In news that won't surprise cat owners: toys are expensive.
But according to one Facebook group, all you need to entertain your cat is a bath plug.
Sharing her surprise, a cat owner wrote in the Cool Cat Group on Facebook: "I've spent hundreds of $$ on cat toys, but all he wants is the bath plug."
The best part is, a rubber bath plug will set you back a couple of dollars.
In reaction to the post, a surprising amount of owners have come forward revealing the same thing: their cat is obsessed with the bath plug.
"When we first moved to this home we found there was no bathtub plug. Not knowing the size we bought a multi-pack with four sizes. Mabel immediately began taking them to play in the hall. We've had to replace that package of plugs once and have hidden the one we use," said one user.
Another added: "Yeah sounds about right...Brooklyn takes off with my plug as well as the drain grate...found them under the couch the other week."
"Hahaha my cats have the same interest in bath plugs," said another.
Does your cat like to play with the bath plug? Or do they prefer another strange household item? Tell us in the comments!


"I trained as a psychologist, and have a master's degree in legal psychology, which allows me to address issues relevant to addiction such as family mediation, social intervention, dealing with minors or substance use itself.
Since completing my training, my professional experience has been in the field of addiction care. I completed my university internship at Triora MonteAlminara. Since then, I have given both individual and group therapy sesssions, also attending group therapy with patients' family members."
"I started working at the centre when it first opened its doors in Malaga, and I feel a true vocation for this profession."
"What I find most fulfilling is encouraging and helping patients to grow day by day. Not only can we see how we help them in their personal growth, and the change in their lives, but we also learn from them."


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text:
'HERE, WE GO'
CLOSING IN ON
THE FINISH LINE
After Meeting Its
$1B Goal Early,
the Campaign's Still
Going Strong
The University of Houston is just months away from the conclusion of its $1 billion capital campaign in August 2020. But the University actually reached its fundraising goal 18 months ahead of schedule, in February 2019, and has been moving beyond the billion with wide support from both the community and the alumni base.
To date, the "Here, We Go" campaign has raised $1,196,660,053 to create impact in strategic areas that will shape the future growth of the University. And, perhaps even more impressive, that amazing total has come from an equally amazing multitude of donors — 184, 257 to be exact.
That has been a clear reflection of the popular appeal of the campaign.
"The community, our donors and alumni have shown their willingness to galvanize behind this initiative," said Eloise Brice, vice chancellor and vice president for university advancement. "Once we reached our fundraising goal, we knew that we had to continue and create new opportunities to educate our students and to attract and retain the best faculty in order to respond to today's complex challenges."
Since its founding, the University's mission has been to ensure general access to a world-class education, ensuring that its students are given every opportunity to succeed in and out of the classroom. To this end, student success has been the University's number one priority and serves as the leading pillar of the campaign — scholarships. So far, more than $200 million has been raised for scholarships since the start of the campaign. With more than two-thirds of UH undergraduate students, many who are first generation, receiving some form of financial assistance, the University continues to leverage scholarships as a method to recruit and retain high-performing students.
But the academic commitment from the campaign certainly doesn't stop there.
Last August, the University launched Aspire Fund: The $50 Million Challenge, to strategically advance its academic enterprise. Funded by an anonymous donor, the Aspire Fund is a matching gift opportunity intended to inspire the local, national and global communities to step forward as agents of transformation for UH. Gifts, combined with a one-to-one match from the anonymous donor, will enable the University to attract top talent through new endowed chairs and professorships within four new interdisciplinary institutes. The institutes will focus on signature areas of societal impact, preparing students to engage on a global level.
Aspire Institute for Sustainable Energy and Energy Security
Aspire Institute for Health Care and Innovation
Aspire Institute for Resilient Infrastructure and Smart Cities
Aspire Institute for Global Engagement
The Aspire Fund will play a crucial role as the University pursues its aggressive research and scholarship agenda.
Throughout the campaign, there has been a concentrated commitment to make UH a stronger, nationally competitive institution, and a vital part of that comes in the addition of top-flight facilities on campus. The Fertitta Center, Insperity Center and the Durga D. and Sushila Agrawal Engineering Research Building are prime examples of the major capital projects that have enhanced resources and the campus environment during the campaign. Most recently, the UH Law Center achieved its fundraising goal to allow construction of a new law building. In recognition for the significant gift from the John M. O'Quinn Foundation, the new $90 million facility will be named The John M. O'Quinn Law Building. With the groundbreaking scheduled for May 2020, the new Law Center building will usher in a new era in 21st century legal education, providing both students and faculty with modern resources and space for creative collaboration. The University will celebrate another noteworthy achievement when it breaks ground later this spring for the new $80 million College of Medicine building.
Since the campaign's inception, it has focused on enhancing those programs that play a fundamental role in the city of Houston's success. One notable example of that has been the revitalization of the Public Art of the UH System (PAUHS), which features nearly 700 works from internationally renowned artists. The program celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019 and, as part of the campaign-driven efforts to raise its profile, launched the Temporary Public Art Program (TPAP). Extending from UH's Wilhelmina's Grove, TPAP is now an active platform for temporary art installations, short-term exhibitions and community-wide outreach. With an ever-expanding program, PAUHS is designing activities that allow artists to interact with students, and for students to acquire hands-on skills through direct interaction with the artists. In this way, art can establish more meaningful connections and establish a continuing relationship with the community.
The momentum that has followed the "Here, We Go" campaign has helped to benefit an ever-widening array of people and programs all across the University. Even though the campaign will officially be over in a matter of months, its profound impact will continue to be felt much, much longer.
To learn more about the "Here, You Go" campaign, please visit herewego.uh.edu.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


We have a reputation for academic excellence. Select from the Centres listed below to find out more about our world-leading research.
The Benedict Centre is an international hub for research and engagement activities in the area of religion and the social sciences.
CBET focuses on the ethical and social implications of biomedicine and other new technologies.
The Centre for Law and Culture is an interdisciplinary hub for research at the intersections of law, justice, and the humanities.
The Centre for the Philosophy of History is a hub for activities that promote scholarly research and research-led teaching in the field of the philosophy of history.
CRDCE exists to support the work of Catholic schools and colleges, nationally and internationally by the publication of staff development texts on various themes.
This Centre has a distinct focus on the education of children and young adults who are not well-served by existing formal and traditional forms of education both in the UK and globally.
An inter-disciplinary institute of excellence focused on civic and public leadership, innovation, management and policy challenges.
The primary aim of the Centre for the Social-Scientific Study of the Bible (CSSSB) is to foster social-scientific research in Biblical Studies in the UK and internationally.
The Centre for the Study of Modern Slavery is engaged in independent research to provide evidence that informs policy responses to modern slavery and human trafficking.


Pest birds cause tens of millions of dollars of damage every year to buildings, machinery, automobiles, roofs, ventilation systems and much more.
Pigeon, Starling, and Sparrow nests are often built in rain gutters, drains and corners of roofs where drains are located resulting in blockages that can cause severe flooding and water damage.
One is forced to wonder how clean a restaurant's kitchen could be if they don't even care about t the bird droppings on their building or in front of their entrance. Pigeons enter attics of houses, apartments, restaurants, and other buildings through openings. Pigeons will then build nests and make it home.


text:
Beijing census will count siblings
Thread starter IBRIS
IBRIS
Beijing residents with more than one child will have their extra kids granted for local permanent residence despite its being a breach of China's family planning policy, said the city's authorities yesterday.
The capital city is expected to carry out its population census in November.
By the end of last year, Beijing had 17.55 million residents, including 5.09 million out-of-towners.
Overseas dwellers granted long-term residence in Beijing, including those from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, will be included in the census that starts November 1, but their mobility won't be limited, said officials heading the census.
Those overseas residents will be required to offer personal data including name, gender, date of birth, reason to visit China's mainland and duration of stay, education background, personal identity and citizenship, said Gu Yanzhou, deputy director of the census leading office.
Applications for visa and temporary residence won't be affected during the eight-month-long census.
It means those foreigners will be considered as a major factor in future urban planning, said Zhang Yi, a research fellow with Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Meanwhile, people who stayed away from their permanent residence in Beijing must register both at their new places and their permanent ones.
To match people to their actual address, the census is expected to check 2.8 million to 3 million local buildings.
With a total budget of 290 million yuan (US$42 million), about 100,000 census takers are going to door-to-door in the first 10 days and the result will be released next July and August.
Beijing's census is part of the sixth nationwide population census. Involving 6 million census takers, the task clarifies China's mobile population - an estimated 200 million people.
In addition, 30 percent of urban residents are away from their permanent residence, according to Zhang.
Applications for local permanent residence for children previously excluded because of their parents' violation of the family planning policy or their being born out of wedlock are handled between May and September 30.
(China Daily)
[QU OTE]Beijing residents with more than one child will have their extra kids granted for local permanent residence despite its being a breach of China's family planning policy, said the city's authorities yesterday.[/QUOTE]
normally they'd pay a 'fine' amounting to xx k RMB like in other places. birth control policy isn't implemented as stringently as imagined
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text:
es un cantante japonés de Hip-Hop y Rap. Su nombre real es

En 1998 el rapero comenzó a presentarse en vivo en la UBG, junto con otros cantantes como ZEEBRA. Desde este momento comienza a proyectarse de manera profesional. Ya en el nuevo milenio, dentro de los años 2000 y 2001 comenzó a probar suerte desde lo más abajo, participando como invitado en presentaciones de varios otros artistas, entre los que se encontraba su mismo excompañero ZEEBRA, cantando en su segundo álbum BASED ON A TRUE STORY, y convirtiéndose también en una más dentro de su equipo. Dentro del 2003 acompañó en todas las locaciones a ZEEBRA en su tour por Japón llamado THE LIVE ANIMAL 03 -TOKYO'S FINEST-, lo que lo hizo aún más conocido dentro del ambiente Rap.

Finalmente en el año 2005 KM-MARKIT consigue con contrato con el sello disquero Pony Canyon, y lanza su primer álbum VIVID ese mismo año. El álbum fue lanzado sin ningún sencillo promocional, pero se grabó un video musical del tema "Rainy Day", en colaboraicón con la cantante R&B Kumi Kōda.

Discografía

Álbumes
 VIVID (20/04/2005)

Apariciones
2001
 U.B RIDE feat. OJ & ST / Various Soundtrack "DJ BENTO"
 GAN GAN / Various Soundtrack "DJ BENTO"
 ONE WAY / Various Soundtrack NESCAFE "N"
2002
 DIRTY TALK / Various Soundtrack "CHOCOLATE SURF"
 MEMORY LANE / Various Soundtrack "WHITE CHOCOLATE"

Colaboraciones
1998
 Doytena 2000 / LIBRO feat. ARK, KEMUMAKI, DOBINSKI
2000
 THE SHOW CASE (THREE THE HARDWAY) / LOW IQ 01 feat. ZEEBRA, OJ & ST, KEMU-MARKIT
 BEAT BOXING / ZEEBRA feat. KM-MARKIT
 We Are The Wild / Gathering Of The All Stars
 MIC TECHNICIAN / DJ BEAT feat. ZEEBRA,UZI,KM-MARKIT
 Usohappyaku (嘘八百) / Miyoshi Senzo feat. MICADELIC, KM-MARKIT, INDEMORAL, Mine Kami HOLD, BACK GAMMON, DOBINSKI
2001
 URBANBARBARIAN GUERRILLA / UBG
 BLAH, BLAH, BLAH / Typewriter + KM-MARKIT
 Ittōryōdan (一刀両断) / UZI feat. Maki Kemuri
 CHANGE THE GAME / DJ OASIS feat. K DUB SHINE, ZEEBRA, Dōji-T, UZI, JA Tappi, OJ & ST, KM-MARKIT
2003
 UNRELIABLE remix / Yuki Koyanagi feat. KM-MARKIT
 G.Y.M / OJ & ST, KM-MARKIT, BRZ
 FABULOUS 5 / SPHERE OF INFLUENCE feat. L-VOKAL, MEGA-G, KM-MARKIT, D.O
 STOP the VIOLENCE /DJ YUTAKA feat. ZEEBRA, UZI, OJ & ST, KM-MARKIT
 Tokyo State Of Mind (東京 ステイト オブ マインド) / OJ & ST feat. KM-MARKIT, DAINASTY
 Otoko Tachi Ban Uta (男たちの蛮歌) /ZEEBRA feat. OJ & ST, KM-MARKIT, UZI
2004
 H.G.S.P / H.G.S.P feat. ZEEBRA, Man Yamada, KM-MARKIT
2005
 THE TRAINING DAY / DJ MASTERKEY feat. ZEEBRA, UZI, OJ & ST, KM-MARKIT, CHINO
 Hot Stuff feat. KM-MARKIT / Kumi Kōda

Enlaces externos
 KM-MARKIT Sitio Oficial

Músicos de Japón
Artistas de Pony Canyon

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Bill and I met up with Arthur Simoneau in the Cox Field LZ about 9;30 this morning; by 10:15 we were once again at the Dry Canyon launch site. Bill didn't like the easterly flow in the forecast, and so had volunteered to drive this day. Conditions were indeed unsettled. Wind at the ramp was either zero, or downhill, and clouds overhead were moving from the east and northeast. Nevertheless, the forecast was for southwest winds, and eventually we got some, but only after several dust devils went through launch, one of which attacked my glider, viciously and unprovoked. Bill saved the glider heroically, and banished the dust devil to the hell from which it came. Arthur was the first to launch, about 1:00 pm in his Airborne Sting, and it was interesting to watch; he flew well, got into a thermal, got out of a thermal, and plummeted like a brick. But when I spotted him thermalling out past the West Face, I decided I was ready to go. I launched well, as Arthur did, and had a rhythmic, musical flight - in other words, I flew like a piano. I hit a couple of rough thermals and gained a few feet, but mostly I was plummeting downward in the U2-160, clearing Curt's Bluff by about 100 feet and then praying that I'd find some lift and clear the power lines on Scenic Drive. God responded with some lift right then (God is much faster than most government agencies, you'll notice) and I cleared them by 50 feet or so. This was good, but left me with limited landing options - I put it down in the large cutout on Fairgrounds Drive between Cox Field and Scenic. Not bad, for a death-defying sled run. Arthur, on the other hand, had a great time, getting up to 2000 feet above launch height and flying for half an hour. He made a fine north approach to the LZ and put it down beautifully. Bill and Arthur were there to help me with tearing down, and by 3:30 we were all at the burger place, discussing the day's flying and all kinds of other hang gliding experiences. Arthur said goodbye about 4:00; he and his girlfriend have to return to Southern California by Monday. Good times all around, and I surely hope that we see him again. And THANK YOU, BILL! I wouldn't have flown without your help.
Thank you, Bill, for another excellent video. I can learn from this - and, of course, relive all my mistakes, for as long as the Cloud and YouTube exist. It's too bad we didn't have the camera on for Arthur's launch - he had a really nice one. All in all, I'm glad we went out to fly. And so nice that nobody wound up in the power lines!
Bill's captions had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish!!
I'm glad this movie had a happy ending.
I love this thread because it shows so much of what hang gliding is all about.
If you had been in a paraglider you probably wouldn't have been able to make it out to that LZ but, more importantly, do you think you would have had at least one collapse in that turbulence?
That day and time, at that site, were not appropriate for flying PG's. I'm pretty sure of that. It darned near wasn't appropriate for hang gliders, either! Arthur made it happen, somehow, and my hat (helmet?) is off to him. That was one of my more white-knuckle experiences.
I had a flight at Guadalupe Dunes CA, many years ago, that I know would have killed me in a PG. At less than 200' AGL I was getting loud sail inversions on my WW SST which didn't have full length battens. But having a rigid airframe kept the sail in position to pop back up as quickly as it popped down. It was while I was taking PG flight lessons, several years ago, that I realized I wouldn't be there then, had I been in a PG during that long ago flight. I turned away from PG lessons that day and as they say: "never looked back".
August 11, 2017: Bill Cummings volunteered to drive for me, and the weekend is going to be wet, so off we went to Dry Canyon this morning, hoping I could catch some airtime. Winds were straight in at launch, and the skies were clear blue - westward. Eastward looked like the wrath of the gods in preparation. We waited a while with the glider still on the truck, waiting for a sign as the clouds came slowly closer from the Sacramentos to the east, and slowly got darker and darker. About a minute after I said, "OK, let's head back down - this does not look optimal," the sign came, as a rumble of thunder came to our ears. Good enough! We had already spent our waiting time in doing some ramp maintenance (among other things we put in a little water bar just above it), and on the way back down the road we picked up all the trash we could see. The heavens opened up as we left Alamogordo, and we nodded sagely and said, "Not a bad decision." There will be better days.
Bill Cummings at Dry Canyon launch, looking out on a beautiful day to the west.
Robin at launch, looking east. Who'd have expected an outbreak of common sense, eh?
RobinHastings wrote: August 11, 2017: Bill Cummings volunteered to drive for me, and the weekend is going to be wet, so off we went to Dry Canyon this morning, hoping I could catch some airtime. Winds were straight in at launch, and the skies were clear blue - westward. Eastward looked like the wrath of the gods in preparation. We waited a while with the glider still on the truck, waiting for a sign as the clouds came slowly closer from the Sacramentos to the east, and slowly got darker and darker. About a minute after I said, "OK, let's head back down - this does not look optimal," the sign came, as a rumble of thunder came to our ears. Good enough! We had already spent our waiting time in doing some ramp maintenance (among other things we put in a little water bar just above it), and on the way back down the road we picked up all the trash we could see. The heavens opened up as we left Alamogordo, and we nodded sagely and said, "Not a bad decision." There will be better days.
Once again RGSA picking up after all the other Goops!


text:
Biografia
Louis Jean André de Folleville era figlio di Louis André de Folleville, tenente del reggimento di Tour du Pin, e di sua moglie, Catherine de Larcher de La Prairie.

In gioventù compì gli studi di legge e divenne avvocato. Consigliere al parlamento della Normandia prima della Rivoluzione francese, decise di emigrare all'estero durante il periodo del Consolato. Al suo ritorno in Francia, si sposò con Charlotte Aupoix de Mervilly, figlia di un cavalleggero della guardia e vedova di Romain-Guillaume Rondel d'Heudreville. Una loro figlia sposerà il noto diplomatico e patriota italo-spagnolo Manuel Marliani. Si mantenne in disparte durante il periodo dell'impero napoleonico.

Con la restaurazione borbonica nel 1815 venne designato dal re alla presidenza del collegio elettorale di Lisieux, proprietario del castello di Mervilly, fu deputato per Calvados dal 1815 al 1821, sedendo nelle fila degli ultrarealisti.

Votò tutte le leggi restrittive delle libertà. Nel 1818, si oppose a un emendamento destinato ad obbligare i ministri a rendere conto delle loro spese straordinarie.

Votò per il mantenimento dei diritti d'importazione sul cotone al fine di rendere il prezzo concorrenziale sulle lane francesi. Combatté la petizione presentata dai commercianti di Rouen e sostenuta invece da Jean-Marie Duvergier de Hauranne che puntava alla diminuzione di questi diritti doganali, appoggiando invece quella contraria presentata dai commercianti di Bernay che per l'appunto ne chiedeva un aumento.

Il 1° maggio 1821 divenne cavaliere dell'Ordine della Legion d'onore.

Fu prozio di Daniel de Folleville de Bimorel.

Onorificenze

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni


- COMPUTATIONAL STATISTICS publishes applications and methodological research focusing on the contribution to and influence of computing and statistics upon each other. The intended audience includes computer scientists, mathematicians, and statisticians. Topics covered include biometrics, econometrics, data analysis, graphics, simulation, algorithms, knowledge-based systems, and Bayesian computing (Katz).


text:
How does Supreme Court decide to take a case?
Dof Finance > Blog > How does Supreme Court decide to take a case?
How many supreme courts are in India?
What is principle of collegiality Class 11?
Why is the removal of Judge difficult class 11?
What do you mean by judicial overreach Class 11?
Why is judiciary important class 11?
What are the weaknesses of Indian judicial Class 11?
Why do we an independent judiciary?
The Supreme Court receives about 10,000 petitions a year. The Justices use the "Rule of Four" to decide if they will take the case. If four of the nine Justices feel the case has value, they will issue a writ of certiorari. When all is said and done the Supreme Court will hear about 75-85 cases a year.
1 Supreme Court
supreme court has adopted principle of collegiality. it means that CJI along with consultation of four senior most judges should recommend names of persons to be appointed. The supreme court and high courts can order Writs. It is on the individual, whether he wants to approach high court or supreme court.
The removal of judges of the Supreme Court and the High Courts is extremely difficult. The approval of the legislature is not required for salaries and allowances of the judges. The authority of the judges protects them from any unfair criticism and the judiciary can penalise those who are guilty of contempt of court.
Judicial overreach is when the judiciary starts interfering with the proper functioning of the legislative or executive organs of the government, i.e., the judiciary crosses its own function and enter the executive and legislative functions. Judicial overreach is considered undesirable in a democracy.
Why do we Need an Independent Judiciary? The principal role of the judiciary is to protect rule of law and ensure supremacy of law. It safeguards rights of the individual, settles disputes in accordance with the law and ensures that democracy does not give way to individual or group dictatorship.
The major issues that the Indian judicial system faces are: The pendency of cases. Corruption. Lack of transparency (particularly in the appointment of judges).
The Constitution of India provides justice for all. The duty of judges is considered to be very pious, therefore the constitution has provided for independence of judiciary so that they can remain impartial to serve the constitutional goals, act fairly, reasonably, free of any fear or favor.
Jul 18, 2021 Blog
Why is human rights an important issue for American foreign policy?
Less Obvious Aspects of Your Future That May Be Affected by the Profession You Choose


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Silica is an extremely common mineral compound found throughout numerous industries and applications across the globe. It exists in nature primarily as quartz, although in many areas it is a major component in sand. It is the second most common mineral in the earth's crust. Occupationally, it affects approximately 2.3 million individuals in the United States alone. Inhaling crystalline silica dust can lead to debilitating and fatal lung cancers and diseases, most notably silicosis.
Fall Protection is OSHA's most frequently cited standard for the eighth consecutive year, the agency and Safety+Health announced on Tuesday October 23rd, at the 2018 National Safety Council Congress & Expo.
Patrick Kapust, deputy director of OSHA's Directorate of Enforcement Programs, presented preliminary data for OSHA's Top 10 most-cited violations for fiscal year 2018, which ended Sept. 30. Kevin Druley, associate editor for S+H, moderated the session.
Eight years after it began the process of finalizing a rule to govern the certification of crane and derrick operators in the construction industry, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has finally issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that could just possibly be adopted as a final-final—they really mean it—final rule in 2019.


text:
\section{INTRODUCTION}

Precision measurements at high energy colliders in the recent past
led to stringent tests of the Standard Model and important bounds
on New Physics.
Measurements of jet rates and shape observables in $e^+e^-$ annihilation
are of particular importance, as they allow for a precise determination of
the strong coupling constant $\alpha_s$.
At hadron colliders, a cross section involving  $n$ jets is proportional to
$\alpha_s^n$ at leading order, such that an accurate knowledge of
$\alpha_s$ will be
important at the LHC,
where many interesting  processes contain jets
in the final state.

A determination of $\alpha_s$ from
jet rates and shape observables  is described
e.g. in~\cite{Bethke:2006ac}, where one can see that
for LEP measurements, the experimental uncertainty
is smaller than the theoretical one,
which is based on resummed next-to-leading order (NLO)
calculations. As the theoretical error is
dominated by scale uncertainties, an NNLO calculation
will considerably improve this situation.
A future International Linear Collider  will allow for precision
measurements at the per-mille level, which offer the possibility
of a determination of  $\alpha_s$ with unprecedented accuracy,
provided that  theoretical predictions at NNLO are available.

\section{COMPUTATIONAL METHODS}
The calculation of $e^+e^-\to  3$\,jets at order $\alpha_s^3$
requires the calculation of virtual two-loop corrections
combined with a $1\to 3$ parton phase space,
one-loop corrections combined with a $1\to 4$ parton phase space
where one parton can become soft and/or collinear
(``unresolved"),
and the tree level matrix element
squared for $1\to 5$ partons where up to two partons
can become  unresolved.
The unresolved particles lead to a complicated infrared
singularity structure which manifests itself
in $1/\epsilon$ poles  upon phase space integration.
These singularities have to be subtracted and cancelled with the ones
from the virtual contributions before a Monte Carlo program
can be constructed.
To achieve this task,
two different approaches have been followed,
one relying on the manual construction of an analytical subtraction
scheme\,\cite{Kosower:2002su,Weinzierl:2003fx,Gehrmann-DeRidder:2004tv,Kilgore:2004ty,Frixione:2004is,Somogyi:2005xz,Gehrmann-DeRidder:2005cm},
the other one relying on sector
decomposition\,\cite{Hepp:1966eg,Roth:1996pd,Binoth:2000ps,Heinrich:2002rc,Gehrmann-DeRidder:2003bm,Anastasiou:2003gr,Binoth:2004jv,Anastasiou:2004qd,Heinrich:2004jv,Anastasiou:2005qj,Anastasiou:2005pn,Melnikov:2006di,Heinrich:2006sw}.
The main features of the methods based on the explicit construction  of a
subtraction scheme are the following:
The subtraction terms are integrated analytically  over the
unresolved phase space,
such that the pole coefficients are obtained in analytic form.
This requires appropriate phase space factorisation and subtraction
terms which are simple enough to be integrated
analytically in $D=4-2\epsilon$ dimensions.
This method naturally leads to
a close to minimal number of subtraction terms, and
 allows insights into the infrared structure of QCD.

In the sector decomposition approach, the poles are isolated
by an automated algebraic procedure acting in parameter space,
 and the pole coefficients are integrated
numerically. The advantages of this approach reside in the fact that
the extraction of the infrared poles is done by the computer,
and that the subtraction terms can be very
complicated as they are integrated only numerically.  On the other
hand, the algorithm which isolates the poles
increases the number of original functions,
thus producing rather large expressions.

The application of sector decomposition
to real radiation at NNLO
first has been  presented  in \cite{Heinrich:2002rc,Gehrmann-DeRidder:2003bm},
and the combination of the sector decomposition approach with a
measurement function  first has been proposed
in \cite{Anastasiou:2003gr}.
A number of NNLO results based on this method have been obtained meanwhile
\cite{Gehrmann-DeRidder:2003bm,Anastasiou:2003gr,Binoth:2004jv,Anastasiou:2004qd,Heinrich:2004jv,Anastasiou:2005qj,Anastasiou:2005pn,Melnikov:2006di}.
Its application to the double real radiation part of
$e^+e^-\to  3$\,jets at order $\alpha_s^3$\,\cite{Heinrich:2006sw}
is particularly challenging due to the high number of massless
particles in the final state, which leads to a very complicated infrared
singularity structure.

\section{SECTOR DECOMPOSITION}
The wide range of applicability of sector decomposition goes back
to the fact that it acts in parameter space by a simple mechanism.
The parameters can be Feynman parameters in the case of multi-loop
integrals, or phase space integration variables, or a combination of both.
In the following, the working mechanism of sector decomposition
will be outlined only briefly for the example of phase space integrals,
details can be found
in \cite{Binoth:2000ps,Binoth:2004jv,Anastasiou:2005qj,Heinrich:2006sw}.

The phase space integral of a matrix element squared,
combined with some measurement function ${\cal J}$
defining a physical observable,
typically contains ``overlapping" structures like
\begin{eqnarray}
&&\int {\rm d}s_{13}\,{\rm d}s_{23}\,\,s_{13}^{-1-\epsilon}\,\,
\frac{{\cal J}(s_{13},s_{23})}{ s_{13}+s_{23}} \label{ex}\\
&\sim &\int_0^1 dx\, dy\, x^{-1-\epsilon}\,\frac{{\cal J}(x,y)}{ x+y}\;,\nonumber
\end{eqnarray}
where only the dependence on two of the integration variables
is shown for pedagogical simplicity.
In order to extract the poles in $1/\epsilon$, the singularities for
$x,y\to 0$ need to be factorised. Sector decomposition
is a way to achieve the factorisation of this type of
entangled singularities in an algorithmic way:
First  the integration region is split into sectors
where the variables $x$ and $y$ are ordered by multiplying
with unity in the form
$[\underbrace{\Theta(x-y)}_{(a)}+\underbrace{\Theta(y-x)}_{(b)}]$.
Then the integration domain  is remapped to the unit cube:
after the substitutions $y=x\,t$ in sector (a) and
$x=y\,t$ in sector (b), one has
\begin{eqnarray}
I&=&\int_0^1 dx\,x^{-1-\epsilon}\int_0^1 dt
\,(1+t)^{-1}{\cal J}(x,x\,t)\label{remap}\\
&+&\int_0^1 dy
\,y^{-1-\epsilon}\int_0^1 dt\,t^{-1-\epsilon}\,
(1+t)^{-1}{\cal J}(y\,t,y)\nonumber
\end{eqnarray}
where the singularities are now factorised.
For more complicated functions, several iterations
of this procedure may be necessary, but it is easily implemented
into an automated subroutine. Once all singularities are factored out,
they can be subtracted  using identities like
\begin{eqnarray*}
&&\int_0^1 dx\int_0^1 dy\, x^{-1-\kappa\epsilon} f(x,y)=\\
&&-\frac{1}{\kappa\epsilon}\,
\int_0^1 dy\,f(0,y)\\
&&+\int_0^1 dx\int_0^1 dy\,x^{-\kappa\epsilon}\,\frac{f(x,y)-f(0,y)}{x}\;,
\end{eqnarray*}
where we recognise the form of plus distributions.
The result can subsequently be expanded in $\epsilon$,
such that a
Laurent series in $\epsilon$ is obtained, where the pole coefficients are
sums of finite parameter integrals which can be evaluated numerically.

For the numerical evaluation it has to be assured that
no integrable singularities
are crossed which spoil the numerical convergence.
In the double real radiation part of $e^+e^-\to 3$ jets,
singularities which are located in the interior
of the integration region do indeed occur.
However, it is always possible to remap them
to endpoint singularites by a convenient variable transformation.
After such a remapping, they are amenable to sector decomposition.

\section{APPLICATION TO $e^+e^-\to 3$ JETS AT NNLO}

In order to calculate the  double real
radiation part of $e^+e^-\to 3$\,jets at NNLO,
sector decomposition is
applied to extract the poles appearing in massless $1\to 5$
particle integrals.
As a simple example, let us consider the 5-particle cut of the
ladder graph
shown in fig.~1.
\begin{picture}(180,100)
\put(25, 40){\epsfig{file=C5.eps,height=2.5cm}}
\put(10, 22){Figure 1. The ladder graph}
\end{picture}
\addtocounter{figure}{1}

\vspace*{-6mm}

Sector decomposition leads to \cite{Heinrich:2006sw}
\begin{eqnarray}
T_{1\to 5}
&=&-C_F^3\left(\frac{\alpha_s}{4\pi}\right)^3\,T_{1\to 2}
\left\{
\frac{0.16662}{\epsilon^3}\right.\nonumber\\
&&\left.+\frac{1}{\epsilon^2}\,
[1.4993-0.4999\,\log{\left(\frac{q^2}{\mu^2}\right)}]\right.\nonumber\\
&&\left.+\frac{1}{\epsilon}\,[ 5.5959-4.4978\,
\log{\left(\frac{q^2}{\mu^2}\right)}\right.\nonumber\\
&&+\left.
0.7498\,\log^2{\left(\frac{q^2}{\mu^2}\right)} ]\,+\,\mbox{finite}
\right\}\;,
\label{t5}
\end{eqnarray}
where the numerical accuracy is  better than 1\%.
The correctness of the result can be checked by  exploiting
the fact that the sum over all cuts of a given
(UV renormalised) diagram must be infrared finite.
This is shown diagrammatically in fig.~\ref{fig2}.
After UV renormalisation,
we obtain the condition
\begin{eqnarray}
T_{1\to5}+z_1\,T_{1\to 4}+z_2\,T_{1\to 3}+z_3\,T_{1\to 2}=\mbox{finite}\;,
\label{cfin}
\end{eqnarray}
where $T_{1\to i}$ denotes the diagram with $i$ cut lines.

\vspace*{-7mm}

\begin{figure}[htb]
\includegraphics[height=4.8cm]{cuts2.eps}
\vspace*{-7mm}
\caption{Cancellation of IR divergences in the sum over all cuts
of the renormalised graph}
\label{fig2}
\end{figure}

\vspace*{-7mm}

The renormalisation constants $z_i$ (in Feynman gauge) are
given by\,\cite{Binoth:2004jv,Heinrich:2006sw}
\begin{eqnarray}
z_1&=&C_F\frac{\alpha_s}{4\pi}\,\frac{1}{\epsilon}\, ,\,
z_2=C_F^2\left(\frac{\alpha_s}{4\pi}\right)^2\,
\left(\frac{1}{2\epsilon^2}-\frac{1}{4\epsilon}\right)\nonumber\\
z_3&=&C_F^3\left(\frac{\alpha_s}{4\pi}\right)^3\,
\left(\frac{1}{6\epsilon^3}-\frac{1}{4\epsilon^2}+\frac{1}{6\epsilon}\right)\;.
\end{eqnarray}
The expressions in eq.~(\ref{cfin}) for $i<5$
combine to
\begin{eqnarray}
&&z_1\,T_{1\to 4}+z_2\,T_{1\to 3}+z_3\,T_{1\to 2}=\nonumber\\
&&C_F^3\left(\frac{\alpha_s}{4\pi}\right)^3\,T_{1\to 2}
\left\{\frac{1}{6\epsilon^3}+\frac{1}{2\epsilon^2}
\,[3-\log{\left(\frac{q^2}{\mu^2}\right)}]\right.\nonumber\\
&&+\frac{1}{\epsilon}\,[5.61-\frac{9}{2}\log{\left(\frac{q^2}{\mu^2}\right)}
+\frac{3}{4}\log^2{\left(\frac{q^2}{\mu^2}\right)}]\nonumber\\
&&+\left.
\,\mbox{finite}\right\}\;.\label{c234}
\end{eqnarray}
We can see that  the poles in (\ref{c234})
are exactly cancelled by the 5-parton contribution (\ref{t5})
within the numerical precision.

\subsection{Differential results}

Although the sector decomposition approach is considered to be
a ``numerical method", as the pole coefficients are only calculated
numerically,
the isolation of the poles  is an algebraic
procedure, leading to a set of finite functions
for each pole coefficient as well as for the finite part.
These finite functions are written to a Fortran program
and evaluated numerically using  Monte Carlo techniques.
In order to obtain results which are differential in a certain
physical observable, any
(infrared safe) measurement function can be included
 at the level of the
final Monte Carlo program, which means that the
subtractions and expansions in $\epsilon$ do {\it not} have to be
redone each time a different observable is considered.
Further, the measurement function does not have to be
an analytic function, but can be a subroutine acting on the
four-momenta of the final state particles,
as it is typically the case for a jet clustering routine.
The reason why such a maximal flexibility is possible
resides in the fact that the program described
in \cite{Heinrich:2006sw} has the architecture of a
partonic event generator. This requires to
keep track of the mappings of the original phase space variables
to the variables used in each sector, i.e. each
endpoint of the iterated decompsition tree.
These mappings will be different for each sector
(cf. the arguments of the function ${\cal J}$ in the first and second line
of eq.~(\ref{remap})),
but keeping this information allows to express the
energies and angles of the final state particles in terms of the
sector variables
 and thus to reconstruct the fully differential
information on the final state.
In this procedure, function evaluations in sectors which do not pass
the kinematical requirements imposed by the measurement function
are unavoidable.
Having to deal with a large number of sectors, this  can
lead to a serious drop in efficiency of the Monte Carlo program.
Therefore, in order to construct a program
which produces results within a reasonable time scale,
it is crucial to keep the number of sectors low.
This can be achieved by (a) using optimised phase space parametrisations
for each topology,
(b) using information on physical limits in the decomposition algorithm.

Optimising the phase space parametrisations means the following:
The matrix element squared can be divided into a certain number
of topologies, which are defined by a certain set of denominators
(which will be combinations of Mandelstam invariants, see e.g. eq.~(\ref{ex})).
In a given phase space parametrisation, some of the invariants will naturally
be in a factorised form, but such a form cannot be achieved for {\it all}
invariants simultaneously. An optimised parametrisation is one where
the number of non-factorising invariants in the denominator is kept minimal.
Therefore one has to choose different parametrisations for
each topology, resp. for each class of topologies with the same factorisation
properties.

Using  information on physical limits exploits the fact that
 in most cases of physical relevance,
the measurement function is such that it would prevent certain poles
from arising at all if it were included in the $\epsilon$-expansion.
For example, poles associated with a 2-jet configuration, where 3
of the 5 final state particles become theoretically unresolved,
will be killed by a 3-jet measurement function.
It would therefore be desirable to suppress the terms associated
with such configurations already at the level of the $\epsilon$-expansion,
in order to avoid an unnecessarily large number of terms associated with
the isolation of these poles.
On the other hand, we would like to keep  the flexibility to include
any measurement function only at the stage of the final Monte Carlo program.
Focusing on the process  $e^+e^-\to 3$\,jets, this dilemma has been
solved by including some ``preselection rules"
in the $\epsilon$-expansion which reject configurations which will surely be
2-jet configurations. In the example shown here, this can be achieved by introducing
a cut parameter $y^{\rm th}$ -- which must be smaller than any possible experimental
resolution parameter $y^{\rm cut}$ -- for the variable $s_{1345}$, as $s_{1345}\to 0$
always corresponds to a 2-jet configuration.
In this way, one can reduce the size of the expressions considerably
without loosing the flexibility to specify different jet algorithms
later.

To illustrate the action of the jet function,
3--, 4-- and 5--jet rates using the JADE algorithm\,\cite{Bethke:1988zc}
are shown in Fig.~\ref{fig3}, based on the toy matrix element built from
the graphs shown in Fig.~\ref{fig2}.

\vspace*{-7mm}

\begin{figure}[htb]
\begin{center}
\includegraphics[height=5.3cm]{jets2.eps}
\vspace*{-7mm}
\caption{3--, 4-- and 5--jet rates at order $\alpha_s^3$ for the toy matrix element}
\label{fig3}
\end{center}
\end{figure}

\vspace*{-10mm}

As a more complex example, the double real radiation part of a non-planar
topology (see fig.~4) also has been calculated.

\vspace*{9mm}

\begin{picture}(280,200)
\put(-10, 126){\epsfig{file=cross45.eps,height=2.5cm}}
\put(-10, 105){Figure 4. (a) non-planar topology}
\put(95, 108){\epsfig{file=cross_5parton.eps,height=4.3cm}}
\put(-10, 92){(b) 3--, 4-- and 5--jet rates at order $\alpha_s^3$}
\put(3, 82){ for the non-planar topology }
\end{picture}

\vspace*{-2.6cm}

In this case, square-root terms in the
denominator are unavoidable, which implies that the expressions produced
by the sector decomposition will be larger due to the presence of
more non-factorising denominators. The virtual corrections to this topology
have not yet been included.

Note that the results shown in figs.~\ref{fig3} and 4 are unphysical,
as they do not contain all contributions to form a gauge invariant quantity.
The purpose of these figures is merely to demonstrate the action
of the jet function and thus the power of the method to produce differential
results.

The CPU time is ${\cal O}(2h)$ for a precision better than 1\%. Note that
all topologies can be calculated in parallel, such that the  CPU time
for the full double real radiation part  will be of the order of
the one needed for the most complicated
topology.

What remains to be done, besides the inclusion of the remaining topologies,
is the combination with the
one-loop plus single real and the two-loop virtual corrections.
How to proceed efficiently by combining sector decomposition
with analytical results is sketched in~\cite{Heinrich:2004jv,Heinrich:2006ku}.

\section{SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK}
The method based on sector decomposition to calculate
$e^+e^- \to 3$\,jets at NNLO has the advantage that the isolation of the
infrared poles is done by an automated routine and that it does not require
the analytical integration of subtraction terms.
However, the method produces
large  expressions, which is an issue for a process like
$e^+e^- \to 3$\,jets at NNLO where the matrix element
to start with is already large. It has been described how to limit
the proliferation of terms in the course of sector decomposition, and
differential results have been shown for a subpart of the process.

The inclusion of massive particles within this method is
certainly more straightforward than in analytical approaches.
In fact, as the masses act as infrared regulators,
the number of decompositions will be less and therefore the
produced expressions should be smaller than in massless cases.

\vspace*{-3mm}

\section*{Acknowledgements}
\vspace*{-2mm}
This work was supported  by the Swiss National Science Foundation
(SNF) under contract number 200020-109162.

\vspace*{-4mm}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


The AIJA is a national body representing all components of Australia's courts and tribunal system. Independent of government or other external influences, the AIJA is dedicated to achieving practical reform in the administration of justice in all jurisdictions.
Through the many services provided by the AIJA, members can enhance their skills and access the information needed to deal with practical day-to-day issues and respond appropriately to the community they serve.
The AIJA's general conference program provides excellent opportunities for legal practitioners to join with judicial officers and other justice system professionals in interactive forums. The program is designed to encourage the exchange of ideas and information, often with a view to stimulating change in the administration of justice. The conferences deal with key issues such as case management, trial delay and reform, dealing with expert evidence and proportionality.
The AIJA's ongoing research program provides practitioners with ready access to a range of specialist reports on issues relating specifically to the administration of justice. Issues include the use of technology, the management of complex trials and expert evidence. The AIJA's centralised database can assist practitioners with research in relation to a wide range of judicial administration topics. There are also opportunities for members to make contribution to discussion and research into court related matters and professional practice.
The AIJA promotes research that will bring about the harmonisation of practice and procedure throughout Australia and facilitate the work of practitioners operating in a federal system. For example, the AIJA participated in the project of the Council of Chief Justices to harmonise corporation's law rules throughout Australia.


Does anyone know of a study or report which has looked at the effect of the restoration of the Darwin Martin house on the local Buffalo economy?
"Funding for the Martin House restoration project has come from a unique partnership of public and private resources: federal, state and local governments, various foundations, corporations, and numerous private donors at all levels. With its national and international appeal, the Martin House is widely recognized as a pivotal component of the Western New York economic development initiative that is focused on tourism investments. The site already attracts in excess of 30,000 visitors annually, with 75 percent of guests coming from outside Western New York, including a significant international component. Economic analysts have projected that the restored site will generate nearly $20 million of annual economic impact for the region and the state."
their HSR was inexpensive ($25,000). However, this was completed c. 1995, only included the historical section, and did not anticipate some of the later issues that came up. For example, just the cost of the schematic drawings for the Martin House was over $250,000. This cost did not include the construction drawings.
The Martin house restoration has greatly expanded over the years, to include the reconstruction of more buildings, the restoration of another Wright house adjacent to it (the Barton house), and the building campaign for a brand-new visitor center. The original estimate, about 7 years ago, of $23 million, is now up to about $31.5 million, and will probably rise. This is an increase of $10.5 million, or about 45%.
However, this story continues to have a happy ending. The project has been able to expand because of a very active and enthusiastic board of directors. The board contains community and civic leaders from the city of Buffalo (a "Who's who," in the words of Executive Director Mary Roberts). I asked Mary if they'd ever had a problem when expanding the project, given that these are business people. She replied no. I think in this case, the board began with a few leaders, got others on "board" and restoring the Martin House complex has become a component in improving the civic life and nationwide standing of this city that still faces extensive problems.
From what I remember the amount spent is now in the neighborhood of $50 million.
An anti-suicide net for the Golden Gate Bridge, once to cost $76 million, is now slated to come in at $211 million. I'd say that Buffalo did very well for themselves, to restore so magnificently the Martin House complex for c. $50 million . . .
As a former Buffalonian I can say it is worth every penny spent. Buffalo once viewed itself as a sad, tired city with a bunch of worthless old buildings, unlike such dazzling modern metropolises such as Dallas or Toronto. It's been slow, but Buffalo has awakened to find itself to be a completely livable city with some first rate architectural treasures. The metamorphosis of the Darwin house is the perfect embodiment of this new attitude. It is radiating outward throughout the entire city.
That is what I want to hear!
At least two historic hotels in downtown Buffalo have been tastefully restored to their former glory (Hotel at the Lafayette & Curtiss Hotel), and one of the H H Richardson buildings has been converted to a boutique hotel (Hotel Henry). One of the Larkin Soap (https://larkindg.com) buildings has been converted into offices. The Pierce Arrow Museum (www.pierce-arrow.com) has been expanded with the addition of the gas station designed for Buffalo. I even heard talk that someone was even considering rebuilding the Larkin Administrative Building (now that would be a great idea!).
I was wondering if anyone had heard a dollar amount I could use. I know when I went to tour the Darwin Martin House, I stayed at a BnB just down the street.
I was wondering if anyone had heard a dollar amount I could use.
A dollar amount for what exactly?
I am looking for a dollar figure for the effect the Darwin Martin house restoration has had on the local economy.
Buffalo Chamber of Commerce would be the obvious source.
Wouldn't it be great if the Conservancy celebrated the completion of the landscape project, and the house restoration, by hosting the Annual Conference in Buffalo?


The criticism is well deserved. Reading the "House Republican Plan for America's Job Creators" (PDF), released by the House GOP leadership, is an exercise in wonderment: you wonder what the GOPers actually propose. Several of the "Republican Solutions" are a bit vague. "After a systematic review of our visa system, the Congress should undertake prudent reforms," reads one "solution." Another "solution": "We will work to control the federal deficit to assure investors and entrepreneurs that our nation's elected leaders are finally getting serious about paying off the debt over time." Details? Apparently, the GOP view was, why bother?
The GOP plan boiled down to its essence is rather retro: Roll back regulation, lower taxes, pass free trade agreements, shrink the US debt, and boost energy production. In other words, the GOP's overall agenda for the past three decades. There's nothing in this plan that is specific regarding the current jobs crisis, nothing to address such key issues as long-term unemployment, skyrocketing youth unemployment, the war on unemployment benefits in the states (PDF), the use and efficacy of job retraining for laid-off workers, or the polarization of the American work force. It's empty rhetoric, recycled talking points, and campaign slogans.
You don't have to admire the Democratic policy agenda to wonder if someone in Speaker Boehner's office shouldn't have raised his hand and pointed out that George W. Bush was president four years ago and he was a Republican, and perhaps there should be a pro forma mention of Wall Street and the financial crisis somewhere in this narrative. Sadly, the most significant employment crisis in generations has stopped generating new thinking and has become simply another opportunity to bash the other party while pushing your perennial agenda. That's a shame, because with 15 million unemployed and the recovery sputtering slight, we really do need new thinking and a sense of urgency on behalf of both the unemployed and the economy. In fact, we need it now more than ever.
That new thinking isn't coming from the Republican Party. But the Democrats now have a chance to make hay out of the GOP jobs plan, like they did with Rep. Paul Ryan's attack on Medicare. With the economy the most pressing issue for American voters, this this puny plan provides more political ammo for the Ds. Yet if they attack the GOPers on jobs, they'll have to be able to present a strong case that they can do better, and the last election shows how much of a challenge that can be.
When Will America's Jobs Engine Restart?


text:
Mahindra gets green light to sell restyled Roxor, FCA still battling
Nathan Petroelje
After a six-month sales ban, the newly redesigned Mahindra Roxor off-road side-by-side has received a green light from the International Trace Commission (ITC) to be sold once again in the United States. The ban was the result of a cease-and-desist letter sent by FCA to Mahindra, contesting that the Roxor infringed upon the intellectual property rights of Jeep—specifically, the Jeep Wrangler.
According to Reuters, the ITC decreed that post-2020 Roxor models have sufficient styling differences that the small off-roader no longer violates the "trade dress" of the Wrangler. The ITC is thus accepting an administrative law judge's October recommendation that FCA's cease-and-desist should not apply to the newer models. The Roxor was restyled for 2020 from its original design, but the approved design for 2021 and on has yet to be revealed.
"The ruling validates the redesign of the highly popular Roxor off-road vehicle," said Mahindra in a statement release earlier this month. "Mahindra is now permitted to manufacture and distribute the redesigned 2021 Roxor." FCA intends to appeal the new ruling, as indicated in a statement provided by an FCA spokesperson. "While FCA is disappointed with the Commission's decision regarding the redesign, we believe we will be successful in appealing this decision."
This pre-facelift Roxor does share a staggering amount of styling similarity with the CJ-5 Wrangler. Mahindra
The Roxor is essentially a Mahindra Thar, the CJ-5-based vehicle that Mahindra builds and sells in India. The resemblance is undeniable, and we weren't surprised when FCA won the right in court to pursue legal action against Roxor sales earlier this year. Although no images of the redesigned Roxor have been made available yet (Mahindra says the facelifted Roxor will be the subject of a future announcement), the online configurator for the 2021 Roxor shows what appears to be the new front end under a covered Roxor. The configurator is not currently running, but a notice on the site says that it will be back up once production of the 2021 vehicle resumes at Mahindra's assembly plant in Auburn Hills, Michigan.
The upper grille line looks considerably wider now, stretching over the wheel arches instead of cascading down just inside of them. This is likely a key part of the changed design that allows Mahindra to sidestep the stop-sale order for 2020 and older models. We'll keep an eye out for the official unveiling.
The Manifold BMW's next M2 spied, Bollinger dials back retail EV plans, Toyota fleshes out heritage parts horde
News USPS pumps the brakes on new fleet; going all-electric will add $3.3B
Auctions Party on! Wayne's World Mirthmobile is bound for Arizona Auction Week
The Manifold Porsche puts new spin on turbocharging, Honda's surprisingly handsome HR-V, hi-po Escalade looms large
The Manifold A '69 Charger with a Hellcat heart, Porsche eats $113M for EV independence, a boutique Brit with Ford GT grunt
Events Chip Ganassi named Honoree at The Amelia; tickets on sale now
Read next Up next: Hidden Bugatti may fetch over $9 million at auction


President Donald Trump has a secret which he has promised to someday share with his Twitter followers.
In a Thursday morning Tweet, Trump hit his all too familiar harangue in which he criticizes "fake news media," but in this instance, he offered something new. A pledge to share a secret! Whaaa?
President Trump is known to consume a heavy diet of cable news programming, much of which is underwritten by pharmaceutical advertising that features marketing messaging that is by turns both aspirational and empty of specific meaning. So the copy of this particular tweet reads as if he lifted it from a product or procedure that removes chronic back pain.
Or maybe, now that Trump is claiming complete exoneration based on AG William Barr's four-page precis of Robert Mueller's report, he's now turning the page from media criticism to focusing on the self-help magic realism from Rhonda Bynes' 2006 book The Secret?
We can only hope Trump will reveal his secret soon. One can suspect the revelation will open the season two premiere episode. Make sure you tune in!


Many of us make New Year's resolutions but few of us actually keep them! That's okay … the more often we think about lifestyle improvements, the more likely we are to actually implement some. Here are three financial resolutions to consider.


His regiment formed part of the Canadian Expeditionary Force and he saw action on the western front. His life was cut short at the Battle of Hill 70 on the outskirts of Lens, France. His name is recorded on the Vimy Memorial.


text:
Home » Mets 2014 Games » Mets Game 85: Loss To Braves
Mets Game 85: Loss To Braves
Braves 3 Mets 1
Mets swept by Braves and are oh-for-July. At least it wasn't another one-run loss(?).
Jacob deGrom very nearly worked out of a very difficult initial inning, and in fact, seemed to have ended the frame unscathed on a two-out, two-strike curveball to Chris Johnson that just missed the outside corner. Moments later, Johnson ripped a hot shot down the third base line that skipped past Eric Campbell and cleared the loaded bases. Might David Wright have stopped that ball? Maybe? Maybe not. It's why they call it the "hot corner," and it would've taken excellent reactions to glove that scorcher. It's a game of inches, as evidenced by the near-strike-three and that batted ball.
What needs to be pointed out, however, is not how those inches went the wrong way, but how the inning started. As deGrom began delivering his first pitch of the game, Ruben Tejada had his back to home plate, seemingly looking at or talking to Eric Young, Jr. in left field. By the time Tejada turned around, the pitch was on its way to the plate and hit by B.J. Upton. Of course, Upton grounded the ball in Tejada's direction — what are the chances? Out of position and not properly set, the grounder barely eluded Tejada's backhand stab. Would he have fielded the ball cleanly had he been set? I sure think so. The inning fell apart from there, and you have to wonder what might have transpired had deGrom began the inning with an out. #littlethings
Other than that rough first frame, deGrom pitched well. Can't really blame him for the loss, but unfortunately, he gets another "L" added to his record.
Eric Young, Jr. and Juan Lagares combined to go 4-for-8 at the top of the lineup, setting the table for the big bats down the order. Unfortunately, only one other Met collected a hit. Difficult to win with that kind of offensive showing.
Brilliant, web-gem-worthy, clutch play by Tommy La Stella to get a fielder's choice and the second out of the 8th inning on a bounding ball that could have leaked into the outfield and created a one-out, first-and-third situation. Instead, it was almost an inning-ending double play. La Stella dove to stop the grounder just behind the second base bag, then flipped it directly out of his glove without an exchange to Andrelton Simmons to retire the lead runner. #jerseystrong
What else to say? I got nuthin'.
Mets get a day off on Thursday, then head home to host the Texas Rangers in a weekend series. Game one begins Friday night at 7:10 PM, and features Jonathon Niese vs. Nick Tepesch (no relation to Vlad).
Back Are Mets Buyers or Sellers?
Next Mets Game 86: Win Over Rangers
Mets Games 160, 161, 162 – Wait 'til Next Year!
Mets Games 158, 159: Split With Nationals
Mets Game 157: Loss To Nationals
David July 3, 2014 at 6:32 am
The fans can only be blamed for so much. At some point the manager has to be accountable, and that point is now (let's avoid trying to turn back time and leave that to Cher). In what business does this sort of failure not have consequences?
On the subject of business, how can Mets fans expect to be told this team is being built like Oakland and Tampa Bay? Both of those teams play in lousy stadiums with much lower ticket prices, and much smaller fan bases. The Mets also get Billions in TV revenue that the other teams can only dream of. So why on earth should the fans be patient with play that is mediocre at best. They should not.
There was no better place than Shea when the Mets were on top. The fans will come out and support a Good team and management that is serious about winning. I can't see how this team qualifies at present.
Again I say it is time to make a grand bargain. Change has to come, sooner or later.
DaveSchneck July 3, 2014 at 7:08 am
The GM likes the team, citing the run differential. "What
else to say? I got nuthin".
Chris B July 3, 2014 at 8:31 am
Sandy: "If you look at the run differential, we should be a .500 team. We're not. At the same time, it doesn't mean we should throw everyone overboard."
OMG!!! Now I blame the Wilpons. They should have boarded their private plane, flown to Atlanta and slapped him straight for that comment. Or, because I live in Atlanta, they could have called me and I would have done it for them. I didn't know I was rooting for a positive run differential this season. Stupid me!
friend July 3, 2014 at 10:01 am
Notice that the primary goal has gone from "90 wins" to "run differential of a .500 team". After a few more games the team will have "90 games completed". Maybe they can celebrate that.
DaveSchneck July 3, 2014 at 1:56 pm
For all that fancy Ivy League education and decades in the business, Alderson just doesn't get professional sports in NYC. I'm not saying that fandom in NY is the right, or better than anywhere else, but it is what it is. Fans are intense, they are educated, and there are many alternatives for the entertainment dollar. I'm not sure he even realizes that he sounds like a total loser. From his comments last year about "for 100 games we played .500 ball" to his "aspiring to 90 wins" to his "the run differential shows we are a better team" the comments are basically pathetic. Now, I'm not sure what else he or Collins can say. They are in a results based business, and the results are determined by wins and losses. The team is bad this year, and has been bad since 2008. Worse off, it hasn't shown any improvement, and there is no reason, youth or no youth, to think it will be any better any time soon. It could improve, but it could just as likely remain a 70 win team, even when Harvey returns.
Bat July 3, 2014 at 10:41 am
David, this part of what you wrote is something that I have been saying for a long time now.
I agree wholeheartedly but unfortunately Mets fans are paying the price for the Wilpons shortage of cash due in large part to the Madoff debacle.
ChrisB, I too was bothered by that quote from Sandy. I'm something of a statistics guy, but I don't understand how run differential can exactly equate to a rough determination of what a team's record *should* be? If the Mets have been, for example, 15 runs worse than the other team but then they win a couple consecutive games by blowout of 7 and 8 runs, respectively, that immediately eliminates the run discrepancy so then all of the sudden the team is even in run differential whereas before there was a relatively significant gap? I suppose the counter to that is that sometimes – over a statistically relevant period of time – you get blown out and blow people out so again the issue is examining the evidence over a statistically significant period of time. But when Alderson says things like this it bothers me…I feel like he makes comments a lot that essentially say "We're not that bad" but at the end of the day you are what your record says you are and again I get tired of being a New York sports fan and seeing the Mets run like they are a team based in some puny media market.
Chris B July 3, 2014 at 11:04 am
Bat,
It's like a slap in the face of all of us that love this team. I've grown tired of his schtick and his saber-metrics. Bases per out, run differential, BABIP, etc. does not win World Series'. Good talent does and I have doubts he knows what good talent is anymore. And sometimes it is necessary to go above and beyond (spend $$$).
I propose the term "crypto-metrics", the black-art/pseudo-statistics practiced by unqualified mathematicians who have no respect for formal methods of proof, yet expect us to take for granted, their biased conclusions, and who denigrate us for showing the slightest bit of skepticism.
In the larger picture, this institutionalized ignorance/dissonance is far from unique. Witness Joe's continuing exposures related to kinesiology. I hereby invite the promotion of the term "crypto-kinesiology" as well.
meticated July 3, 2014 at 3:11 pm
You didn't mean that friend!…are you suggesting that Mr Janish valiant efforts to inject rational science into the dialog are a former of voodoo or pseudo science?…because if you are meaning to demean then you're no friend!…go take a long cold shower and when you're done go roll in the snow…what Angel and Joe are injecting is no crypto science but carefully derived technically accurate data which apparently flew right over your coconut head. ..tell me I misread your little diatribe!
friend July 3, 2014 at 3:48 pm
I don't know what you're smoking. If you want to berate me for agreeing with Joe and Angel, you are a coward! You should direct your criticisms directly at them. I have no patience trying to defend science from hotheads like you. Perhaps Joe will be more indulgent.
Whoa guys, I think there's been a miscommunication somewhere. Unless I'm incorrect, I think we're all on the exact same page.
I *think* friend is suggesting we use "crypto-kinesiology" to describe the ignorant people in the broadcast booth who are unqualified to speak about human kinetics (i.e., Mitch Williams and other former pro pitchers with no formal education in kinesiology / body movement).
Kent July 3, 2014 at 3:57 pm
Sabermetrics are NOT pseudo-statistics, and I'm not sure what's your definition of "qualified mathematicians"'since sabermetrics models are developed by actual mathematicians, and all statistical model should satisfy some testing which I think they did else other statisticians would call out on it. The danger is taking any one particular stat, be it traditional or sabermetric, and made it an "be all, end all"'stat, you need to look at a full picture.
Kinesiology's picture is a little murkier since it's not a licensed/regulated/professional designation. However, there are plenty serious doctors that do focus on and study the body movements. so as long as Joe is getting his kinesiology lessons/explanations from a reliable source, I see no problem with it.
It sounds like you think that you are saying something that I disagree with?
I'm not going to pretend to argue.
"Kinesiology's picture is a little murkier since it's not a licensed/regulated/professional designation."
I don't understand this statement. Kinesiology is a distinct science with plenty of research happening in it. Kinesiologists can earn advanced degrees such as Master of Arts and Doctorate. So, not sure what you mean by it being not regulated/licensed/professional.
Thank you for the last sentence, though. Yes, the scientists I confer with all have advanced degrees as referenced above. Angel has a M.A., for example. Some of the biomechanists I speak to have doctorates. All have published scientific papers, conducted extensive research, and spoken at conferences attended by other scientists, medical surgeons, certified sports trainers, etc.
Additionally, every single explanation given by Angel during our podcasts come directly from years and years of research conducted and supported by the scientific community.
Kent July 3, 2014 at 10:13 pm
Hi Joe, what I mean is…exactly what I said
Currently, you don't need a license to call yourself a "kinesiologist" in the United States, and you only need to earn a license in Canada if you are in Ontario, as a result there are some fake kinesiologist out there. Of course, there are serious doctors that focus their studies on body movements/biomechanics/kinesiology, hence my "reliable source" part. (For example, if a "kinesiologist"'earned his/her degree in American university of Antigua I'll be very skeptical)
A little off topic, but same kind of problem exist in nutritionist field which is also not been regulated very efficiently and certainly produced some fake nutritionist, even some famous one that talks on TV a lot.
Kent, first off, I agree with you 100% in that too many people walk around calling themselves "kinesiologists." Further muddying the waters are people like Tom House making up new fancy-sounding titles for themselves every two weeks.
At the same time, is "mathematician" a licensed / regulated / professional designation? Or a "sabermatrician"?
I do realize you are not attacking my sources, and I appreciate that. What I want to point out is that there are fields of study where there can be ambiguity in discerning who are actual "experts" — but that doesn't mean the science behind it is ambiguous.
In other words, if a person without a masters degree nor any formal education calls himself/herself a "kinesiologist," that doesn't mean the science of kinesiology is flawed or incomplete. Kinesiology exists, it is studied, researched, and tested through the same scientific method as other fields of study, and, WHEN INTERPRETED BY QUALIFIED PEOPLE, can help explain (among other things) how and why athletes perform well (or poorly), and how/why athletes suffer specific injuries.
As you point out, identifying the "qualified people" can be a problem.
Actually, Joe, while "mathematician" is not a licensed/regulated/professional designation, if you are actually doing mathematic jobs, they are usually highly regulated. Acturaries needs recognition from American Society of Acturaries or Society of Acturaries; statisticians usually needs recognition from American Statistical Association; and pure mathematicians whose doing researchs are usually professors or people that's receiving "XXX fellowships".
Sabermetricians actually originally specifically refers to people works for Society for American Baseball Research, which are most, if not all sabermetrics statistics comes from.
My point being Kinesiology is not as regulated as some other study in medical field, and I would bet there are certainly more people pretend to be kinesiologist than the people pretend to be sabermetricians.
So to clear some possible confusion/misunderstanding, I never said that Kinesiology is pseudo-science or there are some fatal flaws with it or Kinesiology concept is ambiguous, but I would be extra-careful that my sources are reliable. You said yours are, that's great and I'm looking forward your next post/discussion involving it.
Kent, I swear I'm not being obnoxious with this request — I'm genuinely curious: could you name a few people who claim to be kinesiologists, are publicly talking about kinesiology in regard to baseball, and may not have suitable qualifications?
I am very curious to see what these people are saying, and what their motivation might be.
In the above comment, I meant to say University of Health Sciences, Antigua, sorry about the mixed-up
Gabriel July 4, 2014 at 10:37 am
Hello Joe. Browsing some Mets news I found this article:
http://www.nj.com/mets/index.ssf/2014/07/mets_reliever_vic_black_finds_long_toss_key_to_his_hard-throwing_success.html
It talks about hoe Vic Black, Jon Niese and Carlos Torres feel they all get benefited from long toss. You have always been against long toss and with very valid reasons and explanations. Is that results overcome sense? or science?
Your thoughts.
Egad. That article is awful, and I fear that thousands of parents, coaches, and kids are going to think long toss is a great idea. It's not. Especially not the kind of long toss Black does (high-arc), because all it does is make him good at long toss, while also putting undue stress on his elbow. Start the clock for a UCL injury / TJ surgery.
Black's belief that long toss was the reason for his success is about as plausible as Wade Boggs' belief that eating chicken made him hit better: if anything, it's all in his head.
Niese's comments display the absolute ignorance of most MLBers.
Thank you for sharing, this gives me plenty of fodder for future articles that hopefully will help the kids.


Tying the whole kitchen together will be your countertop and backsplash selections. You have many options of materials, colors, and textures to choose from that this decision can become quite daunting. Your kitchen designer will be able to sort through all of the options, and help you to pull every design item in your kitchen into a coherent unit. While you are deciding on the features in your kitchen, the designer can be making changes on their computer to show you exactly what the design changes will look like in your finished kitchen. Maybe two great design items that are stunning individually, may not work well together, and seeing this on a computer screen can help you avoid making a poor decision, that you will regret later.


The warmer this bug gets, the more it glows.
Glowbug is a type of bug which can be caught using a Bug Net. Catching it will complete entry #40 in the Bugs Collection inside the collections library.
They can be found in Garden and Volcanic biomes. They can be seen glowing in darkness, and glow faintly inside their jar after capture.
This page was last modified on 7 September 2016, at 01:31.


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Former Federal Prosecutor Sidney Powell: The Entire Russia Collusion Narrative Was Made Up
On Date February 25, 2019
Journalist Sharyl Attkisson, the host of "Full Measure," interviews former federal prosecutor Sidney Powell about her allegation that the "entire Russia collusion narrative was made up" by anti-Trump political partisans in the FBI and Department of Justice:
SHARYL ATTKISSON, FULL MEASURE: Nearly two years ago, Special Counsel Mueller was named to investigate whether President Trump broke the law by somehow conspiring with Russian President Vladimir Putin to win the presidency. We still don't know the outcome of that. But we've learned a lot about what some in our intelligence community have been up to. And some argue that's proving to be an equally important— and chilling— story.
From Trump associate Roger Stone to former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, and ex-Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort, the Trump-Russia probe has indicted or convicted 34 people so far. And although Special Counsel Robert Mueller has yet to publicly pinpoint illegal Russia collusion on Trump's part he's still looking. Meantime, former federal prosecutor Sidney Powell is making an explosive allegation. She's among those who believe there's now compelling evidence pointing to a parallel scandal.
In the simplest of terms if possible, what do you think is the story that's been uncovered in the past two years?
SIDNEY POWELL: That the entire Russia collusion narrative was made up. That the FBI and the intelligence community and the Department of Justice began an investigation against four American citizens simply because they worked for the opposition political candidate, that being Donald Trump.
Powell, who calls herself politically independent, served as an assistant prosecutor under nine U.S. Attorneys, both Democrats and Republicans. Where many see "Russia collusion" she sees systemic corruption inside the Justice Department and intelligence community. A topic she writes about in "License to Lie." Crucial evidence, Powell claims, lies within these little-reported court documents— where our intel agencies get lambasted— not by partisans, but by the lead judge in the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.
SIDNEY POWELL: —A 99-page opinion, in which she is taking the FBI to task for having given unlimited, unsupervised access to raw intelligence, that means the database of everything the NSA, the National Security Agency, collects on everybody. Word searches, keystrokes, what do you look at in Google, telephone information, calls, texts, you name it. Everything, every nightmare anybody has of information being collected by big brother, the FBI gave three private contractors unlimited, unsupervised access to that as far back as 2015.
In an opinion dated October 2016, Judge Rosemary Collyer writes that an Inspector General found the FBI and National Security Agency—NSA—had committed "widespread" violations of key protections for Americans. And because they waited to notify the court until days before the election— many months after government watchdogs discovered the abuses— Collyer said the NSA was guilty of "institutional 'lack of candor' " and "This is a very serious Fourth Amendment issue."
SHARYL ATTKISSON: The Judge's language in this opinion is pretty harsh. She says that there could be Constitutional violations—
SIDNEY POWELL: Oh there were—
SHARYL ATTKISSON: She may say there were Constitutional violations.
SIDNEY POWELL: Yes, at one point she talks about egregious Fourth Amendment violations.
SHARYL ATTKISSON: And who was head of the FBI during this time period?
SIDNEY POWELL: That was Mr. Comey.
Related Topics: Sidney Powell, FISA Abuse, Trump-Russia Collusion


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History of the Parliamentary Archives
Parliament and the Olympics
Letter from Basil St George Drennan to his mother about visiting the 1948 London Olympic Games
Former Parliamentary Clerk Basil St George Drennan (1903-1976) was educated at Keble College, Oxford University. He later became President of the Keble Association in 1971. Drennan began his parliamentary career in 1926, where he remained until his retirement in 1958. This included attachment to the Select Committee on National Expenditure (1940-45) and the role of Clerk of the Financial Committees (1948-52).
In this letter to his mother, Drennan describes his visit to the 1948 London Olympic Games. He informs her of the rainy weather conditions during the 5000 metres race, and that the arrangements of the Olympic stadium were "excellent".


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Evaluation law to be tested in court
LFT challenge to Act 1 will be heard December 17
One of Gov. Bobby Jindal's most controversial education initiatives will be tested in court on December 17, when the Louisiana Federation of Teachers asks a Baton Rouge judge to toss out Act 1 of the 2012 legislature.
The law links virtually every aspect of a teacher's professional life to a new evaluation system. In a lawsuit filed last June, the Federation charged that Act 1 violates the state constitution.
According to LFT President Steve Monaghan, Act 1 bundles what should have been a number of separate bills into one instrument. By rushing the bill through the legislature in the opening days of the last session, Monaghan said, Gov. Jindal treated the constitution "like little more than a list of inconvenient suggestions."
In a motion for summary judgment to be heard in Baton Rouge's 19th Judicial District Court, LFT is asking that the new law be tossed because it conflicts with Article 3 Section 15(A) of the state constitution, which clearly states that bills "shall be confined to one object."
Act 1 radically changes at least eight different existing laws "which have no reasonable relationship with, nor natural connection to, each other…" according to the LFT's plea.
"By cramming so many objectives into the bill, public comment and debate were stifled," Monaghan said. "Legislators were given little information about the bill, and appeared intimidated into passing it without adequate debate and oversight."
Some of the LFT's specific challenges to Act 1's bundled objectives, each of which should have been a separate bill, include:
It changes the contractual relationship between local school boards and their superintendents.
It strips the authority to hire and fire teachers from school boards and gives it to superintendents.
It gives superintendents sole authority to determine reduction in force policies.
It creates a new section of law regarding how teacher salaries will be determined.
It changes due process rights that teachers have under law.
The Federation filed the lawsuit on June 7, at the same time as a suit challenging Act 2, the governor's "choice" or school voucher bill.
Other organizations, including the Louisiana School Boards Association and the Louisiana Association of Educators, later joined the Federation's suit challenging the "choice" act. It is slated to go to trial on November 28.
LFT remains the sole organization with a lawsuit pending against Act 1.
Click here to read the LFT plea for summary judgment.
Click here for the original reports about the Federation's lawsuits.
Click here for recent news about the Act 2 lawsuit.
Labels: Act 1, Gov. Bobby Jindal, Steve Monaghan, teacher evaluation
Where do they find these jewels?
First there was the spin person hired out of Florida to help the State Department of Education manage communications (that's PR-speak for obfuscating the disaster that our education policy has become). Without having to even move to Louisiana, Dierdre Finn, a veteran of Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's political machine, has joined the ranks of high-paid DOE apparatchiks.
Then we discovered that the department's new director in charge of teacher evaluation – which now governs every aspect of a teacher's career, from tenure to compensation to termination – is Molly Horstman, a 27-year old, non-certified, two-year veteran teacher who did not pass PRAXIS.
Third in this sad clown car of questionable employment decisions is DOE's new promoter of "course choice" options, motivational speaker Lefty Lefkowith. His chief claim to fame, aside from association with the aforementioned Gov. Bush, seems to have been huckstering for schemes to deregulate energy and manipulate water rights in Florida.
Now into the center ring stumbles newly appointed Deputy Superintendent for District Support Mike Rounds, who will be paid $170,000 per year (hat tip to Tom Aswell for uncovering the story).
Rounds left his last position as chief operating officer for the Kansas City school system under somewhat of a cloud. Aswell's post describes the sleazy dealings that were uncovered by investigative reporters in KC.
Rounds and Louisiana Superintendent of Education John White have something in common. Both "earned" their superintendent's credentials by attending the Broad Academy.
The Academy's Web site claims that it takes "executives who have experience successfully leading large organizations and a passion for public service" and, after six weekends of training over a 10-month period, "places them in urban school districts to dramatically improve the quality of education for America's students."
White taught for two years as a Teach for America volunteer, then went to work as executive director of Teach for America in Chicago. From there, he served a stint as deputy chancellor for New York City schools, where his passion was in closing down public schools and converting them to charters. That wealth of experience bought him passage to Louisiana, where he briefly headed the Recovery School District before, at age 35, he was picked by Gov. Bobby Jindal to replace Paul Pastorek as superintendent.
There is an emerging trend in Louisiana's education bureaucracy: Minimal professional credentials, little or no experience as an educator, allegiance to an ideology of privatization, disdain for professionals who have chosen education as their life's calling. And salaries higher than any classroom teacher dare dream of ever earning.
Labels: Broad Superintendents Academy, Gov. Bobby Jindal, Jeb Bush, John White, Lefty Lefkowith, Mike Rounds, Molly Horstman, State Department of Education, Tom Aswell
Panel thwarts Jindal's privatization scheme
Thanks in part to the thousands of signatures gathered by the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, a legislative committee refused on Thursday to approve the privatization of health care services provided by the State Office of Group Benefits.
At the end of a four-hour meeting, Gov. Bobby Jindal's staff realized that they did not have enough support on the Legislative Joint Committee on the Budget to approve selling OGB's Preferred Provider Network to Blue Cross-Blue Shield of Louisiana.
Acting on behalf of the governor, Commissioner of Administration Kristi Nichols asked the committee, which comprises the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees, to pull the item from its agenda.
LFT Legislative Director Mary-Patricia Wray has won well-deserved credit for her testimony opposing privatization of the health plan, which serves some 60,000 current and retired public employees. Included in that number are teachers and school employees in a number of school systems.
After presenting the committee with nearly 4,500 signed petitions opposing the sale, Wray told the committee, "Policy makers keep finding more and more creative ways and more and more sorry excuses to support corporate tax avoidance over public good, privatizing over restoration and feel-good initiatives over real solutions for our very, very valuable public institutions."
Nichols pulled the item from the agenda following a contentious hearing that revealed a deep lack of trust in the Jindal administration's motives for privatizing OGB's PPO. While she cited a study claiming that selling the PPO could save money for local school systems, several lawmakers said they can see no benefit to privatizing the office.
Most of the savings would come from the firing of some 177 employees who handle claims for the office. Opponents feared that the state workers might be replaced by telephone call centers anywhere in the world.
Testimony has shown that the Office of Group Benefits, which has amassed a $500 million surplus that is available to pay claims, spends only about three percent of its income on management costs. The industry average for management costs ranges from 10 to 15 percent, experts say.
The governor is not expected to give up n his plan to privatize the insurance plan. In a prepared statement, Nichols said the issue will come before the committee again.
"We asked to come back to the committee because there were questions about school board savings and some confusion about voting procedure. We feel confident about the support for the measure," her statement said.
If you have not yet signed the LFT petition opposing privatization of the health plan, please click here.
Hypocrisy in high places
The State Department of Education raises issues of hypocrisy in this story by Advocate reporter Will Sentell, in which vows are made to ensure that every pre-kindergarten school that takes public tuition money will be held to rigorous standards.
"Every program that takes public dollars will be held to a common standard," Superintendent of Education White told the reporter.
Thanks to the superintendent's deep concern for the well-being of our state's smallest learners, schools that provide pre-K instruction will all be assigned letter grades similar to the labels pasted onto public elementary and secondary schools.
Standards and letter grades are important, Supt. White indicated, as parents make choices about their children's education.
"There are a lot of different choices out there, but children and their families do not have equal access and quality varies widely," White told the reporter.
But what's good for the little-bitties apparently does not work for their K-12 siblings, according to Supt. White and his colleagues on the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Hundreds of millions of dollars are being diverted away from public schools to pay tuition in private and religious schools and for "course providers" that come nowhere close to the standards demanded of public schools.
Last week, the Louisiana Federation of Teachers forced BESE to hold a hearing to accept suggestions for improvements to the totally inadequate standards promulgated for voucher schools last July.
The accountability standards touted by Supt. White do not impose letter grades on voucher schools, do not require them to hold a common curriculum, do not require their teachers to have even the most basic certification, and do not adequately oversee their stewardship of public funds.
Even those vague standards can be waived by Supt. White – and there are no guidelines governing his ability to waiver.
Supt. White did not even bother to attend the hearing. BESE's executive director limited most of those who appeared to a two minute presentation. Supt. White's allies at the hearing cavalierly dismissed concerns about the accountability of voucher schools.
LFT President Steve Monaghan said the hearing "sent a very clear signal: the mission of the department of education is to champion vouchers and privatization by any means necessary, and any rules that get in the way of that agenda will not be tolerated."
Absolute common standards for all pre-K programs that take state dollars. Not so much for the private and religious schools that Supt. White and Gov. Bobby Jindal seem to have come to favor over public education. That is hypocrisy in the highest places.
Posted by Louisana Federation of Teachers at 9:17 AM 1 comment:
Labels: academic standards, Gov. Bobby Jindal, John White, letter grades, Steve Monaghan, vouchers


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Home Arts and Entertainment
Ingrid Michaelson Lights Up
By: A&E Editor Tammy Tseng
Lights Out, Ingrid Michaelson's sixth album, marks her most diverse one to date; an artist previously known for her bare-bones acoustic style, Michaelson has now waded into the realm of indie pop. Her songs incorporate more synths, stronger bass beats, and deeper powerhouse vocals to make for an album that has more meat on its bones than her previous ones.
The album opens with the whimsical "Home," punctuated by bright guitar and glockenspiel, and transitions into her spunkier, piano-driven single, "Girls Chase Boys." Lights Out's greatest strength makes itself apparent in the contrast between these first two tracks: Michaelson's songs swing from plucky to mellow to playfully sensuous, making for an intriguing rollercoaster ride through the track list. Slow, soft ballads like "Ready To Lose" and "Everyone Is Gonna Love Me Now" are reminiscent of Michaelson's old style – however, Michaelson layers on softly rippling synths, piano embellishments, and gentle bass beats for a more elaborate take on her previous ukulele-and-vocals pieces. Throughout the album, darker lyrics and more heavily layered instrumentals add a new level of depth and sophistication to Michaelson's sound. Lights Out also features a surprising number of guest artists, from Mat Kearney to A Great Big World, who bring new dimension to the songs.
"Handsome Hands" is one song that showcases unexpected tonal juxtapositions; its instrumentals contrast glassy harp runs with the darker undertones of cellos and snares. Though the piece ends up being more of an experiment in sound than a fully lyricized song, it's representative of the album's venturing into new genres – yet at times, Lights Out strays too far from its core sound. The too-heavy bass line and drums in rock-influenced "Warpath" drown out Michaelson's vocals and are a jarring break from the smooth indie feel of the rest of the album; similarly, the upbeat pop-laden chorus of "Time Machine" distracts from the quirky old-school flavor of the rest of the track. On the whole, however, Lights Out is a cleverly arranged, idiosyncratic collection of songs that samples an assortment of styles, tempos, and genres, yet flows seamlessly as a whole.
Fans of Michaelson's previous simple, comfortable sound are in for a surprise with Lights Out, but her metamorphosis in this album signifies a confident willingness to continue to experiment and grow. Though Michaelson has just begun to strike unfamiliar territory, Lights Out is a commendable exhibit of her new ability to grasp and refine a variety of different sounds and textures, and marks her maturation as an artist.
Rating: A-
Photos: leakedalbumdownloads.com, icopop.net
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In the seventh part of the tutorial, we will go through how to insert a form and how they are connected to the information in the data object.
In this part we are going to learn how to use forms and how those are bound to the data object. We are going to create a form that controls the some of content of the card we have been creating.
Already now you can open index.html in your browser again and test. If you try to update the value in one of the input fields you'll see that the values of the card are also updated automatically. Isn't that just super cool?
First, let's add one more input field and a button to the form.
When that's done we can add the variable bound to that input field to our data object and create the function that handles the method that's being called when you click the button. This is what the hero_app should look like now.
If you type something inside the interest field and then click add you will see that a interest/tag is added to the card. The number of interests also increases automatically. This is a part of the reactivity system from Vue which updates all places a value is being used once it's been changed.
The challenge of this part is to create one more variable a place inside your data object. You will also need to show that variable a place in the card and add a input field in the form that is bound to this. This will not be a part of the course so when you're finished you can just remove it.


MotorStars Italian Car Factory Tours, Bologna, Bologna. Information, Photos and Reviews.
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