text:
import os
import shutil
import tempfile

from conary_test import recipes
from conary_test import rephelp

from conary import trove
from conary import versions
from conary.build import use
from conary.deps import deps
from conary.lib import util
from conary.local import database
from conary.repository import changeset, filecontainer
from conary.versions import Label

class MultipleRepositoryTest(rephelp.RepositoryHelper):
    def testDistributedBranch(self):
        origDir = os.getcwd()
        try:
            self.resetAllRepositories()
            self.resetWork()

            self.openRepository(0)
            repos = self.openRepository(1)

            repos.deleteUserByName(Label('localhost@foo:bar'), 'anonymous')
            repos.deleteUserByName(Label('localhost1@foo:bar'), 'anonymous')

            # create initial source component in the first repository
            srcdir = os.sep.join((self.workDir, 'src'))
            os.mkdir(srcdir)
            os.chdir(srcdir)
            self.newpkg('testcase')
            os.chdir('testcase')
            self.writeFile('testcase.recipe', recipes.testRecipe1)
            self.addfile('testcase.recipe')
            self.commit()

            # build testcase binary components
            built, out = self.captureOutput(self.cookItem, repos, self.cfg,
                                            'testcase')
            flavor = use.Arch.getCurrentArch()._toDependency()
            assert(built == ((('testcase:runtime',
                               '/localhost@rpl:linux/1.0-1-1', flavor),), None))

            # branch testcase:source on second repository
            newLabel = versions.Label("localhost1@rpl:linux")
            self.mkbranch(self.cfg.buildLabel, newLabel, 'testcase:source')

            # check out branched source component
            origBuildLabel = self.cfg.buildLabel
            self.cfg.buildLabel = newLabel
            os.chdir(srcdir)
            shutil.rmtree('testcase')
            self.checkout('testcase')
            os.chdir('testcase')

            # make a modification on the branch
            f = open('testcase.recipe', 'a')
            f.write('        self.Create("/newfile", contents="hello, world")\n')
            f.close()
            os.system("sed -i 's/fileText = .*/initialFileText = initialFileText.replace(\"4\", \"5\"); &/' testcase.recipe")
            self.commit()

            # build testcase binary components
            built, out = self.captureOutput(self.cookItem, repos, self.cfg,
                                            'testcase')
            branchedVersion = versions.VersionFromString(
                      '/localhost@rpl:linux/1.0-1-0/localhost1@rpl:linux/2-1')
            assert(built ==
                   ((('testcase:runtime',
                      '/localhost@rpl:linux/1.0-1-0/localhost1@rpl:linux/2-1',
                      flavor),),
                    None))

            # see if we can create a changeset
            repos = self.openRepository()
            (fd, path) = tempfile.mkstemp()
            os.close(fd)
            repos.createChangeSetFile(
                [('testcase', (None, None), (branchedVersion, flavor), 0)], path)
            os.unlink(path)

            # install the branched testcase:runtime component
            self.updatePkg(self.cfg.root,
                           'testcase:runtime', 'localhost1@rpl:linux')
            self.verifyFile(os.sep.join((self.cfg.root, 'newfile')),
                            "hello, world\n")

            # try flipping from one version to another while changing the config
            # file
            self.resetRoot()
            self.updatePkg(self.cfg.root, 'testcase', 'localhost@rpl:linux')

            f = open(self.cfg.root + "/etc/changedconfig", "a")
            f.write("new line\n")
            f.close()

            self.updatePkg(self.cfg.root, 'testcase', 'localhost1@rpl:linux')

            # try flipping from one version to another
            self.resetRoot()
            self.updatePkg(self.cfg.root, 'testcase', 'localhost@rpl:linux')
            self.updatePkg(self.cfg.root, 'testcase', 'localhost1@rpl:linux')
            self.verifyFile(os.sep.join((self.cfg.root, 'newfile')),
                            "hello, world\n")
            # and back again, though this doesn even need repository 1 anymore
            self.servers.stopServer(1)
            self.updatePkg(self.cfg.root, 'testcase', 'localhost@rpl:linux')
            assert(not os.path.exists(os.sep.join((self.cfg.root, 'newfile'))))
        finally:
            os.chdir(origDir)

    def testInstallPath(self):
        # make sure that an initial install picks the trove from a single
        # repository
        self.resetRepository()
        self.resetRoot()

        rc = self.buildRecipe(recipes.simpleConfig1, 'SimpleConfig1')
        trunkVersion, trunkFlavor = rc[0][0][1:3]

        repos1 = self.openRepository(1)
        newLabel = versions.Label("localhost1@rpl:linux")
        oldLabel = self.cfg.buildLabel
        self.cfg.buildLabel = newLabel

        rc = self.buildRecipe(recipes.simpleConfig1, 'SimpleConfig1')
        self.cfg.buildLabel = oldLabel
        branchVersion, branchFlavor = rc[0][0][1:3]

        oldPath = self.cfg.installLabelPath
        self.cfg.installLabelPath = [ oldLabel, newLabel ]

        self.updatePkg(self.rootDir, 'simpleconfig')
        db = database.Database(self.rootDir, self.cfg.dbPath)
        l = db.getTroveVersionList('simpleconfig')
        assert([ x.asString() for x in l ] ==
                        [ '/localhost@rpl:linux/1.0-1-1' ])

        # try and make a changeset between the two versions, just to see
        # if it can be done (this is a test of client-side changeset
        # generation)
        repos = self.openRepository()
        repos.createChangeSet([('simpleconfig',
                                (versions.VersionFromString(trunkVersion),
                                 trunkFlavor),
                                (versions.VersionFromString(branchVersion),
                                 branchFlavor),
                                False)])

    def testSimpleConfig(self):
        self.resetRepository()
        self.resetRoot()

        vList = [ None, None ]
        (built, d) = self.buildRecipe(recipes.simpleConfig1, 'SimpleConfig1')
        vList[0] = built[0][1]
        newLabel = versions.Label("localhost1@rpl:branch")

        repos1 = self.openRepository(1)

        self.mkbranch(self.cfg.buildLabel, newLabel, 'simpleconfig',
                      binaryOnly=True)

        sourceVersion = versions.VersionFromString(vList[0]).getSourceVersion()
        (built, d) = self.buildRecipe(recipes.simpleConfig2, 'SimpleConfig2',
                                      serverIdx = 1,
                                      sourceVersion = sourceVersion)
        vList[1] = built[0][1]

        self.updatePkg(self.rootDir, 'simpleconfig', vList[0])
        self.verifyFile(self.rootDir + '/etc/foo', 'text 1\n')
        self.updatePkg(self.rootDir, 'simpleconfig', vList[1])
        self.verifyFile(self.rootDir + '/etc/foo', 'text 2\n')

    def testDuplicateFileIds(self):
        # make sure that streams get filled in on branches when they were
        # originally None
        os.chdir(self.workDir)
        self.newpkg('branchedFileId')
        os.chdir('branchedFileId')
        self.writeFile('branchedFileId.recipe', recipes.branchedFileIdTest1)
        self.addfile('branchedFileId.recipe')
        self.commit()
        os.chdir("..")
        shutil.rmtree('branchedFileId')

        repos0 = self.openRepository(0)
        repos1 = self.openRepository(1)

        self.cookItem(repos0, self.cfg, 'branchedFileId')

        self.mkbranch("1.0-1-1", "localhost1@rpl:shadow",
                      "branchedFileId", shadow = True)

        self.checkout("branchedFileId", "localhost1@rpl:shadow")
        os.chdir('branchedFileId')
        self.writeFile('branchedFileId.recipe', recipes.branchedFileIdTest2)
        self.commit()

        self.cfg.buildLabel = versions.Label("localhost1@rpl:shadow")
        self.cookItem(repos1, self.cfg, 'branchedFileId')

        self.updatePkg(self.cfg.root,
                       'branchedFileId', 'localhost1@rpl:shadow')

    def testDistributedUpdateWithUninstalledComponents(self):
        # this test verifies that when updating a package that was
        # installed from one repository to a version that resides on
        # a different repository, and that package has uninstalled
        # components on the system (a !byDefault component that isn't
        # installed, for example) updates properly.  The netclient wasn't
        # requesting pristine troves from the database when creating
        # the changeset in this situation.
        self.resetAllRepositories()
        self.resetWork()

        repos0 = self.openRepository(0)
        repos1 = self.openRepository(1)

        # removing the anonymous user makes sure no repository cross talk
        # is needed

        def _createCs(version):
            # create an absolute changeset
            flavor = deps.parseFlavor('')
            cs = changeset.ChangeSet()
            # add a pkg diff
            v = versions.VersionFromString(version, timeStamps=[1.000])
            old = trove.Trove('test', v, flavor, None)
            old.setIsCollection(True)
            old.addTrove('test:foo', v, flavor, byDefault=True)
            old.addTrove('test:bar', v, flavor, byDefault=False)
            old.computeDigests()

            # add the 'test' package
            diff = old.diff(None)[0]
            cs.newTrove(diff)
            cs.addPrimaryTrove('test', v, flavor)

            # add the test:foo component
            oldfoo = trove.Trove('test:foo', v, flavor, None)
            oldfoo.computeDigests()
            diff = oldfoo.diff(None)[0]
            cs.newTrove(diff)

            # add the test:bar component
            oldbar = trove.Trove('test:bar', v, flavor, None)
            oldbar.computeDigests()
            diff = oldbar.diff(None)[0]
            cs.newTrove(diff)

            return cs

        # create the first version on repos0
        cs = _createCs('/localhost@rpl:devel/1.0-1-1')
        repos0.commitChangeSet(cs)
        # install it
        self.updatePkg(self.cfg.root, 'test', 'localhost@rpl:devel')

        # create the second version on repos1
        cs = _createCs('/localhost@rpl:devel//localhost1@rpl:devel/1.0-1-1')
        repos1.commitChangeSet(cs)
        # update to it
        self.updatePkg(self.cfg.root, 'test', 'localhost1@rpl:devel')
        db = database.Database(self.rootDir, self.cfg.dbPath)
        assert(db.hasTroveByName("test"))
        assert(db.hasTroveByName("test:foo"))
        assert(not db.hasTroveByName("test:bar"))

    def testDistributedGroup(self):
        # Build a group which includes a trove from a different repository,
        # then a new version of that group w/o that trove, and finally
        # create a changeset between those two versions. This ensures
        # removed packages from a remote repository get passed back to the
        # client for removal.
        trv = self.build(recipes.testTransientRecipe1, 'TransientRecipe1')
        self.addQuickTestComponent("foo:runtime", "1.0-1-1")

        newLabel = versions.Label("localhost1@rpl:linux")
        oldLabel = self.cfg.buildLabel
        self.cfg.buildLabel = newLabel
        repos1 = self.openRepository(1)

        grpRecipe = """
class TestGroup(GroupRecipe):
            name = 'group-test'
            version = '1.0'
            clearBuildRequires()
            def setup(self):
                self.addTrove('testcase', 'localhost@rpl:linux')
                self.addTrove('foo:runtime', 'localhost@rpl:linux')
"""
        trv1 = self.build(grpRecipe, 'TestGroup')

        smallerGroupRecipe = """
class TestGroup(GroupRecipe):
            name = 'group-test'
            version = '1.0'
            clearBuildRequires()
            def setup(self):
                self.addTrove('foo:runtime', 'localhost@rpl:linux')
"""
        trv2 = self.build(smallerGroupRecipe, 'TestGroup')

        self.cfg.buildLabel = oldLabel

        cs = repos1.createChangeSet([('group-test',
                        (trv1.getVersion(), trv1.getFlavor()),
                        (trv2.getVersion(), trv2.getFlavor()), False)])
        assert(['testcase'] == [ x[0] for x in cs.getOldTroveList()])

    def testFileAdded(self):
        self.openRepository(1)
        contents = [ ( 'first', 'first', '/localhost@rpl:linux/1.0-1-1') ]
        self.addQuickTestComponent('test:runtime',
                 '/localhost@rpl:linux/1.0-1-1',
                 fileContents = contents)
        self.addQuickTestComponent('test:runtime',
                 '/localhost@rpl:linux/1.0-1-1/localhost1@rpl:branch/1.5-1-1',
                 fileContents = contents)
        self.updatePkg(self.cfg.root, 'test:runtime', 'localhost1@rpl:branch')

        contents.append(('second', 'second', '/localhost@rpl:linux/2.0-1-1'))
        self.addQuickTestComponent('test:runtime',
                 '/localhost@rpl:linux/2.0-1-1',
                 fileContents = contents)

        self.addQuickTestComponent('test:runtime',
                 '/localhost@rpl:linux/1.0-1-1/localhost1@rpl:branch/3.0-1-1',
                 fileContents = contents)

        self.updatePkg(self.cfg.root, 'test:runtime', 'localhost1@rpl:branch')

    def testFileChanges(self):
        self.openRepository(1)
        linuxContents = [ ('/etc/first', 'first=a'),
                          ('/etc/secnd', 'secnd=a') ]
        branchContents = [ ('/etc/first', 'first=b'),
                           ('/etc/secnd', 'secnd=b') ]
        self.addQuickTestComponent('test:foo', '/localhost@rpl:linux/1.0-1-1',
                            fileContents = linuxContents)
        self.addQuickTestComponent('test:foo',
                '/localhost@rpl:branch/1.0-1-1/localhost1@rpl:branch/2.0-1-1',
                            fileContents = branchContents)

        self.updatePkg(self.rootDir, 'test:foo',
                       version = 'localhost@rpl:linux')
        self.updatePkg(self.rootDir, 'test:foo',
                       version = 'localhost1@rpl:branch')

        for x in branchContents:
            self.verifyFile(self.rootDir + x[0], x[1])

    def testFileBecomesConfig(self):
        self.openRepository(1)
        self.addQuickTestComponent('test:runtime', '1.0-1-1',
                 fileContents = [ ( '/etc/foo', 'contents' ) ],
                 setConfigFlags = False)
        self.updatePkg(self.rootDir, "test:runtime")
        self.addQuickTestComponent('test:runtime',
                                   '/localhost1@rpl:branch/2.0-1-1',
                 fileContents = [ ( '/etc/foo', 'contents' ) ],
                 setConfigFlags = True)
        self.updatePkg(self.rootDir, "test:runtime",
                       version = '/localhost1@rpl:branch/2.0-1-1')

    def _testMirrorModeChangesets(self, singleRepos = True, protocol = None):
        # When mirroring, contents need to be included whenever a file version
        # changes because it could be a cross-repository change. mirrorMode
        # makes this happen CNY-1570.
        #
        # Similarly, mirrorMode doesn' allow file diffs across repositories,
        # since that would require crosstalk on commit. CNY-2210
        if singleRepos:
            repos = self.openRepository(serverName = [ 'localhost',
                                                       'localhost1' ])
        else:
            repos = self.openRepository(0)
            repos = self.openRepository(1)

        if protocol:
            repos.c['localhost'].setProtocolVersion(protocol)
            repos.c['localhost1'].setProtocolVersion(protocol)

        orig = self.addQuickTestComponent('test:runtime',
                 '/localhost@rpl:linux/1.0-1-1',
                 fileContents = [
                    ( '/bin/foo', rephelp.RegularFile(
                       version = '/localhost@rpl:linux/1.0-1-1',
                       contents = 'foo' ) ),
                    ('/usr/foo', rephelp.Directory(perms = 0755,
                       version = '/localhost@rpl:linux/1.0-1-1',
                    ) ),
                    ] )

        old = self.addQuickTestComponent('test:runtime',
                 '/localhost@rpl:linux//localhost1@rpl:linux/1.0-1-1',
                 fileContents = [
                    ( '/bin/foo', rephelp.RegularFile(
                       version = '/localhost@rpl:linux/1.0-1-1',
                       contents = 'foo' ) ),
                    ('/usr/foo', rephelp.Directory(perms = 0755,
                       version = '/localhost@rpl:linux/1.0-1-1',
                    ) ),
                    ] )

        new = self.addQuickTestComponent('test:runtime',
             '/localhost@rpl:linux//localhost1@rpl:linux/1.0-1.1-1',
             fileContents = [
                ( '/bin/foo', rephelp.RegularFile(
                   version = '/localhost@rpl:linux//localhost1@rpl:linux/1.0-1.1-1',
                   contents = 'foo' ) ),
                ('/usr/foo', rephelp.Directory(perms = 0755,
                   version = '/localhost@rpl:linux//localhost1@rpl:linux/1.0-1.1-1',
                ) ),
                ] )

        veryNew = self.addQuickTestComponent('test:runtime',
             '/localhost@rpl:linux//localhost1@rpl:linux/1.0-1.2-1',
             fileContents = [
                ( '/bin/foo', rephelp.RegularFile(
                   version = '/localhost@rpl:linux//localhost1@rpl:linux/1.0-1.1-1',
                   contents = 'foo' ) ),
                ('/usr/foo', rephelp.Directory(perms = 0755,
                   version = '/localhost@rpl:linux//localhost1@rpl:linux/1.0-1.1-1',
                ) ),
                ] )

        csPath = self.workDir + '/test.ccs'
        #repos.createChangeSetFile( [
            #( 'test:runtime', ( old.getVersion(), old.getFlavor() ),
                              #( new.getVersion(), new.getFlavor() ), False ),
            #], csPath)
        #fc = filecontainer.FileContainer(
                                #util.ExtendedFile(csPath, buffering = False))
        #fc.getNextFile()
        #assert(not fc.getNextFile())

        repos.createChangeSetFile( [
            ( 'test:runtime', ( old.getVersion(), old.getFlavor() ),
                              ( new.getVersion(), new.getFlavor() ), False ),
            ], csPath, mirrorMode = True)
        fc = filecontainer.FileContainer(
                                util.ExtendedFile(csPath, buffering = False))
        fc.getNextFile()
        if not singleRepos:
            assert(fc.getNextFile())

        repos.createChangeSetFile( [
            ( 'test:runtime', ( orig.getVersion(), orig.getFlavor() ),
                              ( new.getVersion(),  new.getFlavor() ), False ),
            ], csPath, mirrorMode = True)
        cs = changeset.ChangeSetFromFile(csPath)
        assert( [ x[0] != '\x01' for x in cs.files.values() ] ==
                    [ True, True ] )

    def testMirrorModeChangesets1(self):
        self._testMirrorModeChangesets(singleRepos = True)

    def testMirrorModeChangesets2(self):
        self.resetAllRepositories()
        self._testMirrorModeChangesets(singleRepos = False)

    def testMirrorModeChangesets3(self):
        self._testMirrorModeChangesets(singleRepos = False,
                                       protocol = 48)

    def setUp(self, *args):
        rephelp.RepositoryHelper.setUp(self, *args)
        self.cfg.threaded = False


An Aurora alderman was charged Sunday with her second retail theft in the west suburb since 2013.
Ald. Lynne M. Johnson (10th), 51, was charged with misdemeanor retail theft for allegedly stealing $55.21 worth of merchandise from the Meijer Store at 808 North Rte. 59 about 6:30 p.m. Sunday, according to a statement from Aurora police. The store is located in the ward she represents.
A plainclothes "asset protection" employee saw Johnson put markers, pencils, holiday party favors and two bottles of ibuprofen in her purse, police said. She paid for other items in her shopping cart, but never opened her purse and left the store without paying for those items.
The employee made contact with Johnson outside the store, escorted her to the asset protection office, and notified Aurora police.
In August 2013, Johnson, of the 400 block of Plaza Place in Aurora, was charged with stealing $150.24 worth of cosmetics and food from the same Meijer store, police said. She pled guilty and was granted supervision.
Johnson was released on bail, which was set at $1,500, police said. She is next scheduled to appear in DuPage County court March 7.


text:
Q: Insert to Sqlite DataBase in isolated storage performance In My Windows Strore App I have SQLite DataBase in Isolated Storage.
I use sqlite-net library.
For save data to DataBase i use follow:
 public static async Task Save<T>(List<T> items)
    {
        var serverFolder = await ApplicationData.Current.LocalFolder.GetFolderAsync("FolgerName");
        var storageFile = await serverFolder.GetFileAsync("DataBaseName.sqlite");
        using (var db = new SQLiteConnection(storageFile.Path))
        {
            Debug.WriteLine("Save to DataBase " + (typeof(T)) + " started " + DateTime.Now.Minute + ":" + DateTime.Now.Second + ":" + DateTime.Now.Millisecond);
            try
            {
                foreach (var item in items)
                {
                    db.InsertOrReplace(item);
                }
                Debug.WriteLine("Save to DataBase " + (typeof(T)) + " success " + DateTime.Now.Minute + ":" + DateTime.Now.Second + ":" + DateTime.Now.Millisecond);
            }
            catch
            (SQLiteException ex)
            {
                Debug.WriteLine("Save to DataBase " + (typeof(T)) + " error. Result: " + ex.Result + "  Message: " + ex.Message);
            }
        }
    }

I have question about performance:
1226 objects with 60 fields in each saved in DataBase in 4 and half MINUTES!
It's normal?
How I can make it faster?
Update
When I use:
  public static async Task Save<T>(List<T> items, Server server) where T : IHasId
    {
        var serverFolder = await ApplicationData.Current.LocalFolder.GetFolderAsync(server.FolgerName);
        var storageFile = await serverFolder.GetFileAsync("kaliti.sqlite");
        using (var db = new SQLiteConnection(storageFile.Path))
        {
            Debug.WriteLine("Save to DataBase " + (typeof(T)) + " started" + String.Format("{0:d/M/yyyy HH:mm:ss}", DateTime.Now));
            try
            {
                var table = db.Table<T>();
                var idList = new List<int>();
                foreach (var i in table)
                {
                    idList.Add(i.Id);
                }
                foreach (var item in items)
                {
                    if (idList.Contains(item.Id))
                        {
                            db.Delete<T>(item.Id);
                        }
                    db.Insert(item);
                }
                Debug.WriteLine("Save to DataBase " + (typeof(T)) + " success" + String.Format("{0:d/M/yyyy HH:mm:ss}", DateTime.Now));
            }
            catch
            (SQLiteException ex)
            {
                Debug.WriteLine("Save to DataBase " + (typeof(T)) + " error. Result: " + ex.Result + "  Message: " + ex.Message);
            }
        }
    }

and DataBase is empty I have the same stuff.

A: You need to run as many database calls as possible inside of a transaction. Doing this speeds things up greatly.  Here is a sample transaction, using code from your first example:
...
try
{
    db.RunInTransaction(() =>
    {
        foreach (var item in items)
        {
            db.InsertOrReplace(item);
        }
    });
...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


-Middle points are met between differences and controversial standpoints, because of the balance between logic and emotions.
-Being able to grasp the situation objectively.
-Experiencing positive power of mind that is able to produce clarity and solutions, getting to the core of an issue even when the situation is difficult.
-The polarization of thoughts bring a progress, clear and balanced strategies.
-Difficult situation because of an imbalance.
– Facing two conflicting ideas or a challenging decision, but not willing to deal with the situation.
-Anxiety because of uncertainty in the future.
– Be more open and proactive.
– A rational decision is more beneficial than an emotional one.
– Open eyes to the things you were trying not to see, and break the equilibrium state.
The power of energy that was born in the Ace is now given direction in the Sephiroth of "Wisdom", Chokmah. In this Sephiroth of creation and manifestation, 2 of Swords shows the element in its best light. What was undirected intellectual ideas in Ace now starts the process of analysis via separation and differentiation, thus creating polarity with a harmonious exchange of energy, in order to create specific forms and end. This process creates dualism which brings balance. Here the mind is on its finest level as it just administering its potentials. The mind gets its best chance to indicate its powers without showing its shadows, implying "Peace".


text:
University of Chicago Debuts First U.S. Quantum Accelerator
The University of Chicago and partners launched the first U.S. program to support quantum-tech startups. University of Chicago physicist and molecular engineer professor David Awschalom, who helped create the Duality accelerator, said, "we are at the birth of a new field of technology … at the point where the transistor is being invented." Chicago is home to three of the eight federally funded quantum research centers founded in 2020. The University of Toronto has also unveiled a program to support quantum-tech startups. Continue reading University of Chicago Debuts First U.S. Quantum Accelerator
IBM Expands Partnerships to Advance Quantum Computing
By Rob Scott
During CES 2020 in Las Vegas this month, IBM announced its continued efforts to develop practical applications using quantum computing. The company emphasized the expansion of IBM Q Network, which now includes more than 100 organizations across industries such as air travel, automotive, banking, electronics, energy, health and insurance. IBM announced new collaborations with Anthem, Delta Air Lines, Georgia Tech, Goldman Sachs, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Stanford University, Wells Fargo and Woodside Energy, in addition to a number of government research labs and startups. Continue reading IBM Expands Partnerships to Advance Quantum Computing
CES 2020: Conference Sessions Cover Big Ideas and Details
By Don Levy
More than 300 conference sessions and 1,100 speakers across 22 different tracks offer first-person insight into the universe of topics to be featured at CES 2020 this week in Las Vegas. As the world's largest showcase of tech innovation, CES gathers leaders and experts to share the latest developments in products and policies. This year's lineup of SuperSessions captures the zeitgeist of the market as it advances from an imagined future to real issues, opportunities and challenges. ETC will report on many of the sessions most relevant to media and entertainment. Continue reading CES 2020: Conference Sessions Cover Big Ideas and Details
IBM Rolls Out Its First Commercial Quantum Computer at CES
During CES last week, IBM announced the IBM Q System One, the company's first foray into commercial quantum computing outside of the lab. The 20-qubit IBM Q system combines quantum and classical computing intended for a range of business and research applications. According to IBM, these new systems are "designed to one day tackle problems that are currently seen as too complex and exponential in nature for classical systems to handle." The systems are also said to be upgradeable and easy to maintain. Continue reading IBM Rolls Out Its First Commercial Quantum Computer at CES

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The DB 80AS-E is an asymmetrical system for the double-rowed application on the central reservation or the single-rowed application on the verge. Obstacles such as gantries and bridge pillars can be secured by means of the DB 80AS-E, saving space.
As "2-in-1"-system the DB 80AS-E is usable both as temporary safety barrier with containment level T3 and as permanent safety barrier with H2.


A hearing clinic about a mile north of the University of Southern California has sold to Champion Development, which is planning to build a 99-unit townhouse project on the 2.75-acre site.
The John Tracy Clinic in University Park sold for $26 million, and Champion expects to start construction on the first phase of the development in 2019, with the second and final wave of construction coming in 2020.
Townhouses in the project will average five bedroomsand will each have a rooftop deck. There will be an affordable housing component to the project, but it is unclear how many units will make up that part of the development.
The area around USC has numerous changes on its horizon. Just across the street from campus, the Banc of California professional soccer stadium opened just last month, and the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is scheduled to open in 2021.
Also, a proposed hotel and student housing project that would replace rent-controlled units is planned across from Exposition Park. The project, which is seeking financial assistance from the city, is opposed by pushed-out tenants and a coalition of activists who say that it is counterproductive to demolish rent-controlled units in the midst of an affordable housing crisis.
The clinic, which provides services to children with hearing loss and their parents, is planning to stay in the community, but will move to "a newer, better equipped facility." It will continue to lease the property from Champion while the townhouse project goes through the approvals process.


Clicking in an area with this tool selected fills that area with the selected color.
When a blank cell is discovered, this algorithm helps in revealing neighboring cells. This step is done recursively till cells having numbers are discovered.
Flood fill algorithm can be simply modeled as graph traversal problem, representing the given area as a matrix and considering every cell of that matrix as a vertex that is connected to points above it, below it, to right of it, and to left of it and in case of 8-connections, to the points at both diagonals also. For example, consider the image given below.
It clearly shows how the cell in the middle is connected to cells around it. For instance, there are 8-connections like there are in Minesweeper (clicking on any cell that turns out to be blank reveals 8 cells around it which contains a number or are blank). The cell $$(1, 1)$$ is connected to $$(0, 0),$$ $$(0, 1),$$ $$(0, 2),$$ $$(1, 0),$$ $$(1, 2),$$ $$(2, 0),$$ $$(2, 1),$$ $$(2, 2)$$.
In general any cell $$(x, y)$$ is connected to $$(x-1, y-1),$$ $$(x-1, y),$$ $$(x-1, y+1),$$ $$(x, y-1),$$ $$(x, y+1),$$ $$(x+1, y-1),$$ $$(x+1, y),$$ $$(x+1, y+1)$$. Of course, the boundary conditions are to be kept in mind.
Now that the given area has been modeled as a graph, a DFS or BFS can be applied to traverse that graph. The pseudo code is given below.
The above code visits each and every cell of a matrix of size $$n \times m$$ starting with some source cell. Time Complexity of above algorithm is $$O(n \times m)$$.
One another use of flood algorithm is found in solving a maze. Given a matrix, a source cell, a destination cell, some cells which cannot be visited, and some valid moves, check if the destination cell can be reached from the source cell. Matrix given in the image below shows one such problem.
The source is cell $$(0,0)$$ and the destination is cell $$(3,4)$$. Cells containing $$X$$ cannot be visited. Let's assume there are $$4$$ valid moves - move up, move down, move left and move right.
Following pseudo code solve the problem given above.
The code given above is same as that given previously with slight changes. It takes three more parameters including the given matrix to check if the current cell is marked $$X$$ or not and coordinates of destination cell $$(dest_x, dest_y)$$. If the current cell is equal to destination cell it returns True, and consequently, all the previous calls in the stack returns True, because there is no use of visiting any cells further when it has been discovered that there is a path between source and destination cell.
So for the matrix given in image above the code returns True.
If, in the given matrix the cell $$(1, 2)$$ was also marked $$X$$, then the code would have returned False, as there would have been no path to reach from $$S$$ to $$D$$ in that case.


The objective of the proposal is the development of novel products based on chickpea, with a specific focus on meat-substitution, for which chickpea might qualify very well because of its superior palatability. Alternatives are urgently needed, in terms of sustainably produced, proteins for consideration to be included into the human diet. The objective is to develop novel, high quality products but also to create standards for quality and to optimise the production of chickpea-based products, in particular to develop meat-substitutes, which is an objective that is clearly emphasized by e.g. the foreign partners.
To achieve this, the project aims to improve the post-harvest handling, logistics, storage and processing of chickpeas. This approach will be pursued against an analysis of the gastro-intestinal biological effects of soy protein-based products, and an investigation of consumer attitudes towards chickpeas and chickpea based products, to create a basis for opportunities that can be identified on the basis of knowledge on and insight into consumer preferences and attitudes, and possible segmentation of consumer preferences.


Tuesday's news of a first-grader bringing an unloaded gun to Mitchell Road Elementary School brings up a lot of questions. most of which center on how the child acquired the weapon.
What isn't being asked is why Greenville County Schools has found it reasonable to suspend and even consider expelling a student who at oldest is 6 years old. Expelling children from schools has become a common punishment for a variety of offenses by children who often have no idea of the reality of the situation.
No child that young should have any reasonable culpability for events like this. Parents are responsible, and state law should be updated to make parents face the consequences. Instead, current law allows the school districts to quickly and permanently damage a child's future just as it is beginning.
The public should demand from state legislators and school districts reasonable, non-life -changing punishments for children and real consequences instead for their parents when crimes are committed.


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A: Analects of Confucius
A statue of Confucius
The ancient Chinese book is a collection of sayings and ideas attributed to Confucius. With occasional references to people Confucius met, the Analects also offers rare insights into the life of the greatest Chinese philosopher.
Believed to have been born in 551 BC during the Warring States period, Confucius is commonly referred to as "the king without a crown". Confucius was credited with teaching 3,000 students, although only 72 of them are said to have mastered his thoughts. These followers compiled the Analects after the philosopher's death around 479 BC and the book achieved its final form more than a quarter of a century later. During the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) Confucianism became the ruling ideological doctrine of the Middle Kingdom and the book became required reading for scholars.
Why is the book important?
The Analects shaped traditional values over the last two millennia.
Given the Han Dynasty is viewed as a golden era for Chinese civilisation (which is why China's biggest ethnic group call themselves Han), its advocacy of the Analects was key to the book's growing influence over time – it was often the first textbook children studied in school. The basic moral values it advocated, including benevolence, filial piety and loyalty, were the bedrock of Chinese civilisation.
Scholars who excelled in studying Confucian classics were allowed to join the state bureaucracy. This subsequently evolved into a civil service examination, and a process that favoured meritocracy over aristocratic connections – meaning that powerful local governors could start out from humble origins. For nearly 2,000 years, the study of Confucianism and its core values was the sole route for upward social mobility.
What did Confucius really say?
The Analects often begins with the phrase "Confucius says" but the exact origins of Confucian values have been the subject of heated academic debate for thousands of years.
That began with Qin Shi Huang, China's first emperor, who unified the Middle Kingdom in 221 BC. According to Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian – aka Shiji, China's first book of general history, covering the 2,500-year period leading to the Han empire's founding – the emperor ordered a mass burning of books, supposedly to unify his new kingdom's languages (and thus most of its political opinions). The result of this extreme censorship was that many of the Confucian scriptures (carved on bamboo slips) were lost.
That led to the debate between the "New Text School" and "Old Text School". The "New Text" referred to scriptures written by contemporary scholars from memory. The "Old Text" came from the few older books that had survived Qin Shi Huang's ban – including some said to be hidden in the walls of Confucius' former homes. Both camps accused each other of forging the Confucian doctrines.
The debate rumbles on even now…
And the relevance today?
Confucianism has made something of a comeback in recent years. In the 1960s and 1970s – a nadir for Confucian scholars – his ideas were banned by China's ruling Communist Party as a source of feudal 'backwardness'. But over the past decade or so the scribe has enjoyed a reputational makeover through the tacit backing of the state. For instance, a network of government-backed institutions that teach Chinese language and culture abroad have been named Confucius Institutes.
China's renewed embrace of Confucianism coincides with President Xi Jinping's campaign for a "great rejuvenation" of the nation – an effort that plays on the Middle Kingdom's strengths during the most iconic Chinese dynasties (such as the Han). If Xi's message is that of reviving past greatness, who better to yoke to the campaign than Confucius, a figure who embodies the longevity of China's civilisation.
Xi's embrace of the sage became plain shortly after he became leader, when he said that Confucianism was the key "to understanding the national characteristics of the Chinese" and was "the cultural soil that nourishes the Chinese people". At a practical level Confucianism today – as viewed from government circles – is associated with themes like stability and prosperity; respect for elders; and the promotion of officials by meritocratic methods.


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Let's Check One Store For DSi Launch Lines
Filed to: JapanFiled to: Japan
Only in Japan
It's Halloween night in Osaka, and most people DO NOT CARE. That's not all, it's the eve of the DSi launch in Osaka, and likewise, most people DO NOT CARE. That is an overstatement. People do care, and the product will probably be successful. But here I am, standing in front of Umeda's Yodobashi Camera at the exit where tons of people lined up years back for DS Lite launch. This pic was taken at 9:00pm Japan time and as one can see, there's no line! Granted, this is one store in all of Japan — it is a very big store in a very big city! But no doubt, somewhere in this country of 120 million people, someone is lining up for a DSi right at this moment. Just don't know who... Smart money says those who are interested in purchasing the portable will line stand early tomorrow morning. If they don't secure the DSi then, we're going into a three-day-weekend in Japan, so people have plenty of time to pick one up. If not then, well, there are more days in the calendar. They can pick one.


The Never Spill Spout in action: You can fill trucks and bins without needing to climb ladders to constantly check how full it is! The Never Spill Spout sounds an alarm when your bin is full, preventing spillage! Never offerfill a bin again! Never plug another auger! No need for individual bin indicators! Never spill another bushel!
Stay in the truck, move up as the alarm sounds, and fill your truck front to back by yourself with ease.
New Model "NO Snag Spout" NOW AVAILABLE! The spout is bright orange to increase visibility at night! Also now the Never Spill Spout includes 2 alarms for even more volume!
Mosquito Barrier is a very strong liquid garlic made from very potent garlic cloves. Garlic has a natural sulfur which repels mosquitoes. Spraying garlic to keep insects away is not something new, farmers and master gardeners have been doing it for many generations.
Since mosquitoes are soft-bodied insects the garlic juice can be very toxic to them in increased concentrations. The juice does not harm humans, pets or plants, but to mosquitoes it can be deadly. The odor of sprayed garlic juice becomes undetectable to humans within minutes, but mosquitoes can detect odor as much as 10,000 times better than a human, so even though you can't smell the garlic, they can and they will stay away from the sprayed area for up to a month or longer. Additionally, Mosquito Barrier, when mixed with canola oil, coats any standing water in the area with a very thin film of natural oil. This oil suffocates the mosquito larvae which can develop in standing water.
Unlike harmful chemicals, Mosquito Barrier is a natural insect repellent that doesn't kill bees or butterflies and is completely safe for children, fish, birds, dogs, cats and other pets. Be careful of traditional chemical pesticides, they can kill more than mosquitoes.
2018 BBQ Inspection Winner in Raymore!
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Virtual Villagers Guide your tribe in learning how to survive in this great sim game!
Youda Camper Create the campsite that you have always dreamed of in Youda Camper!
Farmerama Enjoy country livin' at its best!
Colonial Wars Conquer and command your own island empire!


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Mixed vaccination strategy for the control of tuberculosis: A case study in China
a. College of Mathematics, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
b. School of Mathematics and Statistics, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China
c. Department of Foundation, Aviation University of Air Force, Changchun 130022, China
This study first presents a mathematical model of TB transmission considering BCG vaccination compartment to investigate the transmission dynamics nowadays. Based on data reported by the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the basic reproduction number is estimated approximately as $\mathcal{R}_{0}=1.1892$. To reach the new End TB goal raised by WHO in 2015, considering the health system in China, we design a mixed vaccination strategy. Theoretical analysis indicates that the infectious population asymptotically tends to zero with the new vaccination strategy which is the combination of constant vaccination and pulse vaccination. We obtain that the control of TB is quicker to achieve with the mixed vaccination. The new strategy can make the best of current constant vaccination, and the periodic routine health examination provides an operable environment for implementing pulse vaccination in China. Numerical simulations are provided to illustrate the theoretical results and help to design the final mixed vaccination strategy once the new vaccine comes out.
[1] J. P. Aparicio,C. Castillo-Chavez, Mathematical modelling of tuberculosis epidemics, Mathematical Biosciences and Engineering, 6 (2009): 209-237.
[2] Z. Bai, Threshold dynamics of a time-delayed SEIRS model with pulse vaccination, Mathematical Biosciences, 269 (2015): 178-185.
[3] S. M. Blower,T. Chou, Modeling the emergence of the 'hot zones': Tuberculosis and the amplification dynamics of drug resistance, Nature Medicine, 10 (2004): 1111-1116.
[4] S. M. Blower,P. M. Small,P. C. Hopewell, Control strategies for tuberculosis epidemic: New models for old problems, Science, 273 (1996): 497-500.
[5] S. Bowong,J. J. Tewa, Global analysis of a dynamical model for transmission of tuberculosis with a general contact rate, Communications in Nonlinear Science and Numerical Simulation, 15 (2010): 3621-3631.
[6] H. Cao,Y. Zhou, The discrete age-structured SEIT model with application to tuberculosis transmission in China, Mathematical and Computer Modelling, 55 (2012): 385-395.
[7] C. Castillo-Chavez,Z. Feng, To treat or not treat: The case of tuberculosis, Journal of Mathematical Biology, 35 (1997): 629-656.
[8] C. Castillo-Chavez,Z. Feng, Global stability of an age-structure model for TB and its applications to optimal vaccination strategies, Mathematical Biosciences, 151 (1998): 135-154.
[9] C. Castillo-Chavez,B. Song, Dynamical models of tuberculosis and their applications, Mathematical Biosciences and Engineering, 1 (2004): 361-404.
[10] H. Chang, Quality monitoring and effect evaluation of BCG vaccination in neonatus, Occupation and Health, 9 (2013): 1109-1110.
[11] O. Diekmann,J. A. P. Heesterbeek,J. A. J. Metz, On the definition and the computation of the basic reproduction ratio $\mathcal{R}_{0}$ in models for infectious diseases in heterogeneous populations, Journal of Mathematical Biology, 28 (1990): 365-382.
[12] P. V. D. Driessche,J. Watmough, Reproduction numbers and sub-threshold endemic equilibria for compartmental models of disease transmission, Mathematical Biosciences, 180 (2002): 29-48.
[13] M. J. Keeling,P. Rohani, null, Modeling Infectious Diseases in Humans and Animals, Princeton University Press, 2008.
[14] J. Li, The spread and prevention of tuberculosis, Chinese Remedies and Clinics, 13 (2013): 482-483.
[15] L. Liu,X. Zhao,Y. Zhou, A tuberculosis model with seasonality, Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, 72 (2010): 931-952.
[16] J. S. Lopes, P. Rodrigues, S. T. Pinho, R. F. Andrade, R. Duarte and M. G. M. Gomes, Interpreting Measures of Tuberculosis Transmission: A Case Study on the Portuguese Population, BMC Infectious Diseases, 2014.
[17] Z. Lu,X. Chi,L. Chen, The effect of constant and pulse vaccination on SIR epidemic model with horizontal and vertical transmission, Mathematical and Computer Modelling, 36 (2002): 1039-1057.
[18] National Bureau of Statistics of China, Statistical Data of Tuberculosis 2004-2014. Available from: http://data.stats.gov.cn/easyquery.htm?cn=C01&zb=A0O0F01.
[19] National Bureau of Statistics of China, China Statistical Yearbook 2014, Birth Rate, Death Rate and Natural Growth Rate of Population, 2014. Available from: http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/ndsj/2014/indexch.htm.
[20] National Technic Steering Group of the Epidemiological Sampling Survey for Tuberculosis, Report on fourth national epidemiological sampling survey of tuberculosis, Chinese Journal of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases, 25 (2002), 3-7.
[21] A. M. Samoilenko,N. A. Perestyuk, Periodic and almost-periodic solution of impulsive differential equations, Ukrainian Mathematical Journal, 34 (1982): 66-73,132.
[22] A. M. Samoilenko and N. A. Perestyuk, Differential Equations with Impulse Effect, Visa Skola, Kiev, 1987.
[23] O. Sharomi,C. N. Podder,A. B. Gumel,B. Song, Mathematical analysis of the transmission dynamics of HIV/TB coinfection in the presence of treatment, Mathematical Biosciences and Engineering, 5 (2008): 145-174.
[24] M. Shen, Y. Xiao, W. Zhou and Z. Li, Global dynamics and applications of an epidemiological model for hepatitis C virus transmission in China, Discrete Dynamics in Nature and Society, 2015 (2015), Article ID 543029, 13pp.
[25] B. Shulgin,L. Stone,Z. Agur, Pulse vaccination strategy in the SIR epidemic model, Bulletin of Mathematical Biology, 60 (1998): 1123-1148.
[26] B. Song,C. Castillo-Chavez,J. P. Aparicio, Tuberculosis models with fast and slow dynamics: The role of close and casual contacts, Mathematical Biosciences, 180 (2002): 187-205.
[27] Technical Guidance Group of the Fifth National TB Epidemiological Survey and The Office of the Fifth National TB Epidemiological Survey, The fifth national tuberculosis epidemiological survey in 2010, Chinese Journal of Antituberculosis, 34 (2012), 485–508.
[28] E. Vynnycky,P. E. M. Fine, The long-term dynamics of tuberculosis and other diseases with long serial intervals: Implications of and for changing reproduction numbers, Epidemiology and Infection, 121 (1998): 309-324.
[29] WHO, Global Tuberculosis Report 2015, World Health Organization, 2015. Available from: http://www.who.int/tb/publications/global_report/en/.
[30] WHO, Tuberculosis Vaccine Development, 2015. Available from: http://www.who.int/immunization/research/development/tuberculosis/en/.
[31] C. Xiong,X. Liang,H. Wang, A Systematic review on the protective efficacy of BCG against children tuberculosis meningitis and millet tuberculosis, Chinese Journal of Vaccines and Immunization, 15 (2009): 359-362.
[32] B. Xu,Y. Hu,Q. Zhao,W. Wang,W. Jiang,G. Zhao, Molecular epidemiology of TB -Its impact on multidrug-resistant tuberculosis control in China, International Journal of Mycobacteriology, 4 (2015): 134.
[33] Y. Yang,S. Tang,X. Ren,H. Zhao,C. Guo, Global stability and optimal control for a tuberculosis model with vaccination and treatment, Discrete and Continuous Dynamical Systems -Series B, 21 (2016): 1009-1022.
[34] Y. Zhou,K. Khan,Z. Feng,J. Wu, Projection of tuberculosis incidence with increasing immigration trends, Journal of Theoretical Biology, 254 (2008): 215-228.
[35] E. Ziv,C. L. Daley,S. M. Blower, Early therapy for latent tuberculosis infection, American Journal of Epidemiology, 153 (2001): 381-385.
Copyright Info: © 2017, Qingdao Huang, licensee AIMS Press. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licese (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)


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Promoting Low Impact Development in Kiefer Creek
February 6, 2019	 Archive, Water
Kiefer Creek remains one of the healthiest creeks in the area due to the large amounts of natural areas in the watershed. But development is not only inevitable, in many cases it is desired by the community. But it is vital that we protect the natural ecology of the area as much as possible. Fortunately, there is a well-researched and commonly implemented practice called Low-Impact Development (LID) that can do just that. LID provides benefits for the developers, the landowners, and the community alike. LID integrates environmental sustainability into community development plans in a feasible manner. These practices ultimately produce economic, ecological, and aesthetic benefits for the community.
Better Management Practices (BMPs) are systems that can help a developer achieve reducions in stormwater pollution, runoff, and energy usage. The most popular BMPs for pollution and runoff reductions include bioretention basins, water quality swales, permeable paving, tree box filters and planter boxes, cisterns and rain barrels, and green roof gardens.
A large business, such as the proposed Walmart in Ellisville, could use these BMPs to improve visual landscaping and enhance site water quality. This would not only reduce infrastructure costs for the store, but it would also create an open, green campus for the community and foster a positive "green" image in the watershed community.
The Ellisville Walmart
Our project has been promoting low impact development to the Walmart developers and the Ellisville City Planning Department. After careful review of all of the proposed site plans, we proposed specific best management practices that would reduce the stormwater and pollution from the Walmart, and even potentially create an improvement to water quality from the previous use of the site: primarily a paved, unused lot.
The developers have incorporated some of these BMPs into their plans, including bioretention ponds and using native plants in their landscaping. We are continuing to work with the city and the developers to ensure that the development does not have a negative effect on the water quality of Kiefer Creek.
Case Studies on LID
Communities and researchers across the country have conducted numerous case studies on LID. In Atlanta, for example, the Trust for Public Land noted that the LID practice of increasing forestry and tree cover has "saved more than $883 million by preventing the need for stormwater retention facilities."
In addition to community projects, many researchers and developers are beginning to examine the impact of LID on "Big Box" retailers. The EPA studied three LID plans used by Target, a company similar in structure and function as Wal-Mart. The results show that LID had a positive impact on development. Green roofs decreased run-off volume by as much as 17%; and the combination of green roofs, bioretention, and permeable surfaces decreased volume by 23% for a 2-year, 24-hour storm.
Similarly, Costco, another large-scale developer, experienced the benefits of LID first hand. At one store in Wilmington, North Carolina, Costco developers experimenting with porous concrete pavement (an LID strategy) reported "exceptionally well" performance.
The research and case studies indicate that Low Impact Development can significantly improve store development and maintenance down the road. As one report notes, however, it is difficult to measure the economic benefits of LID. For example, it is much harder to calculate the economic benefits of reducing run-off volume than it is to determine the cost of pavement for a parking lot. Nevertheless, as research on the LID grows, it will be possible to better monetize its benefits.
This website and other efforts related to the Kiefer Creek Restoration Project are partially funded by the Environmental Protection Agency Region 7 through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, under Section 319 of the Clean Water Act. MoDNR Subgrant G11-NPS-21.


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TransCanada plans to resurrect 200 MW Kibby project
Canadian energy giant TransCanada Corporation, which leapt into the wind business last year with a 740 MW contract in Quebec, has set its sights on a second venture, this time across the US border in the state of Maine. TransCanada, based in Calgary, has filed an application with Maine's Land Use Regulation Commission (LURC) to install wind monitoring towers in the north-western part of the state, where it may resurrect a flopped 200 MW wind development it has dubbed the Kibby project. TransCanada's Kurt Kadatz says the company has already analysed "promising" data collected by California's now-defunct Kenetech Windpower, which established wind rights in the area and made application to construct the project in the early 1990s. After Kenetech's mid-1990s demise, however, the rights eventually passed to GE Energy. If TransCanada discovers the wind resources are as promising as the initial assessment, it will buy the rights from GE and the Kibby project may finally be developed, with completion tentatively scheduled for 2008 and construction starting in 2007. "We could file further applications with the LURC next summer," adds Kadatz. Meantime in Canada, Cartier Wind Energy, in which TransCanada holds a majority interest, will begin to deliver power to Hydro-Quebec in 2006. Through to 2012, Cartier will develop six wind sites in the Gaspe region, just across the US-Canadian border from Maine, at a cost of more than C$1.1 billion. GE Energy will supply all the turbines. TransCanada owns or has an interest in approximately 5000 MW of generation in Canada and the US northeast.


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De Berlagebrug is een monumentale brug in de tuinen van het Jachthuis Sint-Hubertus in het Nederlandse Nationaal Park De Hoge Veluwe, ontworpen door de architect H.P. Berlage. De brug is een rijksmonument.

Historie
De brug werd in 1919/1920 gebouwd als onderdeel van het jachthuis Sint-Hubertus. De brug maakt deel uit van de door Berlage in Engelse landschapsstijl ontworpen tuinen rondom het voormalige buitenhuis van de familie Kröller-Müller. De route vanaf de geplande, maar nooit gerealiseerde, hoofdentree bij Oud-Reemst naar het Jachthuis voerde over deze brug. Nog steeds maakt de brug onderdeel uit van de hoofdroute naar het Jachthuis. Op de brug heeft men een uitzicht over het jachthuis, de tuinen en de vijvers.

Architectuur
De bug is vrij eenvoudig van opzet en in dezelfde sobere baksteen opgetrokken als het tegelijkertijd gebouwde jachthuis. De brug overspant met een segmentboog het water. Hierover ligt het brugdek dat aan weerszijden balustraden heeft die ter hoogte van de aanzet van de overspanning wat hoger zijn opgetrokken. Aan beide uiteinden bevinden zich haaks op de brug geplaatste keermuren.

In 2012 is de brug, als onderdeel van de restauratie van het jachthuis, in zijn geheel opgeknapt. Hierbij is ook de asfaltlaag van het wegdek vervangen door een klinkerbestrating.

Nationaal Park De Hoge Veluwe
Brug in Gelderland
Rijksmonument in Ede

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Moroccan Marathon
Carl Gair Was Never Going To Give Up On The Marathon Des Sables
I started running again in the summer of 2008. I had run in my youth but work commitments and family had put paid to that. But after watching a documentary about the 2008 Marathon des Sables I thought it was time to get my fitness levels up again and so I applied for a place in the 2010 event. The Marathon des Sables, a six-day race across the Sahara in Morocco taking in 150 miles of desert, has been described as the toughest foot race on earth and I was to discover that it lived up to its reputation.
MENCAP have an extreme team who take part in challenges all over the world and they were able to offer me a place on the team to run the Marathon. It is easier to train to get fit if there is something to aim for and I trained hard for eighteen months. Training had to fit in with my work and family commitments: I am a biomedical scientist at Wansbeck General Hospital; I work shifts and so there are occasions where I may have three of four days off and so can do some long runs, otherwise it is the evenings and occasionally weekends. My children are young so I try to train when they are at school or in bed.
Raising the money was a huge challenge. While much came from sponsorship, my wife and I were also involved in a lot of fundraising activities. We organised a race night, several pub quizzes, street collections and car-boot sales. Two local schools were an enormous support: my daughter's first school organised a mini Marathon des Sables. Every child in school ra n around a course laid out in the grounds for half an hour at a time and were sponsored to take part. I ran continuously with every class and with the staff during their lunch time so I was running for six hours nonstop.
This raised an amazing £2,100. The local high school I attended as a child also became involved: I ran a marathon around the school running track and again pupils were sponsored to join in. This also raised an amazing amount, £2,300.
Friends contributed through their own events and donated the money to MENCAP on my behalf: one ran the Edinburgh Marathon, my brother-in-law completed a sponsored cycle ride and a colleague was inspired to run from Paris to Versailles. I also had some donations from the Northumberland County Council, local masonic lodges and a generous £500 from the Provincial Grand Lodge. All in all it was a huge family and community effort which raised £11,500 for MENCAP.
We flew to Ouarzazate, east of the Atlas Mountains in Morocco and were transported into the desert; the final journey being on the back of army lorries. We then spent two nights at a camp before our luggage was taken back to a hotel and we were left with only our rucksacks. The organisation was spot on: a team of Moroccans took the tents down at 6.30 am and packed everything away for transporting to the following nights camp. Then each day's race began between 8.30 and 9.00 am.
But what makes the Marathon des Sables such a tough event is that we had to carry everything that we needed for the duration of the event on our backs in rucksacks. This included food, clothes, our sleeping bag and medical equipment.
There was no food supplied during the race; we were completely self-sufficient and had to carry and cook all our own food. My diet mainly consisted of energy bars, pepperami sticks and dried meals: one for breakfast and one for each evening.
The race organisers made sure that you were carrying enough to provide you with at least 2,000 calories per day to eat.
Water was supplied at checkpoints throughout the day. You were given approximately three litres of water at the start line each morning and then at checkpoints throughout the day. The amount of checkpoints depended on the length of each stage of the race. When you reached the camp in the evening you were also given about four and a half litres of water to use to drink, cook or clean as you wished.
There were medics available on route and a medical tent at the camp each night. One of the biggest problems being treated was blisters; some people's feet were in a terrible state. Others had dehydration, exhaustion or heat stroke. I tried to avoid visiting the medics at all costs as I did not want them to pull me out of the race therefore I treated my own blisters from my medical kit.
There was one member of my tent who was withdrawn from the race because the medics did not think he was fit to complete it; they could pull you up at any stage if they thought it necessary. In fact, of the 1013 who began the race, including 135 women, 923 finished. Although this number of non-finishers may seem small most people would have trained extremely hard for the event so very few of those who started were not fully prepared.
Whilst there are other extremely tough organised races, lots of them require you to have a support crew who will meet you at various places with food and supplies. This is not the case with the Marathon des Sables: If you can't carry it, you don't have it!
I was there to finish the race. In hindsight I wish that I had pushed a bit harder but at the time I was worried that I would either suffer from exhaustion or I would injure myself and not be able to complete the race. I found it very tough. There was one point in particular where I thought I might not carry on and that was in the middle of the night during the longest stage of the race - stage four which was just over eighty-two kilometers.
I took a couple of hours to sit down, compose myself and have a good rest, then I got up and carried on; this was hard. Running more than fifty miles over an extremely difficult terrain of dunes and mountains in temperatures soaring up to forty degrees centigrade at points without stopping was, of course, supremely difficult but I was never going to give up.
There are some serious competitors who take part in the race year after year, male and female. The winner this year was a Moroccan named Mohamad Ahansal who has won it many times before. In fact, as a child he would run barefoot in the desert alongside competitors. He completed the race in a cumulative time of nineteen hours and fifty-six minutes. I completed it with a cumulative time of forty-eight hours and forty-eight minutes. I was right in the middle of the field at the 499th place.
To help I listened to an MP3 player which I had filled with motivational music and messages from my children before I left for Morocco. I thought of my family a lot while I was away as they were my main inspiration. I wanted my two young children to be proud of me and hopefully inspire them in the future to take on challenges of their own. I also met some fantastic people and spent a lot of time talking to them. It was great spending some time with like-minded people from all over Europe as well as the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and of course Africa.
It was my father who inspired me to become a Freemason. I have always had a great deal of respect for the man he is and the moral values that he holds dear. I joined Freemasonry in 1998, I was twenty-five; in 2002 I was probably the youngest master in my lodge at the age of twenty-nine.
Unfortunately, Freemasonry has had to take a bit of a back seat at the moment but charity is always in my heart and because I cannot give the commitment to Freemasonry as I have in the past, by raising money for charity I feel I can support one of its strongest values.
Freemasonry is an organisation that I am immensely proud to be part of and one that I hope, in the future, my son will also be proud to join.
Published in Freemasonry Cares
Carl Gair
MENCAP
New mountain bike for 13-year-old Elijah in Dorset
Shropshire masons donate over £40,000 to local charities
SIX DAYS ACROSS THE SAHARA
More in this category: « Who Cares? Have your say in the Central Charities' non-masonic giving survey 2014 »


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Флаг муниципального образования Любы́тинский муниципальный район Новгородской области Российской Федерации — опознавательно-правовой знак, служащий официальным символом муниципального образования.

Ныне действующий флаг утверждён 19 августа 2016 года и подлежит внесению в Государственный геральдический регистр Российской Федерации.

История
18 августа 2011 года, решением Думы Любытинского муниципального района № 64, в устав района были внесено изменение, которым устанавливалось описание флага и герба муниципального образования.

Флаг района представляет собой: прямоугольное полотнище с отношением ширины к длине 2:3. Полотнище белого цвета, воспроизводящее в геометрическом центре полотнища композицию герба Любытинского муниципального района.

Герб района представляет собой: в центре поля щита две половины сопок-памятников истории и культуры, на которых зелёные сосны с коричневыми стволами. Между сопками сверху серебряная церковь Успения Богородицы на фоне лазоревого (голубого, синего) неба, увенчанная крестом. В белой главе щита серебряная надпись: «Любытино». В белой окраине щита — герб Новгородской области на фоне синей реки.

20 октября 2011 года, решением думы Любытинского муниципального района № 70, было утверждено положение о флаге Любытинского муниципального района, которым флаг стал описываться следующим образом:

«Прямоугольное полотнище с отношением ширины к длине 2:3, воспроизводящее композицию герба Любытинского муниципального района на белом фоне».

19 августа 2016 года, решением думы Любытинского муниципального района № 87, были утверждены новые герб и флаг. Описание флага гласило:

«Прямоугольное полотнище голубого цвета с отношением ширины к длине 2:3, из-за вертикальных краёв которого выходят навстречу друг друга два не касающихся подошвами нижнего края полотнища холма жёлтого цвета, на каждом из которых уходящая частью кроны за соответствующий вертикальный край полотнища сосна жёлтого цвета; в центре между холмами и позади них — храм белого цвета в виде кубического объёма с пристроями по сторонам и портиком впереди, увенчанный ротондой под куполом с православным крестом».

27 января 2017 года, решением думы Любытинского муниципального района № 132, описание флага было дополнено и стало гласить:

«Прямоугольное полотнище голубого цвета с отношением ширины к длине 2:3 на нижней горизонтали которого три чёрные волнистые линии, из-за вертикальных краёв которого выходят навстречу друг друга два не касающихся подошвами нижнего края полотнища холма жёлтого цвета, на каждом из которых уходящая частью кроны за соответствующий вертикальный край полотнища сосна жёлтого цвета; в центре между холмами и позади них — храм белого цвета в виде кубического объёма с пристроями по сторонам и портиком впереди, увенчанный ротондой под куполом с православным крестом».

Символика

Примечания


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This Father's Day, Recognizing the Dads Who Are Left Out, Locked up and Fighting for Their Families
For dads in the crosshairs of systemic oppression, the work of parenting often goes underappreciated.
Story and Photos By Brooke Anderson
June 16, 2017 | Web Only
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Every Father's Day, we're barraged by commercials encouraging us to show our love for Dad by buying him that shiny new barbecue grill the one with "infrared burners" and "flame-stabilizing grids."
However, beyond the television advertisements and hallmark cards are real dads just trying to do right by their kids, for whom bathtime and bedtime matter more than beer or barbecues. For many, their parenting often goes unseen, underappreciated or is made more difficult by the system. Among them are teen dads, single papas and houseless fathers. They are fathers grieving children lost to police violence, fathers separated from their kids by border walls or prison cells, and queer, transgender and gender non-conforming parents.
This Father's Day, meet four all-star dads who've gone to exceptional lengths for their kids, parenting from prison cells and homeless shelters, while doing groundbreaking and visionary work in their communities to empower fathers and strengthen families.
ANDREW LUCERO
Andrew Lucero sits at his desk, decorated by his kids' art, at Fathers and Families of San Joaquin in Stockton, California.
Andrew Lucero, a father of two (Haley, 13, and Little Andrew, 10), spent five years of his children's lives incarcerated. "Inside the system, you parent from a one-hour, once-a-month visit with armed guards who won't let you hug your kids. Putting the burden on your family to make $20 calls is no joke, so you have to use those wisely," Lucero recalls. "My son wrote me a letter saying, 'Dad, I miss you. I went to school today. I played. I made me a sandwich. Dad, I'm sorry. I'll be a good boy if you come home, Dad.' It's hard to read that locked in a cell knowing your son thinks it's his fault that you're gone. You want to cook dinner for them, tuck them into bed, take them to school, but you can't."
After release, having a felony creates additional barriers to getting a job and accessing food stamps and housing assistance. Lucero says his felony even barred him from going on his kids' field trips. "We're not just felons. We're fathers," he said. "We're family members. We're friends. There's more to us than this little box."
Lucero now works at Fathers and Families of San Joaquin (FFSJ) in Stockton, California. FFSJ supports formerly incarcerated adults to rejoin their families and communities. In fact, Lucero was the first person in the county to serve as an AB 109 reentry case manager while still on parole. FFSJ's Trauma Recovery Program provides clinical services to victims of violence and sexual abuse. Additionally, they run several youth programs and serve two hot meals four days a week to dozens of elders. "We focus on culturally rooted healing," says Lucero. "We call it cultural cura (culture cures), so we look to our indigenous ways honoring the four directions, sitting in a circle, blowing the horn."
"Sometimes you don't feel like Father's Day is meant for someone who comes from the hood, who's been in prison. You google "happy families" and it's folks with picket fences," says Lucero. "I may not live in a mansion or have a 401(k). I don't drive a Lexus. My kids ain't in private school. But I'm prideful that I'm a good father and helping my community."
PHILLIP STANDING BEAR
Phillip Standing Bear looks on as his daughter, Cheyanne, shows off her incoming teeth at a park in Sacramento, California.
Phillip Standing Bear, who grew up on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, is raising six-year-old Cheyanne alone. He says, "She's the sunshine of my life. She has her struggles, but I love the hell out of her. She doesn't see evil in the world. She's different from me; all I've seen is evil."
Being a single father and finding housing on disability hasn't always been easy. "For a while we went hotel to hotel. Then a church gave us a trailer," he said. "Now we're staying with friends, but we're five people in a one-bedroom house. It's okay, but she needs her own space."
Standing Bear is an activist with Poor Magazine, a poor and indigenous peoples-led grassroots media, arts, education and advocacy organization in the Bay Area. "I wrote stories on landlessness and homelessness, because I've been through it most of my life. All these parks, golf courses and private properties could be used for housing. During the Super Bowl, if you even looked homeless, the cops arrested you, took your tent. It was tragic. The city could've spent the money to build something for the homeless, but they spent it on [wealthier neighborhoods] Yerba Buena, Embarcadero and the Mission."
"Fathers are important. I never had mine in my life," he says. "I try my best to make sure she's happy, well fed, and has somewhere to sleep until I get it all sorted out."
WILLIE BEAL JR.
Willie Beal Jr. enjoys time with his sons, Noah and Isiah, after bath time at his home in Oakland, California.
Willie Beal Jr. is a father of four whose story of eviction and homelessness is all-too-familiar in the Bay Area: "You be doing all the right things and they still make it hard on you. You're working, barely getting by, barely able to feed your kids, pay your bills," he said. "We had a slumlord. There were gas leaks. We complained to codes and compliance but the landlord wouldn't fix nothing even though we were paying. When we got a little behind on rent, he evicted us."
Beal's family was left homeless for two years. He, his mom, his girlfriend and their four kids all lived out of their car while Beal went to work every day. Other times, they stayed in shelters or with friends. The son of legendary Bay Area housing activist Ms. Paula Beal, Willie Beal is no stranger to speaking at city hall or rallies to advocate for his family and others. While homeless, he and his family even occupied the Oakland Mayor's office to try to get help.
In March, they finally moved into an apartment of their own. Asked what is best about having their own place, Beal says, "This. Just bathtime and these kids bothering me." Once they get on their feet, Beal says he wants to open a center for families to get help with housing and jobs.
Tomas Moniz displays his books in a coffee shop in San Francisco, California.
Tomas Moniz is a father of three grown children and author of Rad Dad: Dispatches from the Frontlines of Fatherhood and Rad Families: A Celebration. Moniz had his first child at the age of 20. "It was the greatest dumbest mistake I ever made," he jokes. "I started Rad Dad when I was looking for community as a father of a teenager who was beginning to push the boundaries on drugs, an instance of porn. I was looking for a different way to parent than the way I was parented by my father, which was very traditional, silent, shaming."
In Rad Dad, Moniz lifts up the stories of fathers often either demonized or invisibilized by dominant narratives of fatherhood. "The book was originally geared toward male-identified people because it's important for men to unpack toxic masculinity in the tradition of fathering," he says. "But two years into the project I realized that the dichotomy of gender was limiting. Queer and trans parents sharing their stories challenged my own relationship to gender, my partner and my children and really broadened the conversation in Rad Dad ."
"Rad Families is more of a celebration," says Moniz. "I don't have to prove that there are rad families out there. There are. There have always been amazing people raising and creating families."
Brooke Anderson is an Oakland, California-based organizer and photojournalist. She has spent 20 years building movements for social, economic, racial and ecological justice. She is a proud union member of the Pacific Media Workers Guild, CWA 39521, AFL-CIO.
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#bioPGH: Amphibian March Madness
By Dr. Maria Wheeler-Dubas, Research and Science Education Outreach Manager
A resource of Biophilia: Pittsburgh, #bioPGH is a weekly blog and social media series that aims to encourage both children and adults to reconnect with nature and enjoy what each of our distinctive seasons has to offer.
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Wednesday's snow might have thrown our sense of spring for a loop, but a change in season is on the way! Even better… those rainy, slightly warmer evenings are approaching. It may be counterintuitive, but rainy nights in the spring are some of the most perfect moments to explore the outdoors. When the evening temperature hovers around 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and a steady drizzle is falling, the wild world comes alive in ways we don't always notice if we're indoors and dry. This time of year is the breeding season for many of local frogs and salamanders, and many parks in our area have already spotted eggs in vernal pools. For the next month or so, keep your rain jackets handy, and keep an eye or an ear out – you might just spot some of the amphibians below. They are the true fun and madness of March!
Spring Peepers— Pseudacris crucifer
Photos: Maria Wheeler-Dubas (left), USGS (right)
Males call loudly around the vernal pools, doing their best to attract females. Like most frogs, they are external fertilizers, meaning sperm and eggs are released into the water of a pool or marsh to fertilize. Spring peepers' eggs hatch only 1-2 weeks after fertilization, and the tadpoles morph into adults after approximately two months.
Pickerel Frog— Lithobates palustris
Photo: Maria Wheeler-Dubas
In the summer, pickerel frogs are found in wooded or meadow areas, but in springtime, they can be spotted near calm and quiet water sources for laying their eggs, making vernal pools a safe choice. Compared to the high peeps of the peepers, their call sounds like a low, slow version of just the first half of "rib-bit."
Wood Frog— Lithobates sylvaticus
Photo: Brian Gratwicke, CC-BY-2.0
At first listen, it might almost sound as though ducks are joining in the evening. Most likely, though, that is the sound of wood frogs! These frogs are an expected guest at vernal pools in the spring. During the rest of the year, they inhabit wooded areas (as their name suggests), but they head to water sources to breed.
Spotted Salamander— Ambystoma maculatum
Photo: Andreas Weith CC-BY-SA-4.0
Spotted salamanders are a type of terrestrial mole salamander, which means the vast majority of their time is spent underground. The most likely time to "spot" them is during their breeding season: during the first few warm, rainy nights of spring they emerge from underground specifically to mate and lay eggs.
Jefferson Salamander – Ambystoma jeffersonianum
Photo: Virginia State Parks
Though similar in secrecy and reproductive strategies as the spotted salamander, the Jefferson salamander usually is among the very first amphibians of the year to emerge for breeding, and in some areas, it will emerge when the understory is still somewhat frozen!
Red-spotted newt— Notophthalmus viridescens
Photos: Maria Wheeler-Dubas (left); Bruce Lucas, CC-BY-SA-3.0 (right)
While looking for salamanders, you might spot a newt! What is the difference between a salamander and a newt? Well, newts are actually within the family Salamandridae, so they are a kind of salamander. Newts tend to have dry, bumpy skin while the rest of the salamanders tend to have wet, smooth skin (nature rarely operates in absolutes). Salamanders also have costal grooves—little ridges along their sides that almost look like the ridges of their ribs (though they aren't). Newts are smooth along their sides.
The rare evenings in the spring with just the right temperature and just the right amount of rain are tricky for us to catch and take advantage of, but they produce a moment that reminds just how much life surrounds us—even in our neighborhoods and towns. We are surrounded by nature and a part of nature. Even if you can't make it outdoors in these evenings, I hope you enjoyed reading along and imagining yourself in the bustling magic of the outdoors this time of year!
San Diego Zoo: Newts and Salamanders
PA Fish and Boat Commission: PA Amphibians and Reptiles
Images: Header, Pexels public domain; cover Andreas Weith CC-BY-SA-4.0
Hi - does anyone coordinate "Big Night" activities in western / northwestern PA?
By Bill M on Mar 31, 2022


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Old Case Reopened Toggle Lights
Back in the days, the police were doing their job as dedicated as today, but we have to admit that the development of science and technology has made things rather easier. Now it is easier to investigate the evidence, to match traces, to explore the DNA of the victims or the criminals…
Many years ago, there was a murder that shakes the public because the victim was a celebrity person. It was about a very famous music producer who was murdered. Even though they were working very hard, the police didn't manage to find the person responsible for the murder and the case couldn't be closed.
Now, the detectives Michael, James, and Sophia are determined to solve the murder of the famous music producer. Deficiency back in that time was that there were no DNA tests, so the murderer could not be found. But now with the advances of technology, the detectives are determined they will find the evidence they need to uncover the identity of the murderer. It is good that sometimes 'time will tell'.
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NEW YORK (AP) — CNN's "Guns in America" town hall meeting with President Barack Obama was seen by 2.4 million viewers Thursday night, according to early data from the Nielsen rating company.
The 75-minute special, hosted by Anderson Cooper, fell short of Fox News Channel's audience of 3 million viewers, but outpaced MSNBC, seen by slightly fewer than 1 million.
However, CNN took first place in both the 25-54 and 18-34 demos, outperforming the combined audience for those two rivals.
Among 25-54 viewers, CNN averaged 845,000 viewers, far ahead of Fox News' 463,000 and MSNBC's 227,000 viewers. In the 18-34 demo, CNN had 277,000 viewers, while Fox News trailed with 73,000 and MSNBC had 40,000.


Halvorson, Britt. 2012. Woven Worlds: material things, bureaucratization, and dilemmas of caregiving in Lutheran humanitarianism. American Ethnologist 39(1): 122-137.
Abstract: In this article, I examine the transition from charitable assistance to a professional model of humanitarianism in one American Lutheran agency that emerged from colonial missions to Madagascar. The agency, "International Health Mission" (IHM), primarily supplies medical technologies to Lutheran clinics in Madagascar, Tanzania, and Cameroon. I argue that popular material devices of relief provision, such as handmade bandages, tie the Christian humanitarian project to older notions of Lutheran faith as caregiving and pose special challenges to the bureaucratic model of aid delivery espoused by IHM. Casting renewed scholarly attention on materiality sheds light on the unique dilemmas facing faith-based aid agencies that strategically merge political discourses of humanitarianism with religious motivations for their work.
Farrelly, Paul (2012) "The New Testament Church and Mount Zion in Taiwan" in Lenore Manderson, Wendy Smith, & Matt Tomlinson (eds) Flows of Faith: Religious Reach and Community in Asia and the Pacific (Springer, New York).
Abstract: Members of the New Testament Church (NTC) led by Elijah Hong, "God's Chosen Prophet", believe that God has forsaken the traditional Mount Zion in Israel and that the new Mount Zion in Taiwan is imbued with the spiritual significance and power that the old mountain once had. Mount Zion is both a pilgrimage destination and nature-based utopian community of several hundred adherents, serving as an Eden-like sanctuary and as the setting for the impending Tribulation. The NTC's theology, as manifested in Mount Zion and the objects on it, is a curious blend of Pentecostal Protestantism and Chinese religiosity.
Dundon, Alison (2012) "The Gateway to the Fly: Christianity, Continuity, and Spaces of Conversion in Papua New Guinea" in Lenore Manderson, Wendy Smith, & Matt Tomlinson (eds) Flows of Faith: Religious Reach and Community in Asia and the Pacific (Springer, New York).
Abstract: By foregrounding space and the role it plays in the experience and recollection of conversion, Dundon illustrates how people conceptualise conversion to Christianity as meaningful. Her analysis of cultural continuity in terms of the parallels between practices and experiences of the ancestors and those of the missionaries draws attention to the importance of the places in which Gogodala live and move, and how they imagine the place to which they will travel to when they die (Wabila/Heaven). Conversion to Christianity, instigated by UFM missionaries and the establishment of the first UFM stations, churches and educational and health facilities, is perceived as a rupture, but not as traumatic and destructive. Rather, conversion is understood as a disjuncture between 'before' (when the ancestors did not know where they came from and its significance) and 'now' (when this has been revealed to them over time and through the spaces opened up between mission, church and community).
Hermkens, Anna-Karina (2012) "Circulating Matters of Belief: Engendering Marian Movements during the Bougainville Crisis" in Lenore Manderson, Wendy Smith, & Matt Tomlinson (eds) Flows of Faith: Religious Reach and Community in Asia and the Pacific (Springer, New York).
Abstract: This chapter focuses on the circulation and appropriation of transnational Marian objects and beliefs during the Bougainville conflict (1989-1999). I show how circulation drove the formation of new religious movements, and how ritual elements were appropriated into secessionist protests and practices of resistance, as well as in local peace efforts. By following these paths of circulation, the fluidity of religious beliefs across boundaries of nation state and community come to the fore, providing insight into how the appropriation of religious objects informs both nationalism and communitas.
The focus of this article is the proliferation of new charismatic Pentecostal churches in the South Pacific nation Vanuatu. The established Presbyterian Church on the island of Ambrym is compared to a new Pentecostal church in the capital Port Vila in terms of gender. The idea of a vanishing form of masculinity and the development of a form of 'gender nostalgia' is emphasized in the comparison. By looking at gender relations, new perspectives on the difference between the new churches and more established churches emerge, and these perspectives, I argue, might also give us an understanding of why fission seem to be inevitable for the new Pentecostal churches in Vanuatu.
Le présent article s'intéresse à la prolifération des nouvelles Églises pentecôtistes charismatiques au Vanuatu, une nation du Pacifique Sud. Il propose un comparaison du point de vue des rapports de genre entre l'Église presbytérienne établie dans l'île d'Ambrym et une nouvelle assemblée pentecôtiste de la capitale, Port Vila. Cette comparaison met l'accent sur l'idée d'une forme de masculinité en voie de disparition et sur le développement d'une certaine « nostalgie de genre ». L'examen des rapports sociaux de sexes fait apparaître de nouveaux angles d'approche de la différence entre les nouvelles Églises et les plus établies. L'auteure affirme que ces approches peuvent permettre de comprendre pourquoi le schisme semble inévitable pour les nouvelles Églises pentecôtistes du Vanuatu.