fig.~\ref{fig:powerspectra}
{\it middle}) with a frequency of 9.03\pp0.05 Hz, a FWHM of 5.6\pp0.2
Hz, and an rms amplitude of 5.30\pp0.06\%.

\subsection{The QPO}

In order to study this QPO in more detail, we made 64 s FFTs of the
1998 May 3 data and fitted the QPO with a Lorentzian in each
individual power spectrum. In order to correlate the obtained QPO
parameters with the position of the source in the CD, we used the
\sz~parameterization, which has been developed for the Z sources
(\sz~is a measure of the curve length along the track in the CD; see
Wijnands et al. 1997 and Wijnands 1999 and references therein for
detailed descriptions of this procedure). We selected arbitrarily the
normal points where \sz~=~1 and \sz~=~2 (see Fig.~\ref{fig:cd}{\it d}).

The behavior of the QPO parameters, the 2.0--16.0 keV count rate, and
the \sz~values as a function of time are presented in
Figure~\ref{fig:all_time}.  The QPO parameters versus the QPO
frequency, the 2.0--16.0 keV count rate, and \sz~are displayed in
Figure~\ref{fig:qpo_all}. From these two figures it is clear that the
QPO parameters (Figs.~\ref{fig:qpo_all}{\it b}, {\it e}, and {\it g})
do not have a strict correlation with the count rate. This is also
apparent when comparing Figure~\ref{fig:all_time}{\it a} with
Figures~\ref{fig:all_time}{\it c}, {\it d}, and {\it e}. The QPO rms
versus its frequency (Fig. ~\ref{fig:qpo_all}{\it a}), shows two
distinct branches. From Figures~\ref{fig:all_time}{\it c} and {\it d}
it can been seen that the transition between these two branches
occurred around 1000 seconds after the beginning of the May 3
observation. After the data gap between 2000 and 4500 seconds (due to
an Earth occultation of the source), the source has returned to the
original branch. From Figure~\ref{fig:qpo_all}{\it c} it is clear that
these two branches correspond to different places in the CD. The
points with the low rms amplitude for the QPO occur below about \sz~=
1.5; the points with the high rms amplitude occur when \sz~$>$
1.5. This differences in QPO behavior are also apparent in
Figures~\ref{fig:qpo_all}{\it f} and {\it h}. Below \sz~= 1.5 the FWHM
and frequency behave erratically. Above \sz~= 1.5 the FWHM and in
particular the QPO frequency increase when \sz~increases. This means
that above \sz~$>$ 1.5 the QPO frequency is well correlated with the
position of the source in the CD. For \sz~$<$ 1.5 the correlation
breaks down.

The energy dependence of the QPO is shown in
Figure~\ref{fig:qpo_energy}. There is a clear increase of the rms
amplitude of the QPO with photon energy below $\sim$12 keV. Above 12
keV, the rms amplitude seems to level off. We tried to measure any
time lags in this QPO as a function of energy. The obtained time lags
between the energy bands 2.8--5.3 keV and 5.3--13.0 keV were
consistent with zero ($-0.06$\pp0.4 msec).

\subsection{The noise components during the rise and the decay}

When excluding the May 3 observations in the CD, a curved branch is
present. We investigated the behavior of the noise components as a
function of the position of the source on this branch. We divided the
branch is five parts (see Fig.~\ref{fig:cd}{\it c}). Note that only in
area 3 are data used of the rise {\it and} the decay together. In
areas 1 and 2, only data of the rise is used and in areas 4 and 5 only
data of the decay. During the rise, the source moved first from area 1
via area 2 into area 3 (April 27), and then back via area 2 (April 28)
into area 1 (April 29) (see also Fig.~\ref{fig:hid_curved}).  During
the first observation in the decay (May 17 00:29--00:54), the source
was in area 4. In the subsequent observations, the source moved first
to area 5, and then back via area 4 (May 17 12:42--13:56) into area 3
(May 22).  The motion can be followed when comparing the CD
(Fig.~\ref{fig:hid_curved}{\it a}) with the soft HID
(Fig.~\ref{fig:hid_curved}{\it c}).

The results of the fits in the different areas are summarized in
Table~\ref{noisecdtab}. The VLFN increases in strength and becomes
steeper from the upper left part (area 1) to the upper right part of
the curved branch (area 5), while the HFN decreases in strength. The
index and the cutoff frequency of the HFN do not have a clear
correlation with the position of the source in the CD.  In area 5, the
HFN is not peaked (as is the case in the other areas) and no cutoff
frequency could be determined.

Both noise components have similar relationships with photon energy as
the 7--14 Hz QPO: they increase in strength up to an energy of
$\sim$12 keV above which they remain approximately constant. Although
both the HFN and the QPO peak at roughly the same frequency and have
similar energy dependence of their strengths, it is unclear whether
the peaked HFN evolved into the QPO or was replaced by it.

\subsection{Kilohertz QPOs}

We intensively searched for QPOs between 200 and 1500 Hz. None were
detected with conservative upper limits on the amplitude (2--60 keV;
assuming a FWHM of 150 Hz for the kHz QPOs) of 1\%--2\% rms during the
rise of the outburst, 2.0\% rms during the peak of the outburst,
2.0--3.0\% rms during the decay of the outburst when XTE J1806--246
was on the curved branch, 4.7\% rms on June 8, 12.5\% on June 14, and
around 80\% during the July observations.

\section{Discussion \label{discussion}}

We have analyzed the correlated X-ray spectral and X-ray timing
behavior of the new X-ray transient XTE J1806--246 during its 1998
outburst. During the peak of the outburst we discovered a very
significant (44$\sigma$) QPO near 9 Hz. This QPO was not detected
during the rise and the decay of the outburst, however, a broad peaked
noise component near 10 Hz was. Also, the behavior in the CD was
different between the rise and the decay of the outburst compared with
the peak. During the peak of the outburst a pattern was traced out,
which we interpret as a two branched structure. The QPO frequency
seemed to be correlated with the position of the source in (at least a
part of) the CD: the frequency increased when the source moved from
lower part of the left branch to the upper part of the right
branch. Outside the peak of the outburst, a broad curved branch was
traced out when the count rate was above 3500 counts \pers~(2.0--16.0
keV). Below this count rate only distinct patches in the CD were
formed during the different observations, which were not connect with
each other. This pattern most likely is due to the sparsity of data in
the decay of the outburst. The strength of the HFN increased slightly
when the source moved from the upper right in the CD to the upper
left, while the VLFN strength decreased and it became less steep. The
HFN increased to about 14\% rms amplitude when the count rate had
dropped below 350 counts \pers~(2.0--16.0 keV).

The positional coincidence of XTE J1806--246 with the X-ray burster
SAX J1806.8--2435 makes it likely that they are one and the same
source. This would suggest that XTE J1806--246 contains a neutron
star. Although similar frequency QPOs as the 9 Hz QPO in XTE
J1806--246 have also been discovered in black-hole candidates, they
are more often detected in the neutron star systems (the Z sources,
and on one occasion in an atoll source [Wijnands et al.  1999]). So,
this is in accordance with the idea that XTE J1806--246 contains a
neutron star and not a black-hole.

\subsection{Atoll source versus Z source}

The neutron star LMXBs have been classified into Z sources and atoll
sources (see \S~\ref{intro}). The differences between the Z sources
and the atoll sources have been interpreted (e.g., Hasinger \& van der
Klis 1989) as due to a difference in the accretion rate and in the
strength of the magnetic field of the neutron star. From the higher
intrinsic luminosity of the Z sources compared to that of the atoll
sources, it was suggested that the Z sources accrete near the critical
Eddington accretion rate (e.g., Hasinger \& van der Klis 1989; Smale
1998; Bradshaw, Fomalont, \& Geldzahler 1998) but that most atoll
sources accrete at a significantly lower accretion rate.  The
magnetospheric beat-frequency (MBF) model (Alphar \& Shaham 1985; Lamb
et al. 1985) for the HBOs in the Z sources in combination with the
absence of similar QPOs in the atoll sources, suggested that the
magnetic field strengths of the neutron stars in the Z sources are
higher than those in the atoll sources.  X-ray spectral modeling
(Psaltis et al. 1995) also suggested that the magnetic field strength
in the atoll sources is significantly less than that in the Z sources.
Because the magnetic field strengths of the atoll sources are thought
to be significantly above zero (e.g., Psaltis et al. 1995), the MBF
model predicted that similar QPOs might be observable in the atoll
sources, but at a lower strength than in the Z sources.  With {\it
RXTE} similar frequency QPOs have indeed been found in the atoll
sources, however, it has still to be determined whether the strengths
of these QPOs are significantly less than those of the HBOs in the Z
sources.

The presence of the 5--20 Hz QPO (the N/FBO) in Z sources at their
highest inferred mass accretion rates and the absence of similar QPOs
in the atoll sources, had led to models for this QPO in which the
accretion rate has to be near the Eddington accretion rate in order
for the production mechanism of this QPO to be activated (e.g.,
Fortner, Lamb, \& Miller 1989; Alpar et al. 1992). If these models are
correct, then similar QPOs should also be visible in the atoll sources
when they reach the Eddington mass accretion rate (if they
could). Recently, in the atoll source 4U 1820--30 a 7 Hz QPO was
discovered (Wijnands et al. 1999) at times when this source was
accreting at its highest observed inferred mass accretion
rate. However, this highest observed accretion rate was well below the
Eddington mass accretion rate (Wijnands et al. 1999). If this 7 Hz QPO
is due to the same physical mechanism as the N/FBOs in the Z sources,
then either the production mechanism for this QPO is already activated
at accretion rates much lower than the Eddington accretion rate, or
the accretion rate estimated from the X-ray flux in 4U 1820--30 is
significantly less than the true accretion rate.  In the latter
situation, a significant part of the energy released near the neutron
star must be beamed away from us or has to eventually be emitted not
in X-rays but at other wavelengths or in, e.g., ejecta. It remains to
be seen to what extent the Fortner et al. (1989) model could
accommodate this.

It is interesting to investigate if XTE J1806--246 fits in in the
above described picture, and, if so, how exactly.  During the rise and
the decay of the outburst a curved branch was traced out, which
resembles the banana branch in atoll sources. Also, the behavior of
the noise components with the position of the source on this curved
branch (HFN becoming stronger and the VLFN weaker and less steep when
the source moves from the right to the left in this diagram) is
characteristic of the behavior of the noise components observed in
atoll sources when they move from the upper banana branch to the lower
banana branch. Interestingly, when the count rate drops further in the
decay, distinct patches are formed separated from the curved
branch. The HFN increases to about 14\% rms amplitude with decreasing
count rate and the VLFN becomes undetectable down to 0.01 Hz in the
June 14 observation (the last observation which has sufficient
statistics to detect noise in the power spectrum). The present of such
strong noise and distinct patches in the CD are characteristic of
atoll source behavior when these sources are in the island state (see,
e.g., Hasinger \& van der Klis 1989; M\'endez 1999).  Note, that
similar weak VLFN components, as observed in the June 14 observation
(Revnivtsev et al. 1999), have been observed in other atoll sources
when they were in their island states (Hasinger \& van der Klis 1989).
So, XTE J1806--246 during the rise and the fall of its outburst
displayed all characteristics typical of an atoll source and, if the
source is indeed a neutron star, it should be classified as such.

In the original report of the discovery of the QPO in XTE J1806--246
(Wijnands \& van der Klis 1998) we suggested, that if the 7--14 Hz QPO
in XTE J1806--246 is due to the same physical mechanism as the 7--20
Hz QPOs in the Z sources, XTE J1806--246 might be a Z source. However,
the discovery of the 7 Hz QPO in the atoll source 4U 1820--30
(Wijnands et al. 1999) has since shown that QPOs between 7--20 Hz are
in neutron star systems not exclusively found in the Z sources. The
correlation of the frequency of the QPO with the position of the
source in part of the CD is very similar to the behavior of the NBO
when the Z sources move from the lower NB onto the lower FB. Such
correlated behavior has not yet been seen in other atoll
sources. However, the lack of correlation in another part of the CD is
different. We conclude that if XTE J1806--246 is a neutron star it is
most likely the second example of an atoll source that at high
luminosity begins to show a NBO-like QPO. It then is the first example
of an atoll source simultaneously exhibiting a NB/FB like pattern in
the CD. (A related case may be Cir X-1, which sometimes shows atoll
characteristics [Oosterbroek et al. 1995] and at other times what
appears to be a Z-track and HBO- and NBO-like QPOs [Shirey et
al. 1998, 1999]).

It is possible that XTE J1806--246 during the peak of the outburst
reaches near Eddington mass accretion rates, as is required in the
Fortner et al. (1989) model for the NBO.  The observed absorbed flux
between 2 and 30 keV during the peak of the outburst is about
1.9$\times10^{-8}$ ergs cm$^{-2}$ \pers. The source is located in the
direction to the galactic bulge ($l \sim 6.1$, $b \sim
-1.9$). Assuming a distance of 8 kpc, the intrinsic luminosity of the
source is 1.5$\times10^{38}$ ergs \pers, which is close to the
Eddington accretion limit for a 1.4 solar mass neutron star. However,
during the rise and the decay the observed X-ray count rate and flux
($\sim1.8\times10^{-8}$ ergs cm$^{-2}$ \pers) are very close to those
observed during the peak of the outburst, suggesting that also at
those epochs XTE J1806--246 was accreting near the Eddington accretion
limit. It is unclear why only during the peak of the outburst XTE
J1806--246 showed the 7--14 Hz QPO; perhaps this is related to a
difference in the accretion flow between persistent and transient
sources caused by the large changes in the mass accretion rate in the
latter.

\subsection{Other types of QPOs?}

Both the Z sources and the atoll sources exhibit, at their lowest
observed inferred mass accretion rates, kHz QPOs and QPOs between
15--70 Hz.  Therefore, we looked in particular at the data obtained
during the lowest count rates for XTE J1806--246 to search for similar
QPOs. No significant kHz QPOs were detected but with upper limits
which are not inconsistent with the derived values of the kHz QPOs in
the Z sources and in some atoll sources.  Interestingly, when we
combine the power spectra obtained for areas 1 and 2 in
Figure~\ref{fig:cd}{\it c}, we detect a 4.8$\sigma$ QPO with a
frequency of 70.6\pp1.6 Hz, a FWHM of 12.6$^{+4.6}_{-3.2}$ Hz, and an
rms amplitude of 1.2\%\pp0.1\%. This QPO is also marginally visible in
Fig.~\ref{fig:powerspectra} {\it left}.  However, when we include the
Poisson level as an unknown parameter in the fit the significance of
this QPO drops to about 3.5$\sigma$. Taking into account the number of
trials involved in our search method this QPO needs
confirmation. However, the presence of such a $\sim$70 Hz QPO is very
similar to similar frequency QPOs observed in atoll sources in their
lower banana branch and to the HBOs observed in the Z sources on their
HB.

\subsection{Conclusion}

The behavior observed for XTE J1806--246 during the 1998 outburst is
consistent with that of an atoll source which at the peak of the
outburst reached a X-ray luminosity level where the NBO mechanism
switched on. This makes the source the second atoll source, after 4U
1820--30 (Wijnands et al. 1999), that exhibits QPOs with frequencies
near 7--9 Hz. This source can be very useful to study the similarities
and the differences between Z sources (including Cir X-1, which is
probable a Z source; Shirey et al. 1998; 1999) and atoll sources,
allowing us to get a better insight in the processes at work in the
inner part of the accretion disk.

\acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by the Netherlands Foundation for
Research in Astronomy (ASTRON) grant 781-76-017, by the Netherlands
Researchschool for Astronomy (NOVA), and the NWO Spinoza grant 08-0 to
E. P. J. van den Heuvel.  This research has made use of data obtained
through the High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center
Online Service, provided by the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center. We
thank the anonymous referee for his helpful comments on the paper.

\clearpage

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


text:
SEVENTEEN's DK Decided On BooSeokSoon's Comeback Track And No One Can Tell Him Otherwise
He knew it as soon as he heard it.
On episode six of Going SEVENTEEN 2019, SEVENTEEN were working on creating the opening and ending songs for their show.
Jeonghan, DK, Seungkwan, and Hoshi went to Woozi's recording studio to listen to the beats he had ready and to select two for both the opening and ending.
As soon as Woozi played the second track, DK said, "It's good." Then he swayed his body from side to side, clapped his hands, and made up lyrics on the spot.
Although they didn't choose the second track for their show, they deemed it DK's song and Jeonghan told Woozi to send it to DK so he could write his own lyrics.
Just to please DK, Woozi played the second track one more time. This time DK sung, "We're back," along with, "BooSeokSoon comeback."
All of the members of BooSeokSoon (Seungkwan, DK, and Hoshi) were dancing and singing along to the second track, so it could possibly be a special release for Carats in the future.
Watch them get hyped up about "DK's song" while Woozi laughed here.
Hot Korean Men Drenched In Prada Pose For Fall/Winter 2022 Fashion Show
ENHYPEN's Sunoo Apologizes To SEVENTEEN's Jeonghan, Here's Why
10 Times That SEVENTEEN's Woozi Proved He Could Easily Be In The Performance Unit
SEVENTEEN's Jun Once Signed A Fan's Album…To Her Ex-Boyfriend's Name By Mistake
See more SEVENTEEN

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


they had no idea what lay ahead. But we'd be lying. They had an inkling.
They'd been making kombucha for a while. Their kids were into it. Their mates were hooked.
Family members were dropping by more often for a taste.
the food and drinks world.
tasty kombucha brew and a whole lotta guts.
also be tasty and easy. They believed we all deserve to know that too.
batches, long-aged brewed for 30 days.


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Join one of the world's top 10 universities, ranked number one in the UK for graduate prospects in The Complete University Guide 2016. Imperial is home to the greatest concentration of high-impact research of any major UK university. The REF's new impact measure ranks Imperial's research highest of any major university. Moreover, eight of Imperial's 14 REF-assessed research areas are top or joint-top for "outstanding" or "very considerable" impact. Imperial research quality has improved significantly since the Research Assessment Exercise 2008. The proportion of 4* or 3* classified research has moved from 73% to 91%, and 4* graded research has increased from 26% to 46%, while we have maintained the proportion of eligible staff submitted for assessment (93% in RAE 2008; 92% in REF 2014).


text:
<?php
return array (
  'Create Admin Account' => 'Yönetici Hesabı Oluştur',
);

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Der Weinbietturm ist ein Aussichtsturm auf dem Gelände der kreisfreien Stadt Neustadt an der Weinstraße (Rheinland-Pfalz). Er steht unter Denkmalschutz.

Geographische Lage
Der Turm innerhalb der Waldgemarkung des Neustadter Ortsteils Gimmeldingen steht in  auf dem Gipfelplateau des namengebenden Weinbiets, das zur Haardt, dem Ostrand des Pfälzerwalds, gehört. In unmittelbarer Nähe befinden sich das gemauerte Weinbiethaus als Ausflugsgaststätte und der 136 m hohe Gittermast des Senders Weinbiet.

Baubeschreibung
Das 21,5 m, nach anderer Quelle 22 m hohe Bauwerk aus rotem Sandstein ist mit oktogonalem Grundriss konstruiert. Die Mauern des gedrungenen Untergeschosses werden durch aufgesetzte Parabelblenden gegliedert, das aufgemauerte Obergeschoss ist wesentlich schlanker. Über eine Wendeltreppe im Innern, die im unteren Bereich aus Stein, weiter oben aus Metall ist, können Besucher die ummauerte Galerie erreichen. Weiter oben sind ein Unterbau für Sendeeinrichtungen und eine nahe der Turmspitze angebrachte Wartungsplattform für Antennen ausschließlich dienstlichen Belangen vorbehalten.

Geschichte
Der zwischen 1870 und 1874 errichtete Panoramaturm gehört der Stadt Neustadt und ist zu denselben Zeiten wie das Weinbiethaus geöffnet. Schon im 19. Jahrhundert bekam er den Namen Weinbietturm.

Die Parabelblenden wurden laut Inschrift um 1930 ergänzt. Dies geschah vermutlich in dem Zeitraum, als der Turm wegen Baufälligkeit ab 1925 geschlossen war und erst 1931, nach Installation einer seitlichen Stützterrasse, wieder geöffnet wurde.

Als Rheinland-Pfalz nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg von Frankreich besetzt war, veranstalteten französische Soldaten im Jahr 1951 Schießübungen, bei denen der Weinbietturm erheblich beschädigt wurde. Bis 1952 wurde er in etwas einfacherer Form wieder benutzbar gemacht.

Nach den Renovierungsarbeiten wurde im April 1952 im Turm eine Station des Deutschen Wetterdienstes in Betrieb genommen, die seit 2004 vollautomatisch betrieben wird. 1964 wurde der Turm durch die damalige Deutsche Bundespost mit einem umlaufenden Betonkragen versehen, um das Bauwerk mithilfe von Parabolspiegeln als Sendeturm nutzen zu können; allerdings ist die Leistungsfähigkeit wegen der geringen Höhe eingeschränkt.

Während des gesamten Jahres 2018 bis zum 18. April 2019 war der Turm wegen Sanierungsarbeiten, die infolge der angespannten finanziellen Lage der Stadt Neustadt fast eineinhalb Jahre in Anspruch nahmen, geschlossen.

Webcam
Auf dem Weinbietturm installierte der Naturschutzbund Deutschland (NABU) in Zusammenarbeit mit dem Deutschen Wetterdienst und der Stadt Neustadt im Juni 2010 die erste Panorama-Kamera Pfälzerwald. Die Dauerleihgabe des Kameraherstellers Mobotix wird von den Betreibern mittlerweile als WetterKamera Weinbiet bezeichnet. Sie schwenkt nach Süden bzw. Südwesten und überträgt Livebilder und Temperaturangaben ins Internet, die alle zehn Minuten aktualisiert werden. Gezeigt werden dabei die drei hauptsächlichen Naturräume, an denen Neustadt Anteil hat: nach Süden die Oberrheinische Tiefebene und die Weinbergterrassen an der Haardt sowie nach Südwesten das Biosphärenreservat Pfälzerwald-Vosges du Nord.

Weblinks

 WetterKamera Weinbiet des NABU

Einzelnachweise und Anmerkungen

Kulturdenkmal in Neustadt an der Weinstraße
Bauwerk im Pfälzerwald
Bauwerk aus Sandstein
Aussichtsturm in Europa
Oktogon
Zentralbau in Deutschland

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Тюй () — река в Пермском крае и Башкортостане, правый приток Уфы.

Длина реки — 193 км (с Большим Тюем), площадь бассейна — 3700 км². Исток на Тулвинской возвышенности в Уинском районе на юге Пермского края. Течёт на юго-восток по территории Чернушинского, Октябрьского районов края, Аскинского и Караидельского районов Башкортостана. Впадает в залив у села Новомуллакаево в крайней северной части Павловского водохранилища.

Крупнейшие населённые пункты:
 на реке — Кубиязы, Кашкино, Урмиязы, Новомуллакаево (все — РБ), Тюй, Тюинск (оба — Перм.);
 во всём бассейне — пгт Октябрьский (Перм.), Аскино (РБ), Щучье Озеро (Перм.).

Гидрография
Река со смешанным питанием, преимущественно снеговым. На весеннее половодье приходится 55—60 % годового стока. Замерзает в ноябре, вскрывается в начале мая. Среднегодовой расход воды у д. Гумбино (10 км от устья) — 18,9 м³/с.

Рельеф территории водосбора холмисто-увалистый, лесистость составляет 57 % (в основном тёмнохвойно-широколиственные леса), распаханность — 10 %, заболоченность — менее 1 %.

Притоки

(от истока, в скобках указана длина в км)

 0,9 км лв: Сарс (135)
 6,5 км пр: Бильгишка (20)
 22 км лв: Биявашка (22)
 35 км лв: Урмия (12)
 45 км лв: Малаж (11)
 52 км пр: Бурминка (33)
 70 км лв: Леун (32)
 80 км лв: Атер (50)
 119 км пр: Бизяр (18)
 124 км пр: Трунок (10)

Данные водного реестра
По данным государственного водного реестра России относится к Камскому бассейновому округу, водохозяйственный участок реки — Уфа от Нязепетровского гидроузла до Павловского гидроузла, без реки Ай, речной подбассейн реки — Белая. Речной бассейн реки — Кама.

Код объекта в государственном водном реестре — 10010201112111100022807.

Примечания

Литература

Притоки Уфы
Реки Аскинского района
Реки Караидельского района
Реки Октябрьского района Пермского края
Реки Уинского района
Реки Чернушинского района


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text:
Strengthening of Kaiku through a broader shareholder basis
Change to ownership structure in Spain
Lucerne, 1 April 2015 – Emmi is increasing its share capital in Kaiku Corporación Alimentaria in San Sebastián, Spain, by EUR 10 million. At the same time, Basque investment company Ekarpen is taking a EUR 6 million stake in Kaiku, thereby reducing Emmi's stake by 2.6 % to 73.5 %. Through this transaction, Emmi is confirming its commitment to a growth-oriented company with strong market positions in Spain, Chile and Tunisia.
Kaiku is a healthy company with international reach. In addition to Spain, its domestic market, it also has strong bases in the growth markets of Chile and Tunisia. Kaiku is the market leader in lactose-free dairy products and chilled coffee beverages in Spain. The Group's sales increased considerably in recent years and amounted to approximately CHF 400 million (EUR 375 million) in 2014. Kaiku has additional potential thanks to innovative product and marketing concepts.
To strengthen the Group's further development, the Basque investment firm Ekarpen is taking a stake of EUR 6 million or 7.3 % of Kaiku's share capital. At the same time, Emmi is investing a further EUR 10 million in Kaiku. The new ownership structure reduces Emmi's stake from 76.1 % to 73.5 %.
The objective of Ekarpen is to support sound companies and business projects in the Basque country in their growth and internationalization. Ekarpen's involvement reinforces Kaiku's position in the Basque Country. This is a key element in strengthening the collaboration with the local milk producers and ensuring a high-quality raw milk base from the region. For that reason, Emmi very much welcomes Ekarpen's involvement.
Analysts and Investors: Esther Gerster, Head of Corporate Communications & IR
T +41 58 227 50 69, e-mail esther.gerster@emmi.com
Journalists: Sibylle Umiker, Head of Media Relations
T +41 58 227 50 66, E-mail: media@emmi.com
Emmi MediaBox: www.emmi.com/mediabox
About Kaiku
Kaiku Corporación Alimentaria is headquartered in San Sebastián (Spain) and active in the premium segment of the Spanish milk-processing industry. In the 2014 financial year, Kaiku, which employs around 1,100 people, generated sales of approximately CHF 400 million (EUR 375 million), with roughly 45 % generated in Spain and just over one quarter both in Chile and Tunesia. The company's business activities focus mainly on the production and marketing of innovative fresh products and functional food. Besides Emmi, the regional bank, Iparkutxa, and the regional dairy cooperative, Kaiku Cooperativa, have a stake in Kaiku.
About Ekarpen
Ekarpen is an investment company. Its objective is to support sound Basque companies and business projects in their growth development, internationalization, and family continuity processes. The company is based in Bilbao.
Emmi is the largest Swiss milk processor and one of the most innovative premium dairies in Europe. In Switzerland, the company focuses on the development, production and marketing of a full range of dairy and fresh products as well as the production, ageing and trade of primarily Swiss cheeses. Outside Switzerland, Emmi concentrates on brand concepts and specialities in established European and North American markets, and increasingly in emerging markets outside of Europe. The primary focus in fresh products is on lifestyle, convenience and health products. In the cheese business, Emmi positions itself as the leading company worldwide for Swiss cheese. Emmi's customers are the retail trade, the hospitality and food service sector and the food industry.
In Switzerland, the Emmi Group includes around 25 production sites of every size. Abroad, Emmi and its subsidiaries have a presence in 13 countries, seven of which have production facilities. Emmi exports products to around 60 countries from Switzerland.
In 2014, Emmi posted net sales of CHF 3,404 million and a net profit adjusted for non-recurring effects of CHF 109.4 million. The company employs around 5,200 staff (full-time equivalents), of which 3,000 in Switzerland.
</noscript>


text:
Q: Probability of drawing n balls of same color in case of groups of identical balls . A bag contain n identical red balls ,2n identical black balls and 3n identical white balls. if probability of drawing n balls of same color is greater than  or equal to 1/6 , then the minimum number of red balls in the bag is equal to ?
Solution from text book : we have n identical red balls,2n identical black balls and 3n identical white balls.
Total number of selection of n balls from n,2n and 3n identical white balls , X1+X2+X3 = n.
= Coefficient of $x^{n}$ in$(1-{X^{n+1}}) * (1-{X^{2n+1}}) *(1-{X^{3n+1}}) *(1-{X})^{-3} $
= Coefficient of $X^{3}$ in $(1-{X})^{-3} $ = ${n+3-1\choose 3-1}$ = ${n+2\choose 2}$
     **Favorable case = 1 + 1 +1 = 3.**

     $$
                            Required probability =  \frac { 3 }{${n+2\choose 2}$}
     $$
                           which will be greater than 1/6.

     I have two doubts in this solution (a) how the solution of   X1+X2+X3 = n.
        = Coefficient of $x^{n}$ in$(1-{X^{n+1}}) * (1-{X^{2n+1}}) *(1-{X^{3n+1}}) *(1-{X})^{-3} $

    (b) Favorable case = 1 + 1 +1 = 3.

 Please help me out form these two doubts !

A: I assume that the question is meant to read that we have $n$ red, $2n$ black and $3n$ white balls, that we draw $n$ of the balls (this crucial piece of information was left out of what you wrote), and we ask whether or not all of the balls we drew were all the same color.
Yes, the balls themselves may in reality be indistinguishable apart from color, however that is not conducive to calculations.  When we talk about randomly pulling balls without further clarification it is always meant to be assumed that each physical ball is equally likely to have been pulled, not that each color is equally likely to be pulled.
We make the modification of the problem statement then to read that the balls are in fact distinctly labeled.  We are perfectly within our rights to do so and it does not change the probabilities involved.  This allows us to work with an equiprobable sample space and allows us to then calculate probabilities using counting techniques.
The cited answer from the book makes the critical error of working with the original sample space which is not equiprobable and incorrectly using counting techniques on this not-equiprobable sample space leads to incorrect results.
Now... as for the correct probabilities, having treated these balls all as distinct but grouped according to color, we can apply the hypergeometric distribution.  We could either have been in a favorable outcome of all balls drawn being the same color because of them all being red, because of them all being black, or because of them all being white.  The probability of this happening is going to be:
$$\dfrac{\binom{n}{n}\binom{5n}{0}}{\binom{6n}{n}}+\dfrac{\binom{2n}{n}\binom{4n}{0}}{\binom{6n}{n}}+\dfrac{\binom{3n}{n}\binom{3n}{0}}{\binom{6n}{n}} = \dfrac{1+\binom{2n}{n}+\binom{3n}{n}}{\binom{6n}{n}}$$
We ask for what values of $n$ this will be greater than or less than $\frac{1}{6}$.  For that, plug it into a calculator like wolframalpha and consult the table.

I subtracted $\frac{1}{6}$ so I could more easily see which of the probabilities were larger than $\frac{1}{6}$ (and so result in a positive number after the subtraction) compared to which are less than $\frac{1}{6}$ (and so result in a negative number after the subtraction).
We see that for $n=1$ and $n=2$ the probability of drawing all the same color balls will be greater than $\frac{1}{6}$ and we can show that for $n\geq 3$ the probability of drawing all the same color will be less than $\frac{1}{6}$

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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The power is finally back on, now just have to clean up a flooded basement and do a thousand loads of laundry. And they are forecasting 7 inches of additional snow by Sunday morning. But I promised a weekend open thread, so here it is. Also, sorry for so few posts this week, hope you understand why.
As always, I'll start: We love to talk about the June draft around here, and apparently many of you do too. With the collective bargaining agreement between the teams and the union set to expire after this season there has been a great deal of speculation that the new CBA will include many changes to the draft. Some of the ideas floating around include allowing teams to trade picks, making it a world-wide draft (currently only US, Canadian, and Puerto Rican players are eligible), and hard-slotting for bonuses (if you're picked #x you get $y).
What do you think about these three ideas, particularly from the Rays smaller-market point of view? Are there any other changes you would like to see made, for instance a lottery system for the top 10 ten picks like in the NBA, so that the team with the worst record isn't guaranteed the #1 overall pick? Also feel free to post any questions you may have about the draft process.
Have fun, and stay warm!
To follow up on last weekend's open thread, not much progress on the podcast due to the weather. Do wish to thank Steve Slowinski of DRB for sending along some great tips. We'll keep working on it.
And thanks to Homein22 for sending me some info on Hak-Ju Lee he translated from Korean sources. I'm just now going through it all and trying to see if figure out the Korean->English translation well enough to post it. Thanks Homein22.
Hard Slotting is the one I care about the most and I am a big proponent. The purpose of the draft should be to provide an advantage to the have nots (although if you read BBA, they'll tell you different). Without hard slotting, players price themselves to whatever team can afford them.
Will do Homein22, thanks again.
Anon - I'm not sure yet what I think about hard-slotting. Without it, the Rays have done fine. Who that has priced themselves really high would you want (or the Rays or others passed on because of $)?
In theory I'm opposed, both sides have to agree to a contract, what's more fair than that?
I'm really not sure what I think. If a HS star wants $10 mil under the old system, and say the Rays are drafting 1st, if they say no they pick someone else. Under the new system, player refuses hard-slot amount and the Rays still don't get him. Same difference. Only change I see is under the old we would presumably know of his demands in advance and pick someone else, and then a rich team could pick him at #30 and sign him. But what's wrong with that, if we wanted him bad enough we had the chance, just decided not to pay the price.
Seems like it's taking the choice (assuming we know players' demands) away from the team (we can pick him and try to work a deal) and giving it to the players (forget it, not for the slot, going to college). Hope that makes sense btw.
Love to hear more views on the slotting issue.
I like all 3 ideas mentioned as long as worldwide draft would eliminate the international signing period so teams like yanks couldn't buy all the top hispanic talent because other teams cant afford them.
And I don't think they should do a lottery draft in the mlb. I mean after 162 games(about double the NBA season) you have a better idea who the worst team is. I wish the NFL would go to it though.
I think they should also eliminate B agents or just make stricter criteria for them to become a B agent. I mean they are a ton of supplemental draft picks this year, too many in my opinion. People like Qualls shouldnt even be ranked. I'm okay with A agents(even though they too need a stricter criteria).
A lot of the high school talent that would've signed for over-slot deals would go to college if they aren't picked in, say, the top 15. The immediate result will be much less high school talent going to pros, and in a few years college classes would be stacked, since all of these guys going to college can't go in the first round after their junior year. The downside is that MLB would be basically turning two-sport prospects away from the game, particularly inner-city types who play baseball because the money is immediate. Baseball isn't the #1 sport for a lot of those guys, so if they have to go to college, they'll play football or basketball or whatever since college baseball teams don't give out full scholarships.
To use an example, take Zach Lee. If hard slotting was in effect, he would've had to been taken in the top five picks in 2010 to get the bonus he wanted. But he (very likely) wouldn't have, and would've attended LSU to play QB as well as baseball. Then he would've had a choice depending on how he did in each sport, but if he was a top-10 NFL prospect and a top-5 MLB prospect, he's going to the NFL unless he truly loves baseball more. But because the Dodgers could essentially pay him what they wanted, he's playing baseball, and more talent is always good for the game.
I don't want to guess about Lee's money situation, but how about a hypothetical low-income premium two-sport athlete, say in basketball and baseball. He can go to any college he wants in either sport. Well, the seasons overlap so he'd have to choose a sport. Basketball teams can give out full scholarships. Baseball teams can't. It's an obvious choice even before the popularity of NCAA basketball vs. NCAA baseball.
Well there has to be something they can do to lower these bonuses that players are getting and still make them sign.
Isn't it bad enough that a young player has practically no option but to sign with the team that drafts him? Now we want also to tell him how much he has to sign for!
So if I graduate from college with a law degree, and have the resume to earn 6 figures with a prestigious law firm, I can't do it because some barely successful firm has the rights to my services for 1/2 the salary?
In the name of competitive parity or whatever the interest of the system, my rights are trampled? Sounds like the old argument for the reserve clause. Seems to me there are other ways to maintain competitive parity besides adding hard slotting, which as Doug points out probably has not harmed smart low budget teams anyway. In fact, I think research indicates that the most efficient use of resources remains spending on the draft, even when over slot.
When players start falling because of teams not willing to pay bonus demands, you know you have a problem.
Well if they are going to keep allowing overslot deals, then they have to at least be announced when they happen instead of at the deadline.
What free market advocates are suggesting would be a disaster for the competitive balance in baseball. Even in hard slotting, kids are going to make multi millions in hard slotting bonuses if they are top 15 talents and millions if they are 1st round talents. So don't tell me about limiting choices to the poor inner city kid. Without controls which limit the buying powers of the big market teams, it is the All Stars vs. the AAAA wannabees. That's bad for baseball. A pure free market advocates removing the minimum salary payroll of the 1st 3 seasons and the arb control seasons as well. A free market system means the Rays and 22 other teams are toast and never make the playoffs. Once we have disposed of the pure free market appeal, we can move on and discuss sensible ways for management and union to agree to keep improving competition in baseball while continuing to grow the revenue.
I do not advocate a pure free market, but I do think that there are ways other than limiting players' freedom of choice to maintain balance-which by the way there is more of in baseball than any other major sport.
In any case, things such as arbitration are negotiated between the union and management so players and owners both have representation in making such decisions. But neither side in negotiations represents the amateur player who has been drafted. Hard slotting, aside from many other practical problems with it as has been pointed out by others on this thread, is imposing a rule on people who have no say in it.
Why not let players fall for bomus demands? I didn't see the Yankees sweep in and take Austin Wilson this year. Another thing is that there is more than just drafting. You have to develop these players too. And so far, not every team is being very sucessful in this area. You could take a really good player, but he could stink if he is not developed correctly.
First, great comments, you've all brought up some interesting points to think about. Robert's last comment is one of my biggest problems too. How can MLB and the union negotiate the terms of employment for draftees in the first place? The draftees aren't a team and they aren't members of the MLB union, so why can those two parties set their bonuses? You and I are as much a member of the union as the draftees, so can the CBA set our salaries too? In addition to not having anyone negotiating on their behalf, the union is clearly going to agree to terms that are completely UNFAVORABLE to the draftees, since money spent on nonunion members takes money away from union members. The whole thing stinks. This is way #1 that the current setup screws kids in the US, Canada, and PR.
Way #2 they screw the kids in the US, Canada and PR is the lack of a worldwide draft. Why should kids in those 3 countries be forced to go through the draft (with or w/o slotting) while every other kid is a free agent. Our kids can negotiate with one team, and if they can't reach an agreement they won't have a job, it's off to college (or back to college). Every other kid in the world can negotiate with all 30 teams, which is a huge advantage in negotiating power. If you don't like the Indians offer, talk to the Royals, etc. In my opinion it's not only unfair, but illegal. To me it constitutes "reverse" national origin discrimination in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and has been happening every year since the first draft in 1965 (interesting timing, no?).
Now I realize that a worldwide draft would be difficult to do and couldn't happen by the 2012 draft, the first one under the new CBA. But it needs to happen ASAP, and both sides have even agreed to do it in the past. Back in 2002 when they were negotiating the 2003-2006 CBA they agreed to a worldwide draft (it's Attachment 24 to that CBA if you want to read). It basically established a worldwide draft subcommittee to work out the details and have it done in time for the 2004 draft. But the subcommittee rarely met and it was never accomplished. Assuming both sides still agree, lets work out the details and get this done.
One thing I definitely want to see is the signing deadline moved up, way up. As is stands now, the top players are the ones who wait until the minute to sign on August 15th, and effectively lose a year of development. How crazy is that? Your top talent misses a year while some 50th round you signed for $1,000 pick plays and gets his acclimated to professional ball. For a multi-billion dollar industry they really aren't very smart about developing their most important assets, the players. Lets move the draft to June 1st and set the signing deadline at June 21st. Three weeks is plenty of time to negotiate, especially if hard-slotting is in place, which I think is a done deal given that it's clearly in both sides favor. You are drafted June 1st, given your slot bonus figure, and have 3 weeks to decide. Sounds reasonable to me. And of course I picked June 21st as that's right around the date short-season ball begins play each year. Guys who wait until the deadline to sign might miss a week of games or so as they report, but that's much better than the current setup where they miss the entire season. If we really want to get picks signed quickly so they would have some time in extended spring training, which is obviously beneficial to the pick and the team deciding which affiliate to assign them to, how about this idea: any pick that signs within 72 hours of the draft gets an additional 5% of his slot bonus. Change the hours and percent to whatever you want, but doesn't that make some sense for both sides?
For those who don't know, here is how the other leagues handle signing bonuses. In the NBA they have hard-slotting with a + or – 20% range for negotiating. To me if you're going to go with hard-slotting, you might as well remove all negotiating or you still have some of the problems we have now, just on a smaller scale. In the NFL each team has a rookie salary pool which they can divide up however they want amongst draftees, but they can't exceed the total pool amount. That's worst than our current system. Imagine if you are a 5th round pick and the top pick is a real superstar can't miss player. Most of the money goes to the top pick and you get scraps, that just might cause some bad blood between teammates.
Quick fact: In the first 5 rounds of the 2010 draft (including supplemental rounds), 43% signed for over-slot bonuses, 15% under-slot, and 42% right at slot. Which leads me to one last thought, and I won't even get in to my usual tirade about the lack of a MINOR league players association or the amount of road per diems. For those who complain (here or elsewhere) about over-slot signings in the current setup, couldn't part of the problem simply be the amount of the slot to begin with? It's set by MLB for the sole reason of trying to keep bonuses down, so by definition it's probably too low now. Perhaps if we worked out more reasonable slots, something approaching market levels, we could solve some of the problem. Probably doesn't matter, I really don't see any way they don't steamroll hard-slotting into the next CBA.
Sorry so long, your comments really got me thinking! Looking forward to reading more.
Without hard slotting, it makes no sense for the owners to move up the signing deadline. And Doug has stated the very reason, how crazy is it for the player to toss a summers worth of development, delaying his eventual entry into MLB and Free Agency? It is a leverage tool to get more signings done early at or near slot. You think a lot of players demand above slot slot now, see what happens when you move the deadline to July 1.
Not sure I fully understand last Anon. Are you saying that under the current soft-slot system they shouldn't move the signing date earlier because it would give the draftee more leverage?
I read your comment over a few times, but that's what I'm understanding you to mean. If so, not sure I see why that helps the draftee. No matter what date the deadline is, they have to agree or not agree. The advantage to me is that those who DO sign will get playing time that year, unlike the 8/15 current deadline.
Can you explain it again to me how a June deadline helps the player? Sorry if I'm just dumb :).
Put yourself in the player's shoes. Your goal is to make the show as quickly as possible. If you are an early pick, you know that the team will very likely sign you over slot rather than waste the pick (Washington and Diekroeger notwithstanding, they were the rare exceptions and both had special circumstances). If you think that missing a summer could delay your arrival to MLB, you have an incentive to sign for slot in the current arrangement. If the deadline allows you to not miss that summer, you have no incentive to sign at slot.
•If you think Rubio is young, look at who the Rays signed. Tampa Bay signed 16-year-old left-hander Luis Cepeda for $60K. The Rays get another DPL All-Star in Cepeda.
Do any of you guys know anything about Cepeda stuff and size wise?
But no, couldn't find any video or scouting reports on him, and don't have any contacts with the DPL. All I know is what I tweeted, 16, LHP, $60k. Small bonus so not a major prospect, but we'll see if he sees any action in the DSL next year. Will update if I hear anything.
Thanks Doug, hope you find something out soon. ANd Sorry I don't have a twitter so I didn't know until I looked at the sidebar like right after I posted the queestion.


Dr Aubrey de Grey believes people who have already been born could live for ten centuries because of ongoing research into extending the human lifespan. British-born Mr de Grey, who graduated from Cambridge University in 1985, is the co-founder nd chief science officer of Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence (SENS) Research Foundation – an organisation aiming to end biological ageing – based in California.
Scientists have been desperately trying to get ageing recognised as a disease and there have been several major breakthroughs in the anti-ageing agenda this year. Most recently, experts from the University of Exeter and University of Brighton discovered they could rejuvenate senescent cells which have ceased their natural age cycle, causing them to divide.
Now, Mr de Grey says that ageing will be conquered within the next 20 years and ultimately humans could be living to 1,000 years old, according to Inverse.
The controversial scientist has also recently dismissed any claims that people living for such a long time would be bad for the planet, with the most obvious concern being ultimate overpopulation.
Mr De Grey said: "The fact is, there is no such thing as overpopulation in an absolute sense" and that this move will force the powers that be into implementing clean energy.


The Semantic Web promises to change the way agents navigate, harvest and utilize information on the internet. By providing a structured, distributed representation for expressing concepts and relationships defined by multiple ontologies, it is now possible for agents to read and reason about published knowledge, without the need for scrapers, information agents, and centralized ontologies. We present the RETSINA Calendar Agent, a distributed meeting scheduler, that reads schedules (such as conference programs, events, etc) marked up in RDF on the Semantic Web, and imports these into the user's Personal Information Manager. The embedded Semantic Web Browsing tool allows the user to explore related concepts within the schedule, and to query other agents and service providers for more information.


text:
CD Review: 'Duke Ellington's Nutcracker Suite, Live at Blues Alley,' by the Eric Felten Jazz Orchestra
Posted By: Dr. Mark Dreisonstokon: December 24, 2020
"I beg you to call to mind the table covered with your last Christmas gifts…" Thus we read in E.T.A. Hoffmann's Christmas fantasy "The Nutcracker and the King of Mice." Since this story first appeared in 1816, Hoffmann's Nutcracker tale has appeared in many forms, most famously in Tchaikovsky's ballet. Masterful jazz artist Duke Ellington in turn created an impressive jazz interpretation of Tchaikovsky's classic musical work, one which is up-tempo and brassy.
…the Eric Felten Jazz Orchestra performs Tchaikovsky's Christmas classic brilliantly in the Ellington style with jazz riffs, loud brass, flashy saxophone work, and riveting drum solos.
Musician and conductor, Eric Felten, has frequently performed a very popular holiday show of Ellington's vivacious "Nutcracker Suite"at the premier jazz club, Blues Alley, in Washington's Georgetown neighborhood. While this year's live big band performance has been cancelled due to COVID, the irrepressible Mr. Felten has released a compact disc of his 2019 Blues Alley performance, allowing the Felten Jazz Orchestra once again to entertain us during the 2020 holiday season.
Hoffmann, the author of the original Nutcracker, also wrote in his tale: "At this moment soft music was heard, the doors of the palace opened … " We are not sure the words "soft music" apply when referring to how the Eric Felten Jazz Orchestra performs Tchaikovsky's Christmas classic brilliantly in the Ellington style with jazz riffs, loud brass, flashy saxophone work, and riveting drum solos. After an exhilarating "Nutcracker Overture," Mr. Felten follows Ellington in lending Tchaikovsky's titles witty updates: "Arabesque Cookie" for the "Arabian Dance" and "Peanut Brittle Brigade" for the "Nutcracker Brigade." The ambience of Blues Alley, famous for cocktails, is more than a little suggested as "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" ferments into "Sugar, Rum, Cherry."
While Felten produces an authentic performance of Ellington's "Nutcracker Suite," it places the work in an even greater Christmas context. The performance, recorded live before an enthusiastic audience, also includes Mr. Felten and his orchestra performing swing versions of secular 1940s holiday tunes such as "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" and "I'll Be Home for Christmas" (interestingly, not the familiar melody by that title). Mr. Felten also performs tributes to other jazz bands, including Billy May's sizzling, mambo-flavored "Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "O Christmas Tree," the latter patterned after the style of Count Basie. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is expressive yet playful, sampling Nat King Cole's "Mona Lisa" on trombone. Maestro Felten is heard playing trombone solos and, in the non-Ellington pieces, often provides smooth vocals.
This CD is a wonder, capturing the sound and spirit of one of Mr. Felten's exquisite holiday performances. The one aspect that has been reduced slightly is the conductor's lead-in commentary to the songs. Mr. Felten is something of a jazz educator, and during live performances, he often explains the history of the songs he performs, though sometimes the stories are done in a whimsical, apocryphal vein. We recall last year, an impish Mr. Felten mentioned that Ellington had suggested a jazz version of the "Nutcracker Suite" to Tchaikovsky to which the nineteenth-century Russian composer then allegedly replied, "Cool!" On a more serious note, prior to playing "O Christmas Tree" in the Count Basie manner, Mr. Felten informed the audience that "Count Basie was the polar opposite of Duke Ellington in the swing era," going on to explain the differences between Basie and Ellington sounds. Such banter is heard on only a couple of tracks of the CD, leading us to wish for more liner notes with Mr. Felten's knowledgeable comments on individual selections.
We thus heartily recommend this handsome CD. Containing just over an hour of both hot and smoother jazz numbers, it will give years of pleasure to jazz fans and holiday CD buffs, and as such it is a marvelous stocking stuffer! We also look forward to future live performances of the Eric Felten Jazz Orchestra in the post-pandemic near future.
"Duke Ellington's Nutcracker Suite, Live at Blues Alley" can be purchased at Mr. Felten's website here. It can also be streamed through Amazon Music.
Theatre to Film review: August Wilson's 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' streaming on Netflix
Theatre Review: 'A Christmas Carol' at Virginia Stage Company online
Dr. Mark Dreisonstok
Dr. Mark Dreisonstok is a writer, editor, translator, and professor of language and literature in the Washington, D.C., area. He has published in the Scottish Rite Journal, the Falls Church News-Press, the Sentinel newspapers, Monatshefte, and Trowel Magazine. He holds a Ph.D. from Georgetown University and an M.A. from the University of Freiburg, Germany.


text:
Bishop O'Connell High School is a Roman Catholic college preparatory school founded in 1957 in Arlington County, Virginia. The school competes with other private schools in the very competitive market of Washington DC and the surrounding counties.
Raison's first project for Bishop O'Connell was a refresh of their viewbook. The school wanted a more on-trend brand look. We also recommended a rewrite to increase the appeal to skim readers. The rewrite accomplished a number of goals. Cutting low-priority copy, like the details of school bus schedules, reduced the former catalog feel of the viewbook. Reworking paragraph copy into headlines, subheads, and lists made the copy scannable. We also added copy that communicated the schools main value propositions with an emotional appeal. This project was a rush—completed within a month!
See the Full Viewbook


text:
After loss, Curve lead at 2
By Cory Giger
cgiger@altoonamirror.com
The Curve's record 15-game homestand got off to a promising start with a couple of wins, but the team hasn't taken advantage of its golden opportunity in the past three games.
Harrisburg downed Altoona for the third time in a row, 3-2, Sunday afternoon before 3,487 fans at Peoples Natural Gas Field. The Senators are now tied with Akron for second place in the Western Division, with both teams trailing the Curve by two games.
Altoona had a five-game lead on Harrisburg after winning game one of a doubleheader Friday, but the Senators held the Curve to two runs in each of the past three games to win.
Sunday marked the second and final rehab game for catcher Elias Diaz, the Curve's 2014 MVP who is coming back from an elbow injury. Diaz will now head to Triple-A Indianapolis for the next stage of his rehab.
"I'm not 100 percent, but … I'm feeling really good, and I'm close, really close," Diaz said.
Diaz went 1-for-3 with an RBI on Sunday after going 1-for-4 Saturday night. He caught 18 innings and showed no signs of any elbow issues, which forced him to undergo surgery in May.
Asked about his timing at the plate, he said, "It's the time off that we're trying to get right now, the timing with the pitcher. The injury did not affect my swing."
Diaz had a breakthrough season with the Curve in 2014, hitting .328 and showing superb defensive skills to earn team MVP honors.
"It feels very good getting back to like my house, Altoona," he said. "I've been feeling really good, and they want me to play at the next level to get ready for the big leagues at some point."
Diaz wasn't able to corral a couple of sliders in the dirt by Brandon Waddell in the sixth inning that went for wild pitches and helped Harrisburg snap a 2-2 tie.
The Senators got a leadoff double in the sixth from Andrew Stevenson, then he took third on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch by Waddell to make it 3-2.
Waddell (6-5), who gave up two runs in the first inning, did some good things on the mound and induced a lot of groundouts. But he also hit the first batter of the game and had a walk in the first that helped Harrisburg jump ahead early, then threw the wild pitches in the sixth.
"Especially there in that sixth inning where he gave up that run, I thought he was trying to be too perfect and he ended up bouncing some sliders," pitching coach Justin Meccage said. "It just comes with trusting every pitch that you throw, and we're all working through that right now with these young guys. We're seeing more and more conviction, but it's still not where it needs to be."
Waddell was able to escape the first inning and keep pitching as left fielder Barrett Barnes threw out a runner at the plate for the third out. Without that, Waddell probably could have faced only one more batter before possibly getting lifted because of his pitch count.
The Curve rallied with a pair of runs in the fourth, getting RBI singles by Harold Ramirez and Diaz to tie it.
Senators reliever Derek Self (3-2) picked up the win, and Nick Lee finished it off in the ninth for his first save.
The game ended on a bad play by the Curve that cost them a chance to stay in it and potentially tie.
With one out, Eric Wood was on second and Barnes on first, and Justin Maffei crushed a ball to deep center. Stevenson was playing shallow, but the ball hung up long enough for him to run underneath it near the warning track. Wood strayed too far from second, couldn't get back in time and was doubled off to end the game.
Key player: 3B Drew Ward went 1-for-4 with two RBIs in the first inning for Harrisburg.
Key play: The Senators grabbed a 3-2 lead on LHP Brandon Waddell's wild pitch in the sixth.
Key stat: The Curve have dropped three in a row, and Harrisburg is now tied for second with Akron, both two games behind Altoona.
How they scored
Top 1st: Stevenson reached on fielder's choice, Difo singled, both scored on Ward single (0-2).
Bottom 4th: Newman doubled, scored on Ramirez single (1-2); Diaz single scored Ramirez (2-2).
Top 6th: Stevenson doubled, scored on Waddell wild pitch (2-3).
Luensmann commits to South Carolina
Travis Luensmann has spent most of his high school athletic career traveling anywhere he was given the opportunity ...
Curve falter in 7th
Fed's Shirley's Cookies, Martin Oil force Game 3
Shirley's Cookies pulled even with Barton's Plumbing & Heating in their George B. Kelley Federation ...
Claysburg wins Legion title
CLAYSBURG — En route to compiling a 26-1 record and winning the Cambria County American Legion baseball ...
Note: This is the second in a series of profiles of 2019 Saint Francis University Hall of Fame inductees. The ...
Somerset's Wiltrout picks up first win of season
By Dottie Bird For the Mirror JENNERSTOWN — Defending Jennerstown Speedway Complex Champion Garry Wiltrout, ...


My Family History & Genealogy - Wanted!
If you have found an ancestor of yours on this site, and can add anything to the information here then please let me know.
Whether it be family stories, letters, photographs or transcripts of family bible entires or anything at all that you think may be of interest to fellow 'cousins', then I would love to hear from you.
I never (intentionally) add details of living individuals to this site so anything you have to add needs to be related to those members of our family that have sadly departed. The aim is to keep their memories and experiences alive for future generations to enjoy and discover.


Well if he was a carpenter I imagine he must have been very strong. I find it very believable.
No, because all the pictures of him are this little caring guy holding sheep and hugging children. I doubt he even considered sports at all because he was too busy converting people and being a total waste of life.
No, because Jesus, is better then me, you, and them.
Much stronger. He hung on the cross for hours. This despite having the ability to call the angels to rescue him. Now try hanging any wrestler you want on a cross. How long do you think they'd last?
Maybe a lightweight like Rey Mysterio. In the general sense though, no. Not physically anyway. Maybe it's just the pictures, but he seems like more of a lean pacifist similar to Gandhi. Like I said, though, pictures. The real Jesus may have been a strong and muscular black guy.


NSFA, Panacan, Davao City – The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff, General Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero has visited Eastern Mindanao Command (EMC), here, on April 9, 2018, as part of his tour to personally inform the military units of the AFP's new innovations and, at the same time, bid farewell to his troops.
Gen. Guerrero was formerly the Commander of Eastern Mindanao Command before being promoted as AFP Chief of Staff. During his leadership, EMC was conferred with three stages in the AFP Transformation Roadmap which are the Compliant, Proficient, and Institutionalized, making EMC as first among all AFP Unified Commands to complete all stages and a model of Philippine military institutions.
He was also instrumental in weakening the NPA strongholds in EMC area which paved the way to the declaration of numerous cities and provinces into Peaceful and Ready for Further Development.


text:
Wed, Jan. 29th
Caribbean Connection
Immigration Korner
Politics Noir
Thought from Pastor Mike
Union Matters»
32BJ
Africa Sings
Caribbean Lingo
Different Stages
Go with the Flo
Harlem Arts Alliance
Imhoteps Guide
SChop
Jazz Notes
Harlem Focus
Black Experience
The Black struggle in 2019: Staying aware, facing injustice and fighting for the future
Brian 18X Crawford | J.S. Adams and Toure Muhammad | The Final Call@TheFinalCall | 1/13/2020, 1:49 p.m.
2019 saw challenges and signs of a continual awakening of the Black community, even as racism and police killings remained a problem in the United States. Alongside the insults was a strong spirit of resistance and growing frustration with the lack of respect for and deprivation of Black lives.
Heroes continued to emerge in sports and entertainment as Black stars refused to bow to the desires of powerful figures in those industries.
Colin Kaepernick continued to be a lightning rod for discussion, even though the former NFL quarterback played his last game in 2016. He continued to challenge the NFL for essentially blackballing him and keeping him off the field. Mr. Kaepernick was openly critical of what was billed as an NFL workout in November for team scouts, but in actuality, was an attempt to get him to sign a non-standard waiver that included language that would have limited his ability to pursue legal claims against the NFL. Mr. Kaepernick held his own, private workout instead, and his representatives sent that tape to all 32 NFL teams.
Hip hop guru Jay-Z received criticism for entering into a business relationship with the NFL. His Roc Nation imprint was named the league's "live music entertainment strategist," putting the rapper's company in charge of the Super Bowl halftime show. The rapper took heavy criticism from NFL players and many in the Black community, but others urged caution, saying time will tell what happens.
On the field, it was the year of the Black quarterback in the NFL. Players like Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs), Deshaun Watson (Houston Texans), Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals) and Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens) busted up the stereotype that Black athletes aren't smart enough to play quarterback at the pro level. Both the Chiefs and Ravens are legitimate NFL contenders. And with top notch collegiate prospects like Jalen Hurts (Oklahoma), Justin Fields (Ohio State), Khalil Tate (Arizona), and Deondre Francois (Hampton), the Black quarterback talent pool was deep.
America and Black people continued to suffer from violence in 2019.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, as of December 1, 2019, there were more mass shootings in America (385) than days in a calendar year.
There was a mass shooting in this country every single day in 2019 and 29 of those 385 mass shootings were also mass murders. Some of the most devastating tragedies included the Aug. 4 mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio, that killed nine people, an Aug. 13 mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, where 22 people were killed, and three Dec. 1 shootings in New Orleans that left 11 people injured. The Gun Violence Archives reported the highest number of mass shootings since 2014.
There were more than 35,000 gun-related deaths in 2019, over 27,000 gun-related accidents, and still no meaningful, federally mandated gun legislation.
Elijah Al-Amin, a 17-year old from Peoria, Arizona, was shot and killed by a White man at a convenience store because he didn't like the rap music the teen was playing. In Louisiana, Sean Barrette fatally shot and killed three people at random in New Orleans; one of his victims was Black.
| Read More >>
COMMENTARY: Will A Woman Be President In 2020?
City official investigating allegations of grade-fraud against NYC Department of Education
Black Press of America expands and innovates in 2020 via NNPA
How to find hidden college scholarships
See all the biggest winners at the 2020 Grammy Awards
Tweets about "@nyamnews"
info@amsterdamnews.com


Timeless style for your kitchen from the Zurfiz Ultrgloss Metallic Anthracite kitchen design at BA Components, complete with super glossy dark grey kitchen cabinets, sleek silver handles and bespoke storage space. Not sure which handles are right for you? No problem – choose from our extensive range to get the style that suits you best. This very contemporary design would be best suited for a modern home.


text:
Micah Evans
KSA, Omaha Valley
Knights of St. Andrew Host 29° in Valley of Topeka, Kansas
Riding the success of the KSA Gathering hosted in Omaha this past May, the Knights of St. Andrew were invited to the Valley of Topeka, Kansas to put on the 29th Degree and conduct a Knighting ceremony. Our hosts were L.D. Nicolay, 32°, who had been in Omaha for the KSA Gathering in May, and Josephe Stiles, 32° KCCH, General Secretary for the Valley of Topeka.
On September 10th, ten Knights made the 162 mile drive, including Zack Sinsheimer, 32° who came up from Oklahoma City after working a long night shift.
Degree team members included David Meinzer, Jim Flowers, Rupert Lyon, Kyle Beckner, Jim Wolfe, Bill Kimme, Andrew Muska, Zack Sinsheimer, Micah Evans, and Armel MacDonald, who coordinated the degree work and knighting.
After a walk-through and practice, the Knights hosted the 29th degree in the Valley of Topeka's beautiful theater, with about 25 Scottish Rite Masons in attendance, representing the Valleys of Topeka, Kansas City, Salina, and St. Joseph, Missouri. In addition, Ill. Br. Hugh Gill, 33°, Sovereign Grand Inspector General for Kansas was in attendance from Wichita.
Armel noted that most of the regular Twenty-Ninth Degree team members had other commitments and could not be in Topeka this day, and that the Omaha Knights present were mostly new to this degree. But this was actually a positive situation, as it served to do what the KSA is all about - engage
members, get them active in the Scottish Rite, and foster a sense of community and brotherhood. In the end, this brother-to-brother engagement is what keeps members returning as dues-paying Scottish Rite Masons.
After the degree, Armel knighted 14 new Knights of St. Andrew, explaining the significance of the ceremony and the degree. Armel called on the fathers of several new Knights, asking them to escort their newly Knighted sons back to their seats, adding a special touch to the ceremony.
Newer PostSeptember Lodge Meeting Presents UNO Scholarships and 50-Year Pins
Older PostMasons Celebrate Mount Rushmore's 75th Anniversary


text:
<?php
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class AppAdminBlogController extends AppAdminController
{
  public $uses = array('Entry', 'Page');

  public function beforeFilter()
  {
    parent::beforeFilter();

    Baked::add('ADMIN_CSS', array(
      '/AdminBlog/css/style.css',
    ));
    Baked::add('ADMIN_JS', array(
      '/AdminBlog/js/AdminBlog.js',
      '/AdminBlog/js/interface.js',
    ));
  }

}


text:
layout: post
title:  "Javascript Sets"
date:   2017-09-08 12:00:01-0400
---
In many real-world problems, we have to deal with collections of distinct items (meaning each item can't appear more than once) called sets. Up to ES6, this was something you had to implement yourself by mimicking sets with standard objects. Because with maps, you can't really store objects — only strings and numbers — and there's always the risk of accessing prototype objects. The corner stone of creating sets is the newly introduced constructor function named Set:

EXAMPLE OF CREATING A SET:

    const ninjas = new Set([ "Kuma", "Hattori", "Yagyu", "Hattori"]);

^^ The Set constructor can take an array of items with which the set is initialized

    assert(ninjas.has("Hattori"), "Hattori is in our set");
    assert(ninjas.size === 3, "There are only three ninjas in our set");

^^ Discards any duplicate items.

    assert(!ninjas.has("Yoshi"), "Yoshi is not in, yet..");
    ninjas.add("Yoshi");

    assert(ninjas.has("Yoshi"), "Yoshi is added");
    assert(ninjas.size === 4, "There are four ninjas in our set!");

^^ We can add new items that aren't already contained in the set

    assert(ninjas.has("Kuma"), "Kuma is already added");
    ninjas.add("Kuma");
    assert(ninjas.size === 4, "Adding Kuma again has no effect");

^^ adding existing items has no effect

    for (let ninja of ninjas) {
        assert(ninja !== null, ninja);
    }

^^ Iterates through the set with a for…of loop

**You can use the the built-in Set constructor to create a new ninjas set that will contain distinct ninjas. If we don't pass in any arguments, an empty set is created. We can also pass in an array which pre-fills the set.

REMEMBER: Sets are collections of unique items, and their primary purpose is to stop us from storing multiple occurrences of the same object.

… In this case, this means "Hattori", which we tried to add twice, is added only once

**The HAS method checks whether an item is contained in the set: ninjas.has("Hattori")

*** The ADD method is used to add unique items to the set: ninjas.add("Yoshi")

*** The SIZE method lets you check how many items are in a set

*** Similar to maps and arrays, sets are collections, so we can iterate over them with a for…of loop.

***The items are always iterated over in the order in which they were inserted


At a ceremony held on 22 January in the capital Asmara, the Office of the Auditor General of Eritrea launched its five-year Strategic Plan, 2019 -2023.
Mr. Gherezgiher Ghebremedhin, Auditor General, highlighted the concerted effort made in the development and design of the strategic plan. He called for the participation and support of all stakeholders for its successful implementation. The Auditor General also noted that the strategic plan was prepared in collaboration with the Accelerated Peer Support Partnership Programme and how their continued support will be integral in its implementation over the coming years.
Heads of financial institutions and ministries in Asmara, as well as higher governmental authorities were briefed on the main objective, mission and core values of the strategic plan. Mr. Gherezgiher (Gebrezgiabhier) placed emphasis on the importance of enhancing the independence of the Office of the Auditor General and strengthening the organization and management capacity of the OAG. The Auditor General concluded his remarks by extending his appreciation to AFROSAI-E, IDI, the members of PAP-APP and other stakeholders for their contribution in making the preparation of the strategic plan a success.
The office also received award of recognition for it's work in Performance Audit from the African Organization of English speaking Supreme Audit Institutions (AFROSAI-E). Over 95 government and non-governmental officials from 65 organizations, the representative of the PAP-APP program, Ms Cynthia Mangaba and 83 OAG staff attended the event.