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Adam Lloyd Construction is a construction company. Our name is a mix match of the two company directors; Adam Paton and Neil Lloyd, who started the company in 2011. Adam and Neil grew into the construction industry from different paths. Adam grew up in Hackney E8, moved on to doing Product Design at Sussex, before designing and building 'Seawater Greenhouses' around the world in arid regions. This in turn brought Adam into the world of plumbing, electrics and project managing.
Neil served his apprenticeship in Liverpool where he grew up, following with 10 years in Masonry and brick work. This lead his journey to London in 2007 where he began general construction work for various main contractors. They accidentally found each other at a party in Hackney, their relationship blossomed and they began working on a year long office and rooftop expansion project together in 2009. 2 Years later, Adam Lloyd Construction began.
We build, renovate and refurbish exceptional spaces in and around London. From commercial and residential projects, through to pubs and restaurants. We love renovating interesting buildings, and we like solving problems. Adam Lloyd Construction was started and still operates from our workshop and office by London Fields, E8. And although a lot of our work is spread around London, we take pride in the work we do locally.
We have access to a beautiful Sussex woodland where we're able to responsibly source English Oak and other timber for makings things. We're able to fell, plank, dry and trim our trees into worktops, bespoke floor boards and general timber in small quantities only. We love our woods!
Adam Lloyd Construction Ltd
2A Greenwood Road,
Hackney,
London E8 1AB
info@adamlloydconstruction.co.uk
Designed by JCS


Wholesale purchasing is available to qualifying customers at The California Seashell Company. Please visit www.Wholesale.CASeashells.com to register with a valid resale license. Once your account is approved you will be able to view quantity and purchase minimums. You may also contact our wholesale department at 714-596-7636 with further questions. Our warehouse hours are Monday - Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm .


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BusinessWeek: iPod could be 'Trojan horse' into Wintel
In his latest Byte of the Apple column for BusinessWeek Online, Charles Haddad opines that a Windows version of the iPod could boost market share.
While he doubts that more than a handful of PC users would switch to the Mac just to use an iPod, he thinks Windows compatibility for the device could perhaps be a "Trojan horse that steals inside fortress Windows and wins over diehard PC fans." But Haddad also admits that the iPod faces an uphill battle for acceptance in the Wintel world and that success requires two conditions.
First is that the iPod needs to work with any PC out of the box. This means that PC drivers would have to be built into the device. The second obstacle is price. Classy design aside, it's just too expensive for the mass market until the price falls below US$300, Haddad says.
"In short, the iPod could help Apple break out of its market-share cul-de-sac, but only if the company slashes the price and ensures that it works with any PC," he writes.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Home » Content24 » So how do we fix this? Lessons for content from solutions-focused journalism
So how do we fix this? Lessons for content from solutions-focused journalism
Posted on September 10, 2021 by Amy Wilson in Content24, Insights, Top Story
Companies can build trust by communicating, honestly and with evidence, on how they are tackling their own problems and those of society
Relentless negative news has a polarising effect: it either makes people feel furious or so powerless that they switch off from the issue altogether. What is often missing, particularly when events are reported in real time, is informed discussion of solutions to the issue at hand.
Two New York Times journalists, Tina Rosenberg and David Bornstein, along with author Courtney Martin, felt strongly that presenting the problem, without a thorough review of solutions, was turning people away from important issues such as the environment, economic equality and political accountability.
In response, the trio set up Solutions Journalism Network (SJN), a not-for-profit organisation that trains journalists to report solutions with the same degree of analytical rigour as the events themselves. Over eight-and-a-half years, SJN has trained more than 22,000 journalists, including freelancers and those working independently, and more than 500 newsrooms across the US, Europe, Africa and Asia.
The training is based on four pillars: one, solutions stories cover a response to a problem, not a plan or a promise; two, there must be evidence, qualitative and quantitative, that demonstrates the effectiveness of the solution; three, the story should report the limitations of the solution; four, the story should distil the lessons to offer insight into how that solution could be applied elsewhere.
"Solutions journalism is not 'feel good'," says Fara Warner, initiative manager for business and sustainability at SJN. "It's investigative journalism that holds those in power accountable for the solutions they bring to the table, not just for the problems they may have created. We also want the stories that newsrooms and journalists cover to help inspire others to also take action, to ask 'could I do that here, is it scalable, is it replicable?'"
This type of cross-pollination often happens when a journalist covers a solution in place elsewhere to highlight what can be done about a problem in their own community. For example, after investigative reporter Nichole Manna wrote about a programme in Richmond, California, dedicated to ending cyclical and retaliatory gun violence for the Fort Worth Star Telegram in Texas, Fort Worth established a similar effort. That programme, called VIP FW (Violence Intervention and Prevention Forth Worth) uses ex-convicts instead of police to intervene in and mediate conflicts.
Solutions journalism can also lead to more public discourse and civic engagement. In mid-2020, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in Georgia replaced its line-up of national opinion columnists with more solutions-focused coverage, which resonated with its audience. One reader wrote, "Thanks for pausing the polarizing 'both sides' discussions, especially during this time where we all need to come together to provide care and assistance to our neighbors." Another said: "I appreciate the effort to improve and will look forward to seeing how it works out." Managing editor Mark Waligore said the solutions lens has made him and his readers feel smarter and more hopeful, and has helped his editorial team reframe some of its news coverage.
Applying a solutions approach in content
SJN's four pillars for solutions stories, which combine to produce an evidence-based explanation and insights that others can use, offer lessons to companies producing their own content, says Warner, who was previously part of the team that led the Wall Street Journal's branded content newsroom.
"Businesses could really get behind the power of this kind of storytelling to effect change in communities," she says. "We see that solutions journalism catalyses people to take action. They don't feel paralysed anymore; there's something they can do."
Transparency and evidence also make content marketing more compelling, she adds: "Really think about what evidence you're bringing, be comfortable with limitations, be comfortable with exposing your challenges, because that provides honesty, for one thing, and also provides an opportunity for others to say 'I saw that challenge and I think I have a solution for it'.
"Thinking about what insight you can offer also takes it out of being just your story and that can be a way for others to say 'I'd love to replicate that or collaborate on that'. Working in this way is asking companies to do things that sometimes they're not that comfortable with, but it can be very powerful."
A new way to talk about purpose
The solutions approach is right for big social and environmental issues facing a company, not for content about products or day-to-day operations. The good news is, this is likely to be what audiences want to read about: customers and employees are increasingly focused on the purpose of business and investors' decisions are increasingly driven by environmental, social and governance factors (ESG).
"A lot of companies realise this is where their consumers are focused, and that's why we see a lot of this brand storytelling around mission and purpose," says Warner.
Another advantage for content marketing is that solutions stories are the ones that people are more likely to recommend to friends and colleagues: "We do know from research, and this is what more news organisations are realising, that solutions-based stories are shared more widely and often times are some of the most emailed stories. They have a long tail to them." She pointed to a New York Times Fixes article from March on prison food, which got 600,000 unique page views, as well as another Fixes article, on making a water park more accessible and inclusive, which was the most shared video on the entire website in 2017, as examples.
Warner's newsroom projects focus on the environment and sustainability, and businesses often have an active role in the solutions being reported on. However in many cases, she says, companies are not communicating effectively about what they're doing – either by labelling initiatives as sustainable when the claim doesn't stand up to scrutiny, so-called greenwashing, or by not knowing how to tell a genuine success story. Using the pillars of solutions journalism in their own content helps to address these problems by demonstrating relevance to big societal and business issues and building corporate credibility.
Bringing research to life
SJN does not work with companies yet, but it has expanded beyond newsrooms to work with academics and not-for-profits such as Project Drawdown, the initiative set up to promote the most effective climate solutions in order to bring forward the moment when greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere begin to fall. SJN also has a searchable database of more than 12,000 solutions stories that uphold its four pillars, vetted by its specialists, which writers and companies can use for sourcing and inspiration, and academics as a resource for reliable case studies exploring social problems.
"Bringing journalism into the conversation helps academics to better communicate their research when they're teaching in the classroom, to show real-world applications and say 'this is not just something sitting in a research paper, this is how it's been covered by the press, and here are some teachable moments we can draw out and learn from'."
Opening up a dialogue
The unrelenting pace of events over the past year, taking in a global pandemic and economic catastrophe, Black Lives Matter protests, the US presidential election and Brexit, have left even the most committed news junkies and activists for a range of causes feeling wrung out. But to make progress on the biggest issues facing us as humans, politicians, companies and news organisations all need their audiences to be fully engaged.
"What can get lost in both branded content and journalism is that it's the end consumer who is important," says Warner. "In environmental issues, but also all kinds of social issues, people want to be involved in solutions – but to be involved effectively, they need to know about the solutions, and the solutions need to be properly vetted."
Business journalism
Solutions Journalism Network
Catwalk lessons in blending stories with sales success
Ethics: use content marketing to talk the talk and walk the walk
Tell it direct from the horse's mouth
FirstWord's weekly content marketing roundup: 12 June – 15 June


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(December 2009 Quips)
by John Farnam | 17 Dec 2009 | 2009
WA Incident:
The motive of the suspect who murdered four police officer in WA last Sunday morning is unclear. It is also unclear whether or not the perpetrator targeted police officers in general, or these officers in particular.
Nor am I speculating that this incident necessarily represents a new trend. And, as the prime suspect was shot to death by police early this morning, we may never have answers to these questions.
What is clear is the fact that it was well known that unformed patrol officers routinely congregated at this particular restaurant, at a particular time, on a regular basis.
As a response, I'm suggesting all LEOs, in uniform or not, immediately reevaluate routines and procedures!
Reminders that follow are, I know, elementary and obvious, but they need repeating now:
(1) Vary your "routine." When someone knows for sure that you will be in a particular place, at a particular time, planning an ambush becomes easy. We have to continuously practice stealth and variance. It goes with the territory. Do the unexpected. Don't be predictable!
(2) When several officers are gathered together, be it at a restaurant or at roll-call, like a designated-driver, someone needs to be always "on watch." Of course, we all need to be alert, but at least one of us needs to be specifically assigned to keep his head up. Subtle alert signals need to be worked out between us and routinely rehearsed, so we can all react quickly, and in a coordinated way, when necessary.
(3) Don't keep thinking of yourself as the exception! Belief in "guardian-angles" is for children. You do not carry pistols in vain, and you bleed red blood, just like everyone else. When your number is up, only you can save yourself. Recommit yourself to continuous readiness, or do something else for a living!
(4) Appearances only go so far. The brazen act of attacking four, uniformed, armed police officers simultaneously is unusual, but we see that it does happen. Appearances detour much criminal activity every day, but there are plenty of genuine desperados running loose who are not impressed with uniforms and are unafraid to take you on. Again, be ever-prepared to go all the way!
Armed Bankers in NYC?
It has come to light that many in upper management of a number of big banks, headquartered in NYC, have recently applied for, and have been granted, permits to purchase pistols. Understandably, banks themselves, along with NYPD, are deathly quiet about this curious development, because the vast majority of other such applications (from non-bankers) are routinely, arbitrarily denied.
This gaggle of brand-new pistol-owners are the self-same Liberals who unflinchingly support the current NYC Mayor in his rabid effort to ban private ownership of all guns, nationwide!
Looks as if gun-bans are appropriate for everyone, except them!
This is the kind of shameful, conspicuous hypocrisy of which all anti-gun Liberals are habitually guilty. When bankers can have guns, why not butchers, bakers, etc? Why is it that bankers suddenly comprise a "special class of citizens," along with the mayor's friends, movie stars, professional athletes, rich drug-dealers, et al?
Liberal politicians in NYC, and elsewhere, have taken what is supposed to be an "inalienable right" of all citizens and turned it into a tightly-controlled political privilege, to be enjoyed exclusively by a select group of conceited, self-declared divinity!
On rare occasions when the media even brings up this glaring discrepancy, guilty politicians are silent. They don't think they owe anyone an explanation, their definition of "transparency."
I can't imagine why People put up with it!
Gun Ignorance, even among "Professionals." This from a student and Chiropractor in the Midwest:
"A local, uniformed, patrol officer came into my office last week, complaining of headaches and lower-back pain. She stated that pain was occurring while she was on duty, and mentioned that her duty-belt was uncomfortable.
I began by asking about her duty-pistol. She stated that it was a SIG. When I asked what model, she paused and answered, 'Why, it's a Sig/Sauer. Is there another kind?'
I let out a breath and then asked if the weapon's magazines were single or double-stack, what caliber, how many spare magazines she carried, and where she carried them. I got back a confused look, and then she asked me what 'double-stack' meant. In addition, she had no idea what caliber her pistol was, but we determined that both spare magazines were routinely carried on the same side as her pistol.
I asked if she practiced reloading her pistol with magazines carried thus. She indicated that she '… couldn't remember,' adding 'I don't know; I just carry them there.'"
Comment: In light of the recent WA ambush of uniformed officers, the foregoing is of great concern.
"Police" is not "what we do." It's what we ARE! A blase, clueless officer, like this one, is in extreme danger every minute she is working, as is everyone she works with, and everyone she ostensibly "protects."
Her training officer and her chief, for everyone's sake, need to get her on-board, get her into some other kind of work, or plan on attending funeral(s)!
Several days ago, the "Colorado Board of Governors" abruptly voted to rescind the long-established right of college students, professors, and other state CCW Permit holders to carry concealed on the CSU Campus, reversing a nationwide trend in the opposite direction. The ruling was unexpected, completely capricious, and not in response to any particular incident. A predictable flurry of challenges is ongoing.
In the interim, many students have written, asking for advice. They are in a moral dilemma, not shared with those of us who are not students and do not frequent college campuses.
There are, or course, risks inherent to having guns around. However, there are also risks inherent to not having guns around. Risk-free personal choices don't exist in this matter, nor in most others.
This is our current situation within world history:
Congress, state and federal, no longer really makes "laws." They pass "legislation," and then innumerable, unelected state and federal agencies, bureaus, boards, and committees swoop in and "interpret" the "Intent of Congress" (a curious phrase, since senators and congressmen rarely read legislation before voting on it), translating it into never-ending "regulations" and "rules," which, as we descend the food-chain, are re-translated into "policies," "procedures," "routines," and "agendas."
The volume is now so immense, incomprehensible, self-contradictory, and selectively/inconsistently enforced that it is impossible for even saintly among us to so much as know what "the Law" is, much less adhere to it, which, of course, makes all of us inadvertent, and more-or-less continuous, "law-breakers," priming us as targets, to one degree or another, for selective enforcement when any of us becomes too much an irritant to the current political regime.
Meanwhile, real criminals are, of course, not nearly so confused, perplexed, nor frustrated. They continue to victimize the rest of us, in most cases, with virtual impunity. In fact, the only apprehension that consistently haunts them, indeed the sole authentic deterrent to violent crime, is the possibility of them accidently selecting an armed "victim."
"The Law" flows not only from this flawed framework of so-called "democratic process," but also from its underlying axioms of Justice, Dignity, Morality, and Logic. And, when these foundational underpinnings are disgracefully politicized, indeed hijacked, as is the case when conspicuously unconstitutional legislation is passed as a result of either willful ignorance or active criminality, ensuing laws, rules, and regulations are null and void at the outset, having failed to meet requisite essentials to create a duty of conscience to obey.
The bottom line brings us back to where we started:
You're on our own!
Board of Governors members, and just about everyone else up the food-chain, could not possibly care less about anyone but themselves. This is always the case among these condescending, self-declared deities, who insist on "being in charge," yet neither want, nor accept, the slightest personal accountability. Beastly massacrers will come and go, and they'll all still keep their jobs. This has certainly turned out to be the case at VA Tech, on both counts!
Accordingly, we citizens have to make timely decisions which reflect our own personal best interests, knowing full-well that sometimes we will be mistaken, and that we will never have all information we believe we need. Decisions have to be made regardless, and we can't afford to spend much time thinking about what might have been!
There will be no relief, no divine guidance, and no guarantees. And, in the end, we're all dead anyway. Between then and now, I, for one, will face to the front and do my best to fulfill my destiny, as my limited connection with divinity gives me the vision to see it, bearing full, personal responsibility for everything I do, and everything I decide not to do.
I have scant patience with pseudo-sanctimonious academic twits who demand absolute power and authority for themselves, yet piously refuse to accept any personal accountability. Paranoia and vanity are invariably found at the root of all assaults on individual freedom, as we see!
MDL, "Minimum for Daily Living"
from an Instructor:
"We all have different jobs, different social settings, wear different attire, live in different climates, and, in the case of our female colleagues, possess a unique superstructure. So, when we discuss what a person 'should carry,' we have to be flexible, as it all has to be concealed.
In any event, here is my MDL (Minimum for Daily Living) list:
Primary pistol, and at least one reload (spare magazine or speed-loader)
Back-up pistol
Tactical flashlight (80-150 lumens)
OC spray
IBD (Israeli Battle Dressing)
Small light
When I mention this List to people who don't carry on a regular bases, I am usually greeted with a good deal of eye-rolling, particularly from women
Then, I suggest an 'Airplane List.' Delete everything you are not able to carry on commercial flights, and what is left?
I strongly suggest all of us carry those items, all the time, a flashlight being first on that List, then IBD, cell phone, and small light. TSA has no issue with any of the foregoing, and they are all literally lifesavers!"
Comment: It comes down to personal readiness/preparedness. How prepared you reasonably need to be, as noted above, is a relative question, varying with person and circumstance, and with world history, which may critically change that question for all of us- tomorrow morning!
Part of "being prepared" is looking into the future and anticipating what items, though not required now, may be acutely necessary when our personal situation changes radically.
Comments, brief and to the point, on your personal MDL List, from an experienced Operator:
"When you don't have it with you, you don't own it!
How many times I have heard,
'If only I had my…'
'Normally, I carry a…' '
I have a … at home, and it would really work for this,'
… ad nauseam!
They are all pitiable and boring laments of the unprepared, the
'That could never happen!'
'Weren't you supposed to bring that?'
'Oh no! What do we do now?'
herd,
whatever,
whenever,
wherever,
whoever,
'I'm ready now,' meat-eaters!
If sheep have sufficient psychic powers so as to divine, in advance, when is the right time to carry important tools, then they also know winning lottery numbers, and will thus win enough so that they can pay lots of skilled Operators to look after them, eh?
Who are that psychic, need carry nothing! For us mere mortals, we all better understand:
'When you don't have it with you, you don't own it'
Get over it!"
Comment: That pretty well sums it up!
Politicalization of our Justice System? These comments from a seasoned, and disappointed, investigator:
"Detectives and prosecutors alike are regularly seduced by groups of organized political ideologues into pursuing 'violations of the spirit of legislation,' instead of sticking with facts. These non-professionals, who have cynically attached themselves to our Criminal Justice System, thus regularly pollute investigations, compromising their integrity in the process.
Prosecutors are then cajoled into pursuing nonsensical, agenda-driven crime-incident theory, and then are expected to come up with witnesses, and other evidence, to support the fantasy. Real investigators and prosecutors ignore these mendacious demands and simply follow the evidence wherever it goes. Others, with the identical job description, prostitute themselves and do the bidding of licentious political partisans and lobbyists who are anxious to hijack our Criminal Justice System in an effort to promote themselves and punish political opponents.
Curiously, juries unfailingly identify these manufactured fantasies, correctly, as an attempt to use them as profane stooges in the promotion of someone's political career. Jurors take the job of deciding the fate of fellow citizens seriously, and they have scant patience with others in the System, who don't. Accordingly, they are just as put off by agenda-driven absurdity on the part of prosecutors, as they are with the same thing on the part of defense lawyers, even more so, because the prosecutor's salary is paid from the public treasury.
Transparently pursuing political agendas in the courtroom, so that lobbyists in the background can file higher grant requests the next fiscal year, regularly generates internal struggles within juries that, without fail, lead to compromised verdicts.
My advice to investigators and prosecutors alike: Throw the lobbyists, and politicians, out of your office! Forget clever tricks and cute posturing. Stick with the facts!
Juries are not comprised of fools, and they visibly resent the entire Process being cheapened by
shameless charlatans sucking-up to political hacks, at the expense of the pursuit of real Justice."
Comment: As respect for our entire Criminal Justice System erodes, everyone in it will come under increasing pressure to compromise principles, in exchange for political favors. And, as they knuckle under, this nation will continue its slide toward becoming a third-world joke!
It is incumbent upon all of us, who still know right from wrong, to magnificently hold our ground, and, as my friend suggests, throw these political hacks out of our office!
Comments on our Jury System, from a Chief of Police, and student:
"With sincere and logical intentions, our Founders believed they created a Justice System that would shield citizens from the abuses of government by positioning the jury between those citizens and government's arbitrary power to incarcerate.
It is an interesting theory, but today the System plea-bargains the vast majority of criminal cases. That fact, combined with the crippling financial impact of hiring competent attorney(s) to take one's case through the trial process, has eroded this so-called protection to the point of it being a rare privilege, rather than a 'right' accessible to everyone.
When government brings a politically-inspired case against you, you will doubtless be offered a 'plea-deal.' Usually, this deal will include a guilty plea to a technical 'felony,' and a significantly reduced sentence, compared to that which is possible when the case goes to trial, and a conviction results.
Thus, many innocent people face this dilemma: Do I plead guilty to a 'felony' that I did not commit and get probation, forever forfeiting basic rights in the process and essentially becoming a permanent, second-class citizen? Or, do I ever-impoverish my family in an attempt to win at trial, knowing that, when I lose, I will be incarcerated for an extended period, and probably die in prison?
Penalties are now so severe, for even insignificant, highly-technical violations of incomprehensible, generally-unknown, and arbitrarily-enforced codes and regulations, and litigation costs so high, that, unless you are willing to gamble your future with a public defender, most normal people are easily bullied into accepting the first 'deal' that is offered.
Adding a vast array of brand-new federal felonies, that most of us will never even hear about (until federal agents come knocking on your door), is now the accepted approach in Congress."
Comment: Our System, that was set up to protect the innocent from criminals, in both the private and public sectors, is corrupted by power-lusting politicians, eager to confiscate it for the purpose of promoting themselves.
This, of course, has always been the case. But, the recent, enormous surge in the growth of government has imperiled everyone. The innocent are casually swept up into sinister, political agendas, high-sounding though they may be, and there is little protection.
"Innocent unless proven guilty" has become "Innocent until proven indigent!"
Additional comments on the Justice System, from a law professor and student:
"Who believe only guilty people are arrested and prosecuted are falsely/foolishly confident.
In fact, we now see an unlikely alliance of both Liberals and Conservatives, joining together to vehemently oppose the ever-growing list of federalized crimes.
For generations, when someone committed a crime, he knew he was wrong. 'Intent' was, after all, an element of the crime. Today, we can commit a felony, and the fact that we did so never even cross our minds, until officers come to arrest us. Congress is busy passing legislation (most of which they never read) instantly converting an innumerable host of benign behaviors into federal felonies! Not labeling a package properly (according to some obscure regulation), or even presenting a gun to your son or daughter as a birthday present, may well make you a federal felon!
How many good and decent people have been impoverished, and had what was left of their lives and personal reputations ruined, when 'repressed memories' were used as the basis for sexual-abuse charges? Police and prosecutors, anxious to pad their resumes, brought charges against them because some alleged 'victim' had her 'repressed memory' magically 'restored' during dubious 'therapy' sessions. Not all of these people could afford a jury trial with competent representation.
With the Duke University Lacrosse Team fiasco, the Central Park Jogger Case, and other high-profile instances, we eventually learned the truth. We would be foolish to believe that there are not many other cases, that never generated headlines, which resulted in an innocent person being swept away with a 'negotiated plea.'
Unless you can afford to hire stellar attorneys, the immense (and growing!) power of government can easily overwhelm you, and, when the prosecutor offers you a deal, you may have little choice but to accept."
Comment: We all agree that the foregoing is not what our Founders had in mind when they wrote the 6th Amendment!
Comments from a friend and student in South Africa:
"I have been enjoying your recent posts with regard to life in the USA!
Curiously, news reports over here are all still hyper-positive with regard to the current Administration. From reading them, one concludes that God Himself now sits in the White House! In fact, you cannot find so much as a single unenthusiastic jot nor tittle! No mention here of your out-of-control national debt, nor double-digit unemployment! Your president can apparently do no wrong, according to our media.
With yours, and now even the European Press, the blush is slowly fading from the rose!
Our media, like yours, are a disgrace to their profession! Rather than guardians of truth, they are guardians, and promoters, of political agendas. They have scant regard for truth, routinely reporting what they wish were true, rather than what they know to be true.
By comparison, they make Al Jazeera look downright enlightened!"
Comment: The politicization of our news media, like the politicization of education, art, and now even science, is a clear sign of a declining civilization. When we steadfastly refuse to confront the unvarnished truth, and start blindly telling, repeating, and wallowing in, comfortable lies, we needn't expect a sympathetic response from World History!
"… the bravest men I have ever seen."
Henry W Lawton, after whom the City of Lawton, OK is named, awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor during the American Civil War in 1864, at age twenty-two, and the one credited with capturing Geronimo in 1886, at forty-three, found himself fighting in Cuba during the Spanish-American War in 1898, and in the Phillippines in 1899 at the rank of major-general, then fifty-six.
American Soldiers and Marines, mostly former Indian Fighters and a few Civil War veterans like Lawton, for the first time in American history found themselves fighting on foreign soil on the opposite side of globe, about as far away from America as one could get! With their beautiful, Norwegian-designed Krag-Jorgensen Rifles, they fearlessly surged into a new adventure, at the dawn of a new Century!
In February of 1899, the War in the Phillippines, along with the rest of Spanish-American War, officially ended with the Treaty of Paris, the last occupying Spanish having long-since been driven out of both Cuba and the Phillippines. However, native Filipinos were no more enthusiastic about American occupation than they had been with the Spanish, and the United States, after shedding American blood during the Liberation, was not about to abruptly pack-up and depart, leaving a post-war power-vacuum, to be gladly filled by Germans, Japanese, or even re-filled by the Spanish!
Indefinite American occupation was therefore an unavoidable reality, which made organized insurrection inevitable, and not long in erupting!
The spiritless, slow-moving American Military Governor, Major General Elwell Otis, immediately clashed with Lawton, and another aggressive fighter, Arthur McArthur (father of Douglas McArthur, who would gain prominence a generation later, in the same place!) who ultimately superceded Otis.
Emilio Aguinaldo, Filipino resistance leader, valiantly held out against the Americans, but the final result was never in doubt, as Americans "civilized" the Islands with schools, roads, bridges, railroads, telegraph connections, and public-health programs. The vast majority of the population saw the handwriting on the wall and gradually fell in line. As the Insurrection thus inexorably weakened, fighting became vicious, and those accused of "collaboration" suffered as much as did soldiers and insurgents. Aguinaldo bitterly referred to Lawton as the "General of the Night," owing to Lawton's aggressive, offensive style of leadership, which unhesitatingly included night-fighting.
Back in America, the Democratic Presidential Candidate in 1900, a young and energetic William Jennings Bryan (later gaining fame for his prosecution of Darwinism during the famous 1925 "Scopes Trial" in Tennessee), advocated for immediate Philippine independence and unilateral American withdrawal. He was soundly defeated by incumbent Republican, William McKinley.
With the election results, Aguinaldo's last hopes, of even a negotiated settlement, died. In 1901, Aguinaldo himself was captured and eventually swore allegiance to the United States. However, even without him, his Insurrection sputtered on, never really ending, particularly when it attracted Moslem Moros on the Island of Mindanao. It continues to this day!
President McKinley was shot by anarchist, Leon Czolgosz, while touring a Trade Show in Buffalo, NY. He died of a systemic infection eight days later, on the morning of 14 Sept 1901, only months after beginning his second term. Precipitously propelled into the Office of President was a young and impetuous Theodore Roosevelt!
Roosevelt declared the Philippine Insurrection "over" on 4 July 1902, although, as noted above, fighting never really ended. The United States did not officially recognize Philippine Independence until decades later, at the end of WWII.
The Insurrection alone had claimed over four-thousand American lives. Many more returned to America, to die only months later from Malaria, and a host of other tropical diseases, with which American doctors were unfamiliar. Upwards of a quarter-million native Filipinos had also died, mostly non-combatants, setting an ominous tone for Wars of the Twentieth Century!
The nearly simultaneous Spanish-American War (in Cuba and the Phillippines) and the ensuing Philippine Insurrection, the Boxer Rebellion in Peking, the Russo-Japanese War in Manchuria, and the Anglo-Boer War in South Africa are today called the "Last of the Little Wars," in light of world-wide conflagrations among the "Great Powers" that followed later in the Twentieth Century.
Lawton himself, like so many heroic commanders who always lead from the front, was killed in action by a single bullet from a Filipino sharpshooter. He was the highest ranking American officer to fall in battle in during the Insurrection. He is buried at the National Cemetery in Arlington, VA.
Commenting on the gallantry of Aguinaldo's Rebels, Lawton is quoted as saying, "Taking into account disadvantages they have endured in arms, equipment, and training, they are the bravest men I have ever seen!"
Coming from Lawton, that was quite a complement!
Red Dots:
At our Urban Rifle Courses, I customarily have each student shoot several rounds from every other student's rifle, so that they can personally sample various triggers and sighting systems.
One student commented:
"Red-dot, non-magnifying, optical sights (particularly the Aimpoint T1) changes the game much more than I ever imagined! With 'normal' shooting positions, their value is seldom truly realized. It is in the roll-over-prone position, shooting support-side shoulder, around cover, in low light, when you're out of breath, that they really shine! Improvised positions, particularly around cover and obstacles, do not lend themselves well to tediously aligning front and rear sights. Being able to simply '(1) put the thing (2) on the thing, and (3) pull the thing' magnificently simplifies achieving consistent hits."
My student puts is much better than I do!
Yes, the advantage of low-profile, forward-mounted, non-magnifying optics (on LaRue Quick-release mounts) is too significant to ignore. Iron-sight skills are still critical, of course, and I try to give every student the opportunity to quickly ditch their optic and default to them. But, I now have a T1 on most of my serious rifles, as I want to take full advantage of whatever cover and concealment the Almighty sees fit to give me!
Victory goes to the one who makes the next-to-the-last mistake!
When "enough is enough!"
Susan Shabangu is a Deputy to the Security Minister in South Africa. I've never met her personally, but her boss lectured a group of LE students I trained in Pretoria a year and a half ago.
His sentiments were similar, and he didn't mince words either!
Susan was recently quoted at a mass meeting of LEOs, for all to hear:
"You must kill the bastards when they threaten you or your community"
"You must not worry about the regulations. That is my responsibility. Your responsibility is to serve and protect."
"I want no warning shots. You have one shot, and it must be a kill-shot."
"I won't tolerate pathetic excuses for you not being able to deal with violent crime. You've been issued guns. Now use them!"
Ms Shabangu is publically articulating the frustration of the general population. Everyone is fed up with unchecked, criminal violence and mealy-mouthed, excuse-making government officials.
It should never get so bad as to necessitate a deputy minister having to talk so abruptly, here nor there!
There has been much reaction to her statements, as you might imagine, but no one has accused her of being mealy-mouthed!
God bless her for having the personal courage to say what has to be said. Oh, that we would even occasionally hear such plain English from politicians over here!
The Critical Presidential Election of 1864:
"You can be bold and risk defeat, or be passive and ensure it!"
Poker Players' Axiom
As Bill Sherman's Army energetically attacked and largely destroyed the City of Atlanta, GA in late summer of 1864, twice-fired, ex-Union general, George McClellan, was nominated by the Democrat Party as their presidential candidate, to oppose Republican (called the "National Union Party" at the time) Abraham Lincoln, running for his second term. The Democrat Party Platform that year made the attractive promise to a war-weary public that, when elected, they would initiate an immediate, unilateral cease-fire and thereafter negotiate directly with Confederate President, Jefferson Davis, with regard to permanent, settlement terms. McClellan himself privately favored unconditional, military victory against the Confederacy and accordingly found himself decidedly conflicted while campaigning.
McClellan's personal animosity toward Lincoln, well-known even when he served under Lincoln as Commander of the Army of the Potomac, was made scathingly public during the campaign. The War, which was supposed to be over within months of Ft Sumter being shelled in April of 1861, was, by the fall of 1864, well into its third, miserable year. On both sides, casualties were hideous! McClellan correctly pointed out that Lincoln's naive underestimation of Southern resolve was adolescent and amounted to little more than wishful thinking.
With monotonous regularity, Confederate Generals Bobbie Lee, Tom Jackson, and others had out-foxed, out-maneuvered, out-bluffed, and out-aggressed Lincoln's disappointing succession of generals, each fired in turn as they sequentially dashed his puerile hopes with one costly blunder after another. The War thus waxed progressively unpopular, as did Lincoln himself, and his entire Administration.
Surprisingly, Lincoln won reelection decisively! Sherman's highly-publicized Atlanta Campaign, the first unmitigated Union victory of the War, was just what the electorate had been waiting for! It instantly reversed public opinion and convinced a majority that this War was winnable after all, and must be won, definitively. Simultaneously, the Democrat's conflicted message proved fatal.
Five months later, in April of 1865, four years after it had begun, the War finally, mercifully ended at Appomattox, VA with an unconditional Union victory.
Two weeks later, Lincoln was assassinated.
McClellan spent three years in Europe after the War ended. When he returned, his interest in national politics, and the Democrat Party's interest in him, quickly and permanently faded away.
Had Sherman delayed, even momentarily, the 1864 election could easily have gone the other way, and the map of the United States would likely look a good deal different today!
Fairly defining executive challenges he faced, Lincoln said:
"I am regularly approached with the most opposite opinions imaginable, in all cases by religious men who are certain they represent The Devine Will… however, I suppose I myself need not expect any such direct, Devine Revelation… what is left for me to do is study the plain, physical facts, ascertain what is possible, and then determine what appears to be wise and right."
Put more succinctly by John S McCain Jr (father of Senator John McCain) nearly a hundred years later:
"Life is run by poker players, not systems analysts"
In today's issue of a Boston newspaper there is a Letter to the Editor, from a local high-school teacher:
"… current school security procedures lock down school populations in the event of armed assault. Some advocate abandoning this practice as it holds everyone in place, allowing a shooter easily to find victims. An alternative is immediate exodus, via announcement. Although this removes potential hostages… it unfairly rewards resourceful children who move to safety… more shrewdly and efficiently than others. Schools should level playing fields, not intrinsically reward those more resourceful…"
It gets even better:
"… some propose overturning laws that make schools gun-free zones… they argue that barring licensed-carry only ensures a defenseless, target-rich environment. But, as a Progressive, I would sooner lay my child to rest than succumb to the belief that the use of a gun for self-defense is somehow not in itself a gun crime."
The Communist apotheosis that no one should be allowed to enjoy the natural benefits of their own resourcefulness, that identical outcomes need to be guaranteed for all, no matter what any of us do as individuals to help ourselves, is starkly repugnant to any real American! Calling it "fairness" is a contemptible lie. It is enforced mediocrity.
Any so-called "teacher" who will stand idly by and allow innocent children in his charge to be murdered in front of him, rather than protect them with a gun or another weapon, is a craven coward, a collaborator with evil, unworthy and unfit, a currish disgrace to his family and his profession!
This "teacher," for whom blind obedience to Communist Ideals is held above the lives of innocent children, needs leave America without delay, move to North Korea or some other "Workers' Paradise," and forever get out of our sight!
On the Lakewood, WA Shooting, from a colleague and LEO:
"I fear this murder spree was abetted by the 'Community-Policing' frenzy that has plagued our profession for over two decades.
The craze has been to set up numerous, out-posted 'sub-stations,' in convenience stores and other small retail businesses. The theory is to keep officers out of precinct stations and 'in the community' while they perform administrative duties, such as report writing.
We now all see the downside to this! In a precinct station, while you're concentrating on composing detailed reports about which you will have to testify years later, you can relax (at least a little), because you are in a relatively secure facility, surrounded with fences and secured access-doors. Doing the same thing in a 'community sub-station,' involves a quantum-leap in risk-exposure, as we see!
'Community-Policing' must always be subordinated to officer safety. Since this flawed philosophy is now so ingrained in our profession, it will take a while, and a few more fatal attacks, for upper-management to make necessary procedural changes.
In the interim, the only one looking out for you is you, so think tactically before glibly, naively taking part in someone else's feel-good fluff!"
Comment: In these dangerous times, we all have to be able to respond swiftly and effectively to changes in our environment. We all know that the bigger the institution, the slower it advances. Accordingly, as individuals, we have to take complete, personal command of our own safety, never delegating that responsibility to a "system," "gadget," nor "policy."
Never expect someone else to care more about you than you care about yourself!
Latest Trend in SA, from friends there:
"We're experiencing Mall robberies here!
A large group of armed men, at least a dozen, all with Kalashnikovs, storm a mall and hit high-end merchandise shops. They do not hesitate to fire their weapons, and most of these incidents end up with shots fired and multiple injuries. No mall is exempt. In fact, our largest and most 'secure' malls have all been hit more than once.
Jewelry stores are typically located in the center of malls for maximum insulation from robberies, but these gangs bypass peripheral shops and go directly for such places, because they have lots of cash and high-density merchandise on hand.
Our largest local mall, the biggest in the Western Cape, has responded with laughable 'extra security measures,' which include (even more) cameras and highly-visible, but unarmed, security guards. As any idiot could have predicted, these window-dressing measures do not represent any species of deterrent, as robbers blithely ignore them, and the guards themselves instantly run away, dropping their metal-detecting wands (their only 'weapon') in the process!
Once again, management and government alike dither around like the Three Stooges, doing everything imaginable, except something that has any chance of actually working!
Typical Western Civilization!"
All too typical! When this plague hits the USA, our "response" will predictably be identical, and identically ineffective!
Weak, window-dressing responses to real safety issues are symptomatic of declining civilizations, where everyone cares only about appearances, and little genuine problem-solving ever sees the light of day.
Effective problem-solving always begins with the abrupt removal of rose-colored glasses!
I love the way John Henry "Doc" Holliday put it:
"Play to win, or don't bother. Check friendship at the door. A 'friendly game' is a contradiction of terms. When looking for entertainment, there is the theater. When camaraderie is your need, there is the bar. For companionship, you've only to seek out any number of likely whores."


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text:
Robot Sensors & Actuators
Sweep Is a $250 LIDAR With Range of 40 Meters That Works Outdoors
Finally an affordable LIDAR for robots and drones
By Evan Ackerman
Photo: Scanse
Are you building a robot that's supposed to autonomously navigate in a useful way? Cool, that means you'll be needing a LIDAR system, then. For better or worse, it's usually just that straightforward: LIDAR is arguably the best sensor we have right now for reliable navigation, localization, and obstacle avoidance for ground robots. In terms of relatively low-cost sensors, sonar is poor resolution and short range; structured light and time-of-flight sensors are short range and don't work well outdoors; and camera-based vision systems aren't robust enough for reliable navigation.
Image: Scanse
The "relatively low cost" bit is the problem: LIDARs are pricey, and an "affordable" 2D unit, with a range of 10 meters or less, can cost you over US $1,000. This is an enormous problem for both hobbyists and cost-conscious commercial robotics developers (i.e. every single commercial robotics developer).
A San Leandro, Calif.-based startup called Scanse has developed a 2D LIDAR system that promises to be simultaneosly much cheaper and much better than what's out there. For $250, you get a spinning LIDAR sensor with a range of 40 meters, even outdoors. We featured Sweep on Video Friday a while back, but we wanted follow up with a more detailed article, with some additional info from the Scanse team.
LIDARs are being used in almost every commercial or industrial mobile robot in operation or under development today. Once you start looking for them, you see them everywhere, from simple material-handling robots to advanced autonomous cars. LIDARs are also used extensively in applications besides navigation and localization: you can use them to make detailed 3D scans of areas, for example, or to establish safety curtains. Whatever the application, a LIDAR is often the single most expensive component in any robotic system, and that's where Scanse saw a huge opportunity:
What makes Sweep unique is that, at its core, it relies on a new kind of LIDAR sensor, developed by a company called PulsedLight. Scanse co-founder Tyson Messori explains how it works:
Sweep is based on a new time of flight ranging method, which involves sending out laser pulses that are made up of a series of micro pulses. These micro pulses act as a kind of light based checksum, which allows the sensor to more easily correlate returning light to the known pattern, and achieve a phase difference measurement. This method is much different than traditional LIDAR, which uses a train of identical pulses to measure the phase difference between outgoing and incoming light.
The traditional method requires the pulses to be much brighter than ambient light, otherwise it gets drowned in noise. This requires high power lasers and finely tuned detectors. The new method we are using allows the sensor to use lower power components, which contributes to its low cost. This also gives it the ability to sense surfaces up to 40 meters away, even in noisy sunlit environments. A final added benefit comes from the fact that each pulse packet is unique, which means the sensor can reject multi-bounce returns (as they would come out of order), as well as light from adjacent sensors.
The disadvantage of this technique is that Sweep spends more time on each individual measurement, which lowers its update rate to 500 Hz. Similar low-cost LIDAR systems typically offer update rates of 2,000 Hz to 10,000 Hz. What does this mean for you? Here's what Messori says about use cases:
Sweep's lower update rate makes it most suitable for obstacle detection rather than environment scanning, if used on moving vehicles. A typical mobile robot use case will set Sweep to scan at around 3 Hz, giving about 2 degree angular resolution. Static scanning use cases don't care as much about scan speed. An example would be a surveyor looking to make 3D scans of environments. Paired with a second rotation stage, Sweep can provide a full sphere of data points with 0.75 degree angular resolution in about 3 minutes.
To get a sense of how Sweep stacks up against other low-cost LIDARs, here's a table that compares Sweep's specs with the SICK TiM561, the Hokuyo URG-04LX, and the RPLIDAR, which looks to be a re-engineered version of the Revo LDS from inside a Neato robot vacuum:
Source: Scanse
A detailed spec sheet on Sweep can be found here.
Messori notes that Sweep also includes hardware and software that make it easy to add brains and cleverness to your robot:
One of the key innovations unique to Sweep, which differentiates it from all the sensors listed above, is its ability to perform much of the processor intensive data filtering internally. Sweep has an ST Cortex M line microprocessor dedicated to angle/range data fusion and range filtering and another smaller microprocessor dedicated to motor control. This allows it to offload much of the data filtering from the parent controller.
Many consumer robots still have fairly low power processors, which can get bogged down with the amount of data LIDAR sensors can produce. By performing some of the filtering internally, Sweep can be used on much smaller and lower power platforms. One of the first filters we are providing is the ability to ask it to only output where the closest obstacles are. In this way, an aerial drone or other small robot can easily avoid obstacles with minimal processing effort. Scanse will be releasing additional filters targeted toward the surveillance and IOT fields.
This is one of the primary benefits of Sweep. While you could, if you wanted to, buy the LIDAR sensor made by PulsedLight that's inside Sweep (called LIDAR-Lite), getting Sweep as an integrated package of hardware and software has some big advantages. Scanse says it has invested thousands of hours into their platform to make it compact and rugged. Perhaps most important, they've also done a lot of the software work for you: Sweep will play nice with ROS, will come with an SDK for Arduino and Raspberry Pi (and other languages), and drivers for Pixhawk, NI's roboRIO, and more.
We should note that PulsedLight was acquired by Garmin earlier this year, but Messori isn't worried about it: "We have known the sensor development team that is now part of Garmin for more than two years and have maintained a strong relationship with them," he says. "The sensor component going into the units we will be delivering in Q4 2016 are a future version of the technology, which have been upgraded with benefit of Garmin's resources."
As of this morning, Sweep has over 770 backers, and is at about $200,000 in pledges, just shy of their $230,000 goal. With only four days to go on this (the campaign ends on Monday), it would be great to see this get funded—there's just a desperate need for it in robotics. That said, as with all crowdfunded projects, it's important to understand that Sweep is not a ready-to-ship product: you're not buying one, you're pledging money to Scanse to help them create and deliver a product in the future. While we have a generally favorable impression of this thing, there's always a risk that for whatever reason Scanse won't be able to make it happen. If you believe in what they're trying to do, committing now will help push them over their Kickstarter goal and put you in line for the first batch of Sweep units. Your other option is to wait until next year, and (hopefully) buy one off-the-shelf for a little extra instead.
[ Sweep ] via [ Scanse ]
Robotics News
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Erico Guizzo, Editor
Evan Ackerman, Senior Writer
Fan Shi, Contributor
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Hands-on With TurtleBot 3, a Powerful Little Robot for Learning ROS
AI Startup Using Robots and Lidar to Boost Productivity on Construction Sites
kickstarter lidar robot sensors scanse sweep


Now I am an indoor person. Never seen any reason to subject myself to all the bugs that call the outdoors home. However after reading all the gorgeous descriptions that Ms. Roberts has put into her book has me rethinking my stance on the great outdoors.
Maggie has been carrying baggage since her time in the BAU including how her and Vic parted. She has found peace working in the Park Service but when dead bodies start showing up, she is going to have to rethink her peace especially when Vic shows up to work the case. There is a definite tension between Maggie and Vic which could effect them working together unless they manage to get all under control.
Along with the drama between the main characters, there is also an unsub who is extremely comfortable out in the wilderness. An unsub who seems to stay one step ahead of everyone hunting him. This fact kept me on the edge of my seat and glued to the pages.
I recommend THE HUNTING GROUNDS to any of my readers who enjoy a well written romantic suspense with taut pacing, good dialogue, great characters and a surprising conclusion. I somehow missed the first book in this series and I plan on going back to catch up.


text:
Researchers study the behavior of trick-or-treating children
by Zenobia Talati, The Conversation
Go with the group on trick or treat this Halloween.Credit: Sean Locke Photography
Halloween is upon us tonight and it's all just a bit of harmless fun, right? Or is there truly a dark side to Halloween?
What should we make of kids getting together in groups, wearing costumes that hide their identity, and going from house to house asking for treats at the threat of a "trick"?
One dark Halloween night many years ago, some researchers decided to find out by hiding in houses throughout suburban Chicago, in the United States, and observing the behaviour of 1,039 children who were trick-or-treating by themselves or with other children (but not with adults).
The aim was to see if the children's behaviour would be influenced by anonymity and/or the behaviour of the other children they were with (if they were in a group).
Look who's knocking
When the experimenter greeted children at the door, some children were asked their names and where they lived (they were considered "identified") while others were not (they were considered "anonymous").
The front entrance to each house contained a table with a bowl of candy and a bowl of coins. The experimenter told the children they could take one piece of candy each, and then left them unattended.
As you may expect, when children were anonymous they stole more. Children who were by themselves stole 14% more when they were anonymous than those who gave their name and address.
But surprisingly, the anonymous groups of children stole more than twice as much (36%) as the identified groups.
So why were children more likely to steal when they were in an anonymous group compared to when they were anonymous and alone? After all, the children in the groups weren't anonymous to each other whereas the children who were by themselves weren't accountable to anyone.
What causes this?
The children in groups usually copied the behaviour of the child who acted first. So if the first child to approach the table stole money or candy, most other group members followed suit. Similarly, when the first child didn't take extra candy or money, most other group members also didn't.
The children who made the first move were more likely to steal if they were anonymous or in a group. So it appears that being in a group or being anonymous affected the children who were the first to act which then affected the behaviour of the rest of the group.
This phenomenon, where people's inhibitions are lowered and they are more likely to violate social norms, this is what psychologists call deindividuation.
Do you ask who comes knocking on trick or treat? Credit: Flickr/camknows, CC BY-NC-SA
A meta-analysis of 60 studies found that deindividuated behaviours tended to occur when the behaviour was considered appropriate in that time and place. People were more likely to go against the wider societal norm if their behaviour was seen as normal within the situation or group.
This shifting of the norm explains why so many children in the Halloween study copied the first child in their group when they chose whether or not to steal the candy.
It's all about the group's norms. When the norm is to act violently, then that's what people will do. But if the norm is to act compassionately, then they will act compassionately, as we see in the next case.
What about the costumes?
Costumes may set a standard for how people believe they should act. In one study, participants were instructed to wear either a nurse's uniform or a Ku Klux Klan uniform, and then administer electric shocks to someone in another room at whatever intensity they felt was appropriate.
All participants were told they were part of a group wearing the same uniforms and administering shocks. They were told the other group members were sitting in separate cubicles. In reality, there were no other group members and there was no one actually receiving shocks.
Half the participants were identifiable to their group; they were told that the "other group members" would see a photo of them and everyone in the group would see the voltages of the shocks everyone delivered.
Participants actually saw fake shock voltages delivered by the "other group members" on their computer screen. The shock voltage could be between -3 and +3 and the fake voltages were programmed so that they eventually averaged out to 0.
The other half of the participants were anonymous to their group; the "other group members" didn't know who else was in the group and no one in the group could see the voltages delivered.
Dressed to thrill
Regardless of anonymity, all people dressed as nurses delivered lower intensity shocks compared to those dressed as Ku Klux Klan members. This suggests that people felt more compassionate when they were dressed as nurses.
Interestingly, the anonymous nurses administered the lowest intensity shocks on average.
But why would the people dressed as nurses act nicer when they were anonymous compared to when they could see what their group was doing? Again it comes down to what people perceive the group norm to be.
Participants who were identifiable seemed to choose a shock intensity that was more in line with what they saw the "other group members" giving. Participants who were anonymous to their group had no information on how their group was behaving and had to use other clues to work out what the group norm would be.
Thus, the nurse's uniform could have created a situational norm (be nice and give lower intensity shocks) which was counter to the general norm (when an experimenter tells you to shock someone, you turn up the voltage).
In the meta-analysis mentioned earlier, things such as costumes, anonymity and size of the group were found to only have a weak influence on deindividuated behaviours.
They may make people more likely to act in line with group norms, but they are not the main driving force behind deindividuated behaviours. At the end of the day, the driving force is the need to conform to situational norms.
The power of the group
Although the studies described above were carried out many years ago, I've found nothing that overturns or contradicts their findings so they still offer us important insights into how deindividuation occurs.
Most importantly, if an individual identifies with their group, the group's norms are likely to be seen as right.
So back to Halloween. For parents who are worried that dressing up their child as a villian such as the Joker or some other evil character will make them more likely to behave badly, maybe dress them as a superhero instead.
And for those greeting trick-or-treaters tonight, maybe now is a good time to reduce anonymity by getting to know the kids in your neighbourhood.
Scary part of Halloween is sugar, calories in trick-or-treat bag
Source: The Conversation
This story is published courtesy of The Conversation (under Creative Commons-Attribution/No derivatives).
Citation: Researchers study the behavior of trick-or-treating children (2014, October 31) retrieved 16 July 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2014-10-behavior-trick-or-treating-children.html
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Accurate diagnosis is the basis for all clinical intervention in mental health. There are known short-comings in the current model of psychiatric diagnosis, which may be effecting the successful treatment of an untold number of patients. Mental health professionals are a worthy and dedicated bunch of people, doing a difficult job. In spite of the limitations there are numerous emerging approaches with potential to enhance diagnosis and treatment. Unable to start back at 'square one,' the emphasis is moving beyond conventional diagnostic structures to conceptualize more fundamental ground states underlying all illness. In the current article I will focus on the current disconnect of conventional diagnostic criteria with these foundational ground states. This is especially true for the DSM IV used in all spheres of psychiatry today.
There has been a lot of controversy in the development of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, fifth edition (DSM-V) currently underway. Dr. Al Francis, a lead editor in the development of the DSM IV has come out with serious criticism of the proposed manual, pointing out its shortcomings. He says, "there is no definition of a mental disorder…I mean you just can't define it." He has, in fact, launched a "bitter and protracted battle with the people, some of them his friends, who are creating the next edition of the DSM in a very public way, to include the general public." (From Wired, Jan. 2011 edition).
In "Ecology & Psychiatry, Part I", I began working on ways to describe the phenomenon of "arousal"as basic and more fundamental than diagnostic categories. The state of arousal is an innate aspect of living organisms. The more differentiated the organism, the more the individualized the state of arousal can be. I speak in macro-cosmic terms since there may well be great variations from say, one insect to another. But those theoretical variations, although outside the sphere of relevance to psychiatric inquiry, do fall in sync with the overall picture of paced pulsing levels of energy expressed through the arousal of given individuals.
I learned the basics of the DSM III in the early days of my psychiatric training. As time passed I discovered most patients did not fit into the diagnostic criteria. There are often 'spill-over' of symptoms and signs beyond diagnostic boundaries. Often, to be usefully accurate, it required more than one diagnosis to encompass all of the findings. Often dramatic arousal states found non-expression or non-inclusion in DSM diagnoses. The DSM IV purposely avoids underlying cause of disease expression. If the DSM is used with these limitations in mind, it's not a bad system for organizing symptom-cluster states. Since psychoactive medications of today are used across diagnostic categories boundaries one does wonder what function the manual actually serves?
It's not a stretch to consider a "furnace of arousal" as the energy source for these symptoms. Ostensibly, once successfully treated the mood returns to "normal." In my experience the overt and prominent symptoms do diminish in amplitude but frequently underlying hyper-arousal remains. The 8-Signature Array, a diagnostic test, shows expansiveness, accelerating enlargement of signatures and increased pattern size in bipolar patients long after the manic state has been treated. When someone, in the absence of available history, presents with presumptive depression it is often difficult to diagnosis bipolarity. They may have no recollection of the prominent signs and symptoms with episodic high-energy states, lack of need for sleep and increased gregariousness they see as "normal." Yet they present with many depressive parameters like sad mood, lack of interest or drive, sleep problems and negativity. The 8 Signature Array handwriting test most often reveals acceleration in speed, size and other telltale signs of underlying hyper-arousal. This finding is not consistent with a true "uni-polar depression" where there would be slowing and reduced surface area. On further questioning the bipolar depressed patients would endorse report symptoms of agitation, difficulty concentrating, racing thoughts and irritability. The assumption is the hyper-aroused state drives one to "expand" neuro-vegetative energy in areas under the least conscious control or less integrated channels of development. (This also alludes to the idea of energy flow and utilization).
Hyper-arousal can be found in non-bipolar patients, who are often misdiagnosed as Bipolar. This is certainly true in some of the personality or character Disorders. They can have positive findings in moodiness, irritability, highs and lows, racing thoughts and anxiety without the clearly demarcated periods of mania, hypomania or depression. In fact I've come to think about the personality mood disorders as multi-polar rather than "bi-polar." Their mood changes tend to orbit around interpersonal issues rather than the mood states themselves. The issue in this case is clearly hyper-arousal driving dysfunctional emotional response or acting out, in ways particular to the individual's psychopathology.
A third example of hyper-arousal at the heart of a diagnostic entity is Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). People with this diagnosis often present diagnostic confusion sometime during their lives once they enter the clinical environment. There may be crossover symptoms and signs although far less dramatic than chronologically mutable mood states of bipolar disorder. Whether they are diagnosed bipolar, mood disorder, conduct disorder or ADHD is more a result of convention or vogue. Their handwriting can be fast and expansive to reflect hyper-arousal as are their subjective reports. Non-stimulant medication can reduce some of their arousal while doing little for the attentional deficits.
Finally, patients new to the mental health system have frequently been functional throughout their previous lives. Once hit by one or a series of interruptions in life they may develop overwhelming symptoms. Middle age job-loss, divorce or other major stressors may have a domino effect on other areas of life. The energy or arousal level that was once normal and functional converts into symptoms difficult to contain. Their innate level of hyper-arousal has not suddenly appeared in the form of a psychiatric diagnosis, rather it has shifted course. The "energy channels" developed over years are suddenly blocked. The "arousal energy" once directed outward turns back on itself. This results in a kind of "building up steam" paradigm manifesting in numerous ways.
Clearly this "Arousal Hypothesis" lacks scientific rigor and peer review. Other than the 8-Signature Array and clinical impression it is not quantifiable nor does it conform to formal methodological research standards. I have attempted here to describe commonalities of nature that crossing conventional diagnostic definition,which I've encountered over the course of 24 years of clinical practice.
In Parshas Tazria, in the Book of Exodus, there is a description of a kind of malady called "tzaras." In English translations it is frequently called "leprosy" and confused with the medical condition of the same name. Correctly, it is actually a spiritual condition brought about through certain transgressions of Torah Law that manifest in stages, first of which is a coloration on the face or beard. If "untreated" it progresses to the clothing and finally to the stones of one's house. In contrast to our current medical model, a physician is not brought in for diagnosis and treatment. Rather, it is the Cohen, or priest who performs these tasks. He alone can properly pronounce the diagnosis and the formal practices required to bring about a cure. The diagnosis and the underlying cause are the same. The adjustment in the "patient's behavior" brings about the cessation of the symptoms. In our modern life we've placed layer upon layer of "stuff" between ourselves and our own Spiritual connection with G-d and Essence. Science has been unable to "prove" or disprove the existence of this immeasurable G-dly Effervescence that pervades all existence. In the Torah all disease is spiritual in nature and cure.
How does this relate to us and modern maladies? How do values and behavior effect our mental health? How can we incorporate these into treatment approaches for more relevant, holistic solutions? Finally, can a conscious eye to underlying arousal states enhance diagnostic accuracy by forming a bridge beyond symptom clusters to less differentiated emotional energy experience?
These are some of the questions I will try to address in future articles.


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Philosopher Thomas Nagel To Speak at Amherst College April 3
March 13, 2003Director of Media Relations413/542-8417AMHERST, Mass.- Thomas Nagel, professor of philosophy and law at the New York University School of Law, will speak on "Moral Realism and Moral Objectivity" on Thursday, April 3, at 4:30 p.m. in the Cole Assembly Room. This talk, sponsored by the Department of Philosophy at Amherst College and the Forry Fund in Philosophy and Science as part of a series on "Objectivity in Science and Ethics," will be free and open to the public.
Cole Assembly Room
converse hall
forry fund in philosophy and science
objectivity in science and ethics
philosopphy
moral realism and moral objectivity
Read more about Philosopher Thomas Nagel To Speak at Amherst College April 3


5 Someone interested in an openSUSE SE?
4 Is asking a series of questions discouraged?
119 Should I reject a CSR when the host emailed me the private key for SSL certificate request?
43 What's the difference between HEAD^ and HEAD~ in Git?
40 How can people send me spam emails from the future?
33 Why would a switch be connected to a router using three ethernet cables?


text:
Slap Powerscourt (irsko Eas Chonaill ) je slap na reki Dargle  blizu Enniskerryja v grofiji Wicklow na Irskem. Je v dolini, obkroženi s pogorjem Djouce in Great Sugar Loaf. Z višino 121 metrov je najvišji slap na Irskem. Slap in okoliška dolina sta v posesti Powerscourt.

Dostop proti slapu je obkrožen z bukovim, hrastovim, macesnovim in borovim gozdom, nekatera drevesa so bila posajena pred več kot 200 leti. Rastejo tudi veličastne sekvoje, ki izvirajo iz Kalifornije in so bile zasajene po letu 1860.

V dolini živijo tudi sika jeleni, ki so bili na Irsko pripeljani leta 1858, in druge živali. Od ptic najdemo ščinkavce, kukavice, krokarje in penice.

Zgodovina
Leta 1752 je škof Pococke pisal o svojem obisku v Powerscourtu, ki je bil del njegovih potovanj po Irski:

...Powers Court, ki spada v Lord Powerscourt ... V parku, ki je oddaljen dve milji od dvorca, je znamenit slap, ki je kaskada, ki pada v enem curku brez prekinitev ... visoka tla na vsaki strani, prekrita z gozdom ....

Turizem v sodobnem smislu se je začel okoli leta 1750, zato je bil Pococke eden prvih, ki je pisal o obisku Powerscourta.

Druga polovica 18. stoletja je sovpadala z romantičnim gibanjem in iskanjem čudovitih krajev ter razgledov, ki bi izzvali čustva strahospoštovanja in groze, ki vlada v naravi. Slap se je lepo prilegal opisu, zato je bil pogosto obiskovan in opisan.

Avgusta 1821 se je med obiskom kralja Jurija IV. na Irskem Richard Wingfield, 5. powerscoutski vikont, odločil, da bo slap zajezil tako, da bi lahko spustil hudournik v trenutku, ko bo stal na mostu pod slapom. Kralj ni mogel zapustiti banketa v dvorcu, dokler ni bila voda končno sproščena in je most odneslo.

Naslednji vikont je izboljšal razmere pri slapu, zgradil razgledni most, prostor za piknik in sedeže ter banketno sobo. Slap je bil potrjen na turističnem zemljevidu, ko se je pojavil v zelo priljubljeni knjigi Vodnik za grofijo Wicklow, objavljeni leta 1822, ki je bil vodnik za turiste v grofiji naslednjih 50 let.

Sklici

Zunanje povezave

Powerscourt Waterfall at World Waterfall Database
DiscoverIreland

Geografija Irske

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Our Insurance Litigation team, headed by partner Jamie McCabe, provides a range of litigation services to UK insurers.
We deliver claims handling services to major UK insurers.
We have a national reputation for our expertise in handling the most serious and expensive catastrophic injury cases, mainly severe brain injury, spinal cord injury and amputations.


TRENDING - Adrian Peterson Calls Matt Forte "The Steph Curry of Football"
Vikings superstar Adrian Peterson said "I'll say I'm the Michael Jordan,'' Peterson said on a recent conference call with Kansas City-area media. "There's always the debate, would LeBron be better than Michael? So I'll say I'm the Michael Jordan of football.'' Now the comparisons have found their way to our beloved Matt Forte. Peterson said on Wednesday "Matt Forte. What would I call him? I would call him Stephen Curry. Mr. Dependable. That's what I would call him," Peterson told Chicago reporters.


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Home>Speeches>MS treatment drug Fampyra – Topical Issue Debate
MS treatment drug Fampyra – Topical Issue Debate
Speech by Minister of State Alex White TD
I wish to thank the Deputy for raising this issue. First of all I want to clarify that Fampridine (Fampyra®) was never available to Multiple Sclerosis patients under the Long Term Illness Scheme. However, I understand that the manufacturer of Fampyra supplied the drug free of charge to some patients who were prescribed the drug by their clinician. The manufacturer has recently decided to stop supplying the drug free of charge and, as a consequence, these patients are now faced with financing the drug themselves if they wish to continue with this drug treatment.
The HSE has statutory responsibility for decisions on pricing and reimbursement of medicinal products under the community drug schemes in accordance with the provisions of the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013.
The HSE received an application for the inclusion of Fampridine (Fampyra®) in the GMS and community drugs schemes. The application was considered in line with the procedures and timescales agreed by my Department and the HSE with the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA) for the assessment of new medicines.
In accordance with these procedures, the National Centre for Pharmacoeconomics (NCPE) conducted a pharmacoeconomic evaluation of Fampridine and concluded that, as the manufacturer was unable to demonstrate the cost effectiveness of Fampridine in the Irish healthcare setting, it was unable to recommend the reimbursement of the product. The report is available on the NCPE's website.
The HSE assessment process is intended to arrive at a decision on the funding of new medicines that is clinically appropriate, fair, consistent and sustainable. In these circumstances, the HSE has not approved the reimbursement of Fampridine under the community drug schemes, including the Long Term Illness Scheme.
I understand that studies are ongoing to assess the wider impact of Fampridine on both walking and quality of life for persons diagnosed with MS. It is as yet unknown what impact improvement in walking speed has on quality of life.
The results of these studies will contribute to the evidence base demonstrating the clinical effectiveness of Fampridine which can be used to support future applications for its inclusion on the lists of reimbursable items supplied under the community drugs scheme.
In this context, it is open to the manufacturer, at any time, to submit a new application to the HSE for the inclusion of Fampridine on the community drug schemes.
I understand the manufacturer has indicated to the HSE that it intends to submit a revised application for Fampridine. The HSE will then re-consider the application in line with the agreed procedures and timescales for the assessment of new medicines.


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Creatures of the Night е десети студиен албум на американската рок група Kiss. Издаден е на 13 октомври 1982 г. от Casablanca Records.

Обща информация
Албумът представлява съзнателно усилие на Kiss да се върне към хардрок стила, който им помага в миналото да постигнат успехи с "Destroyer" (1976) и "Love Gun" (1977). Техните поп-ориентирани албуми "Dynasty" (1979) и "Unmasked" (1980) започват да намаляват популярността на групата, достигайки до дъното с "Music from The Elder" (1981). През 1982 г. Kiss знае, че трябва да изпълни предишното си обещание от 1980 – 1981 г. за тежък запис, който те не успяват да направят.

Първата основна промяна е китаристът Вини Винсънт, който скоро заменя Ейс Фрели като нов китарист на групата, след като е представен на групата от Адам Мичъл. Фрели свири само в песента "Creatures of the Night", въпреки че лицето му (по договорни и търговски причини) все още е включено в обложката на албума. Фрели навива бандата да направи тежък рок албум, а по времето на "Creatures of the Night" той е напълно разочарован от групата и това, съчетано с лекарствената му зависимост, започнала след преживяната катастрофа, е причината да напусне групата по време на записите. На турнето, Винсънт е представен с египетския си анкх грим, измислен от Пол Стенли. През 1985 г. Kiss пуска албума в своя не-грим версия, с обложка с участието на Симънс, Стенли, Кар и тогавашния китарист Брус Кулик (въпреки че Кулик не свири в албума). Вини Винсънт отдавна е вън от бандата (два пъти е уволнен) до 1985 г.

През 1982 г. популярността на Kiss в САЩ се понижава, поради променящите се музикални вкусове и тяхното почти изоставане от хардрока. "Dynasty" от 1979 г., докато е успешен от търговска гледна точка, отчуждава много фенове с диско-ориентираната песен "I Was Made For Lovin' You". "Unmasked" попада още повече в поп музиката и е първият албум на Kiss, който не постига статут на платинен от "Dressed to Kill" (1975).

Когато записването започва през юли 1982 г., Kiss всъщност е трио. Фрели все още се появява с групата, но почти завършва музикалното си участие с Kiss. Той изглежда напълно неуверен. В случаите, когато бандата синхронизира устните със записаните песни, очевидно е, че той не знае текста. Едва след пускането на албума и приключването на краткотрайно турне в Европа, Фрели официално напуска.

"Creatures of the Night" е първият албум на Kiss, в който всички вокали са изпълнени от Симънс или Стенли. Всички предишни студийни издания на групата съдържат поне една песен с вокали от друг член на групата. Албумът е посветен на Нийл Богърт – основател на Casablanca Records и сред първите фенове на Kiss, който умира от рак по време на записите.

Състав
 Пол Стенли – вокали, ритъм китара
 Ейс Фрели – соло китара (кредитиран, но не участва)
 Джийн Симънс – вокали, бас, ритъм китара в "Killer" и "War Machine"
 Ерик Кар – барабани, бек вокали, бас в "I Still Love You"
 Вини Винсънт – соло киатара в "Saint and Sinner", "Keep Me Comin'", "Danger", "I Love It Loud", "Killer" и "War Machine"

Допълнителен персонал
 Робен Форд – соло китара в "Rock and Roll Hell" и "I Still Love You"
 Стив Фарис – соло китара в "Creatures of the Night"
 Джими Хаслип – бас в "Danger"
 Майк Поркаро – бас в "Creatures of the Night"
 Адам Мичъл – ритъм китара в "Creatures of the Night"

Песни

Позиции в класациите
Албум

Източници

Албуми на Кис
Музикални албуми от 1982 година


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Q: Alternative ways of setting full sized background image for mobile browsers I am making media query for mobile website and i am trying to set background to image:
body {
background: url("../images/back1.jpg") no-repeat center center fixed;
webkit-background-size: cover;
-moz-background-size: cover;
-o-background-size: cover;
background-size: cover;
}

This doesn't work for mobile phones.As i understand i can not use fixed for mobile browsers.My question what other ways are there for making background image without stretching it too much or making it blurry.Thank you for your time

A: Try adding a child container for the body.

    body {
      position: relative;
      min-height: 700px;
      }
      body div {
        position: fixed;
        left: 0;
        right: 0;
        bottom: 0;
        top: 0;
        background: url("https://placehold.it/480x720") no-repeat center center;
        webkit-background-size: cover;
        -moz-background-size: cover;
        -o-background-size: cover;
        background-size: cover;
      }
<body>
  <div>

  </div>
</body>

Note: This may be an inefficient way to get the result. Adding too many DOM elements will increase computations done by your browser.

A: It sounds like the core issue is that you don't have this meta tag:
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">

This will enable "responsiveness" in mobile browsers.

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Is Apple prepping three versions of the iPad 2 for a 2011 launch?
If the latest iPad rumors are true, we could be seeing not one, but three versions of the iPad 2 set to roll out in 2011.
According to DigiTimes, Apple is planning to release three versions "supporting either or a combination of Wi-Fi, UMTS and CDMA." The new iPads are predicted to start going into mass production in January. There isn't any mention about display sizes nor storage capacities.
There are a lot of rumors and reports regarding a second generation of the iPad swirling around these days. DigiTimes has previously reported that we'd see a smaller iPad in 2011, even with OLED displays, and that initial shipments could reach up to 600,000 units.
Neverhteless, Apple has remained mum, so we're really just going to have to wait and see if any of those stories pan out.


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STATE REP. ANA HERNANDEZ: Zoom meeting updates Legislative report
STATE REPRESENTATIVE ANA HERNANDEZ REPORTED TO CONSTITUENTS VIA ZOOM
NORTH CHANNEL – State Representative Ana Hernandez was the featured speaker at the September 2nd CIP (Community Industry Partnership) meeting, held by Zoom for about 35 participants. Hernandez spoke about work accomplished in the 87th legislative session, and the two specials sessions that Governor Abbott called after that. Hernandez was one of the 50 Democrats that left the Capitol to block legislation that they deemed restrictive to voting rights, but she and Representatives Walle and Coleman eventually returned, and others later, to allow the sessions to continue. As a results, SB1 (Voting rights) and SB8 (Abortion rights), were passed by a Republican majority over the Democrat's objections.
Hernandez noted that the governor plans to call a 3rd Special Session, to proceed with redistricting and to finish voting on bills that did not pass in the previous sessions. She said that due to population growth, redistricting will results in at least 2 new congressional seats for Texas.
On SB1, she said that it will not take effect for 90 days, and meanwhile the U.S. Congress is working on voting rights legislation that might supercede the Texas restrictive regulations. Among other restrictions, SB1 prohibits 24 hour voting, drive-thru voting, and mailing ballots to anyone that did not request one.
She also explained passage of bills that strengthen the ERCOT electric power grid, and SB900 which requires safer measures for oil storage tanks to avoid fires such as the 2019 ITC fire in Deer Park.
Another subject which the legislature passed, and Hernandez explained, was the open-carry "permitless" gun bill, which has advocates on both sides of the issue.
Some of the bills authored or sponsored by Hernandez included:
House Bill 16, which will protect residential consumers and small businesses from price-gouging electric plans.
House Bill 917 to give retirees representation on their own Employee Retirement System Board of Trustees.
House Bill 914, which will provide designated municipal employees the authority to request the removal of abandoned or illegally parked vehicles from public roadways.
House Bill 402, which will allow the use of assets seized from human traffickers to fund critical assistance programs for survivors of human trafficking.
Hernandez also talked about the 2022-2023 Budget. The Texas House of Representatives and Senate have approved a $248 billion two-year budget that fully funds the state's commitment to the public education investments made by House Bill 3 during the 86th Legislative Session, invests additional funds into higher education, and strengthens Texas' commitment to mental health services and public safety.


The details are in for Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler's seven-year, $126.7 million contract.
According to a league source, the deal doesn't include a signing bonus and has $54 million in total guaranteed money.
The deal averages $18.1 million per year.
In 2014, Cutler has a $22.5 million base salary and salary-cap figure with $2.5 million of his base salary deferred until March 30, 2014 in addition to another $2.5 million paid out over the 2015 regular season.
In 2015, Cutler has a $15.5 million base salary guaranteed and salary-cap figure.
In 2016, Cutler has a $16 million base salary and salary-cap figure.
In 2017, Cutler is due a $12.5 million nonguaranteed base salary and a $15 million salary-cap figure.
He has a $2.5 million per-game roster bonus paid out $156,250 for every game he's active.
In 2018, he has a $13.5 million nonguaranteed base salary with a $16 million salary-cap figure.
That includes the same $2.5 million per-game roster bonus.
In 2019, he has a $17.5 million nonguaranteed base salary with a $20 million salary-cap figure. It has the same $2.5 million per-game roster bonus paid out $156,250 per game active.
In 2020, Cutler has a $19.2 million base salary plus $2.5 million per-game roster bonus spread out over the course of the season.