text:
class MoleculeGroup:
  public SubsystemGroup {
 public:
  // Used for creating subsets of the all-atoms group.
  MoleculeGroup(std::string name, std::vector<int> indices,
                const SystemGroup& all_atoms) : SubsystemGroup(name, indices) {
    positions_ = arma::zeros(group_size_, DIMS);
    velocities_ = arma::zeros(group_size_, DIMS);
    Init(name, all_atoms);
    copy_positions(all_atoms);
    copy_velocities(all_atoms);
  }

  // Creates .gro file
  void WriteGro(const std::string& gro, const arma::rowvec& box,
                const std::string description);

  // Deletes a molecule from the group. Sends references to the
  // center of mass position and velocity in case the user wishes
  // to replace it with another molecule.
  void RemoveMolecule(const int molecule_id, arma::rowvec& old_com_position,
                      arma::rowvec& old_com_velocity);

  // Adds a molecule to the group at the given position.
  // Currently only supports monatomic molecules.
  void AddMolecule(const int molecule_id, const Molecule& mol_to_add,
                   const arma::rowvec& position, const arma::rowvec& velocity);

  // Removes old molecule and adds new one at same position.
  // TODO(Zak) Separate into versions for all_atoms group and smaller groups.
  inline void ReplaceMolecule(const Molecule& new_molecule,
                                      const int mol_to_remove) {
    arma::rowvec position (DIMS);
    arma::rowvec velocity(DIMS);
    RemoveMolecule(mol_to_remove, position, velocity);
    // TODO(Zak): allow adjustement of velocity based
    // on Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution instead of
    // simple replacement.
    AddMolecule(num_molecules_, new_molecule, position, velocity);
  }

  // Resets center of mass position and velocity of all molecules.
  inline void ZeroCom() {
    com_positions_ = arma::zeros(num_molecules_, DIMS);
    com_velocities_ = arma::zeros(num_molecules_, DIMS);
  }

  // Sets center of mass position and velocity of all molecules.
  void UpdateCom();

  // Mutators
  inline void set_ion_gammas(const double cation_gamma,
                             const double anion_gamma) {
    double tol = 1.0e-3;
    index_to_gamma_.resize(group_size_);
    for (int i_atom = 0; i_atom < group_size_; i_atom++) {
      if (index_to_molecular_charge_[i_atom] > tol)
        index_to_gamma_[i_atom] = cation_gamma;
      else if (index_to_molecular_charge_[i_atom] < -tol)
        index_to_gamma_[i_atom] = anion_gamma;
    }
  }

  // Accessors
  inline int first_index_in_molecule(const int molecule) const {
    return first_index_in_molecule_[molecule];
  }
  inline int last_index_in_molecule(const int molecule) const {
    return last_index_in_molecule_[molecule];
  }
  inline int num_molecules() const { return num_molecules_; }
  inline arma::mat com_positions() const { return com_positions_; }
  inline arma::mat com_velocities() const { return com_velocities_; }

  inline arma::rowvec com_position(int molecule) const {
    return com_positions_.row(molecule);
  }

  inline arma::rowvec com_velocity(int molecule) const {
    return com_velocities_.row(molecule);
  }

  inline double com_position(int molecule, int dim) const {
    return com_positions_(molecule, dim);
  }

  inline double com_velocity(int molecule, int dim) const {
    return com_velocities_(molecule, dim);
  }

  inline arma::rowvec com_velocity_xy(int molecule) const {
    return com_velocities_(molecule, arma::span(0,1));
  }

  inline int molecular_index(int atom) const {
    return index_to_molecular_index_[atom];
  }

  // Used to be molecule_mass
  inline double molecular_mass(int molecule) const {
    return molecular_index_to_mass_[molecule];
  }

  inline double molecular_charge(int molecule) const {
    return molecular_index_to_charge_[molecule];
  }

  inline int molecular_index_to_molecule(int molecule) const {
    return molecular_index_to_molecule_[molecule];
  }

  inline void PermanentDipole(const int molecule, const arma::rowvec& box,
                              arma::rowvec& dipole,
                              const bool zero_first = false) {
    if(zero_first)
      dipole = arma::zeros<arma::rowvec>(DIMS);
    int first_index = first_index_in_molecule_[molecule];
    int last_index = last_index_in_molecule_[molecule];
    for (int i_atom = first_index+1; i_atom <= last_index; ++i_atom) {
      FindDxNoShift(dx, position(first_index), position(i_atom), box);
      dipole += dx*index_to_charge_[i_atom];
    }
  }

  inline void InducedDipole(const int molecule, arma::rowvec& dipole,
                            const bool zero_first = false) const {
    if(zero_first)
      dipole = arma::zeros<arma::rowvec>(DIMS);
    int first_index = first_index_in_molecule_[molecule];
    int last_index = last_index_in_molecule_[molecule];
    for (int i_atom = first_index+1; i_atom <= last_index; ++i_atom) {
      dipole += electric_field(i_atom)*gamma(i_atom);
    }
  }

  inline void SetElectricField(const ParticleGroup& other_group,
                               const arma::rowvec& box) {
    ZeroElectricField();
    if (field_check_) {
      ReadElectricField(field_file_);
    } else {
      std::fill(included_in_field_.begin(), included_in_field_.end(), false);
      if (other_group.has_molecules()) {
        MarkNearbyAtoms(other_group, box, kFieldCutoffSquared(),
                        nearby_molecules);
        CalculateElectricField(other_group, box, nearby_molecules, dx);
      } else {
        CalculateElectricField(other_group, box, kFieldCutoffSquared(), dx);
      }
    }
  }

  inline void UpdateElectricField(const ParticleGroup& other_group,
                                  const arma::rowvec& box) {
    if (field_check_)
      return;
    if (other_group.has_molecules()) {
      MarkNearbyAtoms(other_group, box, kFieldCutoffSquared(),
                      nearby_molecules);
      CalculateElectricField(other_group, box, nearby_molecules, dx);
    } else {
      CalculateElectricField(other_group, box, kFieldCutoffSquared(), dx);
    }
  }

 protected:

 private:

  // Called by all constructors to create needed initialize
  // vectors and matrices.
  void Init(const std::string& name, const SystemGroup& all_atoms);

  // Takes care of the atom-level removal for RemoveMolecule
   void RemoveAtom(const int index);

  // Takes care of the atom-level addition for AddMolecule
   void AddAtom(const Atom atom_to_add, const int molecule_id,
                       const arma::rowvec& position,
                       const arma::rowvec& velocity);

  inline void CalculateMolecularCharges (
      const std::vector<double>& molecular_index_to_charge) {
    index_to_molecular_charge_.resize(group_size_);
    for (int i_mol = 0; i_mol < num_molecules_; ++i_mol) {
      molecular_index_to_charge_[i_mol] =
          molecular_index_to_charge[molecular_index_to_molecule(i_mol)];
    }
    for (int i_atom = 0; i_atom < group_size_; ++i_atom) {
      index_to_molecular_charge_[i_atom] =
          molecular_index_to_charge[index_to_molecular_index_[i_atom]];
    }
  }

  std::vector<double> index_to_molecular_charge_;
  std::vector<int> index_to_molecular_index_;
  std::vector<double> molecular_index_to_mass_;
  std::vector<double> molecular_index_to_charge_;
  std::vector<int>molecular_index_to_molecule_;
  int num_molecules_;
  arma::mat com_positions_;
  arma::mat com_velocities_;
  std::vector<int> first_index_in_molecule_;
  std::vector<int> last_index_in_molecule_;
};

#endif

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Game Recap — Hyannis tops Cotuit, 2-1
By Matt Feldman
The Hyannis Harborhawks (5-7) topped the Kettleers (1-12) Friday night, 2-1, the Kettleers' eight straight loss. Behind a stellar start from Kettleer right hander Keith Rogalla (Creighton), Cotuit almost mustered its second win of the season, but instead fell by just one run in a thriller at Mckeon Park in Hyannis.
Rogalla threw five and one-third innings for Cotuit, allowing two runs on three hits, both earned. His start was the longest start from a Kettleer pitcher this season. Rogalla was pulled in the sixth inning after retiring the leadoff Hyannis hitter, making way for Cal Becker (Sonoma State).
Coming off a two-inning shutout performance at Orleans Monday night, Becker flourished on the mound in relief, tossing two and two-thirds innings and allowing no runs on no hits. His relief appearance for Cotuit was the right hander's longest appearance of the season, and his second no-decision.
Cotuit was no-hit by Hyannis starter Alex Eubanks (Clemson) for the first four innings Friday night, eventually mustering a hit in the top of the fifth on a bunt down the third base line from Ryan Hagan (Mercer).
Down 2-0 in the top of the seventh inning, Hagan reached base again for the Kettleers, this time on a walk. After a Dayton Dugas (Wichita State) strikeout, Pat Dorrian (Herkimer) stepped in for the Kettleers. On the first two pitches of the at-bat, Hagan stole second base and third base, scoring from third on the next pitch as Dorrian lined a two-out triple to deep right field.
The triple put Cotuit on the board, 2-1, but that's where the score would remain, as the Kettleers' bats stayed quiet for the remainder of the game.
With Garret Cave (Florida International) on the mound in the ninth for Hyannis, a Dorrian strikeout ended the game, as Cotuit lost it's 12th game of the season, 2-1 to the Harborhawks.
Friday's game was Cotuit's third one-run game of the season; the Kettleers have lost all games decided by one run this season.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Even though I had my guru – an incarnation of the divine mother – very close to my heart, it was a long time that I had been feeling as if something was missing. I was really in need to know the divine father, the masculine aspect of the universe in its divine form. Furthermore I was missing a stronger connection with nature. That's why I had been imagining myself meeting the divine father in the midst of nature. Away from the consumerist society and living in total harmony with Mother Earth.
In those days I received a message from my youngest sister, sying she had flown to Nepal. Last time I saw her was one year ago, so we decided to meet again in Kathmandu.
She didn't know much about Maha Sambodhi Dharma Sangha either, but she had watched a documentary.
Foreign eyes could say that we met Maha Sambodhi out of coincidence, just randomly.
But I kind of doubt it. It feels that we were guided.
We were in our way from Pharping to Pokhara when we spotted a banner advertising the last Maitri Puja in Nepal, which happened to have started just one day before. We felt very curious about it, but we didn't have much information about Guru and we didn't have phones with us either. So we resolved that the best option was to meditate on Guru's photo and make a decision afterwards.
Well what I can say is that the vision I got in meditation drove us directly to the Puja site in Kathmandu.
The international team received us with much love and conducted us to the meditation tent. In there Guru was giving blessings to people from all walks of life while international visitors had the amazing opportunity of meditating right in front of Maha Sambodhi from sunrise to sunset and most of the times even longer.
The first time I looked at Maha Sambodhi I could see silver sparks all over Him. And every time He blessed someone I could see black smoke coming out of their heads as if Guru were purifying each of us with each blessing. I couldn't believe what my eyes were seeing!!! I had never seen anything like that before. I might had gone crazy, I thought. I had not option but to sit down and figure out what I was seeing.
Well, needless to say, we ended up staying for the 12 remaining days. It was such a blessing just to witness the Guru's compassionate love every day. In silence without moving from his seat, Guru blessed hundreds of thousands of people. One could feel the Maitri love Guru radiates. It is a love that feels very peaceful, still and unending. And also it's quite contagious! By the end of the Puja both the Nepali and the international sangha were pure expressions of love, helping each other out, sharing, and caring. It was such a beautiful experience that I wanted more! I was not ready to put an end to this encounter.
Due to the power of manifestation or the power of light and love, I do not know! I ended up living in the Dharma Centre for some time afterwards. That was the most amazing present I had ever received.
The Dharma Centre is an oasis in the midst of this capitalist jungle. It's a place where one can just be. I spent my days contemplating nature, trying to be one with it and feeling guru in the innumerable ants, dragon flies, infinite stars and tree whispers.
I'm lucky I'm aware how fortunate I was and I am. No one never asked me anything in return but to be Dharmic. And the Dharma was something that was taught through direct personal experience.
We – The Sangha – meditated, chanted Maitri mantras and practiced prostrations.
We also started an organic garden and built bamboo and tarp structures to live in during the rainy season.
In the Maitri oasis everyone is smiling and ready to give you a hand.
I noticed that even the animals behave strangely. The cows spend their time licking each other and the dogs kiss and play in such a lovely way that it's kind of unbelievable. I had never witnessed anything like that before.
In conclusion my time there made me realise that the best wishes I could ever ask for are to manage to radiate the Maitri feeling at all times and to feel Guru's love and presence in every aspect of Creation.


Claremont resident David Linden has spent his life putting on a show. His memoir, The Amazing Balancing Man: My Life as an Acrobat, Circus Performer, Stunt Man and Comedian, is no exception. It's a story of determination, derring-do and the balancing act he performed, literally and figuratively, to make his way in show business. The book, which was released in October, is available through Amazon and Xlibris.
Boys soccer had a blow out victory over South Hills on Wednesday winning 7-2 in front of an enthusiastic home crowd. CHS junior Jack Kolodge kicked a hat trick as well as one assist. Other top performances came from senior Justin Munevar with two goals, junior Mato Pacheco and sophomore Osvaldo Lopez, who each scored once. Special recognition goes to Ibraheen Hafuda for his two assists. Check out our complete sports coverage inside.
Following the long holiday break when most teams were involved in tournaments, Claremont High School sports got into full swing this week with the first conference games of the season. Nathan Armas' jersey number is 0, which is appropriate because that was the total number of goals during the Pack's non-conference game against rival Damien in Claremont.
Longtime Claremont High School football coach Mike Collins will retire from coaching the Wolfpack although he will continue to teach at CHS, according to an announcement this morning from Principal Brett O'Connor. "Mike Collins has been coaching football for the last 30 years; twenty of those years have been as head coach at CHS. He always understood that football was a vehicle to learn about life: self-discipline, teamwork, respect, time management and relationship building." Mr. O'Connor said. "Win or lose, he treated the young men with respect and dignity. When we won, he always gave the players the credit, and when we lost he always made sure to support his players," he said.
When the Claremont High School boys basketball team was good Tuesday night they were very good. Unfortunately, at times, they also went to pieces. After leading for most of the first half and showing some very good organization, the boys seemed to stumble late and lost their first non-conference game to visiting Canyon Springs, 65-59. Sophomore point guard Kyle Scalmanini, above, who scored 26 points and had 9 rebounds, anchored the good for the Pack. Junior Harlan Maass was the second highest scorer with 11 points, followed by sophomore Tyler Risher, who had seven points but also came away with seven rebounds.
UPDATED: Claremont High School boys water polo finished a perfect postseason on Saturday with the ultimate prize, a CIF Southern Section Division 5 Championship victory. The Wolfpack defeated Los Altos 15-7 at the Irvine's Woollett Aquatics Center in the same commanding fashion they have employed during the entire tournament, bringing their overall record to 22-11. The lopsided victories have largely been due to the foundation provided by the Pack's unstoppable defense, which was in full evidence on Saturday with goalkeeper Steven Cagle delivering an outstanding performance. "He had the game of his life," said coach Kirstin Rodriguez in a phone interview on Wednesday.
Claremont High School girls volleyball had somewhat of a mixed week, losing their head coach, but snapping back to win their first round CIF playoff match against visiting Palm Desert. The Pack's celebrated coach Jodi Postlmayr, who was in her first semester leading the girls team, abruptly quit last week to take a full time teaching job. According to school officials, after Ms. Postlmayr accepted the position assuming she would be able to see Claremont through the CIF playoffs, but was ordered by her new employer to sever all ties with CHS immediately. Mark Mina, above, who also leads the junior varsity team, will take over as head coach at least through the end of the playoffs. Be sure to check out our detailed CHS sports updates inside.


text:
Q: How does filter() in dplyr evaluate what's inside the () in a customized function? I am trying to write a function that takes two column names and upper and/or lower boundary for each column names, so that that way I can subset the data with column names and boundary of my choice.
Using mtcars as an example, if I want to subset the data by saying I only want rows that has cyl > 4 and mpg > 15, in this case my function would take in two column names cyl and mpg, also two lower boundary for each column name which are 4 and 15. Of course in the function, I have the choice to assign a upper boundary to it to keep column names(variables) within certain range.
So I came up with something like below, a function which takes two variable names of your choice and upper and/or lower boundaries for each variable.
If I only give an upper or lower boundary for this variable then it would give me anything less than or more than this boundary, if I give the function both upper and lower boundary it gives me back the rows that fall into the range.
comb_function<-function(df,var1,var2,var1_lower=NULL,var1_upper=NULL,var2_upper=NULL,var2_lower=NULL){
   var1<-enexpr(var1)
   var2<-enexpr(var2)
 #####for var2,if upper boundary are given by user,do this#####{
    filter1<-expr(`$`(df,!!var2))<=var2_upper
    #for var1, if upper boundary are given by user,do this# {
      filter2<-expr(`$`(df,!!var1))<=var1_upper}
    #for var 1,if lower boundary are given by user, do this#{
      filter2<-expr(`$`(df,!!var1))>=var1_lower}
    #for var1, if both are given by user, do this#{
      filter2<-expr(`$`(df,!!var1))>=var1_lower&expr(`$`(df,!!var1))<=var1_upper}
  }
  #####for var2,if lower boundary are given by user,do this#####{
    filter1<-expr(`$`(df,!!var2))>=var2_lower
    #for var1,if upper boundary are given by user,do this#{
      filter2<-expr(`$`(df,!!var1))<=var1_upper}
    #for var1,if lower boundary are given by user,do this#{
      filter2<-expr(`$`(df,!!var1))>=var1_lower}
    #if both are given by the user,do this{
      filter2<-expr(`$`(df,!!var1))>=var1_lower&expr(`$`(df,!!var1))<=var1_upper}
  }
  #####for var2,if both are given by user,do this#####{
    filter1<-expr(`$`(df,!!var2))<=var2_upper&expr(`$`(df,!!var2))>=var2_lower
    #for var1,if upper boundary are given by user,do this#{
      filter2<-expr(`$`(df,!!var1))<=var1_upper}
    #for var1,if lower boundary are given by user,do this#{
      filter2<-expr(`$`(df,!!var1))>=var1_lower}
    #if both are given by user, do this#{
      filter2<-expr(`$`(df,!!var1))>=var1_lower&expr(`$`(df,!!var1))<=var1_upper}
  }
   output<-df%>%filter(filter1,filter2)%>%summarise(count=n(),avgcyl=mean(cyl,na.rm=TRUE))
    return(output)
}

When I call this function using mtcars as an example
final1<-comb_function(df=mtcars,var1=mpg,var2=cyl,var1_lower =15,var2_lower=4,var2_upper=6)

I got 0 count and NaN for avgcrl in final1. So when filter() evaluates what inside the (), it only gets FALSE, no TRUE, I think that's why no rows gets returned.
I have a theory for why this is happening. If I do this:
x<-expr(cyl);eval(expr(expr(`$`(mtcars,!!x))<=6))

It returns:
[1]FALSE

which is apparently not what I expected to have. If I do this:
eval(expr(`$`(mtcars,!!x)))<=6

It returns
[1]  TRUE  TRUE  TRUE  TRUE FALSE  TRUE FALSE  TRUE  TRUE  TRUE  TRUE FALSE FALSE FALSE FALSE FALSE FALSE  TRUE  TRUE  TRUE  TRUE FALSE
[23] FALSE FALSE FALSE  TRUE  TRUE  TRUE FALSE  TRUE FALSE  TRUE

which is what I want for the filter() function inside my function. So I am guessing when filter() evaluates what's inside (), it automatically put the bracket around the whole expression, just like
eval(expr(expr(`$`(mtcars,!!x))<=6))

did, which only gives back one FALSE. So if this is really the reason like I expected, how do I let filter() know what I really want is for it to evaluate like this:
eval(filter1<-expr(`$`(df,!!var2)))<=var2_upper

not this:
eval(filter1<-expr(`$`(df,!!var2))<=var2_upper)

If what I guessed is not what's going on, please help me as well.

A: In general, I would highly recommend to stay away from all this quoting and evaluating. The tidy eval framework provides alternative tools that are much easier to work with.

Using mtcars as an example, if I want to subset the data by saying I only want rows that has cyl > 4 and mpg > 15

A typical wrapper function would look like this:
filter2 <- function(data, var1, var2, lower1, lower2) {
  data %>%
    filter(
      {{ var1 }} > .env$lower1,
      {{ var2 }} > .env$lower2
    )
}

*

*With the {{ operator, we're interpolating the input expressions inside the data context. This means you can supply R code that refers to column names directly.

*With .env$, we are asking for the lower variables inside the function environment. This means that if the data frame contains columns lower1 and lower2, these won't interfere. Another way of forcing evaluation in the environment is to use !!.
mtcars %>% filter2(cyl, mpg, 4, 15) %>% head()
#>   mpg cyl disp  hp drat  wt qsec vs am gear carb
#> 1  21   6  160 110  3.9 2.6   16  0  1    4    4
#> 2  21   6  160 110  3.9 2.9   17  0  1    4    4
#> 3  21   6  258 110  3.1 3.2   19  1  0    3    1
#> 4  19   8  360 175  3.1 3.4   17  0  0    3    2
#> 5  18   6  225 105  2.8 3.5   20  1  0    3    1
#> 6  19   6  168 123  3.9 3.4   18  1  0    4    4

================================
The rest of this answer tries to unpack some of the puzzles you brought up. This might be useful to get a better sense of the evaluation model in R, but again you're better off finding simpler approaches to solving your issues.
Let's take:
x<-expr(cyl);eval(expr(expr(`$`(mtcars,!!x))<=6))
#> [1] FALSE

Reformatting a bit:
x <- expr(cyl)
eval(expr(expr(`$`(mtcars,!!x)) <= 6))

Removing the unnecessary complexity:
eval(expr(expr(mtcars$cyl) <= 6))

Let's look at the intermediate result:
expr(expr(mtcars$cyl) <= 6)
#> expr(mtcars$cyl) <= 6

The outer expr() returns an expression instructing R to:

*

*Create a new expression (with the inner expr())

*Compare that expression to 6
Unfortunately, R expressions are comparable even though it doesn't make any sense. In an ideal world this would be an error:
quote(foo) < 10
#> [1] FALSE

Probably what you'd like to do is to compute the column subsetting described in the expression first, and then compare with <=:
eval(expr(mtcars$cyl)) <= 6
#>  [1]  TRUE  TRUE  TRUE  TRUE FALSE  TRUE FALSE  TRUE  TRUE  TRUE
#> [11]  TRUE FALSE FALSE FALSE FALSE FALSE FALSE  TRUE  TRUE  TRUE
#> [21]  TRUE FALSE FALSE FALSE FALSE  TRUE  TRUE  TRUE FALSE  TRUE
#> [31] FALSE  TRUE

Another note. You write:
eval(filter1<-expr(`$`(df,!!var2)))

Reformatting and simplifying:
eval(filter1 <- expr(mtcars$cyl)))

Here's what's happening when you evaluate this:

*

*eval() asks R to return its first argument, so it can evaluate it.

*R sees that the argument to eval() is a <- call. It then starts to evaluate it.

*The RHS is a defused expression describing how to subset mtcars. This RHS is assigned to the LHS filter1.

*<- returns the RHS, invisibly. This is what eval() gets as argument.

*eval() proceeds to compute the mtcars subsetting.

A: In https://stackoverflow.com/a/58793418/1725177 xiahfyj asked how to compute the filters in a separate step than filter(). In general separate computations can be performed with transmute(). This function takes inputs and returns a data frame containing one column per input. The inputs are computed within the data frames, and within groups if there are any.
filter3 <- function(data, var1, var2, lower1, lower2) {
  filters <- data %>% transmute(
    filter_a = {{ var1 }} > .env$lower1,
    filter_b = {{ var2 }} > .env$lower2
  )

  data %>%
    filter(!!!unname(filters))
}

The data frames of evaluated filter columns can then be spliced into filter(). The force-splicing operator !!! transforms its argument to multiple inputs in the surrounding call (here, a call to filter()).
In the case of filter(), the data frame of inputs must be unnamed because there's a special check in filter() to throw an error for named inputs, in order to catch a common typo when the writes a = foo instead of a == foo.
We are planning to support data frame inputs in the next major version of dplyr, and auto-splice them. In that case the last step will become as simple as:
  data %>%
    filter(filters)

A: @Lionel Henry
Thanks! I do have a followup question on your example.
filter2 <- function(data, var1, var2, lower1, lower2) {
  data %>%
    filter(
      {{ var1 }} > .env$lower1,
      {{ var2 }} > .env$lower2
    )
}

What if I want something like below block? Basically I want to take what you have inside filter() out of it and store them in some variables beforehand. I know below function doesn't work. I wonder how should I edit it to make it work.
filter2 <- function(data, var1, var2, lower1, lower2) {
filter_a<-{{ var1 }} > .env$lower1
filter_b<-{{ var2 }} > .env$lower2
  data %>%
    filter(filter_a,filter_b)
}

The reason I want this is because for the purpose of my function, what's inside filter()will be dynamic. For example, I would need something like this:
###if both lower and upper boundary for var1 are given by the user,do below:
   filter_a<-{{ var1 }} > .env$lower1&{{ var1 }} < .env$upper1
###if only upper are given.do below:
   filter_a<-{{ var1 }} < .env$upper1
###if only lower are given, do below:
   filter_a<-{{ var1 }} > .env$lower1

This is also why I had so many if statements in my original long and "hard to read" question.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


On 23 April 2018, the Commission presented a long-awaited legislative proposal on the protection of whistleblowers. The proposal for a "Directive on the protection of persons reporting on breaches of Union law" (COM(2018) 218 final) is accompanied by a Communication entitled "Strengthening whistleblower protection at EU level" (COM(2018) 214 final). Additional supporting documents and annexes are provided for, including existing EU rules on whistleblowing, an overview of Member States' legislative framework, a comparative table on the principles on whistleblowing of the Council of Europe, the results of the public consultation on whistleblowing protection, and reports from an external study on the subject matter. All documents can be retrieved here.
The protection of whistleblowers across the EU is currently fragmented and considered insufficient, so that whistleblowers are confronted with uncertainties about the varying legal orders across Europe.
Breaches relating to the internal market as far as certain rules on corporate taxes are concerned.
The Directive further sets the obligations for public authorities and private companies as well as the conditions and protection measures for the persons reporting and the persons concerned by the allegations.
As a general rule, all private companies with more than 50 employees or with an annual turnover of over €10 million, all State and regional administrations/departments, and all local municipalities of more than 10,000 inhabitants are obliged to establish internal reporting channels and procedures for reporting and following up on reports.
To provide feedback to the reporting person within a "reasonable timeframe," at the latest three months after the report.
These authorities must give feedback to the reporting person within three months (extendable to six months) about the follow-up on the case.
Internal channels do not function or could not reasonably be expected to function (e.g., because of a fear of retaliation; concerns about confidentiality; concerns about the destruction of evidence; avoidance of imminent substantial danger to life, health, safety of persons, the environment, etc.).
The whistleblower could not reasonably be expected to use internal and/or external reporting channels due to imminent or manifest danger to the public interest, or to the particular circumstances of the case, or where there is a risk of irreversible damage.
Entities must be prohibited from taking certainaction against whistleblowers such as suspension or dismissal, demotion or withholding of promotion, coercion, intimidation or harassment, discrimination or unfair treatment, etc.
Increased protection in judicial proceedings, as a result of which whistleblowers can, for instance, rely on EU law as a defence if legal actions are taken against the whistleblower outside the work-related context (e.g., for defamation, breach of copyrights, breach of secrecy, or for compensation requests).
However, the Directive will also provide protection for persons affected by malicious whistleblowing or unjustified allegations in a report. In this context, the proposal stresses that the persons concerned must fully enjoy the right to an effective remedy and to a fair trial as well as the presumption of innocence and the right of defence.
In the accompanying Communication, the Commission calls upon Member States to foster awareness raising, give guidance to businesses and the staff of national authorities, and provide for appropriate training measures. Member States are also encouraged to consider extension of the Directive's scope to other areas and go beyond the minimum rules set by the EU law.


text:
KingdomOfCalm
Adventures in America – Part 2
May 28, 2019 October 1, 2020 by ayush@kingdomofcalm.com
Still getting there – Delhi to Boston
We were booked on Virgin Atlantic, all the way from New Delhi to Boston via London. And in typical Indian fashion we made our way all the way through the massive check in line, only to be told at the counter that the flight was running late and we need to get out of this line, and get in a new line to get out tickets changed because we wouldn't make it to our connecting flight at Heathrow.
Thankfully they put us on a new flight without argument, and promised us a hotel room in London upon arrival, because the delay would leave us stuck there for an extra day. That's where we met the 'FOMO' couple for the first time. FOMO – Fear of missing out.
This couple was in their 60s and refused to stand in queue, always snaking their way to the front, to find out what was being discussed there, without them. In the process they pushed ahead and blocked everybody's path, blocked the exit and refused to move for anyone, even wheelchair passengers were not allowed to pass by them.
Unfortunately for us they were also on their way to Boston, and somehow knew that Kritika was a travel planner, so despite our prayers they kept showing up and directed all questions about their trip our way, instead of asking the staff. As you can imagine other passengers in line at Delhi, were irate and demanded all kinds of compensation from the airline staff, private planes, first class upgrades, written apologies and the like. We kept our cool, picked up our new boarding passes and quietly slipped way from the 'fomo' couple and boarded the flight to get to Heathrow.
The flight itself was routine. Kritika is a happy flier, she likes to devour the in-flight selection of food, coffee and entertainment. I like to slip into a seated coma and usually only wake up, in a mild panic, when the wheels hit the ground.
Upon arrival in London we were escorted to another queue to got our hotel assignment and the fomo couple as usual, skipped past this queue and stationed themselves in their own alternative line, causing chaos with other passengers trying to de board and disrupting the previously peaceful queue. UK authorities can be anal about transit visas but since this time it was the airlines fault, we were easily granted a one-day visa at immigration to get out and explore the city while we wait for our new flight on the next day.
We stepped out unprepared into the London cold and queued up shivering and waiting for the shuttle that would get us to the hotel. Dad quickly made friends in line, that's his gift and being the gentleman that he was offered his jacket to a shivering lady while braving the cold in his t-shirt. I'm usually also compelled by such acts of selfless generosity but the cold brings ouf the worst in me and I would much sooner fight a nun for her garb before letting go of my own jacket. Also waiting in queue were the fomo couple, whose gaze we actively and successfully avoided.
Once the shuttle reached, as expected, the queue broke down, all civility went to hell, and we Indians rushed the bus door like it was the last train leaving for the border after partition. In typical London style the hotel rooms were small, overpriced and the food was bland. We made the most of the night and the next day were somewhat grateful for the one day delay because it allowed us to stretch our legs and get a good nights sleep.
We did not have enough time to reach Central London so decided to spend the day exploring the area near the Airport. So we booked ourselves a cab, and were met by a chatty Uber driver named Baljit Dosanj, who claimed to be a chachera bhai of the famous Punjabi singer/actor Diljeet Dosanj. He gave us many inside stories of their 'pind' and after the usual Indian question of 'when will you and Kritika have kids?' left us at the high street to explore Hounslow.
For those of you that dont know, Hounslow is a part of London that was annexed by India sometime in the 70s and has the highest concentration of Indians on welfare outside of Kerala. I was shocked to know that the pound notes we carried from India had been demonetized' so to speak, and we were unable to exchange them at the post office, bank, currency exchange or in shops. Seemed like only the queen herself could change them, and since we didn't have enough time to visit Buckingham palace, we had to limit our purchases to cash on hand, and pay the rest by card.
We made the most of rest of the afternoon shopping for clothes to use the rest of the trip and visiting Kritikas dad's bua who lives in London, a meeting that seemed destined, so in the end the extra day was a god send. Our next flight was on British Airways, direct to Boston but the airline had auto assigned us the worst possible seats, divided across the plane in all middle seats, far away from each other and we arrived early to try and change seats so we could be placed nearer each other but the staff at BA have perfected the art of saying Fuck Off without actually saying it and politely explained that we were fresh out of luck as far as they were concerned.
We did manage to play the old parent sympathy card, moms white hair coming to the rescue once again, to seat the parents next to each other but me and kritika were forced to accept the company of strangers for the 8hr flight to Boston. We tried to complete the rest of the check in procedure via the kiosk but were once again tracked down by the fomo couple who found the automated check in kiosk akin to trigonometry and needed our assistance to check in, we pawned them off on a young unsuspecting BA ground staff and ran to security hoping to lose them in the forthcoming crowd of travellers but no such luck. No sooner had we made it through security that we found them besides us again, staring at the departures board in bewilderment and had to direct them to the right gate. Then we slipped away to find a meal and some peace before the flight.
Remember when we were kids and the parents would give us the evil eye for being hooked to our phones/videogames at the table.
How the tables have turned…..
There's no smoking zone at T5, at least nothing inside the building and our googling told us a few spots where frequent travellers hide and smoke so we quietly screened the terminal building for weaknesses, like terrorists planning an attack, making note of the fire exits and stairwells, but in the end decided to behave ourselves and just go without.
Our gate was separated into 3 boarding groups and we found ourselves at the wrong end of yet another long line, but who do we spot right at the front of the line, yes, fomo couple. Somehow these two had once again slipped their way to the front of the queue. Kudos, despite their age and inexperience these two always seemed to find the front of the line. We happily kept our distance, not wanting to answer any more questions about boarding, seating or the rest of the flight. Because of the heightened security there were American homeland security officials waiting at the gate, hand picking people to re-screen and for once, I wasn't picked up for special screening, but Dad was not too lucky.
The poor guy had politely offered to hold moms heavy purse while in queue and the sight of an Indian man carrying a ladies purse was enough for him to be singled out and a homeland security officer proceeded to take him away for a re-screrning and swab test, despite his repeated protests that it was not his purse and he was merely carrying it for his wife. The officer insisted that in America, if you're carrying it, its your purse and proceeded to give him the full American pat-down welcome, while we sat by and sniggered.
The flight was packed end to end and it took is quite a while to convince someone to let us switch seats but eventually we succeeded and made our way to Boston, landing late evening to a beautiful sunset and vast open skies. Immigration at Boston was a breeze thanks to the automated screening machines that capture your biometrics and issue you a receipt that let's you just walk through the rest of the process, except for the part where the fomos found us again and needed help operating the machine, which due to the extra security we had to refuse. We are not usually impolite to other travellers but this time I feared that any more assistance would see them following us home. Finally we made it home, and what a home it was, an old style brickwork house, surrounded by gardens and beautiful trees in a peaceful residential community of parks and bike trails.
My previous trip to Boston was many ages ago in freezing mid-February and I had vowed not to return there till global drowned Canada and re-climatized Massachusetts, but visiting the family home and its surrounding suburb was unimaginably beautiful and I've found a new appreciation for the city and life there.
Over the next few days we enjoyed the pleasures of home and family, took a lovely bike together ride to the lake, visited Cambridge, Salem, Rockport, and took in all the beauty of the north-east in spring.
Time flew by and before we knew it, we were packing for our next flight to the warm and tropical Costa Rica. But of course, as is routine on this trip, the airline cancelled our flight last minute, on the morning of departure, and we had to scramble to make alternative arrangements. So we spent another night in Boston, grateful to get an extra evening with the family there, and catch up on last minute shopping and pick up an extra bag for our flight to Costa Rica.
I've attached some lovely photos here, courtesy of Dad who has taken a shine to the camera, documenting this trip beautifully for all our memories. Lots of love to everyone back home, I hope you've enjoyed reading and stay tuned for more updates from Costa Rica and Guatemala….
Adventures in America – Episode 1 – Delhi
Finding Calm in Kashmir


text:
Paris Hilton reveals truth about The Simple Life
Fetch TV confirms broadcasting deal with Eurosport
Dangerous spikes found on running track
Harry's blunt warning to royal family
US Fed is caught in a trap
Canadian pension fund loads up on Australian water rights and almond farms
December 3, 2019 Georgia Headland
Olam said it had struck a new tiered-revenue-sharing agreement with PSP Investments for the almond orchards, related assets and water rights.
Olam will pay PSP Investments a share of revenue from the orchards for an initial 25 years, in an arrangement that includes an option for an additional 25 years.
It's a big bulk of water but it's still being used in agriculture.
Richard Anderson, chairman of the Victorian Farmers Federation's water council
The sale price of the orchards was not disclosed, but when they were first listed for sale as part of a 20,000 hectare portfolio of land, there was speculation it could fetch more than $300 million. The orchards were sold by a consortium of international investors that included Europe-headquartered private equity manager Schroder Adveq.
While foreign ownership of Australian farmland and water has often generated significant controversy, these transactions are effectively a change in the identity of the foreign owners of the assets.
The sale of the orchards has been approved by the Foreign Investment Review Board, but the water transaction did not need FIRB approval.
"Consistent with our asset-light approach to tree crop production, this arrangement will enable Olam Orchards Australia to focus on operations and continue to deliver best-in-class products and services to customers," said Ashok Krishen, the managing director and chief executive of Olam's edible nuts business.
"I am confident this partnership with PSP Investments will help lead the industry in sustainable farming and agricultural practices and protect critical natural resources, such as water, in Australia," he said.
PSP Investments managing director Marc Drouin said the agreement with Olam was complementary to its other permanent crop investments around the world.
"Our agreement with Olam Orchards Australia is consistent with our strategy to partner with best-in-class operators who take the long-term view and to invest in high-quality agricultural assets globally," he said.
The chairman of the Victorian Farmers Federation's water council, Richard Anderson, said that the 89,085 megalitres of permanent water rights fell well short of satisfying the annual irrigation requirements of the 12,000 hectares of orchards.
He said mature almond orchards in that part of Victoria would need 14 to 16 megalitres of water per hectare per year. Sixteen megalitres per hectare multiplied by 12,000 hectares of orchards equals 192,000 megalitres per year, which is far in excess of the entitlement bought by PSP Investments.
"Really, all you've got is a change of ownership, it (the water) has gone from a Singapore-owned company to a Canadian pension fund," he said.
"It's a big bulk of water but it's still being used in agriculture," he said.
"It's not as if they've just come in as a speculator and said 'we'll go and buy a big patch of water and we'll trade it every year'," he said.
The Australian almond industry is undergoing strong growth as orchards mature and produce more nuts and as more and more people adopt plant-based diets.
Last week, the ASX-listed almond producer Select Harvests reported a $53 million net profit for 2018-19, up 160 per cent on the 2017-18 year.
Darren is the mining and agribusiness reporter for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.
Sydney FC facing break-up of squad due to salary cap pressure
Sir Elton John pictured tossing a Gucci bag out of his private jet in a huff
January 21, 2020 Georgia Headland 0
Fetch TV chief executive Scott Lorson said Eurosport had been one of the company's "most requested"...
The better explanation for why the stock markets have been surging – they are up about...
Pact Group to sell contract manufacturing division
The ASX is set to open higher, while gold prices remain at record highs. Business
Make a comment	Cancel reply
Most Reading
The truth behind Princess Alice's interview with The Guardian
Birds brutally smashed by hail in Canberra
GOT actress 'guilt-tripped' into nudity


Every student who has the intention to enter a college, a university, Grad School, Medical School, etc. has to write a good personal statement to impress the admission commission and win the place at the chosen educational institution. Most applicants have problems with personal statement writing, because the paper is very serious (because often the one's fate depends on it) and has strict writing requirements. The commission expects to receive a brief but logical paper which contains the self-presentation of an applicant and a range of his qualities which are appropriate or not for their institution. It is really difficult to realize how to make a personal statement correctly without good help of the professional. We understand young people and offer high-quality writing guidelines, which will be at hand for every applicant in need.
Before writing, choose the best one of the personal statement topics suggested for writing. Then, you need to organize the writing process effectively and control every further step. In order to do it, create a detailed personal statement outline. When you start writing a personal statement, you have to keep in mind the audience, which will be reading your paper and the personal and professional qualities required by the school. For example, it is obvious, that a Medical School student is expected to be scrupulous and patient, so there is no need to write that you are impulsive, impatient and can not concentrate on one thing for a long time, so your paper will never be accepted. Moreover, analyzing your qualities, you can change your mind understanding you need something else and start looking for another place for education.
Writing a personal statement essay, you have to start it with a catchy introduction. It should be interesting, impressing and characterize your personality from all sides. The best way to prepare a good introduction is to write a famous quote and connect it with the story from your real life. It may be a positive life experience, which has opened your eyes on the profession you want to achieve or suit for; a child story with deep sense; some shocking or funny event from your life, which has changed your vision of your future or which have revealed your skills appropriate for the school you choose.
If you plan to write a personal statement effectively, introduce your character from the most positive side. Write about the number of read books, about your interests, hobbies, everything which can be useful for the educational process at the selected school.
A good personal statement should not only present your qualities and skills, but also explain why you have chosen to study at this very school and you plan to gain from education and what future career you plan to build. In order to impress the admission commission make sure you have written the paper in the appropriate personal statement format and length (it is not recommended to write long papers not to bore the audience).
If you want to be on the safe side and hand in a 100% successful original paper, Professay.com custom personal statement writing service is always ready to write a high-quality non-plagiarized paper for you for affordable price and deliver it online without a delay.


text:
%
% Test to make sure the acceptance ratios are correct for the MH moves.
% This compares the ratios from the relevant conditional distributions
% to the overall generative score
%
% If this does not throw an assert, then it should be working.
%
ntry = 1;
verbose = true;
debug = true;
ps = defaultps;
load(ps.libname,'lib');
for t=1:ntry
    fprintf(1,'TRY %d\n',t);
    motor_program = generate_all_rel_character(lib);
    M = motor_program();
    mcmc_all(M,lib,1,'verbose','debug','type','token','relation');
end


And only 38 percent would inform the relevant authorities, according to the results of a recent AlienVault survey.
A recent AlienVault survey found that only 2 percent of EU companies would be willing to go public if they suffered a security breach.
Just 38 percent would inform the relevant authorities, 31 percent would tell their employees, and only 11 percent would share the information with the security community.
Still, 50 percent said they would share intelligence with competitors following a hack, while 35 percent said they would be willing to reveal it anonymously.
"Sharing information about the source and nature of attacks allows the security community to act fast, and quickly isolate malicious or compromised hosts," AlienVault president and CEO Barmak Meftah said in a statement.
When asked what they would do first when new malware hits, 5 percent said they would do nothing at all, while 1 percent said they would wait to see the full impact, 31 percent said they would look for a patch, and 52 percent said they would research the impact of the malware.


text:
Champion Insiders
Sports News. Analysis. Live Scores
NFL Champions
NBA Champions
NHL Champions
NFL Super Bowl Champions
Most winning NFL franchises
Most winning NFL franchises playoffs
2020 NFL Mock Draft 1.0
NCAA BB (M)
Zion Williamson signs with Jordan Brand
Joe Broback
Contributor at Champion Insiders
Joe is a writer covering the NFL, NBA, NHL and college football. He also currently writes for SB Nation's Underdog Dynasty, covering the American Athletic Conference since 2016. Joe enjoys collecting shoes, playing sports, and anything fitness related.
Latest posts by Joe Broback (see all)
LSU Tigers dominate Clemson to win 2020 college football national championship - January 14, 2020
Way Too Early Top 25 College Football rankings for 2020 - January 10, 2020
Clemson Tigers most important matchups for the National Championship Game - January 8, 2020
We no longer have to wait to see where Zion Williamson will sign. The New Orleans Pelicans number one overall pick made a decision on which shoe company he'll be with for the 2019 season.
Earlier today, Williamson announced he would sign with Nike's Jordan brand. Every brand that produces basketball shows wanted him on their team, but Michael Jordan and his team found a way to sign the rookie. There are reports that the deal could be worth $100 million.
Well, this should be fun.
Welcome to the family, @ZionWilliamson. #JUMPMAN pic.twitter.com/nSY2Eh0Fnu
— Jordan (@Jumpman23) July 23, 2019
This was the best move that Williamson could make. My guess is that this will turn out to be a situation similar to LeBron James' signing as a rookie. We'll learn that other brands offered Zion more money, but he chose Jordan brand. It makes sense to sign with them over any other brand right now.
First and foremost, Jordan brand isn't going away anytime soon. As long as Michael Jordan is alive (and even after that), Jordan's continue to be the most iconic shoes in basketball. Until Zion gets his own signature shoe, he can wear nearly any model from retros to Russell Westbrook's signature line. Once he gets his signature shoe, it will skyrocket sales for the brand. Right now, Westbrook is the only current athlete with a signature shoe with Jordan brand. They were in need of another star, and they got a big one. It's great for both sides, and it offers the most upside for the rookie.
He could have signed with Nike, but his signature line would compete too much within the brand. Guys like LeBron, Paul George, Kevin Durant an Kyrie Irving already have established signature lines with Nike, so that didn't make sense. Adidas has multiple signature lines, and Zion could have been the most popular. However, there's more competition and there's less of a trendsetting appeal.
Under Armour appears set on running with Steph Curry as their own signature athlete, and has yet to prove they can be a major player in the NBA. Puma might be just a fad and die out soon, and they haven't shown that they're ready for a signature athlete yet. Overseas brands like Li-Ning and Anta may have competed for Zion, but also already have signature athletes.
Jordan Zion signature
What should we expect from a Zion signature shoe? First, we can expect a sturdy shoe. After he was injured playing in a pair of Paul George shoes (that blew out), Nike flew experts to Duke to work with Zion. Smart move on Nike's part to show Zion how things will work early before other brands could talk to him.
Paul George says he talked to Nike about his shoes after the Zion Williamson injury #NBA https://t.co/PrzaMmMdP3 pic.twitter.com/CqT4PspP97
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) February 22, 2019
With the amount of force he generates with every step, the shoe needs to support a freak athlete. In terms of cut, we won't know. Zion's played in nearly every cut from low to high, but if we had to guess we'd say a mid cut shoe. In terms of cushioning, look to LeBron's line for answers. Double stacked Zoom could be an option with the force Zion produces. When you're dealing with a player who only really compares to LeBron in terms of athletic ability relative to size, you have to utilize the obvious. Hopefully, the price point won't be through the roof.
Zion Williamson continues to make splashes before he plays in his first official game in the NBA. His signing with Jordan brand makes the most sense for him, and helps the brand even more. Whether it's on the court or off the court, his sneaker collection will be versatile and influential. It's only a matter of time before we see leaked pictures of the Jordan ZW 1, and we can't wait.
2019 NBA Mock Draft: Pelicans land Zion Williamson &…
2019 NBA Draft Profile: Zion Williamson
New Orleans Pelicans pick Zion Williamson No. 1
Kristaps Porzingis signs $158 million extension with…
Ezekiel Elliott signs $90M deal with Dallas Cowboys
Bradley Beal signs $72M extension with Washington Wizards
Tags: Adidas, College Basketball, Duke Blue Devils, Jordan brand, NBA, NCAA, Nike, Puma, Under Armour, Zion Williamson
Why Mountain West teams will make the College Football Playoff
Why AAC teams make the College Football Playoff
Copyright © 2020 Champion Insiders


A footballer of exceptional versatility who acquits himself equally well on either flank. His power and skill mean he rarely fails to beat his man when taking people on. He also boasts an outstanding shot from outside of the area.
He arrived at the Real Madrid youth set-up in 2010 to strengthen the Under-15s, having previously been at U.D. Las Palmas.


Most people think we're crazy when we announced we would visit Helsinki in winter – not once, but TWICE! Nick was in the Finnish capital for Nordic Bloggers Experience in 2015, and we were lucky to be both selected to participate in 2016 as well.
If you're wondering what to do in Helsinki in winter, this is the post for you – we'll reveal 6 awesome things to do in and around Helsinki, and great places to stay in town without breaking your budget!
I've never been the kind of person that refuses to visit a city I have been to before. I have visited some of my favourite cities time and time again – Berlin and Budapest three times last year alone, Rome and Florence perhaps twenty times each, and I can't wait to return to London and Paris, cities I love deeply and I haven't been to for a while now.
Another example of a city that deserves more than one visit is Helsinki. The capital of Finland is actually two cities in one. In summer, the town moves outdoors, between picnics, parties and weekends away on the islands around the city.
During our first visit, we had the chance to spend one night on Suomenlinna, the UNESCO-listed fortress island off the coast of Helsinki, and spent three days exploring the city, which – surprise surprise – was not as expensive as we imagined. After that trip, we put together a guide of free things to do in Helsinki, and the visit left us yearning to explore the Finnish capital further.
Helsinki has some great boutique and design hotels, perfect to relax and warm up if you're visiting Helsinki during December, January and February, when the weather dips to way below zero! Here are our six favourites, or check our post about Helsinki Design Hotels for a wider selection.
Hotel F6 – a boutique hotel perfect to experience hygge when visiting Helsinki during December, January and February!
That's why we were delighted to have been chosen to return to Helsinki for the Nordic Bloggers Experience – and this time, we would be visiting the city in January. We took the same flight we had taken in summer, and landed at 3.25 pm – whereas in summer we still had several hours of sunlight ahead of us, this time it was already dark.
In winter, the atmosphere around Helsinki is just as magical as in summer. The long Nordic days of summer become very short, as the sun rises above the horizon only for a few hours each day. Yes, it may be cold, but you get the benefit of sunrises without having to wake up at ungodly hours; and after sunset, the town is bathed in the blue light of the magical 'blue hour' between dusk and night. The sea freezes over and the town is covered in snow, making it look like a fairytale.
So, what to do in winter in Helsinki if you find yourself there? Here are eight ideas to enjoy the best of what the city has to offer in December, January and February!
There are several islands off the coast of Helsinki, including many where locals have their summer homes. In summer, these islands are probably at their best – people often spend the entire season there, enjoying nature and time with friends and family. Unsurprisingly, in winter the islands are usually very quiet – but that is not to say they aren't worth a visit!
The most famous of the islands just off Helsinki's harbour is Suomenlinna, a fortress island with several museums, historic sights and a community of 800 residents. In summer, Suomenlinna becomes a popular destination for young people, who take advantage of the 24 hour ferries and organise 'secret' parties on the meadows between one fortified tower and another – think cans of Karhu beer and music blaring from iPhone speakers.
The museums are wonderful year-round; wandering around Suomenlinna in winter, between snow-blanketed meadows and the frozen sea, was simply magical. There was barely a soul around, and no sound other than our boots crunching the snow. Don't miss heading to Suomenlinna if you're visiting Helsinki in winter!
Check out these Suomenlinna Tours!
During his first winter visit to Helsinki, Nick had the chance to take a helicopter tour over the city. You can imagine how envious I was, right? Flying over one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, on a helicopter (a kind of transport that, to date, I haven't yet experienced!) at sunrise… Amazing, right? Well, take a look at these pictures and I'm sure you'll agree!
The company that organised the tour is called Rotorway. Nick and the other bloggers were taken by bus to a park out of the city centre, where there's a perfect place for a helicopter to take off and land. Tours last about 25 minutes and each helicopter can fit up to 6 people – a lucky one at the front right next to the pilot and others in the back.
Helsinki is a great place to enjoy from the air – especially in winter, when the city is covered in snow and the frozen sea doesn't make it immediately clear where land ends and water begins. To make things even better, tours at typically around 'sunrise' – and in winter, at these latitudes, sunrise means around 9.30 am, so there's no need for an early wake up. Great for sleepy heads like us, and for anyone visiting Helsinki in winter!
Naturally, you can't miss checking out the city centre if you're visiting Helsinki in winter. Since it's bound to get cold at some stage, you can seek refuge into one of the city's unique churches!
Helsinki Cathedral is a great place to start – it's one of the city's best known landmarks, sitting on top of a small hill in the heart of the city, just a couple of blocks from the harbour where you catch the Suomenlinna ferry. The white building surrounded by the snow is very photogenic, but sadly my camera batteries were dead when we went past (more about it later…), so here's a summer picture.
Not far, you'll find the modern Kamppi Chapel of Silence. It is built with Finnish wood, is right in the middle of the busy Kamppi neighbourhood, and it's intended to provide a quiet place for contemplation and relaxation in the heart of the city.
Finally, head a few hundred meters north to check out the Temppeliaukio Rock Church. This church is built directly into solid rock, with a circular skylight surrounding a copper dome. Temppeliaukio Church is known for its acoustics, and you'll often find concerts or bands practicing – a wonderful way to spend a few minutes relaxing if you're visiting Helsinki in winter!
Check out these tours around Helsinki, ideal for Winter!
Helsinki City Tour and Winterworld Excursion – where you can try winter activities like an ice bar and kick-sledding without having to travel to Lapland!
Russia and Finland have a complicated relationship – unsurprisingly, considering that Russia ruled Finland for over 100 years. During this time, Finnish national identity awakened, until the country finally became independent after the end of WW1. Finland then went on to lose part of its territories to Russia at the end of WW2 – if you're interested to know more about this matter, check out our post about Salla in Finnish Lapland.
In the early days of Modern Finland, Russia was seen as the great oppressor next door, and anything Russian was perceived as 'bad'. For instance, anyone who's been to Finland will be familiar with the Finns' love for coffee. Some say that the Finns drink so much coffee because tea is the quintessentially Russian drink, so of course the Finns had to opt for something else. Yet, both Finns and Russians love vodka. Go figure.
If you visit Finland during the winter season, you may be surprised to find blini on the menu. Blini are a version of pancakes originating from Russia. They are thick and fluffy, smaller than usual pancakes, and traditionally served with fish roe and sour cream.
Blini are offered during the dark winter period, especially in January, to lend a festive atmosphere to the beginning of the year – they are soft and buttery, and traditionally served as a starter. Blini became popular in the 1990s – nobody really knows why, but does it matter? They're delicious!
A swim in the frozen sea? why not?
If you have a Finnish friend or you've ever visited, you'll be familiar with the country's obsession with sauna – second only to their love for coffee. The Finns love relaxing with a sauna at the end of the day, and invite friends over for a sauna in the same way we invite people for dinner.
Most hotels and some apartment rentals will offer guests access to a sauna. Alternatively you can go to one of many public saunas in town, like Kaurila or Kotiharju, one of the last genuine wood-heated public saunas in Helsinki, open since 1928. If you prefer something more modern, opt for Kultuurisauna, an ecological design sauna heated with wood pellets and with separated areas for men and women.
Yet, the coolest place to have a sauna experience in Helsinki is definitely Löyly, located right on the waterfront in a super cool building – it was included in Time Magazine's 100 Coolest Places in 2018.
Here's Loyly – doesn't it look cool?
Löyly is a great place to try 'smoke sauna', the traditional kind, heated for several hours with a wooden fire. The sauna has ventilation but much of the soot remains on the walls, turning them black. I must say that after having experienced a smoke sauna, the hotel's electric sauna doesn't quite hit the spot anymore – just remember not to lean against the walls, or your skin will be covered in soot.
There's only one way to end your Helsinki sauna experience the Finnish way, with an icy dip in the Baltic sea. The experience can be invigorating or downright painful, but it's definitely something to brag about at home.
Löyly has an outdoor walkway leading towards a hole in the frozen sea – make sure you walk (or run) in your socks or slippers, because if you do so in your bare feet, they may stick to the frozen walkway. And that hurts. A lot.
Helsinki locals are lucky to have an awesome national park right next to the city. Technically, Nuuksio National Park is closer to Espoo, Finland's second-largest city, but being only 30 km away from Helsinki it's very easy to plan an outing from the capital.
The symbol of Nuuksio National Park is the flying squirrel – they are very rare though, let alone in winter, when they slow down their activity to make up for the scarcity of food. In winter you'll be able to explore Nuuksio's paths with snowshoes or cross-country skis, enjoying the beautiful winter light for as long as you can, before retreating to a kota (teepee) for a cup of hot tea or juice.
We visited Nuuksio National Park one afternoon when the temperature dipped to -27°. A variety of activities had been organised for us – snowshoeing, meditation in the forest, even a walk with 'mood rings' to measure the effect that nature has on our mood. We opted for a trip on Altai skis, shorter and wider than typical cross-country skis, that can be strapped onto your hiking boots.
We were only able to resist to the bitter cold for one hour, before the sun set and the temperature dropped even further. That afternoon was nothing short of magical – the cold made everything still and beautiful, as if the world had fallen under a spell.
Planning to Visit Nuuksio? Here are some cool tours!
When the cold became too much at Nuuksio, we sought some warmth at Haltia, a newly-built exhibition centre dedicated to Finnish nature.
Haltia houses several exhibitions – combined with Nuuksio, it makes for the perfect Helsinki day trip in winter. We were taken for a guided tour that explained the link between Haltia's architecture and the Kalevala, the epic tale of Finland. In one room, we were surrounded by 360° videos of how Finnish nature changes during the year – from Northern lights to midnight sun, through the colours of winter and the blooms of spring.
Haltia also organizes nature-themed concerts and events – we were treated to a concert of a 12 year old musician who played a traditional Finnish instrument that seemed to resemble the sounds of nature.
In case you get hungry, Haltia also has an excellent restaurant offering the best of modern Finnish cuisine.
Porvoo is another place that looks like a true winter wonderland between December and February, making for a fun day out from Helsinki. It's only an hour away by bus, but it's an entirely different city from Helsinki, with a mellow vibe and a 'village' feel.
In winter, it's super fun to wander around Porvoo's historic centre, full of interesting examples of wooden architecture, and some very picturesque corners. If you want to know more about Porvoo sights and attractions, check out our Porvoo post – we visited twice, in summer and winter, and loved it both times.
Planning to Visit Porvoo? Here are some cool tours!
Yes, Helsinki is chilly in winter. Temperatures can go down as low as -30°. We thought the cold lent an air of otherworldly magic to Helsinki, but if you're not prepared or ready for it, it can indeed be difficult to bear.
So here's our first tip – dress warm, and choose warm and comfortable shoes. We wore a ski jacket, fleece, a merino wool jumper, thermal underwear and tights, and cross-country ski pants. Forget glamour – you want warmth and practicality. The streets of Helsinki are often icy, so stilettos and anything with a smooth sole will send you flying on your booty. Opt for trekking shoes with a rugged sole.
If you're heading to a meeting, a trade fair or anywhere where formal wear may be required, bring some extra shoes and change your outdoor shoes when you enter. There's often a 'shoe room' in addition to the cloak room.
Second tip – batteries. The cold can seriously drain your batteries. That means that even if you have 90% battery left, if your device sits in the cold for too long, it will switch off out of the blue. And that can be seriously annoying, especially if you are relying on your phone for important info like your door code!
Solutions? Try to keep your phone next to your body, and keep other electronic devices out of the cold as much as possible. Always make sure you have a battery pack charged up to give your devices an 'emergency boost' – you'll often find that a few minutes charge is enough to restore power.
Do you have any other tips on what to do in Helsinki in winter? Let us know!
We visited Helsinki in winter 2015 and 2016 as part of the Nordic Bloggers Experience project. As always, all opinions are our own.
You're right, it does seem crazy to go there in the winter! The pictures look amazing though, and I bet the snow makes everything looks like a postcard from a helicopter. Thanks for sharing!
I think Finland in winter really gives its best! Stunning place! Thanks for your comment Annie!
Thanks a lot!! Very nice to read and a lot of usefull tips and info 🙂 Great sharing, thanks again!


text:
By health and care staff
A dropped instrument, washed in theatre and immediately reused: a story from a theatre nurse
PUBLISHED 15 November, 2019
TYPE Accounts and narratives
CONTENT TYPE New
SUGGESTED AUDIENCE Patients and public, Health and care staff, Patient safety leads, Researchers/academics
What happens if a surgeon accidentally drops an instrument on the floor, picks it up and reuses, without it going through a steriliser? Should this be allowed to happen? Well it did!
I was once working in a private operating theatre where, to my horror, the surgeon accidentally dropped an instrument on the floor, picked it up and reused it without it going through a steriliser. In my 30 years of working as a theatre nurse, I had never seen anything like this. I felt sick to my stomach! Is this what happens in private hospitals?
I reported it immediately to the senior staff on duty and also the theatre manager. I also sent through a report at the end of the case. Nothing happened, except my shifts were blocked for reporting the incident .
I no longer work in that hospital. I feel hurt. My mental health has also suffered as I feel tortured.
I question myself. Did I do the right thing by reporting it? Because now I do not have a job and I am using my savings to survive.
If I was a permanent member of staff, I would still be working. Is this why staff do not report incidents? For fear of losing their jobs?
What about the safety of the patient?
I tried calling to speak to anyone who would listen. I did not have any luck – I found all avenues were blocked. There was no Speak Up Guardians in post.
I feel I did the right thing by reporting it, but I was not supported by management. Where is the system in private hospitals to protect locum theatre staff? Why is this allowed to go on? In theatres, we are the patient's advocate. We are only there to ensure the patient is safe at all times.
Would I do things differently if it happens again, now that I know the consequences?
Yes! Absolutely 100%.
I will continue to speak up and send through a report.
Theatre scrub nurse, private hospital.
Patient Safety Learning 164
Thank you for sharing such a candid account at what must be a very difficult time.
If you have a story to tell, please do share it with us on the hub. By sharing our experiences, we can start having honest conversations around these topics.
HelenH 84
'Absolutely 100%' - I so admire you for doing the right thing in reporting and having the integrity, compassion and commitment to patient safety to do so again. As the Chief Executive of Patient Safety Learning, wife, daughter and mother, thank you. I hope the support you receive in telling your story will help with the distress and anguish this incident has caused you. Thank you for sharing
Andrew Ottaway 10
I applaud the integrity of the Originator of this thread for highlighting the iniquity in our healthcare sector, where a private institution performing procedures often on behalf of the NHS is not required to provide a platform that enables and encourages staff witnessing misconduct or improper behaviour to speak-up. It does seem a little odd that while NHS establishments are required as part of their mandate to have a "Freedom To Speak Up Guardian" system, private healthcare providers do not.
I am aware that there is an alternative, commercial, system that provides staff with a safe platform for raising issues, and a number of social-care organisations and NHS Trusts are presently benefiting from the pseudo-anonymised firewall that is a security feature, enabling dialogue without the possibility of compromised personal security and the fear of retribution such as we see in this case. This platform is currently under consideration by a number of CCG, and has been presented to STP and HSCP in the UK and similar organisations abroad.
Claire Cox 152
Thank you for the comment @Andrew Ottaway I saw that the FTSU guardian commented on twitter that the private sector have to have a FTSU guardian if they are providing NHS care (in this case I don't think they are) So what happens here?
I expect people using private healthcare do not realise how unsafe their care could be. They are paying the price - literally. Terrifying
Hi @Claire Cox I agree that it does appear that there's a significant loophole in patient safety, and I find it odd that while the CQC can and indeed do make comment in their inspection reports regarding staff-engagement - sometimes quite critical comment - there seems to be no indication that a system similar to FTSUG is demanded of private healthcare establishments in the same way that they do of NHS Trusts. I hope that this is an oversight to be addressed, and not an indication that FTSUG is seen as a panacea for public consumption.
Hi @Andrew Ottaway and @Claire Cox
Thanks for the discussion and update Andrew. I think it would be helpful to clarify responsibilities and I will write next week to the FTSUG's office, the CQC and NHSI. It does appear to be a loophole.
Will keep everyone posted.
Does also show the contractual vulnerabilities of bank and locum staff in raising issues. Staff shouldn't have to chose between doing the right thing, their professional responsibilities and their livelihood. I'll write to the GMC, NMC and HCPC on this issue.
Thanks again to the brave reporter.
lzipperer 22
Thank you to the reporter for sharing this story. I am saddened that 20 years after To Err is Human and subsequently An Organisation with a Memory this sort of response still occurs. I am troubled by the leadership failure here!
Aston02 3
Thank you for sharing with us the incident which is clearly something that will harm a patient. Firstly you should be congratulated in speaking up while others stood back and said nothing. Stand firm in your beliefs that you have done the right thing and do not let anyone tell you otherwise. With regard to the FTSPUG service, I used the service at my current hospital after an unauthorised visitor made their way into an operating theatre. While I challenged what the person was doing in the operating theatre everyone including senior management looked the other way. After contacting the FTSUG service they took my complaint seriously and presented it to the board of Directors on my behalf.
Edited 25 November, 2019 by Aston02 grammer
That's great to hear @Aston02. Disappointing that you had to use the service but shows why it's needed. Shocked that senior management behaved that way. Was there any follow up with them do you know?
Webinar: Working with the NHS to improve patient flow using virtual wards supported by in-person care Latest comment by Patient Safety Learning
'Mesh removal surgery is a postcode lottery' - patients harmed by surgical mesh need accessible, consistent treatment Latest comment by Kath Sansom
What makes it so difficult for nurses to coach patients in shared decision making? A process evaluation (16 December 2017) Latest comment by Patient-Safety-Learning


text:
First Eyes Inside Nuclear Plant May Be A Robot's
By Geoff Brumfiel
Published March 22, 2011 at 10:01 PM MDT
Many of the sensors and cameras at the nuclear power plant were disabled by explosions, so plant operators are turning to highly maneuverable robots to get a better idea of what's going on in areas where it's far too radioactive for workers to venture.
Workers in Japan want to look inside three troubled reactors at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. But intense radiation inside the buildings means that it is too dangerous for them to enter. One solution? Robots. They're good at going places where people just don't want to go.
/ iRobot
Robots like this one, which can be outfitted with an array of sensors and cameras, will be sent into the reactor buildings at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant in Japan.
"The purpose of robots is to do those dull, dirty and dangerous missions — so dangerous is certainly what we're talking about here," says Tim Trainer, a vice president at iRobot, an American firm that has sent four of its robots to the company that owns the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant.
After a massive earthquake and tsunami struck the plant on March 11, operators lost power to the buildings that hold the reactors. In the ensuing days, three of them heated up and partially melted down. Explosions and fires that accompanied the accident have knocked out valuable equipment and left the area dangerously radioactive.
"A lot of the sensors and cameras are no longer operative in the facility, so the robot can provide your eyes and ears," Trainer says.
The robots Trainer has sent are designed to investigate bombs for the military, and some have been used in Iraq and Afghanistan. They look like little tanks and are about 3 feet long. On their front is an extra set of extendable treads, which they can use to get over things.
I would anticipate that we are going to see a phenomenal enterprise of remote work systems that are brought to bear over the weeks, months and years of recovering Fukushima.
"Both of them are very maneuverable — they both have the ability to climb over rocks and terrain and debris," he says.
That maneuverability could come in handy at Fukushima Dai-ichi — the area around the plant is cluttered with debris. The robots also come equipped with cameras and chemical and radiation sensors. One type has a robotic arm that can open doors — unless they're locked.
"I am not familiar with what the door is like and whether they locked the door," Trainer says. "If they locked the door, likely we will not be able to open them.
Once the robots get inside, they might use their cameras to inspect the condition of the containment vessels around the reactors or take samples to check the radiation levels.
But this is only the start of the role that the robots may play at Fukushima. Carnegie Mellon University robotics researcher Red Whittaker has assisted with robotic operations at nuclear accidents like Chernobyl. He says after that 1986 accident, at a nuclear power plant in Ukraine, radiation levels were too high for workers to conduct cleanup operations, so remote-controlled robots had to take over.
"The building around Chernobyl — that's sometimes called the sarcophagus — was put together by remote cranes that would lift and lower beams and tilt up walls, and by robots in the interior that would cut and dig," Whittaker says.
At Fukushima, Whittaker says, these scouting robots will likely be just the start. Especially given the Japanese aptitude for robotics, he expects a whole variety of different devices — for handling dangerous nuclear fuel, for example, or removing radioactive topsoil around the plant.
"I would anticipate that we are going to see a phenomenal enterprise of remote work systems that are brought to bear over the weeks, months and years of recovering Fukushima," he says.
Trainer says his crews are now working with the nuclear plant's employees, and assuming everything goes according to plan, the robots could enter the site in a matter of days.
Geoff Brumfiel is a reporter for Nature who has been covering the nuclear crisis.
NPR News Morning Edition
Geoff Brumfiel
Geoff Brumfiel works as a senior editor and correspondent on NPR's science desk. His editing duties include science and space, while his reporting focuses on the intersection of science and national security.
See stories by Geoff Brumfiel


text:
Alert me about Processing
Brightly colored and formed into a variety of shapes, kamaboko is often used as a topping for noodle dishes such as ramen, udon and soba. Photo: Shutterstock
Rocketing surimi costs force Japan's kamaboko manufacturers to raise prices
Two to three million metric tons of fish, amounting to 2–3 percent of global production annually, are used in surimi-based products such as kamaboko.
20 December 2022 9:19 GMT Updated 20 December 2022 14:00 GMT
By Matthew Wilcox
Japan Kamaboko Association Chairman Masahiro Shimomura issued a statement last week confirming the country's manufacturers of fish paste products will be forced to raise prices due to historically high surimi prices.
Over the past year, Japan's currency has lost value against the US dollar and other currencies as the Federal Reserve has raised interest rates while the Bank of Japan has kept its key interest rate at minus 0.1 percent.
In turn, the country's trade deficit has surged as the weaker yen has pushed the costs of imports higher.


This activity begins with a brief history of compasses and navigation. Students then learn to identify compass parts and how to use a compass. The activity concludes with students using compasses to find their way between different points on a compass course.
Students are challenged personally and as a group to accomplish given tasks. The activity begins with a "ground school", which prepares students for the upcoming challenges. The students then move to the Challenge Course where they are challenged on one or more activities (time permitting). The activity concludes with a discussion of how the group worked together and lessons that can be learned and applied in other situations.
This activity begins, as does the compass activity above, with learning to identify compass parts and how to use a compass. Students are then asked to use their multiplication and division skills to estimate distances. The activity concludes with students applying this knowledge on an orienteering course that requires them to be able to use a compass and calculate a distance.
The Survival Challenge has been designed for students who have taken part in the Group Building, Orienteering, and Survival Skills activities. This is a culmination activity involving different stations. At each station, a group of students must use the skills that they have learned to solve a specified problem.
This introduction to survival skills teaches students the basics of survival in a forest. Students learn how to: construct a debris shelter, find water sources, practice safe fire-building skills, and (time permitting) investigate sources of wild food.


Graeme McDowall swears that they've played a major role in his success, so there is no doubting the quality and performance of Cleveland Golf clubs. At Foremost Golf, we offer Cleveland Golf wedges & Cleveland Golf putters at reduced, discount prices. The RTX-3 golf wedges lead the way in golf wedge innovation, whilst the TFI and Huntington Beach golf putters combine sleek designs with similarly outstanding performance on the greens.
FREE UK Delivery on Cleveland Golf clubs from the Foremost Golf online golf shop.


Welcome to our Portal about Home Furniture! Our web pages 612 repressents photo materials and notes, other materials and screenshots for themes: "furniture upholsterers toronto", "furniture movers sliders", "furniture buzz words", "furniture row outlet website" and "furniture arranging with tv" for "furniture 2000 pittsburg ca", the furniture bar kit. And also you can find more TOP Rated products and offers. Scroll Down!
The Collection of screenshots and other info, find more for themes: "furniture box tinley park illinois", "furniture reupholstery san antonio", "furniture blog danish modern", "furniture dealers seattle", "furniture donations knoxville tn".
The furniture and other online offers on page 450; "furniture brands usa"; "furniture 2000 antioch"; "furniture 2 go lv".
Screenshots 1322 furniture bar units; furniture nj desk; furniture blue sectionals; furniture dealers portland oregon; furniture upholsterers joplin mo furniture buzz words.
Rearn more information about: "furniture nj desk", "furniture 20008", "furniture nj bassett", "furniture north carolina trade show", "furniture consignment nashville"!
Best and hidden tips from page 904 about themes: furniture on consignment sydney, furniture north carolina wholesalers and furniture galore vic, furniture living room layout or also furniture movers philadelphia.
Reference to other screen-shots and photos of our site for themes: "furniture at work gibson", "furniture unfinished orlando", "furniture blue jean", "furniture 2000 pittsburg ca" and "bliss furniture malaysia".
Look at photos 1012 and screenshots 93 for my design: furniture row shopping center pharr texas, furniture nj bergen and furniture consignment nashville furniture 1st lansing mi.
Read more tips at photos 131 from Themes: furniture retailers usa, furniture donations in houston - furniture 4 less portland.
Veternas stories on page 312 from Themes: furniture upholsterers hampshire, furniture box of naperville and also furniture 2 go lv.
Look here New extreme offers! On pictures 1308 and 60 from the furniture bar units furniture movers insurance. furniture ny ashley, office furniture manufacturers list, furniture blue coupon code, furniture making handbook, furniture barn los angeles, furniture reupholstery charlotte nc!
And Also you can find and learn more about the furniture movers austin tx plus furniture village insurance. furniture medic locations, ashley furniture nj complaints, furniture north carolina trade show, furniture 2000 pittsburg ca, the furniture handles and knobs and furniture arranging free, furniture donations austin tx!
ATTENTION! Our Exclusive materials on themes "furniture 4 kids website" and "Furniture One Gunnedah" from our stock photos is copyrighted!
Scroll UP and look at page 12352 from theme furniture movers austin tx, ikea outdoor furniture 2009, furniture 2007 sales and furniture on the web discount, furniture new york city or visit site about furniture factory direct coupons and furniture mall delhi!