text:
\subsection{Synthetic Datasets}
\vspace{-2mm}
\subsection{Domain Randomization}
Recent work on domain randomization seeks to bridge the sim-to-real domain gap by generating synthetic data that has sufficient random variation over scene factors and rendering parameters such that the real data falls into this range of variation, even if the rendered data does not appear photorealistic. Such scene factors include such as textures, occlusion levels, scene lighting, camera field of view, and uniform noise, and have been applied to vision tasks in complex indoor and outdoor environments~\cite{tobin2017domain,tremblay2018training}.
The drawback of these techniques is that they only work if they sample the visual parameters spaces finely enough, and create a large enough dataset from a broad enough range of visual distortions to encompass the variation observed in real data. This can result in intractably large datasets that require significant training time for a deep learning algorithm.
While we also aim to achieve robustness via an augmentation framework, we can use smaller datasets to achieve state-of-the-art performance because our method is learning how to augment synthetic data with salient visual information that exists in real data.
Note that, because our work focuses on image augmentation outside of the rendering pipeline, it could be used in addition to domain randomization techniques.
\vspace{-2mm}
\subsection{Optimizing Augmentation}
In contrast to domain randomization, task-dependent techniques have been proposed to achieve more efficient data augmentation by learning the type and number of image augmentations that are important for algorithm performance.
State-of-the-art methods~\cite{paulin2014transformation,cubuk2018autoaugment,lemley2017smart} in this area treat data augmentation as a form of network regularization, selecting a subset of augmentations that optimize algorithm performance for a given dataset and task as the algorithm is being trained.
Unlike these methods, we propose that data augmentation can function as a domain adaptation method. Our learning framework is task-independent, and uses physically based augmentation techniques to investigate the visual degrees of freedom (defined by physically-based models) necessary for optimizing network performance from the synthetic to real domain.
\red{
\subsection{Image-to-Image Translation for Domain Adaptation}
Impressive advances have been made in using both paired and unpaired image-to-image translation networks~\cite{CycleGAN2017,johnson2016perceptual,zhu2016generative,isola2017image,huang2018multimodal,liu2017unsupervised} to bridge a variety of domain gaps, including season-to-season, night-to-day, and sim-to-real.
While these methods have shown success in transferring the style of one real dataset to another with few to no constraints, results on transferring between image sets with complex, varied scenes often introduces artifacts to the image, which distorts the underlying structure of the scene, and thus can yeild poor performance for visual tasks such as object detection and semantic segmentation~\cite{dundar2018domain}. Furthermore, it is unclear if realistic, physically-based visual information is being transferred between domains (i.e, it is unclear that the image to image translation network actually learns a model of snow when transferring between season domains.
}

\subsection{Learned Rendering Pipelines for Domain Adaptation}
Several studies have proposed unsupervised, generative learning frameworks that either take the place of a standard rendering engine~\cite{veeravasarapu2017adversarially} or complement the rendering engine via post-processing~\cite{sixt2016rendergan,simgan,huangexpecting} in order to model relevant visual information directly from real images with no dependency on a specific task framework.
Both ~\cite{veeravasarapu2017adversarially} and ~\cite{huangexpecting} are applied to complex outdoor image datasets, but are designed to learn distributions over simpler spatial features in real images, specifically scene geometry. Other methods, such as ~\cite{sixt2016rendergan,simgan}, attempt to learn low-level pixel features. However, they are only applied to image sets that are homogeneously structured and low resolution. This may be due to the sensitivity of training adversarial frameworks.
Our work focuses specifically on modeling the camera and image processing pipeline rather than scene elements or environmental factors that are specific to a given task. Our method can be applied to high resolution images of complex scenes.
\subsection{Impact of Sensor Effects on Deep Learning}
Recent work has demonstrated that elements of the image formation and processing pipeline can have a large impact upon learned representation for deep neural networks across a variety of vision tasks~\cite{Kanan2012,diamond2017dirty,dodge2016understanding,doersch2015unsupervised}.
The majority of methods propose learning techniques that remove these effects from images~\cite{diamond2017dirty}. As many of these sensor effects can lead to loss of information, correcting for them is non-trivial, potentially unstable, and may result in the hallucination of visual structure in the restored image.
In contrast, Carlson et al.~\cite{carlson2018modeling} demonstrate that significant performance boosts can be achieved by augmenting images using physically-based, sensor effect domain randomization.
However, their method requires hand-tuning/evaluation of the visual quality of image augmentation. This human-in-the-loop dependence is inefficient and difficult to scale for large synthetic datasets, and the evaluated visual image quality is subjective.
Rather than removing these effects, randomly adding them in, or manually adding them in via human-in-the-loop, our method learns the the style of sensor effects from real data and transfers this \textit{sensor style} to synthetic images to bridge the synthetic-to-real domain gap.

\section{Introduction}
\input{askc_intro.tex}

\section{Related work}
\label{sec:background}
Our work focuses on augmenting the training data directly so that it can be applied to any task or input into any deep neural network regardless of the architecture.
Zhang et al. 2017~\cite{zhang2017physically} demonstrate that the level of photorealism of the synthetic training data directly impacts the robustness and performance of the deep learning algorithm when tested on real data across a variety of computer vision tasks. However, it remains unclear what features of real data are necessary for this performance gain, or what parts of rendering pipelines should be modified to bridge the synthetic to real domain gap.
Much work in the fields of data augmentation and learned rendering pipelines have proposed methods that shed light on  this topic, and are summarized below.
\subsection{Domain Randomization}
Recent work on domain randomization seeks to bridge the sim-to-real domain gap by generating synthetic data that has sufficient random variation over scene factors and rendering parameters such that the real data falls into this range of variation, even if the rendered data does not appear photorealistic. Such scene factors include such as textures, occlusion levels, scene lighting, camera field of view, and uniform noise, and have been applied to vision tasks in complex indoor and outdoor environments~\cite{tobin2017domain,tremblay2018training}.
The drawback of these techniques is that they only work if they sample the visual parameters spaces finely enough, and create a large enough dataset from a broad enough range of visual distortions to encompass the variation observed in real data. This can result in intractably large datasets that require significant training time for a deep learning algorithm.
While we also aim to achieve robustness via an augmentation framework, we can use smaller datasets to achieve state-of-the-art performance because our method is learning how to augment synthetic data with salient visual information that exists in real data.
Note that, because our work focuses on image augmentation outside of the rendering pipeline, it could be used in addition to domain randomization techniques.
\subsection{Optimizing Augmentation}
In contrast to domain randomization, task-dependent techniques have been proposed to achieve more efficient data augmentation by learning the type and number of image augmentations that are important for algorithm performance.
State-of-the-art methods~\cite{paulin2014transformation,cubuk2018autoaugment,lemley2017smart} in this area treat data augmentation as a form of network regularization, selecting a subset of augmentations that optimize algorithm performance for a given dataset and task as the algorithm is being trained.
Unlike these methods, we propose that data augmentation can function as a domain adaptation method. Our learning framework is task-independent, and uses physically based augmentation techniques to investigate the visual degrees of freedom (defined by physically-based models) necessary for optimizing network performance from the synthetic to real domain.

\subsection{Image-to-Image Translation for Domain Adaptation}
Impressive advances have been made in both paired and unpaired image-to-image translation ~\cite{CycleGAN2017,johnson2016perceptual,zhu2016generative,isola2017image,huang2018multimodal,liu2017unsupervised} to bridge a variety of domain gaps, including season-to-season, night-to-day, and sim-to-real.
However, image-to-image translation performed between image sets with complex, varied environments often introduces unrealistic distortion artifacts into the underlying structure of the scene. This can yield poor performance for visual tasks such as object detection and semantic segmentation~\cite{dundar2018domain}.
In contrast, the proposed method does not alter the spatial information in the scene, and instead translates images from one domain to another constrained by physically-based image augmentation.

\subsection{Learned Rendering Pipelines for Domain Adaptation}
Several studies have proposed unsupervised, generative learning frameworks that either take the place of a standard rendering engine~\cite{veeravasarapu2017adversarially} or complement the rendering engine via post-processing~\cite{sixt2016rendergan,simgan,huangexpecting} in order to model relevant visual information directly from real images with no dependency on a specific task framework.
Both ~\cite{veeravasarapu2017adversarially} and ~\cite{huangexpecting} are applied to complex outdoor image datasets, but are designed to learn distributions over simpler spatial features in real images, specifically scene geometry. Other methods, such as ~\cite{sixt2016rendergan,simgan}, attempt to learn low-level pixel features. However, they are only applied to image sets that are homogeneously structured and low resolution. This may be due to the sensitivity of training adversarial frameworks.
Our work focuses specifically on modeling the camera and image processing pipeline rather than scene elements or environmental factors that are specific to a given task. Our method can be applied to high resolution images of complex scenes.
\subsection{Impact of Sensor Effects on Deep Learning}
Recent work has demonstrated that elements of the image formation and processing pipeline can have a large impact upon learned representation for deep neural networks across a variety of vision tasks~\cite{Kanan2012,diamond2017dirty,dodge2016understanding,doersch2015unsupervised}.
The majority of methods propose learning techniques that remove these effects from images~\cite{diamond2017dirty}. As many of these sensor effects can lead to loss of information, correcting for them is non-trivial, potentially unstable, and may result in the hallucination of visual structure in the restored image.
In contrast, Carlson et al.~\cite{carlson2018modeling} demonstrate that significant performance boosts can be achieved by augmenting images using physically-based, sensor effect domain randomization.
However, their method requires hand-tuning/evaluation of the visual quality of image augmentation. This human-in-the-loop dependence is inefficient and difficult to scale for large synthetic datasets, and the evaluated visual image quality is subjective.
Rather than removing these effects, randomly adding them in, or manually adding them in via human-in-the-loop, our method learns the the style of sensor effects from real data and transfers this \textit{sensor style} to synthetic images to bridge the synthetic-to-real domain gap.

\section{Methods}
\label{sec:Methods}
\begin{figure*}[ht]
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=0.8\linewidth]{figures/SensorTransfer_net_final.png}
\caption{The schematic of the proposed sensor transfer network structure. The style loss trains the sensor effect parameter generators (represented as the yellow boxes) to select parameters that transform the input synthetic images based upon how the sensor effect augmentation functions alter the style of the real data domain. This effectively transfers 'sensor style' of the target dataset to the source dataset.}
\label{fig:STnet}
\end{center}
\end{figure*}
The objective of the sensor transfer network is to learn the the optimal set of augmentations that transfer sensor effects from a real dataset to a synthetic dataset.
Our complete Sensor Transfer Network is shown in Figure~\ref{fig:STnet}.

\vspace{-4mm}
\subsection{Sensor Effect Augmentation Pipeline}

We adopt the sensor effect augmentation pipeline from ~\cite{carlson2018modeling}. This is the backbone of the Sensor Transfer Network. Refer to~\cite{carlson2018modeling} for a detailed discussion of each function and its relationship to the image formation process in a camera. We briefly describe each sensor effect augmentation function below for completeness.
The sensor effect augmentation pipeline is a composition of chromatic aberration, Gaussian blur, exposure, pixel-sensor noise, and post-processing color balance augmentation functions:
\begin{align}
I_{aug.} = f_{color}(f_{noise}(f_{exposure}(f_{blur}(f_{chrom.ab.}(I)))))
\label{eq:aug-pipeline-eq}
\end{align}

\noindent\textbf{Chromatic Aberration}\\
To model lateral chromatic aberration, we apply translations $(t_{x},t_{y})$ in 2D pixel space to each of the color channels of an image. To model longitudinal chromatic aberration, we scale the green color channel relative to the red and blue channels of an image by a value $S$. We combine these parameters into an affine transformation on each pixel in color channel of the image. The augmentation parameters learned for this augmentation function are $S$, the red channel translations $R_{x}$ and $R_{y}$, the green channel translations $G_{x}$ and $G_{y}$, and the blue channel translations $B_{x}$ and $B_{y}$.\\

\noindent\textbf{Blur} \\
We implement out-of-focus blur, which is modeled by convolving the image with a Gaussian filter~\cite{cheong2015fast}
We fix the window size of the kernel to 9.0. The augmentation parameter learned for this augmentation function is the standard deviation $\sigma$ of the kernel.\\

\noindent\textbf{Exposure}\\
We implement the exposure density function developed in~\cite{exp1, exp2}:
\begin{align}
I = f(S) = \frac{255}{1 + e^{-A \times S}}
\label{eq:exposure}
\end{align}
\noindent where $I$ is image intensity, $S$ models the incoming light intensity, and $A$ is a constant value that describes image contrast. We set $A$ to 0.85. This model is used to re-expose an image as follows:
\begin{align}
S' = f^{-1}(I) +  \Delta S
\label{eq:exposureds}
\end{align}
\begin{align}
I_{exp} = f(S')
\label{eq:exposureimg}
\end{align}
\noindent The augmentation parameters learned for this augmentation function are $\Delta S$ to model changing exposure, where a positive $\Delta S$ relates to increasing the exposure, and a negative value indicates decreasing exposure.\\

\noindent\textbf{Noise}\\
We use the Poisson-Gaussian noise model proposed in~\cite{foi2008practical}:
\begin{align}
I_{noise}(x,y)=I(x,y)+\eta_{poiss}(I(x,y))+\eta_{gauss}
\label{eq:noise1}
\end{align}
where $I(x,y)$ is the ground truth image at pixel location $(x,y)$, $\eta_{poiss}$ is the signal-dependent poisson noise, and $\eta_{gauss}$ is the signal-independent gaussian noise.
The augmentation parameters learned for this augmentation function are the $\eta_{poiss}$ and $\eta_{gauss}$ for each color channel, for a total of six parameters.\\

\noindent\textbf{Post-processing}\\
We model post-processing techniques done by cameras, such as white balancing or gamma transformation, by performing linear translations in LAB color space~\cite{hunter1948accuracyLAB,annadurai2007fundamentals}.
The augmentation parameters learned for this augmentation function the are translations in the a (red-green)and b (blue-yellow) channels in normalized LAB space.
\begin{figure}
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=1.0\linewidth]{figures/training_explanation_fig.png}
\caption{A detailed schematic of how the training process occurs for a single sensor effect function. A 200 dimensional uniform noise vector (sampled from the range -1 to 1) is generated for a given input synthetic image. The uniform noise vector is input into the fully connected neural network that constitutes the parameter generator, which outputs sampled value(s) for  the respective sensor effect augmentation function. The sampled parameter value(s) and the input synthetic image are fed into the sensor effect augmentation function, which outputs an augmented synthetic image. The style loss is calculated between the augmented synthetic image and a real image. This style loss is then backpropagated through the augmentation functions to train the parameter generator to select parameters that reduce the style differences between the real and augmented synthetic images.\vspace{-6mm}}
\label{fig:training_step_diagram}
\end{center}
\end{figure}

\subsection{Training the Sensor Transfer Network}
A high-level overview of a single training iteration for a single sensor effect is given in Figure~\ref{fig:training_step_diagram}.
Each sensor effect augmentation function has its own parameter generator network. The training objective for each of these networks is to learn the distribution over its respective augmentation parameter(s) based upon real data. Each generator network is a two-layer, fully connected neural network.
The following steps are required to perform a single training iteration of the Sensor Transfer Network using a single synthetic image. First, a 200 dimensional uniform noise vector, $\eta$, is generated and paired with the input synthetic image. The noise vector $\eta$ is input into each separate generator network.  Each generator network consists of two fully connected layers that together project $\eta$ into its respective sensor effect parameter space. For example, the blur parameter generator will map the $\eta$ to a value in the $\sigma$ parameter space.
The output sampled parameters, paired with the input synthetic image are then input into the augmentation pipeline, which outputs an augmented synthetic image.
This augmented synthetic image is then paired with a real image, both of which are input to the loss function.  \\
We employ a loss function similar to the one used in Johnson et. al~\cite{johnson2016perceptual}. We assume that the layers of the VGG-16 network~\cite{vgg16} trained on ImageNet~\cite{deng2009imagenet} encode relevant style information for salient objects
We fix the weights of the pretrained VGG-16 network, and use it to project real and augmented synthetic images into the hidden layer feature spaces.
We calculate the style loss, given in Eqn.~\ref{styleloss}, and use this as the training signal for the parameter generators.
\begin{align}
L_{style}(y,\hat{y})= \Sigma_{j}\Vert G^{\theta}_{j}(y) - G^{\theta}_{j}(\hat{y}) \Vert ^{2}_{Frobinius}
\label{styleloss}
\end{align}
\vspace{-2mm}
In the above equation, $y$ is a real image batch, $\hat{y}$ is an augmented synthetic image batch, $G^{\theta}_{j}(y)$ is the Gram matrix of the feature map $\theta(y)$ of hidden layer $j$ of the pretrained VGG-16 network, and $G^{\theta}_{j}(\hat{y})$ is the corresponding quantity for augmented synthetic images. Through performance-based ablation studies, we found that $j$ = 10 gives the best performance, so the style loss is calculated for the first ten layers of VGG-16.
Once calculated, the style loss is backpropagated through the sensor effect augmentation functions to train the sensor effect parameter generators.
The above process is repeated with images from the synthetic and real datasets until the style loss has converged.

We train the sensor effects generators concurrently to learn the joint probability distribution over the sensor effect parameters. This is done to capture the dependencies that exist between these effects in a real camera.
Once training is complete, we can fix the weights of the parameter generators, and use them to sample learned parameters to augment synthetic images. Table~\ref{table:ST-hyperparameters} shows the statistics of the learned distributions for sensor effect parameters of different real datasets. See Section~\ref{sec:Experiments} for analysis and discussion of the learned parameters.
Note that style loss was chosen because it is independent of spatial structure of an image.
In effect, the augmentation parameter generators learn to sample the distributions of sensor effects in real data as constrained by the style of the real image domain.

\begin{figure*}
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=0.9\linewidth]{figures/GTA_augmented_im2imtranslation_exs.png}
\end{center}
\caption{Qualitative comparison of unaugmented GTA\textit{Sim10k} in the first column, Sensor Transfer augmented GTA\textit{Sim10k} images in the second column,  MUNIT augmented GTA\textit{Sim10k} in the third colum, UNIT-augmented GTA\textit{Sim10k} in the fourth column, and CycleGAN-augmented GTA\textit{Sim10k} in the last column. The first two rows are GTA\textit{Sim10k} translated to the KITTI domain, and the second two rows are GTA\textit{Sim10k} translated into the Cityscapes domain. Note that, for the Sensor Transfer augmented images, the primary sensor effect transferred in GTA\textit{Sim10k}$\rightarrow$Cityscapes augmentation is decreased exposure, whereas the primary sensor effects transferred in GTA\textit{Sim10k}$\rightarrow$KITTI augmentation is a blueish hue and increased exposure. In comparison, images augmented using the image-to-image translation networks lose a significant amount of spatial information. These methods also cannot handle night time images as well as the proposed method.}
\label{fig:qualitative-results}
\end{figure*}

\section{Experiments}
\label{sec:Experiments}
\subsection{Experimental Setup}
To verify that the proposed method can transfer the sensor effects of different datasets, we train Sensor Transfer Networks using the following synthetic and real benchmark datasets:
GTA\textit{Sim10k}~\cite{johnson2017driving} is comprised of 10,000 highly photorealistic synthetic images collected from the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) rendering engine. It captures different weather conditions and time of day.
The Cityscapes~\cite{Cityscapes} training image set is comprised of 2975 real images collected in over 50 cities across Germany.
The KITTI training set~\cite{kittiobject} is comprised of 7481 real images collected in Karlshue, Germany. We train a Sensor Transfer Network to transfer the sensor style of the KITTI training set to GTA\textit{Sim10k}, which is referred to as GTA\textit{Sim10k}$\rightarrow$KITTI. We also train a Sensor Transfer Network to transfer the sensor style of the Cityscapes training set to GTA\textit{Sim10k}, which is referred to as GTA\textit{Sim10k}$\rightarrow$Cityscapes. To train each Sensor Transfer Network, we use a batch size of 1 and learning rate of $2e^{-5}$. We trained each network for 4 epochs.
For all experiments, we compare our results to the Sensor Effect Domain Randomization~\cite{carlson2018modeling} of GTA\textit{Sim10k} as a baseline measure to ensure that the transfer of effects is viable over sampling. To generate the Sensor Effect Domain Randomization augmentations, we used the same human-selected parameter ranges as in~\cite{carlson2018modeling}. To benchmark our method against other, image-based domain adaptation methods, we use the state-of-the-art image-to-image translation methods CycleGAN~\cite{CycleGAN2017}, UNIT~\cite{liu2017unsupervised}, and MUNIT~\cite{huang2018multimodal} as additional baseline measures. Each of the CycleGAN, UNIT, and MUNIT image-to-image translation networks were trained to transfer GTA\textit{Sim10k} to Cityscapes, and separately to transfer GTA\textit{Sim10k} to KITTI. Each network was trained using either the default hyperparameters provided in the respective paper(s) or until the networks converged.

\subsection{Evaluation of Learned Sensor Effect Augmentations}
Qualitatively, from observing Figure~\ref{fig:st_intro_fig}, KITTI images feature more pronounced visual distortions due to blur, over-exposure, and a blue color tone. Cityscapes, on the other hand, has a more under-exposed, darker visual style.

\input{tables/sensoreffect_param_table.tex}
Figure~\ref{fig:qualitative-results}
shows examples of unaugmented GTA\textit{Sim10k} images in comparison to  those same images augmented by the proposed Sensor Transfer network and baseline image-to-image translation networks.
When compared to Figure~\ref{fig:st_intro_fig}, it does appear that, for both the sensor transfer of GTA\textit{Sim10k}$\rightarrow$KITTI and GTA\textit{Sim10k}$\rightarrow$Cityscapes, realistic aspects of exposure, noise, and color cast are transferred to GTA\textit{Sim10k}.
The statistics of the learned parameter values are given in Table~\ref{table:ST-hyperparameters}. In general the selected parameter values generate augmented synthetic images with style that matches the real datasets.
We hypothesize that the color shift for GTA\textit{Sim10k}$\rightarrow$Cityscapes is not as strong as GTA\textit{Sim10k}$\rightarrow$KITTI because there is a more even distribution of sky and buildings in Cityscapes, where as KITTI has a significant number of instances of sky. Interestingly, the blur parameter, $\sigma$, did not converge and was pushed towards zero for both GTA\textit{Sim10k}$\rightarrow$Cityscapes and GTA\textit{Sim10k}$\rightarrow$KITTI. This suggests that Gaussian blur does not match the blur captured by style of real images. Further research could consider more accurate models of blur, such as motion blur.
\subsection{Impact of Learned Sensor Transformation on Object Detection for Benchmark datasets}
\input{tables/ST_objdet_perf_table.tex}
To evaluate if the Sensor Transfer Network is adding in salient visual information for vision tasks in the real image domain, we train an object detection neural network on the unaugmented and augmented synthetic data and evaluate the performance of the object detection network on the real data domains, KITTI and Cityscapes.
We chose to use Faster R-CNN as our base network for 2D object detection~\cite{ren2015fasterRCNN}.
Faster R-CNN achieves relatively high performance on the KITTI benchmark dataset.
Many state-of-the-art object detection networks that improve upon these results still use Faster R-CNN as their base architecture.

We compare Faster R-CNN networks trained on the proposed method to Faster R-CNN networks trained on unaugmented GTA\textit{Sim10k}, GTA\textit{Sim10k} augmented using the Sensor Transfer Domain Randomization from Carlson et al., GTA\textit{Sim10k} augmented using CycleGAN, GTA\textit{Sim10k} augmented using UNIT, and GTA\textit{Sim10k} augmented using MUNIT.
To create augmented training datasets, we combine the unaugmented GTA\textit{Sim10k} with varying amounts of augmented GTA\textit{Sim10k} data.
For all datasets, both augmented and unaugmented, we trained each Faster R-CNN network for 10 epochs using two Titan X Pascal GPUs in order to control for potential confounds between performance and training time. We evaluate the Faster R-CNN networks on either the KITTI training dataset or the Cityscapes training dataset depending on the Sensor Transfer Network used for training dataset augmentation.
Each dataset is converted into Pascal VOC 2012 format to standardize training and evaluation, and performance values are the VOC AP50 reported for the car class~\cite{pascal-voc-2012}.

Table~\ref{table:max_objdet_perf} shows the object detection results for the proposed method in comparison to the image-to-image translation and domain randomization baselines. In general, the addition of sensor effect augmentations has a positive boost on Faster R-CNN performance for training on GTA\textit{Sim10k} and testing on Cityscapes. Our proposed method, for both GTA\textit{Sim10k}$\rightarrow$Cityscapes and GTA\textit{Sim10k}$\rightarrow$KITTI, achieves the best performance over both the baseline and Sensor Effect Domain Randomization.

\begin{figure}
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[width=1.0\linewidth]{figures/num_augs_figure.png}
\end{center}
\caption{Results of the learned sensor effect augmentations on Faster R-CNN object detection performance. Note that higher performance can be achieved using smaller synthetic datasets augmented with the proposed method for both KITTI and Cityscapes.}
\label{fig:numaug_results}
\end{figure}
To evaluate the impact of Sensor Transfer on the number of synthetic training images required for maximal object detection performance, we trained Faster R-CNNs on datasets comprised of the 10k unagumented GTA\textit{Sim10k} images combined with either 2k augmented images, 5k augmented images, 8k augmented images, or 10k augmented images. Figure~\ref{fig:numaug_results} captures the effect of increasing number of augmentations on Faster R-CNN performance. We see that, when compared to the Sensor Transfer domain randomization method, fewer training images are required when using Sensor Transfer augmentation for both GTA\textit{Sim10k}$\rightarrow$KITTI and GTA\textit{Sim10k}$\rightarrow$Cityscapes.
Our results indicate that learning the augmentation parameters allows us to train on significantly smaller datasets without compromising performance. This demonstrates that we are more efficiently modeling salient visual information than domain randomization.
Interestingly, the Sensor Effect Domain Randomization method does worse than baseline across all levels of augmentation when tested on KITTI. We expect that this is because human-chosen set of parameter ranges, which are shown in the bottom row of Table~\ref{table:ST-hyperparameters}, do not generalize well when adapting GTA~\textit{Sim10k} to KITTI even though they may generate visually realistic images. One reason for this is that the visually realistic parameter ranges selected in ~\cite{carlson2018modeling} where chosen using a GTA dataset of all daytime images, whereas  GTA\textit{Sim10k} contains an even representation of daytime and nighttime images. This further demonstrates the importance of learning the sensor effect parameter distributions constrained by how they affect the styles of both the real and synthetic image datasets.

\section{Discussion and Conclusions}
\label{sec:Discussion and Conclusions}
\label{sec:concl}
In general, our results show that the proposed Sensor Transfer Network reduces the synthetic to real domain gap more effectively and more efficiently than domain randomization.
Future work includes increasingly the complexity and realism of the Sensor Transfer augmentation pipeline by modeling other, different sensor effects, as well as implementing models that better capture the pixel statistics of real images, such as motion or defocus blur. Other avenues include investigating the impact of task performance and problem space on the sensor effect parameter selection, and evaluating how the proposed method impacts performance for training synthetic datasets rendered with various levels of photorealism.

\input{main.bbl}

\end{document}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


text:
Senior Research Scientist
Benefits: 401k, dental, life insurance, medical, vision,
Evotec is a leader in the discovery and development of novel small molecule drugs with operational sites in Europe, Asia and the US. The Company has built substantial drug discovery expertise and an industrialized platform that can drive new innovative small molecule compounds into the clinic. In addition, Evotec has built a deep internal knowledge base in the treatment of diseases related to neuroscience, pain, and inflammation. Leveraging these skills and expertise the Company intends to deliver superior science-driven discovery alliances with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.
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The successful candidate should hold a PhD in biological sciences (or equivalent) with experience working both independently and collaboratively in a laboratory environment
In return, Evotec offers the chance to expand and develop your career in a vigorous and exciting professional environment promoted by an open culture and a spirit of community.
Evotec is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, gender, age, disability, genetic information, gender expression, gender identity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or veteran status.
Evotec is a life science company with a unique business model that delivers on its mission to discover and develop highly effective therapeutics and make them available to the patients. The Company's multimodality platform comprises a unique combination of innovative technologies, data and science for the discovery, development, and production of first-in-class and best-in-class pharmaceutical products. Evotec leverages this "Data-driven R&D Autobahn to Cures" for proprietary projects and within a network of partners including all Top 20 Pharma and over 800 biotechnology companies, academic institutions, as well as other healthcare stakeholders. Evotec has strategic activities in a broad range of currently underserved therapeutic areas, including e.g. neurology, oncology, as well as metabolic and infectious diseases. Within these areas of expertise, Evotec aims to create the world-leading co-owned pipeline for innovative therapeutics and has to-date established a portfolio of more than 200 proprietary and co-owned R&D projects from early discovery to clinical development. Evotec operates globally with more than 4,500 highly qualified people. The Company's 16 sites offer highly synergistic technologies and services and operate as complementary clusters of excellence. For additional information please go to www.evotec.com and follow us on Twitter @Evotec and LinkedIn.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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David Wayne Benefield
May 17, 1941 - March 4, 2021
RIPLEY, MS - David Wayne Benefield, 79, passed away Thursday, March 4, 2021, at his home in Ripley. He was born on May 17, 1941, to Fred and Geneva Miller Benefield in Ripley, Mississippi. He was a retired upholstery worker and Fred's Associate. He was a member of New Life Pentecostal Church where he served as a Minister and Sunday School Superintendent. Services will be Monday March 8, 2021 at 1:00 PM at the New Life Pentecostal Church with Rev. Bobby Goode, Rev. Lee Marshall and Bro. Brian Brown officiating. Burial will follow in Tippah Memorial Gardens. Visitation will be Sunday, March 7, 2021, at New Life Pentecostal Church from 4:00 PM until 9:00 PM and continue Monday Morning at 10:00 AM until service time at 1:00 PM. Wayne is survived by his wife of sixty years , Earlene Newby Benefield of Ripley, MS; three daughters: Mavis Mayfield (Jerry) of Corinth, MS, Sherry Washlngton (Dean) of Pittsboro, MS, Karen Hurt (Darrell) of Ripley, MS; one sister: Hermie Koon of Ripley, MS; nine grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren. Preceded in death by his parents and one brother: Bobby Benefield. Pallbearers will be Jonathan Mayfield, Dr. Eric Mayfield, Ashton Bryant, Zack Wood, Brian Brown, Robert Koon. Honorary Pallbearers will be Bufford Hopper, Howard Knight, David Hancock, Rev. Herman Hancock, Rev. Bubba Hancock, Rev. Keith Glissen, Rev. Taylor Garner. Expressions of sympathy for the Benefield family may be sent to: www.mcbridefuneralhome.com
RIPLEY, MS - David Wayne Benefield, 79, passed away Thursday, March 4, 2021, at his home in Ripley. He was born on May 17, 1941, to Fred and Geneva Miller Benefield in Ripley, Mississippi. He was a retired upholstery worker and Fred's Associate.... View Obituary & Service Information
The family of David Wayne Benefield created this Life Tributes page to make it easy to share your memories.
RIPLEY, MS - David Wayne Benefield, 79, passed away Thursday,...
Send flowers to the Benefield family.


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Kingdom: Animalia > Phylum: Chordata > Class: Aves > Order: Charadriiformes > Family: Scolopacidae > Genus: Calidris > Species: Calidris pusilla
Calidris pusilla (Linnaeus, 1758)
1 international agreement
1 are designated for this species
PTZPE0024 Portugal Lajes do Pico - Ilha do Pico Map
Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. (Bonn Convention)
Annex II: migratory species which have an unfavourable conservation status and which require international agreements for their conservation and management, as well as those which have a conservation status which would significantly benefit from the international co-operation that could be achieved by an international agreement.
All the species of the family Scolopacidae are concerned by Appendix II. http://www.cms.int/


Let children know how special they are. Set features nine brightly illustrated words to encourage positive behavior, highlight student work, and motivate achievement. Display in classrooms, hallways, or activity centers. Nine pieces, up to 8" x 29".


Most of us enjoy the experience of a tranquil, relaxing garden. Beautifully planned and professionally planted, these spaces offer a fantastic sense of peace and calm, with perfectly selected aromas and a dazzling display of colors, all of which seamlessly fit together as though by magic.
While we may enjoy the end result, the truth is that many of us are clueless when it comes to the fundamentals of gardening. It can be a subject which seems overwhelming, with jargon such as 'soil pH' and 'seasonal planting' making this sound like a dry and theoretical bore, as opposed to a fundamental basic. In truth, learning about gardening can be a huge benefit for your home and life, changing the way you relax, exercise, and even eat. Whether you are keen to grow your own veggies or learn more about lawn care.
Gardening is not merely restricted to beautiful flowers; it is a fundamental part of the food chain. Leaning to grow and harvest your own food is not only a hugely satisfying experience, but it could also help you cut your food budget. In addition, growing your own fruit and vegetables helps you to develop a better understanding of what you are putting in your body, and can provide inspiration for creative new meal ideas.
If you are a homeowner, gardening offers a chance to extend your living space at little extra cost. By learning the basics of gardening, you can identify things which will thrive in your garden, and use this knowledge to create a relaxing and stunning space which is perfect for late night entertaining, chilled summer barbeques, and informal family picnics. Make the most of every inch of your home by transforming the outside.
As well as helping to change your diet, gardening is also an excellent form of exercise. The bending, stooping and squatting required can provide a full body workout, and burn more calories than a traditional gym session! As a bonus, you can feel satisfied that you are doing something productive while exercising, whether that is pruning, weeding or digging a brand new bed. By having visible results, you will increase your motivation, helping to turn a workout from a necessary evil to a productive and genuinely useful task.
Having a good knowledge of plants and flowers is also beneficial in helping save the planet. Plants provide the oxygen which keeps us alive, and so learning to respect and maintain them is essential. In addition, you can help attract bees and insects to your garden with the right combination of foliage. These are creatures which are in danger of being lost, and so we need to invite them in at any opportunity. By maintaining a garden, you will be doing your bit to generate a whole new ecosystem, and play a valuable part in the lifecycle of many creatures—not merely humans.


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acetate biosynthetic process from carbon monoxide
Known as: acetate formation from carbon monoxide, acetate synthesis from carbon monoxide, acetate anabolism from carbon monoxide
The chemical reactions and pathways resulting in the formation of acetate from other compounds, including carbon monoxide. [GOC:go_curators]
Genomic insights into the metabolic potential of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon degrading sulfate-reducing Deltaproteobacterium N47.
Franz D. Bergmann, D. Selesi, Thomas Weinmaier, P. Tischler, T. Rattei, R. Meckenstock
Anaerobic degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is an important process during natural attenuation of aromatic…
Carbon isotope fractionation by sulfate-reducing bacteria using different pathways for the oxidation of acetate.
D. Goevert, R. Conrad
Acetate is a key intermediate in the anaerobic degradation of organic matter. In anoxic environments, available acetate is a…
Anaerobic oxidation of saturated hydrocarbons to CO2 by a new type of sulfate-reducing bacterium
F. Aeckersberg, F. Bak, F. Widdel
Archives of Microbiology
Abstractn-Hexadecane added as electron donor and carbon source to an anaerobic enrichment culture from an oil production plant or…
Function of methanofuran, tetrahydromethanopterin, and coenzyme F420 in Archaeoglobus fulgidus
D. Möller-Zinkhan, G. Börner, R. Thauer
Archaeoglobus fulgidus is an extremely thermophilic archaebacterium that can grow at the expense of lactate oxidation with…
Enzymes and coenzymes of the carbon monoxide dehydrogenase pathway for autotrophic CO2 fixation in Archaeoglobus lithotrophicus and the lack of carbon monoxide dehydrogenase in the heterotrophic A…
Julia Vornolt, J. Kunow, K. Stetter, R. Thauer
Archaeoglobus lithotrophicus is a hyperthermophilic Archaeon that grows on H2 and sulfate as energy sources and CO2 as sole…
Physiology, phylogenetic relationships, and ecology of filamentous sulfate-reducing bacteria (genus Desulfonema)
M. Fukui, A. Teske, B. Assmus, G. Muyzer, F. Widdel
Abstract Microscopy of organic-rich, sulfidic sediment samples of marine and freshwater origin revealed filamentous…
Desulfobacca acetoxidans gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel acetate-degrading sulfate reducer isolated from sulfidogenic granular sludge.
S. Oude Elferink, W. M. Akkermans-van Vliet, J. Bogte, A. Stams
International journal of systematic bacteriology
A mesophilic sulfate reducer, strain ASRB2T, was isolated with acetate as sole carbon and energy source from granular sludge of a…
Pathways of autotrophic CO2 fixation and of dissimilatory nitrate reduction to N2O in Ferroglobus placidus
J. Vorholt, D. Hafenbradl, K. Stetter, R. Thauer
Abstract The strictly anaerobic Archaeon Ferroglobus placidus was grown chemolithoautotrophically on H2 and nitrate and analyzed…
Metabolism of hyperthermophiles
P. Schönheit, T. Schäfer
World journal of microbiology & biotechnology
Hyperthermophiles are characterized by a temperature optimum for growth between 80 and 110°C. They are considered to represent…
Archaeoglobus fulgidus Isolated from Hot North Sea Oil Field Waters
J. Beeder, R. Nilsen, J. Rosnes, T. Torsvik, T. Lien
A hyperthermophilic sulfate reducer, strain 7324, was isolated from hot (75°C) oil field waters from an oil production platform…


MP! Top Ten: Who gets your vote – Little Mix, 5SOS, 5H or Niall? – MP!
Yesterday we announced that Maria Hazell had topped the MP! Top Ten for the very first time! But can she stay there for a second week?
Voting closes at 4pm on Thursday 13th October. If you have any suggestions for tracks you would like to see added you can tweet us @maximumpop using the hashtag #MPTopTen.
You can find all these pop stars' Snapchat usernames in our Snapchat Directory, as well as thousands more.


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adesis
Home / Archives for adesis
Domestic CROs Enhance Reliability and Quality
There's plenty of talk these days about disruptions to the global supply chain, but it's not a new discussion. By the middle of 2019, 72% of the facilities making active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) to supply the U.S. market were located overseas, leading many businesses based in the United States to rebalance their relationships with foreign…
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CRO Behind the Scenes chemistry
Heat Up a Pot: Coffee Provides a Lesson in Chemistry
As chemists, we're always considering what at the molecular level makes up the materials, products and food we use and consume every day. And it's a pretty safe bet that every day one of us (and probably lots of you) is consuming at least one cup of coffee. Whether you prefer a gourmet grind you…
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Chromatography: Achieving Product Purity Requirements
In chemistry, chromatography is a process in which a mixture is separated into its various elements for the purposes of either analysis or purification. It's one of the most common processes we use at Adesis to help our customers develop new molecules, identify unknown chemical entities and achieve their purity requirement. Different Adesis customers require…
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Visit Adesis at The Division of Organic Chemistry Graduate Research Symposium, November 18 – 21
Adesis is a proud sponsor of Graduate Research Symposium (GRS). The Division of Organic Chemistry (DOC) Graduate Research Symposium, which provides an opportunity for 50-75 graduate students in organic chemistry to interact with leaders from academia, industry, various funding agencies, and publishers at a single venue will take place at University of New Mexico in Albuquerque,…
Read More about Visit Adesis at The Division of Organic Chemistry Graduate Research Symposium, November 18 – 21
From Bench Scale to Multi-kilogram:
Process Development and Specialty Manufacturing Expertise When companies come to Adesis for help with their chemistry, one of the main reasons is our ability to take a chemical reaction that works on a small scale – usually less than a kilogram – and develop the process so it works on a manufacturing scale. Before a…
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Chemistry Commentary Process Chemistry
One of the biggest challenges facing the chemical industry is finding novel, efficient, cost-effective methods for reducing the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. In addition to strategies transitioning our current fossil fuel-based economy to more renewable sources, scientists are working on ways to reduce and remove the carbon dioxide being released into the environment. A…
Read More about Carbon Capture
Chemistry Commentary carbon capture
The Chemist Leading the CRO: Meet Andrew Cottone
Make a list of the characteristics it takes to start your own business and you might include things like a vision, hard work and a can-do attitude. Andrew Cottone, president, and CEO of the chemistry contract research organization Adesis, located in New Castle, Delaware, says he acquired those traits and more growing up in northwest…
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CRO Behind the Scenes, Delaware andrew cottone
Ig Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Bug Busting and Cinema Sniffing: Congratulations to This Year's Ig Nobel Prize Winners Each year, the Annals of Improbable Research places its tongue firmly in cheek and awards its 'Ig Nobel Prize' to the top scientific research of the year that "made people laugh, then think." And this year did not disappoint. Of particular note…
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Manager of Facilities & Procurement – Meet Jack Church
For over two decades Adesis has been providing exceptional chemical services for both the specialty chemical and pharmaceutical industries. In addition to the team of chemists on hand working to produce and manufacture complex chemical products, there is a dedicated support team that keeps Adesis operational each and every day. Jack Church, our manager of…
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Adesis Awarded 2021 Superstars in Business
By Andrew Cottone As a company founder and president, very little competes with the pleasure of seeing your organization and all the employees recognized for exceptional work. When the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce's Small Business Alliance (SBA) announced that Adesis was a 2021 Superstars in Business winner, the pride was evident from our laboratories,…
Read More about Adesis Awarded 2021 Superstars in Business
"Time sensitivity is a huge issue in our industry. Adesis always meets our criteria."


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"Happiness" is the twentieth single by Japanese boy band, Arashi, as well as its title song's name. The single was released on September 5, 2007, in two editions: a regular edition containing the karaoke versions of the songs released in the single, and a limited edition containing a bonus track. The single is the group's ninth consecutive and seventeenth overall number one release, as well as their third consecutive English-titled release.

Single information
"Happiness" was used as the theme song for the drama Yamada Tarō Monogatari starring Arashi members Kazunari Ninomiya and Sho Sakurai.

The song's music video was included in their official YouTube channel, when it opened in 2019, and later on, also a live version. The song was also included in their official pages of streaming sites Apple Music, Spotify, and the such.

Track listing

Charts and certifications

Charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links
  Happiness product information
 Happiness Oricon profile

Arashi songs
2007 singles
Oricon Weekly number-one singles
Japanese television drama theme songs
2007 songs
J Storm singles

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Markets are far more volatile now in the wake of Brexit. Britain has voted to leave the EU and other European countries may follow, sending world markets into turmoil. The U.S. Stock market dropped over 600 points or 3% on June 24th after this historic referendum on the implications this could have for American businesses and exports. Global markets saw similar declines. When the next crisis unfolds, the declines could be larger.
The U.S. Government has its Eye on Retirement Accounts. In 2010 Portugal seized retirement account assets to help plug holes with government deficits and debt. Ireland and France did the same in 2011, as did Poland in 2013. The U.S. government has been watching. Since 2011, Treasury has taken money from government workers' pension funds on four separate occasions to cover deficits in federal spending. Investing billionaire legend Jim Rogers believes that private accounts will be the next ones the government raids.
Top 5 US Banks Now Larger Than Before the Crisis. You learned about the five largest banks in the U.S. and their systemic importance as the unfolding financial crisis threatened to collapse them. Legislators and regulators promised they would address this issue once the crisis was contained. Over five years after the crisis ended, the five biggest banks are even bigger and more critical to the system than before the crisis began. The government made the problem worse when it forced some of these so called "too big to fail" banks to absorb the failing ones. Any of these banking behemoths failing now would be absolutely catastrophic.
Danger from Derivatives Threatens the Banks More Now than in 2007/2008. The derivatives that crashed the banks back in 2008 did not disappear as regulators promised. Today the derivatives exposure of the five biggest American banks is a whopping 45% greater than before the economic collapse of 2008. The derivative bubble is over $273 trillion now versus the $187 trillion of 2008.
U.S. Interest Rates are Already at Abnormal Lows so the Fed has Little Room to Cut Rates. Even after raising interest rates once last year, the Federal funds rate is still in the range of ¼ to ½ percent. Consider that before the crisis erupted in August of 2007, the Federal funds interest rates sat at 5.25%! In the next crisis, the Fed will have less than half a percentage point total it can reduce rates to stimulate the economy.
American Banks Are Not the Safest Place for Your Money. Global Finance magazine puts out a yearly list of the top 50 safest global banks. Only 5 of those are U.S. based. The top spot an American bank commands is only #39.
The Fed Balance Sheet is Still Expanded from the Financial Crisis of 2008. The Fed still has nearly $1.8 trillion in mortgage backed securities on its balance sheet from the 2008 financial crisis. This is more than double the less than $1 trillion it held before the crisis began. When mortgage backed securities go bad again, the Federal Reserve has a lot less maneuverability to absorb bad assets than before.
The FDIC Admits it Lacks Reserves to Cover Another Banking Crisis. The latest FDIC's annual report shows that they will not have sufficient reserves to adequately insure the nation's banking deposits for minimally another five years. This stunning revelation admits that they can only cover 1.01% of U.S. bank held deposits, or $1 out of every $100 of your bank account deposits.
Long Term Unemployment Is Still Higher than Before the Great Recession. Unemployment was 4.4% in early 2007 before the last crisis began. While the unemployment rate has finally reached the 4.7% levels seen as the financial crisis began to ravage the U.S. economy, the long term unemployment remains high and the employment participation rate significantly lower more than five years after the previous crisis ended. Joblessness could be much higher in the wake of the coming crisis.
American Businesses Failing at a Record Pace. In the beginning of 2016, the Gallup CEO Jim Clifton announced that American business failures are now greater than new business startups for the first time in over three decades. The dearth of medium and small businesses has huge implications for an economy long driven by free enterprise. Bigger businesses are not immune to the problems either. Even American economic heavy weights like Microsoft (reducing 18,000 jobs) and McDonald's (shutting down 700 stores for the year) are suffering from this dismal trend.
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The Clearwater Threshers (40-39) beat Lakeland, 7-3. Adonis Medina raised his record to 8-2 with six, five-hit innings. He allowed 3 runs, walked a batter, hit a batter, and gave up back-to-back solo HRs. He struck out nine. Felix Paulino (3.67) relieved and had a strong, one-hit showing in two innings. Jakob Hernandez (2.98) struck out two in his one inning.
The Threshers scored in five of the first six innings. They tied the game with a run in the first on Mickey Moniak's sacrifice fly. They took the lead in the second with 2 runs on Jose Gomez' RBI double and a wild pitch. They retook the lead with a run in the fourth on Luke Williams' RBI single. They picked up an insurance run in the fifth on Edgar Cabral's RBI double following Moniak's triple to the wall in dead center. They tacked on 2 runs in the sixth on Henri Lartigue's RBI single and a wild pitch.
Luke Williams (.255) went 3-5 with a run scored, RBI, and stolen base. Williams has really been making solid contact for a month now. He has been driving the ball to all fields, and has shown some increased power. The 21-year old was drafted out of high school in the third round in 2015, and is enjoying his first sustained success since his GCL season.
The Tigers employ a lot of shifts. They shifted for most everyone in the line up. They even shifted for Gamboa. One of their more sever shifts was against Moniak.
Moniak, by the way, has adjusted his batting stance. He used to hold his hands low, inside his body and below his shoulder. He's had this stance since I watched him in the GCL through spring training this year and into the start of the season. That stance always looked uncomfortable to me, although it provided a quiet load. Recently, he has raised his hands so that they are on a line between his shoulder and ear, a location I am more used to seeing a batter's hands. And, he still has a quiet load.
Medina threw 101 pitches (64 strikes) in his six innings. His FB sat 93-95 mph and touched 96 a few times and 97 once. He also throws a CH and SL. Medina induced 19 swings and misses. Only 3 came on FB. None of his 9 Ks came on FB, 7 swinging. It looked like the Tigers were sitting on his FB. Four of their 5 hits including both HRs came off FB. He threw just 39 FB, 15 in his second three innings as he took advantage of their looking for his FB.
GCP Phillies East (4-5) no game scheduled.
GCL Phillies West (7-4) beat Yankees West, 11-4 in the completion of a suspended game from opening day and 4-2 in the regularly scheduled game.
Ben Brown picked up where Alejandro left off in the suspended game. He had his roughest outing of the season, giving up 3 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks while striking out fouur in four innings. So, of course, he got the win. His other starts were five inning gems where he didn't figure in the decision. Baseball. Alex Garcia and Sati Santa Cruz finished up.
Today marked Alec Bohm's first professional hit finally becoming official. Yerwin Trejo had 3 RBI. Rixon Wingrove had 3 hits. Jesus Azuaje, Luis Garcia, and Luis Matos had 2 hits each. Trejo had an outfield assist at home.
Rafi Gonell (2-0, 0.90) went five innings in the scheduled game. He gave up 2 hits and a walk, and struck out seven. Ethan Evanko struck out two in his first professional inning. Adam Cox gave up 2 late runs in one inning.
Trejo went 2-2 with 2 runs scored, a double, a walk, and 2 stolen bases (6). Dalton Guthrie had 2 RBI. Trent Bowles went 1-3 and stole his third base.
Lehigh Valley (47-35) lost to Syracuse, 9-4. Drew Anderson (5-3, 4.15) got clobbered in 3.2 innings, giving up 6 runs on 7 hits and 2 walks. Three relievers each gave up a run – Zac Curtis (2.64), Tyler Gilbert (4.15), and Pedro Beato (4.34). Tom Windle (3.48) pitched a clean inning. Jimmy Cordero (4-1, 2.12) made an appearance for the Chiefs.
Joey Meneses (.301) went 1-4 with a 2-run HR (15). Trevor Plouffe (.236) hit a solo HR (10).
The IronPigs collected 10 hits and drew 7 walks. Dean Anna (.260), Mitch Walding (.259), Plouffe, and Danny Espinosa (.192) had 2 hits each. As a team though, they went 0-10 with RISP.
Reading (36-46) lost to Hartford, 6-5. Connor Seabold tossed six innings in his second start and gave up 3 runs on 6 hits and a walk. He struck out six. Luke Leftwich (3.78) gave up an unearned run in two-thirds of an inning. Josh Tols (1.42) struck out the only batter he faced and stranded 2 inherited runners. Edgar Garcia (2.93) blew his third save. Jeff Singer (1-0, 1.04) suffered his first loss.
The Phils built a 5-0 lead thru three innings. They scored 3 runs in the first inning on Zach Green's 2-run double and Cornelius Randolph's RBI single. They scored a run in the second on Drew Stankiewicz' RBI double, and a run in the third on Devi Grullon's RBI double.
Stankiewicz (.177), Austin Listi (.351), and Randolph (.199) had 2 hits each.
Lakewood (49-31) beat Delmarva, 4-3 in a walk off. David Parkinson (1.41) gave up 3 runs in six innings on 6 hits and a walk. Luis Cedeno (0.53) struck out three in two innings. Connor Brogdon (3-2, 3.74) picked up the win with a perfect inning when the BlueClaws rallied in the bottom of the ninth.
The BlueClaws scored all four of their runs in the ninth inning on Nick Maton's RBI single; Daniel Brito's two-out, RBI double; and Jose Antequera's walk off, 2-run single.
Jake Scheiner (.280) and Matt Vierling (.667) had 2 hits each.
Williamsport (7-9) lost to Auburn, 5-3 in a rain-shortened game. As planned Jack Perkins and James McArthur each pitched two innings. They each allowed a run and combined to strike out seven. Juan Escorcia (0-2, 4.66) pitched until the game was called after seven innings and gave up 3 runs on 4 hits and 6 walks. He struck out six in three innings.
The Cutters scored 3 runs early on Ben Pelletier's first inning RBI single, and second inning RBI singles by Rafael Marchan and Alec Bohm.
Bohm (.200), Danny Mayer (.295), and Pelletier (.292) had 2 hits each.
DSL Phillies Red (7-19) lost 3-2.
DSL Phillies White (13-12) won 9-0.
The rosters and lists are up to date as of 6/29.
Engel Estevez of DSL White pitched a 6 inning no hitter. He's 18 yo but in his 1st year of pro ball. He's given up no ERs in his last 16 innings spanning 3 starts. Could he be this year's Ramon Rosso or is it an older guy beating up on the babies? Let's keep an eye on him.
18 isn't that old for DSL–most players are 17/18. A few are 19 or older…the DSL White team is very young, and still 11 pitchers on the staff (about half) are older than Estevez. An 18-year-old in DSL in his first year is probably a very late developer, who went undrafted at 16 and was signed at 17 (playing at 18)–research shows that he did sign in January of this year when he was 17. No bonus was announced.
Matt Vierling picks up where he left off. 2 singles in his first 2 Lakewood ABs, along with a stolen base. Walked in 9th and scored winning run.
So Vierling beat Bohm to LKW…jimeny christmas! What if Joey Meneses could play 3B or RF would you?
From what I've seen in ST and at LHV he can hit big league pitching. He has a very mature approach, he is well balanced, reads breaking pitches well and when he hits a ball it has that sound. It's loud even when he doesn't get all of it.
I last remember a sound like that off Gary Sanchez's bat.
Wow nice find Romus Meneses 60/ Arm he pitched for Mexico as a kid . Plus defense at 1st . He's probably faster because of the wieght loss maybe could play RF. I mean he was blocked by Freeman . Meneses can hit with power with a quick bat.
He's had some adventures in RF thus far–perhaps with more time it will improve. I do notice he's had more playing time there lately, FWIW.
Kram is money with anything Iron Pigs….
Kram how Meneses Arm/ speed is it suited for RF or first only. Also how is bat ? TY very much.
The Phillies are well aware of the gaping hole they've had in right field. It's not a coincidence that Menses and Listi are getting reps there. Listi's story gets more and more intriguing as time goes by and, physically, this fellow is a beast.
Tim, Meneses arm is more than fine. I'm worried about routes and foot speed and the like. It'll play here in AAA and I'm happy to watch it, but I have questions about whether you want to try that in the big leagues. It's one of the hardest things for me to judge, though, at the games depending on where I'm sitting and so on. Happy to see Meneses and Listi getting the opportunities, though.
The Phillies also must realize that any of Altherr, Williams and even Cozens probably give them more defensive strength in RF than Meneses and Listi.
It will be interesting to see what happen come later this season.
I read a story where Joey said that right field was his best position.
Williams and Pujols the most surprising in the entire system. CW is not a friendly hitting environment for various reasons. Both seem to have found something. Pujols still strikes out a lot but to be solidly over .300 looks like progress to me. Williams versatility on D makes him likely for promotion. Prior to about 30 days ago, he looked like he was going nowhere.
The better pitching of the EL offset by the hitter-friendly home park, could tell us if either/both are back on the prospect radar.
I don't understand your point. Pitching has been solid across all levels. If there's one concern, it will be Sixto's health because it's always a concern when a hard throwing pitching prospect goes on DL. Despite of the stats, Medina and Howard have been showing good stuff projected as MOR. Few surprises in LWD rotation and top of LHV rotation (delos Santos and Irvin) and some pen arms.
As for disappointments, it's the slow progress of Kilome and the struggles of Eshelman.
Starting pitching might be a possible concern for AAA in the very near future: Suarez has a groin and will be out a few weeks. Somebody will have to go up to help the Phillies on Monday, and it likely won't be Anderson after that dud yesterday so subtract Irvin or De Los Santos. Eshelman goes tonight, but hasn't been able to locate or command his fastball. Waguespack goes tomorrow in Suarez spot. Lively is on the DL with a shoulder. JoJo would line up on Friday if Irvin gets scratched.
Not to mention Leibrandt, who has been great for us here in AAA, is currently "status unknown" as far as public information.
Now, with the All Star Break–although Irvin and/or De Los Santos might have to pitch an inning or two and what if DLS ends up at the futures game–and the potential return of Eickhoff, maybe we can get through this without killing our record. I tweeted yesterday, it's time for the veteran bats here to step up and help us win some games.
Can always bring up temporarily Kilome or Elniery Garcia, if he is healthy.
I was at the game in Reading on Sunday, and hadn't seen JoJo since April. I was very impressed. While I'm sure he has things he can be working on in AA, I think he could probably handle the promotion if the coaches want to do that.
Elniery has lost a lot of velocity since his suspension. He seems to be a lefty soft-toss nibbler at this point, and they keep shuttling him to the DL in order to work on things. I wonder if giving him a shot in the pen would be worth it.
I don't think Kilome is ready either. And, perhaps what ails him isn't something that could be fixed by an assignment to reliever. I think he's going to have to pitch his way out of it.
Did you guys see former prospect Willians Astudillo made the major leagues this weekend?
Willians, some other familiar faces, smiling and signing autographs four years ago in Lakewood.
Glad for Willians. He was one of my favorites when with the Phillies organization because of his quirkiness.
I was on a business trip to Oklahoma City, of all places, last summer and noticed from my hotel window a baseball stadium with lights on. I walked the several blocks to the stadium. Reno was playing OKC and who was on the Reno line up — Willians, of course. It was a delightful discovery. Gotta love baseball and guys like Willians who hang in and hang in and hang in. Best to him, no matter how brief his stay.
Article about him on The Ringer also.


KIC-NET (Keep It Clean – Neighborhood Environmental Trios) engages youth in improving urban waterways. Through partnerships with government agencies, businesses, schools, and local parks, students explore stormwater runoff in their neighborhoods and take action to improve stormwater management.
Earth Force engages young people in building communities that are environmentally resilient. Our process of feedback and reinvention allows us to consistently provide high-quality programming that creates considerable value for communities.
Emily Bretl brings in-depth experience as a K-12 classroom educator, teacher-trainer, and curriculum designer in science and environmental education. Her background in education and environmental science supports a balanced and enthusiastic approach to working with students and teachers on issues related to social justice, sustainability and scientific literacy. Emily supports educators in stormwater and health focused work by translating science standards into real world learning opportunities.
Julia Bernal brings an expertise of working with K-12 students in environmental education, focusing on water quality and urban watersheds. Her role as a Program Coordinator in Albuquerque, NM leverages this experience to implement youth-driven stormwater work at the urban Valle de Oro National wildlife refuge. Julia is also currently enrolled at the University of New Mexico in the Water Resources Graduate program.
Vince Meldrum is an experienced leader with a 25-year history of transforming organizations through program development, innovative technology, and cross-sector partnerships. Vince's expertise brings Earth Force into the center of the climate resiliency movement. With a specific focus on people, having built several large-scale partnerships, Vince offers a unique perspective on the role of community and youth in the future of our environment.
Kristen Mueller-Sims leads national communications, creating engagement and excitement around Earth Force, and its partners', hands on, minds on programming. Specializing in traditional media and social media relations, she brings youth voice and leadership to the forefront of the environmental education field.
Hayley Valley provides leadership, coordination, and program development for all of Earth Force's fundraising efforts, including grant development and individual donations. Her ability to work across all functions of the organization, as well as engage corporations, government agencies, and community partners is a key factor in Earth Force's continued growth.


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Scot Harvath's counterterrorism career has just crashed and burned - thanks in part to a ruthless senator with her sights set on the White House. But when the war on terror takes a chilling turn, the president has no choice but to secretly bring Harvath back inside. Deep beneath an Alpine glacier, an ancient weapon designed to decimate the Roman Empire has been unearthed - and a shadowy organization intends to use it for America's downfall. Racing across Europe, Harvath must secure the ultimate instrument of destruction before it brings the United States and the rest of the world to their knees.
After the murders of two U.S. agents in Prague and a series of brutal killings of Americans, Secret Service agent Scot Harvath, a former Navy SEAL, hunts for a notorious ex-KGB double agent, only to stumble into the middle of a fiendish conspiracy aimed at shattering the fragile peace between nations. By the author of The Lions of Lucerne. Reissue.


whatever the hosts do, the community will never be happy. It's a fact, there will always be people who are not satisfied.
For Belgium and France, we knew very well that the most difficult battle would be between us. We always work together, it was only a matter of detail. I want to greet all our opponents, was a very cool event! Proud to represent my country even if it's only in a game. GG.
It's not 4 PM EDT but 5 PM EDT. this event begin in 2 hours.
You allow that when we spoke together in our private chat, now you cry ? Seriously bro ? You will really say that if you won that match ? GG Spain!


In early April every year, Cape Town puts on its jazz shoes and hosts the world-renowned Cape Town International Jazz Festival. For jazz lovers, this is a chance to see top local and international jazz musicians at the foot of Table Mountain.
The festival is the fourth-biggest largest jazz festival in the world and the largest music event in sub-Saharan Africa, drawing in an excess of 35,000 fans every year. The organisers promise an incredible line-up of more than 40 performers and jazz virtuosos who will grace the stages of "Africa's Grandest Gathering" over the two show days.
The Cape Town International Jazz Festival is held in and around the Cape Town International Convention Centre on Cape Town's Foreshore. It takes place in March each year.
Image courtesy of Cape Town International Jazz Festival.
Due to the popularity of the festival, tickets sell out within minutes of going on sale. The weekend passes generally sell out months in advance, but tickets for each day are usually available later on. Check www.capetownjazzfest.com to buy tickets.
The festival hosts more than 40 performers across its five stages, with about a 50/50 split between local and international artists.
This year, some of the performers include Corinne Bailey Rae, The Soil, The Louiz Banks Quartet, Vijay Iyer, Seu Jorge, Mi Casa, Tank and the Bangas, Mabuta, and dozens more.
In addition to the main festival, a free concert is also held in Green Market Square in the CBD, as well as the Duotone Photographic Exhibition, and a number of workshops. See the festival's website for more information.
There also numerous food and shopping facilities.
Cape Town has much to do and see. We'd recommend wine-tasting, visiting the esteemed Zeitz MOCAA, or exploring the city on the City Sightseeing bus. You could also take a scenic drive, or hunt down the best views in the city!
When the festival lights have died down and you're still feeling a bit artistically peckish, why not take in a show at one of the city's many theatres? Experiencing the sites and sounds of this incredible city is enough to build up a healthy appetite. You're in luck, because Cape Town is arguably South Africa's foodie capital, so go grab a bite or a drink with the locals, or breathe in the aroma of the city's lively coffee culture at one of the many coffee shops.


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Courtesy Bavaria.by The Soiernsee lakes near Krün are known colloquially as Himmelsaugen (Eyes of Heaven). Here King Ludwig II of...
Flights have been grounded and travel plans put on hold yet a world awaits right at your fingertips as tourist...
Virtual German Castle Experience
By integrating augmented reality (AR) applications on the subject of "Castles, Parks and Gardens" into Facebook Spark AR, the German...
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Leipzig has been named to The New York Times' list of the "52 places to go in 2020". According to...
Saxony Welcomes New UNESCO World Heritage Site
At its 43rd session on the 6th of July in Baku, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee included the "Ore Mountains/Krusnohori...
Bach Leipzig 2019—International as Never Before
With the solemn "Dona nobis pacem" of the Mass in B Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach from the Tölzer Boys Choir and...
Oktoberfest.de and Muenchen.de Apps
The largest and most beautiful folk festival in the world deserves the largest and most beautiful digital all-round package and...
Don Heinrich Tolzmann Collection Now Available for Research
Courtesy University of Cincinnati Archives and Rare Books Library The University of Cincinnati Archives and Rare Books Library announces the...
Celebrating German-American Friendship Day in El Paso, Texas
Germans and Americans gathered at the Southwest University Ballpark in El Paso, TX to celebrate German-American Night on May 21,...
Switzerland Maintains Top Spot in 2019 Best Countries Report
Switzerland is the No. 1 country in the world for the third consecutive year, according to the 2019 Best Countries...


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On March 28, Florida lawmakers officially passed their "Don't Say Gay" Bill. As reported by The Guardian, the bill signed by Florida Gov. Ron Desantis forbids instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten to third grade. The policy has faced heavy scrutiny on a national front. Many argue that it isolates and marginalizes LGBTQIA+ youth.
Instances like these loom a dark cloud over the world, but there's one thing you can guarantee: Our community will not stand for it. Alternative music has routinely been at the forefront of shifts in the social and political landscape, using its platform and power to rally for change and solidarity. From Dee Snider fighting censorship in court to Jason Aalon Butler bringing his listeners to the streets to march for Black Lives Matter, these are the times that alternative musicians stood up against adversity as a reminder that above all else, we have each other.
Read more: Mel D. Cole on capturing Black Lives Matter protests: "This is bigger than me"
1. Twisted Sister, Black Sabbath, Mötley Crüe vs. PMRC
"Satanic Panic" encapsulated the '80s, the cries of frightened parents making headline after headline. It reached its boiling point when the Parents Music Resource Center called for the RIAA and music industry to develop a rating system, similar to film ratings developed by Motion Picture Association. To emphasize this point they released their "Filthy 15," 15 songs that were deemed objectionable. The list featured tracks such as Judas Priest's "Eat Me Alive," Mötley Crüe's "Bastard" and Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It."
But musicians weren't going to back down without throwing a few punches first. In 1985, three PMCR representatives and three musicians – Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, Frank Zappa and John Denver – testified at a Senate hearing. The historic moment is remembered best by Snider, who gave a compelling speech on the censorship of art.
Ultimately, the outcome prevented censorship of music. It did, however, offer the parental advisory warning seen on any music released with explicit themes and language.
2. Everyone vs. Westboro Baptist Church
Who hasn't trolled this organization? The anti-LGBT, Islamaphobic, antisemitic hate group, known for their vulgar picketing signs such as "God Hates Fags," seem to have a vendetta against rock and metal music.
Hilariously, Foo Fighters "Rickrolled" them in 2011 on an epic level.
Lamb Of God frontman Randy Blythe also organized a counterparty to their protest of Virginia politician, metalhead and trans woman Danica Roem.
A post shared by D. Randall Blythe (@drandallblythe)
And at one point, it was the entirety of Warped Tour vs Westboro. During the 2017 run in Kansas, musicians and road crew rocked "Fuck The Westboro Baptist Church" T-shirts. They seemed to spark a nerve.
3. Rage Against The Machine stop the New York Stock Exchange
Rage Against The Machine have become renowned for their political and social messaging in songs. It's no surprise that in 2000, they stopped the New York Stock Exchange. Well, momentarily. As reported by Genius.com, when filming the music video for their critically acclaimed single "Sleep Now In The Fire" – which takes aim at capitalism and greed, and the United States' history of slavery, war atrocities and Native American conquest – the band filmed part of their shoot on the steps of Federal Hall in lower Manhattan.
Though a permit was obtained for the shoot, New York City authorities didn't grant a sound permit. Thus, the shoot was broken up by the NYPD. The band then rushed the New York Stock Exchange across the street. They made it through the building's first set of doors before security had to shut the building down. Whether a happy accident or not, this stands in pop culture as a shining moment that the underdogs can make change.
4. Pussy Riot standing up against the Russian government
Pussy Riot are a ferocious, unstoppable force in punk music that haven't backed down from the Russian hierarchy for almost two decades. You might remember them from their viral moment in 2018, running across a soccer game during the Fifa World Cup to protest against unlawful arrests and police violence in the country, Time Magazine reports.
Or perhaps you know about their two-year-long prison sentence, charged with "hooliganism" after staging an anti-Vladimir Putin protest in a Moscow Cathedral in 2012, BBC reports. In 2018, the European Court of Human Rights found that the Russian government violated the rights of members of Pussy Riot.
Recently, the Russian government labeled them "foreign agents," and the band are now appealing this in court. Through censorship and strife, Pussy Riot have sneered into the face of their oppressors. By doing so, they've empowered those in similar positions. Even with the risks of arrest and deportation, they continue to fight.
5. Confess jailed for six years for writing "anti-establishment" music
Pussy Riot aren't the only band fighting against their establishments to freely criticize the state without backlash. 2015 saw Confess, a thrash-metal band based in Iran, jailed by the Iranian government for "writing anti-establishment metal music, for which they were charged with blasphemy and propaganda against the state and taken to Tehran's notorious Evin prison," The Guardian reports.
The band have been at odds with the Iranian state since their 2012 debut, Beginning of Dominion, which particularly took aim at religion. When they followed up with In Pursuit of Dreams in October 2015, The Guardian reported they were being heavily monitored by the Iranian government.
They spent 18 months incarcerated while awaiting trial. Then they were given a six-year sentence, resulting in them seeking asylum in Norway. Singer Nikan Khosravi says, "Our second album was called In Pursuit of Dreams, and we were arrested two weeks after releasing it. We were pursuing our dreams and, for our dreams, we went to jail." Though a reflection of the disparity in freedom of speech, stories like these remind us that heavy music can inspire us to stand up against the grain and fight for what we believe in, at all costs.
6. Jason Aalon Butler and the Black Lives Matter movement
When we speak of ushering in necessary change, it is imperative to mention Jason Aalon Butler of FEVER 333, Pressure Cracks and previously letlive.
We can't forget the efforts of others in the industry who have been rallying for change long before. For one, Rock Against Racism paved the way in the '70s. Butler, however, is an example of a modern-day icon making a difference for today's youth.
From 2003, Butler has labored himself in his work, both emotionally and mentally, becoming a vessel for projecting the voices and struggles of Black Americans. Though an ongoing conversation in today's music landscape, the early 2000s was sparse for Black representation in alternative music. Being one of the few Black men in his field unabashedly speaking against the oppressors he had to work with, Butler inspired a generation of new youth charging the floodgates. In an interview with Alternative Press, the FEVER 333 frontman says, "We have to create these spaces for us. I am done waiting for the industry to magically reform."
Notable moments in his career include FEVER 333's recent WRONG GENERATION EP, the result of 13 days of turmoil following the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter marches ongoing through the summer of 2020, telling NME, "When I was talking about this early on in the project of our new music, it was a movement that was already happening. It already had momentum, but it's now coming to a head due to the aggregate results of a bunch of things: technology, people's frustrations and the realization of their own power."
7. Bands against Donald Trump
There are few bands who haven't gone toe to toe with the 45th President, Donald J. Trump. Though some artists aligned with his views, many were quick to criticize his policies and statements.
The list of bands who've threatened legal action against Trump for playing their songs during his rallies is a lengthy one, including Aerosmith, Neil Young, Twisted Sister, the Rolling Stones, Nickelback and Ozzy Osbourne, to name a few.
If it's not legal action, some artists have made their feelings about Trump abundantly clear on a global platform. In response to the Trump campaign party using their song "We're Not Going To Take It," Snider said, "I strongly don't agree with his extremist positions," in response to Trump's stance on banning all Muslims from entering the United States. Green Day similarly have made their feelings about Trump known, their chant "No Trump, No KKK, no fascist USA" when performing at the AMAs in 2019 is one that is still repeated today. Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong doesn't water down his feelings, "Trump gives me diarrhea" he says to NME.
The post 7 times rock fought back, from Rage Against The Machine to Pussy Riot appeared first on Alternative Press Magazine.


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Cmentarz żydowski w Kwidzynie – powstał w 1815 i znajduje się przy obecnej ul. Kościuszki. Nie zachowały się na nim żadne nagrobki. Pochowanych na nim Żydów kwidzyńskich upamiętnia odpowiedni kamień pamiątkowy.

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You are here: Home | Economy | National News | News | Peace | S.Sudan ranked 'worst' in peace, economy within East Africa -GPI
S.Sudan ranked 'worst' in peace, economy within East Africa -GPI
Authors: Daniel Danis | theeastafrican.co.ke | Published: Monday, June 24, 2019
A soldier walks past women carrying their belongings near Benitu, Northern Liech State in February 11, 2017. PHOTO: Siegfried Modola/REUTERS
South Sudan has retained the position of the least peaceful country in the East African region after Burundi.
According to the Global Peace Index 2019, South Sudan also comes third as the least peaceful in the world -just above Syria and Afghanistan.
The Democratic Republic of Congo, which recently submitted a formal application for membership in the East African regional bloc, is ranked 155th out of the 163 nations listed.
In the economy, South Sudan also ranked worst in the economic cost of violence, measured at 17% of GDP, plus an overall economic impact estimated at around $15.2 billion in East Africa.
Burundi measured at 12% of GDP; Uganda 6%; Rwanda and Kenya 5% each, and Tanzania 4%.
Somalia measured at 26% of GDP.
Tanzania remains the most peaceful country in the region while Rwanda has showed the most significant improvement in peace, according to the Global Peace Index 2019 released this month.
Uganda remains in the "medium" state of peace category, while Kenya and Burundi — despite rising one place each — remained in the "low" state of peace category.
In the IGAD region, Somalia, which was boosted by a sharp drop in internal conflicts has been lifted out of the five least peaceful countries in the world.
No African country made it to the top 13 countries ranked "very high" on state of peacefulness.
The top three are Iceland — for the 12th year running — New Zealand and Austria.
The Global Peace Index is produced every year by the Australia-based Institute for Economics and Peace and is widely considered the world's leading measure of global peacefulness.
It measures the state of peace using level of societal safety and security, extent of ongoing domestic and international conflict, and the degree of militarization.
Worldwide, confidence and trust in national governments, election processes and honesty, judicial systems and financial institutions rose in 58 countries over the past decade, the report said.
Tanzania was among six countries globally whose ranking in government trust rose; the others were Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Senegal, Mozambique and Niger. Incidentally, all six countries are in sub-Saharan Africa.
According to the findings, Tanzania also registered the "largest improvement in confidence in election honesty," whereas countries like Botswana, Spain, France, Italy, and the Netherlands recorded significant deterioration in this category.
Police officer, civilian killed in Abiem-nhom
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Forget the Halloween candy this year because we're getting cheese…and lots of it. I can't imagine a better place than the Suwannee to celebrate Halloween. With the costumes and visual art installations, not to mention the insane lineup of music, Suwannee Hulaween will definitely be one for the books.
Speaking of costumes, you know the Suwannee will be crawling with some of the most ridiculous costumes out there, so it's never too early to start planning what you want to be. To help you get those creative juices flowing, we have come up with some funky Hulaween costume ideas for you, you and a friend, or your whole campsite.
You really can't go wrong with the Grateful Dead Dancing Bears. Sunshine Daydream has these full body costumes for girls, boys and kids, but if you're not trying to spend a lot of money, you can easily make your own rendition at home.
Girls, just get a cheap pair of brightly colored tights and look for a simple long-sleeved dress to match, like this from F21. Buy some felt in a different color than the dress, cut and and glue it along the bottom, sleeves, and collar.
Boys, look for a pair of navy blue sweatpants and matching sweatshirt, cut and glue yellow felt to the collar and you're good to go. The hat may be a tad more difficult to make yourself, but thankfully you can get them individually for only $25.
What better way to pay tribute to String Cheese than by dressing up as a jellyfish!? Mad props to our very own Katrina and Meg for giving us the inspiration for this costume! Decorate an umbrella with sheer iridescent jelly-like fabric on the top and cut strips to hang down for tentacles. You can use puffy paint to decorate the top and throw on some glow sticks the night of. For the skirts, use some of the same material as the umbrella and also some ocean-themed colors to match. Cut strips of fabric and sew (or glue) them to a band that fits around your waist and voilà!–you're a jellyfish!
I love the idea of getting galactic for Halloween and these girls have the right idea by doing it yourself. You can easily create your own planets with felt and glue them onto a cheap dress or skirt, like the first picture; or, like the second picture, buy some fabric to make a cape and glue them onto that instead. Depending on your crafting capabilities you could paint them on, too.
For your head, buy a cheap black headband and wrap a few pipe cleaners around it. Cut out yellow felt stars and glue them to the end of the pipe cleaners. The BlackMilk Galaxy Leggings could be a cool finishing touch, too. And if you're trying to get real creative, you can come up with some ideas so that each person in your crew could be their own planet in the solar system.
So these costumes are super legit, but you can easily make your own versions at home. Clearly, it's easy to get your whole crew involved, the characters are seemingly endless. Here are some awesome tips at how to make your own costumes. Goodwill and other thrift shops will be your best friend when trying to do something like this. Oh, and ladies, BlackMilk has a new Hogwarts Collection…just sayin'.
You might want to carry around a flashlight in your pocket for this one. Ninjas are easy and fun, and a great excuse to dance like a goon and practice your cartwheels and spin-kicks. Here is a great tutorial on how to make a great karate costume and mask.
Since we'll literally be walking around in our very own Wonderland this Halloween, Alice in Wonderland-themed costumes couldn't be more perfect. There are so many distinct characters, get creative and have your whole campsite join in.
Because you'd be the flyest festies in the forest if you were wearing these. You can order these legit costumes from the Costume Gallery or get real crafty and make your own. Again, Goodwill and thrift stores will be your best friend if that's the route you choose to go. JoAnn's will have the gold embroidery and before you know it, you'll be a member of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
And for those that may not feel comfortable prancing around in florescent, gold embroidered tuxedos, this may be an option for you. The black skinny ties are really the key.


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Toshiba Launches Compact High-Speed Communication Logic Output Photocoupler
Toshiba has launched "TLP2363," a 10Mbps high-speed communication logic output photocoupler for 24V digital input interfaces of Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs). Shipments start today.
Toshiba introduces five groups of new microcontrollers, which belong to the TXZ+ family. The M4K, M4M, M4G, and M4N groups are based on the Arm Cortex-M4 core...
Toshiba Announces Updated 4TB, 6TB and 8TB Enterprise Capacity HDD Models
Toshiba announces the Toshiba MG08-D Series HDDs, designed for a wide variety of business-critical applications, such as email and CRM (Customer Resource Management)...
The new photocoupler's specifications include both the minimum and maximum values of its threshold input current at its operating temperature range (-40 to 105℃). Use of the photocoupler in combination with appropriate resistors for current control realizes a 24V digital input module that follows IEC 61131-2 Type 1 specifications.
In addition, the new product's circuit suppresses chattering noise so that its output is clearly either "low" or "high," even with a slow input signal with a long (60s or less) rise or fall time. This eliminates the need for a waveform shaping circuit in the output part, reducing the number of components.
The photocoupler is packaged in the thin 5pin SO6, and has a maximum height of 2.3mm. Its slim shape brings greater freedom to component layout on printed circuit boards.
1HOLTEK New HT32F5828 USB PDF Data Logger MCU
2Toshiba Introduces 5 New Groups of TXZ+ Family Advanced Class MCUs
3Renesas Launches New General-Purpose 64-Bit RZ/G2L Group of MPUs
4ST Trims Brushless Motor-Control Designs with Gate-Driver IC Optimized for Low-Voltage Applications


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I've contributed more than a dozen articles to the Capital Weather Gang since July 2013, covering topics from the effects a deadly typhoon to addressing the curiosity over snow days called by school districts in the Washington D.C. area.
Below is a full list of articles I've written for the Capital Weather Gang.
July 22, 2015: U.S. radars have come a long way, but gaps in coverage remain a big risk
April 18, 2014: Snow days on the rise? A detailed look at every major D.C. area school district
April 8, 2014: A "once-in-a-lifetime" sky: Sundog in a distrail
March 10, 2014: The future of WeatherNation: Interview with president Michael Norton
March 6, 2014: El Niño watch posted: May portend fewer Atlantic hurricanes and beneficial California rains
December 23, 2013: The 5 top U.S. weather stories of 2013
December 13, 2013: 136 below: Shockingly low temperature report from Antarctica, but not a record
November 11, 2013: Why so many people died from Haiyan and other southeast Asia typhoons
October 28, 2013: Did Hurricane Sandy live up to the media hype? Yes, and then some...
October 17, 2013: Report: Western wildfires growing more intense, insurers deeply concerned
October 8, 2013: AccuWeather's 45-day forecast fails to impress in multi-city test
September 13, 2013: Five years later, Hurricane Ike still remembered deep in the hearts of Texans
August 26, 2013: Praying for rain: the intersection of religion and weather
August 16, 2013: Weather control conspiracy theories: scientifically unjustifiable
August 2, 2013: Are violent tornadoes becoming more common?
July 25, 2013: Storms flying under the radar: when radar gaps and downtime turn dangerous
High, Dry Winds Could Spark An Off-Season Fire Thr...
East Texas Enjoys And/Or Despises Its Biggest Snow...