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Jan 11, 2018 | Features | 3
Smithies Lead (as the slogan goes) interesting and influential lives. For the first item in the 2018 #SmithiesRead challenge, here are the lives of 10 Smith women in memoir and biography form, from the names you know to some you've probably never heard before. Presented in no particular order…
MOLLY IVINS: A REBEL LIFE by Bill Minutaglio and W. Michael Smith. A biography of celebrated journalist Molly Ivins '66, who died at the much-too-young age of 62. We can only imagine what she would have to say about our current political morass.
POSTCARDS FROM COOKIE: A MEMOIR OF MOTHERHOOD, MIRACLES AND A WHOLE LOT OF MAIL by Caroline Clarke '85. "Award winning journalist Caroline Clarke's moving memoir of her surprise discovery of her birthmother—Cookie Cole, the daughter of Nat King Cole—and the relationship that blossomed between them through the heartfelt messages they exchanged on hundreds of postcards."
GOD IS NOT A BOY'S NAME: BECOMING WOMAN, BECOMING PRIEST by Lyn G. Brakeman '60. At 40 years old, in the face of a looming divorce and a Bishop who voted against the ordination of women in the Episcopal church, Lyn Brakeman '85 decided to become a priest. "Brakeman offers no easy answers but tackles difficult issues—addiction, death and grief, divorce, the nature of priesthood, church politics, Christian feminism, and Jesus the Christ—with candor."
EKATERINOSLAV: ONE FAMILY'S PASSAGE TO AMERICA: A NOVEL IN VERSE by Jane Yolen '60. Prolific, award winning author Jane Yolen pieces together her family's lost history and what it means for her in this book-length memoir in verse. A taste:
All those years Ekaterinoslav
was lost to me, when I could have celebrated
Ukrainian winters, learned words of love,
fashion, passion, paternity;
how to season the fish with pepper, not sugar;
how to cut the farfl from flat sheets of dough.
All I had was New Haven.
MY LIFE ON THE ROAD by Gloria Steinem '56. Part memoir, part manifesto, this bestseller chronicles Steinem's travels from childhood on. "In prose that is revealing and rich, Gloria reminds us that living in an open, observant, and "on the road" state of mind can make a difference in how we learn, what we do, and how we understand each other."
VERY MUCH A LADY: THE UNTOLD STORY OF JEAN HARRIS AND DR. HERMAN TARNOWER by Shana Alexander. Jean Harris '45 made national news in the early '80s when she was tried and convicted of murdering her longtime boyfriend, a well-known and wealthy cardiologist. "In this incredible book, acclaimed journalist Shana Alexander [Vassar '45] exposes the dark truth behind the killing, the high drama of a sensational trial, and the fate of a complex woman doomed by her love and her own desire."
MY LIFE IN FRANCE by Julia Child '34 with Alex Prud'homme. Julia's own account of her years spent learning the French language, French culture, and–of course–French food."Julia's unforgettable story … unfolds with the spirit so key to Julia's success as a chef and a writer, brilliantly capturing one of America's most endearing personalities."
A PEARL IN THE STORM by Tori Murden McClure '85. McClure was the first woman to row solo across the Atlantic, but this memoir is more of a chronicle of her first, failed attempt. Veronica Oberholzer '17 writes "Smithies will sympathize with Tori as she agonizes over whether to pull her emergency beacon, unsure whether to give up her dream – or whether she should ask others to risk their lives to rescue her."
ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK by Piper Kerman '92. "Convicted and sentenced to fifteen months at the infamous federal correctional facility in Danbury, Connecticut, the well-heeled Smith College alumna is now inmate #11187–424—one of the millions of people who disappear "down the rabbit hole" of the American penal system." The original source material for the hit Netflix series.
BONNET STRINGS: AN AMISH WOMAN'S TIES TO TWO WORLDS by Saloma Miller Furlong AC '07. After a year away from her Amish home community, Saloma Miller was taken back into the fold. This memoir chronicles her struggle to reconcile her two identities. "…A true story: of woundedness and healing, of doubt and faith, and of the often competing desires for freedom and belonging."
Have we missed a favorite of yours? What will you be reading for this item in the #SmithiesRead challenge? Let us know in the comments!
Previous#SmithiesRead: The 2018 Reading Challenge
NextSatisfying Reads from Smithie Romance Novelists
Pre-order these Summer 2017 titles — your TBR will thank you
Katy Ames '02 on Romance's Bad Reputation
Brooke '97	on January 12, 2018 at 1:58 pm
Katy McColl '98 (or '99?)https://www.amazon.com/Should-Do-What-Love-Side/dp/1570614571
Emily '09	on January 13, 2018 at 11:22 am
Not a Smith alumna exactly, but former president Jill Ker Conway's memoirs (The Road from Coorain and True North) are excellent.
Meredith Morris	on January 13, 2018 at 11:41 am
"Ivy Days", by Susan Allen Toth, which is about her time at Smith.


The new film 'Under the arctic sky' of the famous surf and outdoor photographer Chris Burkard has recently been released on Netflix. Obviously we couldn't wait to check it out. Was the trailer promising? Yes, yes it was. Did we love it? Yes, yes we did!
Burkard captures stories to inspire us and to make us think about the relationship we have with nature. Driven by adventure, surf and lifestyle subjects, Burkard's images shows us the wild landscapes of the furthest places we can imagine. Under the Arctic sky shows the most remote corners of Iceland in the middle of winter. Six surfers travel along the rough and freezing shores of Iceland in search of perfect surf. While they try to make their way through constant darkness and stormy seas, they manage to find clean, perfect waves and surf while above them shines the northern lights.
Have you watched it? Tell us what you think!
Previous Post Tips for wintersurfing.
Next Post 10 steps to minimalism.


Has anyone ever heard of regular bleeding from the navel during menstruation?
Just two months before i got married, i had my regular period and discovered that i also had some drops of blood coming out of my navel. I thought it was a coincidence, but it was there the next menstruation and the one after and the one after. The first two doctors i spoke with didnt know what it was (i live in Africa) while the third doc diagnosed it as a condition called Endometriosis. I have tried very hard to conceive since then. When i combined prayers (im a Christian), the blood stopped one month and the next month i got pregnant. Unfortunately i lost the baby at three months. The blood from the navel stopped for the time i was pregnant, but has since come back since i started regular period again. Please can anyone offer me help? the doctors here said treatment of it can delay conception, but really in my mind, i guess they just dont know much about the situation to really know how to treat. Im praying to get pregnant and carry a healthy baby fullterm. Please help.
My Sister In Law has Endometriosis and miscarried several times. She refused to get treatment since it would delay the possibility of conception. But she now has 2 handsome boys (2 years apart)! From talking to her about her condition, you CAN have a baby - it just takes a lot more care, prayer, and hope! Keep your prayers going and He will surely bless your life with a little one! Good luck and God Bless!


With one phone call last Thursday night, Sean Weatherspoon�s life changed forever.
With the 19th pick in the first round of the NFL draft, the Atlanta Falcons chose the former Missouri linebacker to become a centerpiece in the team�s defense, reuniting him with former MU safety and 2009 draft pick William Moore.
Q: Take me back to last Thursday, when you got the call from the Falcons. When did you finally know you were going to be their choice?
A: The Titans had just picked at 16, and right when they picked their guy (Georgia Tech defensive end Derrick Morgan), the Falcons called me. I think they were considering Morgan and myself, whichever one of us would still be there. They called me when the Steelers were on the clock (at 18) and said, �We�re going to take you with this upcoming pick unless we trade out.� It was (Director of Player Personnel) Les Snead, one of the front office guys. I told him, �Come get me. Come get me. Don�t trade back.� He said, �We�re going to get you unless we trade, but we�ll call you right back.� I told him, �No, don�t call me back. I can hold on. � I trust you, but I just want to stay on the phone. I can wait.� I asked if I could talk to the general manager, Thomas Dimitroff, and Mr. Dimitroff said they were going to take me with this pick. He said, �Welcome to the Atlanta Falcons.� At this point, the Steelers were just making their pick, and Mr. Dimitroff put me on with Coach (Mike) Smith, and then I talked to (Owner) Arthur Blank. They all said it�s a great fit and they were excited for me to be a Falcon. So, I actually tweeted it before it came across the screen.
Q: I think your tweet actually beat the commissioner to the podium.
A: Yeah, before he got to the podium. I knew they were going to take me. It was just an exciting time. I had their hat on hand already, and all my family was right there. They were all crying when I was on the phone. When I told them I was going to be a Falcon, they got all excited. They were waiting for the commissioner to say my name, and when he finally said it, the room went crazy.
Q: The next day, you had the chance to take your mom with you to the team headquarters. How much did that experience mean to you?
A: That was awesome. She�s been there since Day One, and she�s my biggest supporter and my biggest fan. To have her there and to see the look on her face when they introduced me and to take pictures with her holding the No. 1 jersey, it was just a great time for her and myself. We got to fly there on Mr. Blank�s private jet, and that was a new experience for her. The jet is basically like a limo that flies. It�s first class everything, so it was definitely a little different. Just to have her there with me was amazing.
Q: Did you get a chance to meet any new teammates?
A: I got a chance to talk to (linebacker) Curtis Lofton, and we talked about our Big 12 days and talked about some of the things that we can bring to the team playing together. I also got a chance to visit with my boy Willy Mo. He came and picked me up and showed me around. He actually took me to a barbershop, so I think I�ve already got a place to get my hair cut.
Q: You�ve gone with jersey No. 56. Any significance to that number, or was that all they had left?
A: Well, there wasn�t many numbers open I could choose from. Fifty-six is a number a lot of great linebackers have worn, like Lawrence Taylor. Then you�ve got Keith Brooking, who used to play for the Falcons. I wanted to go 55, but (defensive end) John Abraham has that one. I couldn�t get that because he�s the vet of the defense, so I figured I could get something close to that. I�m just excited to be wearing a jersey, period. And last year, Brian Cushing (of the Houston Texans) wore 56 and he had pretty good luck with it, so hopefully I�ll have good luck with it.
Q: Contract talks will happen eventually, but just looking at last year�s draft class, your former roommate, Jeremy Maclin was the 19th pick and got almost $10 million guaranteed. Have you wrapped your brain around how much money is about to come your way?
A: It�s crazy. I really haven�t. I just told my agent to get me more money than Jeremy got. That�s my goal. (Laughter). I haven�t really thought about it that much yet. It�s pretty exciting and crazy all at once. Everything�s moving so fast now, but I know when the contract negotiations start, that�s when things start moving slow. I�m just looking forward to getting into minicamp and getting a role and then hopefully getting to camp on time. That�s the main goal.
Q: You played with so much charisma at Missouri and became the face of the program last year. How is that style going to work when you�re a rookie? Will you have to tone down your personality when you�re playing with veterans who have been in the league for 10 years?
A: I think it�ll be different from the aspect that I have to come in and earn the respect of the older guys. That�s the only thing. I want to come in and let them know that I�m here to do whatever they need me to do for us to be successful. I want to go in and earn my spot of being a leader. The coaches say they love my enthusiasm and that�s what a good defense needs. I still want to be that fiery dude out there having fun and making plays and having a good time out there. That�s what football is all about. I know it�s a business now, but you can�t take the fun part out of it, or you won�t like what you�re doing. I�m looking forward to becoming one of the guys and becoming a leader on the defense. I don�t know what it�s going to be like as a rookie. I know I�ll get hazed a little bit, but that should be funny and I�m looking forward to that, too.
Q: You know the words to the Mizzou fight song, right?
A: No doubt, no doubt. I already told the media down there that they better not make me sing because that�s something I�ve always liked to do. That�ll be easy.


This loan is ideal for well qualified buyers. The funds, credit, and income requirement are stricter than government loans. This is also a great alternative to an FHA loan with a slightly higher down.
Flips usually one appraisal. No home inspection required.


The company revealed 1.55 billion people now use Facebook each month, up from 1.49 billion. And its other services are doing well too -- Whatsapp has 900 million users a month and Instagram has 400 million. "Growth is happening across the board and we're of course looking for a lot of growth in the future in emerging markets," said Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's chief operating officer, to Reuters. "We're also pretty focussed on helping bring the next set of people who are not online, online."
One of Facebook's next big tasks is to take its Messenger app and turn it into the focus of a user's daily life, providing relevant updates, data and services like shopping and reservations. "Our goal is to help everyone around the world connect. It's a pretty broad goal, but we want everything we do to tie back to that," Zuckerberg told WIRED in a statement provided for our recent magazine feature on the app. "It's a big space. There are lots of different ways that people want to share and communicate. In a lot of countries, as much as 99 per cent of the people online will use SMS or send text messages - with people sending 15-20 messages or more every single day." Thant makes Messenger "one of the fastest growing and most important members of our family" he told WIRED.


Looking to leave Horry County? Here are some routesuggestions to avoid flooding: Entering and exiting Horry County is a waiting game rightnow. Water is rising, causing road closures throughout the area. Read more here.
Conway kindergartener prays Florence floods will spareschool, as dad snaps photo: A kindergartener trying to stop imminent flooding with aprayer has captured the heart-wrenching aftermath of Hurricane Florence in theCarolinas. Read more here.
Here's what it's like in Conway as the Waccamaw River climbs: Rescuers patrol the Waccamaw River in Conway near Lee's Landing and saved a family and their pets from the rising waters. Read more here.
U.S. 501 Bypass closed; U.S. 501 Business down to 2 lanesthrough downtown Conway: Road conditions keep changing out there, and U.S. 501 Bypass closed Thursday night. Read more here.
Why some Horry County neighborhoods could be left in thedark as flood waters rise: As flood waters rise in Horry County, power companies couldstart cutting electricity to certain neighborhoods as a safety precaution. Read more here.
Floods, ruin and heartache. Some Horry County residents saythey've had enough: Days after Florence blew through, the WaccamawRiver is still rising in a slow-motion catastrophe that's not expected toclimax until the middle of next week. The Waccamaw could crest three to fourfeet higher than Matthew's record, threatening homes and road access to thecounty's eastern side. Read more here.
Why a Bucksport teen can't be without his service dog Chico,even as water rises: The Bowman family lives in a camper in the Bucksport Marina,which is threatened with flooding after Hurricane Florence. The famly now has to decide if her and her son should stay or go. Her sonis worried about leaving his dog, a registered service dog. Read more here.
Some Horry County hotels offer special rates as residentsevacuate; shelters also open: Hotels in Myrtle Beach are rallying together to helpresidents who leave their homes as floodwaters rise. Read more here.
Horry County crews have already saved hundreds of peoplefrom Florence's floodwaters: Horry County first respondershave rescued hundreds of people from homes and vehicles in the aftermath ofHurricane Florence. Read more here.
How Horry County schools are preparing for floods: Armed with sandbags and tarps,schools in the Conway and Myrtle Beach areas are preparing for flooding in theaftermath of Hurricane Florence. Read more here.
How will an inflatable dam protect your drinking waterduring the coming floods?: Santee Cooper's latest effort to ensure its stockpile of coalash in Conway stays out of the Waccamaw River involves 6,000 feet ofwater-inflated flood-control barriers. Read more here.
Trump visits SC to survey damage from Hurricane Florence: Marine One, the presidentialhelicopter, landed in Conway shortly before 2:30 p.m. Conway was one of theareas hardest hit by the storm in South Carolina, and the water levels of theWaccamaw River continue to rise. Read more here.
What's happening with Horry County Schools for the rest ofthe week: The district released a statement Wednesday morning, outlining their plans for the rest of the week. Read more here.
Avoid the scams: Here is a local, legit group raising moneyto help flood victims: The county recommends doing research before donating and to be wary of high pressure tactics. Read more here.
'Now it's round two': Red Cross prepares for impacts ofrecord-breaking flooding in SC: The American Red Cross is preparing to help locals stay safe as record-breaking flooding threatens thousands of Horry County roads. Read more here.
Flooding isn't the only threat posed by the Waccamaw River.What's in the water?: Horry County is waiting to see how high the Waccamaw River will rise by this time next week, but local residents should also consider what's in the water. Read more here.
'I live here too' : High schoolers help Rosewood communityescape rising waters: Dozens of high school students, including the cheerleadingand varsity football teams, walked down Rosewood Drive to into the neighborhoodto help people pack and fill sandbags. Read more here.
'I've done all I can do': Family builds barricade to protect Horry County home: As the ankle-deep floodwaters run over the roads andwaist-deep water sits off the road, Hyman's home is protected by a 6-foot-deepmoat and 8-foot-high dirt mound all around his house. Read more here.
This Marion County town is under water — again — as therivers rise: Two years after Hurricane Matthewsubmerged Nichols, the quiet Marion County town of 400 people is under wateragain. Read more here.
Her 12 cats were saved. Now she's never returning to herflood-prone Conway home: She said she wasn't aware how often the Waccamaw River flooded when she and her husband bought the house 14 years ago, but with Florence bringing a third flood — each worse than the last — in four years, she knows she can't stay. Read more here.
President Trump could visit Carolinas in hurricane's aftermath: Speculation is swirling that President Donald Trump may visit the storm-ravaged Carolinas this week. Read more here.
The Waccamaw River is still rising. In its path: 200,000 tons of coal ash: Santee Cooper officials are nervously monitoring the Waccamaw River as it continues to rise, days after Hurricane Florence, toward a large stockpile of coal ash near Conway. Their goal: keep the ash out of the coastal river. Read more here.
Flooding in Conway shows the need for I-73, SC congressman says: Asked about the concern in Conway regarding the plan to keep flood waters from closing U.S. 501, Rep. Tom Rice said he's using the opportunity to push for funding for Interstate 73, a project he's been passionate about since taking office. Read more here.
This is how to avoid 'significant traffic delays' in Conway: Conway officials are encouraging motorists to take a different route to sidestep "significant travel delays." Read more here.
Conway residents came together to help neighbor Dennis Williams clear his mother's home of furniture. After flash flooding inundated the neighborhood the night before, they decided to take no chances knowing the Waccama River is still rising.
Dozens of Conway residents rescued as flood waters rise: First responders rescued dozens of Conway residents from rising waters Monday, a product of flash flooding after a downpour from Hurricane Florence. Read more here.
Riverside Horry County residents brace for record flooding from Florence: After more than 30 years living along the Waccamaw River, Ted and Connie Hucks know flooding is coming after the downpour brought by Hurricane Florence. They just prepare a little differently than everyone else. Read more here.
Here's what convinced Conway City Council to get on board with county, state on 501: The City of Conway on Monday night rescinded an attempt to seek an injunction against the South Carolina Department of Transportation, Horry County and other state agencies regarding the man-made barriers being put in place to keep U.S. 501 Bypass open while extreme flooding affects the city, according to a Facebook post from city council member William Goldfinch IV. Read more here.
Flooding begins along Waccamaw as river forecast to break Matthew's record: National Guard and Coast Guard helicopters patrolled the Waccamaw River on Monday, flying low and slow,looking for people stranded in their homes by rising waters. Read more here.
They were getting ready for their first child to arrive. Now floods stand in their way: The young couple moved their new baby supplies to the highest part of their Waccamaw Drive home on stilts, just off U.S. 501. Read more here.


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Newborn baby features determine how adults parent, says study
This study uncovered that newborn baby features can largely determine if his parents will abandon him and how they will parent him in the future.
If you think your newborn baby is not as cute as you expected, you are not alone. A new research on newborn baby features reveals that most adults do not think newborns are cute!
In fact, they find babies most attractive when they touch the six-month mark, and this even affects the way they parent. Yes, you read that right!
Newborn baby features can influence parenting style
The said study by Brock University, Canada, has uncovered that new parents are not instantly attracted to their newborns. And even though many of them think this is abnormal, in reality it is a normal response.
Tony Volk, Child and Youth Studies Associate Professor at the Brock University explains, "We want to let parents know that if they're not instantly grabbed by this baby as much as they thought they might be, then that's normal. The bonding will build and grow over time."
How did they come to this conclusion?
For the purpose of the study, Volk along with two of his associates showed 142 new parents pictures of 18 babies. These pictures were taken when the babies were three-months-old and then six-months-old.
This study uncovered that newborn baby features can largely determine if parents will abandon him. | Image courtesy: stock image
They asked these participants to rate the babies on a scale of 1 to 10. The researchers wanted to know how adults react to a newborn's facial expression and if they were willing to meet his needs based on his cuteness.
They found that most participants believed that babies looked their cutest at six months of age.
Parents like to invest in stronger and older children, proves study
This study has real-life implications because an infant's cuteness can largely determine if his parents will abandon him.
Volk cited a 2003 study from a book written by ancient Rome historian Emerita Beryl Rawson. He said that historically also parents invested in kids who looked "stronger."
He said while this study was shocking, it is not far off from his own study.
Volk shared, "Parents back then had to make difficult decisions at times, whether or not they could afford a newborn baby."
"If parents have a newborn baby and the mother is still nursing a previous baby, she can't nurse two babies effectively at once. The mother is going to invest in the older kid that she has because in the point of view of the parents, that kid has passed the danger zone," he added.
They also discovered that men were likely to invest more time and effort in babies that looked like them.
Men likely to invest in babies who look more like them
As per this study, men were likely to invest more money and nourishment in babies that resembled them. And while newborn baby features continue to develop, they are likely to look like their parents as they pass the six-month mark.
The study says that men are likely to invest more in children if they see resemblance. | Image courtesy: stock image
Women, on the other hand, show more inclination towards health and happiness and not resemblance when it comes to caring for a baby. That's because they are naturally wired that way.
Volk says that the biggest takeaway from this study is how preferences evolve.
"Preference for cuteness is arbitrary," he said, adding "We could evolve a preference for things such as thinking centipedes are really cute while flowers are really ugly."
Invest in babies no matter their looks, say experts
At the end of their research, the Brock University team urged parents to not think about newborn baby features and invest in their well-being.
"We firmly recognize that every newborn infant offers the tremendously appealing, unlimited potential that all humans initially possess, and we fully encourage investing in all newborns as much love and resources as is possible," the paper said.
So how can you make this investment? Well, there are a number of things that you can do that will surely make a difference.
3 investments all parents must make in their kids
1. Empower them with love
Accepting our kids for who they are frees us from the tendency to mold them into what we want them to become. Each child has his or her own strengths and weaknesses, and even though as parents it can be challenging, it is crucial that you work on both.
Do not force the idea of "perfection." Instead, coach them to be more loving and empathetic towards everybody.
2. Nurture them
To truly nurture your child, you must sow the seeds of love, encouragement, guidance and support. It is these values that will help them harness their true strengths in the long run.
You must also make sure to weed out all negative thoughts and influences. Invest in a nurturing and positive atmosphere at home.
3. Focus on actions
A key factor in guiding your kids to feel empowered is to encourage them to take action to realise their goals. Only through actions can they truly reach their potential and figure out ways to overcome challenges in life.
Remember that without actions, no potential can be fulfilled and no dream is achievable. So invest in making your children independent and allow them to make decisions on their own.
Next-Gen Ford Everest: 6 Reasons Why This Is Your Family's Next Dream Car!
Gut Health and Probiotic Survival Rate
Evelyn Ng, P&G high ranking executive, shares her story as a career woman and a working mom
Creating an Absolute-ly Merry Christmas
Sources: Brock University, CBC
Also read: Weird things that new parents worry about
Newborn baby survives after being buried alive for 7 hours!
Newborn baby namatay sa COVID-19 matapos mahawa sa bisita
Maricel Laxa noong ipakilalang pamangkin ng amang si Tony Ferrer sa mga kapatid niya: "It was a major pain that I'd experienced."
Mom shocked to discover second pregnancy just three months after delivery

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Watch: The Centrifuge- What it's Like to Pull Gs
by SOFREP Oct 21, 2016
Former F-16 fighter pilot Nate "Buster" Jaros takes us along for a ride in the Centrifuge and tells us what it is like to feel 9G's crushing your body.
You are basically put into a small coffin. It swings a little as you enter, reminiscent of how a gondola swings on its wire, or how a Ferris wheel car wobbles as you climb aboard at the local carnival.
Except this is no carnival ride. If it were, it would be the worst carnival ride known to man.
You are about to feel pain like never before…in the USAF centrifuge.
The centrifuge seat is unlike an ejection seat and feels a bit odd. Immediately there is a sense of claustrophobia in this tight pod-like device. There are no windows in this ride but there is a faint smell of vomit, and sweat…or is that just fear? A worker comes to the hatch and makes sure you are strapped in, goes over a few reminders on safety, and gives a not-very-reassuring "have fun" before sealing you in the dark pod.
Alone and Unafraid Before The Ride
The door clangs shut with a loud and metallic clank. It's immediately dark and warm. You notice a pocket on the side wall with a strategically placed and unused barf bag in it.
The inside of this coffin is metal. There is a side stick like in the F-16 and a TV screen in front of you. After a few minutes, you notice a row of small lights, positioned horizontally above the screen, as well as the camera staring back at you. The one dim light in the pod reveals a lot of Squadron stickers and "zaps" inside the pod from previous carnival riders who have had the experience. There is also a large LED readout panel. It currently reads "1.0" as this is your current G level.
The Holloman Centrifuge seat. Still gives me chills. Courtesy Holloman AFB
Soon a voice is heard from the controller calmly asking if you are ready. You respond yes, but you're also not quite sure about that. Since there are no windows, you cannot discern motion or movement outside your "death bobsled." This is when the fun begins.
There is a faint hum, and suddenly you feel really dizzy. Your eyes ping left and right, in rapid-fire movement. It is apparent that you are now spinning in this pod, but without visual cues from the outside world, it just feels weird.
The dizziness is an uncontrollable reaction to your inner ear, telling your body that you are spinning when your visual world is not. After a few minutes, the dizziness goes away as vision and movement stabilize at this pre-determined RPM. Unbeknownst to you, the centrifuge is actually hurtling around a room at 45 MPH, with the pod attached to the end of a long mechanical arm. The gauge up front reads "1.1" (G's).
The thought crosses your mind: to fly fighters, you have to pass this test.
The voice asks again if you are ready. This first run is one of five needed to complete the training. Thankfully, this first run is a warm-up. You will only be pulling about seven Gs and must hold that for 30 seconds. Not a problem, right?
A computerized F-14 Tomcat appears on the screen and it looks like a video game. In this simulation, you are chasing the F-14 and the goal is to follow him. The harder he turns, the more you are supposed to pull on the stick. Pulling on the stick instantly increases the speed of your spinning pod to nearly 90 MPH but also increases the Gs. This means you are in direct control of the speed of the centrifuge AND the pain.
Double checking your G suit, you remember the G straining maneuver. This involves clenching every muscle in your body…from your toes to your chest. The goal is to physically hold blood in your brain and keep from passing out, or G-LOCing. G-LOC (G induced Loss of Consciousness) in the centrifuge is under a safe and controlled environment, but in a fighter it can be deadly. Passing out is not an option today if you want to fly fighters.
The Pain Train Begins
Your answer to the voice is a determined "Ready!"
Read Next: What's the Deal With Ejection Seats and What Does Yogi the Bear Have to Do With Them?
Breath, clench, ready….Fights on, fights on!
The Tomcat takes off and you pull the stick as far as it will go to keep him on the computer screen. Immediately it feels like a hammer on your chest. The pod accelerates to the sensation of warp speeds. Unfortunately, this is only the beginning.
The speed stabilizes and the G meter reads 7.0. You continue the G strain, but your body is in pain. Not only does it feel like being smothered by really heavy weights, but every inch of your body feels as if it is under a vise. The pain is overbearing, but you have to hang on.
Your face begins to droop as if your cheeks are being stretched down to your shoulders. You're just three to four seconds in now, but here is where the ride gets harder.
At this point, the body's natural tolerance for G's diminish. Your body wants to quit and pass out as all the blood is now draining from your head. It's nearly impossible to breathe, but this is imperative to survive. Your pulse skyrockets as your heart attempts to keep blood pumping upstairs.
As your tolerance diminishes just three to four seconds into the pull, you distinctly notice that everything turns black and white. Color drains from the visual world and it is like watching a Black & White copy of Top Gun—except it's not as funny. You continue to strain and push and breathe in short, succinct breathes in an effort to hold back the monster on your chest and in your head. What happens next is even scarier.
After everything goes black and white, the tunnel vision begins. A dark circle encroaches your vision, starting in the periphery, and slowly constricting what you can see. The lights on the end of the horizontal light bar above the screen entirely disappear. The circle begins to shrink further and further until everything is black, except for a little computerized F-14 on the now black and white screen in front of you.
The fight is even harder now. The black hole is beginning to swallow you…and you don't want to fail. Getting all of your muscles to perform the G strain maneuver is your only hope. Exacting every bit of energy from every last muscle and timing your breathing in three-second bursts is the only hope. The dark circle slowly begins to expand. It's working! You continue to sustain the massive weight of G and most importantly continue to fight.
GLOC Courtesy The Blaze
After what seems like minutes, the 30 second warmup run is complete and the centrifuge rapidly decelerates. The centrifuge slams you forward in the seat straps a little, and thankfully this round is over. There is a brief bit of dizziness with the velocity change in your sensory-robbed pod, but life, and color, and vision all return to normal. You are breathing like a prize-fighter after round one but you made it.
The good news: there are only four more of these to go! And for those lucky enough to have been selected for an F-16, you will be rewarded with at least one 9 G profile today! A-10 selectees do a few more 7 and 7.5 G profiles, and Eagle pilot wannabees get an 8.5 G run or two.
After the last run, you are exhausted. So exhausted that when this nasty carnival ride stops, the staff un-bolts the door and assists you out of the seat. They gingerly walk you to a chair to sit in because walking on your own is nearly impossible. You might as well be a baby deer, or elk taking its first steps. No joke.
Some guys and gals lay flat on the ground, some sit in the chair for 20 to 30 minutes. Some vomit. There are well placed garbage cans everywhere. Everyone drinks water. But everyone is glad it's done.
Another fun side effect is something we call "G-easles." Like Measles, but with a letter G. They look like a case of Measles, but only appear on the underside parts of your body, where all the blood vessels and capillaries have burst under the massive strain.
Geasles. Courtesy Goflightmedicine.com
You relax and sip water. Every so often the centrifuge whirls up to speed and then spins back down again. This happens repeatedly as more classmates are going through this difficult crucible. Sometimes it stops entirely, and they haul out the next victim. Other times it stops and no one gets out immediately…another G-LOC occurred.
Unfortunately, that trainee gets to do it all over again tomorrow…or go home. No fighter jet for you.
I don't know what would be worse, losing an opportunity to fly a fighter, or facing another five rounds against that ugly beast…the centrifuge.
Top Photo Credit: Youtube Peter Ehrnstrom
You Tube video: Alexandre Fernandes de Silva channel
This article was originally published on Fighter Sweep and written by NATE JAROS
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Franz Lidz
In 1938, when Hank Greenberg hit his 58th home run, his mother was so excited she promised to make him 61 baseball-shaped gefilte fish portions if he broke Babe Ruth's record, set in 1927. There were five games left in the Tigers' season, but Hammerin' Hank never got the gefilte fish. He didn't hit another homer that year. Now he's 71 years old and lives in Beverly Hills, and his biggest game is the stock market. But those five days in 1938 are as vivid as any in his life.
Greenberg's assault on Ruth's record began in earnest just after the All-Star break. He refused to play in that game, although he'd been selected, because the year before he'd traveled all night on a train from Detroit to Washington for the All-Star Game and ended up sitting it out on the bench autographing baseballs. American League Manager Joe McCarthy of the Yankees played only his own first baseman, Lou Gehrig. So Greenberg spent the three-day '38 break working on his hitting with semi-pro pitchers. "I paid them 10, 20 bucks to pitch all day to me," he says.
Greenberg's hitting picked up right away. He hit four consecutive homers on July 26 and 27 against the Senators, giving him 33. "I read in the papers that I was ahead of Ruth," he says. "From then on I just aimed for the fences."
Greenberg worried about fading. "In '35 I had 30 on August 3, but got only six more the rest of the year," he says. Ruth's tremendous 17-homer September in his record season loomed formidably before his challenger. Greenberg came into September with 46 in '38, needing a very tough 14 to tie.
He hit his 55th and 56th on Sept. 23 off Cleveland's Earl Whitehill, who also had given up a homer to Ruth in 1927. His 57th, three games later, was his only inside-the-park home run. It had looked like a routine single until it bounded away from Browns Centerfielder Mel Almada in Briggs Stadium. Greenberg hesitated as he rounded third. The shortstop rifled in the relay. Greenberg and the ball arrived at the plate together, and the umpire called him safe. Many people thought Greenberg was out, including Hank himself. "The ump might have gotten a little carried away with all the excitement," he says now. His next time up, he hit a bona fide homer, the ball going over the centerfield fence.
In the fifth game before the season's end, Greenberg didn't get a hit; indeed, he got precious few pitches he could swing at. In the sixth inning he walked on four pitches; after the fourth, he remained at the plate hoping the ump would reconsider. "It was one of the few times that a batter would have welcomed a mistake by the umpire," said The Detroit News. "The mistake did not develop." By the eighth, Greenberg was swinging at anything. He lofted a ball to the leftfield roof, but it was foul by 10 feet. He eventually struck out.
In the next game the Browns' Bobo Newsom held Greenberg to a single. But Hank thought he was in good shape for the year's final three-game series in Cleveland. The Indians played all but their Sunday, night and holiday games in tiny League Park, which had a 290-foot rightfield porch. Greenberg, a righthanded pull-hitter, figured he'd have no trouble poking a couple to the opposite field because everyone was pitching him outside. But Cleveland decided to exploit Greenberg's run at the record, and rescheduled a Friday game to make it part of a Sunday doubleheader in vast Municipal Stadium, taking away his advantage.
He went hitless in League Park on Saturday, but still could surpass Ruth. He'd hit two homers in a game 11 times that year, still a record. In the first game on Sunday Greenberg ran into another record-chaser, 19-year-old Bob Feller and his fastball. Feller struck out 18 for a major league mark. Greenberg did double off the fence 450 feet out in left center, a homer almost anywhere else.
The long shadows of autumn were closing in when Greenberg came to bat in the final game on Sunday. He hit three singles, and then time ran out. The game was called because of darkness after the seventh. "I'm sorry, Hank, this is as far as I can go," said Umpire Cal Hubbard. "That's all right," replied Greenberg. "This is as far as I can go, too!"
Now Greenberg says, "It's just as well. There was no way I could have eaten all that gefilte fish."


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Friday, March 25, 2016 - 02:16
Special Voluntary Disclosure Programme on offshore assets and income
Exchanging information
With the substantial changes to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) taking place, countries across the world are anticipating what this will mean for them and their operating companies. This is one of the biggest changes in the tax landscape globally and South Africans need to be informed of what to expect for the future administration and management of their accounts and businesses.
The tax and exchange control amnesty of 2003 raised anything between R3bn and R7bn. At the time, foreign funds held by South African persons amounted to approximately R69bn, of which R48bn was held without authorisation. A recent report revealed that approximately R28bn (or 0.57% of South Africa's GDP), was held by South African citizens in HSBC Swiss bank accounts, in more than 2000 accounts. Although this may seem significant, it only represents one report from one bank in one tax haven.
In terms of the Automatic Exchange of Information Agreement introduced by the OECD, South Africa and other tax authorities will be exchanging taxpayer information from 2017. To encourage compliance, the Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, announced a Special Voluntary Disclosure Programme (VDP) in respect of offshore assets and income in his February 2016 Budget Speech. "This joint initiative of SARS and SARB will enable taxpayers with unauthorised offshore assets to make voluntary disclosure to rectify tax or exchange control violations. The 2003 and current amnesty were announced following the SA Tax system's change from the residence to the worldwide basis of taxation, which commenced in 1997 and was further cemented in 2001," states Ferdie Schneider, Head of Tax at BDO South Africa.
Provisions relating to the Special VDP have been made available in the Rates and Monetary Amounts and Amendment of Revenue Laws Bill 2016, the Rates and Monetary Amounts and Amendment of Revenue Laws (Administration Bill), 2016, and under the Exchange Control Regulation 24 of 1961. "Taxpayers can apply for the Special VDP from 1 October 2016 to 31 March 2017. Individuals and Corporates may apply for the Special VDP, which initially can be done on a no-name basis and may also be made by taxpayer representatives. This needs to be done on the same basis as the VDP contemplated in Part B of Chapter 16 of the Tax Administration, 2011," continues Schneider.
Persons aware of a pending audit or investigation in respect of foreign assets or foreign taxes, or persons already under such audit or investigation, will not qualify for the Special VDP. Trusts will also not qualify for the Special VDP. If the scope of the audit or investigation is in respect of other areas, a person may still qualify for the Special VDP. However, settlors, donors, deceased estates, or beneficiaries of foreign discretionary trusts may, however, participate in the Special VDP if they elect to have the trust's offshore assets and income deemed to be held by them. The Special VDP will not apply to amounts disclosed to SARS in terms of an international exchange of information procedure.
"Unauthorised funds repatriated to SA will be subject to a 5% exchange control levy, and funds kept offshore will be subject to a 10% exchange control levy," says Schneider. "These levies will be based on the market value of the assets on 29 February 2016. The Special VDP will allow South African resident individuals and companies to disclose and regularise their exchange control contravention that occurred pre 29 February 2016. Individuals will not be allowed to claim their R10 million (or remaining part thereof) foreign capital allowance as a deduction. The levy may also not be reduced by fees or commissions paid. Where a liable person has not applied for the Special VDP, a levy ranging between 10% and 40% will be imposed on the current market value (refer also to Shuttleworth case). The quantum of the imposition will depend on whether the funds are repatriated or not. The levy must be paid from foreign-sourced funds," says Schneider. To the extent that local funds are used to pay the levy, an additional 2% levy will be imposed.
The Special VDP will grant tax relief of 50% of the total amount ('seed money') used to acquire offshore assets before 1 March 2015, to be included in taxable income. Only investment returns on those offshore assets received or accrued on or after 1 March 2010 will be included in taxable income. Investment returns that accrued prior to 1 March 2010 will be exempt. Interest on tax debts resulting from the disclosure will be payable from 1 March 2010.
"The Special VDP now allows taxpayers a grace period within which to make disclosure before the automatic exchange of information agreement of the OECD comes into operation in SA in 2017. In terms of the Special VDP, no understatement penalties will be levied and successful application will not result in criminal prosecution or imprisonment."
By Ferdie Schneider, Head of Tax at BDO South Africa
Copyright © Insurance Times and Investments® Vol:29.3 1st March, 2016
3704 views, page last viewed on July 17, 2019
Vol. 29.3 March 2016
PwC Tax Comment on the 2016 Budget Review
CGT scare
Gobal Credit budget comment
Downgrade dissuade?
Sugar tax for 2017
Bitter pill to swallow
What do the Capital Gains Tax changes mean?
Last minute decision
Analysis of what Budget 2016 changes mean for low and high income earners
Indirect aim
National Health Insurance reaches White Paper status
Shambling along
UK National Health Service in a shambles
Two elephants in the room
Massive Pacific rim trade pact signed
Countering China
Cyber-attacks on the rise in media industry
Sad picture
What to consider when drafting a will
Reams of work
Adverse drug reactions a leading cause of death worldwide
Lives at risk from misuse of medicines
Security in offshore discretionary trusts
Expert advice crucial
Technology bringing greater engagement
Critical trends converge
Plan for specialist stroke centres
The under-recognised killer
Beneficiary funds: what financial advisers should know
Minor advantage
Need for quality improvements and new technologies
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*EDIT* Wow, thank you so much for the DD!!!!!!!
Personal work, finished on my 31st birthday.
Congratulations - as this is the cover foe the current ASIMOV'S science fiction magazine. Wonderful work and accomplishment, cheers Cynthia!
This is the most amazing thing I ever saw!
This is simply beautiful. I'm showcasing your work this week on my blog. I'll update later with the link.
Great use of contrast to control the depth and focal point. The sort of vignette and subordinated details near the border really make it "pop". It's also great to see pictures that aren't afraid of greys and earth-tones. It's also a great relief to me to see digital art that doesn't abuse textured brushes and has a more natural oil painting feel to it. The man's body language adds a great sense of mystery and the background and foreground details really compel the viewer to try and figure what kind of story is behind these ruins. The mysterious tone is a great way of capturing attention for a long time.
Love the desaturated colour scheme. It really brings the painting together.
This is so awesome, I could weep.
Just came upon this again in my faves -- stunning: the action, the composition, the imagination, the aspiration, the optimism. All your pieces are exceptional. This one is particularly good.
Beautiful work! Congratulations on your DD!
I just love it. Awesome!!!
Love this the abstract way the horses come out of the wall.
Gostei muito da sua arte isso é realmente incrível.
Congratulations for DD. Awesome work!
I have been reading a lot of Jules Verne recently and this strongly reminds me of his work.
A person exploring strange ruins seeing the majestic beauty somehow halted by the action of time.
Looks just like an oil painting. Beautiful indeed!
I can hardly look away from this - I can almost feel those horses about to burst free, and it's breathtaking. Congratulations on your well-deserved DD.
I love the details and atmosphere... especially (I don't know why) the dropped lantern. Great work and congrats!
Oh that is beautiful. REALLY BEAUTIFUL.
best...present...EVER!...to yourself of course. Looks great!
Wow. This has a "weight" that most modern images do not have, a sense of consequence. As many of your pictures do, it harkens back to the portentous religious artworks of the renaissance and later centuries -- not that it is religious itself; that the image has its own sense that what it depicts really matters. It's something of which I am profoundly jealous and something I rarely see achieved.


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Even if there is a will, all estates must be "probated" by submitting the will to the probate court if the estate's assets exceed $35,000.
Probate is a complex procedure. I will ensure that your assets are protected whether you challenging or defending a will.


Innovators are often difficult to recognize. They don't wear signs or fit a particular personality profile. Sometimes they quietly go through the day while drawing little attention to themselves and many times it seems they cannot stop talking about their ideas or inventions.
What often happens is inventors fall into different categories. These categories tend to define how the inventor and the company interact. While the majority of innovators are normal everyday employees who happen to have a good idea, you will find others tend to fit into specific categories with their own reasons for innovating.
This type of innovator is favored by the innovation or intellectual property team. Most ideas they develop are fast tracked through the organization. Road blocks and hurdles seem to magically disappear when the Favored Inventor's name is associated with an idea. They know the process and appear to seamlessly navigate the system.
Favored Inventors generally do not need to be encouraged to develop more ideas. They are generally prolific inventors and will continue this trend unless they are actively discouraged from inventing.
The danger with Favored Inventors is others may view their treatment as unfair or advantaged over other inventors. These types of inventors may be viewed as not having to play by the rules.
In order to combat this perception, you need to make sure Favored Inventors are required to take the same steps as other inventors. They need to follow the established procedures with their inventions. Typically this is not a problem; they have been through the process many times and have developed their own system for navigating the innovation process.
Favored Inventors do not like changes in the system. They are typically comfortable with the current system as it exists. To keep from disrupting your Favored Inventors, any changes should be clearly communicated to these inventors well in advance of any implementation.
Special meetings, webinars, or face-to-face meetings should be used to communicate any changes and reasons for the changes to the current innovation program well in advance of any implementation.
Improve your innovation program by having Favored Inventors mentor others. Many times Favored Inventors are respected and influential among the employee base and potential innovators. Favored Inventors can be used to help encourage others to innovate and to help new innovators navigate the system. They can be one of your biggest advocates for your innovation program. If used correctly, they can be one of the best tools in changing the culture of your organization towards innovation. Of course this is dependent on individual personalities, however, you should actively encourage, assist, and compensate these innovators to help promote your innovation program and help other inventors.
Favored Inventors can be used to help refine your innovation program. They have been through the process enough times to be familiar with the good and the bad of the program. Their advice and assistance can be extremely useful when contemplating or implementing structural changes. Another benefit of involving these innovators early in the process is they can become some of your most respected channels to communicate changes and their benefits.
Most times Favored Inventors have received their status because the purpose of their innovation is to move the organization forward, however, you may find some Favored Inventors losing their focus and tending to become a Paperhanger. You should be on your guard to protect against this. If you think a Favored Inventor is losing their focus or becoming less effective you may want to dedicate resources to help bring them back on track. Typically this can be additional training on technologies or intellectual property issues.
Remember these are some of your best innovation resources in your organization. Don't let a lack of investment be part of the cause of the decline of this resource.
Stealth Inventors are the inventors who you tend to never see or hear, however, when you look at your records you see they have numerous patents and have rolled out multiple services. They tend to work around the system if you allow them to do so.
Often they show up at the innovation or intellectual property group with a fully formed idea which is about to be launched into the market and they need to get a patent filed immediately before the product is launched. They tend to recognize the protecting of ideas as just a single part of launching service or product.
Get out of the way of Stealth Inventors. Find ways to assist in their launching of new products. Get involved with their process early. Make sure they don't view the innovation program as a last minute requirement before the market launch. You may be able to use provisional patent applications to gain early commitment and involvement of these types of inventors.
You should try to find out if the Stealth Inventors have any future ideas. You will have to be proactive about asking the questions and getting disclosures for these ideas. Since they are not fully formed, the Stealth Inventor may not feel comfortable releasing them before their time. Oftentimes the Stealth Inventor sees you as part of their process to get a product or service into the market. Find ways to be part of their process – you will not be disappointed. These are some of the best innovators in your organization.
Don't be afraid of developing special policies and procedures to address these types of innovators. Don't fall into the trap of thinking your program needs to be equal for all innovators or to treat all innovators the same. Proven innovators who have achieved real value for the organization should receive a disproportionate amount of your time and resources.
You may find employees in hot, dynamic, or growing market segments are too busy to participate in any type of innovation or intellectual property protection program. They are extremely busy moving the business forward and have little time for anything else. Unfortunately, these are exactly the innovators you would like to have participate in your program. They are on the cutting edge of your organization and technology. The question usually becomes – how?
Busy Bee Inventors are one of the trickiest types to get to participate in your innovation or intellectual property protection program. In most cases, these are some of the best compensated employees. Their bonus plans are usually tied to actual implementation of real technologies or services. They are some of the hardest working employees and they put in some of the longest hours.
To encourage Busy Bee Inventors to participate, you can tie innovation to future product/technology training for the inventors. The innovation program can bring in experts to provide training classes.
After the training class the attendees are asked questions like – how can this be used in our business; what if our competitors did this, how would we react; what comes after this; what patents can we come up with surrounding this idea, etc. The Busy Bee Inventors should be encouraged to think of how the organization can use, compete against, expand, enhance, or prevent the technology or product. An emphasis should be placed on how the organization can achieve a unique position in the future market using the technology or product.
Busy Bee Inventors should be encouraged and rewarded for input given within a certain time period after a training class or program. Also, the innovation team should proactively follow up with them to encourage participation.
Not only will this strategy encourage the Busy Bee Inventors to participate in the innovation program, it will also show the value the organization places on innovation. If implemented correctly, training on future technologies or products linked to innovation can be used to help change the culture of the organization.
In the patent world, there is a school of thought which has always mystified me. This school of thought seems to believe patents have value regardless of their quality. You may find attorneys, patent agents, patent examiners, inventors, etc., who seem to think in this quantity vs. quality manner. They are paperhangers. To them, the purpose of patents is to generate a plaque for the wall, allow a box to be checked, or to fulfill a quarterly goal.
I can somewhat understand the paperhanger goal for some specific inventors, especially new inventors without any patents. Being an inventor with a patent to your name provides some level of validation of your expertise. An argument can be made that a patent is similar to a certification, license, or pedigree. It tends to lend credibility.
Also, If you have a child or know a young person who desires to enter college to pursue an engineering or technical degree, it may be helpful if they can get a patent or even patent pending. It can be viewed favorably if a college applicant has a patent on their resume. Even if the patent has little real market value, it can be a significant differentiator in the very competitive environment of college admission. Also, teaching a young person how to invent can radically change their life!
The real problem with paper hanging is when the behavior is exhibited by patent lawyers, patent agents, examiners, or patent portfolio managers. This behavior not only wastes time, it also teaches inventors and the organization to view patents and the innovative process as a hobby instead of a real business.
You can easily recognize paperhangers by the claims in their patents. They will be very specific, narrow, and probably worthless in a real market sense. You will often hear them say "if we combine these things together we can get a patent granted." They tend to view the goal as getting through the process instead of ending up with a high-quality patent.
To correct this destructive behavior you need to make it difficult for paperhangers to exist. After all, why should your organization want to spend the time and resources for narrow patents of little to no worth?
Make sure the individual and group goals for your patent professionals actively discourage paperhanging. Any bonus programs or incentives need to recognize paperhangers and discount this behavior. For example, you can require any proposal to limit or narrow a patent claim to receive a higher level of scrutiny and approval in the organization. This can help to mitigate one of the main tools paperhangers often use.
If you are a company with a patent program, develop a strategic plan for your patent program. The plan should include a vision and specific goals. The vision should include a strong market-based value component and the goals need to communicate the purpose of maintaining and funding the program. At least one of the goals should address paperhanging. The strategic plan should be forward looking with an eye on positioning the company in the future. You should quote from the strategic plan often to continuously remind everyone of the goals of pursuing patents. Your goal should be to develop a high-quality patent, not spend a lot of money for paperhanging.
If you manage a group of patent professionals you should actively eliminate paperhangers. These people not only suboptimize the value of the individual patent, but they also send the bad message to the organization. You risk having your employees think patents are a game.
If you are an individual inventor, paperhanging can cost you lots of money. It tends to drag out the process of receiving marketable patents for years. In any event, it is not a behavior to tolerate.
Typically this is someone who knows nothing about a particular segment of the business, however, they want to invent something in this segment. Since they are operating outside of their area of expertise, they usually miss some important facts or misread the market. Their inventions tend to sound plausible until a little research is done.
The Out of Touch inventor is one who is constantly behind the marketplace. They come up with very good ideas only two to three years too late. Their ideas have already been patented or are already in the market. A brief introduction to Google Patent Search can be the best way to handle these inventors. Don't do the search for them. Teach them how to use this valuable screening tool.
You – That is a great idea for a novel chair, but we build roads.
Inventor – Well our headquarters' staff uses lots of chairs. We have chairs in our meeting rooms, break rooms, virtually everywhere you look in our office there is a chair. Look you are sitting in one now.
You – I don't think I can give the green light for the company to pay to patent a novel chair. It is just not what we do.
Inventor – Can I have the idea and patent it myself?
You – (After numerous meetings discussing chairs with upper management) Sure, good luck.
Inventor – You will be sorry when I am the chair king of the world.
In reality the idea is unlikely to get traction on its own. Just like the Grass is Always Greener inventor, the Unrelated Ideas Inventor tends to overlook some important aspects of the actual business in these non-related areas. Typically there are issues, such as manufacturability, safety, aesthetics, etc. which tend to look much easier when you are not living it day-to-day.
This inventor is a hard one to handle. They have a good idea but the market is just not big enough for your company to spend the resources. Many times this is the first idea submitted by the particular employee and it is a good one. Everyone the employee talks with loves the idea. It just does not meet the level of significance to take further action. The temptation is to send this person to the business unit and let them sort it out.
While the current idea may not meet the significance hurdle, don't give up on the inventor. This is how many Favored Inventors start. Help them out to understand ideas must be significant to the organization, as well as inventive.
An innovation strategic plan with well-defined goals can help explain the need for significance to this inventor. At least one of the goals in your strategic plan should address how new ideas should have some level of significance for the department or organization. If you are in charge of a patent portfolio and you meet with inventors on a regular basis, frame the goals and put them in your office. This is a non-confrontational way to deal with numerous inventor issues.
The Ill-Defined Idea inventor typically has an idea which needs a little more work. The idea outlines a direction the inventor would like to take, however, there may be some leaps of logic or missing steps. The Ill-Defined Idea inventor typically wants someone to help fill out their core idea. During meetings with these inventors you are likely to be asked to become an inventor with them on their idea. If you decline the offer, they may question if you are doing your job.
To deal with an Ill-Defined Idea inventor have the inventor fill out an invention disclosure form. This form should clearly state the steps necessary to make their invention work. Also, before the invention can be placed into the patent process, explain how all the steps must be documented in detail.
The non-inventor types can be very difficult for an innovation program to deal with. They usually seem to be on the right path but need a little help or direction. Your innovation program should be designed to handle these types of innovators to help them become productive contributors to future innovation.
A regularly scheduled training class covering the purpose of innovation and how the innovation program works can help give direction to new inventors. The innovation training class can be scheduled as a lunch-and-learn or at another time which does not take away from normal duties.
A major goal of any innovation program should be to change the culture of the organization to promote innovation. It should also be the goal of a successful innovation program to grow your own innovators. This can be accomplished through a combination of education about how the innovation system works, explanation of the importance of innovation to the organization, focus on specific technologies, and targeting of specific employee groups. This should be a major focus of a properly functioning innovation program.
All inventors and innovators are not created equal. You are likely to find a small number of inventors develop a large number of ideas, however, these ideas tend not to have a high market value. A few inventors come up with a small number of ideas which are very valuable. A large number of inventors tend to come up with a few ideas which have a questionable market value. And very few inventors come up with many very valuable ideas.
How do you organize these inventors in any meaningful manner? The best way I have seen is called an "Inventor Batting Average." The Inventor Batting Average ranks current inventors in your portfolio by the number of inventions and value of the inventions.
While the number of inventions is straight forward, the value of the inventions is a little more subjective. Even though value can be somewhat subjective, it does not mean value cannot be estimated or predicted.
To set value, you can look at market segment, quality, timing, use in products, real revenues, or interest. Just like many business cases or future products, future value of inventions will most assuredly have some uncertainty. The uncertainty does not necessarily diminish the value of the Inventor Batting Average analysis, however, like any analysis that looks into the future, you should recognize it tends to show the trend and should not be interpreted as an absolute.
To establish an Inventor Batting Average, each inventor in the portfolio should be ranked by number of inventions and quality of inventions. Then the inventors should be graphed. When you look at the graph you will most likely find you have a few inventors stand out from the rest. They have a number of valuable inventions. These are the Innovation Sluggers in your organization.
You should spend a higher level of resources to help the Innovation Sluggers in your organization to be successful. You should develop programs directed specifically to these employees. You should seek out these employees on a regular basis and help them develop new ideas.
Just like the Busy Bee Inventor, training on future technologies or products linked to innovation can be a way to further encourage the Innovation Sluggers to increase their participation in your innovation program. If implemented correctly, the training programs tend to be viewed as a perk or reward for these employees. Remember these are your real innovators; it is appropriate to spend more of your resources on these employees.


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The New Customs
Hardly afraid of the "F Word", The New Customs are proud to call themselves FOLK! Deeply rooted in the tradition of capturing a story in a song, the Indie-Folk duo take a bold and evocative approach to songwriting. With two strong voices, guitar, mandolin and fiddle in hand, Emma Cloney & Dale Brown use their anthemic heart and Americana backbone to charm audiences with a bombastic electrifying sound. Their latest project, Selling Religion on Government Street, builds on the Winnipeg duo's knack for telling it like it is, tracing its roots back to their debut album "All Walls Fall" which took its inspiration from the wake of the 2016 US election. - The New Customs
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Received a "FACTOR Artist Development Grant" for "All Walls Fall" (2016-2017)
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Trouble Follow Him No More
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To go alongside the shop front she created at We Built This City on Carnaby Street, Rebecca designed this wonderful print to celebrate our sense of community, and the power of collective work.
Aa huge fans of Rebecca's work we are very excited to now be stocking this wonderful, colourful print.
Rebecca Strickson is a South-London based artist working mostly in illustration, she combines an intricate hand-rendered aesthetic with an equally detailed choice of subject.


There are multiple secondary players who might very well face legal consequences for their part in the now debunked and dangerously divisive Trump-Russia collusion narrative, but with the possible exception of former Obama era CIA Director John Brennan, no figure was more central to the rollout of said hoax than former Obama era FBI Director James Comey.
It seems Mr. Comey is not doing so well these days.
If there was ever any question that former FBI director James Comey has been blowing smoke up our backsides since the moment he got fired in May 2017, his interview with NBC News' Lester Holt on Wednesday night removed all doubt.
With the possible exception of former CIA director John Brennan, he of "I can't talk about the classified information that informs my judgement, but trust me, Trump's a compromised Russian stooge" infamy, no one had a more uncomfortable Saturday afternoon than one James Comey.
Comey's no neophyte in the ways of the swamp. He knew that four-word answer would lead every newscast, and that his repetition of that answer would sustain the story for at least as long as he had another interview on his calendar.
And it worked—all of it. Within a year of his firing, Comey had singlehandedly engineered a special counsel investigation into the president who fired him, and seeded into the national psyche reason to believe that the president was a compromised traitor. If the former director of the FBI, his mind teeming with sensitive and classified information, tells us it's possible the president is compromised, then it's a pretty good bet the president is compromised.
The media took their cue from Comey and ran with it, while Democratic politicians amplified and expanded on it until it became a matter of faith among the political and pundit commentariat (and, not coincidentally, with at least half of the country) that the Mueller investigation was going to bring down the presidency. All of the former heads of the intelligence agencies were in agreement. James Clapper believed it. John Brennan guaranteed it.
They each settled into a comfortable chair late Saturday afternoon, perhaps a celebratory cocktail at their side, and watched as Mueller and Barr brought their worlds down around them with the truth.
They say the first stage of grief is denial, and, judging from Comey's performance during his interview with Holt, they're right. But even in denial, Comey maintained sufficient control of his well-honed shamelessness to pepper the defense of his singular role in orchestrating this national tragedy with lies delivered with a straight face.
But that's not what we see here. What we see here is a $25 million, two-year hostage crisis, wherein the president of the United States' political and foreign policy agenda was handcuffed by an investigation he repeatedly told us was unnecessary and unjust, yet knew it was politically untenable to fire Mueller or use his authority to end an investigation he was certain would find no evidence of conspiracy, at least on his part. Which, we now know, is the elusive "what is true" Comey's "honest group of people" were trying to find out.
In response to Holt's statement that the Mueller report indicated there was "nothing between the campaign and Russia," Comey quibbled with the language in the summary, keying on the word "established"—as in "the special counsel did not find that the evidence established that there was any conspiracy between an American and the Russians"—suggesting to Holt that there may be evidence in the report that falls "just short of that standard" and that we should wait for the report to come out.
Comey's play here—and remember, he's in denial—is to introduce the possibility that evidence "just short of [the] standard" of "established" may well be of some determinative value once revealed, despite that fact that Mueller's remit was to make that exact determination, whether or not the evidence established conspiracy or cooperation between the campaign and Russia. It didn't.
But Comey's most blatant display of shameless duplicity was in response to Holt's questions about Mueller's indecision on the question of obstruction of justice. Comey told Holt that he was confused by Mueller's inability to make a judgement, and by Barr's decision that the evidence didn't support a charge of obstruction.
Oh, the humanity. If I had three wishes granted before I left this earth, one would take care of my family, one would guarantee another Cubs World Series victory, and the last would be that this complete fabrication, this poisonously viral canard, would once and for all be banished from the mouths of the simpering liars who regurgitate it in defense of their false narrative that Trump admitted he fired Comey to stop the investigation.
I attempted to debunk it here. It's since been thoroughly debunked by any number of Twitter accounts and various online publications—pretty much everyone who read the entire transcript except for the entirety of the mainstream media has debunked this nonsensical claim.
The truth is in the context. Trump makes it clear in the rest of the Holt interview that he fully expects the investigation to continue under new leadership, and he looks forward to its findings. Holt knows this, because he was there. Comey knows this, as well.
What Trump was saying in that infamous quote is, "The only thing holding me back from firing Comey was the perception that I would be interfering with the Russia investigation, but I thought, 'This Russia thing is a made-up story and I'm not going to let it stop me from doing what I think should be done' so I fired him." That's what he was trying to say.
And you know what? He was right. This Russia thing was a made-up story, but Comey, along with Clapper, Brennan, and Strzok, fell for it and devoted the awesome power and resources of the premier investigative agency and intelligence community in the world to find their truth. What they got instead was the actual truth, and Comey proved Wednesday night that he's not prepared to deal with it.
One wonders if he'll ever get from "denial" to "acceptance." To paraphrase a famous professor of integrity, with time and a little bit of self-reflection, I think it's possible.
He's a bad actor within a script written and directed by some of the most vile, anti-American forces from within our government.


text:
Q: Remove rows from Pandas dependent on multiple values in other rows I would like to remove all rows which are already contained within a previous start:end range.
example df:
   length  qstart  qend  sstart  send
0    5464       1  5459       1  5460
1     400    3619  4015    4654  4258
2     396    4261  4653    4012  3619
3     203    1210  1411    1086  1287
4     203    5486  5689    5490  5693
5     100    5500  5600    5310  5410

ie, by looking at qstart:qend, I would like to remove all rows /below/ this row which are contained within the range qstart:qend (1:5459), and apply this behavior to all remaining rows as well.
Ive tried making masks and merging dataframes together similar to this post, but I could not scrape together something that worked. I also looked at df.shift() solutions, but this only can look at fixed intervals between rows and is not dynamic as far as I can tell. I can solve this problem looping and treating it like python, but this is a slow method and I would like something more Pandas-y.
So, as mentioned above, this works but is slow and does not scale well. It is also implemented for only qstart:qend pairs, and not for the other sstart:send pairs (though in this example the output would be the same).
df = pd.DataFrame({'length': {0: 5464, 1: 400, 2: 396, 3: 203, 4: 203, 5:100},
              'qstart': {0: 1, 1: 3619, 2: 4261, 3: 1210, 4: 5486, 5:5500},
              'qend': {0: 5459, 1: 4015, 2: 4653, 3: 1411, 4: 5689, 5:5600},
              'sstart': {0: 1, 1: 4654, 2: 4012, 3: 1086, 4: 5490, 5:5310},
              'send': {0: 5460, 1: 4258, 2: 3619, 3: 1287, 4: 5693, 5:5410}})

removeRows=[]
for i in range(len(df.index)-1):
    for j in range(i,len(df.index)):
        if df.iloc[j]['qstart']>df.iloc[i]['qstart']:
            if df.iloc[j]['qend']<df.iloc[i]['qend']:
                removeRows.append(j)
print(df[~df.index.isin(removeRows)])

   length  qstart  qend  sstart  send
0    5464       1  5459       1  5460
4     203    5486  5689    5490  5693

Expected
input (df is sorted by 'length'):
   length  qstart  qend  sstart  send
0    5464       1  5459       1  5460
1     400    3619  4015    4654  4258
2     396    4261  4653    4012  3619
3     203    1210  1411    1086  1287
4     203    5486  5689    5490  5693
5     100    5500  5600    5310  5410

output:
   length  qstart  qend  sstart  send
0    5464       1  5459       1  5460
4     203    5486  5689    5490  5693

A: Solution 1
This produces the expected result, but the execution time is comparable or slower than your two for loops.
df['remove'] = False
for i in df.index:
    df['remove'].loc[(~df['remove']) & (df['qstart'] > df.loc[i, 'qstart']) & (df['qend'] < df.loc[i, 'qend'])] = True
ddf = df.loc[~df['remove']]

I first add a column called 'remove', each element set to False which keeps track of the rows to be removed.
The loop on the index changes to True the elements of 'remove' column according to your condition. It is done for each row.
Then you can create a new dataframe ddf by selecting all the rows where 'remove' is False.
Solution 2
A similar but faster solution is to loop over combinations of rows:
from itertools import combinations
df['remove'] = False
for i, j in combinations(df.index, 2):
    if not df.loc[j, 'remove']:
        df.loc[j, 'remove'] = df.loc[j, 'qstart'] > df.loc[i, 'qstart'] and df.loc[j, 'qend'] < df.loc[i, 'qend']
ddf = df.loc[~df['remove']])

Similar in concept, but here we select each pair once, which speeds up the execution time. Solution 1 loc selection check each time the entire dataframe, so there is a lot of useless comparison.
According to my test, this should be faster than the two for loops.
For both solution, suppressing the SettingWithCopyWarning warning with
pd.options.mode.chained_assignment = None

improves execution time.

A: Other possible solution it`s to iterate through rows using

df.iterrows()

and implement an if statement to check the desired condition:
start = 0
end = 0
for x in df.iterrows():
    next_start = x[1]["qstart"]
    next_end = x[1]["qend"]
    if (start < next_start) & (end > next_end):
        df.drop(x[0], inplace = True)
    else:
        start = next_start.copy()
        end = next_end.copy()

and then you can sort the dataframe using
df.sort_values(by = "length")

A: i = 0
while i < len(df):
    qstart = df['qstart'].iloc[i]
    qend = df['qend'].iloc[i]
    df = df.query('qstart <= @qstart or qend >= @qend')
    i += 1

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
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MUFG Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group
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We have clarified our Group mission, long-term vision and shared values in the Corporate Vision and expressed our commitment to meeting the expectations of customers and society as a whole. Furthermore, we have established the MUFG Group Code of Conduct as the guidelines for how the Group's directors and employees act to realize the Corporate Vision. This expresses our commitment to complying with laws and regulations globally, to acting with honesty and integrity, and to behaving in a manner that supports and strengthens the trust and confidence of society.
In addition, as we expand our business globally, we are committed to keeping abreast with developments in the laws and regulations of the jurisdictions in which we operate, including those targeting money laundering and bribery, as well as competition laws, while paying attention to trends in financial crimes.
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Compliance management divisions have been established at the holding company Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, and at MUFG Bank, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking, and Mitsubishi UFJ Securities Holdings (referred to as the three companies below). Each compliance management division formulates compliance programs and organizes training courses to promote compliance, and regularly reports to each company's board of directors and Executive Committee on the status of compliance activities.
The holding company has the Group Compliance Committee while the three companies have Compliance Committees which deliberate important matters related to compliance. Additionally, the holding company has the Group Chief Compliance Officer (CCO) Committee composed of the CCO of the holding company and CCOs of the three companies. This committee deliberates important matters related to compliance and compliance-related issues for which the Group should share a common understanding.
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As a financial institution, MUFG is well aware of its obligation to strictly comply with corporate ethics and to abstain from business conduct that goes against its principles, even when clearly defined rules are not provided. MUFG is therefore striving to foster a corporate culture that does not tolerate unjust behaviors by periodically holding training sessions aimed at instilling its Corporate Vision and MUFG Group Code of Conduct. Not merely lectures to facilitate the understanding of in-house rules among employees, these training sessions are designed to encourage participants to allow such vision and principles to guide every action they make. To that end, participants are asked to reflect on their own experience. At the same time, they hear their peers' views on the subject and take time to think about what they learn. Often, these sessions involve lively discussions that, in turn, afford them valuable insights into what is it like to apply compliance principles in the course of day-to-day operations.
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The major subsidiaries have established internal reporting systems that aim to identify compliance issues early so that any problems can be quickly rectified. This system includes an independent external compliance hotline. Furthermore, the holding company has set up an MUFG Group Compliance Helpline that acts in parallel with group-company internal reporting systems and provides a reporting channel for directors and employees of Group companies. In the holding company, the contents of the reported cases as well as the result of surveys is reported to the audit committee on a regular basis or whenever necessary.
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