Residential real estate is one of the viable investment opportunities driving the US economy forward. A good number of US citizens have always hoped to realize the celebrated American dream by engaging in investment properties. While several individuals have succeeded in owning a home, others are still in the process.
Residential investment vehicles offer investors the opportunity to purchase or sell all kinds of homes. Examples include apartments, condominiums, terraced houses, cooperative houses, duplexes, and so on. Such investment opportunities are always available in practically every state. Of course real estate investment is largely a regional decision and consequently is impacted by local factors. Buying and selling homes is an ongoing cycle in basically every city around America.
All over the US there are agencies and individual agents helping people invest in the residential real estate business. There are also various online real estate listing services that help home sellers advertise their properties. A good number of people get involved in the residential real estate business on a regular basis. This has continued to help the US economy in a myriad of ways.
The importance of residential housing on the US economy.
Ever since the days when the economic recession became a reality with financial giants like Lehman Brothers, Bear Sterns, and others collapsing in the second half of 2008 the residential real estate market has also become a volatile investment alternative. Nevertheless residential real estate has continued to remain one of the most viable tools that still drive the US economy forward. Since the recession began to substantially turn around in 201,, it has also been the primary driver of the US economy. Lots of cash returns have always been realized for the US economy through residential real estate businesses. The bulk of money comes from property taxes which most home owners pay annually to the government in order to protect their properties.
The residential housing business has also generated lots of employment opportunities for Americans. Many young guys are now making ends meet by working as real estate agents in their respective communities. Many contractors, land surveyors, loan officers, and others have also emerged. They have a lot to do with the residential real estate business in terms of the flow of money and jobs as they directly relate to the housing industry. In most cases, they help home buyers to realize their dreams of home ownership while simultaneously boosting US economic growth in the process.
Housing for Americans is always going to play an integral role in the US economy. The more houses are purchased, the more property tax collection grows. This ensures regular flow of income through the US economy.
There's also a growing interest of non-US citizens in the housing business in within the US. Numerous investors from other countries all over the world are given enough room to purchase all kinds of homes in various states. This in turn drives the US economy forward.
Indeed, the future still holds a lot of promise for the US economy. The residential market is actually booming. More promising reports are also in the pipeline. The US economy will continue to grow higher as the real estate market thrives. The economy is still reluctant to embrace sustained increases in housing values as property foreclosure inventory is still relatively high.


text:
What Shots Do Dogs Need Yearly?
By Molly Sawyer
Immunization Schedule for Puppies
i code blue image by Rckhnd from Fotolia.com
In the past, dog owners vaccinated their pets for every disease, every year, and some veterinarians still recommend "annual boosters" for their patients. Research has shown, however, that immunity to viral diseases lasts far longer than one year. Vaccinations for bacterial diseases provide shorter-lasting immunity and may be required annually.
Core vs. Non-Core Vaccines
In 2003, the American Animal Hospital Association developed a set of guidelines for canine vaccinations. The guidelines introduced the concept of "core" vaccines—those that should be given to all dogs—and "non-core" vaccines—those that should be given only to dogs at risk of contracting the disease. Core vaccines include parvo, distemper, adenovirus and rabies; these vaccines are viral and after the initial series are given on a revaccination schedule of three years or longer. Rabies vaccination is mandated by law in most of the United States, and local laws might require you to revaccinate more often than every three years.
Bordatella (Kennel Cough)
The most common non-core vaccine is for Bordatella bronchiseptica, often called kennel cough. Kennel cough is actually a complex of symptoms, much like the human cold, and like a cold can be caused by a number of different bacteria or viruses. The Bordatella vaccine only immunizes for a few of these organisms, which is why vaccinated dogs might still come down with the disease. Bordatella shots are recommended annually for dogs that have frequent contact with other dogs, such as those going to dog shows or day care. Most boarding kennels require a recent Bordatella shot prior to admission. Some veterinarians recommend giving this shot every six months to at-risk dogs.
The Leptospirosis vaccine is thought to cause a high incidence of adverse effects, and the AAHA guidelines recommend it not be given to puppies prior to 12 weeks of age. Several subspecies, or serovars, of Lepto exist; the recommended vaccine protects again four of them, but there is little cross-protection to other serovars. Dogs at highest risk are those exposed to livestock or wild mammals; outbreaks peak during the rainy season, so at-risk dogs should be vaccinated annually in the late winter.
The bacteria that causes Lyme disease is transmitted by ticks, and owners of dogs who are exposed to ticks might consider vaccinating for Lyme disease. The vaccination is controversial, however; it may cause serious adverse effects, including a form of Lyme disease. Most infected dogs will not show any signs of Lyme disease; those that do typically respond very well to antibiotics. The Lyme vaccine does not protect against other tick-borne diseases, so tick control methods are still necessary for vaccinated dogs.
Canine influenza is caused by the H3N8 virus, and was first seen in dogs in 2004. A nationwide outbreak occurred in early 2009, and shortly thereafter a vaccine was placed on the market. At the time, H3N8 was considered a "novel" pathogen: all dogs were at risk of contracting canine influenza because they'd never been exposed to the virus before. Today most dogs have probably been in contact with the virus; the symptoms of canine influenza mimic those of kennel cough, however, and the owners might not even have been aware their dog had the flu. Only a very small number of dogs will develop severe problems, typically as a secondary pneumonia. Dogs at risk include those housed in communal facilities—the disease was first seen at greyhound racing tracks—and those in areas where the virus is known to be causing infections.
False Positive Distemper in Cats→
FVRCP Intranasal Cat Vaccine→
Can Dogs & Cats Catch Human Colds or Viruses?→
UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine: Canine and Feline Vaccination Guidelines
The New York Times: 10 Things to Know About the H3N8 Dog Flu

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
import { Dispatch } from "react-redux";
import sdk from "../habooProvider";
import { } from "../stores";
import { ErrorResponse } from "@haboo/haboo-sdk";
import userSecurity from "../userSecurity";

export enum OrganizationAction {
    CREATE_REQUEST,
    CREATE_ERROR,
    CREATE_SUCCESS,
    FETCH_REQUEST,
    FETCH_ERROR,
    FETCH_SUCCESS
}

const createRequest = () => {
    return {
        type: OrganizationAction.CREATE_REQUEST,
        data: {
            isFetching: true
        }
    };
};

const createSuccess = (organization: any) => {
    return {
        type: OrganizationAction.CREATE_SUCCESS,
        data: {
            isFetching: false,
            ...organization
        }
    };
};

const createError = (errors: any) => {
    return {
        type: OrganizationAction.CREATE_ERROR,
        data: {
            isFetching: false,
            errors
        }
    };
};

export const organizationDispatcher = (dispatch: Dispatch<any>) => ({
    create: (state: any) => {

        dispatch(createRequest());

        return sdk.createOrganization(state.organization).then((data: any) => {
            return dispatch(createSuccess(data));
        })
        .catch(async (ex: ErrorResponse) => dispatch(createError(await ex.response.json())));

    }
});

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Een acryologie is een stijlfiguur waarbij woorden of kleine woordgroepen (collocaties) min of meer bewust in een verkeerde vorm worden gebruikt. De klank van het woord lijkt nog sterk op datgene wat echt bedoeld wordt. Bijvoorbeeld:

Ik zou dat indirect niet weten.
Welgefeliciflapstaart (in plaats van "Wel gefeliciteerd")
Een worst-kaasscenario (In plaats van "worst case")
Pot vol blommen! (in plaats van het rechtstreekse Godverdomme)

Verwante begrippen
Een acryologie is een bewuste vorm van verbastering. In de laatste twee bovengenoemde voorbeelden heeft deze stijlfiguur bovendien de functie om de negatieve gevoelens die met datgene wat bedoeld wordt (de referent) gepaard gaan te sparen. Dit gebruik is nauw verwant aan dat van een andere stijlfiguur, het eufemisme.

Het per ongeluk door elkaar halen van twee woorden of woordgroepen heet een contaminatie.

Indien twee bestaande woorden zodanig worden vermengd dat er een echt nieuw woord (neologisme) ontstaat, spreekt men van een porte-manteau.

stijlfiguur

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
package com.phly.common.activiti.service;

import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.Map;

import javax.annotation.Resource;

import org.apache.commons.lang3.StringUtils;
import org.slf4j.Logger;
import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
import org.springframework.stereotype.Service;
import org.springframework.ui.ModelMap;

import com.phly.common.activiti.dao.VacationRequestDao;
import com.phly.common.activiti.utils.ActivitiUtil;
import com.phly.common.activiti.vo.VacationRequestVO;
import com.phly.common.base.service.ServiceBase;
import com.phly.common.util.RequestContextUtil;

/**
 * 请假流程
 * @Description TODO
 * @author linyong
 * @since 2015年6月20日 上午12:40:09
 */
@Service
public class VacationRequestService extends ServiceBase implements IFormService {

	private final Logger logger = LoggerFactory.getLogger(getClass());

	@Resource
	private VacationRequestDao vacationRequestDao;

	@Resource
	private ActivitiUtil activitiUtil;

	public ModelMap queryVacationRequestList(VacationRequestVO vacationRequestVO) {
		ModelMap map = new ModelMap();
		map.put(TOTAL, 0);
		int count = this.vacationRequestDao
				.getVacationRequestCount(vacationRequestVO);
		if (count > 0) {
			map.put(ROWS, this.vacationRequestDao
					.queryVacationRequestList(vacationRequestVO));
			map.put(TOTAL, count);
			map.put(CURRENT, vacationRequestVO.getPageNo());
			map.put(ROWCOUNT, vacationRequestVO.getPageSize());
		}
		return map;
	}

	public ModelMap addVacationRequest(VacationRequestVO vacationRequestVO) {
		ModelMap map = new ModelMap();
		//申请人
		vacationRequestVO.setPerson(RequestContextUtil.getCurrentUser().getAccount());
		//业务表单服务类
		vacationRequestVO.setActFormService("com.phly.common.activiti.service.VacationRequestService");
		//业务表单明细页面,供审批查看
		vacationRequestVO.setActFormPage("/page/admin/activiti/vacationRequestDetail.jsp");
		//添加申请信息
		map.put("result",this.vacationRequestDao.addVacationRequest(vacationRequestVO));
		//保存流程变量
		Map<String,Object> vars = new HashMap<String,Object>();
		vars.put("vacationRequest", vacationRequestVO);
		activitiUtil.startWorkFlowByFormName("请假单", vacationRequestVO.getActFormService()+";"+vacationRequestVO.getActFormPage()+";"+vacationRequestVO.getId(), vars);
		return map;
	}

	/**
	 * 更新业务表单状态
	 * @param params
	 * @return
	 * @see com.phly.common.activiti.service.IFormService#updateStatus(java.util.Map)
	 */
	@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
	@Override
	public boolean updateStatus(Map<String,Object> params) {
		//当前处理任务的key
		String tdk = (String) params.get("taskDefinitionKey");
		//获取流程变量
		Map<String,Object> vars = (Map<String, Object>) params.get("processVariables");
		//获取审批结果
		String approved = (String) vars.get("approved");
		VacationRequestVO vacationRequestVO = new VacationRequestVO();
		//获取业务对象ID
		vacationRequestVO.setId((String) params.get("businessKey"));
		//根据当前任务节点和审批意见进行业务表单状态判断处理
		if(tdk.equalsIgnoreCase("usertask1")){//上级主管
			if(null != approved && StringUtils.equalsIgnoreCase(approved, "1")){
				vacationRequestVO.setStatus(2);//待部门经理审批
			}else{
				vacationRequestVO.setStatus(5);//审批不通过
			}
		}else if(tdk.equalsIgnoreCase("usertask2")){//部门经理
			if(null != approved && StringUtils.equalsIgnoreCase(approved, "1")){
				vacationRequestVO.setStatus(3);//待人力资源审批
			}else{
				vacationRequestVO.setStatus(5);//审批不通过
			}
		}else if(tdk.equalsIgnoreCase("usertask3")){//人力资源
			vacationRequestVO.setStatus(4);
		}
		//更新业务表单状态
		boolean flag = this.vacationRequestDao.updateVacationRequestStatus(vacationRequestVO);
		if(!flag){
			logger.error("更新请假单状态失败");
		}
		return flag;
	}

	public ModelMap getVacationRequest(VacationRequestVO vacationRequestVO) {
		ModelMap map = new ModelMap();
		VacationRequestVO vo = this.vacationRequestDao.getVacationRequest(vacationRequestVO);
		if(vo != null){
			map.put("sucflag", true);
			map.put("bean", vo);
		}else{
			map.put("sucflag", false);
		}
		return map;
	}

}


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text:
Karoline Felicitas Engelberte de Manderscheid-Blankenheim (Viena, 13 de novembro de 1768 — Viena, 1 de março de 1831) foi uma princesa de Liechtenstein por casamento. Foi a consorte de Aloísio I, com quem se casou em 16 de novembro de 1783 e com quem não teve filhos.

Karoline, porém, teve dois filhos com seu amante de longa-data, o capitão austríaco Franz von Langendonck. O filho deles, Karl Ludwig, nascido no verão de 1793, foi titulado visconde de Fribert.

Nobres da Áustria
Princesas de Liechtenstein
Rainhas católicas
Mortos em 1831
Condessas
Nascidos em 1768
Naturais de Viena


Hiraki LT, Major JM, Chen C, Cornelis MC, Hunter DJ, Rimm EB, Simon KC, Weinstein SJ, Purdue MP, Yu K, Albanes D, Kraft P.
The primary circulating form of vitamin D is 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D), a modifiable trait linked with a growing number of chronic diseases. In addition to environmental determinants of 25(OH)D, including dietary sources and skin ultraviolet B (UVB) exposure, twin- and family-based studies suggest that genetics contribute substantially to vitamin D variability with heritability estimates ranging from 43% to 80%.
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in four gene regions associated with 25(OH)D. These SNPs collectively explain only a fraction of the heritability in 25(OH)D estimated by twin- and family-based studies. Using 25(OH)D concentrations and GWAS data on 5,575 subjects drawn from five cohorts, we hypothesized that genome-wide data, in the form of (1) a polygenic score comprised of hundreds or thousands of SNPs that do not individually reach GWAS significance, or (2) a linear mixed model for genome-wide complex trait analysis, would explain variance in measured circulating 25(OH)D beyond that explained by known genome-wide significant 25(OH)D-associated SNPs. GWAS identified SNPs explained 5.2% of the variation in circulating 25(OH)D in these samples and there was little evidence additional markers significantly improved predictive ability. On average, a polygenic score comprised of GWAS-identified SNPs explained a larger proportion of variation in circulating 25(OH)D than scores comprised of thousands of SNPs that were on average, nonsignificant. Employing a linear mixed model for genome-wide complex trait analysis explained little additional variability (range 0-22%). The absence of a significant polygenic effect in this relatively large sample suggests an oligogenetic architecture for 25(OH)D.


text:
Maryland gubernatorial hopeful Wes Moore raises most cash as election season approaches
Ravens assistants to coach in East-West Shrine Bowl; ex-Raven Jarret Johnson honored | NOTES
Boundary study ordered for overcrowded Pleasant Plains Elementary in Towson
By Libby Solomon
Towson Times |
Pleasant Plains Elementary, in red, is the most overcrowded school in the central area according to Baltimore County Public Schools' 2018-2019 enrollment and capacity report. (Courtesy Baltimore County Public Schools)
A boundary study to relieve overcrowding at Pleasant Plains Elementary School is under way after the Baltimore County School Board rejected a study for Perry Hall Middle School last week, school system officials said.
The study will look at moving students from Pleasant Plains, which is at 131% capacity, to Halstead Academy and Hampton Elementary School, according to the school system website. Changes are set to take effect July 2020.
"Assuming a boundary study is a good next step, I'm happy to see we're making headway there," said Colleen Baldwin, vice president of the Pleasant Plains PTA. "I'm glad to be having the conversation."
Baltimore County adjusts 2019-20 school calendar: post-Labor Day start, longer spring break, later finish
Public schools in Baltimore County will begin after Labor Day, but end a little later next school year than originally planned.
By Liz Bowie
The move comes after a Board of Education meeting last week in which the board rejected a similar boundary study for Perry Hall Middle School, which is at 114% capacity this year.
Board member Julie Henn asked the school system to look at options for Perry Hall Middle, which uses relocatable classroom trailers, after the failure of a state school funding bill prompted County Executive John Olszewski Jr. to announce that construction of a new middle school in the northeast area of the county, which has already been designed, would be delayed until at least next year.
With the capacity relief of a new school indefinitely delayed, Henn and Councilman David Marks, who represents both Perry Hall and Towson, both advocated for a boundary study.
Chief Accountability Officer Russell Brown presented three options for Perry Hall Middle at the board meeting Tuesday: annexing an area of Perry Hall's district to neighboring schools; completing a full boundary review process; and "staying the course" by adding more trailers until a new northeast middle school takes shape.
Brown strongly recommended the board vote to stay the course.
"In my opinion, if we think about what's best for kids, if this were my student going to the school or my grandkid going to the school, this is the solution I'd be advocating for," Brown told the board.
Brown's reasoning was twofold. Because a Nottingham middle school is expected to take shape as soon as funding opens up, he said any boundary study would be temporary and unnecessarily disruptive – another boundary process could start anew as soon as the first boundaries take effect. And if his staff were to launch the time-consuming boundary review process for Perry Hall Middle, Brown said they would not also have the manpower to do so for Pleasant Plains, which is running out of space for trailers.
[More Maryland news] Baltimore Safe Streets East worker killed Wednesday in quadruple shooting 'wanted the best for his community' »
Pleasant Plains is the most overcrowded elementary school in the central area and the fourth-most overcrowded school in the county, according to the school system's latest capacity report. The three schools more overcrowded than Pleasant Plains are in the design or construction phase for replacement schools; Pleasant Plains has no capital project planned.
"It infuriates me that the proposal to redistrict Perry Hall Middle twice in the next several years would come at the expense of any work to develop a plan for Pleasant Plains," Baldwin, the PTA vice president, said in her testimony during the board meeting.
Baldwin said ensuring adequate staffing has been a strain on Pleasant Plains. A Title I school with nearly 60 percent of students qualifying for free or reduced meals, Baldwin said the school has leaned on its Title I funding to fill the gap.
Students and parents in Perry Hall Middle's district testified at the board meeting to say that moving students out of the school would be disruptive to those students, particularly if they were to be moved again when a new school is built.
"We don't want our children to be another temporary solution," said parent Mark Cherry.
Ryan Riddle, PTA president at Pleasant Plains, said until the agenda for Tuesday's board meeting was posted, he did not know the school system was considering a boundary study for Pleasant Plains.
"I didn't know there was going to be a boundary study until there was a threat of taking one away," Riddle said.
At Tuesday's board meeting, Henn acknowledged Brown's concerns given the assumption that a new school will be built — but "that is a big assumption," Henn said.
"My fear is we're multiple years away from that, and if it doesn't come to fruition we didn't provide relief for kids that are struggling now," Henn said.
New high schools to be delayed after state bill fizzles, Baltimore County executive says
Dulaney, Towson and Lansdowne High Schools are among projects County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. says will be pushed back after a $2 billion construction bill stalled in the Maryland Senate.
Ultimately the board voted to stay the course and relieve overcrowding with trailers, then come back next year and revisit the issue if funding for the new middle school does not come through. Henn and board chair Kathleen Causey abstained; the rest voted yes.
[More Maryland news] University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Health appoints three new board members »
Moalie Jose, who made the motion, said: "I really don't like jumping the gun on decisions like this that have a domino effect on different communities, because it's also about equity."
Baldwin and Riddle both said that while they support starting the conversation around school boundaries, they are not sure there are enough seats to fill the need in surrounding schools. The two schools being studied, Halstead Academy and Hampton Elementary School, had 137 unused seats total in 2018; Pleasant Plains had 158 more students than seats.
Latest Towson
Baltimore Hunger Project featured on 'The Kelly Clarkson Show'
Towson area crime log for Jan. 4-12
"I appreciate Dr. Brown starting to indicate we're on his radar," Riddle said. "Hopefully that will lead to a long-term solution."
David Marks
Baltimore County Sports


text:
BOCA DO LOBO PROJECTS
LIFESTYLE AND FASHION
Vanessa DeLeon Associates – Trendsetters in Luxury Design
LIFESTYLE AND
June 21, 2021 by jpacheco
The city of New York is home to some of the most incredible interior projects on Earth. Its vibrant and groundbreaking architecture is a constant source of inspiration, and behind many doors, lie amazingly luxurious interiors that one can only dream of. Vanessa DeLeon Associates is a New York based design firm which embodies the city's revolutionary vibe into their interior projects, mastering luxury design like no other.
Source: Vanessa DeLeon Associates
The award-winning Design Firm specializes in residential, commercial, and hospitality interior projects. Vanessa Deleon, Allied ASID, is the founder and principal interior designer, known for her bold creations which resonate with developers and residents alike. Now a true influencer in the luxury design world and inspired by her cultural composition, DeLeon combines modern and contemporary design with classic décor.
Discover some of the Best Interior Designers From New York City
Best Interior Designers From New York City (PART X)
Vanessa DeLeon Associates provides varied services when it comes to interior design. In residential projects they do new homes, re-modellings, and staging. In commercial projects they specialize in corporate and retail interiors, and in hospitality, they have worked in both restaurant and hotel design.
The company masters luxury design and their interior projects set trends. One of their most recognizable trademarks is the perfect synergy between different materials, patterns, and textures.
The design firm employs a floor-to-ceiling combination of materials in various finishes, from mattes to metallics. DeLeon is known for her balanced mixes, which is why, for example, when she uses steel, she tries to incorporate sheen to contrast the industrial look, giving it a warmer and more compelling look.
"I truly love working with a mix of materials—from natural stone, marble and granite to faux everything,"
In her luxury design projects, DeLeon uses different patterns and textures, providing visual interest and elevating the aesthetics of the project. The designer works with focal walls, creating unique moments for both residents and visitors. Vanessa DeLeon Associates often work with murals or pieces of art, which also provide the spaces a more high-end look which is centered in customization.
To balance these focal points, the interior designer incorporates a neutral palette and natural materials, such as light woods, gray and brown tones, which contrast with the golds, bronzes, and silvers.
Vanessa DeLeon Associates is a truly unique design firm which creates unmatched luxury design projects. Their work harmoniously combine classic elements and contemporary design, defying rules and setting new trends, all from New York City.
EBOOK BEST 75 INTERIOR DESIGNERS OF NEW YORK
#contemporary design
#design firm
#interior projects
#luxury design
#Vanessa DeLeon Associates
Forecasting the future of design


I'm working with frames. Need to set a page in another frame, it is so simple using "Target", but how can i do this from OnInputProcessing ou OnInitialization events?
in oninputprocessing set some variable to a value and in the layout check the variable , based on the variable value you could call a js function to open the url in a another frame.
This statament does not work with 'framename' parameter, framename means the windows name.
If i try to make any communication between those frames, they does not recognize those that are inside the "right.htm".
My question is, how can i make any communication or data transfer in the first pattern?
My page "right.htm" is a dynamic page, thats why i need it.


text:
Tickets and Subscriptions
Giovanni Rotolo
First soloist of The Czech National Ballet
Born in Italy, Giovanni Rotolo enrolled at the age of 14 at the Accademia Internazionale Coreutica in Florence, from which he graduated in 2011, under the tutelage of Elisabetta Hertel. In August and September 2010, he performed with the West Australian Ballet in Perth (led by the artistic director Ivan Cavallari) in Marcia Haydée's production of The Sleeping Beauty. He has garnered awards in a number of competitions in Italy and elsewhere, including third prizes in the junior classical category at the Rieti Danza 2008 festival and in the senior contemporary category at the Settimana Internazionale della Danza Spoleto 2011 competition, and the bronze medal in the senior category at the World Ballet Competition in Orlando, USA.
In August 2011, Giovanni joined the Czech National Ballet, led by the artistic director Petr Zuska. Two years later, he was named a demi-soloist, and in 2016 a first soloist.
Giovanni is a talented young artist of extraordinary technical qualities and immense spiritual insight, a dancer possessing charisma and stage presence. He harbours charm, nobleness, Italian mettle, and serves as an Ancient ideal of masculine beauty, excelling in classical ballet, as well as any other style and genre of the contemporary dance theatre.
The National Theatre audience have had the opportunity to see him in the productions of In the Middle Somewhat Elevated (Forsythe), Theme and Variations and Serenade (Balanchine), Fancy Free (Robbins) and Rooster (Bruce). He has performed as the Prince in The Sleeping Beauty and Solor in La Bayadère (both adapted by Javier Torres), Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, Toník in The Sorcerer's Apprentice and the Lover in The Little Mermaid (both created by Jan Kodet),Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet, the Father in The Nutcracker and the Cuddly Mouse, Father in Le sacre du printemps, Colas in La Fille mal gardée, the lead roles in Petr Zuska's Tremble and Solo for the Two of Us. He has also danced the baritone solo in Jiří Kylián's Field Mass, appeared in Uwe Scholz's Symphony No. 7 in A major, Jacopo Godani's Reflections on the Fate of Human Form, Radu Poliktaru's Rain and Mauro Bigonzetti's Vertigo.
In 2017, he received the Director of the National Theatre Prize for young artists up to the age of 35.
Current roles
Boy elegy, Father
The Nutcracker – A Christmas Carol
Policeman Bobbie / Nutcracker, Oriental dance
The National Theatre
The Estates Theatre
La Fille mal gardée (The Wayward Daughter)
Colas, Widow Simone
Slavic Temper
Dancers, Duet
The New Stage
Prince Siegfried
Kafka: The Trial
Josef K.
Kylián – Bridges of Time
Prince Leonce, his son, Valerio
Solo for the Two of Us
Production partners
Kolowrat-Krakowští
Prof. MUDr. Dadja Altenburg-Kohl
Mo–Su 10:00am – 6:00pm
info@national-theatre.cz
News, special offers and discounts
Benefactors' Club
Brought to the world by


"My blueberry donuts are baked, not fried, so they are a little healthier than a traditional donut…. Plus there's fruit, so that's always a good thing, right? The lemon glaze is so bright and tart, so it's the perfect compliment." I couldn't have said it better myself Ang!
Make your way over to Juggling Act Mama for the recipe!
YUM! Cannot wait to make these!!!


An HTML virus is, in this case, a small gif picture that requests its viewers to copy the picture to their pages. Needless to say, if some people copy the image, other people will copy it from their pages - thus making the picture spread in a virus-like manner.
It is also the most stylish and fashionable thing imaginable to have on one's home page. Is your page dull? Don't you have any visitors?
Get yourself an HTML virus today! Be the envy of your friends! Tomorrow, it may be too late!
I created the first HTML virus on November 19th, 1995, but the little stick-figure-type character is about five years older than that; it was invented in high school during some boring math lessons, dubbed a "virus", and scribbled into other people's notebooks. In 1991 and 1993, I wrote two games for Amiga computers that featured them.
Copy the virus to your page (you can save it by moving the cursor over the desired picture and holding down the right mouse button) instead of just linking to the images on this server.
Don't change the image filename. If the filenames start with htmlvir or animvir, they can be tracked with search engines.
You're welcome to make the picture a link to these pages. This will provide the inquisitive minds who visit your pages with additional information, and probably help spread the viruses (virii?) even more.


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Q: Running 2 virtual hosts side by side interactively - no guests, just hosts Are there any virtualisation products out there that let me run Windows XP and Linux side by side and interact with both of them at the same time without logging into them from another computer.
i.e. something like ESXi but to be usable on the same box?
You might be wondering why I want to do that.
Well, I'm a developer and I want a very flexible development environment with native speed.  Right now I'm running Linux as my main OS, and Windows 7 inside virtual box. So Linux is acting as the host.  But, I'm needing more performance in the network API and I want native access to the hardware not through emulation.  I was hoping that I wouldn't need to buy another computer.

A: Apparently Citrix has been working on a product designed to accomplish this, but it appears to be designed for laptops and has a pretty limited compatible hardware.  I am not aware of anything like this aimed for consumer use.

A: As far as virtualization is concerned what you are looking for a Type 1 Client Hypervisor and even though I understand what you mean about running two hosts "side by side" that isn't how these things work. Either you have a Hypervisor that takes control of the hardware and it boots VM's or you have hardware that can actually be physically partitioned, effectively presenting multiple systems that share common IO\console hardware. There are some examples of the latter out there but they generally have a low powered rapid boot\appliance style system combined with a full blown system for more serious work (e.g. this DFI Hybrid) so I don't think they would meet your needs either.
With any virtualization type solution your operating systems will always be running as Virtual Machine Guests and they will see virtualized hardware. If performance is what you really need, especially at the network level, then either move to a proper bare metal server Hypervisor like ESXi\Xen and accept the limitations of running your desktops from a remote system or stick to a bare metal OS install if you need to work at the hardware level.
As Zoredache has said Citrix Xenclient now have a Type 1 Client Hypervisor but there are very stringent hardware requirements. Your operating systems are still classed as VM guests and see virtual, not physical, hardware although there may be some form of hardware IO virtualization going on too that might come into play. Given the very strict hardware restrictions it seems likely that hardware IO virtualization is key part of this so wider hardware support may be very slow to appear although if that is the case then performance of the VM's should be very close to bare metal.
There is a good article on the state of play in the market for client Hypervisors as of a couple of months ago by Brian Madden in this . There are some other smaller players in the market, Virtual Computer's NxTop for example, but there are no end user type products (like VirtualBox\Workstation\Parallels) as far as I'm aware.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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An Entrepreneur's Approach to an Art Jewelry Business with Karen Lorene, Owner of Facèré Jewelry Art Gallery
Most people enter the jewelry industry because of a love of all things beautiful and shiny, but to survive requires some business acumen. Karen Lorene, owner of Seattle's Facèré Jewelry Art Gallery, spoke with Sharon Berman on the Jewelry Journey podcast about the lessons she's learned over her years as a successful gallerist. Read the transcript below.
Sharon: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Jewelry Journey podcast. Today, we're delighted to have as our guest Karen Lorene, owner of the Facèré Jewelry Art Gallery in Seattle. Karen founded the gallery in 1983 and has seen many changes in the marketplace over the decades. Today, she's going to share some of the best practices she's put in place and the lessons she's learned, things any entrepreneur can learn from. They're also interesting to those who are passionate about jewelry. Karen, welcome very much to the Jewelry Journey.
Karen: Thank you, a pleasure to be here.
Sharon: Thanks so much. I've really been looking forward to this conversation. You've had your gallery for decades and you've seen others come and go over the years. Can you tell us about what got you into the business? I know you didn't start in art jewelry; you started in antique jewelry and furniture. Can you tell us a little bit about that?
Karen: It all happened on one day. My mother had an attic, not an attic full of really cool things, but just full of stuff. I had dropped out of graduate school because it wasn't fulfilling what I wanted, and I thought, "I know what I'll do. I will learn by doing." That's what I had learned at the lab school at the University of Chicago, where I taught. I thought, "I'll take that stuff and I will create a business around stuff." Some of it was turn of the century and some of it was cool. And one day, I was all set up. I had two lovely little stores, one called North Country Fair — thank you, Bob Dylan — and Vanity Fair, because they were both fairs.
I had just moved, by myself, a cast iron stove into the window of my gallery, and I had just placed a bouquet of flowers on that stove when this man came in and said, "How much?" I almost cried because his next question was, "And, of course, you deliver," which of course wasn't a question; it was a selling point. I said, "Of course," and I decided right then and there I had to sell something small, that you could carry in your hands, that is worth as much as a cast iron stove. I decided I would sell jewelry that was antique. That was 40-some years ago, when I didn't know anyone who wore antique jewelry and I knew nothing about it. You have to stop me at some point, because I'm good at telling stories and this might go on forever.
Sharon: No, this is very interesting. That's what we want to hear.
Karen: I started the antique part of my business, but because I was so ill-informed, I decided to teach. I had room for six people, and each week I would work and work and work to teach the next lesson. Those people became my best customers and I became knowledgeable. I had to find it and sell it, and each time I would do that, I would learn more about the world of antique jewelry. It wasn't until, at the advice of an advisory board — by the way, that was something I did that other entrepreneurs might consider. I was working with a consultant and he suggested creating an advisory board, and I said to him, "Why would anybody want to be an advisory board? This is for free." And he said, "Karen, everybody wishes they had a little store. You'll give them that opportunity and you'll serve very good cookies and they will become friends with each other." And that group of six suggested I move from where I was on Seattle's waterfront to uptown. They thought I was ready, so I started courting the Sheraton Hotel. After a year, they gave me a lease.
I learned the world of modern jewelry, but it was only at the modern jewelry shows, the ones in New York and L.A., where tucked away in the corner were the "aspiring jewelry makers," as they called them. They were young. They had new ideas and I liked their jewelry the most. So, I started learning about the budding world of jewelry art, not realizing that there are universities all over the United States that have programs for metalsmiths, and those were the people I wanted to get in touch with. I wanted to cultivate and sell that, and that changed the whole direction of what I did. I've never regretted it ever.
Sharon: I know you have been instrumental in creating more visibility for the world I call art jewelry. It's the same as jewelry art. Can you tell us how, through promoting the store and marketing it to customers, you created that visibility?
Karen: I learned to meet the people who could help me the most, and one of those people was Mary Lee Hu, who at the time was the head of the metals department at the University of Washington. She opened the doors. The Society of North American Goldsmiths was an international group that I joined. I learned more about this group of people, and it was an easy learn because even today, there are so many artists who need and want representation. It's a tough business. I told someone who was thinking of going into the biz, "Just be prepared. It'll be like having a child." Now, this is said by a woman who's had no children, so I think it must feel that way. It demands your attention. It demands your love. You have to learn all the time. You have to deal with disappointments. Someone that you've nursed and brought into the fold disappears. They go somewhere else, and that's always hard, but it happens and that's life. At this stage of the game, we turn down way more artists than we can ever, ever accept.
Sharon: When you say that they go somewhere else, do you mean they allow another gallery to represent them?
Karen: Yeah, or to a bigger store. Part of what we do at Facèré is we run it just like an art gallery. Everything is consigned. Some artists find someone who can buy it outright. I understand they need to do that, but it's always hard. We've lost a couple of big-name artists because they had to put kids in college, and a small business is not what they needed. They've gone on to have bigger, more important businesses, but then I have the pleasure and the pride in helping them make that step. I have artists who have been with me from the beginning.
Sharon: I think one of the things that a gallery like yours offers is the fact that, because it's a gallery, it really has unique, one-of-a-kind things, and that's what people are attracted to.
Karen: We do things like with every show opening, we have short lectures upstairs. It's a one-hour window, and we try to get five artists or five writers when we do a written thing, and they have 10 to 12 minutes, so they don't get nervous and the audience doesn't get bored. My audience grows and grows all the time with those openings. They're upstairs in a boardroom, so there's good video, and then we come down for champagne and everybody gets to know each other, and hopefully people shop, which generally they do. We do those on a very regular basis, six or eight a year.
Sharon: Oh wow, that's a lot!
Karen: They build our neighborhood. There's no membership, but they're our friends and we try to make it as informative as possible. Our price range is probably $60 at the lowest, but it goes to $20,000. It's important to us that we appeal to a large spread of people and that we appeal to people who will grow and become more adventuresome and will acquire more money. So, no matter what the size of that sale is, every customer gets a folder with a letter from me that says, "Hi, welcome to the world of collecting," an article about Facèré, and the bio of the artist and an artist statement, so the customer starts to be aware that there is a world of collecting. It's like collecting all art forms. They want to keep a record. They want to be able to find it; they should have a file where they put it. We try to do as much as we can to build their awareness of the person behind the jewelry. It's not just a ring; it's a ring created by someone who sat at their bench and made that ring happen or that brooch or that necklace.
Sharon: That's really great. It's so important. That's what differentiates this kind of jewelry.
Karen: Yes, absolutely. Yesterday, I was talking to someone about this upcoming interview and they said, "Be sure that you let them know that people will know them by their jewelry. They won't even have to speak their name."
Sharon: Oh, wow!
Karen: It gives me goosebumps to say that because I think it's really true. I tell people, the first time they buy a nice presentation necklace is usually where it shows that people are going to stop them on the street, and people are even going to reach out and try to touch it. You have to be aware that your jewelry is an invitation to the world to say hello.
Sharon: I love that.
Karen: Yeah, it happens all the time.
Sharon: Do you think, with this folder and telling people, "Welcome to the world of collecting," do people say, "Oh my god, I just bought a piece of jewelry. I didn't mean to start a collection"?
Karen: That's O.K. I just smile and say, "Gotcha." We really try to build relationships. Our customers truly, truly become our friends. We're having a big to-do in a couple of weeks, and we sent out an invitation to our mailing list, which is a couple thousand people in the city where nobody RSVPs. As of today, we have 176 RSVPs. I'm ordering another case of champagne. When people come to these parties and openings we have, they get to see each other. They get to see other people wearing the kind of jewelry they've just been introduced to, and they see that it looks great and it does invite conversation. It lets people know who you are.
Sharon: I think we've talked a little bit about what makes a collector. I guess I've accepted the fact that I'm a collector, but I never set out to become a collector. When does one become a collector?
Karen: Nor did I. Someone a couple of years ago said to me, "You must have a really big collection," and I said, "Oh, I don't think so." And then I stopped and thought, "No, I do." I have a very extensive collection, all the way from a few dollars to some investments. The other thing that's happened is, as I've grown older with my folks and my artists, it's important that they not feel burdened by their collection and that there comes a time perhaps to let pieces go. Recently, one of our most loved and adored artists passed away and within hours, people were emailing us to say, "Do you have his work?" We sold a piece that originally might have sold for $2,000 to $5,000 for close to $20,000 now that he has passed and there will be no more. That's unusual. Most of the artists that I have collected don't even make jewelry anymore. They aren't even in the world of art, but in my head they are. Can't get away.
Sharon: Hopefully there will be a secondary market for art jewelry.
Karen: Yeah, there is, and that's a whole nurturing that's different. We have a list of our most vigorous collectors and when something comes in, we will send a photo and say, "It crossed our minds that you might be interested in this piece." We try not to be pushy but just let them know this is a moment and they should check it out. It doesn't take long before you know who responds to that well, and even if someone doesn't respond at all, that's fine. We aren't going to bother them. There are certain artists who have become very collectable, and they're represented by museums and they're in special collections. Sometimes that artist made very few pieces, but they were brilliant. There's a whole range of collecting and we know the taste of our collectors, our customers and we also know the husbands.
Sharon: I've talked to retailers and gallerists about this because I am somebody who appreciates it when somebody says, "Hey, this came in and I really thought of you."
Karen: If it's true.
Sharon: Yes, I really appreciate it. I've had others who say, "Well, I don't like to do that. I don't want to seem pushy," and I'm just like, "Bring it on."
Karen: Yeah, the trick is to do it with grace and style. You're either just sending an email that says, "Look at this," or you send a photo saying, "We thought of you. We would love to see you whether you come in to see this piece or not." We say those things because they're so important.
Sharon: Yes, somebody thought about you, as opposed to emailing you everything that comes into the shop, and you go, "Stop it."
Karen: Yeah, exactly.
Sharon: What do you look for when you're deciding whether to accept an artist's work into a gallery? I know that you're approached very, very often.
Karen: Yeah, we're approached often, and I don't know if people realize we're 250 square feet. We already have 50 artists and, thank goodness, I'm married to an architect. He's retired now, but he designed our cases and our window display, so we get a lot in that 200 square feet.
When I speak to students, I say, "Always wear your jewelry. Don't hesitate." I know this is anathema to people in university programs because they say, "Call and make the appointment." I say if you're walking around in a city you've never been in and you see a gallery you think might be yours, go on in and say hello and take that chance. As a gallery owner, the possibility of my not looking at jewelry is zero. Of course, I'm going to look at jewelry. Now, whether they get accepted depends, but sometimes I can say, "You should try this place, or you should try that place," although that's getting harder and harder to do as small businesses are struggling. When I choose someone, it's because I have nothing else like it at all, I mean really nothing like it. That becomes very important, because we're looking for a spread of styles and kinds of work and a spread of price, because we want to appeal to that beginning collector who hardly has a dime, or the beginning collector who happens to have a huge amount of money but we need to appeal to them as to why this would make sense. I just jumped from talking about the artist to the collectors, but they're pretty wed. In the last year, we took on two artists that I never dreamed we could squeeze into the gallery, but it was so fresh and so original. Then there is a turnover that happens for people who are thinking of opening a gallery. People have babies. People need to make money. There are all kinds of reason that people leave our industry, our world. That's life. That's how it goes.
Sharon: Are you saying in terms of people who buy jewelry or in terms of galleries?
Karen: Both, but I was mostly speaking of the artist. You had asked what I do about artists who come in. So, even though we're full, there is a turnover that happens because life happens. Every once in a while, we'll take on somebody because maybe the day before, someone said, "O.K., I'm done with it, sorry to say." It doesn't happen often. Most people fall in love with this world.
Sharon: Most people aren't doing it to get rich, I don't think.
Karen: You're right. It's not the way to get rich.
Sharon: You've learned a lot over the years about the kind of space a gallery should have to thrive. I think it's really important for others thinking about toying with the idea of an art gallery or jewelry gallery, to consider what they should look for in terms of space. Can you tell us about that?
Karen: If I were starting out, I would tell a person, "Go sit in front of the store, whether it's a tower that has retail in it or a shopping mall that has small retail spaces, go sit there. Watch the people. Try to see at least one person rank some interesting jewelry." When we opened at City Center, which is a very uptown space, I had people say, "Karen, that's not where the art is," and my answer was, "Yes, but that's where the people are," with the hope and knowledge that I could win them over. That happened over all these years. I've been in this space for 27 years.
Sharon: I know you mentioned some of the specifics, such as having a board room or a conference room.
Karen: For us, it's really important that we have a place to have these lectures. We use that boardroom. It's so helpful because it has good audio and video stuff, so artists can bring and show their work, which is what people really want to see, and not just talk about it. I'm going to interrupt this train of thought for just one second. In the last couple of years, we went into public television, which is the best advertising, short of the cards that we send regularly. People come in and say thank you for our ads. If you're a retailer listening, when was the last time someone said thank you for your ad? We truly believe in public TV and people pay attention. The other reason — and this sounds ageist — I think our oldest customers who have been with us a while watch public TV. I don't know if young kids do or not, but getting the young audience is one of the biggest challenges we have.
Sharon: It is for a lot of us, getting that millennial audience for antique jewelry. It's a challenge.
Karen: Well, the whole world is a challenge, so there you go. I just made that up, so forgive me.
Sharon: We had talked a little about the trends you're seeing in the jewelry art market. For instance, you talked about the fact that small items under $500 are being purchased more online.
Karen: We think that's happening more and more. We've just finished one of the best weeks we've ever had, and most of those sales were earrings because they're a piece of jewelry that women have many of, whereas they might have just — that reminds me, I want to talk about one thing before I finish this sentence. Very large sculptural pieces are purchased less often. For every five pairs of earrings, you might get one necklace.
Sharon: You're not talking about an objet d'art, like a necklace that is a statement?
Karen: Yes, that has real presence. One of our biggest sellers — and she's passed on — was Ramona Solberg, who was head of the metals department at the University of Washington. Her pieces are very strong. I have two of them in my collection that I adore. They have a plaque that's front and center. You also have to learn to purchase clothing that allows you to show off your jewelry, which sometimes means plain and simple, and then the jewelry carries the day.
Sharon: Yes, definitely. You want that canvas to put it on.
Karen: Yes, perfect illustration.
Sharon: I wanted to mention a couple things before we close. You mentioned two names, and I don't know if everybody listening would know them, but Mary Lee Hu is certainly a very, very well-known goldsmith and artist. There's also the Society of North American Goldsmiths, which is known as SNAG. Do you want to talk about how SNAG has entered into your world?
Karen: It was especially important when I first started, and I needed to meet and see all kinds of jewelry. SNAG is a maker's organization primarily, although gallery owners show up, but most people are makers. It gives you a chance to see their work because many, many lectures relate to what they're doing. It also allows you to actually handle it, which is really important. In all jewelry, weight is important. The artist needs to become aware that there are certain things they might think are wonderful, but they should walk around in it for a couple of days if it's big, because people want large pieces, but they don't want them to hurt.
Sharon: I know I've been on the verge of buying a piece and I've walked around the floor and said, "Oh no, it's not going to work."
Karen: Every once in a while, you forgive it because it's just too cool. Another thing that I have done — we live on a house boat and most of my jewelry is on the wall. I don't put it in a box and say, "Here, thief, come and take. Here's the jewelry box." One, I hope they don't realize that it has the kind of value that they need to melt, but anyway, I have a bracelet wall. I need to get dressed and out the door in the morning, so I need to be able to find a bracelet. Earrings are in little cubbies, because that's harder to hang on the wall. All my necklaces are hung on the wall, and almost every brooch I own I wear on a wire as a necklace. I don't have time to figure out exactly where it goes, and I don't want to put holes in my clothing usually, but everyone who is listening, if you have pins or brooches that you don't wear very often, get yourself a gold wire or a silver wire. They're usually round and they can make a design of your brooch. I wore a Mary Hu two days ago. I have a long, gold multi-strand necklace and I have a brooch that I hang on the bottom of that. It's about 20 inches. I can't afford all of Mary's work, but I can afford a brooch and I can afford a gold wire. I didn't grow up around jewelry. I respect people's budgets, but every once in a while, you need to take that trick and get the piece that you love. When I see a piece like that, I salivate. Usually I go, "Oh my god, maybe this has to be put on layaway for a while."
Sharon: You salivate and my heart beats faster, so I know what you're talking about.
Karen: I love it.
Sharon: Karen, it has been fabulous to talk with you. Thank you so much. To everybody listening, that wraps up another episode of the Jewelry Journey. If you like what you heard, and you would like to hear more, you can subscribe on iTunes or wherever you download podcasts, and please rate us. We'll be back next time with another thought-provoking guest giving us a professional take on the world of jewelry. Thanks so much for listening and Karen, thank you so much.
Karen: Thank you, it was a lot of fun.


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Our Heart Adventures
Our journey as a family through our youngest son's battle with congenital heart disease.
Houston Things to Do
Hermann Park Train and Houston Zoo Lights
One of the goals of this blog is to also help others that may be in a similar situation as us (not from the Houston area, but looking at potentially temporarily relocated for their heart baby). So in addition to updates on Baby Jude and his health, we also want to include real-life events and things we experience on our journeys to Houston.
At our last visit on December 23, we chose to spend an extra night in Houston, hoping to have time after our appointments to take the boys to do something fun. The last two times we had gone for appointments it was a quick turnaround there and back, which isn't much fun for our 10 and 4 year olds.
One activity they had been asking to do was to take the train around Hermann Park. You can use this link for the official train information. We were able to find a parking spot on the outskirts of Hermann Park, but then had some confusion about where to go to buy tickets for the train. We could see the tracks, but didn't know the origin point. After following the Reflecting Pool and walking around McGovern Lake, we found the Conservancy Gift Shop. In the map below, it's the two black dots on the right side of McGovern Lake.
Here's a photo of what the train looks like during the day. However, we were riding right at dusk, so it was a little harder to see. They did have the train decorated with lights for Christmas though.
Photo borrowed from Hermann Park website
We had to wait around 15 minutes for the train to make it back to the station, then it was our turn to ride. The ride around the park takes around 20 minutes and the kids really enjoyed it.
Our next stop, which just happened to be next door, was the Houston Zoo to see the Christmas Lights. The zoo had opened while we were waiting in line for the train and there were a LOT of people going in. Crowds are not something we really love to deal with, so we told the boys we would see what it looked like when we got off the train. The line had gone away by the time we got off, so we headed over to the zoo.
Admission is a little pricey at $35 per person for anyone over the age of 2, but the quality of the lighting displays was superb.
Also, one little tip. In the restroom area they had several portable toilets lined up. Not realizing that wasn't the actual bathroom, that's where I stopped. Jas told me after there are real bathrooms further down the line (but as usual, the ladies had a long line, hence the portable toilets). So, if you need to go and you want a real bathroom, just keep walking past the portable toilets.
Holiday Grove
This area had music playing and my two love to dance. I managed to get a short video when they didn't know I was looking. ☺
I didn't take any photos of dinner, but we did stop to eat at the Cypress Circle Cafe. The food was surprisingly pretty good for food served at the zoo. They really strive to be green and it was easy for me to find items that fit into my diet for my gestational diabetes. There were also several food carts open selling drinks (including St. Arnold's beer) and snacks. The boys picked up some cotton candy (while I internally drooled - I have a serious sweet tooth and it is hard to abstain!).
An animatronic dragon that was really beautiful and neat to see. Josiah was a little scared, so he kept his distance.
Coca Cola Plaza
Alex was a little nervous in this section. For whatever reason he was convinced the polar bear was going to move when he stood next to it. 😂
Enchanted Forest - my favorite!
They really outdid themselves with the Enchanted Forest section. This photo truly does not do it justice. The lights were everywhere and completely immersive and it felt like we were transported to another world. Almost like visiting Willy Wonka with the large plants and all the colors. Beautiful!
At the end, we stopped at the gift shop to pick up an ornament (it's our family souvenir that we buy anytime we visit somewhere). It took us around 1.5 hours to see the lights and eat a quick dinner. I was getting pretty tired from the walking at this point, too. We all really enjoyed seeing the lights and it put us in the holiday spirit. The boys were disappointed that they didn't get to see any of the animals, but the Houston Zoo during the day is on their wish list now.
Posted by Misty at 11:42 AM
Welcome to our family's story of adventuring through life with a son who has Congenital Heart Disease (CHD). We hope that by sharing our story here we can help others who may be going through a similar situation.
Lunch at Cyclone Anaya's & Hermann Park
Lunch at The Pit Room BBQ and Updates on the Boys
Dinner at Prego & Opera at the University of Houston
Updates on Boys & Houston Car Show
Houston, We Have Arrived
35 Week Update
How to "fix" Jude
Why We Chose Texas Children's Houston


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General, Health, Nature
Global 'bright spots' offer climate hope
October 15th, 2016, by Richard Sadler
An initiative involving forest people in Indonesian Borneo is helping to protect the habitat of orangutans. Image: Meret Signer via Flickr
Scientists show how humans can improve poor people's lives by reversing practices that destroy the environment and fuel climate change.
LONDON, 15 October, 2016 − We are constantly bombarded with bad news about climate change and the state of the planet – to the point where problems can seem so great that we feel powerless to do anything about them.
But an international group of scientists is seeking to change that by collating examples from around the world of "bright spots" – practical, community-based initiatives that enhance people's health and wellbeing, while at the same time protecting their environment and benefiting the climate.
Over the last two years, researchers have analysed 100 of more than 500 such case studies submitted to the newly established Good Anthropocene website. They range from an initiative in Indonesia, in which forest people are offered healthcare in exchange for conserving natural resources, to a not-for-profit company in the Netherlands manufacturing modular, easily repairable mobile phones.
Scientists from McGill University in Canada, Stockholm University in Sweden and Stellenbosch University in South Africa have studied some of the common factors behind successful projects. Their research, in a new paper titled Bright Spots: Seeds of a good Anthropocene, is published in the Ecological Society of America journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.
The term "Anthropocene" refers to the geological epoch that began when human activities first started to have a global impact on the Earth's ecology.
The report notes that anthropogenic change is compromising the future of the biosphere − the area of the planet's surface and atmosphere that supports all life − and threatening the planetary conditions necessary for human societies to flourish. However, it asserts that the future does not need to be bleak.
Among the initiatives highlighted are Health in Harmony, an award-winning project providing low-cost healthcare to marginalised communities in Indonesian Borneo in exchange for a commitment to protect natural resources and reduce deforestation.
I'm excited about this project because it offers environmental scientists a chance
to start looking at things positively"
Over the last five years, this has lead to a 68% reduction in illegal logging in Gunung Palung National Park, home to carbon-rich peat and one of the few remaining significant populations of orangutans. Over the same period, there has been a significant improvement in the general health of people living around the park.
Another success story is the Satoyama Project in Japan, which has helped revive traditional low-impact farming, where migration of wild animals can take place between ponds, rice paddies, grasslands and forests. City dwellers are collaborating with rural communities by staying on farms, carrying out voluntary manual work, offering financial support and helping to market eco-friendly products.
By contrast, Fairphone is a small Dutch non-profit company manufacturing mobile phones without using "conflict minerals" − materials mined in unstable parts of the world where human rights abuses are common.
The Fairphone is designed so that worn-out parts can be easily repaired or replaced, reducing the need for phones to be thrown away – and reducing demand for further mining of raw materials.
Lead author Dr Elena Bennett, associate professor at McGill University's School of the Environment, thinks there is great potential for bright spots, or "seeds of good anthropocene", to be replicated around the world.
"I'm excited about this project because it represents a big shift for environmental scientists to start looking at things positively," she says. "We tend to be very focused on problems, so to look at examples of the sustainable solutions that people are coming up with – and to move towards asking 'What do the solutions have in common? – is a big change."
Dr Bennett adds: "This is also a move away from the typical academic perspective of looking at things in a top-down way, where we the scientists determine the definitions.
"We have encouraged people who are involved in the projects to define what makes a project 'good' − partly because we didn't want to be driven by our northern European or North American sensibilities. We wanted to see a variety of ideas about what people want from the future."
− Climate News Network
climate policy, Deforestation, global warming, Human health
About Richard Sadler
Richard Sadler, a former BBC environment correspondent, is a freelance environment and science journalist. He has written for various UK newspapers, including the Guardian, Sunday Times and Ecologist.
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There are two things I wish I knew when I started building Event Sourced Apps.
Always talk to the domain expert before building or designing anything, no matter how "simple"
When we ignore the above and just forge ahead, we invariably end up with CRUD based events. Nine times out of ten these events will not mirror the actual business processes, and instead they will get in the way and make development harder and slower.
CRUD stands for Create/Read/Update/Delete. Most Databases operate on a CRUD model, like MySQL or MongoDB. You Read a model from the DB, change a value, and then Update the record in the DB. This is all fairly straight forward.
CRUD is how we as developers have trained ourselves to think. As part of our day to day, we translate specs into tables, then model all our operations on that data as CRUD. Hell, most of our UIs are expressed as CRUD based forms, so it's no wonder we're obsessed with the concept.
The thing is, the domain experts don't speak in CRUD terms, that's our language, not theirs. Whenever we build a solution without talking to a domain expert we fill the knowledge gaps ourselves, using the language we know best. We end up modelling our events as CRUD operations, even if it in no way matches the language or the processes of the business itself. It turns out this causes massive headaches further down the line, as the following story will showcase.
This story is drawn from past experience, some of the details are changed, but the core message is the same.
We were a small team building an online training product. We had multiple independent services, one of which had a concept called a Course.
A Course is a training video on a certain topic. Conceptually it's a pretty simple object, it has a title, an image and content. These properties were simple as well, title is a non-blank string, and both image and content are URLs to files uploaded through the GUI. So we decided to make Course an aggregate, it had a simple lifecycle and was self contained. All good.
First we started with UI mockups and broke down their expected behaviour.
We saw that a user can Create, Update and Delete a course (you can see the CRUD language bleeding in already). Thus we came up with the following commands and events.
This all seems pretty straight forward, but look closer and you'll see the cracks in this design.
First off, it doesn't tell us anything interesting. A course was updated, sure, but what was actually updated? Did the title change, did the image? Any service that cares about the title changing has to keep track of that title historically in order to check if it changed. That's a lot of work for such a simple task.
The above events are brittle. If the "Course" changes shape, eg. a description is added, then you have to upgrade every "CourseCreated" and "CourseUpdated" events and update every single service that consumes that event. That's a lot of extra work just to add a description to a course.
We, like most developers getting started in Event Sourcing, we were still thinking in terms of CRUD. Based on the UI, we knew the type of commands and the data they needed, so we thought we had enough detail to start implementing. When it came time to actually create the events, we used our commands as a guide, converting them to past tense and calling those the events. A one to one mapping that we had completely made up without talking to a domain expert.
In short, we started with a UI, when we should have started with domain events. No wonder it was wrong. Oops.
How should the events actually look?
Well in order to answer this, we had to actually talk to a domain expert and figure out what they thought was important. While doing this, we needed to disregard what we had already modelled, as it was based on our own language, not the businesses.
So we interviewed them and asked "What do you do when administrating a course?", what's important to them. Then we flipped the question and asked them "What's important to others?", who do they tell about certain types of changes?
This was an eye opening exercise. The expert told us that whenever a course was added or changed, they told the marketing and transcoding teams. Delving deeper, we asked what they actually said to those teams, and when.
It turns out that the marketing team needed to know the current title and image for the course, or if the course was removed, they didn't care about anything else.
Conversely, the transcoding team cared about the content and nothing else.
Also, in their language, there was no distinction between creating a title/image/content and updating it, we had made that distinction up ourselves (based on our own internalisation of CRUD concepts).
This lead to the following events and commands.
Now let's see how these events stack up compared to the old ones.
With the new events the marketing and transcoding teams/services just have to listen for the events they care about. They no longer have to sift through the events to figure out if the change is important to them, making the overall system simpler. This is an event driven example of the Tell, don't ask principle.
Taking the above hypothetical situation, we want to add a description to the course. Instead of updating the existing events, we'll model this event as a new, discreet business change. So we'll simply add a new event called CourseDescriptionSet. This change is relatively easy to make and it only affects the aggregate, no event upgraders needed. The change doesn't affect any of the external services either, they can just keep consuming the existing Course events. Thus our system is less brittle to change. This is actually the Open/Closed Principle in action.
The developer and the domain expert are speaking the same language, at the same granularity. This shared understanding is explicitly modelled in the code, making it easier to understand. This will make future interactions simpler and minimise miscommunication.
After a little bit of exploration, we managed to make the Course aggregate much more useful to our system as a whole, exposing richer functionality than the basic CRUD implementation.
In short, talk to the domain expert. It doesn't matter if you're building an event sourced app or not (though it really helps), talk to them. This will will let you move past basic CRUD implementations, so you can build useful, understandable software. Remember, a well fleshed out UI with sequence diagrams is no substitute for a real conversation with an expert. So don't assume you understand the problem, stay humble and ask questions, it will save you an incredible amount of time further down the line.
It's important to note that we had to delve deeper into the domain expert's answers to really understand what events were important. People intuitively condense processes when explaining them to others, sometimes omitting information to keep it simple. This is why you need to explore their answers in detail to extract hidden domain concepts. Basically, keep interrogating them until they give consistent answers (do it nicely though).
If you'd like to hear more about interviewing domain experts, please leave a comment, always happy to talk. If enough people are interested, I'll write an article about it (crowd sourced articles!).
I really like your example. This resonates with my experience as well.
I have observed at least 2 main reasons for data that is traditionally CRUD.
codes/names for identification - Because humans more easily recognize words than arbitrary numbers (IDs).
For software, configuration affecting run-time operation - E.g. One course requires a grade of 70 to pass. Another course, 60.
These are really two orthogonal dimensions of a given concept, but are typically packaged together for convenience.
Side tangent: I find that almost invariably, the human side of the data requires some manner of set-based constraints... the kind typically found in relational databases. Example: Humans gets really confused if there are 2 MATH101 in the course catalog. Or if PASCAL100 (a deactivated course) shows up in the catalog. So some parts of the data must be indexed for human consumption. While practicing event sourcing, I've often thought I could use a "database" product that allows me to directly update different indexes without requiring them to be attached to a table. I guess it'd be a key-value store but one that allowed me to choose the key index algorithm (hash, b+, reverse, etc) on each collection. If you know of a database product that does this, let me know. For now, I use relational tables and attach indexes to them. It's less efficient (2 copies of key data, 2 places to update, relational engine overhead), but it's already a solved problem.
how do event stores handle binary data updates efficiently?
A good and proper DDD / ES person would further ask the question: What is the scenario? (What problem are you trying to solve?) Because there might be a better alternative.
In an event store, you don't really update data in place if you can help it. You just keep adding new events. Depending on the size of the binary, I might do the traditional thing where you save it to file storage like S3 and then add an event when the file link changes.
Side note: The product EventStore stores the event data as binary. Meaning I actually have to serialize to string and convert to bytes before calling the method to save the event. I think internally it uses ProtoBuf to store events, which I read (but have not browsed the code to verify) handles binary data pretty efficiently.
As Kasey suggested, best practice there would be to store the file remotely on S3, and then have an event that references the remote file. This allows you to version binary files, as you just upload a new file and create a new a event.
file_id is the reference in your system, whereas reference is the remote instance of that version.
Doesn't this work against the "one source of truth" philosophy?
Yeah, technically. It's just a philosophy though, so there are times when it's not the appropriate philosophy.
In this case it really comes down to practicality. Is it useful to store the full binary file in the event log? Does that give any value? If the answer is no, then there's no point in saving the file in the log, just store a reference.
It may still be important to (event-sourced) areas of the business to record that something changed and perhaps trigger a further action. You can set this up in a number of ways. The client could issue an API call after successful saving of the file (this is request-driven, probably not the way I would go). Or you could setup event notification on file operations (this is event-driven) -- S3 supports this or just use a file watcher for local apps.
At this point, this is really integration between two systems and no longer event-sourcing. Instead it is Event-Driven Architecture. Event sourcing really only applies inside individual domains, not across different systems. This is probably why you already had an inkling that event-sourcing would not solve the file management problem. By itself, it won't.
We have an audit requirement that it should not be possible to change data without a trace, so storing the file separately was a problem for us until we realized that we just have to store the file sha256 hash and that way we can check if the file is the right one. So we get the best of both worlds.


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text:
Юйцян — сын Чжуаньсюя, внук Нефритового Императора, управляющий ветрами, течениями и волнами.

Легенда о путешествии Юйцяна
Когда-то Юйцян плавал в Северном море в виде огромной рыбы Кунь. Однако, он был оскорблён, узнав что на юге к нему относятся без уважения и почтения. Юйцян превратился в птицу Пэн (разновидность Фэн-хуана) и полетел от Северного моря к Южному. Течения в море изменили направление, летнее тепло сменилось зимним холодом. Когда Юйцян долетел до Южного моря, он отдохнул и вернулся назад в Северное море. Юйцяну понравилось это путешествие. С тех пор он одну половину года проводит в Северном море, другую - в Южном. В облике повелителя ветров, Юйцян похож на чёрную птицу с человеческой головой. Крылья птицы закрывают небо, а перья свисают до земли, представляя собой ничто иное как смерчи. В облике хозяина моря, Юйцян похож на рыбу с руками и ногами. Ездит он на двух драконах (как и Чжу-жун).

См. также
 Гун-гун
 Чи Ю
 Ба
 Фуцанлун
 Куй

Источники
 Юйцян, Мифы древнего Китая (wisdomlib.ru)

Китайская мифология
Мифические птицы
Мифические рыбы
Персонификации
Духи воды
Духи воздуха


text:
Our View: Boomers challenged as is the economy
By Long Beach Press Telegram | presstelegram@dfmdev.com |
PUBLISHED: November 15, 2011 at 12:00 a.m. | UPDATED: September 1, 2017 at 4:59 a.m.
THE biggest societal problem with the undeniably big personal economic problems facing baby boomers is that when the boomers get the sniffles, we all catch cold.
Our story this week said that a majority of baby boomers say they have taken a financial hit in the past three years and most now doubt that they will be financially secure after they retire, according to a new poll.
Boomers – members of the huge uber-generation of 77 million American souls born between 1946 and 1964 – who once had dreamed of retiring at 65 or even much earlier have now seen the Great Recession take a large bite out of their nest eggs.
It's not a full-scale disaster for them or the nation as a whole. Those who either made a lot of money over their careers or planned and saved extremely diligently will still have plenty of cash flow, and those trips to Istanbul or Machu Picchu are still in the offing, along with a comfortable retirement at home.
But retirement investments in all the forms they could take – equities, pensions, 401(k)s, IRAs – have undeniably taken a hit.
According to the poll overseen by the Associated Press, 62 percent of boomers said that their investments, including real estate, have lost money in recent years because of the down markets in just about everything.
News flash – pollsters can't force you to tell the truth when they ask those questions. The real percentage of boomers who have lost money – mostly on paper, of course – in recent years in all of those areas is closer to 100 percent.
The economic effect this will have on the rest of society is clear.
"It's a kind of downscaled consumer society that I see in the next five years at least," said Olivia Mitchell, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School and executive director of the Pension Research Council. "Consume less and tighten the belt."
Unfortunately, that failure to consume will hit American retailers, airlines, hotels, auto manufacturers and most every other segment of the economy hard. During the current economic quarter, for instance, some of the recovery we're seeing is because consumers at all income levels have let pent-up demand for goods and services drive their spending even when they are taking the money from savings rather than increasing income. That can't go on for long, but it's been good for the economy in the short run.
If boomers are forced to stay in their jobs into their late 60s and early 70s, that likely increases the jobless rate for young people in a moribund economy. If they do in fact constrain their spending too much out of fear of spending all those nest eggs too soon, we all feel the pain.
So the biggest economic challenge for our political and corporate leaders throughout the coming decade will be altering this scenario. We figure out a way to grow ourselves out of the economic doldrums – the traditional path to recovery – or drastically alter our consumer society. Either way, that challenge is daunting.
Long Beach Press Telegram


George Malim: With all the attention either on 5G or virtualisation investment, how difficult is it for Openet to get attention from CSPs?
Niall Norton: Getting the attention isn't too bad. You've just got to focus on delivering value and fixing short, and medium term, problems and that's what we do. 5G is all well and good, and it's an area that we're investing in, but it's not top of the list when we talk to CSPs. We talk about fixing current problems – such as maximising the return on the investment that CSPs have made on 4G. We talk about how CSPs can be more relevant to their customers, how they can quickly and cost effectively roll out new offers and adopt new business models. As for virtualisation, we were the first vendor to fully virtualise policy and real-time charging. It's pretty much table stakes now, providing virtualised solutions is expected of all vendors.
GM: Do you think the arrival of these technologies presents an opportunity for the traditional vendor/CSP relationship to be broken, especially as commodity hardware becomes the norm?
NN: If the telecoms industry needs to wait till 5G is here to fix the traditional vendor/CSP relationship, then that is a sad state of affairs. The rate of change enabled by 4G is staggering. In the last year, we've seen CSPs becoming entertainment companies, banks and much more. A few years ago we supported about 30 use cases – now that figure is above 100. The change, and the speed of that change, that CSPs are going through can't be supported by the old change request fixated, long and hugely expensive BSS transformation projects. Vendors need to more web scale – not just in their technology but their business processes and attitudes when dealing with CSPs and enabling them to change their businesses. Change is needed now. The CSPs cannot afford to wait for 5G to force the vendors to change.
GM: Is there a risk that the old model – and even its operational siloes – will be replicated in the new telecoms arena?
NN: That is the very risk we are trying to warn against. For far too long, the larger IT vendors have effectively locked CSPs into a system of super-sized deals. These deals are delivered over a number of years and see constant upgrades, and patches on a legacy systems regardless of historic faults, or suitability for the changing network environment. This is a circle of despair for the CSPs, their customers and those innovative companies that are trying to revolutionise service provision and CSP return on investment.
GM: How can CSPs get better value from their software vendors, especially as software is where the value now lies?
NN: By looking to change the dynamic and put the needs of the customer ahead of the ease of the vendor relationship. Instead of long running service contracts, operators should look for agile business partnerships that use internet-style pricing models and service provisioning. They must encourage a fast-moving culture, rather than settle for transformation projects that move at glacial speed. The internet market operates at a far greater pace than telecoms – so embrace that and don't settle for second best in terms of speed, or quality of service delivery.
GM: Do you see new entrants with new models serving the new needs of the telecoms market or are there already too many players chasing too few opportunities?
NN: There is always room for new agile players to break into a market. But the hard truth of the BSS market is that the current vendors, and I include Openet in here, have failed to fully address the changing business needs of the CSPs, and have been slow to adopt new technologies that will allow them to offer better solutions.
We've committed to changing that. We've committed to a five-point plan to change the game. We've committed to being the change we believe the market needs, and to issuing a rallying call to CSPs and vendors alike to embrace the new reality, and make the leap to a new way of doing business.
GM: Do you think telecoms has become unattractive to innovators? Is R&D effort that might once have been directed at the telecoms industry being soaked up elsewhere?
NN: The telecoms market remains attractive to innovators and remains open to innovation on a grand scale. However, vendors and CSPs need to fully embrace innovation throughout their business model. This is about more than simply adopting new technology – it is about innovation in service delivery, relationship management, business practices and operational processes. It's about embracing a change of thinking, not just a change of technology.
GM: How is Openet transforming to meet the needs of your customers as they adopt different modes of operation for the new era of telecoms?
NN: We've taken a fresh look at our business and how we interact with our customers. We are embracing a cultural, commercial and deployment model change. We changed our suite of services to offer greater degree of flexibility – a modular approach that allows operators to tailor solutions to their specific needs, and embrace an open source or open architecture environment, and integrate with legacy proprietary systems via open API (application programme interface) exposure. We say "no thanks" to vendor lock-ins and "yes please" to CSP choice. We're looking to enable simplicity and provide agnostic expertise that can drive business insight. We want to change the game – and we want to help CSPs to move from a closed room to an open environment.