text:
For Wake, Exam Break Time Well-Spent
Back when Wake was a team to be reckoned with in the ACC, a home victory over Davidson would be nothing to email or text home about.
Of course that was so long ago, folks were still writing letters.
It just seems that way.
Many seasons have passed since Wake was a team to be reckoned with in the ACC, which made tonight's 67-63 victory over Bob McKillop's Wildcats its best effort of the season.
Yeah, I know Davidson was playing without its best player, Kellan Grady, a second-team All-Atlantic 10 guard averaging 19.4 points. But it's always been my contention that a team plays with who's available, no excuses. And I'll remain consistent by saying Wake took a nice step tonight, Grady or no Grady.
Dave Odom always loved exam break, because it gave him a chance to go back to basics and correct all the mistakes from the season's first brace of games. And it certainly appeared tonight that Danny Manning put the 11 days since the Deacons last played to good use.
The defense – the Deacons' most glaring shortcoming over Manning's four seasons – was really, really good tonight. Or at least it was until it wasn't. The Wildcats closed the game by either scoring or getting fouled (or both) on their last seven possessions, and 10 of their last 11.
But over the first 36 minutes, while they were building a 14-point lead, the Deacons were downright suffocating on defense. By my count, Wake got 18 stops on Davidson's 28 first-half possessions, and then came back out and stymied the Wildcats on 15 of their first 26 trips across half-court in the second half.
Davidson shot 37 percent from the floor for the game, made seven of 24 shots from beyond the arc and got to the line for only 12 attempts.
That's a showing against a good team that Manning will take any time, if he can get it. The biggest reason he's failed in his four-plus seasons to turn the program's fortunes around is that he has got that kind of showing so few times.
The late-game largess has become so routine as to be predictable. But the Deacons were able to overcome their generosity tonight because they kept scoring themselves.
As I've mentioned, I watch games these days with a pad in hand, charting Wake's defensive stops. But over the 11 days since the Deacons last played, I decided to also keep tabs on another problem that has saddled Wake in the early going.
After every loss, it seems, Manning has decried his team's inability to get enough paint touches. Teams assemble these days during the first semester of summer school, back in May, so if six months later a team is not doing what the coach wants, then whose fault is that?
But for tonight I decided to also chart the possessions that Wake got the ball either to the basket, into the lane, into the key or in the short corner along the base line. All teams strive to break down the defense, because it opens up so many more ways (foul shots, follow shots, kick-out jumpers) to score.
Bad teams – and Wake would certainly qualify over most of Manning's tenure – tend to settle for jump shots without making the defense work. We've all seen the Deacons lose games because they quit getting the ball inside, and we've all heard Manning grumble about it later.
My bet is that another major point of emphasis over the past 11 games has been to be more aggressive on offense and attack the defense more. If so, the concentration on that facet of the game paid off tonight.
Again, by my count, the Deacons got the ball inside on 28 of 34 first-half possessions, and on 29 of 37 possessions after halftime. The ball moved, and so did the players, allowing Wake to shoot 48 percent from the floor, get to the line for 20 attempts and mount a balance attack.
On a night no player took more than 12 attempts from the floor, Jaylen Hoard (16 points), Brandon Childress (16 points), Chaundee Brown (13 points), Torry Johnson (10 points) and Olivier Sarr (8 points on 4-of-5 shooting) all had offensive games they could feel good about.
Those who have found me at My Take on Whatever know I've been pretty critical of Manning and his inability to pull the once-proud Wake program from the doldrums of the Jeff Bzdelik years. And I'm not about to declare after one nice victory over Davidson in mid-December that the Deacons have turned the corner.
A much more telling test will come Saturday when Wake travels up I-40 to Knoxville to face Rick Barnes and his third-ranked Volunteers of Tennessee. If the Deacons show the same improvement at Thompson-Boling Arena, then I'll begin to wonder if maybe Manning is finally building something worth watching at Wake.
Of course it's been so long, it might be hard to recognize. But we'll see, and we'll all see together.
One thought on "For Wake, Exam Break Time Well-Spent"
James F Bailey says:
Once again I agree with you and happy to see Dan Collins unhinged and free at last.
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text:
Why You Really Love That Wobbly Table
YouTube: https://youtube.com/watch?v=dwBH409PhL4
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Multiple studies have shown that people assign a higher value to something they "made" themselves, even if they only picked out the color or tightened a few screws. Why does that happen? Psychologists have a few theories.
https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Publication%20Files/11-091.pdf
https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/abs/10.1287/mnsc.1090.1077
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167811612000584
https://ideas.repec.org/a/now/jnljmb/107.00000039.html
https://www.wsj.com/articles/taste-test-the-oven-that-makes-dinner-without-you-1499876217
https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/make-your-mind/201209/the-ikea-effect-why-we-cherish-things-we-build
https://www.npr.org/2013/02/06/171177695/why-you-love-that-ikea-table-even-if-its-crooked
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/real-estate/mortgages-and-rates/selling-your-home-how-biases-like-the-ikea-effect-can-impact-that-decision/article14221299/
https://ideas.ted.com/why-were-so-attached-to-our-own-creations-even-when-theyre-ugly/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/behind-online-behavior/201503/the-psychology-online-customization
https://www.abtasty.com/blog/customization-and-personalization-two-sides-of-the-same-millennial-coin/
https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/10.1287/mnsc.1090.1077
http://www.people.hbs.edu/mnorton/norton%20mochon%20ariely.pdf
https://www.wu.ac.at/fileadmin/wu/d/i/entrep/4_forschung/full-text-papers/franke_schreier_kaiser_2010_designed_it_myself.pdf
https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fh0047195
https://www.cell.com/trends/cognitive-sciences/fulltext/S1364-6613(15)00078-9
Image Sources:
https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/senior-happy-winning-computer-game-gm153720423-15311787
https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/table-isolated-on-white-background-gm949295896-259140706
https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/hand-putting-lego-block-gm458483293-23828981
https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/hand-holding-color-swatch-gm172266718-3910385
https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/shelf-gm1043557950-279331244
https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/funny-happy-asian-couple-with-home-repairing-tools-gm487431140-72911137
https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/funny-robot-electrician-with-pliers-creative-design-robotic-toy-with-electric-wires-gm901492044-248702878
https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/alternative-lifestyle-young-couple-portrait-gm1027424078-275468688
https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/group-diversity-kids-girl-making-cake-bakery-in-kitchen-gm1141029609-305536951
Thanks to CuriosityStream for supporting this episode of SciShow Psych!
Go to CuriosityStream.com/Psych to learn more. { ♪INTRO }. You know how when you build something yourself— like a table from IKEA—you're really proud of it?
It doesn't matter that it's a bit wonky and you have some left-over screws that were maybe, definitely, supposed to go somewhere…. It's still b-e-a-utiful. It's easily as nice as anything you could have bought at that fancy furniture store in town.
You might even think it's a little bit better than those other tables. Well…. I hate to break it to you, but it probably isn't all that special.
You're likely experiencing a phenomenon known as the IKEA effect: a cognitive bias where people misguidedly put a higher value on something just because they made it themselves. And understanding why you love that wonky table so much could help you live your best life. Harvard researchers first wrote about the IKEA effect in a study where they had people make IKEA furniture, fold origami, and build sets of LEGO blocks.
The participants felt that their amateur creations were as good as expert versions. Not only that, they priced their handiwork way higher than other people did, and thought everyone would appreciate their creations as much as they did. Now, multiple studies have shown this effect.
Labor does kind of lead to love, and it's not just with flat-pack furniture. It applies to pretty much anything you can customize. Experts suggest that the IKEA effect could also apply to things like home renovations if you take a do it yourself, or DIY, approach.
And even something as small as picking the color of an item can make you see it as more valuable. But there's nothing inherently better about things you screw together or paint— they're not made from higher quality materials, or something like that. You just think your "self-made" stuff is better than the off-the-shelf version.
That's the IKEA effect. And psychologists have a few theories as to why it occurs. One is that making something, even if you only put one screw in, makes you feel accomplished and competent.
That's because the shelf or whatever acts as physical proof that you successfully did a thing— a kind of trophy if you will— which you can show off. And those bragging rights give you an emotional boost. Another reason you might be extra proud of your DIY is because you believe it saved you money.
Research has shown that if you feel like you're a "smart-shopper"— basically, that you're somehow responsible for getting a discount or saving money on something— then you feel happier and better about that product. And it may be that building your own stuff enhances something called the endowment effect: the fact that simply owning a thing can make you overvalue it. In studies, people consistently say they'll pay more for stuff they own, even if it's the exact same as the other stuff being offered, and even if they just came to own the stuff like 30 seconds ago.
And researchers in 2016 found that building something leads to what they called psychological ownership— basically, the feeling that you own it even if you technically don't. But when it comes to the IKEA effect, many psychologists think it's mostly the result of effort justification. That's the idea that the more work you put into something, the more you like it because you have to convince yourself it was worth all the trouble.
If you didn't, then you'd end up feeling cognitive dissonance— the mental anguish that arises from contradicting ideas in your head. Essentially, it would just be wrong for you to have worked hard to make something that isn't valuable. And since you can't go back in time and not put the effort in, the easiest way for your brain to fix this discrepancy is to jack up the perceived value.
The idea that the IKEA effect can be explained by effort justification does make a lot of sense. But more recently, research has suggested something else might be happening. In short, you might like your own creations because you believe they're an extension of your identity.
That table is a part of you. That's the conclusion of a 2018 study in the journal Cognition, anyway. The researchers looked at the IKEA effect in children by having them build monster toys, and found that it basically doesn't show up until around age 5.
That's right when kids really start to have a good idea of who they are— what psychologists call a self-concept. Intriguingly, the amount of effort the kids put into their creations didn't affect how highly they valued them. And they still thought their own monsters were better, even when they knew from the start that they wouldn't get to keep them, suggesting ownership or the trophy effect weren't really in play.
So the researchers concluded the IKEA effect most likely comes from people viewing the things they make as extensions of themselves. And that's not as weird as it might sound. People often use their possessions as an expression of who they are; just think about the car you drive, or the clothes you wear.
So, when you personalize something, or have a hand in making it, ou may see it as more representative of who you are. In the end, psychologists haven't pinpointed exactly what causes the IKEA effect, and it may be that some combination of these ideas is what makes you so enamored with that table, no matter how crooked it is. If all this has you feeling a little manipulated by your favorite furniture company, it's good to keep in mind you can use the IKEA effect to your advantage, too.
Like, it could help you get your family to eat healthier meals. A study published in 2018 looked at the eating behavior of children between the ages of five and seven, and found that kids who were involved in preparing food ate more of it—even if it was a salad. They also ate more dessert, too, if they helped make it, but who can blame them?
And there's nothing to say that loving your cheap, self-assembled furniture is a bad thing. At the end of the day, if you think your creation is beautiful and it "sparks joy", as Marie Kondo would say, that's all that really matters. So go on, love that wonky table!
It's crooked and beautiful. If you're watching SciShow Psych, you probably enjoy educational programming that gives you a deeper understanding or a new perspective on things. So we think you might enjoy the videos over at CuriosityStream, too.
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Decreasing world

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, throw in the pasta, stir well to separate the strands and cook on a rolling simmer for 10 minutes or until just cooked and 'al dente'.
While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a large frying pan and add the crushed garlic. Fry for a minute then add the ham chunks, cook for a couple of minutes then lower the heat.
Beat the eggs in a small bowl and add about ¾ of the parmesan, double cream and seasoning.
When the pasta is ready, drain and tip straight into the frying pan with the garlic and ham – a little pasta water is fine here. Retain some of the remaining pasta water for use later.
Take the frying pan off the heat and pour the egg and cream mixture over the pasta and toss quickly to combine.
Mix until a thick, creamy sauce forms on the pasta. If it needs loosening a little, add a splosh of pasta water and stir until the desired consistency.
Serve as soon as it's ready with the rest of the parmesan and black pepper.
Tip: The heat from the pasta and pan will cook the egg mixture, avoid putting this back on the heat as this may end in scramble!


Education Minister Christopher Pyne has also hinted that the country would benefit from more private universities, where students and their families can pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for an education.
"I support the deregulation and the entrance of competition into the higher education market because that ensures quality being offered to students," said Mr. Pyne.
In the US where private universities and colleges are common, students at Middlebury College in Vermont pay almost $60,000 a year for tuition.
The average student contribution at the University of Melbourne ranges from $6,000 to more than $10,000 a year.
Paying more is a concern for many, including University of New South Wales student Morgan Roche.
"The thought of accumulating more debt than I'm already doing, in my late 20's with a family to support is incomprehensible," she said.
The landscape was a lot different when Prime Minister Tony Abbott was student at Sydney University during the mid 1970's, especially when it came to university fees.
In 1974, then Prime Minister Gough Whitlam abolished university fees. That was good news for Mr. Abbott who began his Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Economics degrees just two years later.
By the time the Education Minister studied law at the University of Adelaide in the1980's, students from all disciplines were required to pay $2,300 a year under the newly created Higher Education Contribution Scheme or HECS.
"I paid the higher education contribution scheme, I'm very happy to do so because I got a fantastic education and I paid it back through my income once I started earning money," said Mr. Pyne speaking on ABC last week.
But Mr. Pyne's office did not respond to requests when we asked how much the education minister paid.
The office for the Shadow Education Minister Kate Ellis told us they didn't know how much she paid in fees to study international relations at Flinders University in the late 90's, or how they would find it.
But SBS found that a humanities degree at the time cost students about $3,400 each year.
While the federal government says students need to bear more of the costs of their education, some including Morgan Roche, worry that making a university education more expensive will make it less accessible.


Tracey-Lee Clarke R.E., C.P.E., C.C.E. graduated from the Canadian Electrolysis College in 1994 and has been Member of the Professional Electrologists Association of B.C. since 1995.
What sets Tracey-Lee apart from many electrologists is that she is a client turned practitioner. Tracey-Lee sought electrolysis treatment in the late 80's. The process of electrolysis intrigued her to learn more about the hair removal technique and the people who practice it.
In 1994, Tracey-Lee took advantage of a re-education grant offered through her previous employer and turned her interest in electrolysis into a full-time practice. In January 1995, Tracey-Lee took over the practice of Body Magic Electrolysis.
Very quickly, Tracey-Lee gained a reputation for her passion and love for both her clients and the electrolysis treatment. She counselled clients who had themselves endured repeated treatments without success and who had lost much self-esteem in the process. She showed clients how electrolysis was meant to work and she made it work for them. Her clients transformed before her eyes. Shy, inward people became confident and assertive. Permanent hair removal was no longer a mere dream for them.
In 2002, after the birth of her second daughter, Tracey-Lee moved her business into her home. Her business grows by word of mouth, as more people experience positive and permanent changes and share their experiences with others.
Tracey-Lee's clients have come to love and respect her as "the woman who is changing lives... one follicle at a time... with care, respect and careful attention".
Tracey-Lee is a registered member of T.A.P.E.B.C.


An undergraduate student is subject to academic probation if at any time either the student's cumulative grade point average (GPA) in all college work attempted or the student's cumulative GPA at CSU Channel Islands falls below 2.0. Probationary students will be advised of their status at the end of the semester; the communication will include conditions for removal from probation and the circumstances that would lead to disqualification. Students will be notified when they are on academic probation via an email to their campus email address.
All probationary students are required to receive academic advising no later than the end of the third week of the following semester. Students shall be removed from academic probation once they have received such advising, and both the cumulative GPA in all college work attempted and the cumulative GPA average at CSU Channel Islands are at least 2.0. Students on academic probation will be limited to 14 units for each semester they are on probation.
An undergraduate student on academic probation will be academically disqualified when the student's GPA in all units attempted or in all units attempted at CI falls below the following: as a freshman, 1.50; as a sophomore, 1.70; as a junior,1.85; as a senior, 1.95. Students' records will be evaluated for disqualification at the end of each semester. Students cannot be placed on probation for the first time at CI and be disqualified in the same semester. However, students who have previously been on probation at CI and fall below the GPA listed above will be academically disqualified, even if the probation and disqualification semesters are non-consecutive.
A student may appeal their disqualification no later than the Academic Appeals Board deadline before the start of the semester following the disqualification. Students will be notified when they have been academically disqualified via an email to their campus email address, which will include the date of the appeal deadline.
Appeals will be decided by the Academic Appeals Board. A successful petition of appeal for disqualification will result in the student remaining on academic probation. Students who appeal unsuccessfully will need to apply for reinstatement as specified in the Policy on Reinstatement if they wish to return to CI for a future semester.


Paula Bennett admitting benefit reform is scary is like your dentist assuring you that this is going to hurt.
On TV1 News (27 June): John Key, stated in an interview from India, that a Free Trade Agreement with that country would deliver higher wages to New Zealand; "It means jobs, it means higher incomes, it means better opportunities for New Zealanders," .
Isn't this the same promise that John Key made to us in 2008, during the Election campaign?! And since then the wage gap with Australia has actually widened?
And hasn't Mr Key just finished berating Labour for suggesting that the minimum wage be raised, and warning the country that higher wages would result in 6,000 workers being made unemployed?
The Prime Minister seems to be promising us one thing, one moment - and then telling us that we can't have it, the next moment, because it would be a bad thing.


text:
Tasmania delays amended marriage bill, putting state out of step with Commonwealth
By state political reporter Alexandra Humphries
Posted Thu 29 Nov 2018 at 8:43pm Thursday 29 Nov 2018 at 8:43pm Thu 29 Nov 2018 at 8:43pm , updated Fri 30 Nov 2018 at 5:20am Friday 30 Nov 2018 at 5:20am Fri 30 Nov 2018 at 5:20am
The Tasmanian Government has committed to bring the bill to the Upper House in March. (ABC News: Rhiana Whitson)
abc.net.au/news/tasmania-to-be-late-on-transgender-divorce-law/10569682
Independent Tasmanian MLC Ruth Forrest has laid blame for delays in considering landmark gender reforms squarely at the Government's feet.
The amended marriage bill was meant to be debated in the Upper House last night
The Government pulled the bill and the next opportunity to debate it won't be until March
As a result Tasmania will not meet a Commonwealth deadline to have same-sex marriage law set by December
Reforms that would remove gender from birth certificates in Tasmania will not become law this year, after the Government delayed consideration of the bill by the state's Upper House until March.
Late on Thursday night, the Government decided to pull the Marriage Amendment Bill that was meant to be debated in the Upper House.
It means Tasmania will be at odds with a Commonwealth requirement for the state to remove the need for a couple to divorce if one person transitions gender.
The changes were supposed to be made by December to recognise same-sex marriage being legalised, but State Parliament will not sit again until March.
Ms Forrest said behind the scenes, the Government had worked to prevent members of the Legislative Council from accessing the Office of Parliamentary Counsel to draft necessary amendments to the bill.
She said the Government's decision not to bring the bill on for debate at the first opportunity on Wednesday was another method of blocking it, and described the four-month delay on considering the legislation as "appalling".
"The Government did take every measure they could to delay it," Ms Forrest said.
"There were legitimate concerns about some of the amendments that had been put into the bill and our job is to make sure that legislation is as good as it can be, but the problem here is that all good faith measures taken to access the Office of Parliamentary Counsel to assist us with drafting amendments was effectively blocked."
Ms Forrest said she was disappointed but optimistic the reforms would eventually pass the Parliament.
"If members in this House who have spoken are true to their word we will definitely see the bill debated, possibly amended to some extent without losing the intent, and that will be debated and passed in March next year," she said.
The Government has promised the Legislative Council that the bill will be debated in the first sitting week in March, and members will have access to the Office of Parliamentary Counsel to draft amendments.
The original bill was heavily amended in the House of Assembly by Labor and the Greens last week, with Speaker Sue Hickey crossing the floor 11 times to make changes aimed at reducing discrimination against transgender and gender diverse people.
The Government, which considers the bill in its current form is deeply flawed, said several members of the Upper House had reservations about whether the bill could translate into workable law.
Members of the Legislative Council will be able to draft further amendments to the bill. (ABC News: Rhiana Whitson)
'Trust has been eroded significantly'
Last night, members of the Legislative Council and those watching on from the public gallery were openly emotional about the delay as the House prepared to adjourn for the summer break.
Hickey 'a worry' for Hodgman
Sue Hickey's vote with Labor and the Greens is a "source of concern" for Will Hodgman's Liberal Government, analysts say.
Ms Forrest said she appreciated the Government's commitment that the bill would be considered in March, and "God help them if they don't".
"I can honestly say, if this one's breached there will be no more trust. Trust has been eroded significantly during this period," she said.
"I want to convey to the people out there who are upset, who will suffer as a result of this, that I care about them very much."
Ms Forrest said she would work over the next four months to ensure there was a robust set of amendments to the bill available if needed.
Mersey independent Mike Gaffney said he was concerned the bill in its current form would not achieve what members of the transgender and gender diverse community wanted.
"I would not be doing my job if I passed a bill that I thought was going to be challenged and brought undone," he said.
'People were counting on us'
Labor MLC Sarah Lovell apologised to those watching on in the gallery.
Gender crusade 'personal' for Greens leader
"Every parent wants their child to be happy," says Tasmanian Greens leader Cassy O'Connor.
"It is with great disappointment that I am speaking on adjournment, rather than debating the bill before us," she said.
"This was an opportunity for the Government to lead, to lead on an issue that would make a real difference to people's lives.
"There were people that were counting on us and instead they were faced with a Government that would not hear them out."
Under the proposed changes, sex would still be recorded on medical records, but it would not be printed on a birth certificate unless requested by parents or a person over 16 years old.
The changes would also remove the requirement for transgender people to have sexual reassignment surgery in order to have their new gender recognised.
'Tears shed over the delay'
Transgender activist Martine Delaney, who is part of the lobby group Transforming Tasmania, said she was disappointed but understood the reluctance of some members to pass the legislation this year.
She said some families were in tears after news of the delay.
"The Government has chosen to be in breach of Commonwealth law rather than provide equality to transgender people," she said.
Ms Delaney said she was confident the numbers to pass the changes were there.
The Government has been contacted for comment.
Posted 29 Nov 2018 29 Nov 2018 Thu 29 Nov 2018 at 8:43pm , updated 30 Nov 2018 30 Nov 2018 Fri 30 Nov 2018 at 5:20am
'They can't take her support for granted': Hickey's gender vote 'a worry for Government', analysts say
Hickey hits out at 'extreme right' in Liberal Party after historic Tasmanian gender vote
Gender crusade close to home for Tasmanian politician and trans son
'Radical feminist' says relaxing transgender laws in NT will put women at risk
Boeing delivers last 747, saying goodbye to 'Queen of the Skies'
How an endangered Australian mammal could be 'mating itself to death'
Noxious fish found in the Riverland another blow for growers after months of challenges
Monkeys that disappeared from a Dallas Zoo have been found in an abandoned house. Here's what we know


text:
Characteristics of stretching of high-impact polystyrene and polycarbonate close to the glass transition temperature
A study has been made of the stress-strain characteristics of high-impact composites based on poly sty renes (PS) or polycarbonates (PC) in uniaxial s...
Mechanics of Composite Materials. Vol. 31. No. 4, July-August, 1995
CHARACTERISTICS OF STRETCHING OF HIGH-IMPACT P O L Y S T Y R E N E AND P O L Y C A R B O N A T E C L O S E T O T H E GLASS TRANSITION TEMPERATURE
M. G. Tsiprin and L. A. Irgen (Jirgens)
A study has been made of the stress-strain characteristics of high-impact composites based onpolyso'renes (PS) or polycarbonates (PC) in uniaxial stretching at temperatures close to the glass transition temperature of the matrix material. Heterogeneity of the structure of the material at the microlevel, owing to the presence of a graft copolymer in the PS composites or the presence of polyethylene terephthalate (a reactive additive) in the PC, tends to lower the effective glass transition temperature as determined at high elongations. Weak interaction of the impact-strength modifiers with the matrix material (determining the heterogeneity of the structure at the macrolevel) results in a lower stability of uniform stretching in the region of the high-elastic state, but increases the values of the elongation at break in the transition region from the glassy state to the high-elastic state. From the standpoint of achieving high strength and deformability of high-impact composites during their processing, the structure shouM be organized so as to provide optimal heterogeneity at both the microlevel and macrolevel.
The use of polystyrenes (PS) and polycarbonates (PC) as materials of construction is often limited by the low impact strength of the PS [1] or the inadequate impact strength of the PC for certain applications [2]; the impact strength is highly sensitive to the shape and depth of the notch, the test temperature, and the specimen thickness. End-items made of PS or PC are subject to stress cracking. These disadvantages have been overcome by the development of high-impact polymer/polymer composites. In these composites, the polymer used to modify the impact strength may be formed as a disperse phase by modifying the copolymerization conditions [3]; if the modifier is incorporated by mechanical mixing, it may be either an additive that promotes compatibility [4] or it may be a reactive polymer [5]. The compatibility indexes of the components of high-impact composites not only influence the service characteristics [4, 6], but also determine the conditions of stress transmission between the phases in processing the materials. Weak interfacial adhesion may lead to the formation of vacuoles during the stretching of elastomers [7]; when stretching plastic polymers, weak adhesion may lead to irreversible breakdown of the disperse phase, showing up in poorer service characteristics and reduced strength of joints after processing by pressure molding [2]. Therefore, it has been of interest to investigate the features of uniaxial stretching of high-impact PS and PC composites in relation to interaction of the components at temperatures near the glass transition temperature, such that large strains are realized. We tested high-impact polystyrenes (HIPS) of two commercial grades: UPM-07031~ (Standard GOST 28250-89) and 475K (produced by BASF); these products are obtained by copolymerizing styrene and rubber. PC composites were obtained from a melt of commercial polymer PK-3S based on diphenylolpropane (subsequently known as KI) by mixing with impactstrength modifiers: Composite K2 contained 5 % low-density polyethylene (LDPE); composite K3 contained 5 % of the ionomer Serlin 1650, manufactured by Du Pont; composite K4 contained 30% polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and 10% butadiene-styrene copolymer. Certain physicomechanical characteristics of the PC composites have been reported in [2]. The experiments on uniaxial stretching with a constant strain rate were performed in a tension viscometer [8] within a temperature range T = 75-125~ for the HIPS and 135-170~ for the PC composites. Cylindrical specimens were prepared Institute of Polymer Mechanics, Latvian Academy of Sciences, Riga LV-1006, Latvia. Translated from Mekhanika Kompozitnykh Materialov, Vol. 31, No. 4, pp. 509-517, July-August, 1995. Original article submitted April 18, 1995. 0191-5665/95/3104-0371512.50
Plenum Publishing Corporation
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Fig. 1. Temperature dependences of stress at break ob (., o ), elongation at break eb ( , , V), and initial modulus of elasticity E 0 (A, /,) of HIPS specimens UPM-0703t~ (continuous curves) and 475K (broken curves). by extrusion in an instrument normally used to measure the melt index. The tests were performed on specimens immersed in a medium of PMS-200 silicone fluid; the test temperature was held within +0.5~ Tensile stresses were determined as o = crnX = FX/S 0, where a n is the nominal stress; F is the tensile force; X is the elongation ratio; SO is the initial cross section of the specimen. Simultaneous measurements were made of the instantaneous values of the diameter, from which we calculated Xs = S0/S, where S is the instantaneous cross section. The sampling frequency of the sensors was matched to the strain rate in such a manner that measurements were performed every 0.02 strain unit e = In X. Values of the initial modulus of elasticity. E0 were determined by approximating the first five measurements of a(e) by a quadratic parabola, using the least squares method. The uniformity of deformation was judged on the basis of coincidence of the values of the strain rate k = de/dt with the value of ks = d In Xs/dt. Any difference between the values of ~(e) and ~s(e) indicates localization of the deformation as a result of loss of stability of uniform elongation. We defined the failure point as the stress % and strain e b = In Xb at the moment of a visible break in continuity of the specimen, or the point of the prebreak maximum on the q(e) curve in plastic failure, since in this case the appearance of a maximum on a(e) indicates disruption of the uniformity of deformation [9]. We also determined the reversible strain accumulated at the moment of break eeb = In Xeb. For these determinations, the broken specimen, or the specimen caught at the moment of reaching the maximum on a(e), was annealed at 130~ for 30 min, and its cross section Seb was measured (keb = S0/Seb ). In Fig. 1 we have plotted the temperature dependences of E 0, o b, and e b of the HIPS specimens that were investigatedl In the region T < 100~ the tests were performed at a strain rate ~ = 10 -2 sec -1. Data in the region T ~ 100~ were obtained from measurements at T = 100, 110, and 125~ in a range of ~ from 10 -3 to 1 sec -1, using the method of temperature-rate analogy. Judging from the plots of E0(T), the beginning of the transition from the glassy state to the high-elastic state, determined from the low-temperature break on log Eo(T) (minimum of the second derivative) is observed at a glass transition temperature Tg = 94 ~ and 95~ for the HIPS specimens 475K and UPM-0703t~, respectively; on the basis of dilatometric measurements, the respective values of Tg are 92 ~ and 93~ The differences between the values of Tg obtained by the two methods are evidently related to the dependence of Tg on e, which, on the basis of the temperature dependence of the temperature-time reduction factor, can be estimated at 2~ per decimal order of ~ at 95~ Copolymers of styrene with rubber typically exhibit a shift of the glass transition temperature relative to Tg of the PS matrix (100~ this shift being proportional to the content of rubber and amounting to about 1.5~ per 1% rubber [1]. On this basis, the content of rubber in the HIPS test specimens is 5-6%, which is consistent with results reported in [10]. In spite of the closeness of values of Tg of the two types of HIPS that were investigated, we can note (Fig. 1) that the passage through the glass transition temperature Tg is more drawn out for the 475K in comparison with the UPM-0703I~; this 372
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Fig. 2. Envelopes of breaks % vs Xb ( - * - , - o - ) and % vs Xeb ( - - - - - ) , and relationships o(X), of HIPS UPM-0703I~ ( - * ) and 475K ( - . - o ) at T > 100~ with ~ from 10 .3 to 1 sec -1. Tangents to or(X) determine the limits of stability of uniform stretching of elastoplastic bodies. Fig. 3. Temperature dependences of initial modulus of elasticity E 0 ( o ), stress at break % (~x), and elongation at break ,3b (o) for composites based on PC. Continuous curves are for K1, dashed curves for K2, dot-and-dash curves for K3, and double-dotand-dash curves for K4. difference is probably related to the greater degree of loosening of the polystyrene matrix by the rubber phase, in view of the higher content of the graft copolymer [11]. The second break on the curve for log E0(T), which is the upper limit of the glass transition, occurs at Tg' = 103 and 102~ for the HIPS specimens 475K and UPM-0703t~, respectively; this corresponds to completion of the passage from the glassy state to the high-elastic state. The rate dependence of the temperature of this transition is defined by a value of 3~ per decimal order of k. Let us note that the relationship eb(T) has a maximum at T = Tg', whereas %(T) has a maximum approximately midway between Tg and Tg'. Thus, the results from a comparison of the relationships E0(T) obtained at small strains indicate greater heterogeneity in the structure of the HIPS grade 475K in comparison with UPM-0703t~. This conclusion follows from the slightly broader temperature range of the passage from the glassy state to the high-elastic state and the greater diffuseness of the transition near Tg. The differences in the relationships E0(T), however, are not too great. More significant are the differences observed in the relationships eb(T) and Ob(T) at T < Tg. Here we note a minimum on the curve for %(T) coinciding in temperature position with the break on the gb(T) curve, related to unfreezing of mobility of macromolecule fragments in the polymer matrix and realization of a mechanism of induced elasticity. At low test temperatures, the values of e b are small (% = 0.2 at T < 85~ and the true stresses are close to the nominal stresses. With increasing realization of the induced elasticity mechanism as the temperature is raised, the elongation at break increases sharply; with the nominal stresses at break decreasing monotonically, this gives an increase in values of %. As a result, a minimum is formed on the curve for %(T); the temperature at this minimum, the same as the temperature of the break on eb(T), can be defined as an effective glass transition temperature Tge at high stresses. For the UPM-0703t~, Tge = Tg; for the 475K, however, Tg - Tge = 5~ This result obviously indicates more effective utilization of the rubber in the 475K as a result of a greater degree of grafting of the PS to the rubber, as evaluated on the basis of the ratio of concentrations of gel fraction and rubber [1]. The presence of graft copolymer hinders
close packing of the molecular chains of both the matrix PS and that occluded in the gel fraction at T _< Tg [11]; this favors realization of the induced elasticity mechanism. In the region of passage from the glassy state to the high-elastic state of the matrix, the increase of density of the threedimensional network of entanglements (primarily in the gel fraction) that will result from increasing the concentration of graft copolymer may hinder the development of large strains. This follows from the data of Fig. 1 and also Fig. 2, where we have shown the envelopes of the limiting characteristics % vs k b and o-b VS ~keb of these two types of HIPS, obtained as a result of tests at T > 100~ over a wide range of variation of e. Since in the region of the high-elastic state the relationships ab(/h T), kb(k, T) and E0(~, T) are all subject to a single temperature-rate reduction function, the envelopes and the relationships a(X) that are "tied" to them (see Fig. 2) proved to be invariant with respect to the temperature-rate conditions of test. It can be seen that in the region of the maxima of %(Xb), where the relationships o(k) are similar to those for cross-linked elastomers, the increased content of graft copolymer in the HIPS 475K does actually lead to a decrease of the stresses % in comparison with those for the UPM-0703I~. For some of the relationships a(k), it proved to be possible to pass a tangent starting from the point o = k = 0. At the point of tangency, with k = k*, & r / O k = a / k , or 0(ln o)/O(ln k) = 1, or 0F/0t = 0. For elastoplastic materials, these conditions determine the limits of stability of uniform stretching [12, 13]. As can be seen from Fig. 2, in the region of the high-elastic state (on the branches of the envelopes % vs Xb to the right of the maximum %), the magnitude of X* is equal to ~keb, within the experimental error. This fact can be interpreted to mean that at k = X* -- )keb there is a breakdown of stability of deformation of those structural elements of the medium that correspond to reversible strain. In the present case, these are primarily the gel fraction of the rubber. Since the values of )keb in the region of the high-elastic state for the HIPS specimens in the comparison are virtually equal, we can conclude that with an increase of temperature or a decrease of the strain rate, the graft copolymer has less influence on the ductility of the HIPS, which is then determined primarily by the properties of the matrix and the concentration of the rubber. Here, a substantial contribution to the overall strain is made by flow deformation, and the specimen failure proceeds not as a result of exceeding the ultimate strength, but rather as a consequence of loss of stability of uniform stretching when Xb > k*. In the region of the quasiglassy state (on the branches of % vs Xb to the left of the maximum %), with k _> k*, a neck is formed in the course of stretching the specimen. From this discussion it follows that the deformability of HIPS in the temperature region close to Tg is largely determined by the dual-level organization of their heterogeneous structure. The presence of a graft copolymer, creating heterogeneity at the level of molecular structure (microlevet), predetermines realization of large strains in the glassy state of the matrix, but lowers the strength in the region of passage from the glassy state to the high-elastic state, thus limiting the deformability of the macroelements of the structure, i.e., the disperse phase in the form of a gel fraction. The main difference between the PC composites and the HIPS is that the PC is a far more plastic polymer than the PS at T < Tg. The impact strength indexes and the values of eb for these two types of materials differ by a factor of more than 10. In addition, the disperse phase of the HIPS is a chemically cross-linked structure, whereas the disperse phases of the PC composites within this range of temperatures (below Tg) are capable of unlimited flow, at least in principle, since their melting point or glass transition temperature is lower than the corresponding values for the matrix PC. All of this predetermines the features of the stress--strain curves of the PC composites. In Fig. 3 we show the temperature dependences of % and e b of the matrix PC, and also the temperature dependence of E0, for all of the PC composites that we have examined. Attention is drawn to the decrease of the modulus of elasticity E0 at T < Tg with increasing polarity of the modifying additive and increasing capability for chemical interaction with the matrix polymer. When speaking of reactivity in this case, we are referring to a reaction of interchain exchange between the PC and the PET, which could have been realized only in part, since the blending of the polymers was performed at T < 260~ For these composites, in the temperature interval between 45~ and Tg, the values of E 0 for the PC/PET blend are lower than for the PC, but higher than for the PET; if T > Tg, the reverse picture is observed, with values of Eo for the PET higher than for the PC [14]; in the region close to the glass transition temperature, the value of E o of the blend may be smaller than the modulus of elasticity of its components [15]. These relations are reflected in the unusual temperature dependence E0(T) for composite K4, where we observe a tendency to form a minimum at the glass transition temperature of the PC. For all of the PC composites, the same as for the PS, at T -- Tg' there is a maximum on eb(T); but in contrast to the HIPS, the relationships %(T) are monotonic in the vicinity of Tg -- behavior that is obviously related to the relatively high level of deformability of PC at T < Tg.
211gl5 [MPa] 1
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Fig. 4. Stress-strain relationships for PC composites K1 (continuous curves), K2 (dashed curves), K3 (dot-and-dash curves), and K4 (double-dot-and-dash curves) at T = 140 (1), 150 (2), or 160~ (3). The straight lines correspond to 0(ln cr)/0e = 1; the points indicated on these lines denote the points of breakdown or loss of stability. Fig. 5. Envelopes of failure of PC compositions K1 (continuous curve), K2 (dashed curve), K3 (dot-and-dash curve), and K4 (double-dot-and dash curve). In Fig. 4 we show curves for a(e) of the PC-based composites with T < Tg, with T > Tg', and in the region between Tg and Tg'; also, lines have been drawn corresponding to the condition 0(ln a)/Oe = 1 and defining the stability of stretching of elastoplastic bodies. With T < Tg, stretching of the matrix PC is accompanied by the formation of a neck that appears when 0(ln o)/Oe = 1 in the region of the local maximum on a(e), and stabilized under this same condition in the region of the local minimum on a(e). The ratio of the specimen cross section on the defect-free section to that of the neck (ratio of natural drawing) is proportional to the ratio of stresses at the sites of the local extrema. Analyzing the influence of the impact-strength modifiers from this point of view, we can note that the additives lower the natural drawing ratio in the series LDPE > ionomer > PET and that they tend to improve the stability of uniform deformation. The elongation of the K4 specimens is stable over the entire range of temperatures investigated. The c~(~) curves for T < Tg are positioned lower, and those for T > Tg higher, than the analogous curves for the K1, K2, and K3 composites. This behavior can be attributed to features of the structural organization of the K4 composite: The partially compatible mixture of PC and PET, which is heterogeneous at the microlevel of the matrix, also contains at the macrolevel an impact-strength modifier in the form of a disperse phase. For the high-elastic state with T > Tg', uniformity of deformation typically breaks down in the region of the maximum on a(e). As can be seen from Fig. 4, additions of impact-strength modifiers in the form of LDPE or the ionomer, while they do not change the basic character of G(e) in comparison with that of the matrix PC, do bring about a lowering of the maximum strain for stable deformation. This evidently takes place as a consequence of the high mobility of these additives and their weak bonding with the matrix PC, where they play the role of defects. What we have said regarding the PC-based composites is illustrated by the envelopes of failure shown in Fig. 5. It will be seen that additions of the LDPE or ionomer give substantial increases of deformability of the K2 and K3 composites in the region of the transition from the glassy state to the high-elastic state, but they lower the stability of uniform stretching as the transition is made to the viscous flow state, in comparison with the matrix PC. For the K4 composite, the matrix of which is essentially a PC-PET melt, we find that in comparison with the PC it has a higher level of stresses % at comparable strains eb, indicating active participation of all components of the mix in processes of stress transmission. Thus, from an analysis of the entire set of stress-strain curves for high-impact PS and PC composites in the region of temperatures close to the glass transition temperature of the base polymer, we can conclude that the desirability of achieving high strength and deformability does impose somewhat contradictory requirements on the structure of the composites for the 375
region of temperatures above and below the glass transition temperature. The optimal structural organization, apparently, will be that providing heterogeneity at both the microlevel and macrolevel.
4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
A. Ya. Malkin, S. A. Vol'fson, V. N. Kuleznev, and G. I. Faidel', Polystyrene [in Russian], Moscow (1975). T.N. Andreeva, A. S. Kolerov, T. N. Vakhtinskaya, I. I. Solov'eva, and T. N. Yudakova, "High-impact materials based on polycarbonate," Plast. Massy, No. 2, 24-27 (1993). G . D . Ballova, T. A. Stepanova, and A. D. Chegodaeva, "Production of high-impact styrene copolymers by the block-suspension method," Obz. Inf. Nauchno-Issled. Inst. Tekh.-Ekon. Issled. Minist. Khim. Promst. SSSR, Moscow (1977). J.W. Barlow and D. R. Paul, "Mechanical compatibilization of immiscible blends," Polym. Eng. Sci., 24, No. 8,525533 (1984). M. Xantos and S. S. Dagli, "Compatibilization of polymer blends by reactive processing," Polym. Eng. Sci., 31, No. 13, 929-935 (1991). D.M. Bigg, "Mechanical properties of particulate filled polymer," Polym. Compos., 8, No. 2, 115-122 (1987). R.J. Farris, "The influence of vacuole formation on the response and failure of filled elastomers," Trans. Soc. Rheol., 12, No. 2, 315-324 (1968). Ya. Ya. Indulevich, L. A. Irgen, G. M. Kerch, D. I~. Pablak, and M. G. Tsiprin, "Automated system for determining rheological properties of polymer solutions and melts," Mekh. Kompoz. Mater., No. 1, 109-113 (1985). V . E . Dreval and E. K. Borisenkova, "Peculiarities of rheological behavior of filled polymer melts in uniaxial stretching," Rheol. Acta, 32, No. 4, 337-351 (1993). B . I . Shapiro, Yu. V. Nikitin, V. L. Budtov, N. G. Podosenova, V. M. Belyaev, V. A. Zinchenko, L. L. Sul'zhenko, and A. F. Nikolaev, "Influence of properties of polystyrene matrix on characteristics of high-impact polystyrene," Plast. Massy, No. 2 43-44 (1977). I . I . Perepechko and V. V. Nizhegorodov, "Relaxation processes in block copolymers of butadiene rubber and polystyrene," in: Mechanical Properties of Rubbers and Rubber/Cord Composites: Test Methods (Proceedings of International Conference IRC-94), Moscow (1994), Vol. 4, pp. 483-489. I.M. Ward, Mechanical Properties of Solid Polymers, Wiley, New York (1971). M.G. Tsiprin and L. A. Irgen, "Stability of longitudinal flow and stretchability of polymer melts," Mekh. Kompoz. Mater., No. 1, 105-114 (1992). V.A. Danilov, I. I. Perepechko, V. V. Nizhegorodov, Yu. A. Godovskii, E. V. Konyukhov, and S. I. Belousov, "Component compatibility and relaxation processes in mixtures of polycarbonate and polybutylene terephthalate," Vysokomol. Soedin. A, 36, No. 1, 69-74 (1994). I . I . Perepechko, V. A. Danilov, V. V. Nizhegorodov, N. P. Bessonova, and E. V. Konyukhova, "Viscoelastic behavior and relaxation processes in mixtures of polycarbonate and polybutylene terephthalate," Vysokomol. Soedin. A, 35, No. 2, 174-178 (1993).


text:
Intimate Brussels
Death of a Caregiver
THE WORLD BEHIND VIENNA
A series on Central Europe
Wagon Slovakia
Three stories
People´s Body
In the rose garden
Aus dem Osten
WORK ON FILMS
Three stories from the rivers Danube & Morava
The place where I live today seemed to me then like an evil remnant of the past. At that time, after 1989, we were taking trains eastwards, a couple of Austrians, from Vienna to Bratislava, to have a look at what remained of the regime and revolution and at the Slav women with their excessive makeup.
At that time, the only thing I noticed about the town I now live in was the uninviting train station, the first one on Slovak territory. I scrutinised the faces of the border police intensely, searching their features for evidence of firing orders and corruption, for the traces of windowless interrogation cells still remaining in their bodies, for normality, perversion and traces of humanity. I scrutinised them so intensely that I never saw the young birches close to the platform.
The train continued on schedule towards Bratislava's main station. Once, when I looked back from the heightened perspective of the tracks' embankment, my gaze was caught by an unexpected, surprising new world: a row of brand new apartment blocks lining a large boulevard, set into the border zone, with uncharacteristic, Roman-Mediterranean style colours. No sooner had I realised what I saw, than it had already disappeared.
What was it supposed to be? A residential settlement, 15 kilometres from the actual city – for whom? For ice-age mammoths, a selected work force, secluded scientists, or maybe even for exiles? I was attracted by it - and then I forgot it.
I have now been using this boulevard, which for a time was buried in the deeper regions of my mind, for five years. This boulevard is called Eisnerova, the place Devínska Nová Ves. A remote district of Bratislava with 17,000 inhabitants, located on the Morava and on the western end of the Carpathian Mountains. I live a kilometre away from my native country, Austria, 15 kilometres from the centre of Bratislava and 35 from the city limits of Vienna.
It has been a long time since I have felt the emotion associated with the coming of a new era. I do not even feel this when I stand in front of the last piece of the iron curtain, the few metres of barbed wire in Devínska, left along the Morava as a reminder. The regime had protected the border between systems with short-lived materials. The barbed wire has long since been replaced and a popular cycle path passes close by. Even on the country road along the Morava leading to the Danube estuary, it takes significant effort to think that excellent street lighting is due to the illumination of the death strip.
Now we are somewhere else. Where exactly remains to be seen. I will try to answer this question with a little practical experience, the experience of my surroundings, with three little stories from the border.
Once, the subject of a lecture lured me to Gänserndorf. I was heading towards a spectacularly sprawling district capital. Situated at commuting distance to Vienna, the town attracts a lot of people.
In 1981, Gänserndorf had less than 5,000 inhabitants, soon there will be 10,000. The new cooperative apartments are affordable and family-friendly, the flat landscape inspires to go jogging and cycling. If the trend continues, we will soon all have to go to Gänserndorf.
I was a little late and asked for the way in the underground crossing of the demure train station. "There must be something special there today", answered the saleslady out of her take-away. "You're already the third who asks today". The answer electrified me. Apparently I wasn't the only one longing for the subject of the lecture, but with me the entire North-Eastern border-region of Austria: "Cultural differences to the Czech Republic".
Indeed, the hall was jammed with people. Almost exclusively men, well dressed, and in a superb mood. The lecturer was an engaging old hand with a healthy complexion and splendid white hair that could make one jealous. He had recently been to the "Tschechei", to the Moravian renaissance town of Telč, "such a glorious place, you can bargain magnificently with the people there." He mainly sold agricultural machines to Ukraine.
The not less eloquent listeners turned out bit by bit to be salespeople, Austrian salesmen, roaming the East with their variety of English. I learned that the market is "drained of top-sa¬les¬men" and an American study had found that self-control was the most important success factor in selling.
I had walked into a lecture for salespeople. The cultural differences that might have shed light onto the twisted relationship between Austrians and Czechs shrunk to a distribution-focused comparison between "Western Europe" and "CEE". CEE counts over twenty nations.
I have learned that the "Easterner" has far more problems with self-esteem than his Western counterpart. "The Easterner lets us come. I speak and he observes me. He uses the time to observe me." If he doesn't get a business card, the Easterner might get upset.
Despite all optimism the following applies: "It will certainly take a couple of years until they have been parallelized." Until that time Austrians busily export the corruption they usually sneer at into CEE. "There is a directive in the finance ministry", the lecturer said with a hushed voice. "If it is documented, a bribe can be set off against taxes." He himself invites the Easterner to a seminar, in a good Austrian hotel. "Possibly he likes that even more than slipping cash or a TV-set."
I fled the genre picture at halftime and went to the "Geyer". Following up on the trend, I know more and more people that have moved to Gänserndorf and only had to wait for half an hour until one of my acquaintances had time for me.
Those who did not have to go to Gänserndorf yet might wonder why the cafe of a bakery chain turned into a widely accepted meeting point. Maybe it's the cordial attendance of the Slav waitresses, maybe it´s the Gänserndorf way of life. One day, we will all sit there.
Where the Danube makes a gentle bent, between dotted foothills of the Carpathians and the Slovak border, lies the beautiful Austrian town Hainburg. The city is 1115 years old and is inhabited by a respectable minority of immigrated Turks.
This raises the question of the Austroturkish-Slovak relations, but first I want to know something else from one of Hainburg's brightest Turks: How does he feel when he passes through the medieval Fishers' Gate?
Cengiz knows the inscription on the local memorial plaque there by heart, like a nursery rhyme he drones: "In commemoration of the residents of Hainburg, slaughtered by the Turks on the 12th of July of 1683 during the invasion of the town."
That is exactly the problem, states Cengiz. He is young and eloquent, has learned Slovak, prefers Austrian newspapers to Turkish ones, and with his red stubby beard, he could easily pass for an Irishman or a Lower Austrian. In the minds of many Hainburgers the massacre of 1683 seems to have happened only two or three decades ago, he says. And on the other hand, many older Turks show little interest in their integration.
Cengiz meets me at the Turkish sports club, in a backyard in the old city. The cups of the team that doesn't exist anymore are lined up above the counter. We drink tea from little bulbous glasses, Turkish TV is on, yellowing wallpaper shows a panorama of the Bosporus. Young and older men chat and play cards.
The only time a woman enters the sports club is when Cengiz organizes a lecture held by a woman. He volunteers in the community, tries to promote alphabetisation amongst mothers and organized a German course. Once he asked the local authorities for support. That was the moment when a little municipal council member pronounced a big quotation: "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country!"
Hainburg has 5,600 inhabitants, according to the census 500 to 600 are of Turkish origin. All Hainburg Turks are from Eastern Anatolia. Some work in the Hainburg tobacco factory, some in the filter plant, many at the airport Schwechat, as baggage handlers or cleaners.
Since there is no nightlife in Hainburg, the young Turks go to Vienna a lot. Vienna is far away, Vienna is expensive, so they started to go out in Bratislava. Slovakia was never confronted with Turks, the bans from bars in Austria are not known there."Once we got a trashing from Slovak skins", Cengiz tells, who meanwhile has become the good husband of a Turkish wife. The blows, of course, where meant for another people: "Those guys called us dirty Italians."
Apart from that, Austroturkish-Slovak relations develop very promisingly, half a dozen of Hainburg Turks already speak Slovak. The limit is reached when a son introduces a Slovak girl to his father who wouldn't even want an Austrian one in the house. In the mind of the conservative Turkish father, Russian and Moldovan girls have crystallized as the women who dominate the brothels of the Turkish homeland. He will hardly be talked out of his belief that Slovak girls are whores.
Cengiz for his part is more focussed on the Austrian-Turkish relations. The memorial plaque for the "residents of Hain¬burg, slaughtered by the Turks" - he has something in mind with it. Nothing that would put those Hainburgers off, who think they are experiencing the third Turkish siege. No provocation, a conciliatory gesture, a smart move.
If I understood him correctly, the Hainburg Turks were to march through the city, from the main square through the Blood Street to the Fishers' Gate. Each one with a rose in hand, to then lay down the rose.
I got the hint from a well-informed friend. The leading positions in the intellectual scene in Slovakia, he told me, are held by Hussits. He enumerated a few names that rang a bell. My jaws dropped.
Hussits? Silent shivers went through me. How could the contemporary Slovakia get under such an influence? Under open revenants of the same plundering, religiously and nationally outraged mob that infested my Lower Austria six hundred years ago with flails?
I went to the Sunday mass of these people. I found a modern church in a side street of Bratislava´s old city. It was a generously expanded basement of an ordinary old building. The reception was located on the ground floor, the cloakroom was used by everybody. At the entrance stood a lean young man in a black suit and held out his hand towards everyone: "Ciao, I am Josef!"
Josef was a "preacher" of the church that doesn't know priests. He had mailed me days before, saying that the connection of his "Cirkev Bratská" and the Hussite movement had been broken already in the 15th century when their founding father, brother Rehoř, had refused to carry a sword. All fine and well, I thought. I want to see with my own eyes, if those are really Soft-Hussites.
Even though the charismatic star of the "brotherly church" preached in the countryside that Sunday, the church was full. Before me, a perfectly rehearsed program unfolded, performed by neatly clothed laypersons of the upper middleclass. They gained confidence by starting out with "Holy God, We Praise Thy Name". Czech and English gospels followed, lections in Slovak, English-speaking visitors were provided via headphones from the interpreters' booth.
Someone said, the "Cirkev Bratska" recognizes any kind of Christian baptism. The focus was on Josef's sermon, which he held in Czech. He spoke about the sacredness of the Sunday, well structured, thoroughly prepared, eventually with mild humour.
The audience barely had to participate. There was no communion, which spared the community of Catholics, Protestants and seeking people at least one question. Most followed the service like a lecture. Some folded their hands, some crossed their legs, the girl in front of me rested her head on her dread-locked boyfriend's shoulder.
It didn't get more Hussite. I attended a cultivated gathering of people among which many - a second car in sight - had found their second church. Not unpleasantly touched at all, I left the church, which has multiplied its followers to 10000 in a few years. At the exit of the cloakroom the preacher shook my hand again: "Ciao, I am Josef."
And then I found them, the true Hussites, the following Sunday. They were few, in a hidden chapel in the old city of Bratislava, believers of the "Církev československa husitská", who give themselves away in their names that they belong to Hus as much as to Czechoslovakia.
A striking amount of men sat there in the rows of chairs. Severe, old gentlemen, sitting up straight, squeezed into grey suits, listening expressionless to the Czech speaking priest. I stood in the door, the only young mother smilingly offered me the seat next to her children. But I savoured my Hussite-shudder, and before it started to wear off, I left.
Martin Leidenfrost


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
The "grandfather of snowboarding" Sherman…
The "grandfather of snowboarding" Sherman Poppen dies at 89
Poppen's invention the Snurfer was the precursor to the modern snowboard
By John Meyer | jmeyer@denverpost.com | The Denver Post
PUBLISHED: August 5, 2019 at 4:15 p.m. | UPDATED: August 6, 2019 at 9:04 a.m.
Sherman R. Poppen, considered by winter sports enthusiasts to be the "grandfather of snowboarding" for his invention of the Snurfer more than 50 years ago, died July 31, 2019. He was 89. (Photo courtesy of Julie Poppen)
Sherman R. Poppen, who would come to be known as the "grandfather of snowboarding," was just trying to get his daughters out of the house to give his pregnant wife some peace and quiet on Christmas Day in 1965 when he hit on the idea that became the Snurfer and set in motion the evolution of a new snow sport.
Poppen, who died Wednesday at age 89 in Griffin, Ga., took a pair of skis belonging to one of his daughters and nailed them together with pieces of wood at the tips and tails so Wendy, age 10, and Laurie, 5, could ride thin snow on sand dunes behind their home in Muskegon, Mich. Poppen's wife, Nancy, was three days shy of giving birth to their third daughter, Julie, and the girls were revved up from eating Christmas stocking candy.
"Julie wants to take credit for the whole invention," Wendy joked in a joint interview with Julie on Monday, recalling that fateful day by the shore of Lake Michigan. "Laurie and I are bouncing off the walls because it's winter, we're cooped up, it's snowy outside. Mom's all nervous, she's sick, and she can't handle us leaping all over, so she said, 'Sherm, please get these kids out of the house.' We bundle up in our winter gear and go outside."
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Because the snow was thin, sleds wouldn't run on the dune behind their house. The connected skis offered some flotation to solve the problem.
"We just went crazy," said Wendy, who lives in Fort Collins. "We were taking turns sliding, laughing. We lived in a teeny, tiny little cottage. My mom opens the creaky back door and says, 'That looks like a fun toy, you should name that a Snurfer,' for snow and surfing. It was really cool."
Poppen owned a welding supply company and had a mind for innovation. For the next step in the development of Snurfing, he bought a used water ski, drilled a hole in the tip and attached a tether for the rider to hold.
Brunswick Corp. had a manufacturing plant in the area, and Poppen persuaded company executives to come see the Snurfer in action. The water ski prototype he showed them is now on display in an exhibit at the Colorado Snowsports Museum in Vail. Wendy has vivid memories of the day the men from Brunswick came to the dune wearing suits and wing-tipped shoes.
"My dad brings me like a little trained monkey, and all the suits are on this hill watching me," Wendy said. "I had to slide down this hill and climb back up. My dad told me, 'Keep Snurfing until I tell you to stop.' I went up and down, up and down like 15 times; it's freezing out. The rest is history. He sold them the patent and they produced the Snurfer."
Brunswick made Snurfers out of the same laminated wood they used for bowling lanes, and more than a million Snurfers were sold. One of the kids who fell in love with Snurfing was Jake Burton Carpenter, later the founder of Burton Snowboards.
"In my world, Sherman Poppen was the guy that started snowboarding," Carpenter was quoted as saying last week in an obituary published by Snowboarder magazine. "He for sure changed my life by introducing the concept of surfing on snow to me. Not only did he start the sport, but he never gave up on it."
Nancy Poppen died in 1993. Poppen lived in Steamboat Springs from 1994 to 2008 with his second wife, Louise, and it was there in 1995 that he took up the sport he invented 30 years earlier. He became especially fond of riding the area's famed tree runs.
"My dad ended up being a total convert and loving snowboarding even more than he loved skiing," said Julie, who lives in Boulder. "He described it as this whole zen sensation. Couldn't get enough of being in the trees, even after breaking a few ribs in there in his 60s or early 70s."
In 2008, Poppen and Louise moved to Griffin, Ga., to be closer to her family, but they also maintained a condo in downtown Denver which they loved. His daughters are planning celebrations of life for him in Griffin, Muskegon and Steamboat. They want to hold the Steamboat affair on the mountain next winter.
In addition to being a visionary, Poppen was a civic-minded philanthropist. In Muskegon, he sold his company, Lake Welding Supply Co., to his employees. He set up a fund in Michigan to help low-income students with an aptitude for the arts. In Colorado, he was involved with SOS Outreach, an Eagle County non-profit devoted to providing adventure opportunities for at-risk kids.
"He really supported this idea of getting under-represented kids, kids without all the opportunities that we had, to be able to experience all these things in the mountains," Julie said. "He was very passionate about that."
Wendy still can't believe what her dad did with her skis that day in 1965, though.
"I want to tell you, I was not happy when my dad nailed my skis together," Wendy said. "I loved those skis. When you're a little kid, it's like your bike, it's your best friend. Even though the Snurfer was born — the snowboard — I was not happy at the time."
John Meyer | Olympics/Skiing/Rapids reporter
The Post's ski and Olympics writer, Meyer covered his 12th Games last summer in Rio de Janeiro. He has covered five World Alpine Ski Championships and more than 100 World Cup ski events. He is a member of the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame and Colorado Running Hall of Fame. He regularly covers running and the Colorado Rapids.
jmeyer@denverpost.com
Follow John Meyer	@johnmeyer
More in Outdoors
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No reservation system at Rocky Mountain National Park this summer, officials say
The most scenic spots to ski or snowboard in Colorado


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E-mail me to be invited for individual lesson !!!
Established: It was established by current Princeton University head coach, Zoltan Dudas in 2008.
Location: The Stan Sieja Fencing Room is located on Princeton U. campus at Jadwin Gymnasium C level. It was updated in 2010 to increase capacity from 12 to 17 competition strips, all with automatic scoring.
Mission: Provide the best instruction and facility for competitive and recreational fencing.
* Group lessons are from 6:45 to 8:00 between October 17, 2017 and March 31, 2018.
The 5:45pm start time is effective from April 1, 2018.


text:
Q: Graph coloring using induction over distance graphs Let $v$ be a vertex in a connected graph $G=(V,E)$ and let $G_r$ denote the subgraph of $G$ induced by the vertices at the distance exactly $r$ from $v$ (for all $r\geq 0$). Proove that $$\chi(G)\leq \max_r (\chi(G_r)+\chi(G_{r+1}))$$
I have this hint: Fix an optimal coloring of each of the graphs $G_r$ and use induction on the number of nonempty graphs $G_r$.
Any ideas how to do this? Can someone give me some additional hints?

A: Let $r$ be the number such that $\chi(G_r)+\chi(G_{r+1})$ is a maximum, and let $H$ be the subgraph of $G$ induced by the vertices of $G_r\cup G_{r+1}.$  We can color $H$ with $\chi(G_r)+\chi(G_{r+1})$ colors by coloring $G_r$ with $\chi(G_r)$ colors $C_r$ and coloring $G_{r+1}$ with $\chi(G_{r+1})$ colors $C_{r+1},$ where $C_r\cap C_{r+1} = \emptyset.$
By the definition of $r$, $\chi(G_{r+2}) \le \chi(G_r),$ so we can use $C_r$ to color $G_{r+2}.$  There can be no edge joining a vertex $x \in G_r$ to a vertex $y \in G_{r+2},$ for then there would be a path of length $r+1$ from $v$ to $y$.  Similarly, we can use $C_{r+1}$ to color $G_{r-1}.$
Originally, I had thought we could just use $C_x$ to color all $G_s$ with $s\equiv x \pmod 2$ for $x\in \{r, r+1\},$  but that doesn't quite work.  For example, suppose $r=4.$  We know that we can use $C_4$ to color $G_6$ and we know that $\chi(G_6)+\chi(G_7)\le \chi(G_4)+\chi(G_5),$ but it doesn't follow that $\chi(G_7)\le\chi(G_5),$ because $\chi(G_6)$ might be very small.  In that case, we can use $\chi(G_6)$ colors from $C_4$ to color $G_6,$ and use the leftover colors from $C_4$ together with the colors from $C_5$ to color $G_7$.  Now we have to worry about $G_8,$ since we've used some of the colors of $C_4$ to color $C_7.$
I'm sure this works, if one specifies the procedure carefully.  In coloring $G_7$ we should use all of $C_5$ first, so that we use as few colors from $C_4$ as possible.  Then there will be enough colors remaining in $C_4$ to color $C_8$ without any fear of conflicts.
I leave it to you to fill in the details, and provide the proof.  The proof will be trivial, I think, once the procedure is specified properly.  I'm having trouble formalizing it at the moment.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Need Help With Finding Drug Rehab in Balm, FL?
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7 month drug/alcohol rehab programs generally to have the longest lasting results. It's certainly correct that there are one month long therapies, but a lot last actually longer. To totally attend to the true sources of drug and/or alcohol dependency, it can range from weeks to months of illicit drug, prescription drug, or alcohol dependency rehabilitation. When a lot of people think of alcohol and drug addiction recovery, they generally expect a 1 month long treatment. Many drug or alcohol abuse rehabs are for 5 or 6 months.
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text:
WMPA Lyceum Chamber Concert -Violin & Piano
A special January chamber performance at the Lyceum of Beethoven and Prokoviev, sponsored by the Washington Metropolitan Philharmonic Association. Listen to violinist Marlisa Del Cid Woods and pianist Steven Silverman as they perform Beethoven's Sonata No. 10 in G Major, Op. 96 and Prokoviev's Sonata No.1 in F minor, Op. 80
Donation requested of $20.
LIMITED SEATING. REQUEST/RESERVE YOUR SEAT at [email protected]
About the artists:
MARLISA DEL CID WOODS began studying the violin at age four through the Suzuki method. Born in Honduras, she was raised in the DC Area and continued her musical training during high school through the National Symphony Youth Fellowship Program. She joined "Pershing's Own" in 2000 upon completion of her master's and bachelor's degrees with academic honors from the Cleveland Institute of Music. Woods is currently the Group Leader of the U.S. Army Strolling Strings and the NCOIC of the U.S. Army Orchestra.
STEVEN SILVERMAN, a native of Washington DC, has performed extensively as a pianist and harpsichordist in solo, chamber, and concerto appearances throughout the United States and at the prestigious Salle Cortot in Paris, France. Silverman holds the Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the University of Michigan.
Video: Kevin Bacon joins Alexandria Police Chief Michael Brown for performance...
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Creative Book Club
Fun With One Art Exhibit Opening Reception
Fun With One Art Exhibit
19th Annual Alexandria Warehouse Sale


Luxury Motorcoach Fleet, School Trips, Social Parties, Casino Party Buses, Charter Groups, Church Groups, Retreats, Cruise Transfers, 47 passenger buses, 55 passenger buses. DOD Approved. Celebrating 25 years of service in 2010.


text:
Home > Museumcatalogi & Publicaties > MoMA Now : MoMA Highlights 90th Anniversary Edition
MoMA Now : MoMA Highlights 90th Anniversary Edition
Auteur(s) Quentin Bajac, Christophe Cherix, Stuart Comer, Rajendra Roy, Martino Stierli, Ann Temkin.
Uitgever Museum of Modern Art
In October 2019, The Museum of Modern Art will celebrate its 90th anniversary with the reopening of its extensively renovated and expanded midtown campus. Published to accompany the reopening, MoMA Now is an enlarged and expanded edition of MoMA Highlights, and presents a rich chronological overview of the art of the past 150 years, culled from the Museum's permanent collection of almost 200,000 objects across 6 curatorial departments.
Beginning with a photograph made around 1867 and concluding in 2017, with an Oscar-nominated documentary film, the book introduces readers to some of the most beloved artworks in the museum's collection—iconic works by Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, Frida Kahlo, and Andy Warhol, among many others—as well as lesser-known but equally fascinating and significant objects of art, architecture, and design from around the world. MoMA Now celebrates the richness of the Museum's collection and the diversity of issues and ideas embraced today. The book is not meant to be a comprehensive overview, nor to provide a definitive statement on the Museum's collection. On the contrary, it is designed to explore the complexity and variety of possibilities that exist within the collection, and to suggest new and imaginative ways of understanding the works of art that constitute it. Featuring 170 works not included in earlier editions, including a greater representation of works by women, artists of color, and artists from around the world, this new iteration is both a record of the Museum's past and a statement in anticipation of an exciting future.
French Modernism at the Guggenheim
The Short Story of Modern Art : A Pocket Guide to Key Movements, Works, Themes and Techniques


Concept, Art Direction, Design and Print Production for a print brochure.
The Cover visual is an abstract interpretation of the corporate logo, created with 3d modelling and rendering.
Hey Buddy!, I found this information for you: "SingEx Company Brochure". Here is the website link: http://mustardseed.com.sg/all_works/impact-2/. Thank you.


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text:
What is the first year like at an early stage startup?
Read this if you're curious about what the first year at a startup really looks like and what your role could look like a year into the game.
Ian Robert on September 19, 2019
I've written a lot about working at a startup. I'm a huge advocate when it comes to telling people that at some point in their life they should work for one – whether it be as an intern, your first job, or as a career change – because of the huge potential for growth and learning.
Yet oftentimes when I tell people that they should work for a startup, it's easy to leave out the actual day to day, week to week, month to month aspects of the job. It's without a doubt a shock to the system no matter at what stage someone is coming to a startup.
That being said, in this blog, I'll do my best to explain what the first year of working at a startup is really like. I'll throw in some insights, tips & tricks, and a few anecdotes to provide the most accurate and holistic view of my first year working at Scouted.
A humbling experience
Going into your first startup is a little like going into your freshman year of college. It's a whole new experience with new and interesting people in a foreign place. You're figuring out where your classes are, how to balance school and making friends, and realizing that there are a whole lot of different things to do.
My first year of working at Scouted was very similar to my first year at William & Mary (go Tribe!). I was pretty out of my depth for the first 6 months… I struggled, plain and simple. There was a lot of self-loathing and misunderstanding, stopping and starting, and doubt. I was trying to figure out what I was supposed to be doing and how to do it, all while on the job.
It wasn't until 6 months in where I really started to realize I needed to calm down and take things one step at a time. I started to read more, sit in on other meetings, talk to mentors/people who were more knowledgeable than me. It was this realization that really resonated with me: I need to get over the hump and get my shit together, people were counting on me to do my job and do it well, one way or another.
New/learning things
Reading was critical in my first year on the job. Once I realized I didn't know every single thing there was about my job, I made it my mission to learn everything that I needed to in order to be successful. On a typical day, anywhere from ⅓ to ½ my time was spent reading, listening, and consuming anything that was relevant to my job. I spent hours in the depths of marketing, business, and startup blogs.
As mentioned above, it was here I learned that people have spent a lot of time trying and failing in order to come up with successful methods. Testing was an integral part of being successful at a startup and failing (to an extent) was expected in order to find a greater outcome. By picking up these tips and tricks, I began applying them to my daily workflow, whether it be in metric tracking, building ad campaigns, or product improvements.
Testing and building
Testing has become and is an integral part of my life now – nothing I do now doesn't start with some form of a test/experiment. But when I first started working, it took a while to realize that this was normal procedure. It wasn't as simple as being told what to do it and how to do it, it was more along the lines of here is this very ambiguous goal figure out how we achieve it.
For example, one of my very ambiguous goals was "Double our users," and as our marketing lead, this was an integral part of my job. Yet as a kid straight out of school – how the hell was I going to double our users while on a shoestring budget?
That's where testing comes into play. I tried everything under the sun to see how we could double users. Everything from going to college campuses, Facebook ads, calling candidates to get them to convert, Linkedin, etc… I spent weeks working 80+ hours, and through a lot of trial and error, I was able to learn a lot of things and figure out a sustainable marketing strategy for Scouted with a lot of elements that we still use to this day.
Getting into a groove
Similar to a bicycle, I began to click through the gears and I found a rhythm that was sustainable and efficient. When I went to work every morning I knew what my, the team's, and the overall business goals were. There's something about this feeling of alignment that really gets me going. A collective and effective unit all simultaneously driving towards the same goal. My work felt meaningful and varied, there was no stagnation. Despite this being my first job I knew this was something special that a lot of people don't get to experience, a job I truly enjoyed and loved.
Maybe I'm lucky, maybe it's like this at a lot of startups, it's hard to tell at times. Yet I knew that this was a role that I was really enjoying, I was learning, testing, and driving real business outcomes all within the space of a single year.
Autonomy and driving outcomes
When people think of startups, they think of a more open/relaxed culture, open-plan offices, cold brew and beer on tap. Yet there is a lot of hard work that goes on behind the scenes before any startup gets to that point. It took almost a year, but by this point, I was starting to enjoy more of the fruits of our labor. Things like working from home and team lunches were great, but the thing that I received by the end of my first year that I enjoyed the most was greater autonomy. 1 year out of college, I was given nearly free reign over an entire part of the business, something that is virtually unheard of anywhere else.
I want to remind you that while this experience may be shared at other companies, it definitely isn't common. I was and am very fortunate to have founders that are extremely open to giving employees the opportunity to forge their own path and provide the tools necessary to be successful down that path.
Nonetheless, this is probably the best way I can describe the first year working at a startup, difficult yet rewarding.
Hopefully, my experience can offer some insight and informs you if you're ever making the decision to work at a startup.