text:
\section{Introduction}

The unified model for Seyfert galaxies proposes that orientation of a
molecular torus determines the optical emission-line characteristics
(e.g.\ Antonucci\markcite{1} 1993).  When the molecular torus lies in
our line of sight, it blocks our view of the broad optical emission
lines, leading to a Seyfert 2 classification.  The X-ray emission of
Seyfert 2 galaxies is frequently absorbed (e.g.\ Turner et
al.\markcite{25} 1998; Bassani et al.\markcite{23}
1999), a result which supports this unified model.  In the most
extreme case, the obscuring material presents such a high column
density to the observer that no X-rays are transmitted.  Such objects
are termed ``Compton-thick'' Seyfert 2s, and the only X-rays observed
from them are ones that have been scattered from surrounding material.
(Diffuse thermal X-rays may also contribute).  Such objects are
important because they directly support unified models for Seyfert
galaxies.

The scattering is thought to originate in one or both of two types of
material, each of which imparts characteristic signatures on the
observed X-ray spectrum (for a review, Matt\markcite{15} 1997).
Scattering can occur in the warm optically thin gas that is thought to
produce the polarized broad lines seen in some Seyfert 2s.  The
resulting spectrum has the same slope as the intrinsic spectrum with
superimposed emission lines from recombination. This is the process
which appears to dominate in the archetype Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC~1068
(e.g.\ Netzer \& Turner\markcite{20} 1997).  Scattering can also occur
in optically thick cool material located on the surface of the
molecular torus.  In this case, the process is called Compton
reflection (e.g.\ Lightman \& White\markcite{10} 1988), and the
observed continuum spectrum is flat with superimposed K-shell
fluorescence lines (e.g.\ Reynolds et al.\markcite{22} 1994).
Circinus can be considered the prototype of a Compton-reflection
dominated Seyfert 2 galaxy (Matt et al.\markcite{17} 1996).

Compton-reflection dominated Seyfert 2 galaxies are important because
they may comprise a significant fraction of the X-ray background
(Fabian et al.\markcite{9} 1990).  They were once thought to be rare
(e.g.  Matt\markcite{15} 1997); however, new observations of objects
selected according to their [\ion{O}{III}] emission-line flux, a
method which ideally does not discriminate against highly absorbed
objects, show that they may be more common than previously thought
(Maiolino et al.\markcite{13} 1998).  However, {\it bright} examples
of this class remain rare. This is not surprising, because the
reflected X-rays are very much weaker than the primary continuum.

We present the results of an {\it RXTE} observation of the nearby (18
Mpc) Seyfert 2 galaxy NGC~6300.  This object has a flat hard X-ray
spectrum and huge equivalent width iron line which suggests that it is
a Compton-reflection dominated Seyfert 2 galaxy.  If so, it is one of
the brightest members of this class known, about half as bright as the
prototype, Circinus, and far brighter than other examples.

\section{Data Analysis}

NGC~6300 was first detected in hard X-rays during a {\it Ginga}
maneuver (Awaki\markcite{2} 1991).  We proposed scanning and pointing
observations of this galaxy using {\it RXTE} to confirm the {\it
Ginga} detection.  Another Seyfert 2 galaxy, NGC~6393, was detected
during a {\it Ginga} scan and was also investigated as part of this
proposal.  The data show that NGC~6393 was very faint ($<0.5\rm
\,counts\, s^{-1}$ in the top-layer for 5 PCUs).

The scanning {\it RXTE} observation of NGC 6300 was performed on 1997
February 14--15.  Four of 5 PCUs were on for the entire observation
and analysis was confined to these detectors.  A pointed observation
followed on February 20, 1997, performed with all five PCUs on.  The
data were reduced using Ftools 4.1 and 4.2 and standard data selection
criteria recommended for faint sources.  The resulting exposure for
the pointed observation was 24,896 seconds.  NGC 6300 was detected in
all three layers of the PCA, and the top and mid layers were used for
spectral fitting.  Background subtraction yielded net count rates for
5 PCUs of 4.4 counts s$^{-1}$ (12.5\% of the total) between 3 and 24
keV for the top layer, and 0.86 counts s$^{-1}$ (8.8\% of the total)
between 9 and 24 keV for the mid layer.

The current standard background model for the {\it RXTE} PCA is quite
good; however, NGC~6300 is a relatively faint source and therefore we
attempt to estimate systematic errors associated with the background
subtraction.  Above 30~keV, no signal should be detected; however, we
found a positive signal which could be removed if the background
normalization were increased by 1\%.  Below about 7~keV, no signal
should be detected in the mid or bottom layers. We observed a small
deficit in signal which would be removed if the background
normalization were decreased by 1\%.  We consider this evidence that
the systematic error on the background subtraction is less than 1\%.

The scan observation consisted of 4 passes over the object with a
total scan length of 6 degrees.  The scans were performed keeping the
declination constant during the first two passes and the right
ascension constant during the second two passes.  The resulting scan
profiles when compared with the optical position clearly
indicate that NGC~6300 is the X-ray source.  The field of view of the
PCA is less than two degrees in total width.  Since the scan length
was 6 degrees, and since there are apparently no other X-ray sources
in the field of view, the ends of the scan paths can be used to check
the quality of the background subtraction.  This was of some concern
since NGC~6300 is rather near the Galactic plane ($l=328$, $b=-14$)
and thus there could be Galactic X-ray emission not accounted for in
the background model.  We accumulated spectra with offset from the
source position $>1.5^\circ$.  The exposure time was 1472 seconds.
The count rate between 3 and 24 keV was $-0.28
\pm 0.19 \rm\, counts\,s^{-1}$, so there was no evidence for
unmodeled Galactic emission.  Thermal model residuals show
no pattern; i.e., there is no evidence for a 6.7~keV iron emission
line from the Galactic Ridge (Yamauchi \& Koyama\markcite{28} 1993).

\begin{figure}[t]
\vbox to3.0in{\rule{0pt}{3.0in}}
\special{psfile=ngc6300_fig1.ps angle=270 hoffset=10 voffset=250 vscale=100
hscale=100}
\caption{Ratio of data to a model consisting of power law plus
Galactic absorption model.  The excess near 6.4~keV clearly indicates
the large equivalent width iron line. Solid points and crosses denote
the top-layer and mid-layer data, respectively.}
\end{figure}

The spectrum from the pointed observation was first modeled using a
power law plus Galactic absorption set equal to $9.38\times
10^{20}\rm\, cm^{-2}$ (Figure 1; Dickey \& Lockman\markcite{6} 1990).
This model did not fit the data well ($\chi^2=609$ for 82 degrees of
freedom (d.o.f.)). The photon index is very flat ($\Gamma=0.60$),
there is clear evidence for an iron emission line and there are
negative low-energy residuals.  Addition of a narrow ($\sigma=0.05\rm
\,keV$) line with energy fixed at $6.4\rm\, keV$ improves the fit
substantially ($\Delta\chi^2=473$) but low energy residuals remain.
Additional absorption in the galaxy rest frame improves the fit
substantially ($\Delta\chi^2=45$).  Freeing the line energy again
improves the fit ($\Delta\chi^2=11$); the best fit rest-frame line
energy is $6.26 \rm\,keV$.  Freeing the line width marginally improves
the fit ($\Delta\chi^2=5$).  The final fit parameters are listed in
Table 1 and fit results are shown in Figure 2.

The absorbed power law plus iron line is an acceptable model.  The
notable properties of the fit are a very flat photon index
($\Gamma=0.68$) and very large equivalent width ($920\,\rm eV$).  Such
parameters suggest that the spectrum of NGC~6300 is dominated by
Compton-reflection (Matt et al.\markcite{17} 1996; Malaguti et
al.\markcite{12} 1998; Reynolds et al.\markcite{22} 1994).  We next use
the {\it pexrav} model in XSPEC to explore this possibility.  This
model calculates the expected X-ray spectrum when a point source of
X-rays is incident on optically thick, predominately neutral (except
hydrogen and helium) material.  The parameter $R$ measures the solid
angle $\Omega$ subtended by the optically thick material:
$R=\Omega/2\pi$.  The model that was fit includes a narrow iron line
and a direct and reflected power law; additional absorption also
appears to be necessary.  The low resolution and limited band pass
provided by the {\it RXTE} spectrum means that not all of the model
parameters could be constrained by the data; thus, the energy of the
exponential cutoff was fixed at 500~keV, approximately the value that
has been found in {\it OSSE} data from Seyfert galaxies (Zdziarski et
al.\markcite{29} 1995), and the inclination was initially fixed
arbitrarily at $45^\circ$.  This model provided a fairly good fit to
the data ($\chi^2=112$ for 77 d.o.f.).  However, the best fit value of
$R$ is very large (1450) and not well constrained.  This indicates
that the spectrum can be modeled using reflection alone, and there is
no significant contribution of direct emission (e.g.\ Matt et al.\markcite{17}
1996).

Reflection alone gives the same $\chi^2$ as the model which includes a
weak direct component, but the fit is still not completely
satisfactory, and it could be improved in two ways.  The first is to
allow the iron abundance to vary.  We set the iron abundance relative
to solar in the {\it pexrav} model equal to the abundances of light
elements and allow these parameters to vary together.  The fit is
improved significantly ($\Delta\chi^2=-36$ for $\Delta$d.o.f.=1) and
gives a slightly subsolar abundance.  The second is to allow the
inclination to be free.  The fit is not very sensitive to this
parameter, as $\Delta\chi^2$ over the whole range is 9.2.  The best
fit value is $\cos(\Theta)=0.22$, corresponding to 77$^\circ$ from the
normal.  The parameters are listed in Table 1.

\begin{deluxetable}{ll}
\small
\tablewidth{20pc}
\tablenum{1}
\tablecaption{Spectral Fitting Results}
\tablehead{
\colhead{Parameter} & \colhead{Value} \\}
\startdata

\multicolumn{2}{c}{Power Law Model} \nl

$\Gamma$ & $0.68_{-0.09,-0.13}^{+0.09,+0.16}$ \nl
$\rm N_H$ ($10^{22}\rm \,cm^{-2}$) &
$5.2_{-1.7,-2.7}^{+1.8,+3.5}$ \nl
$\rm E_{Fe}$ (keV) & $6.26_{-0.06,-0.02}^{+0.06,+0.02}$ \nl
$\rm \sigma_{Fe}$ (keV) & $0.32_{-0.16,+0.07}^{+0.13,-0.07}$ \nl
$\rm F_{Fe}$ ($10^{-5}\,\rm \,cm^{-2}\,s^{-1}$) &
$8.2_{-1.1,+0.5}^{+1.2,-0.4}$ \nl
$\rm EW_{Fe}$ (eV) & $920_{-130,+100}^{+140,-90}$ \nl
$\chi^2$/79 d.o.f. & $75.5_{\ldots,-2.2}^{\ldots,+6.7}$ \nl

\tableline
\multicolumn{2}{c}{Compton Reflection Model} \nl

$\Gamma$ & $1.89_{-0.09,+0.08}^{+0.08,-0.13}$  \nl
Abundance $^a$ & $0.61_{-0.11,+0.15}^{+0.11,-0.16}$  \nl
$\cos(\Theta)$ & $0.22_{-0.22,+0.02}^{+0.16,-0.04}$  \nl
$\rm E_{Fe}$ (keV) & $6.29_{-0.08,+0.02}^{+0.09,-0.02}$ \nl
$\rm \sigma_{Fe}$ (keV) & $0.22_{-0.22,-0.13}^{+0.20,+0.06}$  \nl
$\rm F_{Fe}$ ($10^{-5}\,\rm \,cm^{-2}\,s^{-1}$) &
$4.7_{-1.0,-1.2}^{+1.2,+1.2}$  \nl
$\rm EW_{Fe}$ (eV) & $470_{-100,-150}^{+120,+200}$ \nl
$\chi^2$/77 d.o.f. & $70.3_{\ldots,+9.2}^{\ldots,-1.6}$ \nl

\tableline
\multicolumn{2}{c}{Dual Absorber Model} \nl

$\Gamma$ & $1.71^{+0.21,+0.27}_{-0.19,-0.21}$ \nl
$\rm N_{H(thin)}$  ($10^{22}\rm\,cm^{-2}$) &
$7.7_{-5.2,-1.4}^{+4.0,+2.0}$  \nl
$\rm N_{H(thick)}$ ($10^{22}\rm\,cm^{-2}$) &
$58_{-22,-2}^{+23,+5}$  \nl
$\rm A_{thick}/A_{thin}$$^b$ & $1.9_{-0.9,-0.7}^{+1.4,+1.0}$ \nl
$\rm E_{Fe}$ (keV) & $6.26_{-0.12,+0.002}^{+0.09,-0.005}$ \nl
$\rm \sigma_{Fe}$ (keV) & $0.23_{-0.23,+0.04}^{+0.25,-0.05}$  \nl
$\rm F_{Fe}$ ($10^{-5}\,\rm \,cm^{-2}\,s^{-1}$) &
$3.2_{-1.5,+0.8}^{+1.4,-0.7}$ \nl
$\rm EW_{Fe}$ (eV) & $470_{-220,+50}^{+210,-60}$ \nl
$\chi^2$/79 d.o.f. & $67.6_{\ldots,-1.2}^{\ldots,+2.4}$  \nl
\enddata
\tablecomments{Two kinds of errors are given for each parameter value.  The
first one is the statistical error which represents 90\% confidence
for one parameter of interest ($\Delta\chi^2=2.71$).  The second one
is an estimate of the systematic error obtained by changing the
normalization of the background.  The results of background
under- and oversubtraction by 1\% are given in the sub- and
superscript,  respectively.}
\tablenotetext{a}{Fraction of solar abundance in iron and light
elements.}
\tablenotetext{b}{Ratio of power-law normalizations.}
\end{deluxetable}

We investigated the choice of fixed parameters in the {\it pexrav}
model {\it a posteriori}. Increasing the cutoff energy did not change
the fit.  Decreasing the cutoff to 100~keV produced small differences
in the parameters; namely, the photon index was smaller, the abundance
was higher, and the line flux was lower, but the differences are
within the statistical errors of the adopted model.  We also
investigated the situation when the iron abundance was allowed to
vary, but the abundances of lighter metals were maintained at the
solar value.  A significantly larger photon index by $\Delta\Gamma
\approx 0.15$ was required, due to the decreased reflectivity in soft
X-rays.  We also investigated the effect of a 1\% systematic error in
the background normalization, and the results are listed in Table 1.
This resulted in the largest change in the fit parameters, but the
resulting estimated systematic errors are in the worst case less than
a factor of two larger than the statistical errors.

Because of the low energy resolution of the {\it RXTE} spectra, other
models can be found which fit equally well. It is possible to describe
the spectra using a sum of absorbed power laws (the ``dual absorber''
model; e.g.\ Weaver et al.\markcite{27} 1994).  Specifically, the
model consisted of two power laws, both absorbed by a moderate column,
and one absorbed by a heavy column.  The resulting photon index was
very flat ($\Gamma=1.15$), and is therefore deemed unphysical.
However, including reflection with $R=1$ in the dual absorber model
gave an insignificant improvement in fit ($\Delta\chi^2=-0.6$) but a
more plausible photon index ($\Gamma=1.7$).  The fit parameters are
given in Table 1.  It is notable that the spectra cannot be described
using a highly absorbed transmitted component and an unabsorbed
Compton-reflection dominated component, as has been found to be
appropriate for Mrk~3 (Cappi et al.\markcite{4} 1999).

\begin{figure}[t]
\vbox to4.0in{\rule{0pt}{4.0in}}
\special{psfile=ngc6300_fig2.ps angle=270 hoffset=-40 voffset=420 vscale=70
hscale=70}
\caption{Unfolded spectra and ratio of data to model for the three
models considered (see Table 1).}
\end{figure}

\section{Discussion}

\subsection{Compton Reflection Continuum Model}

The X-ray continuum of NGC~6300 can be modeled as pure Compton
reflection.  For solar abundance, the iron line equivalent width
relative to the reflection continuum is predicted to be between 1 and
2 keV depending on inclination (Matt, Perola \& Piro\markcite{18}
1991).  When we fit a power law continuum to the spectra, the
observed equivalent width is nearly 1~keV.  However, when the
reflection continuum is fitted, the measured equivalent width is
reduced to 470~eV.  The reason for the reduction in the measured
equivalent width is that the reflection continuum model includes a
substantial iron edge.  In low resolution data, the iron
line and iron edge overlap in the response-convolved spectra.
Therefore, when the continuum is modeled by a power law, the iron line
models both the line and the edge, so the measured equivalent width is
larger than when the continuum is modeled by the reflection continuum
which includes the iron edge explicitly.  This effect can be seen in
Figure 2.

A significant improvement is obtained when the iron abundance in the
reflection continuum model is allowed to be subsolar.  The iron
abundance is determined by the depth of the iron edge.  Therefore, the
subsolar abundance fits because the iron edge is apparently not as
deep as the model predicts.  The fact that the iron line has a lower
equivalent width than predicted in the Compton reflection continuum
model may also support subsolar abundance.  Alternatively, however,
the apparent subsolar abundances may at least partially be due to
calibration uncertainties in the {\it RXTE} PCA.  (The resolution of
the {\it RXTE} PCA is under some debate; see, Weaver, Krolik \&
Pier\markcite{26} 1998).  The iron line and edge overlap in
the response-convolved spectra.  If the true energy resolution is worse
than the current estimated value, then because the line is an excess
and the edge is a deficit, both would be measured to be smaller than
they really are.

Another source of uncertainty may come from the models themselves,
which depend strongly on the geometry of the illuminating and
reprocessing material.  Models generally assume a point source of
X-rays located above a disk and illuminating it with high covering
fraction.  Such an ideal case may not be attained in nature.

\subsection{Dual Absorber Continuum Model}

The dual absorber model can also describe the spectra.  That
such a fit is successful is not surprising, as any flat continuum can
be modeled as a sum of absorbed power laws (e.g.\ the X-ray
background).

The iron line equivalent width for the dual absorber model is similar
to that found for the Compton-reflection model, and smaller than that
found for the power law model.  The reason for the difference is that,
like the Compton reflection continuum model, the dual absorber model
explicitly includes an iron edge.  A plausible origin for the iron
line in the dual absorber model is in the absorbing material itself.
However, the iron line equivalent width appears to be too large to
have been produced in the absorbing material.  We investigate this
possibility by comparing the observed iron line flux to the predicted
value from a spherical shell of gas surrounding an isotropically
illuminating point source (Leahy \& Creighton\markcite{11} 1993).  A
line flux of $2.3\times 10^{-5}\rm \, photons\,cm^{-2}\,s^{-1}$ is
predicted for the absorption columns and covering fractions determined
by the fit; this is about half of what is observed ($4.7\times
10^{-5}\rm \, photons\,cm^{-2}\,s^{-1}$).  The dual absorber model
also requires a reflection component with $R=1$ and therefore an
additional iron line with equivalent width $\sim 100$~eV is expected
from the reflection.  Then the predicted flux increases to $3.3\times
10^{-5}\rm \, photons\,cm^{-2}\,s^{-1}$, about 70\% of what is
observed.  The predicted line flux would be smaller if the absorbing
material does not completely cover the source, a circumstance that
would exacerbate the difference between predicted and observed flux.
Thus, the iron line equivalent width, at least to first
approximation, appears to be too large to have been produced in the
absorbing material required by the dual absorber model. Therefore,
either an iron overabundance is required in the dual absorber model,
or the alternative model, the Compton-reflection dominated model, is
favored.

Discrimination between models will come with observations using
detectors with better energy resolution.  If NGC~6300 is a
Compton-thick Seyfert 2, then we should detect soft X-ray emission
lines (e.g.\ Reynolds et al.\markcite{22} 1994).  The lack of any
observable soft excess in the {\it RXTE} data may imply that there is
absorption by the host galaxy (see below), or that there is little
contamination from thermal X-rays or scattering from warm gas.  If the
latter case is true, NGC~6300 will be a particularly clean example of
a Compton reflection-dominated Seyfert 2 galaxy, and the observed soft
X-ray emission lines should be unambiguously attributable to
fluorescence.  Such proof should be easily attainable as NGC~6300 is
bright compared with known Compton-reflection dominated Seyfert 2
galaxies.

\subsection{Information from Other Wavebands}

Optical observations provide some support for Compton-thick absorption
in NGC 6300.  Intrinsically, both hard X-rays and forbidden optical
emission lines should be emitted approximately isotropically;
therefore, the ratio of these quantities should be the same from
object to object.  However, if the absorption is Compton-thick, the
observed hard X-ray luminosity and therefore $L_X/L_{[OIII]}$ will be
significantly reduced; the ratio of the power law to reflection
component 2--10 keV fluxes in the {\it pexrav} model is $\approx 15$.
Care must be taken when applying this test, as the [\ion{O}{III}] flux
must be corrected for reddening in the narrow-line region, and
determination of the reddening using narrow-line Balmer decrements can
be difficult.  The optical spectrum of NGC~6300 is dominated by
starlight (e.g.\ Storchi-Bergmann \& Pastoriza\markcite{24} 1989); to
remove the Balmer absorption from the stars, an accurate galaxy
spectrum subtraction must be done.  Another complication could be
narrow Balmer lines from star formation.  NGC~6300 has a well-studied
starburst ring (e.g.\ Buta\markcite{3} 1987), but H$\alpha$ images
show that the \ion{H}{II} regions are located $>0.5^\prime$
from the nucleus, with a little diffuse emission inside
of that (e.g.\ Evans et al.\markcite{7} 1996).  High quality long-slit
spectra yield $A_v \approx 2.5-3$ from both the red continuum and the
Balmer decrement (Storchi-Bergmann 1999, P.\ comm.).  The observed
2--10 keV flux is $6.4\times 10^{-12}\rm
\,erg\,cm^{-2}\,s^{-1}$ (corresponding to a luminosity of $2.5\times
10^{41}\,\rm erg\,s^{-1}$).  Then $L_X/L_{[OIII]}$ is approximately
1.1--1.9.  This value is quite low and comparable to those obtained from
Compton-thick Seyfert 2s by Maiolino et al.\markcite{13} (1998).  In
particular, Circinus has $F_X=1.4\times 10^{-11} \rm
ergs\,cm^{-2}\,s^{-1}$ (Matt et al.\markcite{16} 1999) and
reddening-corrected $F_{[OIII]}=1.95\times 10^{-11}$ ($A_v=5.2 \pm
0.4$; Oliva et al.\markcite{21} 1994), yielding $L_X/L_{[OIII]}=0.7$.
For comparison, a reddening-corrected sample of Seyfert 1s taken from
Mulchaey et al.\markcite{19} 1994 as a mean ratio of 14.8 ($1\sigma$ range
6.4--33.9).  In contrast, the intrinsic luminosity (i.e.\ corrected
for absorption) for the dual absorber model is $6.9\times 10^{41}\,\rm
erg\,s^{-1}$, implying $L_X/L_{[OIII]} \approx $3.0--5.2.

It is notable also that NGC~6300 shows the reddest continuum toward
the nucleus in a sample of objects studied with long slit spectroscopy
(Cid Fernandes, Storchi-Bergmann \& Schmitt\markcite{5} 1998).
Furthermore, there seems to be a correlation between the presence of a
bar in the host galaxy and presence of a Compton thick Seyfert 2
nucleus (Maiolino, Risaliti \& Salvati\markcite{14} 1999); NGC 6300
has a bar (e.g.\ Buta\markcite{3} 1987).

\subsection{Consistency with Einstein IPC Observation}

The X-ray spectra from Seyfert 2 galaxies frequently includes a soft
spectral component which may originate in scattering by warm gas or
diffuse thermal X-rays.  However, lack of detection in an {\it
Einstein} IPC observation, combined with the {\it RXTE} observation
presented here, shows that there is no evidence for such a component
in NGC~6300.

In 1979 NGC~6300 was observed with the {\it Einstein} IPC for 990
seconds.  It was not detected and the three sigma upper limit to the
count rate was $1.19\times 10^{-2}\rm\, counts\,s^{-1}$ between 0.2
and 4.0 keV (Fabbiano, Kim, \& Trinchieri\markcite{8} 1992). The
Compton reflection-dominated model predicts a count rate of $1.3\times
10^{-2}\rm\, counts\,s^{-1}$, just the same order as the upper limit,
and probably consistent within the uncertainties of the model and the
relative flux calibrations of the two instruments.

There may be intrinsic absorption in the system, for example, from the
host galaxy.  The observed optical reddening of $A_v=2.5-3.0$
corresponds to an absorption column of 4--5$\times 10^{21}\rm
cm^{-2}$, assuming a standard dust to gas ratio.  Including this
column in the Compton-reflection dominated model leads to a predicted
IPC flux of $1.1\times 10^{-2}\rm\, counts\,s^{-1}$, consistent with
the upper limit.  Because the {\it RXTE} band pass is truncated at
3~keV, it is impossible to estimate with accuracy the intrinsic
absorption.  For the Compton-reflection model, the 90\% upper limit
for one parameter of interest is $1.8\times 10^{22}\rm\,cm^{-2}$.

Alternatively, there may have been variability within the 18
years between the IPC and the {\it RXTE} observation.  A probable site
for the reflection is the inner wall of the molecular torus
which blocks the line of sight to the nucleus.  In unified models for
Seyfert galaxies, this material is located outside of the broad line
region, and can be 1--100 pc from the nucleus.  Short term variability
is not expected; long term variability is possible but requires a long
term trend in flux.

\acknowledgements

KML acknowledges useful discussions on the {\it RXTE} background with
Keith Jahoda.  KML gratefully acknowledges support by NAG-4112 ({\it
RXTE}) and NAG5-7971 (LTSA).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


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Agricultural processes that once required dozens upon dozens of human workers can now be automated, thanks to advances in technology, which means cost-efficiency for farmers.
It also destroys our nature because of illegal logging, minning and so much more, this is the cause of landslide and flood that kills many people because nature cant stop it anymore. What excites me the most is…. It also gives opportunities to the terrorist to make crime like bombing.


Ozonated water help minimize the level of chlorine and removes its smell. Apart from standard filtering, the water is disinfected with UV lamps which complements the traditional way of cleaning water with chlorine. Low level of chemicals reduces the risk of skin irritation. The floor and the walls are heated. Both the technology and the components used to build the pool as well as its decoration comply with the highest world standards.
The swimming pool offers a tremendous view of endless green hills and the Solina lake. Resting in a jacuzzi one can admire the landscape as long as they desire. Direct entrance to the terrace with deck-chairs allows sunbathing accompanied with pure nature and bird singing. It is the only such swimming pool in Bieszczady.


text:
What does a gay man and an ambulance have in common? They both get loaded from the rear and go whoo-whoo!
Joke has 56.41 % from 134 votes. More jokes about: gay
How can you tell if your house was built by lesbian carpenters? All tongue-in-groove, with no studs.
Joke has 64.24 % from 232 votes. More jokes about: gay, lesbian
Three guys are arrested in an adult book store and appear before the judge. He asks the first guy to stand: "What is your name?" he asked. "John," the guy answered. "And why were you arrested?" the judge asked. "I was by the magazine rack holding a big fat cigar and blowing smoke." he answered. The judge didn't see anything wrong with that, so he dismissed the guy and called up the next one. "What's your name?" he asked. "John," the guy answered. "Why were you arrested?" the Judge asked. "I was by the magazine rack holding a big fat cigar and blowing smoke." he answered. Again, the judge saw nothing offensive, 'This so-called adult store is begining to sound more like a smoking club!' he thought. So he dismissed the charge and called up the next guy. "What's your name?? No wait, let me guess; John." he said. "No," said the guy, "My name is Smoke."
Joke has 77.07 % from 1048 votes. More jokes about: gay, lawyer, prison
Q: How do you know a gay guy has farted? A: He needs to change his pants afterward.
Joke has 38.25 % from 46 votes. More jokes about: dirty, disgusting, fart, gay, sex
Q: What do gay guys have in common with bungee jumpers? A: If the rubber breaks, they're in deep shit!
Joke has 70.73 % from 69 votes. More jokes about: death, dirty, gay, sex, sport
There were these two friends, one who was gay, who died in a horrible car accident. They both went to heaven and were standing at the pearly gates when St. Peter met them. St. Peter asked the first man for a picture of his wife. After looking at the picture, St. Peter asked him if he had ever cheated on her. The man replied, "I was unfaithful to my wife one time." St. Peter decided to give the man a station-wagon for him to drive around heaven. Now it was the second man's turn. St. Peter asked him for a picture of his wife and then asked if he had ever cheated on her. The man replied, "Actually I'm gay, but here's a picture of my lover, and I never cheated on him." St. Peter was very impressed and decided to give the man a Ferrari to drive around heaven. After a few months in heaven, the two friends met up with each other. The second man was bragging about his Ferrari when the other turned to him and said, "I wouldn't be bragging if I were you. I just saw your lover on a skateboard."
Q: What does a gay order in a Chinese restaurant? A: Sum Yung Gi.
Joke has 66.41 % from 87 votes. More jokes about: asian, food, gay, sex
Q: What are a couple of gay Mexicans called? A: Juan on Juan.
Joke has 45.60 % from 45 votes. More jokes about: gay, mexican
Q: Do you know the most favourite play of gays? A: Romeo and Julius.
Joke has 53.62 % from 34 votes. More jokes about: game, gay
Did you hear about the homosexual electron? Went around blowing fuses.
Joke has 55.71 % from 144 votes. More jokes about: gay, science
Q:How do you know when you are at a gay picnic? A:When all the hot dogs taste like shit!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
2parse
politics, prose, and barack obama
Tag: Drug Decriminalization
Foreign Policy History National Security Pakistan Politics Reflections The Bush Legacy The Opinionsphere The War on Terrorism The Web and Technology War on Drugs
Homo Blogicus, Pup, Pakistan, Torture, Marijuana, and the Revenge of Geography
Post author By Joe Campbell
No Comments on Homo Blogicus, Pup, Pakistan, Torture, Marijuana, and the Revenge of Geography
[digg-reddit-me]I'm going to start creating a list of best reads for the week every Friday – picking between 5 and 10 articles or blog posts that are well worth reading in their entirety.
Christopher Buckley writes a very personal essay for the New York Times, adapted from his soon to be published memoir, about growing up as the son of the famous Mr. and Mrs. William F. Buckley ("Pup" and "Mum"). Truly moving, surprising, honest and earnest. An excerpt:
I'd brought with me a pocket copy of the book of Ecclesiastes. A line in "Moby-Dick" lodged in my mind long ago: "The truest of all men was the Man of Sorrows, and the truest of all books is Solomon's, and Ecclesiastes is the fine hammered steel of woe." I grabbed it off my bookshelf on the way here, figuring that a little fine-hammered steel would probably be a good thing to have on this trip. I'm no longer a believer, but I haven't quite reached the point of reading aloud from Christopher Hitchens's "God Is Not Great" at deathbeds of loved ones.
Soon after, a doctor came in to remove the respirator. It was quiet and peaceful in the room, just pings and blips from the monitor. I stroked her hair and said, the words coming out of nowhere, surprising me, "I forgive you."
It sounded, even at the time, like a terribly presumptuous statement. But it needed to be said. She would never have asked for forgiveness herself, even in extremis. She was far too proud. Only once or twice, when she had been truly awful, did she apologize. Generally, she was defiant — almost magnificently so — when her demons slipped their leash. My wise wife, Lucy, has a rule: don't go to bed angry. Now, watching Mum go to bed for the last time, I didn't want any anger left between us, so out came the unrehearsed words.
Stephen Walt, blogging for FP, asks Three Questions About Pakistan. He quotes David Kilcullen explaining:
We have to face the fact that if Pakistan collapses it will dwarf anything we have seen so far in whatever we're calling the war on terror now.
He cites a Timur Kuran and Suisanne Lohmann for providing a construct for understanding why such collapses as Pakistan's possible one are hard to predict:
[R]evolutionary upheavals (and state collapse) are hard to predict because individual political preferences are a form of private information and the citizenry's willingness to abandon the government and/or join the rebels depends a lot on their subjective estimate of the costs and risks of each choice. If enough people become convinced the rebels will win, they will stop supporting the government and may even switch sides, thereby create a self-reinforcing snowball of revolutionary momentum. Similar dynamics may determine whether the armed forces hang together or gradually disintegrate. As we saw in Iran in 1979 or in Eastern Europe in 1989, seemingly impregnable authoritarian governments sometimes come unglued quite quickly. At other times, however, apparently fragile regimes manage to stagger on for decades, because key institutions hold and the revolutionary bandwagon never gains sufficient momentum.
Evgeny Morozov, also blogging for FP, suggests that "promoting democracy via the internet is often not a good idea."
I simply refuse to believe in the universality of this new human type of Homo Blogicus – the cosmopolitan and forward-looking blogger that regularly looks at us from the cover pages of the New York Times or the Guardian. The proliferation of online nationalism, the growing use of cyber-attacks to silence down opponents, the overall polarization of internet discussions predicted by Cass Sunstein et al, make me extremely suspicious of any talk about the emergence of some new archetype of an inherently democratic and cosmopolitan internet user.
As much as I'd like to believe that internet decreases homophily and pushes us to discover and respect new and different viewpoints, I am yet to see any tangible evidence that this is actually happening – and particularly in the context of authoritarian states, where media and public spheres are set up in ways that are fundamentally different from those of democracies.
Julian Sanchez blogs reflectively about "our special horror over torture" – especially as related to aerial bombing. He concludes:
Civilian life affords us the luxury of a good deal of deontology—better to let ten guilty men go free, and so on. In wartime, there's almost overwhelming pressure to shift to consequentialist thinking… and that's if you're lucky enough to have leaders who remember to factor the other side's population into the calculus. And so we might think of the horror at torture as serving a kind of second-order function, quite apart from its intrinsic badness relative to other acts of war. It's the marker we drop to say that even now, when the end is self-preservation, not all means are permitted. It's the boundary we treat as uncrossable not because we're certain it traces the faultline between right and wrong, but because it's our own defining border; because if we survived by erasing it, whatever survived would be a stranger in the mirror. Which, in his own way, is what Shep Smith was getting at. Probably Khalid Sheik Mohammed deserves to be waterboarded and worse. We do not deserve to become the country that does it to him.
Jim Manzi is equally reflective in his piece written "Against Waterboarding" for the American Scene and published at the National Review's Corner as well:
What should a U.S. citizen, military or civilian, do if faced with a situation in which he or she is confident that a disaster will occur that can only be avoided by waterboarding a captured combatant? Do it, and then surrender to the authorities and plead guilty to the offense. It is then the duty of the society to punish the offender in accordance with the law. We would rightly respect the perpetrator while we punish him. Does this seem like an inhuman standard? Maybe, but then again, I don't want anybody unprepared for enormous personal sacrifice waterboarding people in my name.
But consider, not a theoretical scenario of repeated nuclear strikes on the United States, or a tactical "ticking time bomb" scenario, but the real situation we face as a nation. We have suffered several thousand casualties from 9/11 through today. Suppose we had a 9/11-level attack with 3,000 casualties per year every year. Each person reading this would face a probability of death from this source of about 0.001% each year. A Republic demands courage — not foolhardy and unsustainable "principle at all costs," but reasoned courage — from its citizens. The American response should be to find some other solution to this problem if the casualty rate is unacceptable. To demand that the government "keep us safe" by doing things out of our sight that we have refused to do in much more serious situations so that we can avoid such a risk is weak and pathetic. It is the demand of spoiled children, or the cosseted residents of the imperial city. In the actual situation we face, to demand that our government waterboard detainees in dark cells is cowardice.
Robert Kaplan writes about the "Revenge of Geography" for Foreign Policy. The summary of the article:
People and ideas influence events, but geography largely determines them, now more than ever. To understand the coming struggles, it's time to dust off the Victorian thinkers who knew the physical world best. A journalist who has covered the ends of the Earth offers a guide to the relief map—and a primer on the next phase of conflict.
Time magazine has a piece written by Maia Szalavitz on drug decriminalization in Portugal which is also worth checking out. Excerpt:
"Judging by every metric, decriminalization in Portugal has been a resounding success," says Glenn Greenwald, an attorney, author and fluent Portuguese speaker, who conducted the research. "It has enabled the Portuguese government to manage and control the drug problem far better than virtually every other Western country does."
Compared to the European Union and the U.S., Portugal's drug use numbers are impressive. Following decriminalization, Portugal had the lowest rate of lifetime marijuana use in people over 15 in the E.U.: 10%. The most comparable figure in America is in people over 12: 39.8%. Proportionally, more Americans have used cocaine than Portuguese have used marijuana.
Tags Best Reads of the Week, Christopher Buckley, David Kilcullen, Democracy, Drug Decriminalization, Evgeny Morosov, Foreign Policy, FP, Geography, Glenn Greenwald, Homo Blogicus, Internet, Jim Manzi, Julian Sanchez, Maia Szalavitz, Marijuana, National Review, Pakistan, Portugal, Pup, Revolution, Robert D. Kaplan, Robert Kaplan, Stephen Walt, The Corner, The New York Times, torture
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text:
Age of Insanity
Sane visitors as of 13 Jan 2020
Age of Insanity 1
(circa 2020) Age of Insanity 2
(circa 2020)
IHV's page a IHV's page b IHV's page c IHV's page d
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There are three main categories into which the hearing of talking voices often fall, but these three categories do not account for all types of (aural phenomena described as) auditory hallucinations:
A person hearing a voice speak one's thoughts.
A person hearing one or more voices arguing.
A person hearing a voice narrating their own actions.
Again, it is necessary for the reader to make note that we of today, which includes the entire world of professionals, at least from the amount of material I have thus far surveyed, do not fully appreciate the aural phenomena presently described "mostly" in negative terms. There is virtually no account being given between the occurrence of aural phenomena and its role in altering social interactions on a national or international level, though personal sociabilities within and out of a family context may well be noted by trained or otherwise perceptive individuals. Even if, as described, that only 10 percent of the public experiences aural phenomena typically described as "hearing voices" (though from personal experience I have had multiple kinds such as hearing three knocks, hearing what sounds like a ball bearing being dropped on a shelf three times, etc., as well as feeling a "presence" nearby in a series of three presentations or representations...); the overall effects of these experiences on the public in overt, or covert or intermittent ways is not being particularized with a specific label. It can not be over-emphasized that humanity retains a primitive level of stupidity to go along with its child-like curiosity. Present day so-called professionals do not know everything. In fact, most, if not all, are fairly ignorant. And they know it. Many of them would be the first to tell you that while they are knowledgeable about a speciality, they remain considerably at a distance from grasping the realities of many singular subjects, much less a multi-discipline grasp of inter-activity.
While hearing voices can be a symptom of some types of mental health problems, hearing voices is actually quite a common experience and not everyone who hears voices has a mental health problem. Research estimates that around 10% of people have had an experience of hearing voices at some point in their lives.
Unfortunately, the "research" is wrong because the researchers undoubtedly use incorrect assumptions about what is to be included in their surveys and do not appreciate it in its many guises.
However the aural phenomena needs to be better categorized as a spectrum of behavioral possibility:
Aural activity involving particularly sensitive auditory ability or otherwise those who are, for one reason or another "tune in" to a given frequency that no one they have contact with may have or can understand what they may be feebly describing (because of age, lack of an articulate vocabulary, speech impediment, shyness, overbearing parental figure, disallowed self expression, etc...).
Some people have an "ear" for music while others claim themselves to be "tone deaf".
Some people appear to have an uncanny ability to "visually" hear sounds within objects such as engines, etc..., that is, to physically feel (like a reptile whose jaw picks up vibrations and from which our inner bones originated: Evolution of mammalian auditory ossicles)
Some people have brains which trigger recurrences of speechless or wordless sounds that are interpreted as being melodic.
Auditory hallucinations created by incorrectly identified sounds, due to physical (psychiatric) or mental/emotional (psychological) impairments.
It is extremely irritating to encounter someone who writes about aural activity in terms of being an Hallucination defined as a false perception. Many, if not most of the perceptions being labeled an "hallucination" are real perceptions that may be misinterpreted or misrepresented, but they are actual occurrences. If we could account for all the misinterpretations and misrepresentations that take place in business, government and religion on a day-to-day basis by so-called professionals, the public might be shocked, unless it too is making the same mistakes and would therefore conclude such mistakes as some sort of normalcy... just as the burning of innocent people who were perceived to be witches.
Ten percent of the world's population of 7.5 billion people is 750 million. The reactions of 750 million people can have an impact on human society, particularly if a given social situation hosts a greater percentage of those having experiences of aural phenomena that are either misinterpreted and/or misrepresented. If we couple this to visual, tactile, odor and taste, imagine the world that is being created from what might otherwise be described as nonsense or fairy tales, or myth-creation. All of this makes conditions ripe for the creation of cults. Small ones, medium sized and large ones, as well as variations thereof.
But those having such experiences can not be easily recognized because the experiences are being masked by so-called norm and normalized activities which distract people and cause them to intermingle their experiences with perceptions and articulations expressed by others, especially those who have garnered attention and play some representative role model spokesperson. Socialization allows a person to define their experiences in such a way as to mimic or suggest they are going along with the views of one or more dominant persons. Different people use either personal or social ways in which to mask, diluted, or otherwise attempt to remove themselves from a perceived wrong, bad or incongruent-to-society perception. For example:
Usage of a prescribed drug to maintain some level of less, or non-caring mindfulness/mindlessness.
Usage of Headphones to drown out the reality from which they are reminded of that which is perceived as a bad influence.
Usage of a job in which there is continuing noise to drown out other repetitions.
Usage of alcohol to maintain some level of inebriation so that the senses are dulled and so-called "strange" or uncommon ideas (which others might define as creativity), can be excused by the usage of alcohol.
Usage of a sport or dance activity to distract oneself from having to think an otherwise recurring thought.
usage of deliberate bad behavior so as to sustain a given thought about being a bad person so that other recurring, repetitive thoughts are not allowed entry into consciousness.
Instigating conditions which suggest some deep mystery to search for and thus distract oneself or contour so-called strange thoughts into the mix of deciphering alleged codes of a map legend that one is putting together from random sources.
Self-admittance to a psychiatric facility where chemical restraints can be used and where the presence of others with shared experiences can provide some modicum of relief, since group-therapy sessions are like a cult headed by a (psychiatric; mind-controlling) "leader".
Intentionally crafted distractions by way of work, daily routine, exercise schedules.
Seeking out experiences which over-stimulate some other sensory channel than that which a defined "hallucinatory" experience is taking place or through.
Engaging in some obsessive/compulsive activity as an attempt to shield oneself for "unwanted thoughts" (that are in many cases misinterpretations).
The fact that we of today pay witness to many disturbances of thinking taking place with business, government and religious leaders is very problematic, though many shrug off the idea by saying there is nothing they can do about it. And yet, a widespread production of the knowledge that an "Age of Irrationality" situation is occurring and that it should be addressed, is at least a beginning, though an actual socialized effort in addressing the issue may not be forth coming until many decades from now. For example. Let us say you are a teacher who is told a class of students are mentally ill, but that the mental illness is disguised in socially acceptable ways. Do you react differently than if you were not told this to the same group of students whom you assume are otherwise "normal" and will thus interpret any perceived "irregular" or "odd" occasion of behavior as being due to a person's age, such as they are immature, lack effective parental guidance or some other typical rationale found in an education setting? The point is, we are only addressing "gross" expressions of perceptual misinterpretations and misrepresentations by way of instructions meant to mimic accepted age-related standards of conduct, because society as a whole does not know what to do otherwise. If a student or individuals shows an "exceptional" (good or bad) behavior we may well invest more effort in them, while the perceived run-of-the-mill student is permitted to maintain their mediocrity, though they have a potential to be much better than they actually are. This potential, because it is not encouraged, is adapted by the person to be used to effect more efficiency to continue being rewarded as a "good" student or person because they are not expected to do otherwise.
Likewise, those who experience other-than-typical perceptions are being subjected to small and large social denunciations such as having them be routinely described as hallucinations. Whereas the perception they are having is real, it is being misinterpreted and/or mislabeled and/or incorrectly articulated either because a person lacks the appropriate vocabulary, or the vocabulary being used is a metaphor or analogy that those who are hearing the articulation are misunderstanding. Whereas in many cases a perception can be channeled into a creative expression by those who have been trained or learned on their own to adopt such perceptions this way, most people appear to apply their perceptions to the context and language which they are involved with, thus adding to a mix of convoluted ideation which creates conditions that may result in a widespread irrationality.
Whereas we have a means and methodology to deal with individualized cases of insanity, we do not have one to deal with larger group expressions thereof. Nor do we have a means to deal with insanity or some other disturbance of mind or affect when it occurs with a social leader, unless there is some gross display of conduct that those around them can not mollify or buffer. When a social leader is insane or incompetent, there is no reliable or readily available mechanism for removal if those around him or her use them as a figure head by which they can carry out their own interests. Indeed, how does one go about getting rid of an insane government or insane government organization such as a military? Or how about an insane security service that is well-armed? Or how about an established education system with millions of educators? Or an entire nation whose sanity can not be recovered?
In my own experiences with aural phenomena, I was a teenage driving one day and listening to the radio with all of a sudden the music disappeared, and only the words being sung were heard. I thought it was a problem with the radio so I switched to another station. When I again heard music I shrugged off the previous event until a short while later it occurred again... And then again... and then I couldn't hear music from a radio but I could hear a melody attached to words which I compiled into poetry. Needless to say, I am not a music listener today. In fact when the music disappeared those many years ago and I couldn't get anyone to believe me and without getting weird looks and negative comments, I stopped talking about it and listened to the "songs" without the music. I was surprised at how really stupid the expressions came across. Viewing the songs as the personal philosophies of the people singing made me realize how really silly and ignorant they were. Today, looking back at the interviews of those who were once thought to be "great" song writers, their ignorance can be more fully noted now that I have several decades of experience and education to assess them with.
However, let me also make mention of those who claim to hear music, in fact different stations of radio broadcasts after having braces or fillings put in. Yet, let us differentiate this from the phenomena of the Musical Ear Syndrome, to which the following comments may be of some interest:
When you were born, you did not know language (or anything else for that matter). Yes, you heard various sounds, but they were basically just a jumble of meaningless data when they arrived at your brain.
At this point, because your brain is a pattern recognition machine, it goes to work and begins searching this mass of data for patterns of sounds. Whenever it sees a recurring pattern, it catalogs these sounds and slowly you begin to understand language. At first it is very simple language—ma ma and da da. Then, as your brain gets better at it, your brain extracts more and more patterns of speech sounds and you begin to understand more complex language.
This pattern recognition continues all your life. Whenever you hear sounds, your brain tries to make sense of them by trying to match them to patterns already stored in its data base. Sometimes these sounds are meaningful, such as speech, and sometimes they are just random sounds without any intelligibility in them. But your brain doesn't know this, so it searches these random sounds looking for patterns (intelligibility).
The fancy Greek word used to describe searching for patterns in random data is called "apophenia" (ah-poe-FEE-nee-ah) from two Greek words "apo"—away from, and "phaenein"—to show. It basically means to see/hear something that is away from reality (i.e. not real). Thus apophenia is the experience of perceiving patterns (actually pseudo-patterns) in random, and thus meaningless, data (1)—in our examples, random auditory data.
This brings us to the second Greek term–pareidolia (par-ih- DOE- lee-ah). Pareidolia comes from two Greek words "para"—wrong, and "eidolon"—image. Pareidolia is the neurological phenomenon of perceiving a pattern in random noise (data) where in reality there is no such pattern. In other words, pareidolia is a psychological phenomenon where you interpret a vague stimulus (in our example, fan noise) as something known to the observer (in this case, music). Thus you perceive this as something significant (real), when it is not really significant (real). It is not music, it is still just fan noise.
Pareidolia is actually the audiovisual form of apophenia—perceiving patterns within random data. Therefore, audio pareidolia is specifically looking for patterns within random sounds. Audio pareidolia is hearing words/music that are not actually in the sounds you are hearing. This can occur by misinterpreting words that are being said, or by hearing words in random noise. In audio pareidolia, your brain searches for a recognized pattern, finds the closest match, and then processes the incoming sensory information to enhance the apparent match.
Incidentally, a mondegreen (see Mondegreens and Hearing Loss) is a specific case of audio pareidolia. The core phenomenon is the subconscious searching for a best pattern fit for ambiguous sensory input. Sure, random noise is maximally ambiguous, but that does not mean that garbled or difficult-to-make-out lyrics cannot also qualify. This has occurred more often than you might care to remember if you have a hearing loss.
People with audio pareidolia (the second category of MES sounds) typically hear words or music when exposed to softer, constant background sounds such as fans or engines running. If there is just the suggestion of music or speech or singing in the sound, that is enough for our brains and off they go—finding the closest match to a recognized pattern. They then enhance, and even fill in, details to create the illusion of hearing a choir or orchestra or whatever.
When you don't understand audio pareidolia, you can jump to some weird and even bizarre conclusions. This is because you fail to understand the nature of the human mind. Your brain can be fooled, and thus, you can be fooled. Here's why:
Your brain actively processes sensory input. It makes many assumptions and forces fits to recognized patterns.
Your brain does not give a truly objective and accurate representation of the world
Rather, it gives you a human view—one that is full of pattern recognition—sometimes real, sometimes forced.
As a result, sometimes certain constant external background sounds become the basis for perceiving speech and music. Examples of these sounds include jet plane noise; road/wind noise when riding in vehicles; fans and other motors; and running water. In addition, the incessant rattle of a train's wheels clickety-clacking down the tracks may eventually also sound like rhythmic, illusory, repetitive phrases.
Apophenia, Audio Pareidolia and Musical Ear Syndromeby Neil Bauman, Ph.D., July 9, 2015
Let me provide another reference described as "Musicophilia" with means a love of or for music, and does not actually represent my previously stated experience, but he provides an example of a woman who born without an ability to hear music, though I was not, so while there is some similarity there also is a difference to be noted:
Oliver Sacks is a psychiatrist and neurologist best known for his collections of case histories from the far borderlands of neurological experience, The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and An Anthropologist on Mars, in which he describes patients struggling to live with conditions ranging from Tourette's syndrome to autism, parkinsonism, musical hallucination, epilepsy, phantom limb syndrome, schizophrenia, retardation, and Alzheimer's disease.
In 1966, Dr. Sacks began working as a consulting neurologist for Beth Abraham Hospital in the Bronx, a chronic care hospital where he encountered an extraordinary group of patients, many of whom had spent decades in strange, frozen states, like human statues, unable to initiate movement. He recognized these patients as survivors of the great pandemic of sleepy sickness that had swept the world from 1916 to 1927, and treated them with a then-experimental drug, L-dopa, which enabled them to come back to life. They became the subjects of his book Awakenings, which later inspired a play by Harold Pinter and the Oscar-nominated feature film called Awakenings.
In July of 2007, Sacks was appointed Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center, and he was also designated the university's first Columbia University Artist. Sacks Latest book Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain (2007), was has been Revised and Expanded in a new edition that was released in September of 2008.
→ Link to Oliver Sacks' discussion at the Big Think Website ←,
Here is another more lengthy discussion by Oliver Sacks in a youtube presentation:
Yes, untrained personal voices can sometimes cause people to do irrational activities, because there is no public education which guides them along the development of those voices. The voices, for some, remain as a feral child. They become and remain wild because the voices have critical developmental periods just like language and other skills of particularized sociability. Some voices develop their own personality which comes to permanently or intermittently adopt a controlling nature over someone, and thus the person appears to some as exhibiting one or more different personalities which may not show themselves unless subjected to a give environment. Whereas someone such as a psychologist may claim such a person to have an unstable personality, the person is actually exhibiting a behavioral capacity for adaptability to different conditions, though the personality which they exhibit may be an untrained adolescent, an innocently acting child who is scared, a boisterous individual attempting to overcompensate for some perceived short-coming or limitation, or any variety of characteristics seen in people who may not be as readily adaptable to a given situation. The "voices" are a developmental extension of a person which can provide a greater intelligibility of interpreting variously perceived phenomena, or can exhibit an irrationality because a person is confronted by a conflict by what is being heard from others and that heard by their "inner" voice.
Because we have a widespread medical profession whose members are competing for a list of clientele from whom they must secure an income, we have a situation which is not conducive to the best interests of the public. Very often, and I speak from personal experiences, I can tell you that not only medical professionals, but so-called automobile professionals, small engine professionals, landscaping professionals, dental professionals, political professionals, banking professionals, baking professionals, cooking professionals, sports professionals, music professionals, counseling professional, education professionals, martial arts and boxing professionals, Human Resource professionals, air plane flight professionals, military strategist professionals, legal professionals, security personnel professionals, given art, science and journalism professionals, construction professionals, electrical professionals, plumbing professionals, automotive sales professionals, realtor professionals, armament dealer professionals, explosive professionals, pharmacist professionals, illegal drug dealing professionals, corporate professionals and multiple others I have come into contact with due to having one employment position or another... all of them are engaged in subterfuges... that you might say are lies directed towards a means to secure as much money (or other advantage) from you as they can.
The current formula of Capitalism is extremely unhealthy for humanity, though I want to emphasize that "Capitalism" is not the enemy as some Communist and others might want to declare. Capitalism is just a tool. Like a gun, a drill, a vehicle, a roll of toilet paper, and other items being used on a daily basis. It is not the tool but the person who wields it. Presently, we have a banking and stock market system that is very unhealthy for the greater number of people inhabiting the planet, but the current formulas of Communism, Democracy and Socialism do not offer better alternatives. They are simply offering variations of the same theme cast with different wardrobes, cosmetics attached with their own types of ambience.
The following quotes are from: Good Reads: Sanity quotes
Origination date: Monday, January 13th, 2020... 2:18 AM
Initial Posting: Monday, January 13th, 2020... 1:50 PM
Updated Posting: Wednesday, January 15th, 2020... 5:03 AM


The Tangled Yoke Cardigan isn't forgotten. I wet blocked it to try to get rid of the puckering around the cabled area on the yoke. I really stretched out the cabled area and the puckering isn't too bad. I think it will be fine now–especially when you compare it to the preblocked photo. I finished the front bands and they are lying nice and straight. I'm on the home stretch! I want to wear this sweater!
… and a Peacock in a snowbank!


text:
Thymus convolutus — вид рослин родини глухокропивові (Lamiaceae), ендемік Туреччини.

Поширення
Ендемік Туреччини.

Джерела

convolutus
Ендемічна флора Туреччини
Рослини, описані 1973

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Буты́лка (от , возможно, через ) — ёмкость для долговременного хранения жидкостей, высокий сосуд преимущественно цилиндрической формы и с узким горлом, удобным для закупоривания пробкой. Большие бутылки иногда именуются бутыля́ми.

Изготавливается преимущественно из стекла, часто тёмного, в последнее время распространены бутылки из полимерных материалов (обычно из полиэтилентерефталата). Реже встречаются бутылки из керамики, металла и других материалов. Известны также натуральные «тыквенные бутылки» — калебасы.

Обычно бутылки изготавливаются стандартного размера. В русской системе мер бутылка являлась единицей измерения объёма и могла быть винная или водочная. Одна бутылка (водочная) равнялась 1/20 ведра, пяти чаркам, 0,6 л. Одна бутылка (винная) — 1/16 ведра, шести чаркам, 0,77 л. В русских народных загадках бутылку часто сравнивали с церковью, например: «Церковка Соловейковка, никто её не гладит, сама гладка».

В СССР наиболее массовыми были бутылки ёмкостью 0,5 литра двух основных разновидностей: молочные с широким горлом, запечатывавшиеся фольгой, а для других напитков — с узким горлом; и 0,7 литра. Для шампанского использовались бутылки большей ёмкости с более толстыми стенками и дном (основной международный размер винных бутылок — 0,75 литра), а для коньяка иногда особые плоские бутылки (фляжки). Для растительного масла выпускались бутылки вмещающие 500 грамм масла (более чем 0,5 л). Для молочных продуктов выпускались бутылки ёмкостью 0,25, 0,5 и 1 литра. Для Пепси-Колы — 0,33 л.

Также выпускаются бутылки объёмом 0,25 литра, которые в простонародье именуют «чекушками». В магазинах беспошлинной торговли (duty free) встречаются маленькие бутылки ёмкостью 100 мл, удобные для распития на борту самолёта. Некоторые напитки (коньяк, бренди, виски, бурбон, текила) выпускаются также в подарочных бутылках большой ёмкости (от 2 до 10 литров).

Для технических, научных и медицинских целей изготавливаются колбы - бутылки с нанесённой шкалой, позволяющие приблизительно измерять объём налитой жидкости. Для лабораторных целей изготавливаются колбы различной формы, например, с двумя горлышками.

История
История происхождения бутылки уходит в далёкое прошлое, первая стекольная мастерская была найдена археологами в Тель-эль-Амарне (Египет) и датирована 1370 г. до н. э. Древние египтяне придавали большое значение форме бутылок, делали фигуры человека или какого-либо овоща, изготовлялись они методом формирования кварцевой пасты вокруг металлического стержня. Египетские стёкла принадлежали к группе так называемых натриево-кальциевых кремнезёмных стёкол.

За сто лет до н. э. в Сидоне, в Финикии появилось решающее техническое новшество для изготовления стеклянных бутылок — стеклодувная трубка, отменившее утомительную формовку, и металлический стержень, что ускорило процесс изготовления.
Немалое количество уцелевших предметов из стекла, относящихся к периоду Римской империи, найденных при археологических раскопках, свидетельствует о широком употреблении бутылок, флаконов в различных целях. Бутылки в древнем Риме выдувались по определённому образцу и клеймо на них было одинаковое.

С крестовыми походами изготовление стеклянных изделий переняли и в Европе, в XIII веке произошло развитие венецианской стекольной промышленности.
Ещё одно важное техническое новшество в стекольном производстве произошло в Англии (1611) — была изобретена и запатентована печь для обжига стекла, работающая на каменном угле. Ранее стекло обжигалось на древесном огне, получавшиеся изделия были непрочными. Температура обжига на каменном угле была интенсивнее, дольше держалась и способствовала изготовлению прочных бутылок из тёмного стекла, что очень понравилось виноделам. Постепенно, благодаря техническому прогрессу, бутылка превратилась из предмета роскоши в удобный сосуд, пригодный для торговли разными продуктами.

Ещё более продуктивная технология производства бутылок была изобретена англичанином Майклом Оуэнсом в 1901 году — появился первый автоматический бутылочный станок.

Виды бутылок

Стеклянная бутылка
Стеклянная бутылка более дорога, вследствие чего напиток в стеклянной таре дороже, чем аналогичного объёма в пластиковой таре. Среди преимуществ стекла выделяется лучшее хранение напитка, из-за чего считается, что напиток из стеклянной бутылки вкуснее. Также плюсом для покупателя стеклянных бутылок является возможность многократного повторного использования.

Пластиковая бутылка

Среди ёмкостей для разлития газированных напитков наибольшую популярность имеют пластиковые бутылки, вследствие низкой себестоимости производства. Такие бутылки, как правило, имеют больший объём по сравнению со стеклянными и более безопасны за счёт упругости. Большую популярность пластиковые бутылки приобрели в быту и могут использоваться для различных нужд. Впервые пластиковая бутылка Pepsi появилась на рынке США в 1970 году.

С 1973 года применяются бутылки из лавсана (ПЭТ-бутылки). На территории России пластиковые бутылки получили популярность после прихода на рынок безалкогольных напитков западных корпораций «Кока-Кола» и ПепсиКо. Первый завод по производству лимонада в пластиковых бутылках в СССР открыла компания «ПепсиКо» в 1974 году в Новороссийске.

Бутылки шампанского
Для бутылок шампанского используются специальные названия в честь библейских персонажей:
 четверть (тж. quart, split или piccolo bottle) (187,5 или 200 мл) используется, в основном, авиакомпаниями и ночными клубами
 половина (тж. Demie) (375 мл) используется в ресторанах
 бутылка (тж. Bouteille) (750 мл)
 Магнум (тж. Magnum) (1.5 л) (эквивалентно 2 бутылкам)
 Иеровоам (тж. Jeroboam) (3 л) (4 бутылки)
 Ровоам (тж. Rehoboam) (4,5 л) (6 бутылок)
 Мафусаил (тж. Methuselah) (6 л) (8 бутылок)
 Салманасар (тж. Salmanazar) (9 л) (12 бутылок)
 Валтасар (тж. Balthazar) (12 л) (16 бутылок)
 Навуходоносор (тж. Nebuchadnezzar) (15 л) (20 бутылок)
 Мельхиор (тж. Melchior) (18 л) (24 бутылки)
 Соломон (25 л)
 Примат (тж. Primat) (27 литров) (36 бутылок)
 Мелхиседек (тж. Melchizedek) (30 л) (40 бутылок)

Галерея

Откупоривание
В некоторых ситуациях, например при подаче вина в ресторане, откупоривание бутылки является важной церемонией. Официанты (сомелье) специально обучаются этому ритуалу.

Процедура откупоривания определяется видом пробки и содержащимся в бутылке напитком. Некоторые виды пробок, например отвинчивающиеся, удалить легко, а с другими, например с корковыми пробками, порой приходится повозиться. Шипучие напитки требуют особого внимания при откупоривании.

Используются специальные приспособления для откупоривания бутылок, такие как штопор и «открывалка». Видов их множество, и некоторые из них запатентованы. Наиболее удачные из приспособлений для открывания занесены в книгу рекордов Гиннеса.

Наиболее церемониальной процедурой является откупоривание бутылки с шампанским — вплоть до откупоривания её саблей. Шампанское часто откупоривают таким образом, что раздаётся характерный хлопок, а пробка летит в потолок.

Звук откупориваемой бутылки узнаваем. Он часто используется в звукозаписи (кино и музыка), а также имитаторами.

При открывании бутылки рекомендуют быть осторожным, так как неловкость может привести к травме. В частности, рекомендуют не повреждать горлышко бутылки, чтобы не пораниться стеклом и не допустить попадания его осколков внутрь бутылки.

Бутылочные пробки и методы их извлечения

Бутылки закупоривают пробками с целью защиты их содержимого от окисления, заражения микроорганизмами, загрязнения пылью, расплёскивания, для удобства транспортировки и хранения. Пробки могут быть совмещены с другими приспособлениями для повышения удобства розлива содержимого бутылки или его защиты от фальсификации (например, колпачком Гуала). Пробки должны обладать определённой надёжностью. Однако именно надёжность и прочность пробки иногда создают проблемы для их удаления. Проблемы возникают тогда, когда бутылку откупоривают неправильным инструментом либо используя неправильную методику. Отсутствие инструмента для открывания пробки часто создаёт сложности в быту, например, проблему извлечения корковой пробки без штопора или откупоривание бутылки пива без открывалки. Методика имеет большое значение в некоторых ситуациях, например при откупоривании бутылки официантом в ресторане или при откупоривании бутылочек с медицинскими препаратами. В некоторых случаях желательно сохранить пробку для повторного использования, и неправильный метод откупоривания может её повредить.

Способ откупоривания в первую очередь определяется видом пробки. Пробки изготовляют, в основном, из следующих материалов: пробка (корковые пробки, плотно сидящие в горлышке бутылки), металл (пробки на пивных бутылках и бутылках с прохладительными напитками, отвинчивающиеся пробки на бутылках с крепкими напитками и ликёрами), пластмасса (отвинчивающиеся пробки на пластиковых бутылках с газированными напитками, пробки «от бутылки от портвейна», пробки для шампанского), фольга (водочные бутылки, медицинские препараты), резина (медицинские препараты), стекло (декоративные бутылки, медицинские препараты). Извлечение некоторые из этих пробок (отвинчивающихся, стеклянных) не представляет большого труда, для других же существуют специальные приспособления.

Для извлечения корковых пробок применяют различные виды штопора, для открывания пивных и им подобных бутылок используют открывалку. (В США процедуру открывания пива упростили, сделав пивные пробки отвинчивающимися). Отвечая на потребительский спрос, индустрия выпускает огромное разнообразие штопоров и открывалок для бутылок.

Использование штопора

Старинный британский тост утверждает: «Вино не явится на свет, пока пробка не согрешит со штопором».

Для того, чтобы штопор легче вошёл в пробку, иногда срезают лезвием надпробочное покрытие. Проникать штопором в пробку рекомендуют по центру. Также рекомендуют не протыкать пробку штопором насквозь, чтобы её кусочки не попали в вино.

Существует несколько видов штопоров.

Самым быстродействующим штопором является штопор Elegance, который даже включён в Книгу рекордов Гиннесса. Рекорд был поставлен в 1995 году на Гастрономическом салоне в Орлеане — штопор Elegance откупорил восемь бутылок всего за одну минуту.

Откупоривание шампанского и других газированных напитков
При открывании бутылок с газированными напитками есть риск облиться пеной, особенно если напиток не охлаждён (в некоторых случаях выделение пены провоцируют специально). Чтобы не облиться, многие снимают пробку постепенно, чтобы газ мог выйти тонкой струйкой.

Шампанское можно открывать шумно и бесшумно.

Бесшумный способ состоит в том, что пробку придерживают, не давая ей выстрелить из бутылки, пока проволочный узелок приподнимается, раскручивается и снимается. Затем, продолжая крепко держать пробку, бутылку медленно поворачивают. Особенно бдительно нужно прижимать пробку, когда она начинает выходить из бутылки. После того, как газы вышли сквозь щёлочку, пробку можно снять.

Существует также экзотический способ открывания шампанского ударом — сабраж. Для этого любым тяжёлым прочным предметом — традиционно саблей, однако в современных условиях чаще используется специальный тяжёлый нож, но также и другие предметы — наносится плоский скользящий удар вдоль горлышка бутылки под самый его выступ. Поскольку в этом месте стекло бутылки испытывает наибольшее внутреннее напряжение, от удара в стекле образуется кольцевая трещина и горлышко отлетает вместе с пробкой. Сабраж технически несложен и весьма живописно выглядит, однако не очень практичен — потери напитка при таком способе открытия велики, а края отколотого горлышка крайне острые.

Откупоривание бутылки в ресторане

В ресторанах бутылки откупоривают по правилам. Для каждого вида вина (молодое, выдержанное, белое, красное, сухое, шампанское и т. д.) существуют свои правила. Техника откупоривания также регламентирована.

Некоторые вина открывают за несколько часов до употребления, другие же открывают непосредственно перед посетителем. Открывать заранее рекомендуют молодое красное вино, которое выигрывает от контакта с воздухом. Выдержанные вина откупоривают в последний момент.

Сомелье-профессионалы, как правило, используют рычажный штопор, который также называют ножом сомелье. Последовательность откупоривания бутылки с корковой пробкой состоит в следующем. Штопор вставляется в пробку и вкручивается на один виток. Затем сомелье слегка тянет штопор и расшатывает пробку, после чего ввинчивает его глубоко, но таким образом, чтобы не пробить пробку насквозь. Пробка затем вытягивается из бутылки на три четверти без раскачивания, и сомелье извлекает её пальцами. Край горлышка протирается салфеткой, а пробка осматривается. Также исследуется запах пробки. По виду и запаху пробки опытный сомелье может оценить состояние вина.

См. также
 Бутыль
 Молочная бутылка
 Зажигательная бутылка
 Бутылочное горлышко
 Бутылка Клейна — топологический объект
 Пивная банка

Примечания

Ссылки

 Пластиковые, стеклянные бутылки и пузырьки
 Antique Bottles collectors/traders

Откупоривание
 Как правильно открывать и наливать вино
 Русское словесное ударение (в частности в «откупорить»)
 Штопор задуман для пробки // vinclub.md
 Последние приключения Винни-Буха. Глава восьмая, в которой в волшебном лесу потерялся штопор, но нашелся способ открывания бутылок, а также герой
 E. Ромишевский. Удивительная бутылка (статья о гидравлическом ударе). PDF
 Opening a Bottle of Wine
 How do you open a wine bottle without a wine opener?

 Видеодемонстрации откупоривания

 С помощью шурупа, отвёртки и пассатиж
 Откупоривание шампанского
 При помощи штопора
 Попытка откупорить пиво глазом

Бутылки
Ёмкости


You can post animations, art, stories whatever.
Feel free to ask for advice/just talk in the comments.
Vent, do whatever makes you feel better.
I've (Carcino) have been through alot in my life so if you wanna talk we totally can.


text:
Courtesy of Duke Today
Advocate and ally: Get to know Larry Moneta's successor, Mary Pat McMahon
By Glen Morgenstern | 05/10/2019
After several recent public miscues, Larry Moneta, vice president for student affairs, is slated to retire at the end of June. Mary Pat McMahon, the incoming vice provost/vice president for campus life, will succeed Moneta in the role.
McMahon, who last served as the dean of student affairs at Tufts University's Schools of Arts and Sciences and Engineering, will bring 22 years of administrative experience to her new position at Duke. She is excited to open a new chapter in the leadership of Duke's campus life.
"I took the job because it's so clear to me that Duke is an incredible community of learners and good humans who want to do brilliant things in the world," McMahon said.
After completing her Bachelor of Arts degree in history at Yale University, McMahon went on to earn her Master of Science degree in history of international relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science. She then returned to Yale as the assistant director of undergraduate admissions, before leaving to serve as the associate director of doctoral programs at the New York University Stern School of Business. She then took on a six-year stint with Bowdoin, working as an assistant dean, and later as associate dean of student affairs.
At Bowdoin, McMahon helped develop the college's residential learning program through its College House program, and oversaw the experience of first-year students. She advised students on academic and personal topics, and provided guidance to judicial and sexual misconduct board hearing processes.
She seeks to lend an ear to student voices on campus and spend time understanding the Duke experience.
Christopher Rossi, associate dean of student affairs at Tufts University, spoke to the importance that McMahon places on student opinions and perspective.
"She's a person that centers students and amplifies student voices in institutional positions," Rossi said. "Being a dean means you have to be proactive in being a visible presence in the community in a way that students feel like they know you and they feel like you are approachable."
Moneta's handlings of hate speech incidents were met with controversy during his time at Duke. McMahon has also dealt with her fair share of hate speech and vandalism at Tufts. Recent incidents at Tufts include the egging of students and the appearance of slogans in support of President Donald Trump on the Tufts Cannon.
Although McMahon recognized the personal directive behind hate speech and its ubiquitous effects on students, she declined to answer any specific questions regarding hate speech at Duke until she had familiarized herself with Duke's policies.
The response to the #thethreepercent movement at Tufts in 2015—inspired by the Boston Globe's reporting that only three percent of students at some Boston area universities identified as black—was a highlight of McMahon's tenure at Tufts. At the time, 3.9% of Tufts students were black.
Two hundred protesters marched through Tufts in November 2015, which pushed McMahon's office to take action.
In an effort to diversify Tufts, McMahon led efforts to hire an African American clinician for the Africana Center—Tufts' analog of Duke's Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture. During her tenure, the Student Affairs office at Tufts worked on the development of Students' Quest for Unity in the African Diaspora—a pre-orientation program geared toward incoming black students.
More recently, McMahon served on Tufts' Student Life Review Committee, where she pushed for the Board of Trustees to create a Student Affairs Subcommittee, which solidified student life as a focus for the Board.
Furthermore, McMahon led a town hall meeting as vacant or soon-to-be-vacant director positions at Tufts' Latino Center, Asian American Center and Women's Center prompted concern amongst students.
Tufts' undergraduate African American population has increased by 0.4% between 2015 and 2018, from 3.9% to 4.3%. In comparison, in 2016, 7.09% of undergraduate and graduate students at Duke identified as black, and 11% of first-year undergraduate students in the 2017-2018 academic year identified as black.
McMahon has not yet developed a course of action for her role at Duke, but she has already met with several Duke undergraduate and graduate students, faculty members, administrators and alumni. She looks forward to becoming an "advocate for and ally to Duke students."
"My first priority will be to spend time listening to student leaders, students who are new to the place and graduate students," McMahon said. "I don't want to assume that the things I know about other campuses necessarily maps right onto the Duke experience."
In an email to The Chronicle, Provost Sally Kornbluth addressed the change in title from vice president for student affairs to vice provost/vice president for campus life. Kornbluth explained that McMahon will work closely with the Office of the Provost to facilitate "greater synergies between campus life and undergraduate education," under the leadership of Gary Bennett, vice provost for undergraduate education.
McMahon's dual title of vice president, Kornbluth noted, reflects her role in managing housing and dining, and it means she will report to Executive Vice President Tallman Trask.
"The title is meant to reflect the centrality of student affairs in campus life and the important role of the student affairs director in impacting life for all of our students on campus," Kornbluth wrote.
University announces death of former student, lacrosse player Morgan Rodgers
Rodgers hailed from Warrenton, Va. She was a psychology major and played on Duke's varsity lacrosse team.
Current U.S. politicians are considering paying reparations to black descendants of American slavery at a level they haven't since the Reconstruction ...
DUPD arrests man for breaking into residence hall while hiding from police
Todd Burdette, a 38-year-old man from Morrisville, N.C., broke into Few Quad HH while trying to hide from police, wrote Keith Lawrence, Duke's executive ...


text:
#ifndef FILE_H
#define FILE_H

#include "stdint.h"

#define MAX_TREES 10
#define MAX_FILES_PER_TREE 10

// Error codes
#define FS_ACCESS_DENIED  0x10
#define FS_FILE_NOT_FOUND 0x20

// File modes
#define FS_MODE_CREATE    0x31
#define FS_MODE_READ      0x32
#define FS_MODE_OVERWRITE 0x33
#define FS_MODE_WRITE     0x34

#define MAX_FILENAME_LEN  128
#define MAX_TREENAME_LEN  128
#define MAX_SERVICE_NAME  64
#define MAX_SERVICE_TYPES 5
#define MAX_FILESIZE      1024

typedef struct file_s {
  uint16_t fileID;
  char filename[MAX_FILENAME_LEN];
  uint16_t numBytes;
  uint8_t isOpen;
  uint8_t *bytes;
} fs_file;

typedef struct tree_s {
  uint32_t treeID;
  char treeName[MAX_TREENAME_LEN];
  char serviceType[MAX_SERVICE_NAME];
  fs_file *files[MAX_FILES_PER_TREE];
} fs_tree;

extern fs_tree allTrees[MAX_TREES];
extern char serviceTypes[MAX_SERVICE_TYPES][MAX_SERVICE_NAME];

void InitializeFileSystem();
fs_file *CreateFile(fs_tree *tree, uint8_t *filename, uint32_t userID, uint32_t mode);
void CloseFile(fs_file *file);
fs_file *FindFileByName(fs_tree *tree, uint8_t *filename);
int ReadFile(uint8_t *dest, fs_file *file, uint16_t offset, uint16_t length);
int WriteFile(fs_file *file, uint8_t *source, uint16_t offset, uint16_t length);
fs_tree *FindTreeByPath(uint32_t userID, uint8_t *path, uint8_t *service);

#endif

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Aroosotok League prepares for season
By Rene Cloukey
Published: Dec. 3, 2020 at 11:05 AM EST
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine (WAGM) - Schools around the state continue to prepare for the winter sports season. Earlier this month the Maine Principals Association set a date of December 7th for the start of conditioning and the following week for team practices to begin. The season is tentatively set to begin on January 11th. The Aroostook League has been working on their plans and how they will juggle a high school and middle school schedule.
Tim Watt:" We have talked about what do with both Middle School and High School and the low number of officials. Also being able to sterilize the facilities and that type of thing. It looks like most of us will be doing a split with the Middle School after the High School season."
The MPA also recommended that teams play in their region That means that Aroostook League basketball teams will have a complete County schedule.
Watt:" Divided them up classification wise. There will be some overlap with some Class C teams playing against Class B and Class C against Class D teams.
Nordic and Alpine skiing will also have a county schedule and will crown Aroostook League Champions. Cheering would have virtual Arostook League and State Competitions.
Watt says they also hope to have end of year basketball playoffs
Watt:" We have been told that we can start on January 11th. and get 12 regular season games done by February 27th. If things are good at the end they may open the first two weeks of March to be able to do some sort of County tournament like we did in soccer."
The Aroostook League was kind of a model for other parts of the State during the fall sports season. The majority of the schedule went off without a hitch and most of the playoff games were completed with three County Champions crowned. The fourth championship game between Caribou and Fort Kent was cancelled because of COVID cases in Caribou. Watt says he was very happy with the fall season and said that people in other parts of the states liked the playoff format the Aroostook League used.
Watt:" We did very well up here in the County. They liked to see that we did some sort of playoff structure so they re-evaluated and tried to open it up to be able do that with basketball also."
Of course all of the planning could go out the window if the number of cases continues to increase.
Watt:" It will come down the cases and where they are and if we can do it safely. At any time anyone of those organizations could have us stop."


Let's just say I come by it honestly. Patrocinio "Patsy" Ayala-Ramírez, my grandmother on my dad's side, was a feisty Mexican lady who endured economic hardships as an immigrant, domestic hardships as a wife and mother of four, social hardships as a divorcée at a time when most women didn't do that, and she always came out on top. At least in my eyes. I looked up to her. I miss her.
The stories in our family are many that involve one of us standing up for what is right or defending ourselves against people who are taking advantage or otherwise wronging us only to lose out on a job, a promotion, an opportunity, a friendship, but with our principles and pride intact.
My dad ended up in Las Vegas with his young family in tow in 1973 partly because of the great opportunities in a growing town, but also because he couldn't get another job in his hometown of Pueblo, Colo. He had been working for the city government on a program to help minorities land jobs, but when the jobs all seemed to be going to "other" candidates, he blew the whistle and was fired. He responded by promptly suing the city--and won. Thus, he was deemed a "trouble-maker" and unemployable. I could not be more proud of this story.
I don't know when I'll learn that people are fallible and don't always live up to my high expectations of them and that it's okay. Not only is it okay, but it's irrelevant. I don't have to fight every battle, right every wrong, vindicate myself on every issue or prove anything to anyone. Not even to myself.
I have had a tough set of challenges lately, seemingly coming at me from all angles--work, friends, frenemies. Whatever it is the universe is trying to teach me, I am either too dense to get the lesson or too stubborn to try.
But in order to wake up, I have to feel the short term pain of seeing myself doing this yucky thing in order to be free of it.
The above is a quote from one of my favorite Buddhist teachers, Pema Chodron. I re-read her slight but heavy little book "When Things Fall Apart" about every two or three years. Why do things seem to always be falling apart in one way or another? Perhaps I am drawn to Buddhist teachers and thinkers because of its foundational tenet that life is full of suffering (samsara) and it's only our reaction to it that matters. This is so central to my experience. It never fails. I am always being faced with ways to keep learning this lesson.
Really the question you have to ask yourself is: Do you want to spend your life making your habits and patterns stronger? Or do you want some kind of transformation to happen? — so that your strength and your confidence and your capacity to love and to care for people can begin to surface— you're not always blocking it.
I want the latter. I really do. I want the transformation to happen. I want to take what I can from every negative experience or interaction with people to make myself better able to deal with those interactions in the future. I am not perfect. Far from it. I have too much of my granny and my dad's pride and principled, opinionated blood. But I wouldn't have it any other way. I know that my little girl is learning from me to be her own person, to know right from wrong, to stand up for herself (when she will inevitably be faced with adversity) and to be proud of herself and where she came from. She'll be a fiery one too, no doubt about it. She already is. But hopefully with a good dose of her daddy's equanimity and patience.
But sometimes I just wish things would be a little easier. I want to remember these early childhood years of hers which are so precious --free of any crap that may be going on in my life. I want to recommit to being with her and really interacting with her on her level, everyday, when time allows, and not just being distracted with whatever challenges may be going on in my life. This time flies by so fast. I want to cherish it more than I do when life just gets in the way.
"You're a good mommy to me."
(getting ready to go out in the cold) "Let's get all bungled up."
Me: "Can I come to the park with you?" J: "No." Me: "Why?" J: "Because I don't like you."
"I love you my best heart."
And there it is. Right there. That is what my life is about right now and that is what I live for. Jobs and even friends will come and go. But my family will always be there for me. I am lucky to have so many people around me (including a strong network of friends) to support me when things get tough. And, taking the best and the worst from those who came before me, I can only do my best and do everything with honesty and integrity and not look back.


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