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GANG BILL SHOULD BE PASSED!
Representative Dennis Johnson, (R-Duncan) expects that one of the first bills voted on in the State House when the upcoming 2010 legislative session begins will be a bill that would increase the penalties for gang-related activities. SB #826 authored by Johnson and Senator Anthony Sykes, (R-Moore) would make recruiting members to a criminal street gang a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. Any gang member or anyone convicted of a crime, as a condition of a gang membership would be sentenced to an additional five years.
The bill would also provide immunity to school employees and teachers for providing information to the district superintendent or designated school official about suspected gang activity. The superintendent would then decide or whether to act on the information by having the student talk with a counselor to try to prevent the student from joining a gang or by giving the information to law enforcement officers.
But some believe SB #826 takes the wrong approach to the gang problem. At a recent joint meeting of the Oklahoma Youth and Gang Violence Coordinating Council and the Oklahoma Gang Intervention Steering Committee, Representative Mike Shelton, (D-Oklahoma), said legislators "can't arrest our way to fix the gang problem. It just needs to be a holistic approach to working with these gang members. Some of them definitely need to be in jail; some of them just need to be diverted in a different direction."
Representative Johnson agrees that preventing young people from joining a gang is a great objective, saying, "The ultimate goal is prevention." Prevention must start early. In an recent article in The Oklahoman, it was reported that Oklahoma City and Tulsa police officers are now seeing gang members as young as 10 years old, compared with the youngest being identified as 12 years old just three years ago. Oklahoma City officers reported that some youngsters are recruited as young as 8 years old. Oklahoma City and Tulsa officers reported "third-generation" gang members, where son, dad and grandfather all belong to the same criminal gang.
According to a recent survey in Oklahoma on gangs, gang members are using cellphones, text messaging and social medias like Facebook and YouTube to recruit members as young as second-graders. The survey indicated that only 15 of the state's 77 counties reported no gangs in 2009 compared with 19 counties three years ago. The survey also shows there has been a two percent increase in the number of gangs in the Sooner state the past three years.
In April 2007, The U.S. Attorney General announced the expansion of the Justice Department's Comprehensive Anti-Gang Initiative to include Oklahoma City. The initiative targets dangerous street gangs and promotes prevention efforts to keep communities and neighborhoods safe. The DOJ estimates there are over one million gang members in the United States with about fifteen percent of that number incarcerated. Often gang leaders run their operations from prison.
Oklahoma City police estimates there are more than 5,000 gang members in Oklahoma City, which is about one percent of the city's total population. "Gangs are the biggest cancer across the United States, and they are eating it up from the inside out," said Police Master Sgt. Tim Hock, the lead inspector with city police's gang enforcement unit. "They're urban terrorists." The number of gang related drive-by shootings has increased five fold in Oklahoma City and tripled in rural areas in just the past five years.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, street gangs, outlaw motorcycle gangs, and prison gangs are the primary distributors of illegal drugs on the streets of the United States. Gangs also smuggle drugs into the United States and produce and transport drugs within the country. Oklahoma still has a meth problem and with drugs come gangs.
The Oklahoma Gang Investigators Association is a non-profit organization consisting of law enforcement and law-enforcement related professionals whose mission is two-fold: to share gang intelligence among our law enforcement members, and to educate the public to the violence associated with gangs. The OGIA, headquartered in Lawton, began in 1993 with a dozen dedicated police officers that met and shared intelligence regarding gang activities in their respective jurisdictions. This organization works to eliminate gang and their influence in our society.
Gangs are a problem in metro and rural Oklahoma and we can't just ignore their presence. The argument that gang members would ignore this law just like they ignore other laws has little merit, because getting those recruiters off the street will prevent some grade schooler from becoming a gangbanger. Sykes and Johnson have authored a bill that will provide punishment for recruitment to gangs- a good first step in eliminating them.
BY POPULAR DEMAND!
In today's Oklahoman the front page story- above the fold- is about Gary Jones'(Oklahoma State GOP Chairman) lawsuit against his former political opponent Jeff McMahan, former State Senator Gene Stipe, and former State Auditor and Inspector Clifton Scott. Jones was defeated by McMahan in both 2002 and 2006 in the State Auditor's race by razor thin margains. I wrote an article in 2005 that appeared in The Duncan Banner entitled 'Is Big Daddy McMahan's Sugar Daddy?' After the article appeared, State Auditor Jeff McMahan wrote a full page response that appeared in the following Sunday edition. In his rebuttal, Jeff falsely claimed he didn't know Steve Phipps at all. That has since been proven a lie as well several other falsehoods McMahan made in his rebuttal. Jeff said I was the mouthpiece for the State GOP. He was right about the MOUTHPIECE part, but not for the State GOP. Since today's article broke, I have been asked to post the infamous BIG DADDY article. Here it is- as it appeared over four years ago- Enjoy!
Is Big Daddy McMahan's Sugar Daddy?
In the 1970s, a popular television show was The Dukes of Hazard. In every episode, Bo and Luke Duke battled the local political boss- appropriately named Boss Hogg. It was not your classic case of good vs. evil, because sometimes the Duke boys bent the law a little to suit their taste, but fundamentally they were the good guys. Boss Hogg had his dirty work done by Roscoe the dim-witted sheriff and Cletus, the Deputy. Roscoe never worried about re-election so long as the Boss was happy. The Boss reigned sovereign in Hazard County! It was good entertainment because we knew that in every episode, the Dukes would win out over Boss Hogg. It wasn't set in Oklahoma because in the Sooner state unfortunately, the good guys don't always win.
For decades when one thought of sleazy, backroom politics in Oklahoma, Gene Stipe instantly came to mind. Stipe was at one time the longest serving elected official in America. Serving over 50 years in the Oklahoma state legislature, he was the poster boy for term limits. During his reign, Stipe abused his office as State Senator by using his power to build what can only be described as an empire in Southeast Oklahoma. Senator Stipe was so notorious that he earned the nickname "The Prince of Darkness"- a real-life Boss Hogg. It seems the Prince has left his mark on many associates and partners that will perpetuate the Good Ole Boy network for decades to come in Oklahoma. Stipe followers have watched their idol rule over the State in a way that only a mafia boss could appreciate.
The good Senator manipulated and abused the system so effectively that his personal wealth is estimated to be over 26 million dollars. Many Oklahomans were hopeful that the day of Good Ole Boy politics in Oklahoma had come to an end when Stipe was forced to resign in shame. He pled guilty of violating federal campaign laws by illegally funneling $50,000 into Walt Roberts failed Congressional campaign, but it appears he hasn't learned his lesson yet. Now, one of Stipe's minions, Steve Phipps along with the former Senator are being investigated for what appears to be a scam to open a dog food plant in McAlester. The plant, which was financed by state and city tax dollars, has not produced a single can or bag of dog food. It has not created the 25 jobs that were promised. However: the facility has been utilized to service Indian gaming machines.
Phipps owns a business that provides that service to the tribes and he evidently, is using the facility to work on one arm bandits, but not to make pet food. Who is Steve Phipps? His nickname is "Big Daddy." It seems that the dog food factory isn't the only connection Big Daddy has to the Prince. Phipps and Stipe are partners in abstract companies across Southeast Oklahoma. Anyone selling or refinancing property in Oklahoma are required to have titles brought up to date within a 90 day period. Abstract companies are the only place to get that done in the state. In many counties, Phipps and Stipe own the only abstract office in town. To add insult to injury, abstractors set their own rates. What an industry-to have customers that have to do business with you- on your terms- at your price?
One has to ask how such a system could be allowed to exist in Oklahoma? Who is responsible for watching the abstractors? That responsibility falls to the Oklahoma State Auditor and Inspector. The author of the bill that gave the Auditor's office that job? That's right- Senator Gene Stipe. The Bellamy Brothers sang, What you need is a Sugar Daddy. It looks like Jeff McMahan has found one- maybe two. Now we learn that Big Daddy, The Prince and many of their employees and associates contributed to the 2002 campaign war chest of State Auditor Jeff McMahan.
When asked about the contributions McMahan stated that he would take any "legal campaign contribution." He went on to say that anyone contributing to him was doing so because they "believed in good government." The average Oklahoma taxpayer's idea of good government and Phipps' and Stipe's idea might be a much different. To accept campaign contributions from any and everyone shows a serious lack of judgment on McMahan's part. Who says that contributing to campaigns doesn't pay dividends? It has paid excellent dividends for Phipps and Stipe.
McMahan has refused to audit the Private Economic Authority that gave the money to Phipps to build the phantom pet food plant. The land the authority gave to Phipps was purchased from Gene Stipe at more than 2 ½ times the assessed value. This whole multi-pronged transaction doesn't pass the "smell" test.
And when Steve Phipps-aka- Big Daddy- feels the need to meet with someone at the State Capital to try to get laws passed, who does he call?. He calls his good buddy Jeff McMahan. Evidently, Steve Phipps has used the State Auditor's office to meet with legislators and others on numerous occasions while trying to influence legislation. He may have gotten some wording inserted into a bill that gave him a competitive advantage to produce Indian Gaming machines.
As private citizens and taxpayers, we may not be able to do much about Stipe and Phipps and their shady dealings. That will be left to the investigators and prosecutors, but McMahan is another matter. His ties to Stipe and Phipps are troubling. We need to change our image in Oklahoma. McMahan is up for re-election in 2006 and we need to McFIRE him.
WAIT UNTIL IT IS RAINING!
In 1985, Oklahoma voters approved the creation of the Constitutional Reserve Fund- aka the Rainy Day Fund (RDF). After the oil bust of the 1980s, it was created to fill in the gaps when Oklahoma state government hit "real hard times." The state legislature can allocate up to ten percent of the total budget into the Rainy Day fund. Since its creation, the fund has been "tapped" for over one billion dollars, but it has not been used in six years. That's primarily because Republicans have taken control of the legislature and they have exercised more fiscal restraint than Democrats.
The current balance in the Rainy Day fund is $600 million and with revenues down almost twenty percent from estimates, Governor Henry, education leaders, and others are saying it's time to declare Oklahoma a "flood" zone and tap the RDF. State Treasurer Scott Meacham has projected a $700 billion dollar shortfall by fiscal year end. Based on the guidelines for tapping the RDF, $223 million can be used immediately due to the shortfalls- more if the governor and the legislature declare an emergency.
Henry has said, "As governor, I have scrupulously guarded the Rainy Day Fund so that we would have a safety net in place when Oklahoma faced a true emergency. With revenues continuing to decline and important services facing larger and larger cuts, I believe we are facing such an emergency." The last time the RDF was tapped was Henry's first year in office (2003) when the Democrat controlled legislature, at Henry's urging, spent $70 million dollars and that "rain" didn't get a windshield wet.
Speaker of the House Chris Benge, (R-Tulsa) says he isn't so sure it's time to tap the RDF. Benge said, "We are trying to figure out where the bottom is. We are not sure if we have reached it or not. From our line of thinking we would like to error on the side of cutting more and then if then if things are better than we expect, we can come back in and address those critical needs," Benge went on to say, "We must work to find the delicate balance between deeper cuts and use of our savings fund to ensure we balance our budget this year, while also positioning ourselves to be able to withstand likely continued declining revenues into the foreseeable future."
Senate Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee, (R-Bethany) agrees with Benge saying, "Our state continues to face uncertain revenue prospects for the foreseeable future, and the correct course of action is to continue to pare back expenditures throughout state government until better days return. We will continue to be conservative in our budgeting processes and look for waste or duplication in government services, and see the state through this challenging time."
There was talk of a special legislative session to deal with the budget shortfalls, but that idea has apparently been scrapped. It appears the budget shortfall will be the first thing on the legislature's plate when they convene in February. Governor Henry said, "When the regular legislative session convenes in February, we will have a better picture of the overall revenue outlook and more tools available to address the shortfall. We know the cuts will cause additional hardship for agencies and programs, but given the short-term fiscal outlook, there are no good options available."
Three comments concerning the tapping of the Rainy Day Fund. First, if the RDF is tapped, it should be for the least amount possible. Cutting budgets and the size of government should be done first. I'm afraid many who want to tap the RDF see an opportunity to operate government as if times were good when the private sector and indiviuals are making major adjustments to their budgets due to the economy. It is true state agencies had their budgets cut this fiscal year and most have experienced reductions of five(5) percent in state funding from that number, but who in their right mind doesn't believe government has at least twelve(12%) percent wasteful spending?
Second, these budget shortfalls present legislative leaders with the opportunity to tackle hard issues- like closing unnecessary state agencies and revamping common education in Oklahoma by uttering the "C" word (school district consolidation). It also gives lawmakers the opportunity to observe what areas of government are really necessary, which can be cut and those agencies we can do without.
Third, if we tap the RDF this year and things get worse, where is our "safety net?" The Rainy Day Fund is there when it's really raining, not when the forecast calls for rain. True, these are not good times, but it's not as bad as it could get. The RDF monies have always "burnt a hole" in the pocket of government bureucrats who cry "flood" when their budgets are cut. They are never willing to tighten their belts in tough times.
Speaker Benge and Pro Tempore Coffee should hold the line and focus on cutting wasteful spending first and tap the RDF when it's really raining.
Posted by Steve Fair is a Jelly Salesman. at 7:40 AM No comments:
SARAH PALIN- ROGUE OR WIMP?
It's critical that activist Republicans are honest when we evaluate so called 'leaders' who want to thrust themselves into becoming the GOP NATIONAL SPOKESPERSON. Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's book, "Going Rogue," is coming out tomorrow and she is making all the talk shows*(even the liberal ones) in order to promote it. Palin is the choice of a lot of conservative activists for the 2012 presidential race, including some of my friends, but let me give you three reasons why she should not be considered:
(1) SHE QUIT! When Palin resigned her office before the completion of her term, she said it was because she was not seeking re-election and would be a lame duck Governor. She believed that she could not effectively govern as a lame duck. The truth is at some point, EVERY elected official becomes a lame duck. That was a 'lame' excuse. Vince Lombardi said, "once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit." You can't 'cut and run' when it gets tough. I suspect the real reason Palin quit was to 'make a few bucks' by writing a tell-all book. While Palin hasn't cranked out the books like Neutron Newt Gingrich, her self-promotion is apparent and cheap.
(2) SHE IS INEXPERIENCED! I know Obama has no experience and is a novice, but Republicans should not promote an inexperienced candidate no matter how attractive they may be or how much they can excite the base. Face facts- Palin has little to no experience on foreign policy. She talks tough, but just being tough doesn't necessarily mean you have the ability to govern the country. Her tough talk may be just a cover (see point 3)
(3) SHE WHINES! One of the most unflattering traits in a leader is when they whine about how they were treated by people. In Palin's book, she gripes about McCain's staff and how they mistreated her. She complained about how she was uncomfortable wearing high dollar clothes at the GOP convention. Anyone with a basic understanding of politics knows that 'consultants' formulate the message and 'manage' the campaign. These hirelings have few convictions and no ethical standards, and while Palin may not have been prepared for their 'hardball' tactics, they are nothing compared to a foreign head of state like Chavez or Kim Jong il. If she couldn't take the heat, she shouldn't have been in the kitchen. Lord Jeffrey said, "The tendency to whining and complaining may be taken as the surest sign symptom of little souls and inferior intellects."
The title of Palin's book implies she is a ROGUE which is defined by Webster as (1) An unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person; a scoundrel or rascal or (2) One who is playfully mischievous; a scamp.
I'm sure Palin prefers the latter definition but neither is acceptable for leadership. Read the book for it's entertainment value, but dismiss the former Governor as a great fundraising tool for the GOP and nothing more.
OPEN UP THE PROCESS!
In this year's legislative session, Senator Anthony Sykes, (R-Moore) and Representative Mark McCullough, (R-Sapulpa) authored a bill known as the "Private Attorney Retention Sunshine Act." House Bill 2167 would have required Oklahoma governmental agencies to issue and publicly post a "Request for Proposals" for legal services and then publicly list all attorneys and law firms that are awarded contracts. McCullough and Sykes were attempting to stop what the Wall Street Journal called in a May 23rd editorial a "pay to sue" racket. They simply wanted the state to competitively bid the outside legal counsel the state uses. The current system allows the Attorney General to hire outside law firms and retain private lawyers on a contingency basis without a competitive bid.
The bill passed the Senate unanimously with overwhelming bipartisan support. It passed the State House 57-39 and was sent to the Governor, but Henry vetoed it saying, "While HB 2167 is well intended and has many good provisions, the legislation potentially does more harm than good because of its unintended consequences. Many state agencies could easily comply with the contracting restrictions in question, but for those agencies, such as Oklahoma Department of Transportation, that must respond quickly to a lawsuit or that must execute a large volume of legal contracts by virtue of their statutory responsibilities, such mandates would impair their ability to respond to pressing legal issues or to timely complete crucial projects, causing undue delays, increasing costs to the state and causing them to miss court-imposed deadlines. The Legislature should consider legislation that recognizes the unique statutory responsibilities of such adversely-impacted agencies." Because it was such a close vote in the House, it was not likely the veto could have been overturned, but Sykes has vowed to file a similar bill in the next session.
There are several problems with Henry's reason for his veto; First, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation has multiple attorneys on their staff? Shouldn't their internal counsel be handling these "emergencies" that arise? Isn't that why ODOT and the taxpayer employ them?
Secondly, the Private Attorney Retention Sunshine Act is model legislation developed by the American Legislative Exchange Council, and has been passed in Texas, North Dakota, Colorado, Kansas and Virginia. Several other states are considering the same legislation. That means three of our bordering states have enacted this policy to provide more transparency in government. If Oklahoma continues to lag behind the region in dealing with tort reform, we can expect to lose more doctors and health care professionals to states that have enacted true tort reform.
And finally, there is a fundamental moral problem with the practice itself. The head of a government agency should not be able to hire his friends or supporters with taxpayer money without a competitive bid and then solicit campaign contributions from those same friends and supporters. That is a clear conflict of interest and invites corruption.
According to the May 2009 WSJ editorial, "Mr. Edmondson was one of the first AGs to jump into the 1990s tobacco litigation. He gave work to two non-Oklahoma giants of tobacco torts, Motley Rice and Scruggs Millette. Also receiving contracts were three Oklahoma firms, including Riggs Abney -- home to Mr. Edmondson's friend and political ally, another former AG named Mike Turpen. As their part of the tobacco settlement, the firms would ultimately reap $250 million in legal fees. Mr. Turpen's firm collected $30 million."
Edmondson just announced he is the first candidate for Governor to raise one million dollars in his campaign. A large majority of his contributions came from trial attorneys, many who also just happen to be on retainer by the state as outside counsel.
If the current hiring "outside counsel" process isn't corrupt, then what's wrong with opening it up by competitively bidding the process? After all, it is taxpayer money and we have a right to know how our money is being spent. If we are getting a good deal, then why wouldn't the firms that are getting the business be eager to bid? This 'good ole boy' practice and the fact it was not widely known to the average Oklahoman just reinforces that Oklahoma has a long way before we have true transparency in government.
Edmondson has a great Oklahoma political name. His father served in Congress and his uncle, J. Howard, was the youngest governor in Oklahoma history, just thirty three years old when he was elected in 1958. Drew has certainly won his share of statewide elections (three), but his resistance to tort reform makes him a poor choice to lead Oklahoma. Henry's two terms have shown he doesn't favor meaningful tort reform- an issue which impacts Oklahoma negatively. Edmondson would be more of the same and Oklahoma can ill afford to hold to a flawed philosophy of continuing to cater to trial attorneys in our state.
Weekly Opinion/Editorial OKLAHOMA'S FOOD POLICE!
The "food police" are in Oklahoma. A couple of Tulsa area legislators recently held an interim study on how to get "healthy" grocery stores to come to the Sooner state. State Reps. Seneca Scott, D-Tulsa, and Jabar Shumate, D-Tulsa, want to determine how to incentivize rural and urban grocers that offer healthy, affordable, locally-grown produce and products. In other words, they want to use taxpayer dollars to get "mom and pop" healthy grocers that would compete with Whole Foods or some similar retailer.
During the interim study, Landon Norton of the Oklahoma Department of Health said that a recent Centers for Disease Control report showed Oklahoma state healthy food retail policies would positively impact its residents' consumption of fruits and vegetables. The report found that Oklahoma had far fewer healthy food retailers than the national average and "food deserts" or areas with little access to healthy foods. "Access is not what it could be, not what it needs to be," Norton said.
Scott, D-Tulsa, said it is clear that encouraging healthy neighborhood grocers could trigger more Oklahomans to begin living healthier lifestyles. "Oklahomans rank dead last nationally when it comes to nutrition and are the most likely Americans to suffer heart disease," Scott, D-Tulsa, said. "Though lawmakers can't force people to become healthy overnight, I think we can make healthy options available to them, while helping to support our local farmers and producers."
Scott Smith, who spoke during the study, owns the type of store Scott and Shumate want to encourage. The Blue Jackalope Grocery Store is a small neighborhood grocer and coffee shop located in Tulsa's Crosbie Heights neighborhood. Smith sells locally grown produce and says he has created a "community center" in his store. "The whole thing is the wonderful sense of connectedness that has resulted from what we've done at the store," Smith said.
"Incentivizing healthy grocers helps the economy, lowers health care costs and, most importantly, means Oklahomans won't have to choose between convenience and health," Scott said. "One way to incentivize them could be to amend the state's quality jobs act to benefit grocers," he said. The Oklahoma Healthy Corner Stores Initiative is the proposed title of the legislation he hopes to carry in the next legislative session.
"In too many areas of the state we lack access to affordable, high quality, fresh foods," Scott said. "The Oklahoma Legislature needs to help these working families and at the same time help local growers and small businesses, making it a win-win for all Oklahomans."
Of the top ten "health conscious grocers ranked by Health.com only one operates in Oklahoma. Whole Foods (279 stores in 38 states) has a store in Tulsa and has announced they will soon build a store in OKC. The new Classen Curve shopping center near the Chesapeake Energy campus is the likely location, but no formal announcement has been made. But what Scott and Shumate want to give incentives to are "mom and pop" healthy grocers, not Whole Foods. The two challenges for the smaller "healthy" retailer is a consistent source of supply- finding a niche wholesaler who specializes in "healthy" products and could they generate sufficient volume to make money? There are a few wholesalers, but none in the central part of the United States and the issue of volume would be anyone's guess. While Scott and Shumate's actions don't raise to the level of some of the nation's food police, they still need to mind their own business and stop trying to tell us how to eat.
Consider some of the radical actions by the "Food Police." The Public Health Advocacy Institute served notice to eight of the largest food producers in America they will sue food producers if they do not change formulas to help "slim down" America. That explains why Oreos don't have as much delicious filling as they used to.
A group of lawyers have said they plan to start suing doctors who do not adequately warn patients about obesity. In several states, including Texas, soda pop has been banned in schools, even diet, but fruit juice, which contains more calories than pop remains. In one Massachusetts city, fast food restaurants are "banned" from coming to town. The Center for Science in the Public Interest advocates treating candy like porn and putting it behind the counter to discourage sales. Texas Agricultural Commissioner Susan Combs, who calls herself the "Food Czarina" says, shared sweets like birthday cakes should not be allowed in schools.
And it's not just in the U.S. Did you know that in Canada, there is a "sin" tax on meals under $4 and in New Zealand, they "card"(check ages) when someone want to buy candy?
No matter how noble Scott and Shumate's motives are, they are misguided. It is not the job of state government to tell Oklahomans what to eat and where to shop. With Oklahoma's crumbling infrastructure and budget shortages, taxpayer dollars can be better spent dealing with real issues. Scott and Shumate should stay out of our cupboards.
TOO MANY QUESTIONS WITH SQ 744!
In November 2010, Oklahoma voters will vote on a proposed constitutional amendment that would tie common education funding to a regional average of Oklahoma's bordering states. The so-called HOPE amendment would force the state to fund common education at the same per student level as the surrounding state average. According to hope4ourkids.org, the regional average spent for common education per student is $9,078 and Oklahoma's funding is $7,615 per student- the lowest in the region.
Currently common education gets thirty six percent of the Oklahoma state annual budget- by far the largest allocation of any agency. If SQ 744 passes, common education would receive nearly one half of the state budget.
The actual ballot language for SQ 744 is:
The measure repeals a Section of the State Constitution. The repealed section required the Legislature annually to spend $42.00 for each common school student. Common schools offer pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.The measure also adds a new Article to the Constitution. It sets a minimum average amount the State must annually spend on common schools. It requires the State to spend annually, no less than the average amount spent on each student by the surrounding states. Those surrounding states are Missouri, Texas, Kansas, Arkansas, Colorado and New Mexico. When the average amount spent by surrounding states declines, Oklahoma must spend the amount it spent the year before. The measure deals with money spend on day-to-day operations of the schools and school districts. This includes spending on instructions, support services and non-instruction services. The measure does not deal with money spent to pay debt, on buildings or on other capital needs.The measure requires that increased spending begin in the first fiscal year after its passage. It requires that the surrounding state average be met in the third fiscal year after passage.The measure does not raise taxes, nor does it provide new funding for the new spending requirements.
The last sentence of the measure is very revealing. Passage of the proposal would create an "unfunded" mandate. SQ 744 would require the state to provide funding, but suggests no method on how to get those funds. Chairman of the House Appropriations and Budget committee State Representative Ken Miller, R-Edmond, says, "While the petitioners of State Question 744 may be well-intended, the question is irresponsible-it is a zero-sum game where one budget component benefits to the detriment of the other vital state service like transportation, public safety and health care. If this state question is approved, the people's representatives will not be able to prioritize competing needs and will have no say on the largest single component of the state's budget. Instead education policy will be arbitrarily set by a rigid regional formula."
Realistically, if SQ 744 passed, the legislature would be forced to either raise taxes or reduce funding to other agencies to meet the requirement 744 would mandate. Some estimates of other agency cuts range as high as twenty percent. According to the State House fiscal staff, if SQ # 744 passes, personal income tax would have to be raised from its current level of 5.5% to more than 7% to raise the money SQ 744 mandates.
Here are just three reasons State Question 744 should not be approved:
First, forcing state government to increase funding to common education based on what bordering states are doing will not improve Oklahoma education. Oklahoma has a more fundamental problem- it is how we spend our education dollar. We have too many school districts. Oklahoma has 554 school districts, Kansas 304, Arkansas 271, Colorado 178 and New Mexico only has 84. Each of Oklahoma's five hundred plus districts have buildings, buses and bosses. Consolidation is not a word anyone likes to utter, but if education wants to get serious about education and get the money to the classroom where it really makes a difference, the "C" word will have to discussed.
Second, education funding is not the only thing we need to improve in Oklahoma. Our state has crumbling infrastructure that is dangerous for school buses(or any other vehicle) to travel on. Oklahoma also ranks high in mental health issues, obesity, and drug use. If SQ 744 passes, either huge tax increases would need to be implemented or those infrastructure and social ills would face funding cuts. Neither alternative seems wise concerning these tough economic times.
Third, Oklahoman's tax burden is high enough. According to The Tax Foundation, Oklahoma's taxpayers have gone from the 42nd highest state and local tax burden in 1977 to the 19th highest in 2008. Estimated at 9.8% of income, Oklahoma's current state/local tax burden is above the national average. Oklahomans pay $3,761 per capita in state and local taxes.
It is true that teachers are underpaid in Oklahoma. They rank a dismal 47th in the country among their peers, but all Oklahoma workers are unpaid. The average Oklahoman earns $5,000 less than the average American doing the same job. US Census data indicates that only two of our bordering states have lower per capita income than Oklahoma, but SQ # 744 is not the answer- it just creates more questions.
Weekly Opinion/Editorial TOO MANY QUESTIONS WITH S...
Weekly Opinion/Editorial OKLAHOMA'S FOOD POLICE! b...
Weekly Opinion/Editorial OPEN UP THE PROCESS! by S...
SARAH PALIN- ROGUE OR WIMP? by Steve Fair It's cr...
Weekly Opinion/Editorial WAIT UNTIL IT IS RAINING...
BY POPULAR DEMAND!In today's Oklahoman the front p...
Weekly Opinion/Editorial GANG BILL SHOULD BE PASSE...


Job 17:9 The righteous keep moving forward, and those with clean hands become stronger and stronger.
The Bible is filled with stories of people, just like you and me, that have struggled, stumbled, failed and simply just messed up. It's an opportunity to see the power of God's great mercy, forgiveness and grace.
We can not stop trying to……you fill in the blank. If you fall, you learn how not to fall next time. You change it up and try again. Maybe you fall again but it takes longer to fall the second time. Then you change it up again and try it again and you just keep on trying not matter how times you fall.
I think we live in a culture where parents do not allow their kids to fall. Every one must get a trophy, parents are either over involved with their kids decision making or not involved at all. Parents say they want to prevent their kids from making mistakes but that is how they learn. Pain may come with a sin or mistake. If we have pain then we try not to repeat the action that caused the pain.
Some of you may not agree with spanking but I can assure that it only took a few good spankings to teach me that I did not want those spankings anymore. As an adult, I am thankful for the spankings. Why? Because of them I now make better decisions. I did not want to repeat the pain. As I got older, I did not get spankings but I never forgot what they felt like and I continued to think hard about decisions that I would make.
Sometimes I failed my parents. Sometimes I failed at reaching my goals. Sometimes I failed myself. There were times I failed as a parent and maybe even as a grand parent. (Probably not so much, LOL) First time riding a bike, failed. The moral of the story is not about the failures themselves but with each failure I learned something and became better.
Keep trying, even if you fall. Let your kids fall and be there for them when they do. Fall so that you learn not to fall and NEVER EVER QUIT!! Keep falling until you don't fall anymore!


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Patra, the third largest town of Greece, hosts many religious and cultural festivities all year round.
The largest religious festival of Patra is on November 30th, the name day of Agios Andreas, protector of the town. This day is a public holiday for the town and all schools, shops and public services are closed.
The Carnival of Patras is the major event of the town. This is the largest carnival in Greece and one of the most famous in Europe. Carnival celebrations last for about 40 days, but they peak on the weekend before Lent Monday. That Saturday evening, there is a large parade and so in on Sunday evening. On Sunday evening, the "burning of the Carnival King" marks the end of the carnival.
The International Film Festival of Patras takes place in October and screenings are presented in Apollo Theatre, in the centre of the town. Directors from Greece and many foreign countries take place.
The International Shadow Theatre Festival of Patras takes place every September. Performances of international shadow theatres are presented as well as performances of the typical Greek hero of shadow theatre, Karagiozis.
The International Festival of Patras takes place in summer and includes theatre performances, musical concerts, lectures, photo and painting exhibitions.


In September 2016, Deputy Donnelly wrote to the Charity Regulator requesting an investigation into the use of charities by the so-called vulture funds as part of their tax avoidance mechanisms. On the back of this request, a review was launched, and has now published its findings.
The regulator found that 'It appeared that the activities of the charities solely consisted of holding shares in section 110 companies and the distribution of the income derived from them to other charitable organisations'. While the charities identified by the review have all been restructured, it further found that 'in order to qualify for and maintain charitable status the organisation must have exclusively charitable purposes' effectively closing the door on the 'orphaning' technique.
Deputy Donnelly commented, "The Charity Regulator deserves enormous credit for taking such a proactive stance in ensuring that Irish charities are not used as part of tax avoidance schemes.
"My understanding is that the use of charities has been legal. However, there was a strong public reaction when I raised the chase of a children's charity being the sole shareholder in a so called vulture fund.


Grads to Vets focuses on creating a comprehensive support network for each graduate to tackle the commonly reported feeling of isolation. We know that this is essential in order to develop confidence and thrive in practice. We hope that this network will continue to be a support for our graduates long after the scheme officially ends.
We will assign each new graduate a mentor. Our mentors are all recent graduates who are still working in clinical practice and so will be very well placed to empathise with the highs and lows of starting work as a vet.
Each mentor will have a maximum of 2 new graduates per year so that they are able to offer them as much time and support as they need.
In future years we hope that some of the new graduates who have been through our graduate scheme might wish to act as mentors for other new graduates.
Each practice will be required to allocate an experienced vet in their practice to act as the Clinical Coach for the new graduate. They will be the new graduate's first point of contact within the practice and will be expected to have regular, informal meetings to monitor progress and address any concerns that either the practice or the graduate might have.
The vet who volunteers to take the role of Clinical Coach will attend a day of CPD designed as a bespoke evidence-based course for Grads to Vets and run by an experienced and qualified coach trainer. The aim of this course is to give the coaches the skills needed to support their new graduates effectively. This can also be logged as CPD by the clinical coach.
Graduates will have the opportunity to meet other grads living locally at our regular evening CPD talks. These will cover a range of clinical and non-clinical topics and will often be run in conjunction with the BVA Young Vet Network, as part of our partnership.
As well as CPD, these meet-ups will be an ideal opportunity for the graduates to make new friends and socialise with other people going through similar experiences.


text:
'One less' Yellow Tie Dress raises money for TrackSAFE - Dec 05, 2019
Executive Director Departure – TrackSAFE Foundation - Nov 19, 2019
'Pause.Call.Be Heard.' Rail Suicide Prevention Campaign launches in WA - Nov 15, 2019
TrackSAFE applauds increased penalties for trespass WA - Sep 27, 2019
TrackSAFE Foundation pays tribute to Patron, The Hon. Tim Fischer AC - Aug 22, 2019
TrackSAFE encourages rail community to ask R U OK?
The rail industry's harm prevention charity, the TrackSAFE Foundation, is supporting today's national R U OK? Day by encouraging rail workers and commuters to take the time to ask each other this simple and sometimes lifesaving question.
R U OK? Day is a national day of action held every year to remind people to regularly check in with those around them who might be struggling in their lives, and ask 'are you ok?'
Naomi Frauenfelder, General Manager of TrackSAFE welcomes the initiative saying that one simple question could potentially save someone's life.
"This R U OK? Day we are encouraging people to reach out to each other whether it is as commuters using the rail network at stations and on trains, or in the workplace.
"More than 2 million Australians travel on trains every day, and more than 110,000 people are employed in the rail industry. R U OK? Day is a tremendous opportunity to build a climate of care and support among our large community of rail commuters and workers," says Ms Frauenfelder.
TrackSAFE announces second annual Rail R U OK? Day
TrackSAFE is also pleased to announce its commitment to organising the second annual Rail R U OK? Day on 21 April 2016.
Rail R U OK? Day was initiated in April 2015 as part of TrackSAFE's trauma management work program to foster an environment of support and encouragement, so that asking 'are you ok?' becomes standard practice in the rail industry.
"Train drivers and other first responders are often at the forefront of trauma associated with rail incidents. Rail R U OK? Day is an initiative specifically aimed at helping rail workers deal with these and any other challenging situations they may face.
"Rail R U OK? Day has resonated strongly with industry. This year more than 8,500 rail employees got involved and we anticipate that support will increase for next year's event.
"We want to reinforce the power of conversation in our workplaces, and hope that other industries might be encouraged to do the same," Ms Frauenfelder says.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
By itypemba | November 13, 2021
Abu Dhabi, in Arabic language: أبوظبي 'Abū Ẓabī, literally 'Father of gazelles' is the capital of the homonymous emirate, as well as the capital and second most populous city of the United Arab Emirates.
According to abbreviationfinder, Abu Dhabi owns 9% of all the world's oil reserves (98.2 billion barrels) and almost 5% of the world's natural gas consumption (5.8 trillion cubic meters), the great hydrocarbon wealth of the The United Arab Emirates (UAE) gives it one of the highest GDP per capitas in the world. Abu Dhabi owns the majority of these resources (95% oil and 92% gas). National Oil Company of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company said in August of 2006 that the UAE is willing to expand crude oil production to 2.8 million barrels per day (bpd) and one of its production goal is empulsar barrels per day up to 4 million for 2010. See population of United Arab Emirates.
Recently the government has promoted the diversification of the economy, driven by rising oil prices, however the non-oil and gas sectors of GDP today constitute 64% of the UAE's total GDP. This trend is reflected in Abu Dhabi with substantial new investment in industry, real estate, tourism and retail. Abu Dhabi is the Emirates' largest oil producer, reaping most of the benefits from this trend. It has carried out a liberalization and diversification program to reduce the emirate's dependence on the hydrocarbon sector. This is evident in the emphasis on industrial diversification with the realization of an industrial free zone known as the Abu Dhabi Industrial City and the construction of another, ICAD II, in another sector. There has also been a campaign to promote the tourism and real estate sectors with the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority and the state Investment Development Company developing several large-scale projects.
These projects will be complemented with an improvement in transport infrastructures, with a new port, the expansion of the airport and a railway link project between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, all of which are in development phases.
Abu Dhabi is the richest emirate in the United Arab Emirates in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and per capita income. GDP per capita reached $ 63,000, which is well above the average income of the United Arab Emirates and ranks third in the world after Luxembourg and Norway. Abu Dhabi also plans many shared future projects with the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Persian Gulf (CCG), The United Arab Emirates is a rapidly growing economy: in 2006 per capita income grew by 9%, had GDP per capita of $ 49,700 and ranked third in the world in purchasing power parity. Abu Dhabi plays an important role in the world economy. Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth fund, the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), is currently estimated at $ 875 million, the richest of the world's sovereign wealth funds, in terms of total asset value, Etihad Airways maintains its headquarters in Abu Dhabi.
Any rail transport system in the Middle East is a luxury since it only exists on plans commissioned by their governments. Dubai, the first city to have one, is in it to inaugurate it, hopefully.
Those of Abu Dhabi decided that they could too and more: a complete public transport plan, the Abu Dhabi Plan 2030, ambitions a metro system, a regional railway, trams, a ferry link to Dubai, and three personal rapid transit zones.
This new personal transporter will be one of the vehicles that will circulate as rapid transport on specially constructed guides. It's great!
Today Abu Dhabi generates 15% of the GDP of the United Arab Emirates and that has a lot to do with the great diversification in its economy in recent years, making a large investment in what is the tourism sector that has really had very good results, since today this city is visited by thousands of tourists who come from all over the world to stay in its hotels, as well as the attractions that are throughout the city.
The capital of the emirate continues to grow and the evidence of this is that many large-scale projects are currently being built at a millionaire cost. Thanks to its great urban development in recent years they have made this city one of the most expensive in the world where they have with them the construction of the most expensive hotel in the world called the ¨Emirati Palace ¨, which had a cost of about 3 Billion dollars, this and many more tourist destinations you can find in this wonderful eastern city full of culture and tradition with a futuristic touch.
In Abu Dhabi, a world of modern wonders awaits you, with the highest quality of services that you can imagine in its different hotels and tourist attractions.
United Arab Emirates Human Geography
Working and Living in Dubai, United Arab Emirates


text:
package main

import (
	"testing"

	"github.com/rach/pome/Godeps/_workspace/src/github.com/jmoiron/sqlx"
)

var IndexBloatSqlStub = []IndexBloatDatabaseResult{
	{"public.foo.bar", "public", "foo", "bar", 1000, 10.},
	{"public.foo.pk", "public", "foo", "pk", 2000, 20.},
}

var TableBloatSqlStub = []TableBloatDatabaseResult{
	{"public.foo", "public", "foo", 1000, 10.},
	{"public.bar", "public", "bar", 2000, 20.},
}

var DatabaseSizeSqlStub = DatabaseSizeResult{10000, 50000, 15000, 50.}
var NumberOfConnectionSqlStub = NumberOfConnectionResult{5}

func getIndexBloatStub(db *sqlx.DB) interface{} {
	return IndexBloatSqlStub
}

func getTableBloatStub(db *sqlx.DB) interface{} {
	return TableBloatSqlStub
}

func getDatabaseSizeSqlStub(db *sqlx.DB) interface{} {
	return DatabaseSizeSqlStub
}

func getNumberOfConnectionSqlStub(db *sqlx.DB) interface{} {
	return NumberOfConnectionSqlStub
}

func TestIndexBloatUpdate(t *testing.T) {
	metrics := &MetricList{}
	db := &sqlx.DB{} // we are doing real query so don't connect

	indexBloatUpdate(db, metrics, getIndexBloatStub, 1)
	if len((*metrics).IndexBloat) != 2 {
		// number of keys in the map public.foo.bar & public.foo.pk
		t.Error("Index bloat map excepted equal to 2")
	}

	if len((*metrics).TopBloatIndexRatio) != 1 {
		t.Error("Top Bloat Index Ratio excepted equal to 1")
	}

	if len((*metrics).TotalIndexBloatBytes) != 1 {
		t.Error("Total Index Bloat Bytes excepted equal to 1")
	}
	// Testing if the keys has been created in the map
	if _, ok := (*metrics).IndexBloat[IndexBloatSqlStub[0].Key]; !ok {
		t.Error("Index bloat map excepted key public.foo.bar")
	}

	if _, ok := (*metrics).IndexBloat[IndexBloatSqlStub[1].Key]; !ok {
		t.Error("Index bloat map excepted key public.foo.pk")
	}
	// Testing the limit
	indexBloatUpdate(db, metrics, getIndexBloatStub, 1)

	if len((*metrics).IndexBloat) != 2 {
		// number of keys in the map public.foo.bar & public.foo.pk
		t.Error("Index bloat map still excepted equal to 2")
	}

	if len((*metrics).TopBloatIndexRatio) != 1 {
		t.Error("Top Bloat Index Ratio excepted equal to 1")
	}

	if len((*metrics).TotalIndexBloatBytes) != 1 {
		t.Error("Total Index Bloat Bytes excepted still equal to 1")
	}

	tibb := IndexBloatSqlStub[0].BloatBytes + IndexBloatSqlStub[1].BloatBytes
	// Testing the Total
	if len((*metrics).TotalIndexBloatBytes) != 1 && (*metrics).TotalIndexBloatBytes[0] == tibb {
		t.Error("Total Index Bloat Bytes excepted still equal to 1")
	}

	var tibr float64
	if IndexBloatSqlStub[0].BloatRatio > IndexBloatSqlStub[1].BloatRatio {
		tibr = IndexBloatSqlStub[0].BloatRatio
	} else {
		tibr = IndexBloatSqlStub[1].BloatRatio
	}

	if len((*metrics).TopBloatIndexRatio) != 1 && (*metrics).TopBloatIndexRatio[0] == tibr {
		t.Error("Total Index Bloat Bytes excepted still equal to 1")
	}

}

func TestTableBloatUpdate(t *testing.T) {
	metrics := &MetricList{}
	db := &sqlx.DB{} // we are doing real query so don't connect

	tableBloatUpdate(db, metrics, getTableBloatStub, 1)
	if len((*metrics).TableBloat) != 2 {
		// number of keys in the map public.foo.bar & public.foo.pk
		t.Error("Table bloat map excepted equal to 2")
	}

	if len((*metrics).TopBloatTableRatio) != 1 {
		t.Error("Top Bloat Table Ratio excepted equal to 1")
	}

	if len((*metrics).TotalTableBloatBytes) != 1 {
		t.Error("Total Table Bloat Bytes excepted equal to 1")
	}
	// Testing if the keys has been created in the map
	if _, ok := (*metrics).TableBloat[TableBloatSqlStub[0].Key]; !ok {
		t.Error("Table bloat map excepted key public.foo.bar")
	}

	if _, ok := (*metrics).TableBloat[TableBloatSqlStub[1].Key]; !ok {
		t.Error("Table bloat map excepted key public.foo.pk")
	}
	// Testing the limit
	tableBloatUpdate(db, metrics, getTableBloatStub, 1)

	if len((*metrics).TableBloat) != 2 {
		// number of keys in the map public.foo.bar & public.foo.pk
		t.Error("Table bloat map still excepted equal to 2")
	}

	if len((*metrics).TopBloatTableRatio) != 1 {
		t.Error("Top Bloat Table Ratio excepted equal to 1")
	}

	if len((*metrics).TotalTableBloatBytes) != 1 {
		t.Error("Total Table Bloat Bytes excepted still equal to 1")
	}

	tibb := TableBloatSqlStub[0].BloatBytes + TableBloatSqlStub[1].BloatBytes
	// Testing the Total
	if len((*metrics).TotalTableBloatBytes) != 1 && (*metrics).TotalTableBloatBytes[0] == tibb {
		t.Error("Total Table Bloat Bytes excepted still equal to 1")
	}

	var tibr float64
	if TableBloatSqlStub[0].BloatRatio > TableBloatSqlStub[1].BloatRatio {
		tibr = TableBloatSqlStub[0].BloatRatio
	} else {
		tibr = TableBloatSqlStub[1].BloatRatio
	}

	if len((*metrics).TopBloatTableRatio) != 1 && (*metrics).TopBloatTableRatio[0] == tibr {
		t.Error("Total Table Bloat Bytes excepted still equal to 1")
	}
}

func TestDatabaseSizeUpdate(t *testing.T) {
	metrics := &MetricList{}
	db := &sqlx.DB{} // we are doing real query so we don't care

	databaseSizeUpdate(db, metrics, getDatabaseSizeSqlStub, 1)

	length := len((*metrics).DatabaseSize)
	if length != 1 {
		t.Error("DatabaseSize length excepted equal to 1")
	}

	// Testing the limit
	databaseSizeUpdate(db, metrics, getDatabaseSizeSqlStub, 1)

	length = len((*metrics).DatabaseSize)
	if length != 1 {
		t.Error("DatabaseSize length excepted equal to 1")
	}

	// Testing the Values
	if length >= 1 {
		dsm := ((*metrics).DatabaseSize[0]).(databaseSizeMetric)

		if dsm.TableSize != DatabaseSizeSqlStub.TableSize {
			t.Error("wrong value for table size")
		}
		if dsm.TotalSize != DatabaseSizeSqlStub.TotalSize {
			t.Error("wrong value for total size")
		}
		if dsm.IndexSize != DatabaseSizeSqlStub.IndexSize {
			t.Error("wrong value for index size")
		}
		if dsm.IndexRatio != DatabaseSizeSqlStub.IndexRatio {
			t.Error("wrong value for index ratio")
		}
	}

}

func TestNumberOfConnectionUpdate(t *testing.T) {
	metrics := &MetricList{}
	db := &sqlx.DB{} // we are doing real query so we don't care

	numberOfConnectionUpdate(db, metrics, getNumberOfConnectionSqlStub, 1)

	length := len((*metrics).NumberOfConnection)
	if length != 1 {
		t.Error("NumberOfConnection length excepted equal to 1")
	}

	// Testing the limit
	numberOfConnectionUpdate(db, metrics, getNumberOfConnectionSqlStub, 1)

	length = len((*metrics).NumberOfConnection)
	if length != 1 {
		t.Error("NumberOfConnection length excepted equal to 1")
	}

	// Testing the Values
	if length >= 1 {
		noc := ((*metrics).NumberOfConnection[0]).(numberConnectionMetric)

		if noc.Count != NumberOfConnectionSqlStub.Count {
			t.Error("wrong value for count")
		}
	}
}

func TestAppendAndFilter(t *testing.T) {
	l := []Metric{}
	l = appendAndFilter(l, databaseSizeMetric{}, 1)
	if len(l) != 1 {
		t.Error("length expected to be 1")
	}
	l = appendAndFilter(l, databaseSizeMetric{}, 1)
	if len(l) != 1 {
		t.Error("length expected to still be 1 because of the limit")
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
\section{Introduction}
\label{sec.intro}

Graphene -- an exact, two-dimensional (2D) honeycomb lattice, exhibits a range of extraordinary electronic properties~\cite{novoselov.geim.05,castroneto.guinea.09,peres.10,dassarma.adam.11,goerbig.11,koto.uchoa.12}.
The existence of two degenerate and inequivalent valleys at the corners of the Brillouin zone (BZ) constitutes an additional discrete degree of freedom.
This leads to a proposal of the \textit{valleytronics}~\cite{bussolotti.kawai.18}, which contrary to spintronics concept~\cite{avsar.ochoa.20}, manipulates a valley index instead of carrier spin.
Recently, the potential application in valleytronics for several three-dimensional (3D) systems (e.g.\ transition metal dichalcogenides) has been suggested~\cite{schaibley.yu.16,wang.chernikov.18,liu.gao.19}.

Due to the broken inversion symmetry of crystal structure, electrons in both valleys
experience an effective magnetic field with equal magnitudes but opposite signs~\cite{xiao.yao.07}.
Such behavior, associated with effective angular momenta at the point with opposite valley index, opens a way for optical pumping of valley-polarized carriers by circularly polarized light~\cite{cao.wang.12,mak.he.12,sallen.bouet.12,zeng.dai.12,wu.ross.13}.
Additionally, new phenomena like valley Hall effect can be realized~\cite{xiao.liu.12,mak.mcgill.14,tong.gong.16,jin.kim.18}, which is analogue to the spin Hall effect~\cite{sinova.valenzuela.15}.
The mentioned transport properties exhibit a topological nature, which is evidenced by the presence of the finite Berry curvature in the system~\cite{xiao.chang.10,hasan.kane.10,bansil.lin.16}.

Interestingly, electronic systems are not unique in presenting such topological properties, as this is possible also for various types of bosonic systems~\cite{liu.chen.20,mcclarty.21}.
The topological bosons are not an ordinary extension of the topological fermions due to significant difference between both systems (e.g.\ different types of statistics and interactions).
However, from theoretical point of view, both of them can be described by the Bloch wave function in periodic lattices~\cite{bloch.29}.
The topological concepts widely used in electronic systems, such as Berry phase, Berry curvature, or Chern number, are applicable to bosonic systems as well.

As an example, a topologically nontrivial phase was observed in photonic
systems~\cite{lu.joannopoulos.14,noh.huang.17,ozawa.price.19}.
Recently, many other topological features were reported in these
types of systems, e.g.\ Weyl points~\cite{lu.fu.13,lin.xiao.16,hou.chen.16,he.qiu.18,chen.xiao.16}, topological edge modes~\cite{chen.xiao.16,noh.huang.17,chen.zhao.17,phan.liu.21} or a topological acoustic wave in metamaterial systems~\cite{yang.gao.15,xiao.chen.15,lu.qiu.17,li.qiu.17,he.qiu.18,zhang.cheng.18}.

Stemming from that, topological properties can be also expected in the case of phononic systems~\cite{li.ren.12,li.liu.21}.
The topological properties of phonons can be a consequence of acoustic-- and optical--mode inversion in phonon dispersion relations~\cite{singh.wu.18}, that is an exact analogue of the band inversion in the electronic structure.
Consequently, also Dirac and/or Weyl high-degenerated points~\cite{jin.wang.18,zhang.song.18,miao.zhang.18,lie.xie.18,xie.li.19,liu.hou.19,zhong.liu.21,liu.qian.20,peng.hu.20,chen.wang.21,liu.li.21,liu.wang.21,li.xie.20,he.rivera.20} as well as nodal lines~\cite{he.rivera.20,li.xie.20,stenull.kane.16} can occur.

One of the possible examples of topological phenomena concerning phonons is the ability to distinguish them via the chiral modes~\cite{chen.zhang.18}.
These types of modes are characterized by the opposite chirality and can emerge in the system due to the quantized Berry phase and pseudoangular momenta~\cite{zhang.niu.14,liu.lian.17,zhang.niu.15}.
In analogy to the electronic structure of graphene, in the phonon spectrum of the hexagonal lattice the opposite Berry phase in the K and K' points are observed~\cite{liu.xu.17,zhang.niu.15,jin.wang.18,li.wang.20}.
The existence of chiral phonons allows for the realization of the elastic analogue of the valley Hall effect~\cite{pal.ruzzene.17}.
Chiral phonons have been reported also in the kagome lattice~\cite{chen.wu.19}, in the bilayer triangular~\cite{xu.wei.18} or bilayer hexagonal~\cite{gao.zhang.18} lattices.
Such type of phonons was also recently observed in the transition metal dichalcogenide WSe$_{2}$~\cite{zhu.yi.18} and predicted to exist in a MoS$_{2}$/WS$_{2}$ heterostructure~\cite{zhang.srivastava.20}.
Additionally, recent studies show the possibility of experimental realization of the chiral phonons in more complex systems like BiB$_{3}$O$_{6}$~\cite{romao.19}.

\begin{figure}[!t]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{crys.pdf}
\caption{
(a) Side- and (b) top view of the CoSn-like crystal structure with {\it P6/mmm} symmetry.
The Co atoms (blue balls) form the kagome lattice, while the Sn atoms occupy two non--equivalent positions: Sn(1) located in the plane of the kagome lattice (grey balls), and Sn(2) located between two kagome-lattice planes and forming a honeycomb sublattice (crossed balls).
\label{fig.crystal}
}
\end{figure}

{\it Motivation.}
Several groups of 3D crystals can combine into two different types of 2D topological lattices.
One such example is the structure of CoSn-like compounds [cf.\ Fig.~\ref{fig.crystal}(a)], formed by $d$-block element (like Fe, Co, Ni, Rh, or Pt) and $p$-block element (like Ge, In, Sn, Tl, or Pb).
These compounds crystallize within the $P6/mmm$ symmetry --- the $d$-block elements form a kagome sublattice, while the $p$-block elements have two nonequivalent positions: one position in the plane of the kagome lattice, and second intercollated between two kagome-lattice planes [marked in Fig.~\ref{fig.crystal} as Sn(1) and Sn(2), respectively].
Atoms in Sn(2)--type position form the honeycomb sublattice [atoms marked by cross in Fig.~\ref{fig.crystal}(b)].
This complex structure arises due to existence of the kagome lattice and allows for a realization of topological nearly-flat band in electronic band structure~\cite{meier.du.20,liu.li.20}.

In our study we investigate the following compounds: CoSn, CoGe, FeSn, FeGe, NiIn, RhPb, and PtTl.
These materials permit a systematic study of the impact of various parameters e.g., atomic mass ratio or magnetic order on the chiral phonons in real 3D systems.
Additionally, the application of an external uniaxial pressure on the system can mimick the effective magnetic field or the spin--orbit coupling-like effects acting on phonons.
Furthermore, we found that two of the investigated compounds (i.e. CoGe and RhPb) cannot exist in the $P6/mmm$ structure.
Instead they exhibit $P\bar{6}2m$ symmetry, what was not reported previously in literature.
Our results suggests a possible emergence of chiral phonon also in these structures.
Summarizing, we systematically study and discuss the origin of the chiral phonons in a large class of real 3D systems.

The paper is organized as follows.
Details of the {\it ab initio} calculations are present in Sec~\ref{sec.theo}.
Next, in Sec.~\ref{sec.res}, we discuss the numerical results.
Possible experimental consequences of realization the chiral phonons are discussed in Sec.~\ref{sec.exp}.
Finally, a summary is included in Sec.~\ref{sec.sum}.

\section{Theoretical background}
\label{sec.theo}

\subsection{Numerical calculation details}
\label{sec.num_det}

The first-principles (DFT) calculations are preformed using the projector augmented-wave (PAW) potentials~\cite{blochl.94} implemented in the Vienna Ab initio Simulation Package ({\sc Vasp}) code~\cite{kresse.hafner.94,kresse.furthmuller.96,kresse.joubert.99}.
The calculations are made within generalized gradient approximation (GGA) in the Perdew, Burke, and Ernzerhof (PBE) parametrization~\cite{pardew.burke.96}.
The energy cutoff for the plane-wave expansion was set to $350$~eV.
The calculations carried out without and with spin polarization in a system with different spin configurations allow to determine the magnetic ground state.
Optimizations of the structural parameters (lattice constants and atomic positions) for nonmagnetic and ferromagnetic order are performed in the primitive unit cell using $10 \times 10 \times 6$ {\bf k}--point grid in the Monkhorst--Pack scheme~\cite{monkhorst.pack.76}. For the antiferromagnetic structure the doubled unit cell and the reduced {\bf k}--point grid ($10 \times 10 \times 3$) was used.
As a break of the optimization loop, we take the condition with an energy difference of $10^{-5}$~eV and $10^{-7}$~eV for ionic and electronic degrees of freedom.

The interatomic force constants (IFC) are calculated by {\sc Alamode} software~\cite{tadano.gohda.14}, using the $2 \times 2 \times 2$ supercell with $48$ atoms.
Calculations are performed for the thermal distribution of multi-displacement of atoms at $T = 50$~K, generated within {\sc hecss} procedure ~\cite{jochym.lazewski.21}.
The energy and the Hellmann-Feynman forces acting on all atoms are calculated with {\sc Vasp} for one hundred different configurations of atomic displacements in the supercell.
In dynamical properties calculations, we include first- and second-orders phonon contributions, which correspond to harmonic and cubic IFC, respectively.

\subsection{Dynamical matrix and polarization vector}
\label{sec.dym_mat}

The lattice dynamics of the system can be studied by the dynamical matrix:
\begin{eqnarray}
\nonumber D_{\alpha\beta}^{jj'} \left( {\bm q} \right) \equiv \frac{1}{\sqrt{m_{j}m_{j'}}} \sum_{n} \Phi_{\alpha\beta} \left( j0, j'n \right) \exp \left( i {\bm q} \cdot {\bm R}_{j'n} \right) , \\
\label{eq.dyn_mat}
\end{eqnarray}
where ${\bm q}$ is the phonon wave vector and $m_{j}$ denotes the mass of $j$th atom.
Here, $\Phi_{\alpha\beta} \left( j0, j'n \right)$ is the IFC tensor ($\alpha$ and $\beta$ denotes the direction index, i.e.\ $x$, $y$, and $z$) between $j$th and $j'$th atoms located in the initial (0) and $n$th primitive unit cell.
The phonon spectrum for a given wave vector ${\bm q}$ is specified by the eigenproblem of the dynamical matrix~(\ref{eq.dyn_mat}), i.e.:
\begin{eqnarray}
\omega^{2}_{\varepsilon{\bm q}} \text{e}_{\varepsilon{\bm q}\alpha j} = \sum_{j'\beta} D_{\alpha\beta}^{jj'} \left( {\bm q} \right) \text{e}_{\varepsilon{\bm q}\beta j'} .
\end{eqnarray}
Here, the $\varepsilon$ branch describes the phonon with $\omega_{\varepsilon{\bm q}}$ frequency and polarization vector $\text{e}_{\varepsilon{\bm q}\alpha j}$.
Each $\alpha j$ component of the polarization vector denotes displacement of $j$th atom in $\alpha$th direction.

\subsection{Circular phonon polarization}
\label{sec.circ_pol}

In practice, the polarization vector $\text{e}_{\varepsilon{\bm q}\alpha j}$ is related to the oscillation of each atom caused by the propagation of a $\varepsilon$ phonon with wave vector ${\bm q}$.
Each $j$th atom is described by three components of $\text{e}_{\varepsilon{\bm q}\alpha j}$, which refer to independent harmonic oscillators in each of $\alpha$ directions.
The circular polarization occurs when the two orthogonal oscillators are of equal magnitude and are out of phase by exactly $\pm \pi/2$.
To study this behavior, we employ Jones vectors $\frac{1}{\sqrt{2}} ( 1 \; \pm i )^\text{T}$ (denoting circular polarization in $xy$ plane), where upper and lower sign correspond to left-handed polarization (LHP) and right-handed polarization (RHP), respectively.
From the theoretical point of view, Jones vectors act on every $j$th atom, and can be used to introduce a new basis defined as:
$|R_{1}\rangle \equiv \frac{1}{\sqrt{2}} \left( 1 \; i \; 0 \cdots 0 \right)^\text{T}$, $|L_{1}\rangle \equiv \frac{1}{\sqrt{2}} \left( 1 \; -i \; 0 \cdots 0 \right)^\text{T}$, $|Z_{1}\rangle \equiv \left( 0 \; 0 \; 1 \cdots 0 \right)^\text{T}$; $\ldots$; $|R_{j}\rangle \equiv \frac{1}{\sqrt{2}} \left( 0 \cdots 1 \; i \; 0 \cdots 0 \right)^\text{T}$, $|L_{j}\rangle \equiv \frac{1}{\sqrt{2}} \left( 0 \cdots 1 \; -i \; 0 \cdots 0 \right)^\text{T}$, $|Z_{j}\rangle \equiv \left( 0 \cdots 0 \; 0 \; 1 \cdots 0 \right)^\text{T}$; $\ldots$; i.e., two in-plane components of circular oscillation are replaced by the Jones vectors coefficients, while third component is unchanged.
In this basis, each polarization vector $\text{e} \equiv \text{e}_{\varepsilon{\bm q}\alpha j}$, can be represented as:
\begin{eqnarray}
\text{e} = \sum_{j} \left( \alpha^{R}_{j} | R_{j} \rangle + \alpha^{L}_{j} | L_{j} \rangle + \alpha^{Z}_{j} | Z_{j} \rangle \right) ,
\end{eqnarray}
where $\alpha^{V}_{j} = \langle V_{j} | \text{e} \rangle$, for $V \in \{ R, L, Z \}$ and $j \in \{ 1 , 2, \cdots, N \}$ (N is a total number of atoms in a primitive unit cell).
Additionally, we can define the phonon circular polarization operator $\hat{S}^{z}_{ph}$ along the $z$ direction as:
\begin{eqnarray}
\hat{S}^{z}_{ph} \equiv \sum_{j} \hat{S}_{j}^{z} = \sum_{j} \left( | {R}_{j} \rangle \langle R_{j} | - | L_{j} \rangle \langle L_{j} | \right) ,
\end{eqnarray}
where $\hat{S}_{i}^{z}$ is the phonon circular polarization operator at site $i$.
From this, the phonon circular polarization $s_{j}^{z}$ of $j$th atom can be expressed as
\begin{eqnarray}
s_{j}^{z} = \hslash \text{e}^{\dagger} \hat{S}_{j}^{z} \text{e} = \hslash \left( | \alpha^{R}_{j} |^{2} - | \alpha^{L}_{j} |^{2} \right) .
\end{eqnarray}
It corresponds to the phonon angular momentum along the $z$ direction~\cite{mclellan.88,zhang.niu.14}.
However, in the general case, we can discuss the angular momenta along some arbitrary direction.
For $s_{j}^{z} > 0$ ($s_{j}^{z} < 0$) the phonon mode has RHP (LHP), while for $s_{j}^{z} = 0$ the phonon mode is linearly vibrating.
Finally, the total phonon circular polarization $s_{ph}^{z} = \sum_{j} s_{j}^{z}$ denotes polarization of a whole system.

\section{Results and discussion}
\label{sec.res}

\begin{table}[!b]
\caption{
Comparison of the experimental and theoretical lattice constants for crystals in $P6/mmm$ symmetry.
The results are obtained in the presence of spin-orbit coupling.
$\Theta$~denotes the mass ratio of components, i.e.\ relation of the mass of $d$-block element with respect to the mass of $p$-block element.
}
\begin{ruledtabular}
\begin{tabular}{lccccc}
 & & \multicolumn{2}{c}{Theory} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{Exp.~(Ref.~\cite{meier.du.20})} \\
 & $\Theta$ (--) & a (\AA) & c (\AA) & a (\AA) & c (\AA) \\
 \hline
\multicolumn{6}{c}{ $P6/mmm$ (SG: 191) } \\
 \hline
CoSn & 0.50 & 5.289 & 4.224 & 5.2693 & 4.2431 \\
CoGe~\footnote{\label{tab.1sttablefoot}unstable in $P6/mmm$ structure, cf.\ discussion in Sec.~\ref{sec.res}} & 0.81 & 4.987 & 3.876 & --- & --- \\
FeSn~\footnote{AFM order} & 0.47 & 5.285 & 4.456 & 5.2765 & 4.4443 \\
FeGe~\footnote{FM order} & 0.77 & 4.963 & 4.063 & 4.9852 & 4.0482 \\
NiIn & 0.51 & 5.280 & 4.377 & 5.2296 & 4.3390 \\
RhPb~\footref{tab.1sttablefoot} & 0.49 & 5.740 & 4.487 & 5.6660 & 4.4127 \\
PtTl & 0.96 & 5.702 & 4.797 & 5.6017 & 4.6276 \\
 \hline
\multicolumn{6}{c}{ $P\bar{6}2m$ (SG: 189) } \\
 \hline
CoGe & 0.81 & 5.009 & 3.857 & --- & --- \\
RhPb & 0.49 & 5.770 & 4.464 & --- & ---
\end{tabular}
\end{ruledtabular}
\label{tab.latt}
\end{table}

\subsection{Crystal structure}
\label{sec.crys_struc}

\begin{figure*}[!tp]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{bands_191_chir2.pdf}
\caption{
(a)--(g) The phonon dispersions for the studied compounds (as labeled), along the high symmetry points of the first Brillouin zone, presented in (h), of the $P6/mmm$ structure.
The color and width of line correspond to the
phonon angular momentum of the {\it p}-block element in sublattice A of the honeycomb net (cf.\ Fig.~\ref{fig.chiral_modes}).
Atoms in sublattice B are described by the phonon angular momentum with the opposite value.
Red labels denotes the compounds unstable in the $P6/mmm$ structure.
\label{fig.ban191}
}
\end{figure*}

The CoSn--like compounds typically crystallize in the hexagonal structure with $P6/mmm$ symmetry (space group: 191).
The {\it d}-block element is placed at $3f$ $(1/2, 0, 0)$ Wyckoff position, while the {\it p}-block atoms occupy two non-equivalent $1a$ $(0, 0, 0)$ and $2d$ $(1/3, 2/3, 1/2)$ Wyckoff positions.
Lattice parameters of the optimized ground-state structures are summarized in Table~\ref{tab.latt}. As shown, they remain in close agreement with the available experimental data.
Two of the seven studied compounds have been previously reported to be magnetically ordered.
The magnetic moments on Fe atoms are aligned ferromagnetically (FM) in FeGe~\cite{sales.yan.19,sales.meier.21}, while in FeSn the antiferromagnetic (AFM) order is observed~\cite{zeng.kent.06}.
In AFM structure the spins are arranged ferromagnetically in each FeSn layer and antiferromagnetically ordered in neighboring layers.

For all compounds with the $P6/mmm$ symmetry, the phonon dispersion relations are calculated and presented in Fig.~\ref{fig.ban191}.
The irreducible representations at the $\Gamma$ point are: $A_\text{2u} + E_\text{1u}$ for acoustic modes, and $2 A_\text{2u} + B_\text{1g} + B_\text{1u}+ B_\text{2u} + E_\text{2u} + E_\text{2g} + 3 E_\text{1u}$ for optic modes.
The phonon dispersions are discussed in details in Sec.~\ref{sec.topo_ph}, but here we would like to point out that two crystals, CoGe and RhPb, are not stable in the $P6/mmm$ structure because their phonon spectra exhibit imaginary frequencies.
From analysis of the soft mode with the lowest frequency (at the $\Gamma$ point), we found a stable structure for these two compounds, i.e.\ the $P\bar{6}2m$ hexagonal symmetry (space group 189), for details see Sec.~\ref{sec.sg189}.
For both materials, the lattice constants of a new structure remain almost unchanged (Table~\ref{tab.latt}), however, the {\it d}-block element is slightly shifted from the original high-symmetry site $(0.5, 0, 0)$ in the $P6/mmm$ structure to new $3f$ positions of a $P\bar{6}2m$ space group, $(0.4665, 0, 0)$ or $(0.4669, 0, 0)$ for Co or Rh, respectively.

\begin{figure}[!b]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{chir_modes.pdf}
\caption{
The phonons angular momentum in two non-equivalent sites
of the honeycomb net for the $P6/mmm$ structure.
The {\it p}-block elements located on sites A and B of honeycomb net have the opposite phonon angular momenta.
\label{fig.chiral_modes}
}
\end{figure}

\subsection{Chiral phonons in $\bm{P6/mmm}$ symmetry}
\label{sec.topo_ph}

The phonon dispersion curves of the studied compounds are presented in Fig.~\ref{fig.ban191}.
Each compound realizes phonon flat-bands, which can be the source of
the collective atomic vibrations in kagome-sublattice plane~\cite{yin.shumiya.20}.
However, analysis of the phonon angular momentum (phonon dispersion curves distinguished by colors and width of lines in Fig.~\ref{fig.ban191}), shows that these bands are mostly associated with chiral phonons realized by the {\it p}-block elements within the honeycomb sublattice (see movies \texttt{k\_mode$\ast$} in the Supplemental Material (SM)~\footnote{
See the Supplemental Material at [URL will be inserted by publisher] for visualizations of the chosen phonon modes.
There, yellow (green) orbs correspond to the {\it p}-block ({\it d}-block) atoms.
Files named \texttt{k\_mode$\ast$} present modes from K point, while \texttt{gamma\_mode4} correspond to the soft mode at $\Gamma$ point in CoGe and RhPb.
}).
Two atoms composing this sublattice, exhibit an opposite phonon angular momentum, what is schematically presented in Fig.~\ref{fig.chiral_modes}.
For example, when atom located at the A site has $s_{A}^{z} = \pm\hslash$, then atom at the B site has $s_{B}^{z} = \mp\hslash$.

Interestingly, chiral modes preserve the time reversal symmetry $\left( s_{j}^{z} , {\bm k} \right) \rightarrow \left( -s_{j}^{z} , -{\bm k} \right)$, i.e.,\ for K and K' points of the reciprocal space,
since components of polarization vectors for each atom correspond to opposite phonon angular momenta as it is depicted on the left panel for K and right panel for K' of Fig.~\ref{fig.chiral_modes}).
Along the path from K to K' point, the phonon angular momentum changes its value continuously and equals to zero at point M (i.e., precisely half way between K and K').
Similarly, the phonon angular momentum also vanishes at the $\Gamma$ point.

\begin{figure}[!t]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{cosn_traj2.pdf}
\caption{
Examples of trajectories (violet lines) of the CoSn atoms (for $P6/mmm$ symmetry), generated by chosen modes at the K point (as labeled).
The dashed rhombus represents the unit cell, while equilibrium position of atoms are marked by the blue (Co atoms) and red (Sn atoms) circles on panel (a).
The black arrows indicate the Sn atoms belonging to the honeycomb lattice and showing the chiral vibrations.
\label{fig.traj}
}
\end{figure}

As we can see in Fig.~\ref{fig.ban191}, the phonon branches with strong phonon angular momentum (marked by thick lines), are located mostly in the mid-frequency range and emerge from the double-degenerated $E_\text{1u}$ modes at the $\Gamma$ point.
Moving away from the $\Gamma$ point these modes become non-degenerate and lead to the creation of circular-like rotation of {\it p}-block elements in the honeycomb lattice (this also happens at the $\Gamma$ point, however, in this
case circular polarization results from the composition of two double-degenerated $E_\text{1u}$ or $E_\text{2g}$ modes.
In the high-frequency range of the spectrum, a small but nonzero phonon angular momentum is also observed.
These modes correspond to oscillations in the kagome layer, which also indirectly affect the honeycomb sublattice.
Some examples of atom trajectories generated by the chosen modes are shown in Fig.~\ref{fig.traj}.
When the phonon angular momentum is relatively large (approximately equals to a nominal value $\pm\hslash$), the {\it p}-block atoms realize a full circular movement with a small contribution from atoms in the kagome layer [e.g.~Fig.~\ref{fig.traj}(a)].
On the other hand, a small value of the angular momentum (much smaller than the nominal value), corresponds to a small circular [e.g.~Fig.~\ref{fig.traj}(b)] or elliptic-like oscillations, and also affects {\it d}-block atoms (realizing linear oscillation).
Movies visualizing the presented trajectories are included in the SM~\cite{Note1}.

\begin{figure}[t!]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=0.972\linewidth]{dos_191_v4.pdf}
\caption{
The total and partial phonon density of states (DOS) for the studied compounds (as labeled) of the $P6/mmm$ structure.
The black line (gray area) corresponds to the total DOS, while red, green, and blue lines correspond to the partial DOS for {\it d}-block element (kagome sublattice), {\it p}-block element in kagome plane [position Sn(1) in Fig.~\ref{fig.crystal}], and {\it p}-block elements in the honeycomb sublattice [position Sn(2) in Fig.~\ref{fig.crystal}].
\label{fig.dos191}
}
\end{figure}

The chiral phonons are not observed in the kagome layer of the {\it d}-block atoms.
In fact, this layer is composed of the kagome sublattice and one {\it p}-block atom forming together a two dimensional triangular lattice of atoms with non-equal masses.
Nevertheless, the {\it p}-block atoms within the honeycomb net can form a circular movement with relatively ``small'' nonzero phonon angular momentum, even if the modes propagate within the kagome layer.
These features are clearly visible in the case of high-frequency modes propagating with wavevectors H or H' (see Fig.~\ref{fig.ban191}).
In such a case, the observed modes realized mostly vibration of {\it d}-block atoms with a small contribution of {\it p}-block atoms vibration.

Phonon dispersion relations also exhibit nodal lines (along K--H or K'--H' paths), which are allowed by the discussed space group and their \textit{build--in} $C_{3v}$ symmetries~\cite{liu.jin.21}.
Some of these nodal lines are composed of fourfold degenerate branches with strong phonon angular momentum (characteristic blue or red $\mathsf{X}$-cut of two branches at K or K' point). This suggests the possibility for the realization of a phonon ballistic transport in some situations.

\begin{figure*}[!t]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{bands_189_chir2.pdf}
\caption{
Phonon dispersions of CoGe and RhPb in the stable $P\bar{6}2m$ structure.
Panels from top to bottom represent the phonon angular momentum of the {\it p}-block element in the A sublattice  of the honeycomb net (cf.~Fig.~\ref{fig.chiral_modes}), and the {\it d}-block atoms in position I and III [see inset in panel (e) presenting the position of the {\it d}-block atoms in distorted--kagome lattice].
At bottom panels, the widths of lines are magnified $10$ times.
Meaning of colors and width of lines is the same as in Fig.~\ref{fig.ban191}.
\label{fig.ban189}
}
\end{figure*}

The chiral modes emerge in each studied system, but their frequencies depend strongly on the atomic composition of the compound.
To describe the interplay between the modes with non-zero chirality and other vibrations, the phonon density of states (DOS) and the atom-projected partial DOS spectra shown in Fig.~\ref{fig.dos191} should be discussed together with the phonon dispersion relations (Fig.~\ref{fig.ban191}).
The contributions of the vibrational frequencies of {\it p}-block and {\it d}-block atoms to the total DOS are mainly related to the mass ratio between atoms (cf.~Table~\ref{tab.latt}). In the case of systems with a large mass difference, these partial DOSs are well separated, as it is seen for CoSn, FeSn, NiIn, and RhPb, where the phonon modes of {\it p}-block ({\it d}-block) atoms are located at the lower (higher) frequencies.
In the case of nearly equal-masses (e.g. PtTl), phonons cover the same frequency regions.
The chiral modes contribute to the  partial DOS of the {\it p}-block atoms in the honeycomb sublattice (marked in blue).
These modes can be derived from local minima and maxima of phonon dispersion relations in high symmetry points (mostly in K, K', and M or related H, H', and L; see Fig.~\ref{fig.ban191}), and are related to the chiral modes propagating along the $c$ direction.
In the low frequency range, comprising the lowest chiral mode branch, small peaks in DOS corresponding to the chiral modes are observed.
However, they are not the dominating components of DOS.
The main contribution of chiral modes is observed in the mid-frequency range, where several peaks related to the Van Hove singularities are located.
In this part, the vibrations of atoms in a honeycomb sublattice dominate, however they are often mixed with the vibrations of other atoms.
The flat-bands (between K-K' or H-H' points) are also reflected in the DOS in the form of clearly visible peaks.
A good example is the low-energy flat-band corresponding to the vibrations of {\it p}-block atoms in the kagome plane.
For instance, the distinctive peak around $1.75$~THz in Fig.~\ref{fig.dos191}(e).

Contrary to the $ab$ plane, the phonon branches preserve chirality along the $c$ direction (which corresponds to the unchanged color of the line between K and H points in Fig.~\ref{fig.ban191}).
Every wave vector along this path corresponds to the propagation of a chiral mode along the $c$ direction---due to the conservation of angular momentum rule~\cite{tatsumi.kaneko.18}, the mode should be ``topologically'' protected.
If the sample thickness will be smaller than the phonon scattering length but larger than the electron scattering length, the chirality information should not be lost during the propagation~\cite{chen.wu.21}.
In this sense, the chiral modes represent a key step toward utilizing chiral phonons in quantum devices~\cite{li.ren.12}.

The question about the origin of the chiral phonons in this class of systems remains still open~\cite{coh.19}.
Let us start from discussion of the general case.
The lattice dynamics of a system depends on the IFC matrix (including first- and high-order phonon contributions).
In the case of a system with the inversion symmetry, the first order IFC are highly symmetric.
Similarly, when the inversion symmetry is broken, then this breaking will affect the first order IFC matrix.
In this situation, some components of IFC are non-equal under mirror symmetry due to different environments in some sites of the lattice.
As a result, the phonon modes will have angular momentum at a generic non-symmetric point in the Brillouin zone (e.g. this situation is realized in dichalcogenides~\cite{zhu.yi.18,zhang.srivastava.20}).

Moreover, the higher order IFC can play a role in realization of the chiral phonons, especially in system with the broken time reversal (e.g. iron, cobalt, or nickel~\cite{solano.16}).
In the case of CoSn-like compounds, the atoms are located at the high symmetry points, what implicates the preserved inversion symmetry.
In fact, the source of the chiral phonons is ``coded'' in the first order IFC that preserve a three-fold axis of the honeycomb sublattice along the $z$ direction, while the total phonon angular momentum of the system is equal zero~\cite{coh.19}.
Additionally, in magnetic compounds like FeSn and FeGe the time reversal symmetry can be broken by magnetic moment of iron.
However, the chiral modes are not realized in the layer with {\it d}-elements, due to the triangular lattice.

\subsection{CoGe and RhPb in $\bm{P\bar{6}2m}$ symmetry}
\label{sec.sg189}

Our analysis of the systems with the $P6/mmm$ symmetry revealed the soft modes in the phonon dispersion relations of CoGe and RhPb [cf.~Fig.~\ref{fig.ban191}(b) and Fig.~\ref{fig.ban191}(g), respectively].
Thus, both structures are unstable and can be transformed to a distorted structure due to the condensation of the soft phonon mode.
It means that using the displacement pattern attributed to the polarization vectors of this mode, the stable lower-symmetry configurations can be found.
For CoGe and RhPb, the lowest frequency soft modes at the $\Gamma$ point with $B_\text{1u}$ symmetry consist of specific displacements of {\it d}-elements only.
In practice, the triangles constructing the kagome net in $P6/mmm$ crystals rotate approximately by $6\degree$ in opposite directions (see movie \texttt{gamma\_mode4} in SM~\cite{Note1}).
This soft-mode-induced modification stabilizes the system in the $P\bar{6}2m$ symmetry.

\begin{figure}[!t]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{traj189.pdf}
\caption{
Examples of trajectories (violet lines) of the CoGe atoms (for $P\bar{6}2m$ symmetry), generated by chosen modes at the K/3 point (as labeled).
The dashed rhombus represents the unit cell, while positions of atoms are the same as in Fig.~\ref{fig.traj}.
Here, the gray dashed circles in panel (a) correspond to positions of sites in the ideal kagome lattice.
\label{fig.traj189}
}
\end{figure}

Independently of the positions of {\it d}-elements in the $P\bar{6}2m$ structure, the hexagonal net of {\it p}-element is unchanged and still exhibits the chiral phonons (top panels in Fig.~\ref{fig.ban189}).
The main properties of the chiral phonon branches are similar to those observed in systems with the $P6/mmm$ symmetry [cf.~Fig.~\ref{fig.ban191}(b) and Fig.~\ref{fig.ban191}(g)].
However, as a consequence of the kagome lattice distortion [see the inset in Fig.~\ref{fig.ban189}(e)], the inversion symmetry of the system is lost.
As we discussed in Sec.~\ref{sec.topo_ph}, in such a case the chiral phonons can be expected also in this kagome-like sublattice.
Indeed, the analysis of the phonon angular momentum for {\it d}-element atoms clearly reveals the existence of the chiral modes also in the distorted-kagome lattice.
What is interesting, the chiral modes in this layer are realized only by {\it d}-element atoms, while one {\it p}-element atom shows the ordinary linear movement.

In addition, the {\it d}-element atoms move in an ellipse
(see Fig.~\ref{fig.traj189}) what gives the phonon angular momentum smaller than the nominal.
What is also interesting, the atoms at sites I and II have anti-symmetric position with respect to the {\it p}-element atom in the corner of the unit cell [rhombus in inset of Fig.~\ref{fig.ban189}(e)].
In consequence, similarly like in the honeycomb sublattice, the atoms in these positions have opposite phonon angular momenta.
Also, the atom at position III exhibits in some branches the non-zero angular momentum [bottom panels in Fig.~\ref{fig.ban189}].
However, the total angular momentum of the distorted-kagome lattice is equal to zero.

\begin{figure}[!t]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{stres.pdf}
\caption{
Phonon dispersions of CoSn under uniaxial strain along the $\hat{y}$ and $\hat{x}$ direction, presented in panels (a) and (c), \mbox{or (b) and (d),} respectively.
The meaning of colors and widths of lines are the same as in Fig.~\ref{fig.ban191}.
\label{fig.stres}
}
\end{figure}

\subsection{Influence of uniaxial stress}
\label{sec.stres}

We also examined the effect of the uniaxial stress applied along $\hat{x}$ and $\hat{y}$ directions (Fig.~\ref{fig.stres}).
Independently of the stress direction,
the system changes  its symmetry from $P6/mmm$ to $Cmmm$ [mostly due to the modification of the angle between lattice vectors $a$ and $b$ -- cf.~Fig.~\ref{fig.stres}(c) and \ref{fig.stres}(d)].
The first observed consequence is the modification of the
degeneracy at the $\Gamma$ point.
Secondly, the crossing of the phonon branches is shifted from the BZ surface or high symmetry point to the interior of the BZ.
Last, but not least, the initially flat-bands change their flexure.
Notably, the main features associated with the chiral phonons are unchanged [cf.\ Figs.~\ref{fig.ban191}(a) and Fig.~\ref{fig.stres}].

Effects induced by the uniaxial stress are similar to those resulting from the magnetic field and spin--orbit coupling modifying the electronic band structure.
In the former case, points which were initially degenerate at the $\Gamma$ point become decoupled.
A similar effect was observed in the case of the acoustic waves~\cite{brendel.peano.17}.
Lifting of the degeneracy leads to the emergence of chiral phonons at the $\Gamma$ point and can be useful for potential experimental detection, e.g.\ by circularly-polarized Raman scattering~\cite{zhang.mao.17} (cf.\ Sec.~\ref{sec.exp}).
Additionally, mixing of the branches around K and K' is observed, what should correspond to the changes induced by the finite spin--orbit coupling, in analogy to the electronic systems.

\section{Proposed experimental detection}
\label{sec.exp}

As we mentioned above, the chiral phonons in the case of $P6/mmm$ crystals are realized mostly within the honeycomb sublattice, and are composed of {\it p}-element atoms on $2d$ Wyckoff position.
For these positions, we can find two infrared (IR) active modes $A_\text{2u}$ and $E_\text{1u}$ and one Raman active mode $E_\text{2g}$.
Consequently, chiral modes could be measured in relatively simple way by IR or Raman spectroscopy.
The realization of chiral phonons at the $\Gamma$ point under uniaxial pressure allows for performing these types of experiments.

Additionally, a phonon with nonzero angular momentum can be created by emission or absorption of a photon with a given circular polarization~\cite{zhang.niu.15,chen.wu.21}.
During this process, the intervalley electron scattering at valley centers involving a valley center phonon is expected.
However, to improve the description of these processes, a study of the valley structure in electronic bands is needed, which is out of the scope of this paper.
In this type of studies, the circular-polarized Raman spectroscopy can be employed -- this allows for the helically resolved spectroscopy~\cite{chen.zheng.15}, and to study modes with different types of chirality.

Recent experiments suggest the phononic-to-electronic conversion of angular momentum~\cite{ruckriegel.streib.20,hamada.murakami.20b}.
For example, the phonon angular momentum of the surface acoustic wave can control the magnetization of a ferromagnetic layer, what was shown in the case of Ni film in Ni/LiNbO$_{3}$ hybrid device~\cite{sasaki.nii.20}.
Similarly, the external magnetic field can lead to a decoupling of the frequencies of the initially degenerate modes~\cite{schaack.76}.
Indeed, recent experiments confirm this expectation~\cite{juraschek.narang.20}.
In such a way, modification of the phonon spectra at the $\Gamma$ point under external magnetic field should be observed.
Equivalently, the uniaxial pressure can be applied resulting in a similar effect (what was discussed in Sec.~\ref{sec.stres}).

The emergence of a nonzero phonon angular momentum within the hexagonal sublattice of CoSn-like compounds, can be interesting also from the experimental point of view.
Similarly to the electronic systems~\cite{zhang.tan.05}, in a properly prepared sample (in slab form), phononic angular momentum Hall effect could be realized~\cite{park.yang.20} (in analogy to the integer quantum Hall effect).
Similar effect was predicted for the photonic chiral edge state propagating along a surface~\cite{peng.yan.20}.
Realization of the edge mode with well defined chirality can be induced by photons with the same circular polarization~\cite{wu.hu.15}.
Additionally, the occurrence of such edge modes should lead to a modification of the transport properties of such systems~\cite{xiao.yao.07}.

\section{Summary}
\label{sec.sum}

Our studies confirm that
the ideal honeycomb~\cite{zhang.niu.15} and kagome~\cite{chen.wu.19} lattices allow for the realization of chiral phonons (with nonzero angular momentum).
Typically, the chiral phonons are observed in two dimensional materials~\cite{chen.zhang.18} and might be an interesting addition to the quantum devices based on phonons~\cite{li.ren.12}.
In this paper we discussed the realization of chiral phonons in the CoSn-like compounds--- layered systems build by decorated kagome and honeycomb lattices.
We demonstrated that the realization of an ideal honeycomb lattice by the {\it p}-block elements allows for the emergence of chiral phonons within this sublattice.
In our study of CoSn-like compounds, based on the first principles method, we showed that the properties of the chiral phonons do not depend on the mass ratio of constituent elements or on their intrinsic magnetic order.

Typically, CoSn-like compounds crystallize in the $P6/mmm$ structure. However,
in two of the discussed compounds, i.e., in CoGe and RhPb, soft modes were revealed.
We found that these soft modes lead to the stable $P\bar{6}2m$ structure.
In this case, the absence of the inversion symmetry allows for the realization of
the chiral modes also by the {\it d}-block atoms within distorted-kagome sublattice.
We remark that the symmetry of the system can be also changed by an uniaxial strain.
The strain effect can mimic the magnetic field or spin--orbit coupling
acting on phonons.
Regardless of the modification of the symmetry, the main
character of the chiral phonons remains unchanged.
Additionally, we proposed an experimental method for confirmation of the described here chiral phonons in CoSn-like compounds.

\begin{acknowledgments}
Some figures and movies in this work were rendered using {\sc Vesta}~\cite{momma.izumi.11} and {\sc VMD}~\cite{vmd} software.
This work was supported by
National Science Centre (NCN, Poland) under Projects No.
2016/21/D/ST3/03385 (A.P.),
2018/31/N/ST3/01746 (A.K.),
2016/23/B/ST3/00839 (A.M.O.),
and
2017/25/B/ST3/02586 (P.P.).
A.P. \mbox{appreciates} funding in the frame of scholarships of the
Minister of Science and Higher Education (Poland) for outstanding young
scientists (2019 edition, No. 818/STYP/14/2019).
\end{acknowledgments}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


As a homeowner headed into 2019, you may have noticed that real estate trends have been nothing but good for awhile now. In fact, we're in the midst of the third-largest housing boom since 1913, with U.S. property values rising 53% on average since the start of the expansion in February 2012. That means a typical house worth $200,000 only 6 years ago is now worth $300,000. Cha-ching!
On the horizon, experts predict an economic correction in 2019 or 2020 amid signs of a cooling real estate market.
"[During the bubble], people just weren't selling their houses because they were afraid, they were underwater, or they just didn't want to make that financial commitment," says Rachel Frentsos, a top agent in Annapolis, Maryland who has sold 83% more properties than the average agent in her area.
That's not to spook you (this is not 2008, people!), but to shake you by the shoulders and say: carpe diem, homeowner! Top real estate agents across the country and the latest trend reports point to clear guidance: if you own a house and have entertained the idea of selling it recently— pull the trigger in 2019.
In case you needed another reason to put out the for-sale sign, here are 10 of them. All based on cold, hard data and the professional insights of housing experts.
The National Association of Realtors' (NAR) existing-home sales report measures completed transactions of existing (rather than newly built) single-family homes, condos, co-ops, and townhomes every month. The report pulls 40% of the data from multiple listing services across the country, offering inventory and price data while providing insight into regional real estate trends and homebuyer behavior.


text:
Хтони́ческие божества (от  — «земля, почва») во многих религиях и мифологиях — божества, изначально олицетворявшие собой силы подземного мира, находящегося под земной вселенной (мира людей)  — «подземное царство». Представителями его среди животных являются различные «гады» (пресмыкающиеся), рыбы, «вредные» членистоногие, а в ряде случаев и птицы (вороны, сороки, воробьи и тому подобные существа).

Позже стали неотъемлемой частью пантеистических религий, иногда занимая в них главенствующее положение (до вытеснения их культами небесных и солнечных божеств).

Проф. В. Г. Борухович отмечает, что «в представлении о хтонических богах нашли отражение смутные идеи о животворящих силах природы и земли — родоначальницы всего живущего и одновременно стихии, куда возвращается всё, закончив свой жизненный цикл».

Яркими примерами хтонических божеств являются:
 Хтония — древнегреческая богиня земли, а также древнегреческие божества Деметра (Мать-земля), Персефона (или Кора) и Плутон;
 гекатонхейры;
 Кубера.

Как отмечает А. Ф. Лосев, бог морей в древнегреческой мифологии Посейдон —

По некоторому утверждению, миф о Пифоне и Аполлоне отражает победу олимпийских богов над древними хтоническими божествами.

Отмечают, что название олимпийских богов, олимпийцев, употреблялось также, чтобы подчеркнуть противоположность хтоническим божествам.

См. также
 Хтонические существа

Примечания

Литература

Ранние формы религии

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