text:
By Anonymous - United States - Paramus
Today, I got married. My husband and I had been waiting until marriage to have sex, and when the time came, we started to undress. As I took my bra off, his eyes glazed over, and he fainted. An hour later, all he could say was, "I don't think we're meant to be together." FML
Call CPS!
By awkward wedding
Today, a girl confessed that she's loved me for years and wants to marry me and have my children. It was my half-sister and she said it in front of everyone at a family wedding. I don't know who to be most afraid of at this point: her fiancé or my stepdad. FML
Today, I went shopping with my Mom. I ran into my crush. A school dance is soon and he WAS just about to ask something but my mom glanced over and yelled "TAMPONS OR PADS, SWEETIE?!" He then changed his question to "Haha, so which?" And before I could say a word, my mother answered for me. FML
Today, while jetlagged and going through customs in Singapore, I grabbed what I thought was a pen to fill out the form. I heard it squeak as I lifted it up. It was a straw in the custom agent's drink. The resulting noise he made lasted 10+ seconds. FML
By groom - France
Today, I cut my nice and tasty home-made sandwich in half to give to a homeless man. He tasted it, pulled an unimpressed face, and then stuck it in his pocket. FML
By dripdripdrop - United States
Today, it's raining at my work. Not outside, inside. Because our building's boiler broke and all the pipes are dripping with condensation. I have to sit at my desk under an umbrella to protect my laptop and desk phone. The HVAC company said, "Don't worry, this is normal." FML
By Howhardisittoclosethefuckingdooryouidiot - United States
Today, I discovered that my obese 57-year-old mother's flat-out refusal to close the door when she uses the bathroom doesn't change even when I have friends over. FML
By Scholar - United States
Today, my professor spent the entire class showing us how to make paper airplanes. I pay over 40 grand a year for college. FML
By Anonymous - United States - Boston
Today, my friendly neighbor asked me to check in on his apartment every few days while he's gone on vacation. You can imagine my horror when I walked in for the first time and found out he's a snake breeder. Twelve more days to go. FML
By FUCKFACECUNT - United Arab Emirates - Abu Dhabi
Today, I took a dump at work, when I realized there was no toilet paper left. There was another guy in the room, so I asked him for some. He decided he'd rather dump all the rolls of paper into the other toilets, before wishing me luck and walking out while laughing his ass off. FML
Today, I had sex with a guy I'd had a crush on for a long time. When I asked if he was having trouble putting it in, he answered that he was fully in. FML
By Anonymous - United States - Oakland
Today, I saw my cat playing with one of his many toy mice. Knowing he likes to play fetch, I picked it up and threw it across the room. Upon trying to pick it up a second time, I realized that not only was it not a toy, but it was only half-dead. FML
By indefiniteforest - United States - Hillsboro
Today, my best friend texted me and told me she broke up with her boyfriend. Trying to be supportive, I sent a long message about how he never deserved her and that I was there for her if she needed someone to vent to. She replied, "Are you high?" FML
By Cuntface McGee - Romania - Dej
Today, I was chilling out with my friend in a parking lot, when a police officer came up to the vehicle and suspiciously asked what we were up to. My friend sarcastically said, "Uh, doing drugs? Planning a drive-by? Haha!" We soon found ourselves in the back of a cop car. FML
By Lee - United States
Today, we spread my uncle's ashes at my grandparent's house. We were on a hill overlooking a sunset. It was a beautiful ceremony... until the winds changed direction. Our whole family wound up covered in my Uncle. He's still stuck in my hair. FML
By Vee - United States
Today, my 80lb black lab decided that the moment I start doing pushups is her cue to mount me. FML
By Sunshine.0.ninja - United States
Today, I was looking through my boyfriends phone, when I found a naked picture of myself. Too bad I haven't sent him any. Ever. FML
By NoRespect - United States
Today, I spent an hour setting up a delicate display stand at work. Not five minutes later, a woman barged in with her little kid, who immediately went up to the display and tipped the whole thing over. When I called attention to the mother, she just scoffed, "Isn't this your job?" and left. FML
By tannarox - United States
Today, our rodent problem was taken care of. I discovered this when my cat projectile-vomited a soggy, death-scented wad of dark fur and tiny organs onto the couch. FML
By Anonymous - Australia - Perth
Today, while working as a barista, a customer asked me for "gluten free milk". When I told her that most milk is gluten free, she flew into a fit of rage and cussed me out for being a "cheeky bitch". My manager then lectured me about not being "patronising" to customers. FML
Today, I was listening to a client's heartbeat with a stethoscope, when I noticed one of my hairs had fallen on her chest. I tried to brush it off, but it didn't move, so I went to pick it up with my fingers. That's when I found it it wasn't my hair, it was hers... and it was still attached. FML
By Burning Love - United States - Phoenix
Today, I went on a date. As I hugged him, I felt tingles. As a big believer in clichés, I thought it was the tingles of falling in love. Turns out, it was my allergic reaction to his cologne. I now look like I burned my face. FML
Today, I was the last to go upstairs, so I had to turn off the lights. My tired brain decided to use my phone flashlight to check if all the lights were out. FML
By whyme - United States
Today, I told my boyfriend his shirt and pants did not match and that he should change for dinner. All my belongings are now on the sidewalk. FML
By Misc. - United States
Today, me and my boyfriend were just about to have sex and I was so excited to do it just like the movies. He carried me up and just as he was about to lay me on the bed he sneezed, dropping me at the same time. I hit my head. Now I have 12 stitches where my eyebrow used to be. FML
By Anonymous - United States - Milwaukee
Today, I declared I was done with online dating after several disasters. My friend set me up with a friend of her husband's. Turns out he's one of the men who rejected me on the website. He laughed when he saw me and said, "Well, this is awkward" and left. FML
By ScarredForLife - United States
Today, I introduced my family to beerpong. They especially liked the part about distracting each other while shooting. My grandma flashed me. FML
By Stoodup
Today I spent an hour getting ready for my first date of the year, only to wait 30 min in the cold and then walking back home by myself. Why didn't he show up? On his way to the date he got invited for a threesome and decided to do that instead. FML
By peepants
Today, I was in a public restroom with my one-year old. I had no idea he could reach the lock until he opened the door and ran out. In my haste to catch him, I not only peed all over my pants that were still around my ankles, I faceplanted on the nasty, moist bathroom floor. FML
By john doe - United States - Portland
Today, my 6-year-old daughter got mad at me for not buying her yet another expensive doll. I had to pull her away, and she started screaming for help. The next thing I know, another shopper puts me in a chokehold and calls for security, all while my daughter smirks. FML
By turnoff - United States
Today, I tried to wake my husband up in the middle of the night by kissing him deeply and massaging his neck and shoulders. He opens his eyes, looks at me, says "No", and goes back to sleep. FML
By thisbethed - United States - San Francisco
Today, my boss made up a rumor that I was quitting my job so I wouldn't get the promotion that was coming up. There goes that raise I've been wanting for six months. FML
By Joey - United States
Today, my company hired a new guy to help on our project. My boss said that he would shadow me for the whole day so he could learn our system. At the end of the day my boss fired me, handed my company car keys and laptop to my "shadow for the day" right in front of me. My Mom picked me up. FML
Today, I realized that getting wasted before finals is not a good idea. I sat down in the test hall, reached into my bag for a pencil, and found instead three baby carrots and a spoon. FML
By PJ - United States
Today, I planted a bit of a condom wrapper in my bed so my housekeeper would think I have a love life. FML
By cuppincake - Australia
Today, I decided to tell my husband our marriage was over after I found out that he'd not only been stealing from me, but he'd also been downloading child porn. He then asked if we could break up but live in the same house so I could help pay his bills. FML
By BackToRehab - Canada
Today, I treated my mom to a movie and lunch after she'd attended weeks of AA meetings. She snuck in a flask to the movie, and during lunch, she started calling people muggles. FML
By Kreen - China
Today, I realized that mixing alcohol with my medication causes me to lose my memory. I went to see my favorite band in concert last night and I can't remember a single song they played. FML
By satega - United States - Smithville
Today, I asked my manager if wearing makeup was a requirement for the job. She told me, "Not if you're naturally pretty... So for you, yes". FML
By Sarraahh - 19/4/2020 05:00 - Canada
Today, my 65-year-old grandmother called and asked me to tell my boyfriend that she was flattered, but she's happily married. I have no idea what she was talking about and my boyfriend refuses to talk to me. FML
By 00bsg - United States - Salem
Today, it's my 21st birthday. All my friends and family said they were busy so I figured I was getting a surprise party. Nope. They all were actually busy. I spent my birthday alone. FML
By ApollosMyth | 22
#5731978 - Monday 28 October 2013 3:09
Wow, that is very shallow of him.
Send a private message 799 25 Reply
By flashback.miss | 28
sounds like you married a boy, not a man. but, on the other hand it could be nerves, talk to him. hopefully he was joking...
buckeyed | 20
Maybe he was just overwhelmed by everything or unsure and hoping sex would help resolve his issues? Either way, he did not approach this in the correct manner.
ironichalibut | 24
Am I the only person here who thinks he fainted at the awesomeness of boobs, and thought it wouldn't work because he couldn't handle the awesomeness of said bewbs?
30, Would YOU ever tell someone it wouldn't work because a part of their body was actually "too awesome"? I think most would say JACKPOT!
NoMore_CoolNames | 14
32- yes, that's actually how I broke up with my last girlfriend.
41, I feel like I need more details to understand this...
tjv3 | 10
That sucks OP. your new husband sounds like a superficial wiener .
I'm with 32 I want to know the details too.
32- it would definitely be a difficult dilemma, I mean they're awesome, but too awesome to handle, but they're too awesome to walk away from, but they're too awesome to stay with
PARADOXENCOUNTERED/ERRORCODE:
658637857/c7584 SYSTEMFAILURE
Ruler3000 | 17
I mean this may be me - but I feel as though just the context of the words "I don't think we were meant to be together" could mean that he just felt she was too attractive for him. I felt the same way when me and my girlfriend got together. I felt like I held her back.
Just my opinion though!:)
NeatNit | 32
My understanding is that he fainted after seeing her naked, either for superficial reasons or just because he was nervous, and he took the fainting as a sign that they're not "destined" to be together.
Zazoo1995 | 23
#5732655 - Monday 28 October 2013 14:58
Always take your car for a test drive before you buy it.
Always know what you're buying if you're signing into a lifetime contract. Permanent decisions require thorough research..!(;
ohSNAPyall | 26
Am I the only person here who thinks that maybe he realized that he's gay?
rockaroths | 15
@175 That was the first thing that came into my head when I read this.
Chazzzor | 10
My assumption is that he may have just discovered he is gay. It's quite OK to be gay or straight, but after you just got married is a hell of a time to figure that out.
Markus12 | 8
#5733924 - Tuesday 29 October 2013 12:44
You're not shallow for having preferences.
presque_fml | 11
172, let's be best friends?
grunt_fml | 17
You´ve just made my day!
punchin | 10
#5735942 - Thursday 31 October 2013 1:27
I would have followed it up with "Those beauties are going to kill me with joy." and probably groped them... Then got smacked..
By AnthonyWheeler15 | 24
Did you smack em?
negb | 30
I feel like he fainted from being nervous (although that doesn't explain how he thinks they aren't meant to be together) because I don't think it's possible to faint from seeing something you're not attracted to.
Also, if OP has small boobs (once again, how do you faint from that?!), even if they did wait until marriage, you can usually tell someone's boob size from looking at them clothed.
Hopefully OP comments.
kasmol | 16
I'm confused. When you said "smack'em", were you referring to her husband or her boobs?
lufflala | 6
I think it was probably more about having to live with her body for the rest of his life... Most likely bc he was unattracted or possibly gay lol
By Larry01_fml | 19
he should've at least seen you naked before you got married
Welshite | 39
Their marriage, their choices.
ryanthecheeseguy | 18
A lot of religions wait for marriage to have sex, and seeing the other naked included sometimes.
caden_bro | 9
Why? Generally, unless ones' intention is to have sex, they don't get naked in front of each other.
yesthisischarlie | 8
#18 Wow you have never lived with a partner did you? How about undressing because you're changing clothes? Or going to take a shower?
It's not uncommon for religious couples who choose to wait until marriage to also hold off on living together for this exact reason, among others.
skulskinator | 5
Regardless of whether it was for religious reasons or not, #3 you just completely missed the boat on them WAITING FOR MARRIAGE FOR SEX TO BE NAKED
SWC_Penguin | 17
Everyone's down-voting #3, but you have to admit that his solution would have prevented the original FML quite completely!
KawaiiCupcake | 14
It's true about religion. But not always... My ex was religious but still a huge perv!
ptoka | 20
#26, I fail to understand your comment. Are we to presume that because you may live with your soon to be fiancé/fiancée that you must undress in front of each other on a daily basis? Maybe they didn't believe in defiling what was to happen on their special day. Some couples believe in abstinence and don't want to partake in any sort of sexual activity until married. Just a thought though...
Earl_KarmasBitch | 28
And if you choose to do that, you run the risk of marrying someone you're not sexually compatible with.
Criticalvector | 4
I agree with number 3 all the people who down voted probability believe the same load of shit
Sputnikspak | 13
110 - That is not a risk I am willing to take. Because that's how you end up married to a guy who is into weird kinky stuff but didn't know it, and suddenly he's walking around in an adult diaper or your underwear. No. Thanks. I want someone who knows what they want out of sex, is comfortable with their sexual identity, and I just can't see how people can really guess what their kinks are before ever having sex - with each other or other people.
Sex is too important to a lasting relationship to make it worth waiting for just out of some sense of purity, for me. Bad sex is 90% of why a bad relationship is bad. Good sex is 10% of why a good relationship is good. You want to be having good sex. Less stressful.
Grayness_ | 26
I'm with number #3
skitzymew | 19
I agree 100%, 147. Sex is not everything in a relationship. You don't have to have sex to know you're in love.
Annjelina | 11
You're a pig
Thunderstruck14 | 30
#5733422 - Tuesday 29 October 2013 1:07
Sure its their choice, but it probably wasn't a very smart one. Marrying someone is a commitment to be together forever. Why promise someone that you will live in the same house as them, sleep in the same bed, and share almost everything without ever having lived together, seen each other nude, or had sex? After all, you plan on doing all those three things with them until you die, so why decide you want to do that with someone forever if you've never done it before?
AntiPrude | 26
Totally agree, OP COMPLETELY deserves this. Lets be real, we all get one, short life, you have to be pretty stupid to throw away natures best gift, unless you're just using 'abstinence' as an excuse for what you can't get anyway, which a lot of the people who practice it are doing. IMO, you have to be socially retarded to even consider 'abstinence'.
#5740047 - Sunday 3 November 2013 3:31
@246 Do you really have to resort to petty personal insults because you can't think of a logical set of reasons support your side of the argument? Thanks for proving my point :)
1. Making a statement that different people have different opinions is not point for an argument, so I'll just ignore that.
2. I'm all for everyone having the right to believe in what they want, except of course when people try to force it on others or put influence on politics, but I'm not going to accept religion for a reason for someone being abstinent, its a cop-out answer, and I refuse to believe that someone would be a prude because they think some almighty vengeful sky wizard will burn and torture them for eternity if they succumb to the urges and biological drive that he supposedly gave them in the in the first place.
3. Thats pretty much the same as your first comment. Please don't chant one-liners that you heard elsewhere, you sound like a Fox News anchor or an anti-choice person.
4. That, is your first logical point. True. I guess its hard to understand for someone who has a normal sex drive.
5. "Just cause" is not a real reason.
Continue, if you wish..
mysticc | 3
#5986434 - Tuesday 24 June 2014 7:59
Some people also don't live with their partners before marriage lol. So yeah.
jane_marie | 12
Change your dp.
Greenmarsh | 31
alliewillie | 22
If only there were a button for that.
threer | 30
If only there was a button for 'YOU'RE AN UNORIGINAL DOUCHE WITH A COMMENT I'VE SEEN A MILLION TIMES OVER'..
jojimugo | 20
Calm down 204 ... Dammm
By littlexlune | 16
It's probably just nerves. Hopefully, you warm up to each other!
By theonex17 | 15
Hey now you can tell people that your body makes people faint from pleasure
By onorexveritas | 23
apparently reality wasn't the same as imagination.
You look so good that he fainted and realized that u too good for him!
usarmywife | 19
Push up bras w/ all the extra padding are false advertisement!
By awkwardloveannie | 28
does he not like women or do you have small boobs???
I think she has small boobs. Read the FML again buddy.
Or he's extremely nervous?
Awahso | 25
What a stupid question to ask.
Anyway OP; Hopefully nerves just got the better of him.
omgcyndaquil | 23
Why would it be a problem having small boobs? All you need is a mouthful. Bazinga!
You're, right, #13. He could have been nervous. In which case the answer is none of the above for #8. Although the fact that most everyone is ignoring is the possibility that Op's husband is an inconsiderate asshole who needs to grow up before he gets married. I'm sure Op likes women, #8, and Op could potentially have small boobs, which is perfectly okay.
#41, I'm probably stupid for this, but I always assume the best case scenario.
bdub31 | 11
#5742232 - Monday 4 November 2013 18:32
I would agree plus I don't believe there is such a thing. He just must be a loser.
By caden_bro | 9
I don't think he fainted because he didn't like what he saw. It's probably just nerves. Comfort him, ease into sex.
kayteakay | 26
I agree. Too much, too fast can be scary while being exciting.
By awkotaco333 | 15
aww I'm sorry you deserve better!


text:
Q: Passing Argument in Require in NodeJs I have a file called bla.js that exports two functions:
bla.js
module.exports = function add3(number){
  return number + 3
}
module.exports = function add5(params) {
  return params + 5
}

then I call this file in the app.js passing the number 5 like this
app.js
console.log(require(./bla)(5))
why only the number 10 appears in the console? and the function add3?

A: If those are in the same file, you're overriding what's being exported.  You can do a few things.
// bla.js
module.exports.add3 = function(num) {
  return num + 3;
}

module.exports.add5 = function(num) {
  return num + 5
}

// test.js
const blah = require('./bla')

console.log(blah.add3(10)) // 13
console.log(blah.add5(1)); // 6

Or, export a closure:
module.exports = function(base) {
  return function(adder) {
    return base + adder;
  }
}

console.log(blah(200)(3)) // 203

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: ValueError: time data does not match format '%Y/%m/%d %H:%M:%S' I need to convert thousands of Datetime records to TimeStamp. When I run following code:
from time import strptime
import pandas as pd
import numpy as np
import datetime

cepo = str(pd.read_csv('test.csv',sep = ','))
print(cepo)
element = datetime.datetime.strptime(cepo,'%Y/%m/%d %H:%M:%S')
tuple = element.timetuple()
timestamp = time.mktime(tuple)
print(timestamp)

I get the following error:
     Date      Time
0  2018/02/11  02:36:59
1  2018/02/12  00:47:11
2  2018/02/12  01:36:36
3  2018/02/12  03:27:51
4  2018/02/12  03:48:29
5  2018/02/12  03:50:49
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "epoch.py", line 9, in <module>
    element = datetime.datetime.strptime(cepo,'%Y/%m/%d %H:%M:%S')
  File "/Users/joaofontiela/opt/anaconda3/envs/pywork/lib/python3.8/_strptime.py", line 568, in _strptime_datetime
    tt, fraction, gmtoff_fraction = _strptime(data_string, format)
  File "/Users/joaofontiela/opt/anaconda3/envs/pywork/lib/python3.8/_strptime.py", line 349, in _strptime
    raise ValueError("time data %r does not match format %r" %
ValueError: time data '         Date      Time\n0  2018/02/11  02:36:59\n1  2018/02/12  00:47:11\n2  2018/02/12  01:36:36\n3  2018/02/12  03:27:51\n4  2018/02/12  03:48:29\n5  2018/02/12  03:50:49' does not match format '%Y/%m/%d %H:%M:%S'

input file (test.csv) looks like:
Date,Time
2018/02/11,02:36:59
2018/02/12,00:47:11
2018/02/12,01:36:36
2018/02/12,03:27:51
2018/02/12,03:48:29
2018/02/12,03:50:49

How do I fix the error "time data does not match format '%Y/%m/%d %H:%M:%S"?

A: you can easily combine that 'Date' and 'Time' columns from your csv like
# load the csv file content into a dataframe
df = pd.read_csv(filename)

# combine date and time columns and parse to datetime
df['datetime'] = pd.to_datetime(df['Date'] + ' ' + df['Time'])

print(df['datetime'])
0   2018-02-11 02:36:59
1   2018-02-12 00:47:11
2   2018-02-12 01:36:36
3   2018-02-12 03:27:51
4   2018-02-12 03:48:29
5   2018-02-12 03:50:49
Name: datetime, dtype: datetime64[ns]

And you can calculate Unix time (Posix / seconds since 1970-01-01 UTC) like
df['posix[s]'] = df['datetime'].astype(int) / 1e9

print(df['posix[s]'])
0    1.518317e+09
1    1.518396e+09
2    1.518399e+09
3    1.518406e+09
4    1.518407e+09
5    1.518407e+09
Name: posix[s], dtype: float64


text:
hello@thedrawingroomcreative.com
Brands, identities, websites, booking systems, advertising, social media... everything a world-class restaurant group needs
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The Drawing Room is responsible for design, development and day-to-day management of the San Carlo Group brands, websites and digital architecture which includes the booking systems, CRM and exclusive members club for everything from the landmark city centre restaurants to the exclusive boutique restaurants within Selfridges.
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UX Strategy
Workshop & Facilitation
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Coded for creativity. Built for innovation. Crafted for excitement.
We create digital products and services that bring brands alive for the digital consumer.
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You have to be brave to make a difference. We're brave every day. Brave in how we think and what we do. If you need to make a difference with your product, service or brand come and talk to us and let's create something brave together.
© 2020 The Drawing Room Creative. All rights reserved.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Low Convolutional Neural Network accuracy CIFAR-10 I started learning about neural networks and decided to follow this Google code lab on convolutional neural networks, but I decided to use the CIFAR-10 dataset for image classification, but I get very low accuracy and high cross-entropy.
After training the accuracy is around 0.1 (never more than 0.2) and cross-entropy doesn't go below 230. I didn't use batch-normalization or dropout, but I should still get more accuracy here.
My code:
import tensorflow as tf
import numpy as np
import matplotlib as mpt
import math
# Just disables the warning, doesn't enable AVX/FMA
import os
os.environ['TF_CPP_MIN_LOG_LEVEL'] = '2'

def unpickle(file):
    import pickle
    with open(file, 'rb') as fo:
        dict = pickle.load(fo, encoding='bytes')
    return dict

def makeMiniBatch(dictionary,start,number):
    matrix=np.zeros([number,3072],dtype=np.int)
    labels=np.zeros([number],dtype=np.int)
    for i in range(0,number):
        matrix[i]=dictionary[b'data'][i+start]
        labels[i]=dictionary[b'labels'][i+start]
    return matrix,labels

def formatLabels(labele):
    lab=np.zeros([100,10])
    for i in range(0,100):
        lab[i][labele[i]]=1
    return lab

def formatData(values):
    temp = np.zeros([100,32,32,3])
    for i in range(0,100):
        im_r = values[i][0:1024].reshape(32, 32)
        im_g = values[i][1024:2048].reshape(32, 32)
        im_b = values[i][2048:].reshape(32, 32)
        temp[i] = np.dstack((im_r, im_g, im_b))
    return temp

batch='D:/cifar-10-python/cifar-10-batches-py/data_batch_1'
data=unpickle(batch)
tf.set_random_seed(0)

K = 8
L = 16
M = 32
N = 200

X_=tf.placeholder(tf.float32,[None,32,32,3])

Y_=tf.placeholder(tf.float32,[None,10])

lr = tf.placeholder(tf.float32)

W1 = tf.Variable(tf.truncated_normal([5, 5, 3, K], stddev=0.1))
B1 = tf.Variable(tf.ones([K])/10)
W2 = tf.Variable(tf.truncated_normal([5, 5, K, L], stddev=0.1))
B2 = tf.Variable(tf.ones([L])/10)
W3 = tf.Variable(tf.truncated_normal([4, 4, L, M], stddev=0.1))
B3 = tf.Variable(tf.ones([M])/10)

W4 = tf.Variable(tf.truncated_normal([8 * 8 * M, N], stddev=0.1))
B4 = tf.Variable(tf.ones([N])/10)
W5 = tf.Variable(tf.truncated_normal([N, 10], stddev=0.1))
B5 = tf.Variable(tf.ones([10])/10)

stride = 1

Y1_ = tf.nn.conv2d(X_, W1, strides=[1, stride, stride, 1], padding='SAME') +
                   B1
Y1_max=tf.nn.max_pool(Y1_,ksize=[1,2,2,1],strides=[1,1,1,1],padding='SAME')
Y1 = tf.nn.relu(Y1_max)

Y2_ = tf.nn.conv2d(Y1, W2, strides=[1, stride, stride, 1], padding='SAME') +
                   B2
Y2_max=tf.nn.max_pool(Y2_,ksize=[1,2,2,1],strides=[1,2,2,1],padding='SAME')
Y2 = tf.nn.relu(Y2_max)

Y3_ = tf.nn.conv2d(Y2, W3, strides=[1, stride, stride, 1], padding='SAME') +
                   B3
Y3_max=tf.nn.max_pool(Y3_,ksize=[1,2,2,1],strides=[1,2,2,1],padding='SAME')
Y3 = tf.nn.relu(Y3_max)

YY = tf.reshape(Y3, shape=[-1, 8 * 8 * M])
Y4 = tf.nn.relu(tf.matmul(YY, W4) + B4)

Ylogits = tf.matmul(Y4, W5) + B5
Y = tf.nn.softmax(Ylogits)

cross_entropy = tf.nn.softmax_cross_entropy_with_logits(logits=Ylogits,
                                                        labels=Y_)
cross_entropy = tf.reduce_mean(cross_entropy)*100

correct_prediction=tf.equal(tf.argmax(Y,1),tf.argmax(Y_,1))
accuracy=tf.reduce_mean(tf.cast(correct_prediction,tf.float32))

train_step = tf.train.AdamOptimizer(lr).minimize(cross_entropy)

init=tf.global_variables_initializer()
sess=tf.Session()
sess.run(init)

def training_step(i):
    global data
    val,lab=makeMiniBatch(data,i * 100,100)
    Y_labels=formatLabels(lab)
    X_data=formatData(val)
    max_learning_rate = 0.003
    min_learning_rate = 0.0001
    decay_speed = 2000.0
    learning_rate = min_learning_rate + (max_learning_rate -
                    min_learning_rate) * math.exp(-i/decay_speed)
    _,a,c = sess.run([train_step,accuracy, cross_entropy], feed_dict={X_:
                     X_data, Y_: Y_labels, lr:learning_rate})
    print("Accuracy: ",a)
    print("Cross-Entropy",c)

for i in range (0,100):
    training_step(i%100)

A: Thanks Maxim, the normalization worked and after 30 seconds of training the network achieved an accuracy of 40%.
The changes I made to my code are the following:
def formatDatanew2(values):
    ret=values.reshape(100,3,32,32).transpose(0,2,3,1).astype("float32")
    ret/=255
    return ret


Born in Brooklyn N.Y. raised in Southern New Jersey, Paul realized his passion for food at a very early age. He was raised in a large family, where food and baked goods were always the centerpiece of family gatherings and functions. "My mother along with my sisters, are great cooks and excellent bakers, so you would often find me hanging around the kitchen either to lend a hand or get my hands into something."
Paul started his career working in chef apprentice roles in several Southern New Jersey landmark restaurants known for creating fine food using the freshest ingredients from scratch. "I loved the attention to detail, the use of seasonal ingredients and the chefs were so proud to put their signature on each dish, that it just brought my passion to the next level."
Fifteen years after he stepped into his first kitchen, Paul decided to return to school to follow his dream with a formal education. He is an honors graduate from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, with degrees in Culinary Arts and Food Marketing.
In addition to the Northeast, Paul is well traveled throughout the United States having lived and worked in Baltimore, Ft. Myers, and San Francisco. "All of the chances to live in and be a part of those cities have given me a wonderful opportunity to learn and embrace all of the culture and food native to those areas, I feel blessed to have been able to live in the four corners of our great country!"
Paul was the Managing Partner of Carrabba's™ Italian Grill where he ran a successful upscale casual restaurant for 6 years. After leaving the formality of the restaurant industry he started his personal chef venture, Epicurean Adventures in Phoenix, Arizona. He is fully insured and is a certified Food Protection Manager through ServSafe, as well as currently seeking accreditation with the American Culinary Federation. He is excited to have recently relocated to the Richmond (Houston) Texas area where he resides with his wife Rochelle and two children.


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Young Titanic before meeting Ice Cube.
One of the rare photographs remaining of young Titanic and, what I can only guess, his older brother. This was probably taken by a friend for the family album. Back in the day.
before the fame, the drama and controversy.
In the picture you can still see his childlike innocence. It also explains his inexperience with frozen objects, as I do not see any. If only his parents had taken him skiing, things would've been quite different. I'm sure.


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Shiplap Cladding is a traditional choice of profile usually associated with more of a rural setting. When the tongue and groove fit together it creates a soft curve shape that when installed also aids with water runoff. A soft and traditional profile.


8 HM is hard! But in the other way.
Perhaps there should be a little trivia note on this page about how this is the first mission where players can see the Jade 'shells', those purple statues that become Jade Armors which defend Dorian later in the game?
had four smiters running that, only could find one other person willing to run it so had them, myself, dunkoro and talkhora. then we had a dervish with avatar of balthazar who acted as a tank and a standard zb healer.
useage of smiters is quite easy, if someone's health starts dropping throw Reversal of damage on them and balthazar's aura. balths aura can also be used on the tank. arcane mimicry used on another smiter when needed. an optimum spike would be mantra of signets -> SoJ -> mantra of inscriptions -> SoJ -> bane signet.
How about an Earth Ele?
HM is hard! But in the other way.
Only problems for me here is stay alive while protecting him, not only protecting him.
Bah! This is the only HM mission I've bothered to do, because it's so easy...well, it was for me.
...hitting undead for 100+ damage guaranteed is win. And also, win is guaranteed. :p If you're not a Ranger, there are plenty of equivalents: AoB Dervish, Heart of Holy Flame + Generic Warrior/Assassin/Paragon Build #101, Smite Monk...Necromancer and Ele (except Full Warder) aren't so useful since they don't have Holy Damage easily available. Communing Rit for Shelter, Displacement, Union etc. is useful as always. Plenty of annoying Skeleton Sorcerers for Mesmer to shutdown also.
Really? I constantly fail to get to Dorian in HM. I don't even get close. As soon as he appears in my party list (always with full health) I run straight for him, not stopping on the way, but he is under attack by 7 ghouls and before I even set foot on the bridge, he's gone. Did I just have a bad spawn? Also, I kept an eye on Benji's health bar and he wasn't in any trouble at all, so I took my time to clear all the undead. Turned out in the end that he was fighting Kezza the Sickle, who is supposed to kill him "in 5 seconds". <added after a 3rd attempt> Dorian constantly spawns at the end of the bridge, far away from the shrine of mending. Maybe this is the problem? What to do about it?
I'm having this same problem. I'm a mo, so i equip a running skill and take off as soon as I open the gate for bonus. I can make it to him and "save" him, but then the medium group of ghouls comes in with my heroes+henchies behind me to make 7 of them beating on us as the first wave comes in (assuming the ghouls didn't kill some of my H+H on the way in). Even we kill the ghouls, he doesn't seem to move into the circle if there is someone in range he can wand. We just get completely swamped. but if we stop and kill the ghouls on the bridge he won't survive. Why isn't he in the circle of mending? I imagine running with all players you could do enough damage to handle the first wave and the 7 ghouls but it seems almost impossible with henchies and heroes.
Are you taking the bonus route or not? I always took the bonus route, and never had trouble getting to Dorian. It looks like the other route might get you closer too soon and trigger spawns while you're out of position to deal with them.
As an interesting aside, and a possible assist for HM, ritualist spirits are affected by the fountains regeneration, which gives spirits that lose health a much greater lifespan. 3 pips of regen is about 6 health per second, not much, but it made my rejuvenation last a good 15 seconds longer than it normally would have.
In the little penned area next to Dinas, there is a dead pig. However, during the final cutscene, the camera makes a point of showing that the pig is alive again. Is this sort of a hidden meaning that the Scepter of Orr actually has a deadly effect?
—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 12.75.136.93 (contribs) .
FYI, I was looking up info on the Blackgate server for GW2 and this was the only hit I found. When I cross-referenced it to the official wiki they had "back gate," so I ran the mission to check and it was "back gate," so I edited that.
This page was last edited on 3 September 2012, at 02:51.


text:
Q: ActiveModel::MassAssignmentSecurity::Error: Can't mass-assign protected attributes If I try to execute the following code:
hassle = rota.hassles.create(:sender => user1, :receiver => user2, :type => "sms")

I obain the following error:
Failure/Error: hassle = rota.hassles.create(:sender => user1, :receiver => user2, :type => "sms")
 ActiveModel::MassAssignmentSecurity::Error:
   Can't mass-assign protected attributes: type

I am not sure what this means. I have made the :type to be compulsory, so if I do remove it, I get an sql error.

A: Are you working with Rails 3.2 while following a 3.1 tutorial such as the Pragmatic Programmer's "Agile Web Development with Rails" 4th edition? Then check http://guides.rubyonrails.org/3_2_release_notes.html.
Your problem is that from Rails 3.1 to 3.2 checking of mass assignment protection for Active Record models is set to 'strict' by default. Comment out the appropriate lines in these files:
config/environments/development.rb
config/environments/test.rb

... and you're good to go on learning. Remember to leave this in effect when coding your first production application :)

A: A couple things:
Mass Assignment usually means passing attributes into the call that creates an object as part of an attributes hash. That is, you pass a bunch of attributes in a hash into the call that creates the new object. For example:
@user = User.create({:name => "My name", :user_type => "nice_user"})

However, Rails includes some basic security rules that mean not all attributes can be assigned that way by default. You have to specify which ones can beforehand. You do so like this:
class User < ActiveRecord::Base
  attr_accessible :name, :user_type
end

If you don't specify an attribute is attr_accessible, and you pass it in to create the object, you get the error you posted.
Here are more details:
http://api.rubyonrails.org/v3.2.9/classes/ActiveModel/MassAssignmentSecurity/ClassMethods.html
The alternative is to set some of the attributes when you first create the record, and set others after -- like so:
# In this example `user_type` is not attr_accessible so it needs to be set specifically
@user = User.create({:name => "My name"})
@user.user_type = "nice_user"
@user.save

In addition, if you're having issues with using the column name type because rails is getting confused and thinks you want to use Single Table Inheritance (STI), check the answer to this question to see how to get around it: http://guides.rubyonrails.org/

A: *

*Please try: open config/application.rb

*Locate the line of config.active_record.whitelist_attributes = true

*Change true to false
Then you shall be fine.
PS: remember to restart the rails console.

A: You should be getting another error, like this: column 'type' is reserved for storing the class in case of inheritance. Because Column 'type' should not be used in active record database.

A: I do not use whitelist_attributes since use cases when I do want to allow mass-assignment are for my internal logic and usually not directly in Controller for CRUD actions. I suggest using strong params in those cases. But when you want to enable mass-assignment for specific model you do
class Foo < ActiveRecord::Base
  # disables mass-assigment
  attr_protected
end

This basically sets attr_protected to empty array ([])

A: Here is some info on what mass assignment in Rails is, and why the protection is in place. It's pretty easy to get around when you really do want to assign a protected attribute, but it takes a couple of extra lines.
hassle = rota.hassles.build(:sender => user1, :receiver => user2)
hassle.type = 'sms'
hassle.save

A: You need to having attr_accesible in your model class
class <model_name> < ActiveRecord::Base
    attr_accessible :<fields_name>
end


text:
PARKINSONS (The)
music > cd > OBEY THE BRAVE > Salvation
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OBEY THE BRAVE
Salvation is the follow-up to Obey The Brave's debut album Young Blood. Aggressive might, old-school attitude and pit-demolishing anthems propel Salvation, which brims with the chemistry and unified vision. Obey The Brave crafted touring the world with bands like Chelsea Grin, Emmure, We Came As Romans, Blessthefall, Counterparts, Stick To Your Guns, Stray From The Path and more. Salvation is the fully realized sound of a band whose identity has been cemented and operating with renewed vigor and fire.
"Salvation represents us more accurately, as people, lyrically and musically," declares front man Alex Erian. "It's got a bit more punk rock influence, a bit more hardcore. Deep down, we still have metal elements. We consider ourselves a metalcore band. We grew up in the hardcore scene, in the punk rock scene, and enjoy it all."


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Les mots caeruleus, caerulea et caeruleum sont des déclinaisons (notamment le nominatif singulier masculin, féminin et neutre) d'un adjectif latin signifiant « bleu, bleu foncé, noirâtre ». Les mots caerulus, caerula et caerulum, coeruleus, coerulea et coeruleum ainsi que coerulus, coerula et coerulum en sont des variantes orthographiques. De plus, les diphtongues ae et oe sont parfois notées æ et œ.

Sciences et techniques
 En anatomie humaine, le locus cœruleus (ou cæruleus) est un noyau sous-cortical du cerveau, situé dans le tronc cérébral.
 En taxonomie, les mots caeruleus, caerulea et caeruleum, ainsi que leurs variantes orthographiques coeruleus, coerulea et coeruleum, sont employés comme épithètes spécifiques pour nommer des espèces de couleur bleue ou bleu foncé. Pour les articles consacrés à de telles espèces, consulter les listes générées automatiquement : caeruleus, caerulea, caeruleum, coeruleus, coerulea, coeruleum.

Culture et société
 Dans les arts plastiques et en décoration, le cœruleum est un pigment donnant une coloration bleu ciel.

Notes et références

Voir aussi
 caerulescens et coerulescens, de sens voisin

Épithète spécifique

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: Should I declare conversion operators explicit in C++11? In C++11,it is recommended:

*

*to explicitly define our own copy/move constructors, so that the compiler does not do it itself (according to [1]).

*to explicitly declare one-argument constructors as explicit, to avoid implicit conversions (according to [2]).

Should one, in this train of thought, declare conversion operators explicit to prevent the compiler from using them to perform implicit conversions?

A: The answer is "no, you should not". Explicit conversion operators were added to the language to deal with a specific issue described below. When you are not dealing with that specific issue, you should either add an explicit copy constructor to the destination class, or write a named function instead of the conversion operator (as in c_str() of std::string).
Let's step back and consider conversion in general. When you need to write a conversion code to go from A to B you have two options - you can define a one-argument constructor, like this
struct B {
    B(const A& a);
};

or you can define a conversion operator, like this:
struct A {
    operator B() const;
};

The first approach has allowed the explicit/implicit control prior to C++11. However, it was not available in two situations:

*

*You own type A but you do not own type B, or

*You own type A, but type B is primitive
According to the draft paper for the explicit conversion operators of C++11, it is these two cases that the committee was addressing when they argued for adding the explicit conversion operator to the language. All other situations were already covered by (1) implicit and implicit copy constructors, (2) implicit conversion operators, and (3) named member functions.

A:
In C++11,it is recommended:

*

*to explicitly define our own copy/move constructors, so that the compiler does not do it itself.

Whoever came up with that recommendation, it is wrong. Whenever the default implementation fits your needs, use it. You'll probably not going to get it better yourself.

*to explicitly declare one-argument constructors as explicit, to avoid implicit conversions.

The C++ Core Guidelines say "By default, declare single-argument constructors explicit". You might prefer to have implicit construction in some cases (e.g. std::string has from const char*). Leave out the explicit declaration in those cases.

Should one, in this train of thought, declare conversion operators explicit to prevent the compiler from using them to perform implicit conversions?

There is no really good point in making them explicit. That would mean, that the conversion can only be used with a cast. Casts are harder to read than getter function calls. Write conversion operators, when you want implicit conversion, write getters when you want explicit conversion.


text:
Home News Passengers clog Spain's airports as wildcat strike lifts
Passengers clog Spain's airports as wildcat strike lifts
Hundreds of thousands of passengers packed Spain's airports Sunday as the military forced air traffic controllers to end a 24-hour wildcat strike under threat of jail.
The strike hit an estimated 300,000 passengers on a long holiday weekend, whipping up the most chaotic scenes since an Icelandic volcano erupted in April and halted 100,000 flights worldwide.
Controllers had called in sick en masse on Friday, rapidly shutting down the nation's airspace.
The government then declared a state of alert for the first time since the death of General Francisco Franco in 1975, putting controllers under military command with the menace of jail terms for refusing orders.
A state of alert will last 15 days and the government is ready to extend it if needed, Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said.
"The government is absolutely determined this will not happen again," the minister said, warning that Madrid had the powers to stop the strikers over Christmas and afterwards, and it would not hesitate to use them.
Traffic controllers told the press troops forced them to work "at gunpoint" in Palma de Mallorca control tower but there was little sympathy for the staff who earn an average 200,000 euros (267,000 dollars) a year.
Flights were running overwhelmingly on schedule but many people had to give up their long weekend plans. Monday and Wednesday are days off and many take Tuesday off too so as to have a five-day break.
At Madrid-Barajas airport, 54-year-old Miriam Mellado had been scheduled to leave for Rome with Iberia on Friday. She was told she could fly out Sunday but declined and joined a line of 30 people seeking a refund.
"We are no longer interested. We have to be back on Tuesday so it no longer makes sense. All this because of people who a lot of money and do nothing," she said.
Newspapers ran photos of military trucks parked outside the main airports and personnel distributed yellow army blankets to passengers forced to spend the night on the floor.
Dozens slept in the corners of Madrid-Barajas airport on Sunday, some lying on cardboard, others using bags as pillows.
Long lines formed at check-in counters and customer service desks, all merging into a crowd.
Carmen Aldabaldetrecu, 34, was with her husband and two young sons, waiting for a flight to San Sebastian that had been cancelled Saturday. "It is a nightmare being in these long queues with children," she said.
Resentment against the controllers was reflected in the press.
The front page of the centre-left El Pais splashed a photograph of an air traffic controller covering his head in his coat in an airport hotel and gesturing with two fingers at remonstrating passengers.
The conservative El Mundo daily accused the striking controllers of sedition, describing the strike by a "privileged few" as obscene and calling for their punishment with the full weight of the law.
The interior minister said the air traffic controllers were defending "intolerable privileges".
According to the transport ministry, there are 2,300 air traffic controllers in Spain earning an average of 200,000 euros a year.
The government had drastically cut their overtime hours and pay rates in February to trim incomes which rose in some cases as high as 600,000 euros a year.
Controllers had abandoned their posts Friday in a surprise reaction against a government ruling that their maximum work hours of 1,670 hours a year — 32 hours a week — exclude non-aeronautical work.
A spokesman for the Syndicate Union of Air Controllers said the ruling meant time taken for paternity or sick leave would not count within the maximum hours, and staff had been pushed to the limit.
The strike was a test for Spain's government, which vowed to cut costs so as to calm fears of a Greek-style debt crisis, including by reforming airport work hours and partly privatising airport operator AENA.
As part of a package of measures the government said it would sell up to 49 percent of AENA, raising as much as nine billion euros (12 billion dollars) according to Spanish media. Originally it planned to sell only 30 percent.
Spain port reels after church attack as suspect background emerges
In Spain, jihadist attacks a dormant but real threat
Spain attack suspect was served deportation order: govt


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text:
A DECADE OF GRAFFITI SPIRITS
As part of my gallery Crewest's 10 Year Anniversary exhibition, I am featuring a mini-solo exhibit in the Front Room of the gallery showing the direction of my newest body of work.
In my 10th solo exhibit "A Decade of Graffiti Spirits" focuses on figurative acrylic and aerosol paintings on wooden panels.
These paintings involve my colorful and bold trademark character creations coined, "Graffiti Spirits" as they are super imposed onto fields of spray painted tags and layers of paint.
The underlying tags in the paintings are negative statements of culture, politics, and overall social angst.
The characters painted are meant to be a positive force of creation overcoming the negativity behind them.
These characters depict the spirit of the artist as he pulls himself out of the negative environment by means of his graffiti background.
Here's a panoramic shot of the gallery show:
My print "The Downtown Artist At Large" (edition of 10) available for $100 each.
Click here for more info on this print from my recent mural.
Slideshow below or click for mor pics on Flickr.
Show runs alongside "Mission Accomplished!" from May 5th - 27th, 2012
For artwork inquiries please contact:
info@crewest.com
Tags 10, aerosol, anniversary, art, artist, at, crewest, decade, downtown, graffiti, large, man, one, painting, spirits, spray, year
MURAL: THE DOWNTOWN ARTIST AT LARGE
"The Downtown Artist At Large" a mural by Man One © 2012
Located on Winston St @ MaIn St. in Downtown Los Angeles, the mural commemorates Crewest Gallery's 10 year anniversary by honoring a local homeless artist known simply as "The Artist" by locals.
Timelapse video of the making of the mural:
Lamont or the "Downtown Artist At Large" (as he prefers to be called) has been a friend of the gallery since we moved to Downtown in 2006. He's had his trials and tribulations but through it all he continues drawing and painting on the streets of LA.
Here's a little video interview I did with the Artist so you can get to know his story:
Slideshow pics or go to our Flickr:
++++++++++++++++
Tags 10, anniversary, art, artist, artwork, at, crewest, downtown, gallery, graffiti, homeless, large, los angeles, man, mural, one, street, the, year
10 YEARS OF MURALS AND MAYHEM
Crewest Gallery to Celebrate 10 years of Murals and Mayhem
by Ed Fuentes
on April 2, 2012 3:15 PM
Over the weekend, muralist and graffiti artist Man One tweeted out an image of César E. Chávez to note the civil rights leader's birthday on March 31. The detail came from a mural he painted that, by design, was not intended to last beyond the construction phase for the Gold Line Eastside Extension.
Looking back, it was a memorable piece -- though unfortunately temporary.
"The Four Pillars" commission was announced by Metro in April 2006, recalls Man One, aka Alex Poli. "I picked four pillars of community who were people who passed away and meant something to me."
The four sections featured Sister Karen Bocalerro, founder of Self-Help Graphics in "Faith;" slain journalist Ruben Salazar in "History," César E. Chávez in "Trabajo" (work); and Man One's grandfather Miguel Arenas, Sr., appearing in the panel "Familia" (Family).
The urban street lettering on the 20-foot high panels was the usual non-readable application, touted by Metro as an urban art style that makes the mural "relevant to the youth who viewed the walls on a daily basis." The four portraits were less an abstraction, and more pop graphic art. With animated colors, the figures watched over the corner like they belonged to the neighborhood. The simple lines allowed the faces to be visually read from across the street or from inside a moving car -- or aboard a Metro bus.
"I paint portraits the way I fill in my graff letters . . .with bold colors and odd shapes," Man One explained over the weekend. "I never use black and white."
When the Gold Line Eastside Extension neared completion, the plywood fences were removed and the portraits were salvaged by Man One. The panels that made César E. Chávez were donated to the Social Public Art and Resource Center (SPARC), and the image of Sister Karen Boccalero was sent to Self-Help Graphics. Man One still has the portraits of Salazar and of his grandfather.
Ten Years Running
"The Four Pillars" was just one project in a prolific decade for Man One. The year the mural was completed, he opened the doors to his downtown Los Angeles gallery, Crewest Gallery,originally founded in Alhambra in 2002. In May, Crewest will celebrate its tenth anniversary by mounting an exhibition aptly named "Mission: Accomplished."
After graduating with a B.A. in Fine Arts from Loyola Marymount University, he built a body of work before going through traditional channels to exhibit it. Gallery directors told him graff did not belong in their spaces, recalls Man One, now 41. "All the shows I had were in alternative spaces."
"I know this stuff is legit and will sell," he recalls telling himself and others.
Back then, some may have wondered how much aerosol fumes did he accidentally sniff when he thought of opening a gallery to showcase works from a collective of rotating street artists -- sometimes placing his own work aside -- to redefine graff art as a legitimate form of fine art with its own richness and complexity.
Ten years later, that is still the mission for the gallery that was founded to help street artists make a one-name moniker for themselves -- and even introduced a few to the art world. (Australia's Dabs & Myla had their first U.S. showings at Crewest).
Crewest is also one of the few downtown art spaces left from the first wave of galleries in the middle of the last decade, and Man One recently came to terms with Canadian Building ownership for a new lease -- plus securing the alley wall so it can be used for a revolving mural.
He has not lost his street bite. He recently completed a self-commissioned piece, "Graffiti Spirit Over City Hall," showing City Hall being raided by an unidentified figure with a spray can, a personal statement about graffiti artists who "forced themselves" into the current mural moratorium discussions about what is public art.
Former Member of the Underground
Man One being well-known as an artist almost conflicts with his street nature, that like other graffiti artists, prefer to keep an underground image and identity.
"I am surprised how many people recognize me. It's kinda weird and happens a lot of places," said Poli. "When I started doing graffiti, you didn't tell anyone who you were. It was a secret community. That changed big time over the years."
Yet, he doesn't rely on being known to move forward. He will seek out art enclaves in other cities and visit galleries and introduce himself with no presumption he's known. But fans of street artists do, and even if they don't recognize him right away, they know the name Man One.
That includes gallery owners now eager to get some street art on their walls.
In April 2012, Crewest will open "Sinerlandia" and "Painted Beauty," two small solo shows that debut Siner and Michael Pizarro, respectively. Opening reception is Saturday, April 7 from 7 to 10 p.m. It runs through through April 29.
"Mission Accomplished" showcases works from artists who have appeared at Crewest in the last decade. In the front room, a micro-solo show, "A Decade of Graffiti Spirits," features new visual directions from Man One himself. It opens Saturday, May 5, from 7 to 10 p.m. It runs through May 27.
Above: César E. Chávez in "Trabajo" from "The Four Pillars." (2006) at E. First and Soto street. Photo Courtesy of Man One.
Below: Man One painting "Graffiti Spirit Over City Hall" in March, 2012.
Direct link from KCET blog:
Tags 10, accomplished, cesar, chavez, crewest, man, metro, mission, mta, murals, one, years


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Victoria Bussert has been working as a professional director for more than 30 years. New York credits include THE GIG at Manhattan Theatre Club, DUST AND DREAMS at the YorkTheatre and concert stagings of THE BREAK UP NOTEBOOK: THE LESBIAN MUSICAL, FACTORY GIRLS and THE CIRCUS IN WINTER at New World Stages. Regionally, her work has been seen at Goodspeed Opera, The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Cincinnati Playhouse, Portland Stage, Dallas Theatre Center, Firebrand Theatre, Playhouse Square, Cleveland Playhouse, Dobama Theatre, Beck Center for the Arts, Pegasus Players, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival and Great Lakes Theatre where she serves as Resident Director; her opera direction has been seen at Anchorage Opera, Piedmont Opera, Pennsylvania Opera Theatre, Skylight Opera and Cleveland Opera.
Victoria directed national tours of INTO THE WOODS, BARNUM, ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, GUYS AND DOLLS, THE SECRET GARDEN and THE WHO'S TOMMY. International credits include the Danish Premieres of AVENUE Q (2012 Reumert nomination) and [title of show] for the Fredericia Theatre along with the Danish and London premieres of LIZZIE. Victoria is the Director of Music Theatre for Baldwin Wallace University.
Victoria Bussert
"took the audience on an emotional ride..."
— Idaho Statesman: Dana Oland
Lizzie The Musical, Directed by Victoria Bussert, Moves Off-Broadway!
Victoria Bussert Named Legendary Professor!
PRODUCTION GALLERY
Signature Theatre, NYC
July 19 - September 29
Beck Center for the Arts
Idaho Shakespeare Festival
June 25 - September 1
Great Lakes Theatre
September 27- November 3
Baldwin Wallace University — Academic Premiere
The Sound of Music in concert
Cleveland Orchestra at Blossom Music Center
The Luedtke Agency, LLC
1674 Broadway #7A
Website by: Big Stache Design Ltd.


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The downside of Sean Parker's "hacker philanthropy"
By Julia Belluz@juliaoftoronto Jul 2, 2015, 2:40pm EDT
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Napster co-founder and Facebook founding president Sean Parker, the newest "hacker philanthropist."
Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Last week, Sean Parker, co-founder of Napster and founding president of Facebook, announced the launch of the health-focused Parker Foundation with a $600 million gift. This week, on a much larger scale, one of the world's wealthiest men, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia, stepped forward to pledge his entire $32 billion fortune to charity.
These supersize gifts are part of a new trend toward mega philanthropic spending, dubbed philanthrocapitalism. The gap between the rich and poor is growing, and so too is the number of billionaires — from the Koch brothers to Bill and Melinda Gates to Saudi princes — with private foundations dedicated to solving the world's problems. Parker even coined a term for the fortune that's flooding from anti-establishment Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and into charity: "hacker philanthropy."
Related The media loves the Gates Foundation. These experts are more skeptical.
But while this incredible generosity is rightly applauded in the press, it should also raise questions. Namely, we have no way of knowing whether the massive tax breaks these charities get are actually value for money. They've emerged in a lax regulatory environment with little oversight and accountability — except to themselves — and a disproportionate influence on public policy in the countries and fields they give to.
We have no way of knowing whether the massive tax breaks billionaire charities get are value for money
Consider the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In a recent look at them, I learned that they now spends more on global health every year than the World Health Organization and most countries on the planet.
While the Gates Foundation puts a lot of emphasis on measuring the impact and outcomes of their work, I also learned that the foundation is only really accountable to its main trustees: Bill, Melinda, and Warren Buffett. Meanwhile, there's been no overhaul of legislation governing philanthropic foundations in the US since the 1950s — despite the fact that the scale and influence of private philanthropists has grown enormously in recent years.
Back then, reforms came out of concerns about the outsize role of philanthropic groups such the Carnegies and the Rockefellers. This led to The Tax Reform Act of 1969, and new obligations for philanthropic groups including minimum yearly payouts of a foundation's endowments (so they couldn't just sit on money and claim you're a nonprofit with all the benefits of tax exemptions).
But that might not be enough today, say critics like the Inside Philanthropy founder David Callahan. Despite the increasing influence of foundations, he wrote in a recent New York Times piece, "perhaps no sector is less accountable to outsiders."
"The charitable sector is a bit like the Wild West — by design," he continued. "Foundations don't have to prove that they're making good use of billions of dollars of tax-subsidized funds, and nonprofits don't have to identify their donors, as we've learned from the Clinton Foundation saga."
This means there's no way for citizens to answer questions about whether the tax breaks these groups get are value for money, according to Callahan:
Philanthropy still does enormous good, perhaps now more than ever. But it's alarming how in an era of high inequality, private funders have a growing say over central areas of civic life like education and public parks, and how this influence is often wielded against a backdrop of secrecy.
It also means they're able to influence policy without any input from the public. As Georgetown Public Policy Institute's Pablo Eisenberg told Nature: "You may have foundations with assets larger than almost 70 percent of the world's nations making decisions about public policy and public priorities, without any public discussion or political process."
There's a lot of talk about philanthropic reform
Saudi Arabia's Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who just pledged his $32-billion fortune to charitable projects. (FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images)
There's a move to rein in the benevolent billionaires. Reform suggestions include more public representation on foundation boards, increasing the payout requirements of their tax-exempt dollars, and even capping foundations' permissible size.
The concerned researchers I spoke to earlier also called for more scrutiny of all foundations, no matter how well-meaning they seem.
As University of Essex sociologist Linsey McGoey put it: "There's a tendency to see the Gates Foundation as a benevolent force. Unlike the Kochs, it's not [seen as trying] to further its own interest. But if you want to rein in the influence of large philanthropic funders like Koch, then you have to pay attention to the role of Gates."


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FASB clarifies accounting for grants and contributions
By Jeff Drew
FASB on Thursday issued an Accounting Standards Update clarifying when a transfer of cash or other assets received and made, primarily by not-for-profits, qualifies as a contribution or an exchange transaction.
The ASU, which amends FASB ASC Topic 958, Not-for-Profit Entities, updates current guidance about whether a transfer of assets — or the reduction, settlement, or cancellation of liabilities — should be accounted for as a contribution or an exchange transaction. Specifically, the ASU establishes criteria for determining whether the asset provider is receiving commensurate value in return for those assets. That determination then dictates whether the organization follows contribution guidance or exchange transaction guidance found in the revenue recognition and other applicable standards.
The new guidance is expected to be particularly helpful in the accounting for grants and similar contracts awarded by governments to not-for-profits. FASB proposed the changes last year after receiving feedback that not-for-profits had run into difficulty deciding whether to characterize grants as exchanges or contributions.
The ASU also provides an enhanced framework for determining whether a contribution is conditional or unconditional, and for distinguishing a donor-imposed condition from a donor-imposed restriction. This is important because such classification affects the timing of contribution revenue and expense recognition.
"The new ASU clarifies whether certain transactions should be characterized as contributions or exchanges," FASB Chairman Russell Golden said. "It will improve financial reporting by reducing diversity in practice among not-for-profits and other businesses and organizations that make or receive contributions of cash or other assets — most notably in accounting for grants and similar contracts received by not-for-profits from governments."
The new standard does not apply to transfers of assets from governments to businesses.
The ASU includes the following instructions on when the amendments should go into effect:
"The amendments in this Update should be applied on a modified prospective basis. Retrospective application is permitted. Under a modified prospective basis, in the first set of financial statements following the effective date the amendments should be applied to agreements that are either:
Not completed as of the effective date.
Entered into after the effective date.
"A completed agreement is an agreement for which all the revenue (of a recipient) or expense (of a resource provider) has been recognized before the effective date in accordance with current guidance (for example, Topic 605, Topic 958, or other Topics).
"The amendments in this Update should be applied only to the portion of revenue or expense that has not yet been recognized before the effective date in accordance with current guidance. No prior-period results should be restated, and there should be no cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of net assets or retained earnings at the beginning of the year of adoption. Under this approach, an entity is required to disclose both:
The nature of and reason for the accounting change.
An explanation of the reasons for significant changes in each financial statement line item in the current annual or interim period resulting from applying the amendments instead of the previous guidance.
"For transactions in which an entity is either a public business entity or an NFP that has issued, or is a conduit bond obligor for, securities that are traded, listed, or quoted on an exchange or an over-the-counter market and serves as a resource recipient, the entity should apply the amendments in this Update on contributions received to annual periods beginning after June 15, 2018, including interim periods within those annual periods. All other entities should apply the amendments for transactions in which the entity serves as the resource recipient to annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019.
"For transactions in which an entity is either a public business entity or an NFP that has issued, or is a conduit bond obligor for, securities that are traded, listed, or quoted on an exchange or an over-the-counter market and serves as a resource provider, the entity should apply the amendments in this Update on contributions made to annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those annual periods. All other entities should apply the amendments for transactions in which the entity serves as the resource provider to annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019, and interim periods within annual periods beginning after December 15, 2020.
"Early adoption of the amendments is permitted."
— Jeff Drew (Jeff.Drew@aicpa-cima.com) is a JofA senior editor.


Please note, that the maximum age to participate in this tour is 70 years. To take part in this tour, you must know how to swim and ride a bycicle. Please note, that this tour is not operated from 1st to 6th January and 25th and 26th December.
Our trip starts at Potes, the capital of Liébana region. To arrive there, we will cross the impressive gorge of the Hermida, one of the narrow gorges along the river Deva.
Once in Potes, you will have the opportunity to do a short walk to the Monastery of Santo Toribio at 3 km from the village. The estimated time to walk toward the Monastery from Potes is 45 minutes. The Monastery of Santo Toribio holds a piece of the cross on which Jesus Christ died. It is one of the four places where the forgiveness of sins can be obtained through pilgrimage. Next Year of Jubilee is 2022.
The importance of this Monastery was already known in the Middle Ages, when the Lignum Crucis was a must visit for the pilgrims who went to Santiago de Compostela. In addition, this place was in itself a place of pilgrimage, with its own identity due to the curative and miraculous powers attributed to the remains of the Saint of Astorga and to the Relic itself.
The pilgrimage that we will carry out is the shortest possible route. In fact, it is the last part of the Lebaniego Way prior to arriving at the Monastery.
At 12:00 we will attend the pilgrim's mass. After the mass, we will visit the chapel of San Miguel from where you will enjoy beautiful views of Picos de Europa. Back in Potes, you deserve a nice local lunch. Traditional "Cocido Lebaniego" (a stew of chickpeas and meat) is the best option to recharge your batteries. After lunch, we will have some free time to visit Potes and do some shopping.
During the afternoon, we will visit San Sebastian de Garabandal, a small village in the mountains. You will have the opportunity to walk up to the "Sanctuary of Los Pinos", the place where the Virgin appeared in the 1960s.
We recommend to wear comfortable clothes and footwear for the tour. Some water and snacks could be useful during the day as well.


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Yahoo Travel
Can Staying in a Hotel Make You Sick — or Even Kill You?
A hotel stay can go very wrong. (Photo: Thinkstock)
Ronni Kenoian swears she wakes up feeling sick every time she stays in a hotel, "I start coughing, my contacts that I sleep with are very dry."
For Kenoian, it might be allergies: for many people, even a slight change in environment can lead to sneezing fits and a slew of breathing problems.
She's lucky that it's not something worse.
The scary reality is that hotels can make you sick. There have been recent high-profile cases where guests have become critically ill after a stay in a hotel. In March, a Delaware family was poisoned while vacationing at a U.S. Virgin Islands resort that had illegally used pesticides. Earlier this year, public health inspectors launched an investigation and issued a public health advisory after guests came down with norovirus after staying at a Nashville hotel.
Here's what you should — and shouldn't worry about — the next time you check in.
The scary thing is: carbon monoxide isn't visible. (Photo: Thinkstock)
In 2013, at the Blue Ridge Plaza Best Western in Boone, North Carolina three people, including an 11-year-old boy, died within months of each other after staying in a room filled with carbon monoxide. Investigators blamed the leak on a faulty pool water heater. The hotel is no longer in operation.
The shocking truth is that very few hotels in the U.S. are equipped with carbon monoxide alarms, which detect a build-up of the toxic colorless gas when fuel-burning devices are not properly ventilated.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, a group that helps promote carbon monoxide safety, CO is called the "invisible killer" because it's undetectable to the human senses. So, people may not know that they are being exposed.
Related: Travel Fever (the Bad Kind): What to Do When You Get Sick On Vacation
Thomas G. Daly, a hospitality consultant who spent 24 years working at Hilton Hotels Corporation, says most hotel guestrooms lack fuel-fired appliances, so "there is no need for CO alarms in guestrooms."
But the law is starting to change.
North Carolina and a growing number of other states are starting to require CO alarms. The updated International Fire Code (IFC) now calls for CO alarms in or near boiler rooms, pool heater rooms, rooms with fireplaces, and other areas with equipment capable of producing CO.
"By having the CO alarm directly in those spaces, any potential CO exposure would trigger the alarms and provide the earliest possible notification to occupants and response from staff," says Daly.
Owen Davis, senior communications manager at the National Fire Protection Association says it is still good practice for travelers to buy a carbon monoxide alarm. "Hotel guests can put it on the nightstand or really anywhere in the room," says Davis. "If it goes off, be sure to get outside the room as quickly as possible to fresh air. Once outside, call the fire department."
First Alert sells a $50 device on Amazon. In the comments section, several customers noted they bought one after hearing about the lack of detectors in hotels.
Norovirus, it's not just on cruise ships. (Photo: Thinkstock)
Travelers often associate this super-contagious stomach bug with cramped cruise ships. But norovirus can also can afflict hotel guests.
In January and February, Nashville's Gaylord Opryland hotel had outbreaks of the nasty stomach virus. In late October, 60 people got sick at the Hotel Sofitel, a luxury hotel in Redwood City, California. And in April, a British seaside resort made international headlines when 100 people got violently ill.
Most people get sick by either ingesting contaminated food or liquid, putting their fingers in their mouth after touching objects with norovirus, or encountering direct contact with someone who has it. About 24 hours later, vomiting and diarrhea starts.
Of course, good hygiene (like washing hands and not touching the face) is always a smart idea. But it won't guarantee you'll be germ free.
"There is no one sure thing that you can do to make sure that you do not come in contact with norovirus while staying in a hotel or motel. Viruses are too small to be seen and we really don't have a good test kit to determine if norovirus is present in a room," says Dr. Aaron Margolin, a professor of microbiology at the University of New Hampshire.
Related: Norovirus — Don't Call It 'the Cruise Ship Disease'
Some health inspectors even go so far as to encourage hotel management to scan room service orders for dry toast and ginger ale as a way to prevent gastrointestinal illness outbreaks. Nervous guests could also make their own assessment by perusing the hotel gift shop. If the Pepto-Bismol is running low, it could be a sign.
"There are several kits that rely on an UV light to detect body fluids, but I am not sure everyone wants to spend their vacation scanning their room and every place they go while on vacation followed by trying to disinfect the entire room. Mind you, even a clean room can contain norovirus, but if the room looks clean it makes me feel good and so I use that as a barometer."
If you do get ill when staying at the hotel, tell the front desk so the hotel can deep clean the room after you check out. The hotel may also contact the health department, if necessary.
Pesticides — what you should be aware of. (Photo: Thinkstock)
Banned pesticides gained national attention in March when a family was poisoned by them while staying at the Sirenusa resort on St. John, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. In that alarming case, an applicator for the company Terminix used methyl bromide to fumigate a nearby room. The gas is highly toxic to humans and indoor use is illegal.
Ronald D. Gardner, who runs the Pesticide Management Education Program (PMEP) at Cornell University calls it a rare case. "I was surprised by the methyl bromide use in VI," he said. "Very bad decision on the part of someone."
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which has jurisdiction and authority under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) to regulate pesticides, is investigating the incident.
The case has alarmed many travelers, who are now raising questions about the use of pesticides for controlling insects, rodents, birds, bacteria, or weeds at hotels. But as Gardner sees it, this one incident caused more confusion and misinformation on a very broad topic. He says the incident that happened in U.S. Virgin Islands would simply not happen in the continental United States. "The sale of Methyl Bromide is highly restricted," he said.
In short: relax.
"There are very limited chances for exposure to pesticides for a hotel guest. The employees that apply the pesticide are at a greater risk of exposure," Gardner told Yahoo Travel.
But when it comes to international travel, Paul Towers, a spokesperson for the Pesticide Action Network says there may be reason to worry, "many countries have weak or lax laws when it comes to hazardous pesticide use. Travelers may be exposed to pesticides and attribute the illness to something else."
In Thailand, two sisters from Canada died after a hotel stay. An autopsy indicated the women were most likely poisoned by phosphine, a deadly chemical used in Southeast Asia to exterminate bugs.
Towers suggests when travelers arrive in their room, they should open doors and windows and turn on any fans to let the room air out.
"For those hoping to minimize exposure, they should also speak to hotel or property management in advance of their stay and ask what chemicals are used, and if any, whether they use a certified applicator," says Towers.
For more information about pesticide use internationally, travelers can refer to the EPA's Office of Pesticides Program, which works with some international organizations to help promote human health safety.
Bed bugs are not your friends. (Photo: Blaine Mathison/CDC)
Just mentioning these little critters probably makes your skin crawl. Although not known to transmit disease, no one wants to imagine these vampire-like parasitic insects snacking on us while asleep.
In 2010, the CDC and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a joint statement citing "an alarming resurgence in the population of bed bugs" in apartments, shelters, rooming houses, hotels, nursing homes, hospitals, cruise ships, buses, trains, and dorm rooms.
It wasn't clear why the bugs, nearly eradicated in mid-1900s, decided to come back from the dead.
Health officials listed a variety of possible contributors including pesticide resistance, greater international and domestic travel, lack of knowledge on how to control bugs due to their prolonged absence, and lack of effective pest control programs at state and local public health agencies.
Related: Are These the Dirtiest Hotels in America?
"I don't want travelers to become fearful or reclusive, but bed bugs are here to stay," says Missy Henriksen, vice president of public affairs for the National Pest Management Association (NPMA). Her organization, which represents 7,000 pest companies, recently put out a report stating that there had been another rise in reported incidents at hotels.
While there are well-publicized incidents occurring even at luxury hotels like New York's Ritz Carlton, the American Hotel & Lodging Association issued a statement saying any increase in bed bugs has had a minimal impact on the vast majority of hotels: "Bed bugs are brought into hotels by guests; it is not a hotel sanitation issue. Education, awareness, and vigilance are critical. A trained and knowledgeable housekeeping staff is one of the best lines of defense, along with having regular pest control inspections."
Many hotels now do regular monitoring. Heat, chemical treatments (Not DDT, that its now banned), steaming, vacuuming, and freezing, often times in combination, are common ways to try to get rid of them.
Travelers can post bed bug sightings on bedbugregistry.com, but there is no way to gauge accuracy or fake reviews.
Those who are concerned about bed bugs can also play pest detective and do a quick inspection before calling it a night. Check box spring and headboards for fecal signs. Gross, yes. But it's the easiest way to know if you aren't alone.
"Being aware of surroundings while staying in hotel rooms and utilizing public transportation, as well as carefully inspecting luggage and clothes upon return from vacation, can go a long way in ensuring bed bugs don't follow [you] home," said Henriksen, who by the way, says she has never seen a bed bug during a hotel stay.
We've all heard enough stories about hotel room germs to make us squirm. Who could forget that undercover investigation exposing dirty hotel drinking glasses? Or the study about sky-high bacteria on TV remotes?
Hotel bedspreads also got a bad rap when one was used as evidence during the Mike Tyson rape trial years ago. At the time, the American Hotel & Lodging Association got inundated with inquiries about it, and released this statement: "The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in Atlanta, Georgia reports it has NEVER identified, seen, or classified ANY significant disease outbreak in hotel or motel rooms as a result of hotel bedspreads and blankets".
But in an effort to squash possible negative perceptions, some brands like Marriott and Hampton Inn started ditching bedspreads in favor of washable duvet covers. Hampton Inn even left sticky notes on clean beds to put guests at ease.
Tweets about Hampton Inn's new sticky pad program. (Photos: Twitter)
For Jessica Snyder Sachs, a science writer and author of "Good Germs, Bad Germs: Health and survival in a Bacterial World" she doesn't listen to all the noise about germs lurking in hotel rooms, "I say, relax. Yes, you are touching where someone else touched — we do that in our everyday lives. We aren't meant to live in a sterile world."
That doesn't mean Sachs disregards all health precautions. She uses hand sanitizers during cold and flu months and gives hotel glasses an extra rinse, but that's the extent of her pro-activeness.
Related: Fact: People are Gross. And These B&B Owners Have the Evidence to Prove It
The reality is, there is a significant incentive for hotels to keep rooms as clean as possible. Studies suggest room cleanliness is directly linked to overall guest satisfaction and repeat business.
Janet Wiggins, president of the International Executive Housekeepers Association, says knowing whether a hotel follows best practices can give guests peace of mind, "if guests are concerned and want to know about cleaning protocols, just ask. Go to the front desk and inquire about the products and processes they use. Find out if they use green cleaning chemicals or how often rooms are deep cleaned."
Allergies and Asthma
A hotel might not be good for your allergies. (Photo: Thinkstock)
For millions of Americans with allergies, hotels can exacerbate allergies and asthma. That's why Dr. Philip Tierno Jr., a professor of Microbiology & Pathology at New York University School of Medicine, NYU Langone Medical Center, always brings a pillow cover (and sometimes a mattress cover) when staying overnight at a hotel.
For Tierno, this is not overdramatizing. He knows too much about what he describes as a "zoological and botanical park" prospering in mattresses. He said that there's a wide range of debris that can find its way into the core of a mattress and pillow without barrier protection: "Debris such as human skin cells, human hair, dust mites (which feed on human cells), dust mite feces, insect parts, bodily secretions, animal hair and dander, fungi, fungal spores, bacteria, chemicals, dust, lint, fibers, food stuff, particulates, pollen, soil, sand, cosmetics, lotions, oils, and many other things.
Tierno says breathing this stuff in for eight hours of sleep is what causes the issues: "It becomes an allergic problem even without having allergies or being an asthma person. You can develop stuffy nose, difficulty breathing, and headaches," he said. "it's an allergy event to worry about."
In rooms, there could also be deterioration from mold and bacteria in ductwork, walls, carpets, and furniture. Another concern: steady flow of pollution, chemicals and contaminants pulled into hotel rooms from the hallway.
While there are no enforceable federal standards on hotel air quality, Mark Leahy, senior marketing manager at Cintas, a company that provides cleanroom assessments, says hoteliers are certainly more aware of guest room air quality, "Many brands now have strict guidelines in place specifying how frequently properties are required to deep clean their guest rooms."
Related: Allergy-Free Travel Locations: These Places Are Nothing to Sneeze At
A growing number of hotels brands — like Kimpton, Hyatt, Hilton, Fairmont, Marriott, Doubletree, Sheraton, and NYLO, to name a few — have also introduced hypoallergenic rooms.
While some call the idea a clever marketing attempt geared for hypochondriacs and neat freaks, many hotels were simply propelled by demand.
"We have long lists of requirements for guests who have issues with those feather down duvets or concerns over chemical cleaning products or pet-free floors," says Tom Waithe, the Regional Director of Operations for Kimpton Hotels of the Pacific Northwest, which now offers hypoallergenic rooms.
The MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas introduced "Stay Well" rooms with features like filtered tap water, hypoallergenic bedding, and the promise of only green approved cleaning products being used. The rooms were designed by Delos Hospitality, a wellness consulting company supported by Dr. Deepak Chopra. The hotel, unsure of the initial response, did a trial roll out of 42 "Stay Well" rooms. Demand grew, and the hotel recently expanded the concept to an entire floor of 171 green rooms and suites, says Travis Lunn, vice president of hotel operations for MGM Grand.
A word about air conditioners
Many travelers swear that hotel air conditioning units are a source for getting sick. Some health experts say good air conditioning can actually help overall air quality and decrease humidity. But others are positive AC — especially a dirty unit — will do more harm than good.
So how can travelers gauge the quality of hotel air conditioning?
Cintas' Leahy says guests can try to check for signs of neglect, even when components are enclosed. "One thing to check is whether there is visible dust on the exterior casing of the AC unit," he said. "Another thing to consider is how long it takes the unit to satisfy temperature changes made to the thermostat. A properly cleaned unit typically has better airflow and will satisfy the thermostat more quickly."
Also, if a room smells strange or seems humid or damp, it could signal an air-quality problem. In that case, request another room.
Find the real facts
Some state health department (Florida, Kentucky, Georgia, to name a few) post annual hotel inspection reports for the public to view online. The reports may show if a hotel got caught not washing bed sheets or is spick-and-span. Plus, a quick online news search of a hotel name can easily turn up any red flags.
But while health inspections do help keep standards it place, they does not tell the whole story. For example, budget-strapped states may be slow responding to complaints or hotel management enacted significant changes since the last inspection.
What else can travelers do?
Guests can get a sense for what their overall hotel experience may be like by checking hotel review sites.
On TripAdvisor, out of 200 million reviews there are currently 87,000 with the word "allergies," over 19,000 reviews that include the word "chemical" or "bedbug," and over 270,000 that use the term "sick" when describing an experience at hotels and restaurants around the world.
Using filter words like "clean room" or "good sleep" may also be helpful when choosing where to stay away from home.
Related: Travel Etiquette: How to Behave at a Hotel
The bottom line: with 5 million guest rooms and 53,000 hotels or motels in the U.S. alone, the odds of something terrible happening are pretty slim.
WATCH: Did Sinbad Get This Seasick? Hitting the High Seas of Oman
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Resilient Rangers relish shot to topple Kings
While the New York Rangers await the return of their leading point scorer the past two seasons, Artemi Panarin, they have not lost any steam.
The Rangers have won four of their past five heading into Monday's road game against the Los Angeles Kings.
New York hasn't had Panarin in the lineup the past four games, and he was still trying to clear the NHL's COVID-19 protocol as of Sunday.
Other players have stepped up on the offensive end, however.
Ryan Lindgren produced the first-multi goal game of his NHL career when he scored twice in a 4-1 win at the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night, doubling his goal total on the season.
Jarred Tinordi scored the go-ahead goal in the win over Anaheim, his first of the season and just the second goal in 108 NHL games.
"I guess it's a little extra special when guys who don't score often, do a good job defensively and may not get so much credit on offense, they get to score," said Mika Zibanejad, who scored the other goal for the Rangers on Saturday. "That's fun, especially when they're important goals."
The Kings are feeling confident as well after beating the Detroit Red Wings 4-0 on Saturday night in Los Angeles for their third win in the past four games.
"We're building a good thing right now," said Phillip Danault, who has four points for Los Angeles in the past three games (two goals, two assists). "We've just got to bring it every game."
The Kings came out blazing against the Red Wings, taking 27 shots on goal in the first period to tie the franchise record for the most in a period.
Kings coach Todd McLellan didn't give the team the day off after its one-sided win against Detroit. Instead, he hoped to clean up some of the smaller mistakes that Los Angeles won't get away with against the Rangers.
"(Sunday) is another test in practice," McLellan said on Saturday night. "Won't be long, but there will be some things we'll need against a good Rangers team."
Kings forward Dustin Brown will be looking for the 700th point of his NHL career, and Adrian Kempe is one goal shy of his career high of 16 set in the 2017-18 season.
The Rangers can move past the Carolina Hurricanes and into first place in the Metropolitan Division by earning at least a point against the Kings.
Whether they have Panarin back or not, the Rangers will likely need to continue relying on some of their younger and less experienced players, especially up front.
Ryan Reaves and Julien Gauthier are also in COVID-19 protocol, and Dryden Hunt sustained an upper-body injury in the opener of the five-game road trip on Thursday against the Vegas Golden Knights and was placed on injured reserve.
Lindgren said the Rangers just need to maintain the course they established in Anaheim.
"I think we play our best when we play simple, cycle the puck, go low to high and get pucks to the net," Lindgren said. "That's winning hockey for us."
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