text:
Written by Deb White. Posted in Security
Security is the condition of feeling protected against danger. A lack of security causes stress which can negatively impact your birds health. Stress often leads to undesirable behaviors such as feather picking, screaming and biting.
It is important to remember that even though we "train" our hand raised parrots to adapt to the human environment, their behavior is still largely influenced by their instinctive tendencies and as such will react to stimuli in their environment based on these instincts.
Parrots are prey animals which means that predators in the wild, such as hawks or snakes, are looking to make them into a meal. Have you ever noticed how frightened parrots get with sudden loud noises or movements from above or behind ? Ever make the mistake of letting a helium balloon float by your bird's cage ? Even the snakelike vacuum cleaner cord/hose can evoke a negative reaction. Our parrots are instinctually hardwired to be on alert for danger 24/7. It is up to us to realize how instinctively vulnerable our birds feel and to help them feel as safe as possible. We can do this by:
ensuring that the physical arrangement of their environment supports this goal,
careful observation of our bird's body language so we can note what situations create a fearful reaction,
avoiding events that threaten your bird, and
reassuring our birds when they look fearful.
A parrot derives its greatest sense of security from living within a flock. In the wild, activities such as feeding, flying and grooming are performed communally. Since parrots are flock animals, they are also emotionally geared to live as part of a group. Parrots left in isolation without the benefit of direct contact and interaction do not develop a sense of security. Parrots need to interact with their household flock to become comfortable and develop a sense of belonging.
The decision on where to place your bird's cage is a critical one. Placing at least one side of the cage against a wall may help your bird feel sheltered from predators. Placement opposite the entry to the room allows your bird to observe who is approaching and what is going on. Also, avoid placement in a room with a ceiling fan or directly in front of a window so they can relax and stop worrying about flying predators.
Utilizing cage covers, tents or a perch surrounded by lots of toys can also provide a parrot with opportunities to hideaway and feel more secure when they want to sleep.
Parrots are less stressed when there are household routines that provide them with the opportunity for regular sleep hours, regular feeding and watering times and special one on one time. Since they have no means to do it for themselves in captivity, parrots are entirely dependent on us to provide them with clean water and a nutritious diet. They need to know they can rely on this.
Interactive rituals also reinforce your parrot's sense of security. For example, greetings in the morning, goodbyes when leaving for the office, game playing when coming home, silly songs during activities such as feeding or bathing all help to reassure your bird.
The earlier in life that you start to expose your bird to changes of a non-threatening nature, the less likely they will be threatened by things commonly encountered in life such as household moves, family additions, time away from their flock (vacations, business trips). Variations in diet and toys, travel, and exposure to new people and places all help to make your bird more flexible and adaptable to change.
Write comment	(1 Comment)
How birds perceive the world around them determines their many choices and behaviors, including foraging, predator avoidance, mating and flight. Birds rely on their senses to aid in their survival. A parrot's visual and auditory senses are the most critical to their survival and as such, are the most well developed of the senses. Conversely, a bird's sense of smell and taste are less critical to their survival and are less developed.
A Bird's Eye View
Vision is a parrot's most critical sense as it is important for their ability to survive. It is typical for prey animals to have their eyes spaced widely on their head and this is the case for parrots. With their eyes placed on the side of their heads, they are better able to monitor movement from all angles and they have close to 360° view. A few other interesting facts about a parrot's eyesight are:
Birds have eyeballs that are relatively large in comparison to the size of their head.
Parrots have two fovea per eye, which operate independently. This enables them to focus on more than one object at a time.
The lateral placement of their eyes results in a limited binocular field. This means that parrots have poor depth of field perception.
Birds have the ability to focus much faster than other animals.
Birds close their upper and lower eyelids only to sleep.
Birds have a transparent third eyelid for blinking that sweeps across the eye from the inside to lubricate and clean the cornea. The transparency of this eyelid helps them to remain aware of their surroundings.
Night vision is poor in parrots making them more vulnerable to attack at night from owls and bats.
Compared to humans, parrots can distinguish more colors and see a wider range of colors due to their ability to distinguish UV light.
Do They Hear What I Hear?
The ability to hear is very important to a bird's existence in the wild, especially since they often rely on communications between flock members to warn of predators. Here's a few facts:
Birds can hear a smaller range of sound than humans. Birds are less sensitive to the high and low ends of the frequency range.
Birds can distinguish rapid fluctuations in pitch and intensity much better than humans can. The replay speed of a bird's call would have to be slowed by a factor of 10 for us to be able to discern all the details a bird can hear.
Parrots don't have external ear structures but they do have inner ear three chambers just like we do.
A parrot's middle ear has only one bone versus the three bones (Hammer, Anvil and Stirrup) found in human ears.
Specialized feathers (auriculars) surround the ear opening that protect the ear opening without blocking the sound.
Can Parrots Distinguish Odors?
For many years, birds were considered to have a poorly developed sense of smell. Recent research has rejected that hypothesis. Although there haven't been parrot specific studies in regards to their olfactory abilities, it has been documented that the sense of smell is critical to many other species for routine tasks such as navigation, foraging and mating.
How Discerning is a Parrot's Palette?
Compared to humans, a parrot's sense of taste is very limited but as we all know, they do have definite likes and dislikes.
Birds typically have fewer than 100 taste buds in comparison to about 10,000 in humans.
A bird's sense of taste may be used to help them avoid harmful foods.
A distinct oddity of a bird's tongue is that it has a bone in it that runs the full length.
Because a parrot's tongue is hardened on the end, the taste buds are located at the back of the throat and the base of the tongue.
A bird's skin has sensory nerve endings that detect temperature, pressure and pain.
Parrots are flock animals. Some parrots flock in single species flocks (i.e., African Greys) and other birds operate within mixed species flocks (i.e., Amazons, Conures and Macaws). Different species can have different social needs and behaviors as necessary for them to survive in their specific habitat. Flock size can range from a few to several hundred birds. Flock size can also vary throughout the day depending on the activity. For example, flocks may break into smaller groups for foraging and then recombine at night into larger roosting communities.
For prey animals, living within the context of a flock is often necessary for survival. A parrot derives it's greatest sense of physical and emotional security from living within a flock. Parrots are rarely alone in the wild. A parrot's survival instincts tells them that they are unsafe when they are alone. A single parrot in the wild is likely a bird who is going to die because of injury, illness or old age and who has been abandoned by the flock because he presents a risk to their safety.
Flocks travel, eat, play and roost together. It is very difficult for a lone bird to simultaneously forage and watch for predators. While the flock participates in group feeding activities there are many sentinels with their eyes on the lookout for predators and at the ready to warn their flock mates.
Common predators of parrots in the wild are hawks, eagles, owls, monkeys, snakes and bats. By far, hawks present the greatest danger due to their ability to swoop down on a parrot at speeds approaching 200 miles per hour. However, it is much harder and confusing for a predator to single out and attack an individual bird when it is moving as part of a group of birds.
A typical daily schedule for a flock of parrot's looks like:
Awaken (just before dawn)
Fly to foraging site (sunrise)
Rest, groom, bathe, play (mid-day)
Return to foraging site (afternoon)
Find communal roosting site (just before sunset)
Besides security, living as part of a flock offers many benefits including opportunities for:
Physical Play (chases, mock fighting, beak fencing)
Parrots have well developed communication skills and use many vocalizations to communicate with their flock. Parrots use vocalizations to greet and acknowledge each other and provide warnings if necessary. Their natural ability to "learn" our language and interact vocally is one of our parrots most enduring traits.
Because of their instinctual need to be part of a flock, parrots love to be included in the day to day activities of their human flock to the extent practicable and safe. Including parrots in activities such as meals, showers or TV time will give them a stronger sense of belonging.
Parrots are prey animals which means that other predators in the wild, such as hawks or snakes, are looking to make them into a meal. This one factor influences parrots behavior in captivity more than any other.
Parrots are most vulnerable when feeding on the ground; membership in a flock plays an important function in ensuring their safety and improving their odds of survival from attacks by predators. The most common predators of parrots include:
Raptors (hawks, eagles, owls)
Cats (jaguars, ocelots)
Some predators pose risks only during the day while others are night stalkers (owls, bats).
As prey animals, parrots are on constant alert for danger and they instinctively react (fight or flight response) to perceived threats. Their first choice is to escape (flight) however, if this is not possible, they will attack (fight) with their powerful beaks to defend themselves.
Because their most threatening opponent is the hawk, parrots are especially reactive to quick movements from above and behind. For this reason, it is wise to avoid quick, sudden movements near your bird. This is a built-in instinctual reaction not subject to logic or reason. Simple and relatively innocuous household objects can illicit extreme fear responses in a bird. For example, a helium balloon may represent a hawk or a vacuum hose may equate to a snake in your bird's mind.
Prey animals are genetically designed to be very visual and their eyes are well tuned to help detect threatening movement from quite a distance. For more information on avian sensory perception, refer to our related article Avian Senses and Survival.
As prey animals, parrots are often suspicious or threatened by exposure to new household items or strangers. It is important to expose your bird to non-threatening experiences and changes starting at a very young age to build flexibility and enhance their adaptability. Variations in diet and toys, travel, and exposure to new people and places all help to make your bird more flexible and adaptable to change.


This clued-up crew doesn't sit still for long. Transport planners help us get from A to B as quickly as possible, while engineers are behind the design and safety of anything that moves – from aeroplanes to roller coasters.
Jennie's watching you... to help keep you safe on the roads! She works at Transport for London, watching over the capital's traffic lights, signposts and junctions to keep everyone safe as they drive to work!
Andrew Lamb is Chief Executive of a charity called Engineers Without Borders UK.
He was inspired to go into Engineering at a young age by playing with Lego and then later by looking at aeroplanes and wondering how such a lot of metal could stay up in the air.


text:
package leap.lang.jmx;

import leap.lang.Disposable;
import leap.lang.exception.ObjectExistsException;
import leap.lang.logging.Log;
import leap.lang.logging.LogFactory;

import javax.management.*;
import java.lang.management.ManagementFactory;
import java.util.Map;
import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap;

public class SimpleMBeanExporter implements MBeanExporter,Disposable {

    public static final String DEFAULT_DOMAIN = "beans";

    private static final Log log = LogFactory.get(SimpleMBeanExporter.class);

    protected final MBeanServer server;
    protected final String      domain;
    protected final Map<ObjectName, Object> exportedBeans = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();

    public SimpleMBeanExporter() {
        this(ManagementFactory.getPlatformMBeanServer(), DEFAULT_DOMAIN);
    }

    public SimpleMBeanExporter(MBeanServer server) {
        this(server, DEFAULT_DOMAIN);
    }

    public SimpleMBeanExporter(MBeanServer server, String domain) {
        this.server = server;
        this.domain = domain;
    }

    @Override
    public MBeanServer getServer() {
        return server;
    }

    @Override
    public String getDomain() {
        return domain;
    }

    public ObjectName createObjectName(String name) {
        name = domain + ":name=" + name;
        try {
            return new ObjectName(name);
        } catch (MalformedObjectNameException e) {
            throw new MException(e);
        }
    }

    @Override
    public void export(String name, Object bean) {
        export(createObjectName(name), bean);
    }

    @Override
    public void export(ObjectName name, Object bean) {
        if(exportedBeans.containsKey(name)) {
            throw new ObjectExistsException("Jmx bean '" + name + "' already exported!");
        }

        MBean mbean = new MBeanBuilder(bean).build();

        try {
            server.registerMBean(mbean, name);
        } catch (MBeanRegistrationException e) {
            throw new MException(e.getMessage(), e);
        } catch (NotCompliantMBeanException e) {
            throw new IllegalStateException(e);
        } catch (InstanceAlreadyExistsException e) {
            // ignore when auto-redeploy.
        }

        exportedBeans.put(name, Boolean.TRUE);
    }

    @Override
    public void unexportAll() {
        for(ObjectName name : exportedBeans.keySet()) {
            unexport(name);
        }
    }

    public boolean unexport(ObjectName name) {
        try {
            server.unregisterMBean(name);
            return true;
        } catch (InstanceNotFoundException e) {
            log.info("The mbean '{}' not exists!", name);
        } catch (Exception e) {
            log.warn("Error unexport mbean '" + name + "'", e);
        }
        return false;
    }

    @Override
    public void dispose() throws Throwable {
        unexportAll();
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Lisa Olson is a nutrition specialist, health consultant, Chinese medicine researcher, and author of the book Pregnancy Miracle, a guide on how to get pregnant.
Lisa struggled for 14 years with infertility.
But she decided she would not accept she was infertile.
She was determined to get pregnant and that's exactly what she did.
Not long after a conversation with her midwife and a Chinese medicine expert, Lisa discovered a very important piece of research.
She believes it was the final piece to her puzzle and allowed her to not only get pregnant at 43 years old but to carry her beautiful, long-awaited daughter to full term - born healthy and without complications!
Then she got pregnant again at 45, and had another successful pregnancy and birth!
Lisa knows first hand that most of the fertility methods available to women are ineffective and unsafe because she has personally tried them.
In her ebook, she shares her painful and frustrating experiences, hoping other women suffering from infertility may be warned.
She also offers a solution which has helped her reverse her infertility and become a mother even after 43 years old.
The best thing about this solution is it is all-natural, and it does not involve risky surgery or raking drugs with dangerous side effects.


Southwest Answering Service provides a combination of the best people and best technology in the telephone answering service industry.
When it comes to answering service, Southwest Answering Service believes that a combination of friendly, articulate agents is the key to your success. We are committed to providing you and your customers the best service in the telephone answering service industry.
Joining Southwest Answering Service means using some of today's best phone based technology to help our clients manage and grow their business by taking care of their customers and helping solve business challenges over the phone.


text:
Smart and me
An eye on the world in crisis
CECOP's policy paper on non standard and platform workers impacted by the COVID-19 crisis
Post author By Virginie Moyersoen
No Comments on CECOP's policy paper on non standard and platform workers impacted by the COVID-19 crisis
An eye on the world in crisis Background (Belgium) Background (France)
Through its working group on platforms and non-standard work, CECOP has written a policy paper on the situation of non-standard and platform workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. With input from member organizations from all across Europe, this brief report sheds a light on the opportunities and challenges of worker cooperatives affiliating non-standard workers.
The COVID-19 pandemic that unravelled over the world led to tremendous losses of lives across the world. With huge efforts and strict measures taken, it was possible to slow the spread of the coronavirus in Europe, but the constant threat of a new outbreak, as well as the economic implications of the fight against COVID-19, remain challenges for European societies and economies. As for many aspects, the confinement measures and their impact exacerbated underlying challenges societies were already facing before COVID-19 spread. This is particularly the case of non-standard and platform workers who struggled during this crisis, as many national rescue packages failed to address their needs. Whereas cooperatives showed their resilience in times of turmoil in the past, this crisis is new and the uncertainties for the future are high.
The COVID-19 crisis showed that the recognition of non-standard workers, including platform workers, remains a challenge in national and European labour regulations, leaving workers vulnerable and making fitting policies complicated to obtain. The failure to adapt national and European labour legislation to cover non-standard workers worsened the impact of the current crisis, putting workers incomes and livelihoods at risk.
Download the policy paper here.
Tags coopérative, covid19, Europe, international, non-standard workers, platform workers, policy paper, self-employment
Read our cookie policy to learn more.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


See models and pricing, as well as photos and videos about 2019 Mazda Paint Codes. We reviews the 2019 Mazda Paint Codes Redesign where consumers can find detailed information on specs, fuel economy, transmission and safety.
Explore the design, performance and technology features of the 2019 Mazda Paint Codes. See models and pricing, as well as photos and videos. The 2019 Mazda Paint Codes Release goes to excess the right kinds of excess to preserve its best-of status. Find out if the new 2019 Mazda Paint Codes coupe takes a step forward in our first-drive review. See photos and get the story at Car and Driver.
Reviews, videos, latest news, specs and road tests on the 2019 Mazda Paint Codes. Top Gear reviews the Specs. Terrific refinement, class-leading technology, and incredible interior quality. Want to know more? Read more.
We've got one of the air vents twisting it is going to close and open it which is a nicelittle touch coming along the sprint has a nice aggressive bezel above the gauges very clear wanting – super minimalistic you have some black leather and some gray stitching alongside the sprint as wellthen coming to the contact screen navigation system hitting the house button.
We now have many different settings your apple carplay and android auto of course your audio controls Wi-Fi after which you possibly can scroll over to your climate and see different settings like that you would be able to see where all of the air is directed what is on and off more controls under that after which all of your climate controls are located right here actually cool actually this you spin left and rightand that truly changes the temperature you even have an LCD display to correspond to that and then over on the proper aspect this is how you alter your fan speed you get a bit display as nicely and your analysis a see all of the totally different buttons your defogger you're the Alcantara on the shift knob as properly asthe shifter boot very straightforward to interact you to gear brief shifter extremely sighs nice weighted shift knob to present 2019 Mazda Paint Codes.


text:
A Dedicated News Site Investigating Scientology Money, Crime, Lies & Legal Matters
Repayments & Refunds
The Death of L. Ron Hubbard
Report Scientology to the IRS
The Four Evil Scientology Contracts
The History of the E-Meter
Fair Game: Leah Remini & Mike Rinder's Podcast
Scientology's Secret Teachings about Jesus
What is the IAS?
Why the Sea Org Doesn't Actually Exist
Scientology Genocide
Church of Scientology Corporations Research Index
Scientology Fronts: Financials
Scientology-Linked Entities: Index
Church of Scientology Continues to Attack Autism; Calls It a Myth
By Scientology Money Project on September 25, 2018 • ( 1 Comment )
Autism is a myth? Then why did John Travolta and Kelly Preston publicly admit that their late son Jett had autism. #Scientology's @CCHRInt can't get its story straight. #ScientologyTheAftermath https://t.co/cNAsAUpXPz
— Jeffrey Augustine (@JeffreAugustine) September 24, 2018
The Church of Scientology's lunatic anti-psychiatry group "Citizens Commission on Human Rights" has long attacked autism as a myth, as a condition that does not exist.
Scientology viciously and irrationally rejects and attacks Psychiatry and all psychiatric diagnoses as being false. Because autism is a psychiatric diagnosis — the Autism Spectrum Disorder is classified and described in the DSM-5 — it must therefore be false according to Scientology.
Jett Travolta (1992-2009) died tragically at aged sixteen in Freeport, Bahamas. Four years after his death, Scientologists John Travolta and Kelly Preston admitted that Jett was autistic. Grief is complex. When Jett was alive John and Kelly denied that he was autistic. This was due to the couple's commitment to Scientology's anti-psychiatry views.
When Jett was alive, John Travolta's brother Joey publicly stated that Jett was autistic. Joey implored John and Kelly to get Jett the help he needed. Instead, Kelly insisted that her son Jett had Kawasaki's Syndrome that had been caused by exposure to carpet cleaning chemicals when he was young.
John and Kelly eventually did the right thing by acknowledging that autism existed. Kelly even opened up about it in a video:
In 2015, Scientology hired former US Congressman Dan Burton to lobby against vaccines in Congress. Forbes covered this in its article entitled, Former U.S. Rep. Dan Burton, Vaccine Foe, Now Lobbying For Scientology Outfit. An excerpt from that article:
When he served in the House of Representatives, Dan Burton (R-Indiana) reportedly held at least 20 hearings to try to force people to accept his belief that mercury in vaccines causes autism. Now he's pulled down 20 Gs–$20,000 from July to September—as a lobbyist on behalf of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR), which sounds reasonable enough, except that it's a group co-founded by the Church of Scientology. The transition isn't a big one for Burton because because Burton and Scientology and whacky autism causation theories go way back.
According to lobbying disclosure reports, Burton was paid to:
"maintain or increase protection for the public with reference to psychiatric treatments including drugs and brain devices."
That's not so wildly off the mark from his earlier goal of protecting the nation from mercury in vaccines with the expectation, one assumes, that doing so would protect the nation from the scourge of autism. Never mind that the nation isn't under threat from either. Burton's last hurrah as a Congressman was in 2012, the usual dog-and-pony show, giving the soon-to-be former Congressman one last chance as a representative of the people to claim that:
"I'm convinced that the mercury in vaccinations is a contributing factor to neurological diseases such as autism."
Scientology's partner in working to rid the world of vaccines is the notoriously anti-vaxxer group the Nation of Islam. Apparently, Scientology and the Nation of Islam like polio, smallpox, measles, and other deadly diseases that were largely eradicated by large-scale vaccinations programs. Dangerous pseudoscientific idiocy is certainly one thing that Scientology and the Nation of Islam have in common. Robert Kennedy Jr. has worked with Scientology and the Nation of Islam on this insanity. Look at the sensationalistic garbage Kennedy promotes:
In an irrational act we will never understand, Kelly Preston became a spokesperson for Karastan Carpets in 2008 when Jett was still alive. To promote carpets means that these carpets will need to be cleaned with carpet cleaning chemicals. This means the infants crawling on the carpets will be exposed to these chemicals as was Jett. Seems like sheer hypocrisy on Kelly's part.
Categories: The Scientology Money Project
Tagged as: autism, CCHR, Fiona O'Leary, Jeffrey Augustine, Jett Travolta, John Travolta, Kelly Preston, Leah Remini
The Nation of Islam: Updates on Money, Sexual Abuse, Jesus, and L. Ron Hubbard
What a train wreck: The ignominious fate of Scientology's original flagship, the 'Apollo'
Autism is NOT a psychiatric disorder, it's a neurological disorder. Just because it's in the DSM, doesn't mean it's a mental illness. The DAM also covers many neurological conditions. As a person on the spectrum, I ask that you please get your facts straight.
The Scientology Money Project (520)
Jeffrey Augustine (234)
David Miscavige (208)
Church of Scientology International (157)
Scientology (157)
Church of Scientology (151)
Jeffrey Augustine on Twitter
Top categories: The Scientology Money Project
Top tags: Jeffrey Augustine IRS
Privacy Policy | Powered by WordPress.com. |


text:
How to Fix Oculus Go Battery Life Problems
Lowell Heddings
Lowell is the founder and CEO of How-To Geek. He's been running the show since creating the site back in 2006. Over the last decade, Lowell has personally written more than 1000 articles which have been viewed by over 250 million people. Prior to starting How-To Geek, Lowell spent 15 years working in IT doing consulting, cybersecurity, database management, and programming work. Read more...
May 18, 2018, 3:00 pm EST | 3 min read
We've been having a lot of fun playing with the new Oculus Go VR headset, but the battery life is terrible, and not just when you're using it. The battery drains in a few hours just sitting there! Here's how to get better battery life out of your Oculus Go.
When we mean the battery dies while it's sitting there, that's literally what we mean. You take off the headset, put it on your desk, and come back a few hours later or the next day, and the battery is either fully drained or it's dead. That shouldn't happen for any device that's not in use, and definitely not as quickly as it has been draining. Hopefully Oculus will work on the software and make standby battery life better, but so far, we're just going to have to wait and work around it.
This isn't an isolated incident either, we have 5 different people at HTG HQ using the Oculus Go headset, and most of us are having battery life issues. There aren't any common factors—one had developer mode enabled, the other 4 did not. One barely installed anything, and two others used it heavily. We're still doing research and will update when we find more answers.
The Oculus Go just has absolutely horrid battery life. If you set it down, the battery will drain in a few hours. But luckily there are a couple simple things to do to make it easier to live with.
If Your Oculus Dies Too Fast While in Use
If your headset is losing battery life while you are using it, that's simply because you're watching something or playing a game that is taking a lot of processor power, and the battery is going to drain. There's literally no magic solution for this.
What you can do, however, is buy a really long USB charging cable that isn't too thick and plug it in while you have the headset on. You probably won't even notice that it's plugged in as long as the cable is long enough to have a little extra slack, and isn't one of those super thick sturdy cables that doesn't bend very well. This one on Amazon is almost 10′ long and should give you plenty of extra cable to play with.
If you're mostly using the VR headset for watching videos, you can save at least a little bit of battery life by copying the movies directly to the headset and playing them from there, instead of streaming them in a private browsing window or streaming them from your PC. But it's not going to save a ton, and you're better off just plugging it in if you're having battery issues, especially since you're not going to be moving your head as much while watching videos.
We've spent quite a bit of time playing with the Oculus while having it plugged in, and since the Go doesn't have full motion controls anyway, most of what you're doing is sitting still and looking side to side a little.
If Your Oculus Dies Too Fast While in Standby Mode
If your Oculus is dying really fast while it's sitting in standby mode, you've really only got two options to work with for now. Hopefully Oculus will release an update at some point that makes it better, but you'll need to work around it until they do.
The first option is to simply plug it in every single time that you set it down. Which you probably already suspected would work. Now you're wondering why you read this article.
The second option is to make sure that you fully shut down the headset whenever you are done using it for the day, and luckily that's really easy. We've tested and if you properly shut down when it's not in use, the battery won't drain.
The easiest way to do that is to hold down the power button for a few seconds, and this screen will show up. From here, select Power Off.
Alternatively, you can just hold down the power button on the front of the headset for 10 seconds to do a hard shutdown.
When you're ready to play again, just hold down the button for a few seconds until the light comes back on, and it'll boot up quickly and you can start playing virtual poker or whatever your favorite thing is.
Image Credit: ShutterStock, Oculus
Lowell is the founder and CEO of How-To Geek. He's been running the show since creating the site back in 2006. Over the last decade, Lowell has personally written more than 1000 articles which have been viewed by over 250 million people. Prior to starting How-To Geek, Lowell spent 15 years working in IT doing consulting, cybersecurity, database management, and programming work.


text:
Work, 20 December 2018
The ring of art in school
Chronicle by Isabelle Rodriguez
On La Gomera island, in the Canary archipelago, endures a remarkable language: Silbo Gomero. Taught today on the island's schools, the language is actually a whistled language, still used today, that reproduces Spanish (or Castilian, to be precise) through whistling—and is now on Unesco's list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The Author : Isabelle Rodriguez
After a degree at the Sorbonne and a Master's degree of Arts at the University of Saint-Etienne, Isabelle Rodriguez committed herself in a second cycle at the Nîmes' Art School where she passed a National Postgraduate degree in Graphic Arts in June... [ read more ]
Geopolitics by Isabelle Rodriguez
Bouchra Khalili, The Mapping Journey Project
Economy by Isabelle Rodriguez
Brexit or not Brexit
Society by Isabelle Rodriguez
Invent or solve, Cuban artists in the face of power
Environment by Isabelle Rodriguez
Island-museums on the Inland Sea
Censorship and resistance in Rio
Profile by Isabelle Rodriguez
The three-bus barricade
The controversial walls of Ouzai
Of Art and Respect
An Open Wound
Saving the Revolution On Line
Celebrating failure
The reindeers of discord
Far, far away, in the 19th district of Paris, students at La Goutte d'Or are looking with interest at this practically unknown language, accompanied by two artists, Stéphanie Rollin and David Brognon. The artist duo, which formed in 2006, works with students on transforming one of the most important emblems of school life: the bell, which, up to 17 times a day, divides and accentuates life at school. It has now turned into musical phrases sung by the loudspeakers that follow students and the pedagogical staff; phrases selected by the school children and whistled in Silbo, which a professor from the Canaries recorded for the project. "The schoolyard is the ultimate creative place where children invent words, expressions and codes to avoid being understood by adults. The whistling, on the other hand, is a secret between children and teachers. And it is also an ironic wink to the notion that we are not parrots", explain David Brognon and Stéphanie Rollin about this in-situ piece entitled Train Your Bird To Talk and created through the platform SOCIETIES as part of the Nouveaux Commanditaires ("New Commissioners") action by Fondation de France.
Accompanied by these partners, the school La Goutte d'Or chose to embark on an audacious and successful adventure: to allow art to enter the daily lives of students and set up ambitious projects with them and their families. A vacant business apartment is turned into an artist studio, which the artists occupied and used freely for the duration of one school year each, punctuated by shared moments with the students who are busy with their own projects in their classrooms and, in parallel, discover art museums and art centers in the region. "We do not require the artists to be teachers or educators. The important thing is for them to be there. And for the students to participate in the creative process," says Pierre Perrin, the director who initiated the project. Next came the projects 2012 Seasons in the abyss by Claude Levêque, Fréquence casserole by Malachi Farrell and residencies with Chourouk Hriech and Bertrand Lamarche. Some productions have taken a life of their own outside of school, like Flow612 by Daniel Larrieu, presented in many festivals and platforms. Through art, La Goutte d'Or can reinvent itself and reinvent what it means to go to school.
Ring of Pierre Budin's school, Paris (extract):
https://www.switchonpaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/son-oiseau-switch.mp3
Translation by Maya Dalinsky
Cover: Courtesy of Stéphanie Rollin et David Brognon.
The Encyclopedia of wars – Mountains (surrendering the)
The Encyclopedia of Wars – Linné (Carl von)
The Encyclopedia of Wars – The Mare (of Troy)
The Encyclopedia of Wars – Rubbel
The Encyclopedia of Wars – Fire
The Encyclopedia of Wars – Climatology


text:
Your Opportunities
Stores and Offices
Working at Specsavers
Our development opportunities
14/02 2022 - Support office
Prit Bhondi stumbled into Specsavers - and stayed
Coincidentally, Prit Bhondi got a part-time job at Specsavers. Now, after eight years she's at least as enthusiastic as when she started. "Here I really get to use my education," says Prit, who now works as a talent manager in the learning and development team, at the Specsavers support office in Norway.
Read this story in Norwegian
Prit is 28 years old, but has already achieved a bachelor's degree in pedagogy, and a master's in working life pedagogy, both from the University of Oslo. Besides, she's been working for Specsavers for eight years. She's benefited from her education in her job as a talent manager, in which talent development and training of employees is a major task. "At Specsavers, we have a strong culture for investing in the people who work here, and we spend much time and effort on training and developing all colleagues. That's what I like best about working here," says Prit, who also experiences how she's developing positively because of her varied working day and by constantly getting new opportunities in the team she works in.
Cinema night led to work
One night in 2012, Prit met a friend who she hadn't seen in a long time. They went to the cinema together, and during the evening, Prit told her friend that she was looking for a part-time job. Her friend worked at Specsavers in the Stovner shopping centre in Oslo, and as if it was faith, she knew about a part-time job that'd suit Prit perfectly. So Prit applied, got the job – and here she is today, working full-time in talent development and enjoying it to the max.
Jubilee and dance of joy
It's late September 2021, and Norway has just reopened again when Prit shows up for this interview. "This has been a wonderful week; we can finally go to work again!" Prit says with a big smile. "We had a social gathering here in the office; we had dinner together after we had fun at an escape room in Oslo."
Prit lives alone and found it challenging to work from home for such a long time, but all the more gratifying when the corona measures were repealed. "Luckily, I've been able to dance most of the time. I love to dance," says Prit, who dances five days a week to dancehall and afro music at a studio in Oslo, not far from where she lives at Alexander Kiellands Plass. The strict measures, not least the travel restrictions, placed a substantial limitation on Prit's everyday life as a talent manager in a nationwide chain with over 80 stores. Usually, store visits are part of the job, and she looks forward to continuing with it, now that life is returning to normal.
Variety and people
When we ask Prit what's the most fun thing about working for Specsavers, she has to think about it – because there's so much she wants to mention. "No two days are the same," she begins, and continues that great variety in tasks is something she likes best in her job. The combination of office and travel is perfect for her, and she thrives best when she gets to meet people, follow them over time and experience that they develop and make a career in the organisation. "A person I had an introductory programme with became a partner only three years later. That inspires! Otherwise, it's fun and I learn a lot from being involved in various types of projects, such as when we open new stores."
"The people who work here are what differentiates Specsavers from the other optician chains," Prit firmly believes. She says that she was actually a little surprised at how fundamental the human focus is throughout the chain. "There's room for diversity and people get to be themselves. The learning and development programme strengthens each individual and helps us build the incredibly strong team spirit we have. 'Together we are the best' is a saying we use to get everyone to pull in the same direction and create the best workplace in our industry."
Prit is also happy to work in an organisation with a high degree of trust in its people. She can influence her own work, as the job description is quite open. She feels there's room to emphasise the tasks that she finds most rewarding or interesting for her. At the same time, she's fully aware of the responsibility that comes with freedom. "I have to be self-propelled. And I've learned that I shouldn't be afraid to be noticed and take a stand. This is actually part of the strength of Specsavers – we are many strong individuals who dare to be ourselves and take the initiative, but within the framework of the company."
Specsavers is always on the lookout for people to join our support offices or one of our stores. Get to know more about working for us or jump straight to our vacancies.
View all our vacancies Cookie Policy Data Privacy Statement


This article presents a simple experiment to illustrate how phase noise  converts to time-interval error (TIE) jitter . This is of particular interest to hardware professionals who work with both jitter and phase noise, such as engineers analyzing reference clocks for high-speed SERDES, or sampling clocks for data converter, applications. Insight gained from this article can be used when debugging systems to identify and reduce various sources of timing noise.
One key difference between TIE jitter and phase noise is the type of noise processes observed by each . To clarify this, Equation 1 represents an output voltage signal (Vout) as a baseband noise (B) plus a sine wave signal at a specific carrier frequency (ωc) that includes amplitude (A) and phase (ϕ) modulation noise.
All three noise processes (e.g. A, B, ϕ) impact TIE jitter as measured by an oscilloscope. However, only phase modulation (e.g. ϕ) impacts phase noise when measured using a phase-noise analyzer (PNA, such as Keysight Technologies E5052B), since the PNA rejects amplitude noise during the measurement .
The process by which phase noise converts to TIE jitter is simply aliasing . To illustrate this, we'll analyze timing noise in a phase modulated (PM)  sine wave clock carrier signal (e.g. sin(ωct)) appearing at the output of a signal generator. The PM signal in this experiment is also a sine wave (e.g. ϕ(t)=K×sin(ωpt)), whose frequency (ωp) is swept over some range. For example, Figure 1 shows a phase noise plot for a 100 MHz clock signal with added 1 MHz PM at roughly -40 dBc. Phase noise, as illustrated in Figure 1, is the spectral energy density of phase fluctuations in a signal. Incidentally, Figure 1 shows that the signal generator also outputs a much smaller spur of -86 dBc at 180 kHz offset frequency, which we'll ignore for the purpose of this experiment.
Figure 1 Phase noise plot of a 100 MHz clock signal with added 1 MHz PM at approximately -40 dBc.
Figure 2a illustrates the test setup, where the magnitude and frequency of PM on the 100 MHz carrier signal is quantified independently using (1) a real-time oscilloscope, (2) a dedicated PNA, and (3) a spectrum analyzer [3,6].
Figure 2 Experimental setup (a) for quantifying spurious PM in a signal as (b) phase noise and (c) TIE jitter. Illustrations (d-f) buffer the analyzed signal to remove AM noise, but are otherwise similar to (a-c).
The PM quantified as spurious phase noise is graphed in Figure 2b as a function of offset frequency. For example, the first phase-noise data point represents 1 MHz PM (e.g. ωp) on a 100 MHz carrier (e.g. ωc). Here, the offset frequency (x-axis) is equivalent to the frequency of the PM sine wave. The magnitude of PM (e.g. K) is adjusted to be relatively constant around -40 dBc, and the spurious data measured from the PNA (limited to 40 MHz offsets) agrees well with that from the spectrum analyzer, which extends to higher offset frequencies. For reference, amplitude noise (e.g. A)  is also measured using the PNA up to a 40 MHz offset frequency, and graphed in Figure 2b.
Figure 2c quantifies the PM as spurious TIE jitter and plots it versus PM frequency, which, in Figure 2c, is equivalent to the TIE jitter frequency. For reference, the spectrum analyzer data plotted in Figure 2b in units of dBc (which we'll denote as spurdBc) is converted to units of seconds peak-peak using Equation 2 .
Figure 2c shows that the spurious TIE jitter agrees well with the spurious phase noise for low PM frequencies, but increases exponentially above 30 MHz PM.
The reason for this increase in AM noise at the output of the signal generator is not relevant to our discussion, except in-so-much as to find a way to minimize the influence of this AM noise on measurements of TIE and phase noise. Recall that our goal is to understand how phase noise converts to TIE jitter, so the presence of amplitude noise in the signal may lead to false conclusions (since amplitude noise influences TIE jitter but not phase noise). Figure 3 illustrates the amplitude-to-jitter conversion process for 1 MHz and 99 MHz PM scenarios, where AM is clearly seen in the output signal for 99 MHz PM but not 1 MHz PM.
Figure 3 Output voltage waveforms corresponding to PM frequencies of (a) 1 MHz and (b) to 99 MHz, where the latter exhibits significantly higher AM noise.
Since we want to analyze how phase noise (alone) converts to TIE jitter, we need to first remove, or at least minimize, AM noise in the signal under test. We do this by buffering the signal as shown in Figure 2d, which reduces AM by 6 dBc as shown in Figure 2e. The buffered signal then shows good agreement between spurious magnitude measured with an oscilloscope versus spectrum analyzer as shown in Figure 2f. We therefore conclude that the magnitude of spurious PM (e.g. spur height, K) observed in a phase noise plot is preserved (except for a change in units from dBc to seconds peak-peak) when measured as spurious TIE jitter using an oscilloscope.
Having understood how the magnitude of phase noise maps to TIE jitter, let's analyze how its frequency translates. Figure 4 illustrates the aliasing process that occurs. The TIE jitter spectrum for rising clock edges on a 100 MHz clock carrier signal extends up to 50 MHz, which is the Nyquist frequency , as shown in Figure 4a. Thus, noise frequencies above 50 MHz will alias below 50 MHz when TIE jitter is measured. Phase noise, however, is measured offset from the carrier frequency, and so extends from 100 MHz to 200 MHz in the signal spectrum for this experiment, as shown in Figure 4a. The PM frequency is also offset from the carrier, and a separate scale is drawn along the top of Figure 4a to illustrate the sine wave frequency used to modulate the carrier. To simplify the discussion, each consecutive 50 MHz region in the signal spectrum is referred to as a "Nyquist zone" (NZ), where NZ #1 extends from 0 to 50 MHz, NZ #2 extends from 50 to 100 MHz, and so on for higher zones.
Figure 4 Phase noise measured in (a) Nyquist zones 3 and 4 alias to Nyquist zone 1 as illustrated in (b) and (c), respectively.
Spurious phase noise created by PM in NZ #3 and NZ #4 alias down to NZ #1 as shown in Figure 4b and Figure 4c, respectively. For example, spurious phase noise at 140 MHz reflects across 100 MHz to alias to 60 MHz, then reflects again across 50 MHz to alias at 40 MHz. Likewise, spurious phase noise at 199 MHz aliases to 101 MHz, which aliases to 99 MHz, which aliases to 1 MHz. Note that this last example describes the scenario illustrated in Figure 3b, where the 99 MHz PM tone includes significant AM, easily observed as a 1 MHz voltage envelope in Figure 3b.
Figure 5 uses multiple x-axes to map various frequency domains of interest in this experiment. The first x-axis shows how the PM frequency, which is offset from the carrier frequency, appears in the rising-edge TIE jitter spectrum (y-axis). Specifically, PM frequencies falling between 0 and 50 MHz appear in the signal spectrum between 100 and 150 MHz (i.e. NZ #3), and alias into the TIE jitter spectrum at the same PM frequencies, as illustrated in the left half of Figure 5. Similarly, PM frequencies between 50 and 100 MHz appear in the signal spectrum between 150 and 200 MHz, and alias into the TIE jitter spectrum at their mirror-image frequencies, as illustrated in the right half of Figure 5.
Figure 5 Frequency-mapping between TIE jitter and phase noise, illustrated via spurious PM on a 100 MHz carrier, showing that phase noise aliases to become TIE jitter.
This article showed that data in a phase noise plot, which is plotted offset from the carrier frequency, simply aliases into a TIE jitter spectrum. That is, higher-frequency phase noise aliases below the Nyquist frequency of a TIE jitter spectrum. The Nyquist frequency for a TIE jitter spectrum computed from rising (or, separately, falling) edges equals half the fundamental clock frequency. Alternatively, the Nyquist frequency for a TIE jitter spectrum computed from all clock edges equals the fundamental clock frequency (not discussed above). Finally, although the above experiment discusses only spurious phase noise, the conclusions apply equally to random phase noise.
 "User Guide for Desktop Phase-noise Calculator," JitterLabs website (December 6 2016), https://www.jitterlabs.com/support/documentation/guide1.


text:
Sandra Elliott, a member on the panel whose term ended in 2020, also stepped down.
"Council has lost faith in the planning commission, and I too have lost faith in you," she said.
Harry Kohlmann, chair of the parking committee, also expressed frustration over the council's handling of new parking rules.
"We all elected you to represent us. We didn't elect you because you're experts on tree ordinances or parking regulations," Kohlmann said.
Seats on Surfside Beach's committees and commissions are volunteer positions. Members are appointed by town council and can also be removed by town council.
At the end of the meeting, several members of town council thanked the volunteers for their service to the town.
"You can come and call us names, it's all right," Councilman Ron Ott said. "We're trying the best we can. We're not super people. We're just like you, we used to sit out there."
Chloe Johnson: 843-626-0381, @_ChloeAJ
Surfside council recording shows frustrations with town administrator
Surfside mayor says leaked recording of closed session was 'criminal'
Oakland Raiders' Hunter Renfrow hosts inaugural youth football camp at Socastee High School
Four-foot shark spotted swimming in shallow waters along North Myrtle Beach
North Myrtle Beach to spend millions on almost 100 acres to expand sports complex
Was a Myrtle Beach police officer at fault in a wreck? Here's what investigators say


Amazing Land for Sale . Hboub Jbeil , area 1261 Sqm . Revealing the city of Byblos, the sea and the mountains. Very close to the main road of Byblos Annaya, an acceptable slope and semi-graded. They reach the temple road, electricity and services. It is about five minutes from the city of Byblos and about three minutes from the hospital.


WAYNE, NEBRASKA – Beck Ag, Inc., a company dedicated to providing measurable Go-To-Market solutions for agriculture companies and organizations is expanding its new business acquisition efforts and its market intelligence competency through the promotion of Kari Spaan to vice president of business development, and Monica Phillips to vice president of strategic intelligence.
As vice president for business development, Spaan will be responsible for identifying, and making initial contact with, prospective new Beck Ag clients. Originally from South Dakota, she received both a Bachelors and Masters of Science degree from South Dakota State. Prior to joining Beck Ag, Spaan exercised her entrepreneurial spirit by launching one business, purchasing and growing a second business, and operating a successful network marketing operation for 15 years. She originated a business measuring body composition (ribeye, backfat and marbling) in live cattle and pigs via ultrasound, to identify highly inheritable traits that are used as predictors of overall meat quality, and to breed and raise consumer preferred animals.
In her new role, Phillips will be responsible for leading all aspects of the AG IQ® business unit including vision, strategy, business development and operations. This unit will assist Beck Ag clients leverage customer intelligence and data driven marketing to efficiently and effectively build customer relationships, predict customer behaviors, increase profits and grow market share. Her previous experience included marketing and product management positions at three of the largest agricultural companies in the U.S.: Monsanto, Syngenta and DuPont Pioneer (DowDupont). An Iowa native, Phillips obtained both an undergraduate degree in agronomy and plant pathology minor, and an MBA in marketing from Iowa State University.


text:
import mongodb = require('mongodb');
import express = require('express');
import Q = require('q');
Q.longStackSupport = true;

////////////////////////////
// Events

export class EventProvider<T,S> {

  constructor(public name : string) {}

  eventHandlers : { [name:string] : (event:T, state:S) => void } = {};

  public handle(eventHandler : (event:T, state:S) => void) {
    this.eventHandlers[this.name] = eventHandler;
  }

  public emit(event:T, state:S) {
    for (var i in this.eventHandlers) {
      this.eventHandlers[i](event, state);
    }
  }
}

///////////////////////
// Event Handler

// Handelt Events (HanldingLogic) und löst neue Events aus
export class EventHandler<T,S> extends EventProvider<T,S> {

  constructor(name:string, eventProvider:EventProvider<T,S>, handlingLogic:(params:T, state:S) => void) {
    super(name);

    // als handler für ein command registieren
    eventProvider.handle((params:T, state:S) => {
      // was passieren soll, wenn das Event ausgelöst wurde

      handlingLogic(params, state);  // die Business Logik für das Event ausführen
      this.emit(params, state); // das Event an die hanlder (z.B. Projections) senden, die sich für das Event interessiern

    });
  }

}

////////////////
///// Event Store
export class StoredEventProvider<T,S> extends EventProvider<T,S> {
  private collection : mongodb.Collection;

  constructor(name:string, collectionName : string, db : mongodb.Db) {
    super(name);

    this.collection = db.collection(collectionName);
  }

  public emit(event:T, state:S) {
    var doc = {
      name : this.name,
      event : event,
      state : state,
      date : new Date()
    };
    Q.ninvoke<void>(this.collection, 'insert', doc);  // save Event to db
    super.emit(event, state);
  }
}

///////////////////
// Domain Events
export class DomainEvent<T,S> extends StoredEventProvider<T,S> {

  constructor(name:string, collectionName : string, db : mongodb.Db) {
    super(name, collectionName, db);
  }
}

//// todo verhalten von der projection hier implementieren
//export class Aggregate<T> extends StatefulEventProvider<T> {
//
//  constructor(name:string, aggregator : (emit : (params:T) => void) => void) {
//    super(name);
//
//    var self = this;
//    var emit = function(params : T) : void {
//      self.emit(params);
//    };
//
//    aggregator(emit);
//  }
//
//}

/////////////////////
// Projections

export interface Collection<T> {
  execute(mongoCmd : string, ...parms : any[]) : Q.Promise<void>;
  insert(params:T) : Q.Promise<void> ;
  update(query :any, params:T);
  remove(query :any);
}

export interface ObjId {
  _id : mongodb.ObjectID;
}

export class MongoProjection<T extends ObjId> {
  private collection : mongodb.Collection;

  constructor(public name : string, db : mongodb.Db, projector:(collection : Collection<T>) => void) {

    this.collection = db.collection(name);

    var self = this;
    var collection : Collection<T> = {
      execute : function(mongoCmd : string, ...parms : any[]) {
        return Q.npost<void>(self.collection, mongoCmd, parms);  // invoke mongodb command
      },
      insert : function(params:T) {
        delete params._id;  // assure _id is created by the database
        return Q.ninvoke<void>(self.collection, 'insert', params);
      },
      update : function(query:any, params:T) {
        delete params._id;  // assure _id is created by the database
        return Q.ninvoke<void>(self.collection, 'update', query, params);
      },
      remove : function(id : mongodb.ObjectID) {
        return Q.ninvoke<void>(self.collection, 'remove', {_id : id});
      }
    };

    projector(collection);

  }

  public query(params : any) : Q.Promise<T[]> {
    return Q.ninvoke(this.collection.find(params), 'toArray').then((docs) => {
      return <T[]>docs;
    })
  }

}

/////////////////////////////
// Context

export class Context {
  constructor(public name : string, public db : mongodb.Db) {}

//  createCommand<T>(cmdName : string) : StoredEventProvider<T> {
//    return new StoredEventProvider<T>(cmdName, this.name + 'Events', this.db);
//  }
//
//  domainEvent<T>(name:string) : DomainEvent<T> {
//    return new DomainEvent<T>(name, this.name, this.db);
//  }

}


JSL Computing recommends Microsoft Windows XP Home and Professional.
JSL Computing recommends Acer, Custom, Dell, and Toshiba Computers and Laptops.
Acer Aspir 1525 with a Intel Pentium Dual Core Processor, 2 GB RAM, 160GB HDD, a 15.6" Glossy High Definition Liquid Crystal Display, a Memory Card Reader, and more! April Spring Special just $525.00 with warranty.


Did I have an inspiration to write "The Tower"? No I can't say, I did have. For some reason, I wanted to write and I sat down and started writing. The story had a mind of its own. One chapter led to another until it finished.
I have heard and read that some writers use outlines when then write their stories. I didn't use one with "The Tower" and I am not using one with the current book I am writing "The Dobyns Chronicles". I suppose that is why the stories take on a life of their own. I am not a structured person so this style of writing works very well for me.
My mind is constantly thinking of things to write, from poems to short stories. They don't all get put down on paper. I guess mine is more of constant thoughts that I don't remember long enough to put down on paper. It is like a dream you have had. You wake up and your mind remembers but then it just fades away.
I don't know if everyone that writes has constant thoughts of writing or it is just my particular brain activity. I don't guess it really matters, as long as you have writers and their creations.


text:
Ten Most Devastating Natural Calamities of 21st Century
Natural Disaster denotes the rough conditions arising from the naturally occurring event that has a negative effect on people or on the environment. Natural Disasters may come to our life by means of Flood, Earthquake, Tsunamis, volcanic eruption, cyclonic storms, Drought, or any other mode of Natural Calamities. In the modern age, we can dominate everything by utilization of our highly developed machines like Super Computer, well-equipped apparatus, but till now we are so trivial to our nature.
Ten Worst Natural Disasters in the 21st Century
Nature teaches us by way of Devastating Disaster when we crossed up our limit and continuously put pressure on our mother like nature through Pollution, breaking the Climate Conditions, or many other ways. Through this article, we are going to depict some Deadly Natural Disaster that has been occurred in the 21st Century.
Indian Ocean Tsunami 2004
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake occurred at 07:59 AM Local Time on 26 December with the epicenter off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, with 9.1 magnitudes. The Tsunami killed nearly 225,000 people across different countries covering Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Maldives, and Thailand, sustaining massive damage. The entire communication system has been broken down by the uneven flow of water within a minute. The Disaster Emergency Committee launched its appeal on 29 December and raised £392 from the British public. Most of the money was spend in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and India to rebuild homes for the affected people that had been destroyed.
East Africa Drought 2011
From July 2011 to June 2012, the region of East Africa has been affected by this Serious Drought, the most fatal one in the last 60 Years. The Drought results in the severe food crisis through-out Somalia, Djibouti, Kenya, and Ethiopia that threatened the livelihood of 9.5 million people. It leads to malnutrition problems that moved the victims to death. A large number of people has been migrated from Somalia to Kenya and Ethiopia.
Haiti Earthquake 2010
January 12, 2010, was the most unfortunate day for the Haiti People. On that day, a most devastating earthquake stuck with 7.0 magnitude at 16:53 Local Time. The epicenter of the quake was positioned very close to Leogane. Though the quake took very few lives comparing with the other natural calamities, the resulting damage to property and person makes this probably the most devastating disasters in the 21st century. The earthquake destroyed about 250,000 homes and 30,000 business centers that totally collapsed the total economic condition of Haiti.
Hurricane Katrina 2005
Hurricane Katrina was one of the deadliest hurricanes hits upon the United States of America. In August 2005, it hit on the state Florida covering Mississippi, New Orleans, Gulf port, and Biloxi. Flood will follow the Katrina Hurricane that makes the situation more horrible. This particular organic disaster causes more than 100 billion dollars in property damage.
Kashmir Earthquake 2005
On 08th October 2005, a fatal earthquake stuck on Pakistan Administrated Kashmir with magnitude 7.6 at 05:52 AM Local time. The epicenter was very close to Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan dominated Kashmir. Pakistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and India were also affected by this earthquake. As per the Pakistan record, 100,000 people were died more than 70,000 injured, and an uncountable number of people became homeless.
Gujarat Earthquake 2001
The 2001 Gujarat earthquake, also known as the Bhuj earthquake, occurred on 26 January, India's 52nd Republic Day, at 08:46 AM IST, and lasted for over 2 minutes with 7.6 to 7.7 magnitude. The epicenter was about 9 km southwest of the village of Chobari in Bhachau Taluka of Kutch District of Gujarat, India. Nearly 19,727 individuals were killed, 167,000 had been injured, approx 400,000 homes fully converted into debris.
Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami 2011
On 11 March 2011, the Pacific coast of Tōhoku affected by the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami with 9.0 magnitude 9.0 at 14:46 JST. The epicenter of the earthquake situated at 70 kilometers east of the Tohoku coastline and underwater depth was about 30 Km. The quake was followed by the Tsunami that lifted up the wave height to 40 meters. Nearly 6,152 individuals were injured, plus more than 2,600 had been missing.
Mozambique Flood 2000
In the Year 2000 Mozambique flood was a natural disaster that occurred in February and March 2000. The catastrophic flooding was caused by heavy rainfall that lasted for five weeks and made many homeless. Approximately 700 people were killed by this deadly disaster. People were forced out of their homes, had to climb onto roofs and trees in the hope that they would be rescued. It started in South Africa, but major damage was in Mozambique. The government spent more than 15 million USD on citizens, but even now, in 2015, many of them are still living in recovery shelters.
Sichuan Earthquake 2008
A devastating earthquake struck in the Sichuan area of China in 2008 on 12th May 2008 at 14:28 Local Time with 8.0 magnitude. As per Official records, around 69,197 people have died in the Sichuan State of China. It stuck in the mid-afternoon session of the day when school and university classes were being taught, office workers had returned to their desks from lunch, and the Sichuan working day was in full swing.
Cyclone Nargis 2008
Cyclone Nargis caused the worst natural disaster in the recorded history of Myanmar during early May 2008. The densely populated Irrawaddy delta region was severely affected by this Cyclone. It took away nearly 138,000 lives in addition to around 55 000 individuals missing, plus many other deaths were found in other towns and regions.


Art contest for children and young adults by Khula Aasmaan has shortlisted Akshat Sharma. Akshat Sharma is from Sumermal Jain Public School, New Delhi. This is the dedicated web page created for Akshat Sharma by Khula Aasmaan. Khula Aasmaan will upload all new paintings and artworks on this web page. Browse through Akshat Sharma's portfolio of paintings to view an appreciate each her of artwork. You are welcome to share Akshat Sharma's paintings on popular social media platform such as WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook, Google+.


Steve's Fixer is available here.
A one-stop step-by-step guide to setting up FSX in DX10 "preview" mode, using Steve's DX10 Scenery Fixer. Based on the original "How-to" Guide by Paul Johnson.
Best used in conjunction with the Fixer "Read Me First" document.
The official Fixer User Manual (as bundled with Fixer v2.9).
The official Fixer v2.9 pre-install guide.
The official Fixer User Manual (as bundled with Fixer v2.3).
The official Fixer v2.3 pre-install guide.
Alternative runway lights textures (fx_2.bmp and halo.bmp). Remember to make a backup of your original files.
Registry fix for "Out of Memory" error message because of the desktop heap limitation in Windows Vista or in Windows 7.
The default shaders – in case your install fails or has become corrupted.
Place this file in your root FSX folder. Fixes random menu crashes etc.


text:
« Russia selling surface-to-air missiles to Libya, Syria
Indians Warned To Stay Clear of Pakistan; PM Meets Military Chiefs »
Japan Readies Naval Mission to Fight Pirates
As China dispatched three warships toward the coast of Africa to fight piracy, Japan's Prime Minister Taro Aso told his cabinet to speed up preparations for a possible deployment.
Near Somalia, the following nations now have naval forces on the anti-pirate patrol: Germany, France, Britain, Iran, India and the United States. Chinese ships are on the way and Japan may send a force soon.
South Korea also has a trained anti-pirate patrol protecting war material returing from Iraq. South Korea does not now intend to deploy near Africa.
File photo of South Korean Navy sailors on a vessel off TaeYonpyong Island in South Korean waters. South Korea said Wednesday it would send a destroyer to keep pirates away from military equipment being shipped back from Iraq. (AFP/Pool/File)
In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, a ceremony is held before a Chinese naval fleet sets sail from a port in Sanya city of China's southernmost island province of Hainan on Friday, Dec. 26, 2008. Chinese warships, armed with special forces, guided missiles and helicopters, set sail Friday for anti-piracy duty off Somalia, the first time the communist nation has sent ships on a mission that could involve fighting so far beyond its territorial waters. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Zha Chunming)
Japan on Friday moved a step closer to sending its navy to piracy-plagued waters near Somalia, with Prime Minister Taro Aso instructing his cabinet to speed up preparations for a possible deployment.
Aso "told me to accelerate studies so that the Self-Defence Forces can take measures against piracy as soon as possible," Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada told reporters, referring to Japan's military.
A growing number of nations are sending navy ships to fight pirates near the lawless East African country, with Japan's neighbour and sometime rival China dispatching three vessels on Friday.
Japan has been pacifist since defeat in World War II. Under domestic law, the navy can only protect ships flying the Japanese flag or carrying Japanese passengers.
Aso, speaking with reporters late on Thursday, called for Japan to revise the law so it can also guard foreign vessels but held out the option of sending ships that for now have a limited role.
"Japan should take action in a hurry," Aso said.
"We had better consider revising the law, but that will take time. If we have to hasten things, then we should take a defensive posture on the sea."
Japan's opposition controls the less powerful upper house of parliament and has repeatedly held up legislation in hopes of forcing the unpopular Aso to call early elections.
Kyodo News, quoting unnamed sources, said the government hoped to send a destroyer in February.
Japanese forces have not fired a shot in combat since World War II. But the country has tried to take on a larger role in international security, notably through a reconstruction mission in Iraq.
China's dispatch of two destroyers and a supply ship mark the first time in recent history that Beijing has deployed vessels on a potential combat mission well beyond its territorial waters.
http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,
,2-11-1447_2445757,00.html
This entry was posted on December 26, 2008 at 1:46 pm and is filed under Britain, china, Chinese, France, Germany, hijack, India, Iran, Japan, Japanese, naval, Navy, news, piracy, pirates, politics, Prime Minister Taro Aso, Self-Defence Forces, Somali, Somalia, South korea, UN, United Nations, United States, Yasukazu Hamada.	You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


text:
Scary stories abound on Capitol grounds
Burriss: In keeping with the season
Halloween: You ready to trick or treat?
West: Scary costume had fierce price
Woody: It's getting pretty scary
Vinson: The Witch of En-dor
Halloween tale brings scare to Auburntown
Ghost Stories: Short Mt legends include Al Capone
Courier Editor
Have you ever visited the Tennessee State Capitol? The historic building has several ghost stories tied to it with some of them even presidential.
But first comes the best-known story of the architect and the overseer.
Nationally famous architect William Strickland was hired in 1845 to design Tennessee's capitol building. A student of Benjamin Latrobe (who designed the U.S. Capitol), Strickland moved to Nashville from Philadelphia for what he foresaw as a temporary job.
Fearful of costs overruns, the Tennessee Legislature, decided to hire Samuel Morgan to oversee the project.
A Virginia native, Morgan was a merchant, architect and builder. His business, Morgan and Company, was the largest wholesale importer of dry goods in Tennessee. Appointed to the commission in charge of planning the new state capitol, Morgan became president of the group and was ironically instrumental in choosing Strickland as architect.
Once the famous architect landed in Tennessee, the conflict began.
The project turned into a nine-year battle between Strickland and Morgan. Both men developed a severe dislike of each other and were often seen screaming back and forth as the battle over Tennessee's statehouse continued.
Strickland died in 1854 before the structure was completed. His remains were interred in a special vault in the walls of the northeast corner of Capitol.
Morgan outlived Strickland. During the Civil War, Morgan manufactured munitions for the Confederacy until Nashville was seized by Federal forces. He had two sons killed during the war and his nephew was Brig. John Hunt Morgan, who married Mattie Ready (of Readyville) in a famous Civil War-era wedding in Murfreesboro.
Surviving the Civil War, Morgan died in 1880.
A decision was then made to place his remains in the southeast corner of the Tennessee Capitol.
Yes, the two men who had fought so much over construction of the Capitol were buried in opposite corners of the limestone structure.
Some say the bickering continues to this day.
Reportedly, even police officers have heard their arguments and moved in to investigate only to find the building deserted.
While the ongoing battle between Strickland and Morgan continues, other ghost stories have been linked to the state Capitol.
Another tale features the ghost of a Confederate soldier, who has been spotted both inside and outside the Capitol. Members of a construction crew hired to renovate the building reported being shoved or loudly told not to touch furniture and other fixtures. At times, this ghostly force would move furniture back to its original location.
Better known are the spirits surrounding President James K. Polk's Tomb.
Often referred to as the first "dark horse" President, James K. Polk was the last of the Jacksonians to sit in the White House, and the last strong President until the Civil War.
Polk bested Vice President Martin Van Buren on the ninth ballot to win the Democratic nomination as a candidate committed to "Manifest Destiny" as espoused by Andrew Jackson. He went on to defeat Whig opponent Henry Clay chiefly over the annexation of Texas.
Once in office, Polk expanded America's borders to include Oregon, California and New Mexico.
Polk oversaw the opening of the U.S. Naval Academy and the Smithsonian Institution, the groundbreaking for the Washington Monument and the issuance of the first postage stamps in the United States.
Polk was married to Sarah Childress was born in 1803 to Joel and Elizabeth Childress, prominent Murfreesboro Democrats. She was well-educated, having attended the Moravian's Salem Academy in Winston-Salem, North Carolina as well as Bradley Academy in Murfreesboro where she first met Polk.
Polk served one term and retired to his new home, Polk Place in Nashville. He didn't live long ... three months. Congress voted a $5,000 a year pension for Mrs. Polk who lived 42 years after her husband's death. She always wore black. She died at age 82 and was buried next to her husband at Polk Place.
A decade later, Polk Place was torn down and their bodies were exhumed and re-interred in a tomb on the grounds of the state Capitol.
There are stories that the re-interment of the bodies of President Polk and his wife Sarah may have stirred up their spirits as well. Visitors have reported seeing dark shapes moving near the tomb. Strange images have also been captured in photographs of the tomb.
The final legend involves a ghost in the tower of the state Capitol.
Passersby have reported seeing a woman walking about the tower of the building both during the day and at night.
The tower is a unique feature of the capitol building. Tennessee's is one of a few state capitols without a dome.
Some say the ghost is that of Rachel Jackson, wife of President Andrew Jackson, who died shortly after her husband's election and 31 years before the state Capitol was complete. Neither Jackson had a connection to the state Capitol. In fact, during the formative years of Jackson's political career the state capitol was located in Murfreesboro.
However, there are those who still insist the ghost is that of Mrs. Jackson.
There is a statue President Andrew Jackson on the Capitol ground was well as one of President Andrew Johnson . Other monuments on the grounds include the Sgt. Alvin C. York Memorial, the Tennessee Holocaust Commission Memorial, the Sam Davis Memorial at the southwest corner of the Capitol grounds, the Sen. Edward Ward Carmack Memorial located above the Motlow Tunnel near the south entrance, and the Memorial to Africans during the Middle Passage at the southwest corner of Capitol grounds.
Guided tours of the Tennessee State Capitol are available on Monday through Friday at 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m., and 3 p.m., beginning at the Information Desk on the first floor. Groups of ten or more should make a reservation prior to their visit by calling the Public Programs Department at (615)741-0830 or toll-free 800-407-4324.
Halloween 2015, state Capitol


text:
Q: cakePHP Authenticate with associated data Emails table has: id, address.
Users table has id, email_id, password (hashed)
How do i authenticate a login with this.
'authenticate' => [
            'Form' => [
                'fields' => [
                    'username' => 'address',
                    'password' => 'password',
                ],
                'userModel' => 'Users'
            ]
  ]

then in login() this is called:
$user = $this->Auth->identify();
if($user){
 //success }

Im not sure if this is what i need, or how it processes this to verify
public function findAuth(\Cake\ORM\Query $query, array $options){
    select(['Emails.address', 'password'])
        ->where(['Emails.address' => $options['address']]);

setting passwords is like this:
protected function _setPassword($
    if(strlen($pw) > 0){
        return  (new DefaultPasswordHasher)->hash($pw);
    }   }

fyi signup works like this:
if($this->Users->save($user))

And my form is
This form control (emails.address)
This form control (password)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
PINK Armenia
Non-governmental organization in Armenia
"We are Armenians, not homos..."
In the end of May the State Dramatic Theatre named after H. Abelyan of Vanadzor opened curtains for the premiere of the performance "MetastaZ (Metastasis)" under same play of Hovhannes Tekgyozyan "Metastasis". Premiere was really impressing from the both chosen subjects and the originality of the performance. The Theatre had never had such kind of performance in it yet, which was sort of experiment for the the theatre filled with glory and with scandal at the same time. From the very beginning it was planned as the audience would be a part of the play: there were 30 chairs black and white colored, like chessboard and they were on the stage. Director Nune Khechumyan said: "That has been done on purpose, because it is more difficult for the actor to play looking at the audience at the same time, which means the professionally of the actor should be very high. It is interesting also for the spectator, because there wasn't such kind of experience at the theater before. The spectator can do nothing rather to be a participant of all that". A plead of talented actors was evolved in the play, such as Temur Atchinyan, Alla Darbinyan, Edgar Qocharyan, Hamlet Gyulzadyan and also one of the founders of PINK Armenia. The casting has been done very carefully. Also Hovsep Mesropyan and Vahe Shahverdyan were in all that action. One can speak about the performance continuously; improbable occurrence and disappearance of actors on the stage surprised the audience and etc. The most interesting fact is that a performance based on real facts of two homosexuals was played in the third city of Armenia and not Yerevan. The main goal of the director was not the elucidation of the theme of homosexuality and drugs in general, but the torture of the people, having a pain arisen by treachery. The same can overtake each of us like it happened to the heroes of performance "MetastaZ". Unequivocally, one of the central aims of performance is the orientation of heroes that has caused spasm for the majority of spectators. In fact the most part of the Armenian society, does not accept and does not wish to accept "sick people, who still can recover from". The most part of public has been shocked and admired from professional acting and director's work of performance, and some others experienced a shock, proceeding from basic reasons and traditional mentality: " How can it be possible, we are Armenians, not homos?" Everybody was waiting for similar comment, however they are not in forces to suspend the group of these professionals. The troupe is not going to be limited only by premiere and couple of performances. They are measured to organize tours in all over Armenia and also abroad. Additives to it, Yerevan, Tbilisi, Moscow and Saint-Petersburg already wish to watch "MetastaZ". Performance deserves all the praise and also can be a great competitor for the European chamber representations.
Tags armenia, drug-user, gay, PINK Armenia, theatre, Vanadzor
artmika said...
Selected video clips from the MetastaZ are now available here:
http://gayarmenia.blogspot.com/2008/10/metastaz-gay-related-theatre-play-in.html
Many thanks to PINK Armenia for providing this material.
Be heard! Global Forum on MSM & HIV
The Global Forum on MSM & HIV ( MSMGF ) starts the 4th pre-conference on July 17, 2010 to the 18th International AIDS Conference in Vien...
Young guy could be raped at the army
We were informed by e-mail that a young guy ran away from the army on March 17th, because officers understood that he is gay and they wanted...
IWPR: Armenia gays face long walk to freedom
Society remains as relentlessly homophobic here as elsewhere in the Caucasus, but activists say there some grounds for hope. By Vahan Ishkh...
Constitution Day: Dignity and Justice for All
Every July 5, the Republic of Armenia observes Constitution Day. This official holiday commemorates the adoption of a new Constitution an...
The Biggest LGBTQ Gathering in Armenia Featuring a Drag Show
Taking into consideration requests from many LGBTQ community members, PINK organized a safe space for LGBTQ people to come together, ex...
e-mail: info@pinkarmenia.org
tel. +374 60 377277
www.pinkarmenia.org
Public Information and Need of Knowledge NGO 2007-2016. Awesome Inc. theme. Powered by Blogger.


text:
Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro, Redmi Y2 and Poco F1 are now available on open sale in India
By: Meenu Rana, The Mobile Indian, New Delhi	Last updated : October 18, 2018 12:19 pm
Xiaomi's Global Vice President Manu Kumar Jain has announced the open sale availability on his official twitter handle.
Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro, Redmi Y2 and Poco F1 smartphones are now available for sale in an open sale. All the three devices were till now available only via flash sales. While the Xiaomi Poco F1 is available on Mi.com or Flipkart, the Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro, Redmi Y2 are available for purchase on Mi.com and Amazon India.
Xiaomi's Global Vice President Manu Kumar Jain has announced the open sale availability on his official twitter handle. The tweet says that the phones will be available in open sale on the occasion of the festive season in India. All three devices can also be purchased Mi.com as well as select Mi Home and Mi preferred partner stores.
Another reason to be happy this festive season: many #Xiaomi phones will now be available on open sale! #RedmiY2 (selfie king) & #Redmi6Pro on @amazonIN. #POCOF1 (#MasterOfSpeed) on @Flipkart.
You can also get them from Mi. com, Mi Home & Mi Preferred Partner stores. pic.twitter.com/kSxBoPVeAx
— Manu Kumar Jain (@manukumarjain) October 17, 2018
The Poco F1 is priced at Rs 20,999 for 6GB RAM + 64GB internal storage, Rs 23,999 for 6GB RAM + 128GB internal storage and Rs 28,999 for 8GB RAM + 256GB internal storage. The Redmi 6 Pro is priced at Rs 10,999 and Rs 12,999 for 3GB of RAM with 32GB of storage, and 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage respectively. The Xiaomi Redmi Y2 is priced at Rs 9,999 for the 3GB and 32GB storage variant and Rs 12,999 for the 4GB RAM and 64GB storage variant.
The Xiaomi Poco F1 It features a 6.18-inch Full HD+ (2246 x 1080 pixel resolution) display with a notch at the top and 19:9 aspect ratio. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 2.8GHz octa-core processor with Adreno 630 GPU. The phone has a 4,000mAh battery and it runs on Android 8.1 Oreo out-of-the-box. There is dual rear cameras of 12-megapixel primary Sony IMX363 sensor and a 5-megapixel secondary Samsung sensor. For the front, it has a 20-megapixel camera with IR face unlock feature.
The Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro has a 5.84-inch full-HD+ (1080x2280 pixels) notched display with a 19:9 aspect ratio. The smartphone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 SoC with an Adreno 506 GPU. For storage, it has 3/4GB of RAM and 32/64GB of internal storage with expandable via microSD card (up to 256GB) It has a dual rear cameras with a combination of 12-megapixel primary sensor and a 5-megapixel secondary sensor and a 5-megapixel front camera sensor for selfies. The smartphone 4,000mAh battery and runs Android 8.1 Oreo out-of-the-box.
The Xiaomi Redmi Y2 has a 5.99-inch HD+ display with 1440 x 720 pixels resolution and an aspect ratio of 18:9. Powered with a 2GHz Snapdragon 625 octa-core processor with Adreno 506 GPU, the smartphone comes with 3GB/4GB of RAM and 32GB/64GB of internal storage. It runs on Android 8.1 Oreo operating system and it has 3,080 mAh battery. On the camera front, the Redmi Y2 has a 12-megapixel primary camera with PDAF, LED Flash and 5-megapixel secondary camera for AI portrait shots. For the front, the device has a 16-megapixel front-facing camera for selfies.
Related News from Xiaomi
Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro first flash sale at 12PM today
Xiaomi Redmi Y2 Black and Blue colour variants launched, to be available on Amazon India tomorrow at 12PM
Xiaomi Poco F1 to be available in offline market from 13 October
Latest News from Xiaomi
Tags: Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro Xiaomi Redmi Y2 Xiaomi Poco F1


text:
My compulsion to please: Polyamory, hunger and the neediness of denying what you want
When you give over your desires to others, those desires have a way of coming back and taking control
By Sarah Terez Rosenblum
August 14, 2015 3:00AM (UTC)
(Ruth Black via Shutterstock)
At 3 a.m. Adam texted, and I've been dating long enough to know that's a bad sign.
"I'm aware it's late but this is important: Donuts or cupcakes?"
Say it's because I was climbing that rickety ladder between unconscious and conscious. Say that's why the text struck me as an actual test, not a casual riff on deal breakers. Blame it on my biorhythms. Ray Bradbury says 3 a.m is a difficult time.
I've always been a bit of a pleaser, in friendships and relationships alike. I also can't abide dishonesty, so it's hard to reconcile the two. Donuts or cupcakes? Cupcakes or donuts? Right away, I started thumbing through possible answers. I needed a response equally honest and compelling. I wanted Adam to know I was both. In the bathroom, I forgot I was peeing, just sat there, dopey and blinking my eyes.
The last guy who texted me at 3 in the morning wrote:
"It was nothing babe, I was just helping her into a cab."
I'd written him hours earlier, when the sun still touched the horizon, and night hadn't sauntered in to fuck everything up.
"Which one?" I'd replied. "The actuary or the social worker?" Spine pressed to the headboard, I shivered. I'd agreed to this arrangement, so now it had to be OK.
"The actuary," he texted. Then, smiley face.
He called them his Lady Friends, but I tracked them by title. His, believe it or not, was "boyfriend," mine. We'd agreed to an open relationship, but his version of polyamory had more to do with keeping a safe distance than with Ethical Sluttery.
The night he admitted he loved me, he had said, "You're an incredible woman."
We were just friends, and I felt afraid to ask for more. Instead I hid behind academic language: "Perhaps we should codify this," I said and gestured to him and to me.
"I'm in no shape to take on a relationship," he explained.
"If one is too much, why juggle several?" At the time I felt proud I'd dared to ask the question. In previous relationships, I'd accepted all offers. I'd kept my doubts to myself.
"You deserve better," he told me.
"Maybe I do," I said. "But this is what you've got for me. So why don't we give it a try?"
That's how it became my idea. Him spinning plates full of other women, me set way back in my mind. If we were doing this, I insisted we do it openly. Lies undo me. Plus I felt curious: Would him fucking other women hurt as much as I thought? We created a GoogleDoc called "Codification: Missives From on Top of the Cabinets," because the night he told me he loved me, I was perched on his kitchen counter. The rules we drew up included no sex with others on national holidays and total transparency, but on the latter, he kept screwing up. He was honest with his Lady Friends, telling them he had a girlfriend, less so with me, going quiet on evenings spent shepherding other women into and out of bars.
Still, I thought maybe I was a hypocrite. I was lightly dating a woman, and it wasn't as if I shared every detail with him. Still, cultivating relationships with other people held little allure, but seemed necessary to keep Poly Boyfriend and me on even ground. Perhaps if I worked 9 to 5 rather than balancing 20 freelance gigs. If I didn't coach writing, have a collection of earnest students emailing me at all hours. If I'd spent high school reading comic books, so now required all the pussy in Chicago to validate me, perhaps then I'd want for myself what Poly Boyfriend seemed so desperate to maintain. As it was, I felt like a cake sliced too thinly, forked fast from plate to mouth.
Now, I was tentatively dating someone new. Adam. I flushed the toilet, nearly losing my phone to its cold basin. Back in bed, I studied the text. Donuts or cupcakes. So many possible answers, all true from some particular slant.
"You have a car?" Adam had asked on our first date.
"Well, it's complicated," I'd said. Would he think me less of an adult if he knew I couldn't afford mine? "When my father died, my mother sold his and gave me money to buy one," I told him. "She's disabled and alone now, so I need a quick way to get to her. But I'm conflicted. Not just because I benefited from tragedy. Some days I walk into no fewer than three items of furniture. I'm not responsible enough for myself, let alone a car."
"Most people," he said, "could answer that question with a simple yes or no."
But neither yes nor no is simple, not when your answer works to create the version of yourself you want others to see.
Adam noticed an apparent quirk of mine on our second date. I say "I don't know" in triplicate.
"Why?" Adam asked. "Always three times, never fewer."
I loved that he'd asked. Not just because he'd chosen "fewer" rather than "less," but because he'd noticed.
On our third date, I arrived with an answer. I'd taken days to sculpt my truth into a shape that might please Adam.
"If you thought you found a Matisse in your attic, you'd want it authenticated before you showed it to anyone. Saying 'I don't know' is my authentication process; I need to allow time to make sure what I'm saying is true."
What I meant by "true," of course was likable. Well, ideally both.
"I'd just put it up, say 'it might be a Matisse' and never verify." Adam watched me. "You got something against carbs?" He indicated my untouched rice. I'd have to get used to being noticed, it appeared.
The guy I dated before Poly Boyfriend hadn't noticed much. Or if he did, he never let on. I was the relationship's Designated Noticer. I took in everything. How when he disagreed with my opinion on Amy Schumer or where to go to dinner, he wouldn't come out and say it. Instead he'd ask, "But don't you think..." as if to make his objection mine. I'd used that trick myself, like when I angled for exclusivity.
"I'm not seeing anyone else right now," I told The Guy Who Didn't Notice. "What about you?"
"I barely have time to breathe," he answered.
"What do you think about only dating each other?" No way could I say I wanted that. Turned out he couldn't say he didn't; he was a passive pleaser just like me. Instead, he stopped holding my hand when we walked, and the day after sex, his texts would decrease.
"Intimacy must scare him," I told a guy friend.
"Sure," he said. "Or maybe you satisfied his immediate need."
"Have you asked him to text you more?" A female friend asked.
"It just seems trivial," I told her.
"Not if you want it."
But that guy was busy, overwhelmed, had a million jobs, never got enough sleep. These were the excuses I made for him, when he forgot my birthday or neglected to invite me out with his friends. Ultimately leaving felt simplest. When you hang around asking for things, people can just tell you no.
At 5 a.m., I stared at my ceiling fan. The sheets snaked around my ankles, Adam's Donut or Cupcake text remained unanswered on my phone. I thought of the donut shop in Santa Monica. Years ago, I'd moved for a girlfriend, though I'd always hated L.A. Each day, I'd awaken and feel crushed by the sky's brilliance. It was too much. I could never measure up.
"Isn't it perfect here?" In bed beside me one morning, she ran a finger from my throat to my lips, her signature move before sex.
"I miss the rain."
"This is my home." Her finger pressed harder, a warning. "It's like you're criticizing me."
My teeth bit into my lower lip. I could smell the lavender oil she'd dabbed on her wrists the night before.
"You like it?" She'd cradled the vial.
"I'm allergic," I'd told her and watched her eyes fill. Without breaking my gaze, she'd thrown the oil across the room.
By the time she took me to Santa Monica, I'd gotten awfully quiet, mostly because I couldn't differentiate her desires from my own. Still, I'm pretty sure I loved the donut shop. Who wouldn't? The dough steamed on wide metal trays, releasing the scent of cinnamon and chocolate. We ate ours meandering through the farmers market before the sun climbed high. I thought maybe I'd offer Adam that memory, but angle the lens toward pastries rather than codependence. A half-view but an honest one. I knew he harbored his own memories of wandering the market with his estranged wife. Why did I think our mutual experience would charm him? What did I hope was alike about our recollections? Perhaps just California and tacit withdrawal.
I slept for maybe an hour, but lightly, because what donuts really remind me of is my parent's front porch, darkness all around. As I mounted the steps one night, I'd watched the automatic lamp switch on. I felt my pockets for my keys, though I already knew I'd misplaced them. Instead, my search unearthed a fragment of frosted donut snatched from the teacher's lounge that morning. I never intended to eat it, still I wanted it close. This was before cellphones sprung up to fill that fucking chest-wound we're all born with, when the only path through loneliness was to wait, and who knew when my parents would come home? On the porch, I held the donut lightly in my palm, then, shedding my leather jacket, a birthday present from my father, I wrapped it around my right fist. I never made the conscious decision to punch through the window, but once I'd shattered the outer layer, there seemed no other option but to clear away the inner. The lamp with its automatic timer was closer now, I was nearly inside.
"Fuckin' A," said my father, when my parents returned from dinner. He slapped one knee. He whistled. He always thought nothing got in my way. "Guess we should thank you," he said. "At least now we know how easy it is to break in."
"Why did you do it?" My mother reached to pluck a shard of glass from my hair.
She didn't know then how little I was eating. How much restraint it took to damp down my desire.
"I needed to get in," I said. I hadn't moved much since climbing through the broken front window, the donut gone to crumbs in my hand.
When I finally awoke at 7, I typed out a text.
Are the donuts still warm and from a tiny bakery in Santa Monica? Are they followed by a slow walk through the farmers market? If not, then cupcakes. But probably just the frosting. But only if they're chocolate. And can they be pink?
Beneath my comforter, I studied my message. Imperfect word choice, but at some point even Proust stopped contemplating his madeleine and goddamn-hit-send.
Did I pass? I followed up, awake enough now to know we were joking. Still, Adam's approval seemed crucial in a way I couldn't explain.
The thing is, I definitely prefer cupcakes, but sometime before Poly Boyfriend, before my L.A. girlfriend even, I'd decided I had to mitigate. I had to match. That everything might turn on a moment, a misunderstanding, a text message, and inevitably it would turn out wrong.
In the kitchen, I reached for a coffee mug, my favorite, curved and celadon green.
"You passed ... barely." Adam wrote. Winky face.
"You're donuts, I presume?"
"I'm cupcakes."
Maybe I'd assumed Adam would choose donuts because this one time I compared him to a butterfly? And he said he'd prefer something less feminine? And donuts are clearly the more masculine dessert? But I'm a 36-year-old woman who collects feather boas and unicorn statuettes; Adam wasn't drawn to my masculinity. So why had I tweaked my truth to match--not even his actual preference but something I'd made up? I'd spent five hours debating a response without once realizing I was once again balancing my quest for truth against my compulsion to please.
There was also this stupid thing that happened with Adam. Between dates number three and four. Happened, like I watched it, though of course I was responsible. I couldn't isolate the moment, but at some point a choice got made. It had to do with phones and loneliness, with choked-off desire and need sharpened by years of disuse. What happened was I called him. Three times, when he didn't respond to a text. The text was the fifth I'd sent in under three minutes. No clear trigger. He hadn't been tracked tucking another woman into a taxi; I wasn't locked out of my childhood home.
"I need you to call me," I texted. Had I run that message past my Truth Appraiser, I'd have understood it as false. I didn't need that. I could take care of myself. I could wait. But when you exhaust years shutting down your feelings, they punch through window screens to assert themselves. They swallow every scrap in sight.
His response was mild, considering I felt dazed and voracious.
"Sorry, Crazy Girl, I don't always keep track of my phone."
The fucked-up paradox of subsuming your desires to those of others? Ultimately those desires disguise themselves as needs, ultimately they take control.
I poured coffee. I sipped. I broke up with Poly Boyfriend once I felt certain our experiment had worked. Not the part where we both dated other women. The part I never mentioned, where I agreed to terms I couldn't stomach for just long enough to force myself to be direct.
The day after his 3 a.m. text I wrote back:
"I don't want to do this anymore. If we're not honest then this is just cheating, and what's intriguing about that?"
Not for someone who'd rather put aside what she wants to make sure she's wanted. Sure, it took one extra month of discomfort to realize I'd compromised too much again. But that was better than my silent escape from The Guy Who Didn't Notice, far better than staying and self-censoring for the girl in LA. The space between close-mouthed retreat and needy compulsion is liminal, uncertain, but at least this time, with Adam, it only took me five hours to catch myself tempering. And let's just agree to blame that rickety ladder. Let's agree to blame 3 a.m.
Sarah Terez Rosenblum
Sarah Terez Rosenblum teaches at The University of Chicago Graham School and freelances for publications and sites including The Chicago Sun Times, XOJane, afterellen.com, Curve Magazine and Pop Matters. Her 2012 debut novel, "Herself When She's Missing," was called "poetic and heartrending" by Booklist.
MORE FROM Sarah Terez Rosenblum
Life Stories Los Angeles Love And Sex People Pleasers Relationships