text:
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We are what we speak
Today I had occasion to visit both a post office and a Garda (police) station. I should maybe add that there was no connection between these two, and that I was at liberty to enter and leave the Garda station by my own free will (in case you were worried). But they did have one thing in common: notices in the Polish language. Well, of course they also had notices in English, and some in Irish; but what struck me was that there were several in Polish.
We don't yet know whether the influx of Polish (and other central and Eastern European) nationals in the course of the current decade is a temporary demgraphic phenomenon or whether these immigrants will stay for the long term; and if they do, we cannot yet tell how integrated they will become, and therefore to what extent their language needs will be reflected in public notices. But for now there are Polish newspapers, Polish masses in some catholic churches, and Polish notices in my local post office and Garda station.
In fact, how far do we expect languages to go beyond being a tool of communication, to become a cultural anchor for their speakers? In fact, which is more important, communication or culture? And where language is a tool of cultural identity, what does it tell us? My own first language was German, and indeed it was the only language I spoke until I was 7 years old and my family moved to Ireland. I then had to learn English fast, and indeed I became quite fluent in it after about six months. And since then I have, more or less at least, been fully bilingual, though I am more comfortable in English. But those people who have known me for a while and who understand both languages sometimes tell me that I am 'different' depending on which language I am speaking; they say I am more precise and less humorous in German. I don't actually believe this, and I tend to think that people absorb the national stereotypes and simply expect to hear them in the language; but the stereotype may not be objectively true of any particular speaker.
But my point is this: to what extent do we need to identify with a language as a personal point of reference, an indicator of who we are and what we stand for? In my own case, the language I speak most fluently is definitely English, but does it define me? And if it doesn't, does this open up a gap in my life? In Ireland of course this topic raises the question of whether the decline of Irish as a commonly spoken language has created cultural problems, or whether the localised version of English is able to provide the anchor needed.
Over a year ago I wrote a post for this blog about the spread of English as the global lingua franca. It seems to me to be clear that whatever may be the shifts in geopolitical power over the coming century, linguistically English will sweep all before it – it is already making inroads even in China. So do we still need to learn anything else? The answer is yes, because we need to understand the culture and personality of those nations with whom we are in contact, even where we can adequately communicate with them in English. And as a country, we need to have the capacity for that understanding beyond the three or four most widely spoken languages in the world. That is why I am alarmed when I hear occasionally that we cannot afford to have university departments in Ireland that specialise in certain minority languages. That is a dangerous approach – the linguistic arrogance in the world of English speakers can be a source of tension and conflict. While we should certainly present ourselves as an English-speaking country (because of the advantages this brings in global trade), we should also make every effort to have centres of excellence, particularly in our universities, that provide us with some knowledge of other cultures and traditions.
For my own part, I think I am going to learn Polish, which is in any case the language of my ancestors.
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This entry was posted on November 19, 2009 at 1:29 am and is filed under culture, society, university. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments.
Tags: English, languages, Polish
14 Comments on "We are what we speak"
Wendymr Says:
What I find interesting about global migration is that two things are happening with language, both of which you identify here. Yes, English is spreading, as much of the global migration which is occurring is to English-speaking countries: the US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland. But second, we're seeing significant diversity in languages. The US has an unofficial second language: Spanish. In Canada, while English and French are the official languages, in many parts of the country 'bilingual' on job postings is starting to mean Spanish, or Arabic, or Mandarin, or one of many other languages. In many community-service and public-service occupations, the ability to speak languages other than English and French is a huge advantage. I suspect that soon – if it's not already happening – Polish speakers will be in demand in Irish schools, hospitals, and indeed in post offices and Garda stations.
There will also be an increase in the number of children brought up speaking two languages; in my experience of working with immigrants, which I suspect mirrors your own, the family speaks English outside the home and the original language in the home – with the children frequently interpreting for the parents and correcting their grammar when they try to speak English.
Those of us whose first language is English have a terrible track record with other languages, and I'm no exception; 14 years of Irish and 7 years of French in school, and it's still all I can do to pull together a sentence or two in each. Our multicultural neighbours' kids will put their monolingual counterparts to shame – and, with any luck, will actually promote the need for school and university departments dedicated to their language and culture.
Good luck with your Polish learning! I'd like to learn Polish because of my similar ancestry to yours and because it's Chicago's third language, I believe. Ballot papers here are printed in English, Spanish, Polish, and Chinese, for instance, and Polish is widely spoken in our part of the city. But I'm finding Polish difficult to learn using something like Pimsleur, one of the listen-and-repeat courses on CD. I need a taught course; Polish is so unlike German or English!
universitydiary Says:
Yes, Scott – I suspect I am going to find it difficult. When I get properly started I should come to Chicago to practise – there are more Poles there than in Warsaw…
Brian Barker Says:
As a native English speaker I would prefer Esperanto as the future global language 🙂
Communciation should be for everyone, not just for an educational or political elite; that is how English is used at the moment.
Your readers may be interested in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2LPVcsL2k0 Dr Kvasnak teaches English at Florida Atlantic University.
A glimpse of Esperanto can be seen at http://www.lernu.net
I was under the impression that I spoke English until that is I moved back to the place of my birth in the late 80's. Where I was quickly disabused of that notion. So as it stands at the moment I speak the two languages fluently. But on your point about culture being directed at least in part by a language with certain aspects like lack of humour viz. the Germans. Humour or at least the ability to write good Comedy/Satire, to give the devil his due, is something you can level at the English. They do not do Tragedy nor Poetry, and when they did, it was more or less a blatant rip-off of the Classics. Something in that ponderous march of monotonously pitched words lends itself to the punch-line or the rye turn. Excitement just isn't available, it has that same feel of concordance of a walking race. Well, they just jabber when excited. And they know this so they try their damnedest to keep to an even keel.
Oh, for evidence of the difference just watch any Race meeting. But the Gold Cup meet at Cheltenham nails it best of all.
Vincent, I suppose the issue for me is: am *I* a different person when I speak German? Does the cultural inheritance of the language change me when I use it?
Big Bad John Says:
We have a daughter, a teacher, who lives in Denmark. She decided during her training to become a teacher that one of her specialisations (hope this is a word!) would be the Danish language. She and I talked about it at the time and agreed that this would give her a greater insight into the "soul" of Denmark.
Your parents came to Ireland, so there must be something in your genetic makeup which finds the Irish spin on things conducive and for some reason the Irish don't find the German as annoying as do others, my Belgian friends have their issues. As to the transformative nature of language, I would hold it to be self evident. And a damn sight more self evident than the 'All men… equality'. Further I think that the way we use the term language is both too wide and too narrow.
Take for instance the Farrier, his trade language is instantly transferable to German French Spanish or Mongol. His expression for calming a flighty Filly with a thump with heel end of a rasp would be universal. But surely here it is the training to shoe a horse that changes the person. The same is valid today for english terms in computing for the Chinese. It matters little where from the parent term came.
Basically anywhere language is used to explain process. Law, Accounting, Barbers & Bakers, those involved at a level have more in common across linguistic and national borders than they have with neighbours.
Then, can one speak about Opera without becoming at least part Italian, or Laws without being Roman.
Mostly, is it not the context. When you are listening to something new, surely your filters are both Irish And German regardless of the source of the sounds. And when you generate content surely your traditions come through.
Oh, an addendum to my earlier comment. Satire and Comedy cannot survive in Ireland, We haven't enough people.
Is mise. Holds something more and deeper than Cogito ergo sum.
I speak English, Dutch and Polish daily. I read French, Spanish and Irish almost every day and speak them all well enough. I also speak German, Japanese, Swedish and Italian to varying levels. I listen to Japanese and Italian podcasts almost every day.
My young children (5,4,18mt) speak Dutch, Polish and English (as does my wife in our trilingual home).
Based on so much contact with other languages I would say the following:
1) Each language I speak gives a different dimension to my personality. In fact, my favourite quote is "The more languages I speak the more people I can become." (from "Paris, Trance" by Geoff Dyer).
I feel happy speaking Spanish and Italian because the sounds and structures of the languages lend themselves to exuberance. Polish sounds like people are complaining (and quite often they are) so I rarely feel inspired speaking it. Dutch is quite an exact language which has a limited range of vocabulary compared to French and English. Therefore Dutch is not a language you are going to get overly flowery in.
My point is that language is not universal. Each language provides a person with new material to work with.
2) I don't believe for a second that English can be a cultural anchor for Irish people. The Irish language is our connection with what we were. When we lose the ability to use it we lose ourselves. There is no colonization so successful as the colonization of the mind. As Israel and Catalonia have demonstrated it is more than possible to use language as a tool to link with the past and create a new future identity.
I think that you are overstating the march of English. Even in Holland I see that Spanish is growing as a foreign language and the local secondary school here teaches Mandarin. At the same time there is more and more interest in regional languages and dialects.
It is great that Irish people speak English but Luxemburgers speak their own language and do school in German and French and generally speak English well too. Really I can't see why so many Irish people so proud of being English speakers. It's a source shame for me.
But Aidan, are you managing (5,4,18mt in Irish.
Yes, that's the point I made above also: we're seeing much more diversity of languages. Yes, more people will speak English, but they will increasingly speak more than one language, both at home and in communities, and knowledge of more than one language will increasingly be not only an asset but a requirement, and those of us who speak only one language may – perhaps even should – start to feel less adequately prepared for the world we live in.
No, I speak to them in English because we live in Holland. It would be extremely difficult to bring up Irish speaking children abroad when you are not a native speaker. If were were in Ireland of course I would send them to a Gaelscoil. In Holland with zero Irish speakers around them there is almost no chance that the children would speak it. As it is English is the trhird language which they only speak with me and other English speaking foreigners but at least we can put on TV in English, buy loads of books, DVDs etc.
I know many minority language speakers in Holland (including very many Polish) whose children only speak Dutch. Raising multilingual children is difficult. Rearing children in a language you are not perfectly fluent in in a country where there is no support for that language is a pointless effort.
Belajar Bahasa Inggeris Says:
Great post, very well written.
You should blog more about this.
I'll definitely be subscribing.
Have a good day..


I am a traditionalist! I like tradition, whether it be a small family tradition of no consequence, or a large tradition that is practiced by an entire nation or the world, I like it. And I don't like it when people mess with tradition. I realize that modifying a tradition is simply change. I get it. I don't mind change when change is useful and necessary. In fact, I have always considered myself quite capable when it comes to change management. I frequently welcome change, but not when it destroys a tradition that in turn destroys part of who or what we are. When that happens I feel compelled to speak out, so here I am, speaking out.
For years I have heard people talk of Black Friday and all the good deals they were hoping to obtain by getting up very early on the day after thanksgiving to go shopping. Over time, the store openings became earlier and earlier but were still happening on Friday so Thanksgiving Day remained intact. Thanksgiving Day is one of those traditional days that I was referring to earlier. Thanksgiving means a lot to me. I have always considered this to be one of the most sacred (in a secular sense) of the family holidays. I know this to be true because Thanksgiving was one of the most difficult of holidays for me while in the service and away from home. Going to the chow hall and having a turkey dinner served on a metal tray was not how I wanted to spend thanksgiving. Simply put, it is not really about the turkey and fixings. What makes Thanksgiving special is family, something I quickly realized when I spent my first Thanksgiving away from home. Now that is in serious jeopardy. Thanksgiving, as we have known it may be gone forever.
I did not really understand exactly what the term "Black Friday" meant. For years I assumed it meant it put most bread winners in a black mood after seeing the impact on their checking account after all those "good deals" were discovered and acquired. It wasn't until recently that I found out that this Means the day of the year when many retailers finally find their bottom line is in the black and their businesses are profitable. Eventually the store opening times were pushed back into the night. I think it was at this point it began to interfere with the holiday as families who had traditionally (there is that word again) spent the evening sitting around and enjoying each others company were now scrambling to catch a nap and get prepared for a very early morning excursion. Then the unthinkable happened. First one, and then more and more, retail establishments announced shopping hours would be available on Thanksgiving Day. Suddenly the concept of Thanksgiving Day has become secondary to the concept of Black Thursday! Maybe if the idea of Red Thursday would become prevalent people would look at the day differently. By Red Thursday I mean the day family finances go into the red as we swell our credit card balances and deplete our savings accounts purchasing all those good deals.
Here is the part I just don't understand. Maybe some greedy retailer can explain it to me. Why must the bottom line go from red to black one day earlier than it used to? Does moving the day back one day make that much impact on the bottom line? It makes sense to me that consumers are only willing or able to spend so much. So whether they spend it on Thursday or on Friday, the same degree of profitability will be met, or so it seems to me. But I am not a retailer. I do not understand the ins and outs of running a business. I am a traditionalist. Speaking in simple terms so the greedy retailers can understand, LEAVE THANKSGIVING BE! DON'T MESS WITH TRADITION! Is that plain enough?
I agree, but as long as people go for it, the stores will continue to cater to them. its up to the people to regulate and correct anything where laws or capitalism are concerned. If the people stand up and say "no more" and dont attend at the earlier times, the stores will retract their change.
The bottom line is not everyone agrees with you, and as long as there are enough people who disagree with you that can make some corporation some money, things will not only NOT change but probably get worse.
I am 100% in agreement with you! Thanksgiving is my favourite holiday! More about family and less about money! I loved Pappas spending Thanksgiving Day with us and Dad's stuffing, the nuts and the Macy's Day parade. I wouldn't exchange that for the best bargain in the world!


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A New Tool Shows How Google Results Vary Around the World
Jul 11, 2021 7:00 AM
Search Atlas displays three sets of links—or images—from different countries for any search.
Illustration: Hiroshi Watanabe
Google's claim to "organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful" has earned it an aura of objectivity. Its dominance in search, and the disappearance of most competitors, make its lists of links appear still more canonical. An experimental new interface for Google Search aims to remove that mantle of neutrality.
Search Atlas makes it easy to see how Google offers different responses to the same query on versions of its search engine offered in different parts of the world. The research project reveals how Google's service can reflect or amplify cultural differences or government preferences—such as whether Beijing's Tiananmen Square should be seen first as a sunny tourist attraction or the site of a lethal military crackdown on protesters.
Divergent results like that show how the idea of search engines as neutral is a myth, says Rodrigo Ochigame, a PhD student in science, technology, and society at MIT and cocreator of Search Atlas. "Any attempt to quantify relevance necessarily encodes moral and political priorities," Ochigame says.
Ochigame built Search Atlas with Katherine Ye, a computer science PhD student at Carnegie Mellon University and a research fellow at the nonprofit Center for Arts, Design, and Social Research.
Just like Google's homepage, the main feature of Search Atlas is a blank box. But instead of returning a single column of results, the site displays three lists of links, from different geographic versions of Google Search selected from the more than 100 the company offers. Search Atlas automatically translates a query to the default languages of each localized edition using Google Translate.
Ochigame and Ye say the design reveals "information borders" created by the way Google's search technology ranks web pages, presenting different slices of reality to people in different locations or using different languages.
When they used their tool to do an image search on "Tiananmen Square," the UK and Singaporean versions of Google returned images of tanks and soldiers quashing the 1989 student protests. When the same query was sent to a version of Google tuned for searches from China, which can be accessed by circumventing the country's Great Firewall, the results showed recent, sunny images of the square, smattered with tourists.
Google's search engine has been blocked in China since 2010, when the company said it would stop censoring topics the government deemed sensitive, such as the Tiananmen massacre. Search Atlas suggests that the China edition of the company's search engine can reflect the Chinese government's preferences all the same. That pattern could result in part from how the corpus of web pages from any language or region would reflect cultural priorities and pressures.
An experimental interface for Google Search found that it offered very different views of Beijing's Tiananmen Square to searchers from the UK (left), Singapore (center), and China.
Courtesy of Search Atlas
A Google spokesperson said the differences in results were not caused by censorship and that content about the Tiananmen Square massacre is available via Google Search in any language or locale setting. Touristy images win prominence in some cases, the spokesperson said, when the search engine detects an intent to travel, which is more likely for searchers closer to Beijing or typed in Chinese. Searching for Tiananmen Square from Thailand or the US using Google's Chinese language setting also prompts recent, clean images of the historic site.
"We localize results to your preferred region and language so you can quickly access the most reliable information," the spokesperson said. Google users can tune their own results by adjusting their location setting and language.
The Search Atlas collaborators also built maps and visualizations showing how search results can differ around the globe. One shows how searching for images of "God" yields bearded Christian imagery in Europe and the Americas, images of Buddha in some Asian countries, and Arabic script for Allah in the Persian Gulf and northeast Africa. The Google spokesperson said the results reflect how its translation service converts the English term "God" into words with more specific meanings for some languages, such as Allah in Arabic.
Other information borders charted by the researchers don't map straightforwardly onto national or language boundaries. Results for "how to combat climate change" tend to divide island nations and countries on continents. In European countries such as Germany, the most common words in Google's results related to policy measures such as energy conservation and international accords; for islands such as Mauritius and the Philippines, results were more likely to cite the enormity and immediacy of the threat of a changing climate, or harms such as sea level rise.
Search Atlas was presented last month at the academic conference Designing Interactive Systems; its creators are testing a private beta of the service and considering how to widen access to it.
Search Atlas can't reveal why different versions of Google portray the world differently. The company's lucrative ranking systems are closely held, and the company says little about how it tunes results based on geography, language, or a person's activity.
Whatever the exact reason Google shows—or doesn't show—particular results, they have a power too easily overlooked, says Search Atlas cocreator Ye. "People ask search engines things they would never ask a person, and the things they happen to see in Google's results can change their lives," Ye says. "It could be 'How do I get an abortion?' restaurants near you, or how you vote, or get a vaccine."
WIRED's own experiments showed how people in neighboring countries could be steered by Google to very different information on a hot topic. When WIRED queried Search Atlas about the ongoing war in Ethiopia's Tigray region, Google's Ethiopia edition pointed to Facebook pages and blogs that criticized Western diplomatic pressure to deescalate the conflict, suggesting that the US and others were trying to weaken Ethiopia. Results for neighboring Kenya, and the US version of Google, more prominently featured explanatory news coverage from sources such as the BBC and The New York Times.
Ochigame and Ye are not the first to point out that search engines aren't neutral actors. Their project was partly inspired by the work of Safiya Noble, cofounder and codirector of UCLA's Center for Critical Internet Inquiry. Her 2018 book Algorithms of Oppression explored how Google searches using words such as "Black" or "Hispanic" produced results reflecting and reinforcing societal biases against certain marginalized people.
Noble says the project could provide a way to explain the true nature of search engines to a broader audience. "It's very difficult to make visible the ways search engines are not democratic," she says.
Web search can feel like vintage technology, but Noble says spotlighting its intricacies is as important as ever because of Google's dominance and the way attention to social media's skews can make search look benign by comparison.
Google is unlikely to lose its grip on the search market any time soon, but Noble sees reasons for optimism. The growing user base of the privacy-centric search company DuckDuckGo suggests that some netizens are open to alternatives. Noble sees growing interest from policymakers and the public in regulating tech platforms more tightly, and in finding ways to support alternatives that better serve the public interest. "We have a community of scholars calling for that, in dialog with foundations and governments," she says.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: I am getting the error Command "python setup.py egg_info" failed I was doing text identification and extraction from pdfs and I needed to install textract for that. However I am getting this error while installing:
Command "python setup.py egg_info" failed with error code 1 in C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\Temp\pip-install-_get8nd7\EbookLib\

I don't know how to solve this.

A: You need to update pip with python -m pip install --upgrade pip

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Multi spreaders for spreading compost, manure, lime, wood chips, etc. are available in 4 standard container sizes that can work with the majority of nurseries. However these dimensions can be adapted to your needs at little or no costs.
Of course we have the best set of options on our number One version, but over the years herein we have developed a huge list of extra options to meet all different needs.
Also, the hydraulic connections will be adapted to the connectors available on your machine and your personal preferences.


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Published November 16, 2014 7:46 am
Riverside County search and rescue team in need of volunteers
The Riverside County Sheriff's Department is looking for volunteers who'd like to be part of their search and rescue missions involving lost or stranded people.
They held their recruitment volunteer recruitment fair today at Morongo Casino Resort and Spa. The department says over the past few years they've seen the number of search and rescues go up. This year alone, they've already had 160 rescues in Riverside County.
"Based off of that, we utilize the search teams quite often," said Lt. Robert Perdue with the Sheriff's Emergency Response Team.
The department had members from several rescue units on hand to answer questions as people signed up to volunteer, including from the Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit and the Riverside County Search Dogs. They also displayed equipment and vehicles used to conduct searches through mountainous terrain. Lt. Perdue says people interested in volunteering don't need to have prior experience.
The department says volunteers respond to a variety of locations including: desert landscapes, woodland areas, and rocky and mountainous terrain.
"If their interested in outdoor activity and that type of thing, once they join a rescue team, they'll actually receive all of the training certification, even if you come in with zero experience," he said.
Karolyn Verville from the City of Riverside has been a search and rescue volunteer for years. In 1997, she helped in the aftermath of hurricane Paulina in Mexico.
"We recovered more than 100 people that were unfortunately deceased, but with the search and rescue, the dog and canine rescue team, we were able to accomplish all that and give closures to the families," Verville said.
The experience a life changing one. Verville now takes on any opportunity to help in search and rescue efforts. So, when she heard about the Riverside County emergency response team needing volunteers, she jumped at the opportunity.
"I'm absolutely looking forward to be being part of this team. Like I was mentioning, it is absolutely necessary, we want to be beneficial to this community," Verville said.
Volunteers may be requested under the California Mutual Aid System to respond to other counties for search requests or natural disasters.
"It's very important that people become members because again we really depend on them very much," said Lt. Perdue.
This is the first time the department's held a volunteer recruitment fair. They say they're hoping it sparks more interest within the community.
"You know if you're the person that needs rescuing, you'd love to be rescued. So, you know, man power is the secret, man power," said Verville.
To learn more on how to apply to become a volunteer, click on the link http://www.riversidesheriff.org/volunteer/


text:
class dtkImage;

// ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// dtkAbstractMultiplyFiltering interface
// ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

class DTKIMAGINGFILTERS_EXPORT dtkAbstractMultiplyFilter : public QRunnable
{
public:
    virtual void setValue(double value) = 0;
    virtual void setImage(dtkImage *image) = 0;

public:
    virtual dtkImage *filteredImage(void) const = 0;
};

// ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

DTK_DECLARE_OBJECT        (dtkAbstractMultiplyFilter *)
DTK_DECLARE_PLUGIN        (dtkAbstractMultiplyFilter, DTKIMAGINGFILTERS_EXPORT)
DTK_DECLARE_PLUGIN_FACTORY(dtkAbstractMultiplyFilter, DTKIMAGINGFILTERS_EXPORT)
DTK_DECLARE_PLUGIN_MANAGER(dtkAbstractMultiplyFilter, DTKIMAGINGFILTERS_EXPORT)

// /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
// Register to dtkImaging layer
// /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

namespace dtkImaging {
    namespace filters {
        DTK_DECLARE_CONCEPT(dtkAbstractMultiplyFilter, DTKIMAGINGFILTERS_EXPORT, multiply);
    }
}

//
// dtkAbstractMultiplyFilter.h ends here

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


BARBARA DILORENZO graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in illustration, and studied painting at the Arts Students League of New York. She is the author-illustrator of RENATO THE LION (Viking/Penguin Random House), which was chosen as a Junior Library Guild Selection, and QUINCY (Little Bee Books). When she isn't working on books, Barbara teaches at the Arts Council of Princeton and the New York Institute of Art + Design. In addition to being a signature member of the New England Watercolor Society, she is an illustrator member of the Society of Illustrators, a member of SCBWI, and the co-president of the Children's Book Illustrators Group of New York (CBIG). Currently, Barbara lives in Hopewell, New Jersey with her wonderful family–who constantly inspire new stories. Barbara DiLorenzo loves to paint, draw, write, make books, and teach. She finds inspiration from the silly things her children and students do, as well as from inspiring people that left their mark in history. Barbara loves to cheer on reluctant readers, artmakers, and writers. She also wants students to know that once upon a time, she was TERRIBLE at drawing. But with enough practice, editors eventually let her publish her own picture books. If you ask her to tell you about the hidden facts in her books, she will reveal hidden portraits and jokes in the illustrations. She loves to visit schools, though sometimes she turns red when she speaks.
What was your inspiration for RENATO AND THE LION?
Renato and the Lion was inspired by my son's reaction to a stone lion on a family trip to Italy. At 3-years-old, he believed the statue was alive! Right away I knew I had to turn that into a story. However, for years I sketched a stone lion coming to life but had trouble putting their story into a context that made sense. Everything seemed like an adventurous romp–but for what purpose? I even tried to write a novel, but 80 pages in, I realized that didn't work either. The plot for the book finally came to me when I learned about WWII in Florence, Italy. I watched a documentary that showed how the Italian people bricked over their sculptures to protect them from harm. When I had that information, the plot fell into place almost magically. But I had been waiting for a good 6 years, struggling and sketching, for all that time.
Who is your favorite person to test story ideas out on?
My favorite person to test story ideas on is my son. He has a sharp eye to critique my illustrations, and tells me honestly when there is something off in my writing. When he was 9, he decided to put sticky notes on my wall of artwork (the very early stages of RENATO AND THE LION. He wrote insightful comments like, "The boy on this page looks different from the other page. Which one is it? Choose!" His direct approach made me smile, especially because he was right! He's my favorite art director!
Tell us about your process for creating a children's book from start to finish?
Like most authors, I start with an idea that grabs me. But instead of opening up Word, and typing a draft, I sketch. I doodle characters. I think about the conflict, and how that would look in a spread. Sometimes these doodles take months. If I don't have the arc of the story in my mind, I just keep tugging at the characters, asking them to reveal themselves in my drawings.
At some point, whether the arc of the story is satisfying or not, I start to organize my thoughts with tiny thumbnail sketches, plotting out the entire book in a basic 32 page format. (Though my first book is 44 pages, and the second, 40 pages.) This way I can see if the pacing will work within a picture book format, and if the plot has any hold on me. This stage can take a long time. I made close to 20 thumbnail storyboards for QUINCY over the years. With RENATO AND THE LION, I can't even count how many drafts went into this story.
Along the way, I share my work with my trusted critique friends. Some are authors only, some are author/illustrators that struggle as much with plot as I do. They give me feedback and encouragement, and aren't afraid to say, "I just don't get it." Although hard to hear, it's so valuable to know something is very off right from the beginning. Once they all agree it's worth being made into a book, I continue.
After the thumbnail stage, though I may not have solved my plot problems, I try out a finished piece of art with my characters. A publishing team wants to see a sketched dummy and 2-3 pieces of final art to show the style. It's important to consider the tone of the story at this stage. Is it humorous? Is it sweet or sad? I made art that looks remarkably different for my two books. QUINCY is funny, so the chameleons have big expressive eyes to help each joke have more impact. The colors are also more vibrant and fun. With RENATO, there was so much architectural detail and emotional impact that I decided to give a little distance to the characters with simple dot eyes. And the color palette is more muted, to reflect World War II Florence, Italy. I looked at a lot of John Singer Sargent's watercolors for inspiration, so there is a level of representation but fluidity to the paintings. I also took care to ensure the illustrations of real locations at different points in history were accurately represented. Sculptures in the main Piazza were correctly covered at various points in the historical context. I made absolute sure that I had the details right–which included a trip to Florence for research. With QUINCY, since they are talking chameleons that go to school, all I had to do was have fun and enjoy the ride. I had already departed from the structure of a real chameleon to ensure the character could walk on two legs. From that point, I just played with color and expression.
At the point where I feel the story has heart, and I connect with the main character, I begin to pull my sketches into InDesign, and map out the story on a bigger scale. At this late stage, I often try out words. I place them, move them, delete them. I play with where the images carry the narrative, and where words are needed to elevate the story. It feels like a collage, swapping one image out for a bit of text, then swapping it back because it felt right the first way. Many times these sketches are still very rough. But by being rough, I don't get too attached to something that may not work. If it looks pretty, I hold onto it too long.
When I feel like I have a beautiful mess of sketches, story and a few finals, I send the whole package to my agent with the hope that she gets this is a work in progress, and I still know how to draw. My expectations used to be that my agent would immediately send it out, and it would immediately get picked up! But now I know better. Usually the critique comes back with a major plot revision that causes me to toss half my work. I don't like that, as I want to feel that just once I can do it well, by myself, the first time. Once that feeling has its tantrum, then passes, I jump into the changes and realize that my agent is absolutely right. I make changes, send it back, get back more changes, make those, etc… etc… This stage can take awhile.
By the time my agent is ready to send out the dummy, I feel fantastic. I feel that we've worked together to make an amazing book, and the editor will scoop it up as is. But again, this isn't so. Sometimes an interested editor makes changes that cause me to toss out over half of this new work! And the cycle of changes and back-and-forth collaboration begins again.
When the book is finally a book, I am a little numb to the project. With RENATO, I handed in my final artwork in person, and said to the art director, "I truly have no idea if this work is any good." You have to have faith in the process, in your team, in your critique partners, and your instincts to write the book in the first place. And though I still don't feel like an author, I truly do feel like a visual storyteller. With too many commas.
With RENATO AND THE LION, I hope that little children that are not yet aware of the specifics of WWII, take away a sense that they will be cared for even in tough times. And that those tough times don't last forever. For the older audience, I hope that the story gives hope that even in dark times, good still can take place.


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Aston Villa Have Little to Show For Their Recent Improvements
0 0 Nisar Khan Monday, 10 February 2014 Edit this post
Aston Villa have made some notable improvements on the field in their recent games, but their accumulation of points suggests otherwise. What is going wrong for The Claret and Blue?
Despite many improvements in their play, the Lions have not racked up as many points.
IMAGE COURTESY: BirminghamMail
After their shock exit from the FA Cup in the third round following a loss to Sheffield United, Aston Villa put up a valiant home performance against then league leaders Arsenal - alas in vein as they lost 2 - 1.
It was that game though, on a cold Monday night at Villa Park, that showed some significant signs of encouragement going forward, with a late surge that really put Arsenal on the back-foot. Christian Benteke scored his first goal in over four months in the game to set up for an anxious finish.
In that game, a problem would also be highlighted, Aston Villa's tendency to concede multiple goals in a short amount of time that would ultimately cost them the game.
Despite picking up no points for their efforts, Aston Villa picked up a well deserved point following a draw with Liverpool at Anfield in their next game. As one of the better performances of the season, they came as visitors to a stadium where Liverpool had some great form, limiting them with a two goal lead in the first half.
This time round, it was Aston Villa who did the leading, while Liverpool chased. Once again, it is small errors that prove costly, in a game where many believed that the visitors could have taken three points for their efforts.
Had it not been for the penalty, rest assured, Aston Villa would have got the win with Liverpool's other chances limited in the game.
They had increased their form subtly to put up good performances against two top-four sides. Their encouragement must have been at a high now to go forth and pick up points in some much more easier games.
Christian Benteke is an important piece to the Aston Villa puzzle here, with his goalscoring form continuing, it has proved the difference in their games, especially the seven-goal thriller against West Brom.
Almost a perfectly-structured resurgence, Aston Villa had followed up two decent performances against top sides with a thrilling league win over West Bromwich Albion. However, questions would go up in the air once again with their loss to West Ham, of which more problems came into the spotlight.
It's a problem which was identified earlier on in the article, Aston Villa's tendency to concede multiple times in a small period of time. Kevin Nolan scored twice within three minutes to
silence Aston Villa in the weekend.
That loss was a crushing blow to Aston Villa. With their home encounter with West Ham part of four games against much lesser opponents (before they face first and second place after), this should have been a game of which Aston Villa further carried forward some momentum to secure a comfortable place in the table.
With their previous performances, Aston Villa could have got many more points than they actually took, but now this puts more pressure on future performances.
Another problem for the Lions is their lacking of a play-maker central midfielder, and when this is being said just over a week after the Transfer Window closes, it spells trouble.
Aston Villa's next games are Cardiff City (A), Newcastle (A) and Norwich (H) before Man City (A) and Chelsea (H). In the next three games it is pivotal that they pick up near-to-maximum points in those games, before heading to face Manchester City and Chelsea in games where the odds are stacked against them.
There are still plenty of games for Aston Villa to secure a comfortable place. Finding themselves in the relegation battle is progressively unlikely, but should they fail to pick up the points, the situation in a few weeks may be very, very different.
Aston Villa have delivered on some good performances, yet with the table suggesting otherwise, a slight bit of pressure is mounting. Can they restart momentum in their next games to follow?
TheSportMatrix • We Live For Sport: Aston Villa Have Little to Show For Their Recent Improvements
A full analysis of Aston Villa and what is going wrong for them in their recent games of 2014.
http://i1.birminghammail.co.uk/incoming/article6661002.ece/ALTERNATES/s1023/Everton-v-Aston-Villa-4-6661002.png
https://www.thesportmatrix.com/2014/02/Aston-Villa-Problems-Editorial.html


South by southwest, like many other festivals before it, has become just as much about the street style as it has about the music. This event, however, breeds a particular uniqueness with it's mission to diversify the scene with music, fashion and culture. With all of the color and life on the streets of Austin this past week, it was hard to pick our favorites but click through the gallery to see the styles that really caught our attention.
We're praising this look too, friend.
Can't decide between the jacket and the hair! Good thing we don't have to.
Hot texas sun is no match for this dapper festival goer.
Are tattoos considered pattern mixing? If so, this guy wins.
And the most comfortable but cool as hell athleisure outfit goes to..
When your petals match your hair.
This chick is making a really amazing case for all red everything.
If we broke this down to what we love best about this look, it has how happy she looks.
If your hair complements your jersey, you should definitely wear it.
It may be Texas, but if your turtleneck/jacket combination works… it just works.
Paying us some lip service with this epic crop top, kimono combo.
We're calling this look the "classic southby".
This is the "classic southby's" rebellious younger sister.
We can't say enough about this chick. Purple lipstick, velvet dress.. slay.
If there was ever a question about spray painting your occupation on your jacket… you have your answer.
Dear Morticia Addams of SXSW, thank you.
This guy is a walking photograph.
Sure we can be BFF's.
#SXSW: ANDY FRASCO & THE U.N.


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Brotherhood News
You Report
Wilkins Radio Boots Churches of Christ Off the Air
Evangelism, News
GENEVA, Ala (BNc) — George Merritt, a familiar name, and voice to many radio listeners, shared upsetting news about his Power & the Glory program as well as other religious programs. He states:
Bob Wilkins, founder, and CEO of Wilkins Radio Network has decided to remove all programs produced and sponsored by churches of Christ and any others that teach baptism to be essential to salvation. Wilkins' position is that churches of Christ are in opposition to "biblical salvation by faith in Christ alone." He has called the position of churches of Christ "Jesus plus baptism."
George Merritt and the Ariton, Alabama Church of Christ were notified by phone on July 13th. The cancellation of the Power & the Glory program went into effect immediately. Also eliminated from Wilkins' station logs was the International Gospel Hour and several other programs produced by churches of Christ.
Beginning in 2001, Power & the Glory aired on as many as 14 Wilkins stations. Merritt states: "We are saddened for our many listeners in Pittsburgh, Albuquerque, Omaha, Kansas City, Chattanooga, Richmond, Augusta, Ashville, Pensacola, and Mobile. In the coming months, we will be adding numerous new stations. We look forward to having new listeners and making new friends. Over the years, we have enjoyed a stellar working relationship with Wilkins Radio's Vice President Barry Bright and his staff in Spartanburg, South Carolina. We wish them the best."
The Ariton congregation is financially assisted in its media work by some two dozen other churches of Christ plus numerous individuals. Power & the Glory began in 2000. The program continues uninterrupted on numerous stations in California, Arizona, Alabama, Tennessee, and Arkansas. "There are a number of outstanding radio stations that solicit our business: and we will definitely use available funds to continue "the furtherance of the gospel," says Merritt.
Power & the Glory is also heard worldwide via the Good Radio News website (www.goodradionews.com) and also the internet streaming of the stations carrying the broadcast. For further information, contact may be made to
George Merritt
P. O. Box 946, Troy, AL 36081
george@goodradionews.com
www.goodradionews.com
Glenda Williams
As a teenage girl, I prayed to marry a preacher. I knew no one who was desiring to be a preacher but each night I knelt by my bed and prayed, "Lord, if I am capable of being a preacher's wife I would like to marry a preacher. If not, just let me marry a Christian." God answered that prayer for me. Our local preacher, Jerry Humphries, preached in two gospel meetings that summer and invited a young man from Alabama Christian College (now Faulkner University) to preach in his absence. He brought his girlfriend with him so that took him out of the running. But when I learned they were coming back in a week or so, I asked if they didn't have some fine young man they could bring down and let me meet. The girl thought for a minute, snapped her fingers and said, "Old Doug." Old Doug and I have been married 53 years and have two children and two grandchildren. All our children are faithful members of the church. God is so good. I love Him so.
By : Glenda Williams Tags: Evangelism
What makes the gospel glorious
33 baptized in medical campaign, new congregation begun in Philippines
Jennifer Baker says:
Immediately brought two passages to mind when I read this:
"And the LORD said to Samuel, "Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them."
I Samuel 8:7 NKJV
"He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him— the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day."
John 12:48 NKJV
How sad to have this door of opportunity closed by this decision! However, we will give thanks for the time that the Bible was taught and the truth that was spread through the Wilkins' stations in the past. And we will pray for blessings for the new opportunities for furtherance of the gospel on other stations! God bless these efforts and programs!! We will also pray for those behind this decision to realize the truth about baptism and it's essentially for salvation!
Marshell Mitchell says:
If Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, why is it not necessary for ordinary people of faith and belief? I believe you are of Satan trying to turn people from the lords church, which Jesus established the church of Christ. Matthew 16:16, upon this rock I shall build my church, not churches. Ijs.
JSBrown303 says:
Honestly, being on the Wilkins Network would be the same as being on TBN, The Inspiration Channel, or any other denomination owned station. Yes, they need to hear the Truth, but unfortunately, by being on those stations you would be fulfilling 2 John 9-11 as you have to pay, and therefore support, the denominations to be on there.
Charles Horton says:
I have known George Merritt since the mid '80's when he was our Minister at the South Main Church of Christ in Greenville ,Ms.He is a man who preaches and teaches the truth without compromise,and at the same time teaches it in love{Ephesians 4;15}.The Lord is going to stand by ,on the day of judgement,what he and the Apostles taught about the necessity of immersion to be be saved by the blood of Christ{Mark 16;16 Acts 2;38 22;16 },no matter how many stations Mr Wilkins takes that message off of.All of those who stand up for truth will be persecuted,but that is nothing new,the early Christians went through worse for their faithfulness,but they were victorious!
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In nearly any social setting, cookouts, community events, and even just random run-ins on the street, I am asked nearly the same question.
In fact, even Men's health magazine asked me a very similar question and I'm going to give you the same answer I gave them.
My answer though is always the same, and not because I'm boring, but because I know from the tens of thousands of individuals we have worked with that a workout structured in the following way is extremely effective.
– Train the entire body, or work as many "muscle groups" as possible.
– Be realistically possible in the time available for the person working out.
With this as the goal all you have to do is choose an exercise each from the following categories.
This category can get neglected, but for a really effective workout you must do something that makes you move weight quickly and powerfully. When you move fast with weight you are recruiting the most possible muscle fibers to complete the job.
Choose exercises like: Olympic lifts (if you know how), kettlebell swings, medicine ball throws, and plyometrics (that are appropriate for your body).
These exercises should typically be done for lower repetitions because they are the most fatiguing.
This category is another big one because our lower body muscle groups are the biggest and allow you to the most external loads possible.
We divide the movements into push and pull, basically dividing the body across the midline for front side and back side muscle groups.
You get bonus points if you choose single leg exercises because they will require an extra level of stabilization.
Choose exercises like: squats, deadlifts, RDL's, lunges, step ups, split squats, and single leg RDL's.
My favorite rep ranges are 5-8 repetitions which will mean you can handle some decent weight but will still challenge your conditioning.
Again we are dividing the body for front side and back side respectively. This is a big point to make because so many people default to only doing the push versions of upper body training. Make sure during a week you are doing equal pulls to every push type exercise you do.
Choose exercises like: Push ups, pull ups, chin ups, inverted rows, dumbbell rows, kettlebell rows, push press, and overhead press.
Same number of repetitions as the lower body exercises.
Your core acts as a stabilizer to maintain good position through your spine, so its important to train it that way. No more crunches or sit ups necessary, a truly effective core should be able to brace and hold position.
Do these for time or reps, and BIG bonus points if you do them for a number of breaths (which will really make you engage your core).
Choose things like: Rope slams, higher rep kettlebell swings, bike sprints, treadmill sprints, prowler pushes and sled drags.
When fitting them in a training session like this do them for reps, or a set distance.
The simplest way to do this is choose 5 exercises, one from each category and do them in one giant circuit. If you are limited on time this is extremely effective because you can set a timer for 20 minutes or 30 minutes and do as many rounds as possible in that time.
Then the next time you train if you do the same circuit if you do more rounds with the same weights, you have improved, if you do the same number of rounds, with more weight, you have improved.


text:
Q: Date comparison using jquery I use the following code to check the date is before today! But when I select today, the condition becomes true!
var fromDate = $('#from').datepicker('getDate');
var toDate = $('#to').datepicker('getDate');
var today = new Date();

if(today >= fromDate || toDate <= today){
    alert('Cannot book dates prior to today.');
    $('#from, #to').val('')
    return false;
}

What am I doing wrong here?

A: Should be something like
var fromDate = $('#from').datepicker('getDate');
var toDate = $('#to').datepicker('getDate');
var today = new Date();
 today.setHours(0,0,0,0);
fromDate.setHours(0,0,0,0);
toDate.setHours(0,0,0,0);

if(today > fromDate || toDate < today){
    alert('Cannot book dates prior to today.');
    $('#from, #to').val('')
    return false;
}


text:
Hikers Find Dog Missing for Almost a Month in Australian National Park
The Australian outback isn't exactly forgiving, so when some bushwalkers came across a dog struggling in a rock pool in Queensland, they knew they had to act fast.
Reddit user Dangerm0use was walking through Mt. Glorious National Park with her husband and father when they found the exhausted dog. With no idea how long the dog had been in the water, where it came from, or whether or not it was even friendly, they got to work.
"Either way, we couldn't leave it there in the freezing water. It was completely exhausted from its attempts to struggle out of the deep section it had fallen into, and there's no way it would've survived the night," the woman wrote.
Grabbing the biggest stick they could find, the hikers looped a rope around the dog's head and shoulders and dragged her onto a rock embankment.
"The dog wasn't aggressive at all, and in fact very timidly lumbered away from us, up the bank and into the thick lantana beside the pool," she said. "We figured if she'd been someone's pet, there was a chance she had been dumped or lost."
The dog wasn't eager to join the trio, but they weren't about to leave her there.
"She was in a completely inhospitable section of bush, in a gully with cliff face and hectares of national park on one side, and a scrubby, rocky, unscaleable bank up to a busy road on the other. There were also no houses within at least a 5km radius, and no obvious way for her to make her own way out of the gully," she said. "We saw her podgy little rump disappear into the lantana, giving us no other option than to wade in after her."
They tried comforting the dog and letting her recover her strength. It was going to take more than just encouragement to get this 88-pound pup out of the gully.
"She was very dejected, and obviously still exhausted. I snapped away the lantana from her little nest, and gradually got in closer, letting her get used to us being there. She was still apprehensive, but not aggressive, so after a while I took a chance and gave her a scratch on the head … and she rewarded me with a lick on the hand," the woman wrote. "Despite obviously having been camped there for at least a few days, we noted that our little companion wasn't exactly lacking in mass, leading us to dub her Miss Piggy. We spent a bit more time getting acquainted with Miss Piggy, while we started to hatch a plan to get her out."
With a strong rope and a few slip knots, they were able to make a harness and pull Miss Piggy out of the pit, over loose rocks and brush.
"The little sweetie showed her appreciation of our patience by wriggling over to me and resting her head on my leg. I hadn't wanted to be too familiar with her to this point, but she gave me the go ahead to give her a reassuring cuddle," the woman wrote. "It was becoming pretty obvious that she wouldn't be able to make it up the bank unless we carried her, and so we were throwing around options for a harness and hammock set-up, using towels and ropes. My husband had a brainwave, remembering that we had a large canvas bag in our car (15 mins walk back up the creek). We figured that if we could get her into the bag, we could MacGyver together some apparatus to transport her out."
Fastening the canvas bag to a large branch, the woman's brother and father lifted Miss Piggy out of the gully and carried her back to safety. It took all of 30 minutes just to make the 3-meter vertical climb to the nearby street.
About 15 kilometers north of where the dog was found, her owner was still hoping for the best. Elly-Bobby, the dog's real name, had gone missing on June 30, and was found on July 23. The hikers had no idea what she had been up to during that time.
"Her condition was surprisingly good for a pup that had been homeless for nearly a month. We also have no idea how she came to be in such an isolated part of the bush, with no signs of injury and only basic signs of exposure," the woman wrote. "We'd speculated that perhaps she was picked up and later dumped, or that she'd found a temporary home but hadn't stuck around. Whatever the story, we were just happy to have been in the right place at the right time to be able to help her."
Bobby's owner never stopped believing she would come home, and had mounted a substantial Facebook and neighborhood poster campaign in hopes of finding her. The pair were very happy to be reunited, as were many others who followed the story. Once Dangerm0use posted her photo journal to Reddit, it went viral, and has since been viewed more than 500,000 times.
"Whatever the story, we were just happy to have been in the right place at the right time to be able to help her," she wrote.
Losing a pet is never easy to deal with, but there's no better feeling than seeing those happy tails come wagging home. Follow this link to watch some lost dogs who have found their way home.


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Frerotte: Redskins Fans Becoming Ravens Fans
Gus Frerotte doesn't like it, but he understands it: Redskins fans are flocking to the Baltimore bandwagon
The Washington Redskins have had, well, a rough couple of decades. Since winning the Super Bowl in 1991, Washington has missed the playoffs in 22 of its last 28 seasons. They've won 10 games in a season just three times during that stretch and have finished with a non-winning record 15 times since 2000.
It's been ugly.
"A lot of Skins fans are leaving and going to watch the Ravens, which kind of makes my skin crawl a little bit," former Redskins quarterback Gus Frerotte said on Taz & The Moose. "I know there's a lot of guys that played for the Skins and they're frustrated with what's going on because the Skins have been at the top of the league for a long, long time and one of the teams that everybody fell in love with – and it just hasn't been that way in quite a few years."
Frerotte, 48, played for the Redskins from 1994 to 1998. He believes they are assembling the necessary pieces to compete.
"I think Dwayne Haskins is going to be a pretty good player," said Frerotte, the host of the Huddle Up with Gus podcast. "They got a good quarterback there. Now they got to put a good coach with him to fit his style. They've just got to get back on top. There's a lot of guys that are frustrated, a lot of fans that are frustrated."
Fans of a certain age might not know this, but Washington was once a premier NFL franchise with a rabid fanbase.
"I got married in Maui, and I had people waving Redskins towels over in Maui when I got married in 1995," Frerotte recalled. "There are fans out there. They want to come back and get in those seats."
Gus Frerotte, Former NFL Quarterback, Host of the Huddle-Up With Gus Podcast
Gus Frerotte


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text:
To close our Math Club meeting this semester, Andrew will bring mathematical games simply played using just pencils and papers.
Be noticed that we will start at 5:30 pm, later than usual, to avoid interfering with the talk given by people from Newgrange, who are recruiting math majored BS students.
Here is the abstract of Andrew:
Games with Topological Secrets
We will learn to play a pair of pencil and paper 2 player games, originally devised in the 1960's by John Horton Conway and Michael Stewart Paterson when they were graduate students at Cambridge. The games will be a proxy for learning a little combinatorial game theory and topology. Participation is encouraged, as we will first play the games to uncover some their secrets before discussing some of their interesting mathematical properties and the corresponding strategies. This meeting will be accessible to students of any level, and presumes no formal familiarity with either topology or game theory.
Bridges between Two Lands
Deepness of Mathematics
After the Annie's talk last week (see below for the abstract!), we will enjoy some more combinatorics.
Jennifer will give a talk about "Convex Reflexive Lattice Polygons and the Number 12", revealing how a simple equality can be connected to a deep result from another side of mathematics, which is called algebraic geometry. Here is her abstract:
A lattice polygon is a polygon with integral vertices in R^2. This means that its vertices are of the form (a, b), where a and b are integers. A reflexive lattice polygon has the property that the origin (0,0) is the unique integral interior point of the polygon. These polygons have duals, which are also reflexive lattice polygons. Today I will present a curious relation between convex reflexive lattice polygons, their duals, and the number 12. I will explain how this relation has deep connections with toric varieties, forming a bridge between two beautiful areas in mathematics: combinatorics and algebraic geometry.
What is the maximum number of edges in a graph on n vertices without triangles? Mantel's answer in 1907 that at most half of the edges can be present started a new field: extremal combinatorics. More generally, what is the maximum number of edges in a n-vertex graph that does not contain any subgraph isomorphic to H? What about if you consider hypergraphs instead of graphs? I will introduce the technique of sums of squares and discuss how it can be used to attack such problems.
We had a very fun time last week to playing handbells and figuring out mathematical patterns in it. Here, answering some questions about change ringing activities, I share the informations from Leland Kusmer:
Handbells (at UMass):
Tuesdays, 4 – 6pm, ILC N417
Towerbells (at Smith):
Mondays, 7 – 9pm; Wednesdays, 5 – 7pm
At the Mendenhall Performing Arts Center
4/04 – William Schober: Group Theory in Change Ringing
If you would like to enjoy some bells ringing and see mathematical backgrounds of it, join us in the math club this week. William from the Physic Department will give a talk about "Group Theory in Change Ringing". His abstract is below:
Group Theory in Change Ringing
Change Ringing is a musical/mathematical team sport which consists of ringing a set of tuned bells in a controlled manner to produce variations in the order of the bells. These sets of permutations, when seen through the lens of abstract algebra, form mathematical Groups. We will construct the basic ringing groups, examine their structure and properties, and demonstrate how they are rung using hand bells.
3/28 – Ben Orlin: Numbers We Cannot Name
Check out the abstract below.
NUMBERS WE CANNOT NAME
The number line seems simple. It ain't. The riddles of the continuum have bugged Chinese philosophers, Argentine poets, Greek trolls, and 20+ centuries of mathematicians. We'll explore the puzzles of the irrational, the transcendental, and the non-computable. Bad drawings copiously featured.
3/21- Shelby Cox: Counting Curves in the Plane
We are very happy to restart the math club with the talk given by Shelby Cox, our own undergraduate student, after the spring break. Please see the abstract below.
Counting Curves in the Plane
Curve counting goes all the way back to Euclid, who asked how many lines pass through 2 given points in the plane. More generally, we can ask how many curves of degree d pass through 3d-1 points. In this talk, I will present a beautiful and well-known proof for the case when d=3, which uses methods from Topology, Geometry, and Algebraic Geometry. The talk will focus on introducing concepts like the Euler characteristic, projective space, and blow-ups, which can help us answer long-standing questions, like: how many pentagons are on a soccer ball? In particular, the talk should be accessible to most math majors.
3/07- GaYee Park: Seven Bridges of Königsberg
Here is the rescheduled GaYee's math club talk tomorrow about "Seven Bridges of Königsberg". See her abstract below.
Long ago in a little town on a river in Prussia, the people wondered: can you visit every part of the city, crossing all seven bridges only once? This is called the Seven Bridges of Königsberg problem which was popular in the 18th century. In this talk I will introduce basic graph theory and Euler's solution to this problem. Using the result, we will also explore other related puzzles and its application.
2/28 – Floyd Williams: If tractroids were black hole vacua, we would all be dead
The math club offers a pleasant place to take a break in busy exam weeks. Floyd Williams gives a talk for us. For the abstract, see below:
A tractroid ( or pseudosphere ) is a surface generated by revolving a special curve ( a tractrix ) about an axis. By a clever change of variables one can find a nice realization of this surface as a certain "vaccum space", which mathematicians call an orbifold -the latter being defined by a simple relation between points. This vaccum space is similar in nature to a 2-dimensional black hole with mass degenerating to zero. Thankfully however these objects are "not" the same (otherwise there's no life on earth ), and thankfully no knowledge of black holes is needed for the talk-which mainly involves calculus.


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Women's Eau de Toilette
Giorgio Beverly Hills Eau de Toilette Spray 90ml
3Sold
Distinctive, luxurious and timeless, Giorgio Beverly Hills captures the unmistakeable allure of Rodeo Drive.
Originally created in 1981, Giorgio Beverley Hills was the first fragrance from Giorgio, the last word in West Coast style.
Inspired by the ultra-luxurious Californian lifestyle, it is a warm, floral fragrance that is the very embodiment of glamour.
Voluptuous opening notes of orange flower present a sparkling first impression, before a decadent signature accord of jasmine, gardenia, tuberose and orchid in the heart notes swirl hypnotically.
A sophisticated dry down of sandalwood is joined by creamy vanilla in the base notes.
Top notes: orange flower.
Heart notes: jasmine, gardenia, tuberose and orchid.
Base notes: sandalwood and vanilla.
Experience the enticing California way of life with Giorgio Beverly Hills men and women's fragrance range. Founded in 1961 by Fred Hayman and George Grant, Giorgio Beverly Hill, their first fashion boutique, was opened on Rodeo Drive and helped to establish the destination as one of the most luxurious shopping districts in the world. The boutique quickly became a huge hit with the likes of Princess Grace, Diana Ross, Charlton Heston and Elizabeth Taylor among the high-profile client base.
Following this success, GBH launched its first signature fragrance, Giorgio in 1981 and soon expanded the range to include Giorgio Beverley Hills, Giorgio G and Wings. These enigmatic scents are rich in flavours, allowing you to indulge in the glamour and wealth that embodies the West Coat spirit.
Shop our range of Giorgio Beverley Hills fragrances
5.6 × 16.8 × 5.6 cm
Buy 2 Get 5% Off


Peter Dušek is represented by Abbozzo Gallery in Toronto, where he had his first solo exhibition, Tranquility, in 2015. The exhibition sold out almost two and a half times over, with Saks Fifth Avenue acquiring two complete sets to represent Canadian Art at their new stores in Toronto. He was awarded "Best of 2015" by the American Society of Media Photographers and "Best Work by an Emerging Artist" by the Ontario Society of Artists. Peter was elected to the Ontario Society of Artists in 2015 and the Society of Canadian Artists in 2016. His work is held in private and corporate collections throughout North America. Born in Bratislava, Slovakia, Peter moved to Canada when he was seven years old. He lives in the beautiful Hockley Valley, Ontario with his wife, dog, and cat, exploring the countryside by motorcycle, bicycle, or on foot, often accompanied by his dog, Daisy. His frequent excursions give him a deep familiarity and affinity with some of Ontario's most beautiful lands.


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Justin Bieber And Hailey Baldwin Are Reportedly Engaged
Wait until you see the ring!
Augusta Statz 2018-07-09
Augusta Statz · July 9, 2018
Shortly after Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin were spotted hanging out together again, rumors began swirling that the pair was engaged.
Now, according to CNN, a source close to Bieber confirmed that the pair really are engaged to be married. The couple was spotted vacationing together in the Bahamas, and that's when Baldwin was first seen wearing a very large diamond ring on that finger.
The first photo of the stunning ring surfaced online by way of Twitter user @azymanzur who claimed his friend met the couple and saw the ring in person:
well my friend just met justin bieber and hailey baldwin in the bahamas and she is wearing a ring pic.twitter.com/vYx6aEQQjS
— azy (@azymanzur) July 8, 2018
TMZ reported that Bieber dropped to one knee at a resort in the Bahamas after everyone nearby was asked to put their phones away.
Shortly after, Bieber's parents shared social media posts that appear to confirm the engagement.
Bieber's dad wrote on Instagram: "Proud is an understatement! Excited for the next chapter!"
@justinbieber Proud is an understatement! Excited for the next chapter!
A post shared by Jeremy Bieber (@jeremybieber) on Jul 8, 2018 at 8:31am PDT
Meanwhile, Bieber's mom posted the word "love" written repeatedly to Twitter:
Love Love Love Love Love Love Love.
— Pattie Mallette (@pattiemallette) July 7, 2018
Bieber and Baldwin have had an on-again off-again relationship since 2016, but they were friends years before ever confirming their status as a couple. And the pair always tried to remain friends even when they weren't dating.
The singer opened up about being careful not to hurt Baldwin in an interview with GQ back in 2016.
"I know that in the past I've hurt people and said things that I didn't mean to make them happy in the moment," he said. "So now I'm just more so looking at the future, making sure I'm not damaging them. What if Hailey ends up being the girl I'm gonna marry, right? If I rush into anything, if I damage her, then it's always gonna be damaged. It's really hard to fix wounds like that. It's so hard … I just don't want to hurt her."
Seems as if they were able to keep their relationship intact throughout the years and are now ready to take it to the next level. Congratulations to the happy couple!
Tags:celebrity couplecelebrity engagementengagedHailey Baldwinjustin bieber
Disney Channel Has Announced The Premiere Date of The 'Bug Juice' Revival
Cell Phone Account Fraud: What You Need To Know


Jocale – according to the online Latin dictionary it means jewel, though according to Wikipedia, it traces back further to mean 'plaything' in Latin.
The C3 Gallery is open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am – 5pm. The show closes on the 7th of August.


text:
Q: Flutter semi circle curve shape of slider How to create track of slider as semi circle curve along with custom thumb, Please refer to image

till now what I have created is below

A: You can use sleek_circular_slider package.
Its appearance customization will meet your needs.


Remember how I said I'd post pictures of the wedding favors and I never did? Well...I'm sorry! Please forgive me. Let's try this post again!
My mom and I popped in a movie and got to work. We found that the name brand Honey Maid was far better at breaking into the quarters where the perforation was compared to generic. Plus they taste better. We cut them with a knife, carefully, and one by one. There was still a lot of breakage. Good thing those are tasty!
Then we cut the Hershey's bar up. Each box was to receive two graham cracker sections and two chocolate sections. The chocolate bar cut easily if we also did it carefully, not going to fast or applying too much pressure. There was some breakage. Good thing those are tastier!
Then we stuck 3 marshmallows on a toothpick. There was no breakage there. It was quite easy.
Next we tied 2-3 matches together with thick thread (twine would've worked too) and stuck them in the box.
The box lid just slid right over the other box.
We printed off witty labels that said our names, the wedding date and things like S'more happiness or S'more fun. The labels came with a link to the company's website where you could put the design you wanted and print them right.
And ta da! S'mores in a box!


In Year 2 we have begun to understand what multiplication means. To do this, we have been making groups of amounts to show repeated addition. This concrete method helps to build a strong foundation of maths knowledge in order to apply it in a range of contexts.
After a request for support with calculations, our Year 6 children have come up with some tutorials.


Some folks not so skilled in relation to worksheets too. Publish the worksheets after each of the grades are entered. At this point you've got an identical worksheet. You may use the exact same worksheet for lots of your students. You're in a position to learn to fill your fiscal worksheet with the most suitable numbers, and what exactly you wish to stop. If you don't find out how to create a appropriate language worksheet, you are able to take to spelling practice worksheet templateformats which are accessible online.
Produce a system by means of your spouse to ensure that all transactions are set on the spreadsheet. A spreadsheet is truly only a calculator, but with far more flexibility. Spreadsheets have a collection of presentation and formatting choices that does not just improve readability, but in addition allow it to be feasible to use the information in external reports and presentations. A spreadsheet can enhance your accuracy. Making your initial basic spreadsheet isn't a complex task by any means.
Calculate mileage reimbursements in the event the template doesn't do so. Furthermore, you might prefer the template because you're ready to personalize it in Excel to your favorite taste. Moreover, the templates compute the overall miles to get the worksheet at the base of the mileage column. Most templates enable you to contain both hourly and fixed labor expenditures. They include itemized substance lists where you can enter the purchase price per unit and the amount of necessary units. Most mileage expense templates provide numerous columns in which you have the ability to record helpful info, including the date, places you traveled to and out of, the use of the excursion and other particulars.
Determine how you'd love to design the template. As you will find from the totally free templates given below, multiple designs are possible to get an strategy. Filtering countless samples to discover the very best free templates has never been simple for everybody.
Related Posts of "22 Graphing Absolute Value Functions Worksheet Answers"


Provo, UT - In previous years dating back to 2008, the BYU Women's Rugby team travelled across the country to compete in USA Rugby's Women's Collegiate National events. For the first time in history, the Cougars are coming home to South Field Stadium , BYU Campus to host a DI West Coast Pool that includes DI Elite #4 BYU, the reigning Women's College DI Champion in UC Davis, up and comer and Gold Coast Conference #1 seed Grand Canyon University, and Gold Coast Conference #3 seed Arizona State University.
Come and support BYU, Arizona State, UC Davis and Grand Canyon University at the USA Rugby Women's Collegiate DI/DI Elite Rugby Nationals Sweet 16 West Coast Regional Pool hosted by BYU on South Field Stadium, Friday-Saturday April 20-21, 2018. Don't miss out on the game of the Cougars and the battle of the Northwest and Southwest, when UC Davis takes on Grand Canyon on Friday.
To download or check out the complete online Spring 2018 USA Rugby Women's DI Collegiate Rugby Championship playoff brackets - Click here.


As November is ending and December is coming, people have different plans for the Festival season. And during the Christmas, the main decorative that people would surely love is Christmas tree. But the main question comes is the selection. What best fits the size and the width with the location of it? How to pick your own Christmas tree? How do I select a Christmas tree? Where can I buy the best Christmas tree? Can I make my own Christmas tree? How to make my own Christmas tree? How do I decorate my Christmas tree?
Well lets end to all the question. The main problem is the selection of the kind and the size. So a simple guide I would show you how to decorate your Christmas tree. There are different choices for the buying and the question arises, should I buy a real one or an artificial one.
I bet, everything looks perfect in real one than that of Artificial one. So, I suggest you to buy a real one than an artificial one. Because real one looks so great that people couldn't stop looking at it. Also the each and every real ones have their own variety. Though the Artificial do have varieties but the are common around 3/10 houses in a small city.
Lets talk about size. Yes size do matters for the decoration to look good. A very big sized(10-15ft) looks only good outside, but a medium(6-9ft) is perfect for a room. If you have a small ones then don't worry they can be good but with children in your house may spoil the tree. So, Medium tree can be selected so that it can last for some year's Christmas too.
Larger to be kept outside, Medium to be set inside and smaller ones are let to be raised or look pretty inside.
Buying the best ones. There are different tests that you can provide to a tree that can help you select the Christmas tree. Just look out with the leaves and you will self know the quality. That quality cannot be explained in words. So, best buy can be found in your locality. Ask for your neighbor for the tree. Keep the Stores at the last priority as the are raised so quickly that they are good for single Christmas only.
Though its hard but you need to create your own Christmas tree by buying a very small sized Christmas tree 6 months ago. They do grow slowly but with fertilizers, you can make them grow more quickly. But they may not last for the next season of Christmas. Buying a smaller one cost you low and creating it is simple.
Decoration. And finally comes the decorative part. People love to see it tightly decorated with more and more lights but doesn't cover the original Christmas tree. So, main color you need to choose is the background color. Originally, the color is green or snowy because of snow fall. So, you need a high intense lamp that will fit at the TOP of the Christmas tree. If the tree is outside the house, you can fit a new stand making it hidden to the normal people. Now you the lamp at the top of the stand and connect it to the Power connection. If you are inside the house than you can fit a lamp at the Ceiling.
Another question arises, color for the lamp? The color is the best to think. Each and every color are the best ones but it is on your choice what color do you love. Best color selection are: green, red and blue(you can select other color that can resemble to these color).
Also now color of the bulbs and lights? Color of the bulbs and lights must be anti-color to the lamp. If you select Green ad the lamp's color, Red and Blue bulbs are best fit because they are the anti-color to the lamp's color and the people's eye gets easily caught to the tree.
The top Bulb is better in red so I would suggest you to keep the lamp's color to be Green/Blue.
If you want mini lights, I would suggest you to use Odd numbers making vertical strips on the tree. Filled with with the Bulbs at the middle.
I would also like to suggest that you and your neighbor make each others tree because you never love your own creation.


text:
import pytest

from securicad.model import Model, View
from securicad.model.exceptions import (
    InvalidAssetException,
    InvalidAssociationException,
    InvalidAttackStepException,
    InvalidDefenseException,
    InvalidFieldException,
    InvalidIconException,
    MultiplicityException,
)

def test_no_lang():
    with pytest.raises(ValueError):
        Model()

@pytest.mark.vehiclelang
def test_invalid_asset(model: Model):
    with pytest.raises(InvalidAssetException):
        model.create_object("?")

@pytest.mark.vehiclelang
def test_abstract_asset(model: Model):
    with pytest.raises(InvalidAssetException):
        model.create_object("PhysicalMachine")

@pytest.mark.vehiclelang
def test_invalid_attack_step(model: Model):
    ecu = model.create_object("ECU")
    with pytest.raises(InvalidAttackStepException):
        ecu.attack_step("?")

@pytest.mark.vehiclelang
def test_invalid_defense(model: Model):
    ecu = model.create_object("ECU")
    with pytest.raises(InvalidDefenseException):
        ecu.defense("?")

@pytest.mark.vehiclelang
def test_invalid_field(model: Model):
    ecu = model.create_object("ECU")
    firmware = model.create_object("Firmware")
    with pytest.raises(InvalidFieldException):
        ecu.field("?").connect(firmware.field("hardware"))
    with pytest.raises(InvalidFieldException):
        ecu.field("firmware").connect(firmware.field("?"))

@pytest.mark.vehiclelang
def test_invalid_association(model: Model):
    ecu1 = model.create_object("ECU")
    ecu2 = model.create_object("ECU")
    with pytest.raises(InvalidAssociationException):
        ecu1.field("firmware").connect(ecu2.field("firmwareUpdater"))
    with pytest.raises(InvalidAssociationException):
        ecu1.field("firmware").connect(ecu2.field("firmware"))

@pytest.mark.vehiclelang
def test_max_multiplicity(model: Model):
    ecu1 = model.create_object("ECU")
    ecu2 = model.create_object("ECU")
    firmware = model.create_object("Firmware")
    ecu1.field("firmware").connect(firmware.field("hardware"))
    with pytest.raises(MultiplicityException):
        firmware.field("hardware").connect(ecu2.field("firmware"))

@pytest.mark.vehiclelang
def test_invalid_icon(view: View):
    with pytest.raises(InvalidIconException):
        view.create_group("group", "?ICON?")


text:
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Feb
2/26/08 Released RHP John Ennis; Claimed SS Ray Olmedo off waivers from the Pirates and designated RHP John Ennis for assignment.
2/13/08 Signed RHP Kris Benson to a Minor League contract with an invitation to Spring Training.
2/7/08 Signed INF Eric Bruntlett to a one-year contract and designated RHP Anderson Garcia for assignment.


text:
Home > Illustrated London News Newspaper Archive
Illustrated London News Newspaper Archive
The Illustrated London News was the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine, dating as far back as 1842. The magazine continued to be published weekly until 1971, then less frequently, until publication ended in 2003.
Our Illustrated London News archive holds a large number of original newspapers, which are particularly special because the magazine changed the nature of news print publications with its illustrations. The vivid imagery used in its issues made news stories more exciting to its readers, and makes them more unique as historical newspaper gifts.
Historic Newspaper's collection of Illustrated London News back issues is even more unique since the magazine is no longer being published. Our archive holds the UK's largest archive of these magazines and there are a wide range of dates to choose from. The magazines can be personalised to add a recipient's name, the occasion, and a personal greeting on the certificate that guarantees that your copy is a genuine original publication.
An issue of the magazine makes a very memorable gift for any occasion, especially for someone interested in illustrated news from the past.