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Threesology Research Journal: Threes in Physics
"Threes in Physics"
(and Astronomy) page 1
~ The Study of Threes ~
Threes in Physics page 1 Threes in Physics page 2 3 (mem)brane Universe page 1 3 (mem)brane Universe page 2 3 (mem)brane Universe page 3
Visitors as of 8/29/2020
Contents on this page:
The Neutrino Matrix (Why are there 3 of everything?), by Jon Butterworth
A Third type of Magnetism? (Atom can't tell up from down in 'quantum spin liquid'), by Richard Chirgwin
NASA probes spots temporary third Van Allen radiation belt, by Iain Thomson
C, P & T Symmetries (Wikipedia physics article)
 The Neutrino Matrix:
Why are there 3 of everything?
Last week's results from the Daya Bay neutrino experiment were the first real measurement of the third neutrino mixing angle, ?13 (theta one-three). There have been previous experiments which set limits on the angle, but this is the first time it has been shown to be significantly different from zero.
Since θ13 is a fundamental parameter in the Standard Model of particle physics1, this would be an important measurement anyway. But there's a bit more to it than that. Neutrinos - whatever else they might be doing - mix up amongst themselves as they travel through space. This is a quantum mechanical effect, and comes from the fact that there are two ways of defining the three types of neutrino.
You can define them by the way they are produced. So a neutrino which is produced (or destroyed) in conjunction with an electron is an "electron neutrino". If a muon is involved, it's a "muon neutrino". The third one is a "tau neutrino". We call this the "flavour". Or you can define them by their masses. Usually we just call this definition neutrinos 1, 2 and 3.
The two definitions don't line up, and there is a matrix which tells you how much of each "flavour" neutrino overlaps with each "mass" one. This is the neutrino mixing matrix. Inside this matrix in the standard model there are potentially four parameters describing how the neutrinos mix.
You could just have two-way mixing. For example, the flavour states might just mix up neutrino 1 and 2, and neutrino 2 and 3. This would be the case if the angle ?13 were zero. If it is bigger than zero (as Daya Bay have now shown) then neutrino 1 also mixes with neutrino 3. In this case, and only in this case, a fourth parameter is also allowed in the matrix. This fourth parameter (d) is one we haven't measured yet, but now we know it is there. And the really important thing is, if it is there, and also not zero, then it introduces an asymmetry between matter and Antimatter.
This is important because currently we don't know why there is more matter than Antimatter around. We also don't know why there are three copies of neutrinos (and indeed of each class of fundamental particle). But we know that three copies is minimum number which allows some difference in the way matter and Antimatter experience the weak nuclear force. This is the kind of clue which sets off big klaxons in the minds of physicists: New physics hiding somewhere here! It strongly suggests that these two not-understood facts are connected by some bigger, better theory than the one we have.
We've already measured a matter-Antimatter difference for quarks; a non-zero ?13 means there can be a difference for neutrinos too. More clues.
So not only did last week see the start of Antimatter spectroscopy (which will check that there really is no matter-Antimatter asymmetry in the electromagnetic force), it also saw the result which shows that experiments such as T2K in Japan and Nova in the US, which are looking for matter-Antimatter asymmetry in the weak force, amongst neutrinos, are not wasting their time.
Unlike the ALPHA anti-hydrogen experiment at CERN, the Daya Bay people have put their result somewhere you can actually read it - thanks.
1 The "new" standard model, i.e. the one with massive neutrinos.
2 These choices of definition are called "eigen-states"; they are essentially different measurements of the neutrino wave-function. So you might in principle measure a neutrino such that you know it is 1,2 or 3, but then you don't know what flavour it is until you measure that (similar to not knowing whether Schrödinger's cat is alive or dead until you open the box). And once you've done that, you no longer know its mass. Quantum mechanics is great.
Jon Butterworth is a physics professor at University College London. He is a member of the High Energy Physics group on the Atlas experiment at Cern's Large Hadron Collider.
--- The neutrino matrix ---
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/life-and-physics/2012/mar/13/1
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(H.O.B. Note, 12 Oct. 2012): In spite of all the "threes" being encountered in physics, the basics of which involve threes as well: 3 families of fundamental particles and 3 basic particles ... Electrons, Neutrons, Protons... we must consider the possibility that our physics is due to our 3-patterned physiology evolving on a 3rd planet. While we might want to argue that our theoretical suppositions are correct and have a mathematics to confirm them, let us also consider the very real possibility that our mathematical algorithms are being used as a simplistic 3-patterned tool (1 number [plus, minus, divided or multiplied by] a 2nd number = 3rd number); that is manipulated to confirm ideas influenced by this 3-patterned physiology. It will be necessary for us to confirm our guesstimations/confirmations by deliberately subjecting our "evolvable"- sensitive biology to environments that are not so 3's "oriented". (To the extent of directing biological development along what appears to be three-"pronged.") Indeed, even our very DNA/RNA- Protein triplet structures (they are actually three-to-one ratios), may have to be altered to develop a different sentient species' with a perspective that we might find quite alien...
Are there really three families of fundamental particles or do we only think there are and qualify our usage by saying such a model (framework) is of value because it helps us to relevantly compartmentalize available assumptions? Simplistically, the three families are:
Stable particles (in terms we humans recognize stability).
Unstable Particles (which 'decay' to stable particles).
Very Unstable Particles (which 'decay') to unstable particles.
Are there really three domains of life: "Archaea, Bacteria, Eukaryota," or is this evolutionary framework suggestive of a widespread "three-patterned" mode of rationalization we humans use in many subject areas?
Are there really three gut types: bacteroides, prevotella and ruminococcus - (named for the bacteria that dominate the intestines in each case), or are we limited in our ability to detect others because we use a standard three-patterned scientific investigative model (framework) [observation, experiment, hypothesis]... which limits our ability towards appreciating a different perspective; whether or not we socially acknowledge that we do use a scientific-community-standardization (or that our findings explicitly state the particular order the methodological steps undertaken)?
For the philosophical-religious minded: does the Christian Trinity of Father - Son - Holy Ghost/Spirit really exist, or do you only think it does, because your brain is three-patterned configured (to a different degree) like that of someone with a three-patterned scientific orientation (mindset)? Are there really three functions of the Cosmos (Creation, Maintenance, Destruction... personified by Brahman - Vishnu - Shiva) as are portrayed in Hinduism, or is this yet another human colored portrait of an underlying three-patterned physiology? Are the pattern-of-three ideas we find in multiple subject areas due to a tri-modal language structure (Subject - Object - Verb) due to a three-patterned ear/auditory structure?
What if we are not on the 3rd planet from a source of solar irradiation but think that we are because it fits best with our ability to comprehend a perspective more conducive to a 3-based physiology? As an analogy, recall that centuries ago it was firmly believed that the Earth was the center of the then known cosmos but that a three-patterned based mathematics dispelled this perspective. We must consider the possibility, no matter how we dogmatically (god-matically) uphold a religious-like fervor of present mathematics tools,  that we might well be wrong.
In taking stock of the very many examples of "threes" to be found in numerous subject areas, let me take a moment to make a comment about this:
The various manifested expressions of the "3" in our philosophies, religions, sciences and biology (and physiology), are extensions of environmental influences that force us to design our beliefs and laws in step with the prevailing nature of its character. As it changes, so will our presumed truths. Humanity must get away from Earth, this solar system, and this galaxy in order to begin its individualized ("weaned") journey of growth.
Some readers may also be interested in:
--- Popular physics theory running out of hiding places ---
A Third type of Magnetism?
Atom can't tell up from down in 'quantum spin liquid'
  Â
By →Richard Chirgwin←
→Get more from this author←
Posted in →Science← 21st December 2012 09:47 GMT
A state of magnetism predicted in 1987 has been observed for the first time at MIT, with researchers saying that it might one day find applications in storage and communications technologies.
The "one day" is still quite some way off, however, with the researchers only at the very beginning of observing the properties of what's called a "quantum spin liquid" (QSL).
The properties of a quantum spin liquid are revealed in the spin properties of atoms in a crystal. Rather than settling into a stable state, as happens in ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic materials, the "spin moment" in a QSL is constantly changing.
In the familiar compass needle, magnetism comes from the alignment of all spins in the same direction. The second magnetic state, antiferromagnetism, was first proposed in the 1930s. In an antiferromagnetic material, the spin states align in such a way that the overall magnetism is zero, unless energy is applied. This property is exploited in hard drive read heads.
In the new state of magnetism, the magnetic orientation of particles is unable to settle into an ordered state. Instead, they fluctuate constantly, driven by quantum interactions between particles.
QSL only exists in a type of crystal called a kagome lattice. In the material examined in the MIT research, Herbertsmithite (named after its discoverer):
Copper atoms lie at the corners of triangular structures.
Two of the copper atoms are able to align their spins in an "up-down" arrangement.
But the third copper atom can't align with both the others, so it flips between up and down.
(The usage of an "H" symbol seems appropriate even though you may visually entertain an "I" or other symbology.)
The blue regions in the NIST scan of Herbertsmithite show magnetically ordered regions. The green regions are exciting: they're where the spin state is disordered. Image: NIST
To actually observe the QSL, the researchers spent years manufacturing high-purity Herbertsmithite. The test sample was then imaged using the Multi-Axis Crystal Spetrometer (MACS) at the NIST Center for Neutron Research.
In a disordered material, neutrons scatter evenly across the sample. In the QSL sample, some regions scatter neutrons in a way consistent with magnetism – but in other regions the scattering appears disordered (those regions where the atom's spin fails to settle down).
Wait, there's more
Along the way, the researchers made another possible discovery as significant as the QSL: they believe they've observed fractionalised quantum states.
Quantum states are generally assumed to exist only as whole numbers – after all, the basis of quantum physics is that the quantum is the smallest possible change in state that can exist.
The MIT researchers say that their material exhibits a state with fractionalised excitations: "spinons" whose excited states apparently exist in a continuum between quantum states. In the MIT →release←, the researches say observing this "highly controversial idea" is "a remarkable first".
The research, conducted by professor Young Lee, Tianheng Han (lead author of the paper), and collaborators from MIT, NIST, Maryland University and Johns Hopkins University, is published in Nature (abstract →here←).®
[http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v492/n7429/abs/nature11659.html]
NASA probes spots temporary third Van Allen radiation belt
By → Iain Thomson ← in San Francisco
Posted in Science, 1st March 2013 08:11 GMT
This'll drive the lunar deniers crazy
For over fifty years school-books have been teaching about the Van Allen belts, two torus-shaped zones of charged particles that encircle the Earth. Now, a NASA mission has discovered that there is a third – but only when conditions are right.
Last August, NASA fired a pair of Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP) into the belts to do the most detailed study yet of their composition. The spacecraft, heavily shielded to function in the plasma belts, were scheduled to start booting up their equipment in slow and steady progression – witness how long Curiosity was on the Surface of Mars before all her systems were used.
But the team decided to turn on the Relativistic Electron Proton Telescope (REPT) early, three days into the flight, so that it could match data with another NASA probe – the Solar, Anomalous, and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer (SAMPEX) which was falling back towards Earth. When the data came in, the third belt was revealed.
"By the fifth day REPT was on, we could plot out our observations and watch the formation of a third radiation belt," said Shri Kanekal, the deputy mission scientist for the probes at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center."
"We started wondering if there was something wrong with our instruments. We checked everything, but there was nothing wrong with them. The third belt persisted beautifully, day after day, week after week, for four weeks."
While it is known that the inner Van Allen belt swells slightly, and the outer one more massively, this third ring is a surprise. Then again, scientists still aren't 100 per cent sure what makes the rings grow and shrink anyway, since their size is only partially attributable to the Sun's output.
In a paper in the journal Science, the team postulates that part of the expansion of the Van Allen belts is down to a solar flare that erupted from Sol's surface on August 31, the day after the launch. The filament of plasma, which was spotted by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, sent a stream of particles and a shock wave towards Earth, and this may have energized the third layer.
"We can offer these new observations to the theorists who model what's going on in the belts," said Kanekal. "Nature presents us with this event – it's there, it's a fact, you can't argue with it – and now we have to explain why it's the case. Why did the third belt persist for four weeks? Why does it change? All of this information teaches us more about space."
This flare may have kicked off the extra belt:
The belts were discovered when the US lofted its first satellite, Explorer 1, back in 1958, and were named after the scientist James Van Allen who built the cosmic ray detector that picked them up. Van Allen was one of the very first space scientists, and made some of the early measurements of the upper atmosphere in 1946 using captured German V-2 rockets.
Van Allen grew more and more fascinated with the research, and developed innovative ways to carry it on. He is the co-creator of the Rockoon, an early solid-state rocket that was hoisted to 70,000 feet by a helium balloon and then fired automatically by a clockwork control system. Rockoons are still used today, not least by El Reg's Special Projects Bureau's team to send LOHAN thrusting into the sky.
The belts that bear his name are a problem in more ways than one. They increase the failure rate for satellites and probes that go through them, as well as harming astronauts. Van Allen himself said that the presence of the belts, and the myriad of other things that can go wrong on a manned space flight, should stop humans leaving orbit.
"In a dispassionate comparison of the relative values of human and robotic spaceflight, the only surviving motivation for continuing human spaceflight is the ideology of adventure," he said.
"At the end of the day, I ask myself whether the huge national commitment of technical talent to human spaceflight and the ever-present potential for the loss of precious human life are really justifiable."
Such comments have been picked apart (and occasionally shuffled around) to help reinforce one of the central tenets of the "We never went to the Moon" movement: that humans couldn't possibly make it through the belts alive. This latest discovery, that they could be more extensive than first thought, could add fuel for the fool's fire.
Van Allen himself rubbished such claims, pointing out that at the speed the astronauts were going they went through the belts in four hours and received no more radiation than they would living at sea level for three years.
In fact, the Van Allen belts actually confirm we did make it out of Earth's orbit. All but three of the Apollo astronauts who went out to the Moon have since developed cataracts earlier than expected as a result of their exposure to cosmic rays.
Still, when have deniers ever let science get in the way of a good conspiracy theory?®
--- Nasa Probe finds 3rd Van Allen Radiation Belt ---
H.O.B. note: In considering the foregoing article we need to ponder whether or not a third Van Allen belt actually is atypical, or is as such from our human perspective due to a short term of analyzing the belts (since they were "discovered")? Does it exist on a frequent basis and it is only our primitive forms of analysis that have been unable to detect it until now? Is it somehow different than the other two? Has it "always" (centuries, millennium, eons) been there but only "recently" (in terms of human evolution) that we were able to recognize it? Are the "right conditions" for producing the 3rd belt cyclical in their nature? If so, what is the cycle? Why is it (the 3rd belt) or/and the conditions cyclical? If the condition(s) are not cyclical, is the event one of several which mark a "developmental" (burnout change/rate) in the Sun?
H.O.B. note: The flare gave me the impression of a reptile with an elongated tongue lashing out at its prey. Perhaps the "prey" of the Sun are the nearby planets which can help nourish its existence? Also, I humorously made a mental scribbling of "Van Allen" as "Van Alien"... with no disrespect intended.
Science Shot: The Life Cycle of a Bubble
by Lizzie Wade
9 May 2013, 2:00 PM
--- The Life Cycle of a Bubble ---
Another day, another ground-breaking physics experiment about --- bubbles ---. Although scientists have long understood the behavior of a single soap bubble, they have not been able to mathematically describe the behavior of clusters of bubbles, otherwise known as foams. As you can see in the photo above, when one bubble pops in a group like this, the other bubbles quickly rearrange themselves to balance out the cluster—but because the forces behind all that shape-shifting are different from the forces determining when each bubble pops, it's difficult to make a computer model that can incorporate all phases of a foam's life. Now, scientists have solved the problem by taking a hint from climate models, which have long struggled to figure out how local events (a volcanic eruption in Hawaii or a single bubble in a foam popping) influence more widespread changes (global temperature changes or the foam entirely collapsing).
The new model --- splits up a foam's life into three phases ---, the researchers report online today in Science: rearrangement, in which the group of bubbles slip and slide around each other to achieve stability; drainage, in which gravity draws the fluid inside a bubble's membrane toward the earth; and rupture, in which a bubble's membrane becomes so uneven that it finally pops, forcing the remaining bubbles to rearrange themselves and allowing the cycle to begin again. While the researchers tested their model using—you guessed it—soap bubbles, they hope their work will help materials scientists better understand and control the properties of solidified foams made of metal and plastic, which are vital for applications that require materials that are both light and strong—like prosthetic limbs.
©2013 American Association for the Advancement of Science. All Rights Reserved.
H.O.B. note: As I recall, there were three "famous" recurring bubble events of childhood:
Bubble Baths (But I don't remember ever having one. In fact, I hated taking baths.)
Blowing/making bubbles (with a straw in a beverage, monster bubbles, or the variety which are made by using what looks like a monocle-on-a-stick (or an ankh without the arms).
Bubbles surfacing on some liquid such as a pond, river, or curb-side "river" after a rain storm. (That the kids in the neighborhood would try to dam up, float a "boat" on, or walk in with our bare feet.)
C, P & T Symmetries
The Standard model of particle physics has three related natural near-symmetries. These state that the actual universe about us is indistinguishable from one where:
-Every particle is replaced with its antiparticle. This is C-symmetry (charge symmetry).
-Everything appears as if reflected in a mirror. This is P-symmetry (parity symmetry).
-The direction of time is reversed. This is T-symmetry (time symmetry).
These symmetries are near-symmetries because each is broken in the present-day universe. However, the Standard Model predicts that the combination of the three (that is, the simultaneous application of all three transformations) must be a symmetry, called CPT symmetry. CP violation, the violation of the combination of C- and P-symmetry, is necessary for the presence of significant amounts of baryonic matter in the universe. CP violation is a fruitful area of current research in particle physics.
--- Wikipedia Physics Article ---
Date of Origination: Thursday, May 2nd, 2019... 7:58 AM
Most recent update: Tuesday, March 30th, 2021... 1:30 PM


It requires more and more money to win a seat in the West Virginia Legislature. Special interests - such as gambling, health-care and coal - continue to play a growing role in financing candidates for all offices.
These are among the conclusions reached by the new "2000 Election Cycle Report" just released by the West Virginia People's Election Reform Coalition.
Working with the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition and the West Virginia Citizen Action Group, the election coalition has developed computer databases for contributions made during the 1996, 1998 and 2000 elections.
Norm Steenstra, who helped coordinate the computer analysis, said, "In comparing the three election cycles, it is clear legislative races are becoming increasingly more expensive.
"Incumbents also store up large war chests. And politicians giving to other politicians is making it increasingly difficult for the average citizen to run for the Legislature."
The typical winning campaign for the state Senate cost 35 percent more last year then it did in 1996. The average winning House campaign cost 46 percent more in 2000.
The race for governor between Cecil Underwood, the incumbent Republican governor, and Bob Wise, a Democratic congressman since 1982, was "significant mainly in its similarities," the coalition report states.
Both Underwood and Wise raised less than $50,000 from people who contributed less than $100 each. Underwood and Wise each raised about $1.9 million from people who gave between $500 and $1,000 each during the primary and general elections.
"However, in the end, it was the candidate [Wise] that raised and spent 10 percent more money that got 3 percent more of the vote," the report states.
The analysis by the People's Election Reform Coalition showed 26 percent of all contributions to candidates who won legislative primary and general elections came from candidates themselves or their family members. These contributions rose by 87 percent between 1996 and 2000.
The five largest business interests contributing to lawmakers were: health care (10 percent); gambling and coal (6 percent each); and real estate and construction (4 percent). Other business interests accounted for 24 percent of all legislative contributions.
Labor union members and their political action committees gave 8 percent. Lawyers, including both corporate lawyers and trial lawyers, also gave 8 percent.
Steenstra said, "Labor and the trial lawyers tend to be on one side. But some special interest groups hedge their bets and give to both sides. Coal, gambling and road construction gave to both Cecil Underwood and Bob Wise. Coal actually gave more to Bob Wise for his inaugural festivities than they gave during his campaign."
In the end, Wise received $2.9 million in contributions, or $8.97 per vote he received in November 2000. Underwood raised $2.6 million, or $8.62 per vote he received. Wise beat Underwood 324,882 to 305,926, or 50 percent to 47 percent of the total vote.
The other three percent was split among Denise Giardina of the Mountain Party (2 percent); Bob Myers of the Libertarian Party (1 percent); Randall Ashelman of the Natural Law Party; and Lou Davis of the Reform Party.
In 2000, less than one-half of 1 percent of all West Virginians of voting age made political contributions.
The new election coalition report also revealed that Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin, D-Logan, and House Speaker Robert Kiss, D-Raleigh, each raised the most money in their respective houses. Tomblin raised $205,319 and Kiss, $180,059.
Eight other legislative candidates raised between $89,490 and $203,065, including five candidates in Kanawha County and two in Monongalia County.
Delegate Mark Hunt, D-Kanawha, raised $203,065 in his unsuccessful bid to unseat Sen. Vic Sprouse, D-Kanawha, who raised $162,146.
Republican Bill Nelson raised $100,265 in his run for the House of Delegates from Kanawha County. He lost.
Delegates Barbara Fleischauer, D-Monongalia, and Sheirl Fletcher, R-Monongalia, each raised about $90,000 for their race in a four-seat House district in their county. Both won.
The coalition's analysis also showed that the top 10 individual contributors to legislative winners included eight gambling executives.
The four political action committees spending the most were: Bankers PAC, $71,100; West Virginia LAWPAC (West Virginia Trial Lawyers), $68,000; WVEA-PAC (West Virginia Education Association), $62,700; and HOSPAC (West Virginia Hospital Association), $60,000.
Sen. Jon Blair Hunter, D-Monongalia, received 14 percent of his contributions from donors who gave less than $100 each. No other Senate candidates raised more than 4 percent of their donations from small contributors.
In House of Delegates races, the top three candidates receiving small donations were: Delegates John Overington, R-Berkley; Bonnie Brown, D-Kanawha; and Carrie Webster, D-Kanawha.
Several candidates have money left over that they can use in the next elections. The top two legislators with surpluses are Tomblin, with $188,016 in unspent contributions, and Kiss, with $122,725. Sens. Mike Ross, D-Randolph, and William Sharpe, D-Lewis, have surpluses of $38,210 and $34,104, respectively.
The report identified candidates with the most contributions from a coalition of what it labeled "progressive interests," including labor unions, environmental groups and trial lawyers.
Hunter received $33,038 from this coalition, representing 57 percent of his total contributions. Sen. Larry Rowe, D-Kanawha, received 21 percent of his contributions from these groups, accounting for 21 percent of his contributions.
In the House of Delegates, the top four candidates receiving money from these groups were: Delegates Fleischauer, $40,340; Webster, $15,525; Warren R. McGraw II, D-Raleigh, $15,250; and Mike Caputo, D-Marion, $14,810.
Julie Archer, a research analyst for Citizen Action Group, said candidates who receive a significant amount of their money from these "progressive groups" are relatively few.
"Most successful candidates for the state Senate and House of Delegates receive most of their money from large business interests.
"Our concern is that the Legislature is becoming a legislature of the privileged. It is time to examine 'clean money' election alternatives like those recently passed in Arizona, Massachusetts, Maine and Vermont," Archer said.
Those states provide public financing to candidates who decline to accept money from special interest groups. Those programs are funded from a variety of sources, including taxes on lobbyists, fines collected from people who violate laws and voluntary income tax check-offs from individual taxpayers.
It took the People's Election Reform Coalition nearly a year to complete its analysis of the 2000 elections, Steenstra said.
"The final campaign reports were not filed until January of this year. We went over 1,500 different reports to identify special interest groups associated with contributions."
Steenstra said the election coalition listed donations to all statewide races, including those for the state Supreme Court, as well as all legislative races, including winners of the May 2000 primary elections.
The coalition's report urges the state to keep a closer watch on lobbyist expenditures in the future.
"After candidates are elected, lobbyists begin the flow of money and perks to our lawmakers. How much special interest money is being spent by special interests to influence our laws?
"Lobbyists have to report direct contributions and 'entertainment' given to candidates, but full disclosure by their employers on how much they are paid to wine and dine out representatives would give us the bigger pictures. Other states, such as Maryland, require this. Why not West Virginia," the report asks.


74. Toshico had her car (repair)….. by a mechanic.
75. Ellen got Marvin (type)……her paper.
76. We got our house (paint)………last week.
77. Dr Byrd is having the students (write )…….a composition.
78. Mark got his transcripts (send) . ………to the university.
79. Maria is having her hair (cut)…….. tomorrow.
80. Will Mr. Brown have the porter (carry)……his luggage to his car?


text:
EXPLORETOPICS
Prompt Images
The Restaurant Men: {Silent Rivals}
Justin D. Wright
The two men stood oddly close, to specifically not speak to each other.
They were nearly identical in size and stature, both wearing white shirts with black slacks, their hands clasped behind their backs when not being used to point violently at the other or to usher someone inside. The man to the left endlessly disparaged his rival, hurling barbs and sneaky asides to anyone in earshot, while the man on the right chose his moments carefully and delivered his lines with grinding purpose. There was a long-distance race unfolding between them, one could tell. To the right the tortoise, to the left the hare.
Each man stood next to the door on their side, a single-file line of hungry people on the staircase below waiting to be let into the building. To the casual observer, the two doors led into one large, glittery Indian restaurant, which was seemingly split in half and guarded by the two men. But, in actuality, the doors entered into two separate, neighboring establishments where their chefs prepared the same dishes, handing them to the identically dressed waiters, who served them to tables located in similarly furnished, low-ceilinged rooms full of people waiting to eat.
The two dining rooms choked on Christmas lights, which were hung claustrophobically from the already low ceilings, as if a festive strain of Spanish moss had invaded the inner city. The walls showcased brightly painted murals and stock photographs of food significantly larger in portions than those offered by either of the restauranteurs, as well as hilarious wallpaper and various gold decorations, which dangled dustily over the diner's dishes. The effect was kaleidoscopic to be sure, resulting in two very brightly lit, parallel restaurants mirroring each other in their physical architecture, style, and ethos.
Sonically, it was very interesting. To stand on the staircase was akin to participating in a South Bronxian DJ battle gone awry, the competing music creating a cacophonous, dissonant hellscape where the vocals and higher frequencies became momentarily clear depending on which door was opened.
There were approximately seven steps separating the hungry crowd from the two men, but only two feet separating them from each other. Leading up the staircase were beautifully complex wrought iron banisters painted black, and embolized with worn, gray patches of primer exposed by the crowds, who climbed the stairs in droves as the two men attempted to ally them into their side.
Diners approached the two men in one of two ways, as is common in all facets of city life: hip to the jive, or as confused, sub-literate bonehead tourists lacking any semblance of self-awareness, style, intellect, couthe, or moral center. The men treated the tourists like tourists, pointedly and directly ignoring any of their questions that weren't about entering their restaurant. They both focused exclusively on the progress of the other, and they undercut each other at every opportunity by relentlessly offering free appetizers, house wine goblets, or delicious mango lassis in an attempt to steal the potential diners away.
After winning a particularly sizable group, the victor escorted his guests inside without even looking at them. He instead maintained eye contact with his rival, laughing and gloating with the lunacy of a late stage syphilitic. The luxuriating in victory was staggering to behold, as if looking upon Gomorrah in its prime. Despite the obvious threat of hubris, the downfall never came for these two men, as business was good. Very good.
People and the aforementioned sub-humans alike traveled far and wide to try the tikka masala, which contained chickens roasted to such perfection that one imagines they flew into the fire on their own accord, simmering in a smooth, creamy tomato and coriander sauce that pops with a deep, earthy orange existing only on hyper-color-saturated postcards from Arizona and in the tiny, overused dishes on East 6th Street. The currys of every color had modern day émigrés speaking nonsense, blubbering about their childhood meals and memories. The naan was as soft and pillowy as a breast, and just as beloved. The vindaloo was lethal.
Business continued at a screamer's pace for hours and hours. The carnivalesque savagery that one saw at the front door was mirrored only in the speed and efficiency that the staff worked in the dining hall, which was manic, joyful, and indeed a meal worth the time. Waiters danced and patrons clapped their hands together to the music, the entire restaurant celebrating the experience of being there together, just being happy.
At the day's end, the two men counted their money and basked in another day's fortune. As they closed up shop, they released their staff one at a time with a firmly gripped handshake containing the day's haul, and the men thanked them. They supervised the kitchen prep and locked up the cellar, slowly working their way from back to front, dodging Christmas lights and blowing out candles. At last they turned out the lights and exited, holding the front doors for their wives as they gathered their thoughts and coats, preparing to face the deserted streets of the city.
Wordlessly, the two men picked out the near-identical key that locked their respective doors, pulling down matching iron cages over the windows, locking them with the same, indistinguishable padlocks that held fast so many other cages around the city. The crowds were gone now, replaced with trash tornadoes and rats, illuminated noir-ishly by moonlight and street lamps.
The two men then faced one another and silently considered each other as they had so many other times before.
They then shook hands, saying nothing, and went their separate ways. One to the left, the other to the right.
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text:
Each of the Exchanges has established limitations governing the maximum number of call or put options on the same index which may be bought or written (sold) by a single investor, whether acting alone or in concert with others (regardless of whether such options are written on the same or different Exchanges or are held or written on one or more accounts or through one or more brokers). Under these limitations, option positions of all investment companies advised by the same investment adviser are combined for purposes of these limits. Pursuant to these limitations, an Exchange may order the liquidation of positions and may impose other sanctions or restrictions. These position limits may restrict the number of listed options which a Fund may buy or sell; however, the Advisor intends to comply with all limitations.
As discussed above in "Investment in a Subsidiary", each of the Managed Futures Strategy ETF, the Crude Oil Strategy ETF the Bitcoin Futures Strategy ETF, the Short Bitcoin Futures Strategy ETF, the Blockchain/Bitcoin Strategy ETF, and the Bitcoin Futures/Equity Strategy ETF (each, a "Parent Fund") intends to achieve commodity exposure through investment in a wholly-owned foreign subsidiary (each a "Subsidiary"). Each Subsidiary is classified as a corporation and is treated as a "controlled foreign corporation" ("CFC") for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Each Parent Fund will limit its investments in its Subsidiary in the aggregate to 25% of the Parent Fund's total assets. Each Parent Fund does not expect that income from its investment in its Subsidiary will be eligible to be treated as qualified dividend income or that distributions from its Subsidiary will be eligible for the corporate dividends-received deduction.
In general, a beneficial owner of Fund Shares who or which is a foreign shareholder is not subject to U.S. federal income tax on gains (and is not allowed a deduction for losses) realized on a sale of shares of the Fund unless (i) such gain effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business carried on by such holder within the United States, (ii) in the case of an individual holder, the holder is present in the United States for a period or periods aggregating 183 days or more during the year of the sale or and certain other conditions are met, or (iii) the special rules relating to gain attributable to the sale or exchange of "U.S. real property interests" ("USRPIs") apply to the foreign shareholder's sale of shares of the Fund (as described below).
The audited Financial Statements, for each Fund that commenced operations prior to May 31, 2017, and the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, as independent registered public accounting firm, for the fiscal year ended May 31,2017, that appear in the Annual Report to shareholders dated May 31, 2017, are hereby incorporated by reference in this SAI. The Annual Report to shareholders is delivered with this SAI to shareholders requesting this SAI.
The block time is the average time it takes for the network to generate one extra block in the blockchain.[35] Some blockchains create a new block as frequently as every five seconds.[36] By the time of block completion, the included data becomes verifiable. This is practically when the money transaction takes place, so a shorter block time means faster transactions.[citation needed]
When the market for certain futures contracts is such that the prices are higher in the more distant delivery months than in the nearer delivery months, the sale during the course of the "rolling process" of the more nearby bitcoin futures contracts would take place at a price that is lower than the price of the more distant bitcoin futures contracts. This pattern of higher futures prices for longer expiration bitcoin futures contracts is often referred to as "contango." Alternatively, when the market for certain bitcoin futures contracts is such that the prices are higher in the nearer months than in the more distant months, the sale during the course of the "rolling process" of the more nearby bitcoin futures contracts would take place at a price that is higher than the price of the more distant bitcoin futures contracts. This pattern of higher future prices for shorter expiration bitcoin futures contracts is referred to as "backwardation."
However, there could be a transition stage in which volatility could actually become worse. Large financial trading firms could enter the market to an extent that has not been seen yet, and because bitcoin is so difficult to value (as Warren Buffet put it: "You can't value bitcoin because it's not a value-producing asset."), a lot of different forces will act on its price. Shorts will become more popular, and disagreements on pricing could manifest in the cryptocurrency markets in the form of extreme price jumps, more so than is already commonplace.
The information herein represents the opinion of the author(s), but not necessarily those of VanEck, and these opinions may change at any time and from time to time. Non-VanEck proprietary information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but not guaranteed. Not intended to be a forecast of future events, a guarantee of future results or investment advice. Historical performance is not indicative of future results. Current data may differ from data quoted. Any graphs shown herein are for illustrative purposes only. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission of VanEck.
Louis M. Mayberg, President of ProShare Advisors from inception to April 2012 and ProFund Advisors LLC from April 1997 to April 2012. Mr. Mayberg co-founded National Capital Companies, L.L.C., an investment bank specializing in financial services companies mergers and acquisitions and equity underwritings in 1986, and managed its financial services hedge fund. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a major in Finance from The George Washington University.
A U.S. person, including a Fund, who owns (directly or indirectly) 10% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of a foreign corporation is a "U.S. Shareholder" for purposes of the CFC provisions of the Code. A CFC is a foreign corporation that, on any day of its taxable year, is owned (directly, indirectly, or constructively) more than 50% (measured by voting power or value) by U.S. Shareholders. Because of its investment in its Subsidiary, each Parent Fund is a U.S. Shareholder in a CFC. As a U.S. Shareholder, each Parent Fund is required to include in gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes for each taxable year of the Fund its pro rata share of its CFC's "subpart F income" for the CFC's taxable year ending within the Fund's taxable year whether or not such income is actually distributed by the CFC, provided that the foreign corporation has been a CFC for at least 30 uninterrupted days in its taxable year. Subpart F income generally includes interest, OID, dividends, net gains from the disposition of stocks or securities, net gains from transactions (including futures, forward, and similar transactions) in commodities, receipts with respect to securities loans, and net payments received with respect to equity swaps and similar derivatives. Subpart F income is treated as ordinary income, regardless of the character of the CFC's underlying income. Net losses incurred by a CFC during a tax year do not flow through to an investing Fund and thus will not be available to offset income or capital gain generated from that Fund's other investments. In addition, net losses incurred by a CFC during a tax year generally cannot be carried forward by the CFC to offset gains realized by it in subsequent taxable years. To the extent each Parent Fund invests in its Subsidiary and recognizes subpart F income in excess of actual cash distributions from such the Subsidiary, if any, it may be required to sell assets (including when it is not advantageous to do so) to generate the cash necessary to distribute as dividends to its shareholders all of its income and gains and therefore to eliminate any tax liability at the Fund level. Subpart F income also includes the excess of gains over losses from transactions (including futures, forward and other similar transactions) in commodities.
ProShares Crude Oil Strategy ETF is an actively managed fund that seeks to provide total return through actively managed exposure to the West Texas Intermediate ("WTI") crude oil futures markets. The Fund's strategy seeks to outperform certain index based strategies by actively managing the rolling of WTI crude oil futures contracts. "Rolling" means selling a futures contract as it nears its expiration date and replacing it with a new futures contract that has a later expiration date. The Fund generally selects between WTI crude oil futures contracts with the three nearest expiration dates (known as the front, second and third month contracts) based on ProShare Advisors' analysis of the liquidity and cost of establishing and maintaining such positions. Each month, the Fund will evaluate this strategy on or about the fifth business day of the month and may roll its position from the fifth through ninth business days into the contract month determined by the Fund's active investment strategy.
Mathematically, to regain a 50% loss you need the price to rise 100% (double) so don't let yourself get there. Psychologically, you force yourself to trade to make up for the losses, and under pressure, you won't make the best decisions. Cut losses early and re-evaluate your reasons for the trade, go back in later on, at a lower price if needed. Don't take profits early, wait for a drop – this is a good enough place to close the trade
Each Fund may invest in money market instruments, which short-term cash instruments that have a remaining maturity of 397 days or less and exhibit high credit profiles, or cash or cash equivalents such as other high credit quality, short-term fixed income or similar securities, including (i) money market funds, (ii) U.S. Treasury Bills, which are U.S. government securities that have initial maturities of one year or less, and are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, and (iii) Repurchase Agreements, which are contracts in which a seller of securities, usually U.S. government securities or other money market instruments, agrees to buy them back at a specified time and price. Repurchase agreements are primarily used by the Funds as a short-term investment vehicle for cash positions.
S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF; S&P MidCap 400 Dividend Aristocrats ETF; Russell 2000 Dividend Growers ETF; Equities for Rising Rates ETF; Morningstar Alternatives Solution ETF; S&P 500 Ex-Energy ETF, S&P 500 Ex-Financials ETF, S&P 500 Ex-Health Care ETF, S&P 500 Ex-Technology ETF	  	4:00 p.m. (3:30 p.m. if in cash) in order to receive that day's closing NAV per Share
Speculating and hedging bitcoin with futures has never been easier. Spot has lower leverage which means you have to risk more of your capital with exchanges. Margin fees are very expensive on Bitfinex and Kraken when you are borrowing funds and paying up to 0.1% per day to be in a position. Futures contracts on the other hand have no holding fees associated. You pay a fee to enter the contract, and you pay a fee to exit the contract. Your profit or loss comes from the change in the price you pay.
CCC – An obligation rated 'CCC' is currently vulnerable to nonpayment, and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitment on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligation.
The Registrant (also, the "Trust") is organized as a Delaware business trust is operated pursuant to an Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust, dated December 13, 2010 (the "Declaration of Trust"), that permits the Registrant to indemnify every person who is, or has been, a Trustee, officer, employee or agent of the Trust, including persons who serve at the request of the Trust as directors, trustees, officers, employees or agents of another organization in which the Trust has an interest as a shareholder, creditor or otherwise (hereinafter referred to as a "Covered Person"), shall be indemnified by the Trust to the fullest extent permitted by law against liability and against all expenses reasonably incurred or paid by him in connection with any claim, action, suit or proceeding in which he becomes involved as a party or otherwise by virtue of his being or having been such a Trustee, director, officer, employee or agent and against amounts paid or incurred by him in settlement thereof. This indemnification is subject to the following conditions:


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By: Johnny Falduto
Published: 16 June, 2022
SportsRec Prediction
Early Betting Odds
Cowboys vs Buccaneers History by the Numbers
Cowboys vs Buccaneers Recent Matchups
Cowboys vs Bucs
Following a thrilling Week 1 Thursday Night Football in 2021 that saw the Buccaneers escape with a 31-29 victory, , the Dallas Cowboys open up their season against Tampa Bay for the second straight year, this time on Sunday Night Football.
As the two teams prepare for their rematch, several critical pieces are missing: The Cowboys failed to resign both WR Amari Cooper and DE Randy Gregory in the offseason, taking away an immediate game changer on each side of the ball; on the Buccaneers side, there is still uncertainty about Rob Gronkowski's future and a timetable for Chris Godwin's injury after he suffered a torn ACL in December.
One player whose status is known for the game is Tom Brady, as the Hall of Fame quarterback announced he will return for his 23rd NFL season after briefly retiring early in the offseason. Brady and the Buccaneers will be lead by first year head coach Todd Bowles, as former head coach Bruce Arians opted for a front office role with the team.
Date: Sunday, September 11, 2022
Time: 8:20PM ET
Location: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX
TV: NBC
Prediction: Buccaneers 30, Cowboys 21
Tom Brady has not only played well against the Cowboys historically, he has dominated; over his career, the Hall of Famer is a perfect 6-0 against Dallas. The toughest thing for the Buccaneers in this game will be the environment on the road, but if they are able to stick to their game plan and contain Ceedee Lamb, they should have no problem winning this one by a score or more.
Fanduel Sportsbook's early odds have the Buccaneers slightly favored on the road.
Buccaneers -2.5 (-110)
Cowboys +2.5 (-110)
The Cowboys and Buccaneers have played against each other a total of 20 times throughout their history
The Cowboys lead the all-time series by a score of 15-5
The Cowboys are 2-0 against the Buccaneers in the playoffs
The Cowboys longest winning streak against the Bucs was 8, spanning from 1977-1990
The Buccaneers longest winning streak was 3, spanning from 2000-2003
Tom Brady is a perfect 6-0 against the Cowboys in his career
09/09/2021: Buccaneers 31, Cowboys 29
12/23/2018: Cowboys 27, Buccaneers 20
11/15/2015: Buccaneers 10, Cowboys 6


My family has spent generations in public service. I was taught that a community is always stronger when it sticks together, and that is why I am running for Montgomery County Commissioner. I want to work with all MontCo Residents to create good-paying jobs, improve our school system, pass a budget, build a government that works for everyone.
It is time to put Montgomery County Above Politics!
Good paying jobs and revitalizing the middle class. Develop a fair tax structure. Pass a budget. Invest in infrastructure.
New funding formula that protects our schools and homeowners. Develop and implement best practices.
Compulsory education for prisoners. Post-prison opportunities for those who deserve a second chance. Break the poverty-to-prison pipeline.
Our Farmers and Rural Development.
Reform our subsidies and tax structure to give our farmers the upper hand. Fix our rural infrastructure. Access to broadband and internet.
Ray Sosa has over 20 years of experience in the private sector providing support and advice to big and small companies, and he wants to use that experience to create a more efficient and effective government in Montgomery County. He currently resides with his wife, Nikki Sosa, in Wyncote and has lived in both Bucks and Montgomery Counties over the last 8 years. The Sosa family is blessed to have a beautiful girl, Marjory who arrived in July 2018.
For too long, the powers and resources of the County Commissioner's office have been underutilized, even though Ray is a political outsider, he is uniquely qualified to serve in these positions. Ray was appointed by three different U.S. Governors to lead districts in coordinating Emergency Management and Response. Ray was Chairman of the Governor's Human Rights Advocacy Committee for 10 years, fighting for hospitals, juvenile justice centers, foster care homes, and nursing homes. For 10 years, Ray provided legislative policy support for three governors and wants to continue to do so in Montgomery County.
Ray is currently the President for Round Hills Investments and Services, and is a career banker and insurance agent. The County Commissioner serves as the legislative and executive arm of the Montgomery County government. As part of a board of three commissioners, a commissioner names all department heads, as well as most members of the various boards, authorities, and committees. In addition, the commissioners appoint all county employees and, sitting as the Salary Board with the Controller, establish salaries of all employees.
Ray's previous appointments in the public and private sectors have prepared him for the role of Montgomery County Commissioner in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.


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Smelling Cheese, Garlic, and Feet? That's Just the Rare 'Corpse' Flower in Bloom
Longwood Gardens is offering extended hours for people to see and smell the pungent flower
By Elizabeth Both	• Published July 9, 2020 • Updated on July 14, 2020 at 1:04 pm
NBC Universal, Inc.
A peculiar, rancid-smelling, corpse flower, nicknamed "Sprout," is set to bloom any day now.
Formally known as the Amorphophallus titanum (titan arum), the 6-foot-tall, maroon and bright green flower is located in the conservatory's Tropical Terrace in Kennett Square, Chester County.
The name "corpse flower" was given because it reeks of rotting meat, cheese and feet when in bloom.
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As with all things in nature, it's difficult to pinpoint its exact bloom time but Longwood estimated the smelly flower would reach "putrid peak bloom soon", according to a press release.
Corpse flowers such as Sprout usually bloom only every 7 to 10 years, which makes this a highly anticipated event. Turns out, a lot of people want to sniff this specific rotting stench.
The corpse flower is native to Sumatra, an Indonesian island. The first flowering in the United States was at the New York Botanical Garden in 1937.
The scent comes from the plant trying to attract its native Sumatran pollinators: carrion beetles and flesh flies. The precise combination of odors is meant to mimic an exact state of decomposition, where these bugs would want to lay their eggs.
"Sprout" began as a seed at the University of California Berkley in 2008, moved to the Chicago Botanic Garden, where it bloomed previously, and then to the Philadelphia-area gardens in 2018.
Longwood Gardens will be offering special extended hours for people to visit through its bloom — which typically lasts for only 24 to 48 hours and is best experienced at night.
Tickets are only available online to purchase, due to the coronavirus pandemic, and for those who won't be able to visit Longwood Gardens during Sprout's short bloom period, the gardens have set up a livestream on its YouTube channel.
Longwood GardensFlowersCorpse FlowerPlantsBotanical Gardens


Using sunbeds can significantly increase the risk of a potentially serious skin cancer that is more common than melanoma, a study suggests.
Researchers said warnings about sunbeds often focus on melanoma, the least common type of skin cancer, which is linked to sunburn.
However, scientists at the University of Dundee and Leiden University Medical Centre in the Netherlands have issued a warning about squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) - the second most common type of skin cancer.
They said it is caused by longer-term, cumulative ultraviolet exposure such as through repeated tanning, rather than isolated incidents of burning.
The team looked at UV intensity levels recorded in a previous study, the average length of sunbed sessions, the number of sessions each year, as well as a person's cumulative UV exposure from the sun, and then applied an equation that links UV exposure and SCC incidence, to predict risk to people who use sunbeds.
The researchers found that by the age of 55, people who regularly used a sunbed were 90pc more likely to develop SCC than those who did not.
Sunbed use was defined as having a 12-minute session about every eight days, or a six-minute session every four days, over a 15-year period from age 20 to 35, using a sunbed with a median UV dose.
For high dose sunbeds the risk is increased by 180pc.


In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. When Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize.
Meg Murray and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg's father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.
He is Hamlet, Prince of Denmark; she is simply Ophelia. If you think you know their story, think again.
In this re imagining of Shakespeare's famous tragedy, it is Ophelia who takes center stage. A rowdy, motherless girl, she grows up at Elsinore Castle to become the queen's most trusted lady-in-waiting. Ambitious for knowledge and witty as well as beautiful, Ophelia learns the ways of power in a court where nothing is as it seems. When she catches the attention of the captivating, dark-haired Prince Hamlet, their love blossoms in secret. But bloody deeds soon turn Denmark into a place of madness, and Ophelia's happiness is shattered.
An internationally bestselling phenomenon: the darkly suspenseful, highly controversial tale of two families struggling to make the hardest decision of their lives — all over the course of one meal.
It's a summer's evening in Amsterdam, and two couples meet at a fashionable restaurant for dinner. Between mouthfuls of food and over the polite scrapings of cutlery, the conversation remains a gentle hum of polite discourse — the banality of work, the triviality of the holidays. But behind the empty words, terrible things need to be said, and with every forced smile and every new course, the knives are being sharpened.


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No lithotripsy machine in order at CMCH
January 2, 2015	Off	By Web Desk
Larkana: Both Lithotripsy machines are out of order at the Urology Ward of the Chandka Medical College Hospital. One substandard machine was supplied by M/s: Ontec of Karachi was forcibly sent by Health Department to Chandka Medical College Hospital without their requirement during 2011-12 and soon it went out of order.
The Health Department has been constantly approached by the CMCH administration to contact the supplier and get it repaired for the benefit of the poor patients but nothing has been done as yet by them thus they have ignored the SOS resulting loss to the patients and the tax-payers money as its contract was signed by them (Health Department) and only they know its terms & conditions.
Sources told PPI that CMCH approached another supplier to get the machine repaired but the contractor demanded eleven hundred thousand rupees for its repair for which no budget is available neither it has been sanctioned by the Health or Finance departments despite several written requests.
Another Sigma Lithotripsy machine procured during 2009-10 has also completed its one million shocks recently and is out of order since last five days.
The Urology department has been writing to CMCH authorities for changing magnetic shock wave of the Lithotripsy machine immediately so that poor patients should not suffer which is expected to be replaced next week. Up to 20 mm or 2 cm kidney stones are crushed with the help of the shocks of these costly machines and as many as 10 patients are benefitted daily. These sources further said that one million shocks are consumed in four months which shows the rush of the patients.
The post No lithotripsy machine in order at CMCH appeared first on Pakistan Press International.
Nine injured in New Year celebration firing
Samsung's introduces latest full metal body Smartphone


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Another Look at Mexico | 3Q17
Clients in the mining, real estate, investment, and logistics sectors have all engaged Southern Pulse in 2017 to support the process of separating fact from fiction as observed across the country's public security landscape. Our routine review of the country -- specifically ports, routes between cities, areas around mines, hotspots, and political intrigue -- certainly indicated that there would be rumble in the jungle post El Chapo's extradition to the United States. Our clients felt the same tension. Some reached out pro-actively, which unfortunately is not normal, but most picked up the phone only after something had happened. Most of the time, a close one triggers that call. On two occasions a significant event galvanized attention.
Post Chapo's extradition, Mexico's criminal underworld began to convulse at a pace and rhythm we didn't expect in 1Q17. El Chapo left El Mayo and his sons with keys to the kingdom, but it didn't take long before his number two, aka "El Licenciado," made a move against the sons. He made a deal with "El Mencho," the head of the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) -- whom many think is literally the devil -- and remnants of the Beltran-Leyva Organization (BLO) to take a run directly at what was left of the Sinaloa Federation. That fight rages on and is responsible for much of the violence that erupts here and there across the country.
When we took a closer look at Baja California, we learned that Los Dámaso -- the cadre that chose to follow El Licenciado and his son before their arrest -- is itself splintering. Pressure from rivals is not the cause here; rather, it a desire to seize control of what local leaders have in hand. The battle between remnant Sinaloa Factions, broken pieces of Los Damaso, and the CJNG, which supports a Baja California group out of Tijuana -- the Cartel Tijuana Nueva Generación -- finds itself on the local news on nearly a weekly basis in September 2017.
This year, we've looked closely at a port Sinaloa, mining site and routes in Guerrero, manufacturing in Queretaro, and a broad-spectrum review of public security and politics in Mexico State. There is a similar thread woven through public security concerns in every state -- a tapestry colored by varying degrees of violence and different actors. But one question wraps these pieces together: what is the federal government going to do?
Not much. Here are a few data points:
During the first quarter of 2017, we took a close look at CJNG encroachment in Queretaro, a state that has perennially been quiet. Source work in Mexico City at the time confirmed that there is no federal plant to confront the CJNG. It is something left up to the states.
Work in Guerrero confirmed that lesson. When we looked at the Guerreros Unidos and their relationships with larger, national actors -- specifically the CJNG -- sourcing lined up with the above, and it went a step further. The state doesn't have the resources to combat organized crime -- a ground truth echoed in the media.
Finally, our continued work on state politics has led to one strong conclusion: the federal government will not again approach public security until 1Q19. That's right. Sometime in February or March of 2019 we'll see a new policy, maybe a new federal police force (at least in name and logo).
The 1 July elections in 2018 have the PRI focused on, first, who their candidate will be -- Osorio Chong is currently polling well but he's not assured the nod -- and then winning the national election. Winning doesn't just mean presenting a polished, likable candidate. It also means winning the states. So the top-down focus of the PRI between now and the end of 2017 will be finding the right man -- or woman. Between January and July, the focus will then shift to winning states and the nation. The incumbent government will do very little between July and inauguration in December, and then Christmas holidays. Suddenly, the new government wakes up in early 2019 to focus on the most pressing concerns of the new administration, hoping to roll out attractive policies within the first 100 days of the new year.
If the Lopez Obrador team wins, pressure to improve public security will likely rub against large expectations for social inclusion policies. Among of the craziest ideas we've heard from his camp: outright legalizing community self-defense forces. Giving them training, supplies, and a little cash… More on that idea and the Lopez Obrador quest -- his third -- for the presidency in our next touch up on Southern Pulse work in Mexico.
Brazil's Upcoming Contentious Runoff Elections
Brazil's runoff elections have piqued the interest of on-lookers in Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte in the past week. Both cities are hubs for business and travel in Brazil, with major extractive industries and tech sector companies based there, as well as being the second and fourth richest (GDP) cities in Brazil, respectively.
Tagged: Brazil, Elections, Lava Jato, Neves, Leite, Freixo, Crivella
Can the OAS Respond to Constitutional Coups and Democratic Erosion?
Luis Almagro, Secretary General of the Organization of American States, has faced mounting criticism for his handling of recent democratic crises in Latin America. In particular, people have called Almagro's approach to Venezuela hypocritical, given his lack of condemnation for the "soft-coup" in Brazil. However, Almagro's handling of these democratic crises highlights the predicament facing the OAS when addressing threats to democracy in the 21st century. Although the challenges are evolving, the institutional tools for addressing them have not.
Tagged: Democracy, OAS, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, United States, Chavez, Maduro, Rousseff, Brazil, Paraguay
Politics, Economics, Security
Taking a Look at Colombia's Peace Deal Post Plebiscite
boz (James Bosworth, Southern Pulse CEO): Hi everyone
boz: On 2 October, a plebiscite on the Colombian government's peace process with the FARC failed by a very narrow margin. The government and FARC had already signed the agreement and the FARC were moving towards demobilization. The past three weeks since the referendum have been a flurry of activity as the government has worked to rescue the peace agreement and the "no" side lead by former President Uribe has tried to figure out how to manage their stunning upset victory.
We're going to chat for the next half hour or so about the peace process after the no vote and what it means for Colombia's future. Let me start with the first obvious question: Will Santos be able to save the peace process?
Tagged: Colombia, FARC, Peace Deal, ELN, Security, Oil, Business, Santos, Uribe, Plebiscite, Referendum
Networked Notes - 19 October 2016
Eduardo's Cunha's preventive arrest represents a potential problem for the Temer Government and the Brazilian political system as a whole. In the past week, plea deals involving Temer's close confidants and cabinet members --Eliseu Padilha, Moreira Franco and Romero Jucá-- for receiving bribes from Odebretch were leaked. Cunha's arrest puts additional pressure on these key government members, who Cunha now views as political enemies responsible for his downfall.
Tagged: Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela, PDVSA, Violence
Networked Notes - 15 Sept 2016
All polling shows the Colombia plebiscite is likely to pass by a significant margin. Still, the Santos government is not taking victory for granted. Sources close to the government suggest an ongoing press for votes to deliver a giant margin of victory if possible, giving the peace deal the largest possible mandate.
Tagged: Colombia, Peace Deal, FARC, Santos, Uribe, Mercosur, Maduro, Venezuela, Uruguay
Networked Notes - 30 Aug 2016
The FARC leadership expressed sincere gratitude to Venezuela's government for the success of recent peace negotiations. In reality, it is Venezuela's government which should be thanking the FARC. The extended peace negotiations are a critical reason why Colombia specifically, and Latin America in general, has been reluctant to more forcefully denounce abuses of human rights and democratic values in Venezuela.
Tagged: Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, Rousseff, Impeachment, Temer, PRI, Corruption, FARC, Venezuela
Boom or Bust: The Panama Canal Expansion
Despite the myriad of budget overruns and problems encountered during the construction of the US$5.4 billion Panama Canal Expansion, many hope the expanded canal will increase annual Canal revenue from US$2.6 billion to as much as US$16 billion (Fortune). This is especially true since Cosco Shipping Panama paid US$575,545 for its inaugural trip and Hong Kong-flagged MOL Benefactor (10,000 tea) paid US$829,468 — a US$1 million fee seems likely given the canal can handle higher capacity vessels. However, not only did the Expansion open two years late, it was inaugurated (26 June 2016) during a time when global commodities and shipping have taken a hit. Crawling global trade combined with potential safety and construction issues with the canal put the Canal's revenue rates at risk.
Tagged: Panama, Panama Canal, Business, Trade, Shipping
Politics, Economics
PPK's Peru: Financial Sector
After Peru's economic growth dropped in 2015, PPK and his team have emphasized improving the economy and returning it to a target growth rate of at least 5 percent through creating policies that formalize the economy and promote sustainable growth, investment.
PPK wants to implement several tax reform policies that aim to lower taxes, simplify the laws, and improve collection rates, including gradually reducing the IGV from 18 percent to 15 percent by 2019 and providing tax incentive to small and medium businesses.
PPK will likely have to water down his economic policy proposals, especially tax reforms, to garner approval from an opposition controlled Congress.
Tagged: Peru, PPK, Economy, Tax Reform
Politics, Energy, Economics
PPK's Peru: Extractives
PPK seeks to reignite the Peruvian economy's growth by increasing the value of mining exports by 25 percent, through simplifying bureaucratic processes to open mining projects and reviving stalled mining projects.
There are several challenges PPK will have to overcome to achieve his mining sector goals, including garnering congressional support, low commodity prices, social conflicts in areas where mines are concentrated, and illegal mining, which has a production value of US$1.3 billion.
The new government seeks to diversify Peru's energy sector, with a focus on developing natural gas and expanding energy infrastructure, such as widening of the Transportadora de Gas del Perú (TGP) pipeline network and finish the Gasoducto Sur Peruano (GSP).
Tagged: Peru, Energy, Mining, Extractives, Politics, Economy


An industry event that will host 300 local, regional and international exhibitors from across Asia, the largest continent in the world.
Expect to meet 2,000 targeted trade buyers from 15 countries, as they come together to source for the best healthy, natural and halal products.
Backed by nearly 20 years of organising food trade exhibitions, the team behind the largest of its kind in Malaysia will launch the inaugural Superfood Asia at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre in Singapore on 24-26 April 2019.
Backed by nearly 20 years of organising food trade exhibitions, the team behind the largest of its kind in Malaysia will launch the inaugural Superfood Asia in Singapore and bring you the right profile of qualified buyers.
Get Ahead of the Curve in Two of the Fastest Growing Segments in the Food and Beverage Sector.
Consumers are going back to basics, in pursuit of health and a better quality of life.
A US$345.2 billion market, with a forecasted growth of US$69.2 billion in the next five years for the naturally healthy segment.
Majority of the respondents (72% from Asia) in a recent Nielsen report say they follow a diet that limits or prohibits consumption of some foods, or ingredients.
The global halal food market is anticipated to reach US$2.55 trillion by 2024.
Asia continues to be home to the largest population of Muslims in the world.
Growing interest in halal food and its positioning as hygienic and healthy among both Muslim and non-Muslim communities.
Showcase Your Innovations and Sell Proactively.
Through live demonstrations, food tasting sessions, pavilions, workshops or other innovative ways to showcase the maximum potential of your products, Superfood Asia creates the invaluable opportunity of face-to-face interaction with key trade buyers. Leverage Superfood Asia as a launch pad for new products and innovation.
Superfood Asia is the only dedicated trade exhibition of its kind in the region. Increase the visibility of your business. Research your own marketplace. Observe competitors and market trends. Get instant feedback and respond to emerging trends. Generate quality leads and forge new business relationships.
365 days of engagement, we aim to connect prospective buyers and sellers through the year via online and offline mediums. Direct mailers, e-newsletters, social media sites, trade publications, newspaper advertisements, media coverage and more are part of an unparalleled campaign used to attract the trade visitors and buyers. Dedicated efforts such as pre-show Online Business Matching and onsite Hosted Buyers and VIPs are our commitment to connect you and pre-arrange meetings with qualified buyers.


text:
The Futurist may refer to:

 The Futurist, a publication by the World Future Society
 "The Futurist Manifesto", a 1909 essay by Italian poet Filippo Tommaso Marinetti
 The Futurist (Shellac album), 1997
 The Futurist (Robert Downey Jr. album), 2004
 The Futurist Cinema, Liverpool, a cinema in England
 Futurist Theatre in Scarborough, North Yorkshire

See also
 Futurism (disambiguation)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


We still have some spaces in the Graduate Writing Retreat, held next Tuesday and Wednesday 9-5 in the Writing Center. Get two days of quiet, dedicated writing time; get a consultation with a Ph.D. writing tutor; get lunch and snacks; get your work done and get peace of mind! All Theo and Caspersen students welcome. For more information or to sign up, write to Liz Kimball, lkimball@drew.edu. Deadline is Friday!!


text:
Q: Java use of Scanner with System.in I have an instance of Scanner application-wide defined as Scanner scanner = new Scanner(System.in). When I call scanner.nextLine(), will it block if no line is found and wait for user input?
Strangely, if I run my code via IntelliJ, it will work properly and wait for user to input a line. However, when run in terminal, it will just throw java.util.NoSuchElementException: No line found on first call of scanner.nextLine(). What happened and how I can tune it?
A minimum sample
public class ScannerExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Scanner scanner = new Scanner(System.in);

        System.out.print("Input: ");
        String input = scanner.nextLine();
        System.out.println("Output: " + input);
    }
}

Run via IntelliJ
Run via Terminal

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Your payment must be received by The City of Red Deer on or before the due date shown on your utility bill to avoid being charged a late payment penalty. A 1.5% monthly penalty will be applied to any outstanding utility account balance.
Failure to pay your utility bill may result in service disconnection or other steps to recover the amount due.
Please contact the Utility Billing Service Centre to discuss your payment concerns.


I can only recall ever having to use A/C in an RV once or maybe twice in all our Snow Birding years. Both times in March & I think it was when we were Ranch sitting near McNeal Arizona & hooked up to electricity. Monday night was the first time ever using A/C with a generator. Of course we had to drag out the instruction book on how to get the 2 units fired up. A/C in our other rigs had on & off switches right on the units themselves but the Big EEE is different. A/C is controlled from the wall thermostat. Took us (ok Kelly) about 5 minutes with the book to get those 2 puppies pumping nice refreshing cold air. I had taken a shower earlier but was still finding it hot. By the way we are really enjoying the RV shower in this rig. It's one of those spacious corner ones & I have never banged my elbows on anything even once yet. And the way our floor plan is laid out one does not step out into a teeny tiny closet washroom space any more. Lots of room to towel off, get dressed, stand on my head & wiggle my ears. Just loving all this new space.
We were up & ready to go by 8:30. Said our good-byes to everyone & had the big wheels rolling down Coleman Avenue by 9:45. What a nice street this is with all it's big mature trees & 50's houses. You fully expect to see 56 Fords & Chevy's in the driveways. Our destination this morning was HAMLIN STATE PARK & the route we chose took us through downtown Spencerport & right past Abbotts. No room to pull over for any of Abbotts delicious frozen Custard.
Hamlin Beach State Park is north of Spencerport right on the shores of Lake Ontario. Only about 20 miles so took us about half an hour to reach the Park. This is one mighty fine & well looked after State Park with endless acres of mowed grass, forested campgrounds & some of the nicest beach area I have ever seen. Stopped at the campground office & got ourselves a first time ever 50 amp site. Wanted to be sure we had A/C in case it turned out to be another humid day. As it was we didn't need to use the A/C. Oh & for the first time ever anywhere we were asked to produce Pheebe's rabies certificate which luckily Kelly had on file. No pull through sites at Hamlin & although we were able to get our 36' backed into a site it was tricky. Fortunately there is hardly anyone here so I was able to drive into the site across the road & then back straight across to our site.
Only complaint I have is that some or maybe more than some sites are not level & that is unfortunate because it would be a relatively easy job to get some gravel in & level up the sites. Definitely an oversight by the Park. We currently have both rear levelers just about maxed out & that is with wood blocks under them.
I woke up this morning feeling under the weather & my day didn't get much better from there. Spent some time sleeping this afternoon but did manage to summon up some energy & we did later manage to get out for a drive over to the beach area. I just wasn't up to walking from our campsite to the beach. There are 5 beach areas here & the shore line probably stretches a couple miles ranging from sand to rocky shores. It is one of the nicest areas I have ever seen with mowed grass reaching right down to the sandy beach. Large mature & shapely trees give the landscape a very neat & manicured look. Stone buildings dot the hillside running along the beach. Nice washrooms & indoor picnic areas.
A lot of work has gone into Hamlin State Park over the years & it has a history. The park has been here since 1928 & was designated a State Park in 1938. Much of the work was done by the Civilian Conservation Corp. In 1944 barbed wire & guard towers were added & the Park became home to German prisoner's of war & about 450 prisoners were once held here. After the war this area kept was returned to nature but in 2008 volunteers began clearing the old campsite turning it into a historical site & history trail. Today Hamlin State Park is host to many busy events during the summer season such as Park Day, Summer Rise Celebration, Free Fishing Day, Day Camps, Salute to America Day & live Band Concerts plus a Triathlon & Marathon Day.
Hamlin has 6 looped campgrounds. We are in the section C loop which is heavily forested & are in a nice setting of trees. No water at the site but water taps along the road near by. Double dump station & we dumped our tanks upon entering the park simply because we were 'full up'. About a 7 minute walk to the beach. Our 50 amp site is $28 a night. Again we are fortunate to be here during the week & before the summer season is in full swing. Judging by the size of the huge parking lots in the beach areas I'm guess this is one very busy place in the summer. Only about 25 miles west of Rochester NY.
GROANER'S CORNER:(( In the ascertainment of an excogitation of linguistic proclivity, one might ascribe to the mentation that a phratry exists in which some encyclopedists designedly cultivate a nonplussed ambience hypothecated to befuddle the vox populi. TRANSLATION: Judging from the words some people use, you'd think they purposely write to confuse the rest of us.
Hamlin Park looks like a lovely spot!! enjoy the views!
Feel better and keep havin fun !!!!!
I didn't realize there was such a beautiful park nearby when I was in Rochester last year (where I stayed in a Motel 6).
I for one want to see you standing on your head wiggling your ears, doesn't have to be in the shower.
Also don't want you to have to full-time due to those nasty winds.
Gotta love the campgrounds until the long weekends and summer holidays so peaceful. Enjoy your time there.
I would prefere to be where we don't need AC, but that has been very rare for us. Craig loves it.
The Groaner's Corner was written by a Washington D C bureaucrat. The translation was written by one of the plebs plebis.
NY State Parks have always asked for my dogs proof of rabies shots. Something interested me when I read of you not feeling well. Have you cleaned the filters of your RVs A/C? Could be lots of allergens/mold in those filters that got blown into the air when you turned on the A/C.
Lovely place. In Canada no dogs would be allowed on the beach. That why we prefer Mexico where our girls can roam free.
Hope you are feeling a tad better this morning.
What a lovely and historical spot you found..I love upstate NY..We have been through those Adirondacks a few times! Good for you..facing your fears!! Baby steps, Al...baby steps..
This is a nice area, isn't it! We are south of Rochester on Conesus Lake staying on friends lake front property. They took us on driving tour of the city and then up to Lake Ontario to walk out on the pier. Nice size city. Enjoy your visit at the state park.
Hamlin Park - looks like a place to put on our list.


text:
Ashes on the go
Below is an article from the March 2, 2017, edition of the Grand Haven Tribune about the ministry of our church.
Motorists often honked, waved and smiled as they drove along Grand Haven's Beacon Boulevard on Wednesday morning.
As drivers pulled into the parking lot in front of Starbucks, the Rev. Jared Cramer offered them Ashes to Go.
Since she wasn't sure she would make it to an evening service, Elizabeth Cooke said she decided to stop during her morning commute. She also planned to use the ash cross on her forehead as a way to educate the children she was on her way to teach a Bible service.
This year, Alicia Hager and St. John's Episcopal Church Deacon John Edwin Infante Pinzon joined Cramer as almost a dozen motorists stopped before 9:30 a.m. to receive ashes. Hager, who is in the process of becoming an ordained deacon in the Episcopal Church, said it was a busier morning than they expected.
Also among the people who stopped was a woman recovering from pneumonia. Hager said the woman stopped because she couldn't attend a church service on Wednesday, but she could sit in her car.
"Everyone has been grateful," Hager said.
As motorists passed, Infante Pinzon said he felt good offering the on-the-go opportunity alongside Cramer and Hager.
Infante Pinzon moved from Colombia to Grand Haven late last year, although he's been working with Cramer at St. John's Episcopal for about two years. He said they're inviting the Hispanic community to attend services, and they're also providing a safe place for them to feel "welcomed and loved."
Cramer, rector of St. John's Episcopal, started offering Ashes to Go in 2013. He said Ash Wednesday is important because it forces people to confront that everyone is a sinner and mortal, but they still have the love of God.
Hager said it's important for the church to be out in the community.
"It's important to bring the church into the world, and that's what we're doing," she said.


And we begin! Come celebrate the kickoff of #90X90LA for a night of music, food, drinks, and friendship. Please feel free to bring something to share—something to eat, something to drink, something to read. It's going to be a beautiful, but loooooong, summer so let's make sure to enter it full of love and laughter.


Here's a paradox to ponder: Rain falling on a permanently arid landscape refreshes and encourages life, right? Not always. Until three years ago, the hyperarid core of Chile's Atacama desert — the location of the driest point on Earth and an important analog for Mars research — had not seen substantial rainfalls in 500 years.
Now sudden precipitation thought to be caused by global climate change has done unexpected damage to the microbes that live in this rare ecosystem, which are uniquely adapted to the hyperarid environment. What does this mean, and why is it important? We asked TED Fellow and astrobiologist Armando Azua-Bustos of the Centre for Astrobiology in Madrid, Spain, to fill us in on his findings.
Never-before-seen lagoons created by recent freak storms in Chile's Atacama Desert have killed a majority of its soils' microbial life. This photo was taken after rains in 2017. All images courtesy of Armando Azua-Bustos.
First, fill us in about the characteristics of the Atacama, and why it's associated with Mars?
The Atacama Desert, located in northern Chile, is the driest and oldest desert on Earth. It has been an arid place for the last 150 million years, and an extremely dry place for the last 15 million years.
By definition, a ''desert'' is a region that receives extremely low rains, far less than the amount required to support the growth of most plants. The majority of Earth's deserts have average annual rains of less than 400 mm per year. This is the case, for example, in the Mojave Desert, which receives 330mm of rain per year. In turn, ''true deserts'' like the Gobi and the Sahara receive less than 250mm of rain per year.
The special category of ''hyperarid'' is assigned to those extremely arid deserts like the Atacama, where the rate of water loss in an environment is much higher than the rate of input. Most of the hyperarid core of the Atacama normally receives less than 2 mm of rain per year, and has spots where it has not rained for centuries. This lack of moisture is why it's considered a useful Mars analog.
María Elena South, the driest place on Earth. The hyperarid core of the Atacama is considered an important analog for studying Mars because of its extremely low moisture levels and soil composition.
Your initial research discovered microbes living in place that's otherwise devoid of life. Can you tell us how you discovered them?
In 2015, my colleagues and I identified María Elena South as the driest site within the Atacama desert, and thus, the driest place on Earth. At that time, we were searching for the dry limit for life on Earth — essentially a place so dry that, theoretically, nothing would be able to live in it. Before our findings, the Yungay region of the Atacama, about 200 kilometers away from María Elena South, had been considered the world's driest spot.
Even in these extremely arid places, there is a little bit of life. Previous research done in the Yungay had identified 16 forms of microbial life, and in the even drier María Elena South, we found three types of bacteria. These bacteria are adapted to extremely low water availability, as well as to highly saline soils and high solar radiation. We discovered these microorganisms by extracting DNA directly from the soils we were studying, and from this DNA we amplified and sequenced genes that are regularly used to identify microbial life. We were also able to grow some of these microorganisms, identifying them using a similar protocol.
Because the Atacama is as dry as Mars and has similar soil makeup, the discovery of viable microbes also suggests that Mars' extreme dryness doesn't necessarily mean there's no life in the red planet.
When did you first notice that water was collecting in the Atacama, and what prompted you to test the waters to check on the region's microbial life?
We first had a hint of what was going on in 2015. On that occasion, we were driving through the middle of the hyperarid core when we noticed several lagoons — from 4-by-1 meters to 60-by-40 meters in size — beside the road in several spots, separated by several miles. Intrigued, we stopped and took pictures, thinking they were the result of human activity nearby, as there are many mines — copper, nitrates, lithium — in the area.
It wasn't until 2017 that we observed this same phenomenon again in the Yungay. Consulting the experts at the Chilean Meteorological Service, we learned that both the 2015 and 2017 lagoons were created by highly unusual rain events on March 25 and August 9, 2015, and June 7, 2017.
These rains were unusual not just in the amount of water falling on the normally hyperarid core of the Atacama, but because of the direction of cloud movement and the extent of the area affected. A little moisture is known to enter the Atacama at its eastern edge where the foothills of the Andes begin, as summer air masses coming from the Amazonian basin are able to go over the Andes mountains. However, in the 2015 and 2017 events, huge masses of clouds came from the west from over the Pacific — a never-before reported phenomenon. This covered the entire hyperarid core of the Atacama with rains, to the point of creating lagoons that look utterly surreal in such an extremely arid environment.
Scientists look for remaining signs of life in the Atacama in the aftermath of climate-change induced rains.
What had you expected to see, and what did you find instead?
At first, I thought that if water was suddenly freely available in this extremely dry ecosystem, there would be an explosion of life. But to my surprise, when I inspected the water of three of these lagoons with a microscope, I could not see anything. We had to extract DNA directly from these lagoons and cultivate the water in different growing media. Even when we did that, we found only four types of bacteria that were able to live in the water — a number that had fallen from the 16 that had been logged by previous researchers over the years.
It turns out that if a lot of water is suddenly added to this kind of microbial ecosystem, it rapidly kills most of the bacteria present in these soils as they their systems are exquisitely adapted to extracting moisture from arid environments, and can't cope with new watery conditions. The water had penetrated the cells' membranes, inflating the bacteria like balloons and forcing them to burst — a process known as "osmotic shock" — spreading their contents into the surrounding environment.
Why is this discovery important news for science, for humanity? What are some of the possible implications for the Atacama's ecosystem?
We're still uncertain how wide-ranging the effect of water will be on biodiversity for the entire hyperarid core of the Atacama, but we must consider the possible loss of these potentially useful, very unique bacteria. For example, we've found that other bacteria that inhabit these extremely dry places belong to the genus Streptomyces, well known for producing antibiotics. Who knows what critical genes useful for humanity we may be losing?
Our study has also shown us how fragile the Atacama's ecosystems are. They live at the brink of survival. This is a sobering message about how climate change might affect all our ecosystems in completely unexpected ways.
Scientists testing the waters of lagoons caused by unusual rains discovered mass extinctions of microbes that had been uniquely adapted to survive in hyperarid conditions.